Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Small hands clutched at dirt. It crumbled in their grasp. The small hands were now stained with dirt. Great. Not like they cared. They’ve been through worse.

A tiny tail swished. A bit of dust got stuck on the fur at the end, clinging onto the badly-bleached blonde. It tapped the edge of their cape, which was torn and tattered from general wear and tear. 

The tiny hands pulled their owner up the hill. They panted, clutching at their chest to catch their breath. But- oh. A town. Their mouth watered. Every cell in their body screamed for sugar, for food. They could smell it. 

A child dressed like night stumbled into town. Destiny was about to shift around them. Nothing will be the same.

-=-

Wu breathed in and out. The scent of burning incense wafted around him, clouds skirting his hat and body. He was meditating.

Well. The keyword here is was , because meditation requires quiet. Something that Wu certainly didn’t have anymore. Sounds of exertion sounded across the monastery, forcing the old man to crack open an eye. His ear flicked to the direction of the noise. 

“Fire strike!” Kai’s voice. Faint, from a different room. It sounded like he was training. Wu got up, brushing the incense clouds away. “Ohhhh is that not the greatest move you've ever seen?”

He began to move over to the courtyard when he heard Cole’s voice. “Stop trying to do it yourself.” He sounded stern. “We need to attack as a team.”

Wu opened the shoji doors to the courtyard. It was empty. He blinked in surprise, looking around. Most of the training equipment wasn’t even out of their hiding spots. The equipment that was there was covered in dust and cobwebs. 

His ear flicked to the left when he heard Jay’s voice. “Zane, why are you wasting your special attack on me? You have to save it!”

Oh. I see. Wu sighed, finally understanding what his students were doing. He made his way to the living room and slid open the doors, seeing that, yep, the four teens were playing a video game. The Golden Weapons were strewn haphazardly around the floor, an open box of pizza lay mostly empty behind Cole, and- was that a slice of pizza on the Sword of Fire???

Jay suddenly groaned, dropping his controller. “Fucking fantastic, I'm out of lives!”

“Apologies, Jay,” Zane said, not looking away from the game. “But the lesson lives on, and I am getting the hang of it.”

Cole whooped. “Ok, now!” he commanded, and the three remaining ninja all focused on the boss, which looked like a strange red rock golem. Wu couldn’t tell what their characters were supposed to be, but none of them were blonde in real life. 

He shook his head and slunk behind Kai to the outlet. His students, the children chosen by the four cardinal elements, wasting their time playing senseless games and goofing off. They were out of shape. Garmadon was still loose, not showing his face back in Jago after escaping to wherever he went. They would not be prepared if he were to return, this he was sure of.

With one swift motion, Wu pulled the plug on the tv. Every ninja screamed and complained and groaned. “It took us three hours to get there!” Cole cried, dropping his controller in rage.

“Why would you do that??? WHY?” Jay screamed, arms thrown up in protest.

Wu’s eyes narrowed. “Just because Lord Garmadon escaped the Underworld, doesn't mean he won't return one day for the Golden Weapons.”

“But Master Wu,” Zane said, smiling slightly, “ever since he's been gone, Jago has had nothing but peace.”

“Yea, peace is boring,” Jay snarked, leaning back on his hands. “There's no one to save, there's nothing to do!”

“We can train tomorrow,” Cole sighed, laying on his back, hands behind his head.

Oh, they were far gone. “Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today,” Wu said sternly.

Cole’s eyes sparkled with mirth. “Well, I was gonna eat this pizza tomorrow, so if that's the case…” He picked up a slice of pizza, the only one remaining in the box. It had olives and pepperoni on it, but looked cold already.

Either way, he shouldn’t be eating it. Wu grunted and kicked the slice out of Cole’s hand. It landed outside the door with a sad little splat. “No pizza for you!” he scolded. “In order to reach your full potential, you must train!”

Kai scoffed. “Uh, remember when we did a little thing called the Tornado of Creation? I thought that was pretty insane.”

“First of all, you should not have done that in the first place,” Wu sighed, glaring at his fiery student. “It is a dangerous move that should be practiced and not done carelessly. And second of all, you four have merely scratched the surface of your full potential. There are still so many secrets you have yet to unlock. You haven't even begun to tap into what powers your golden weapons hold!”

Wu looked at the sad state of his students. Kai had fetched the discarded pizza slice, no doubt warming it with his natural body heat. Zane was looking lazy as well, slumped in place. Jay was poking at his controller, as if hoping the right combination would unlock something. Cole was still on the floor, glaring at the ceiling. The pizza slice on the Sword of Fire was sizzling. A faint burnt smell wafted through the room.

“You wanna talk secret powers?” Cole smirked, grabbing his scythe. “Check this out.” He reached out to the plug, scooping it up on his blade. With a slightly troubled motion, he shoved it into the outlet by Wu’s feet. The tv roared to life, causing the ninja to cheer and boot their game up again.

“Don't worry, Master,” Zane reassured Wu as he stroked his beard in discontent. “We will be ready when Lord Garmadon returns.”

It seems that destiny had a sense of humor that day, because Nya rushed in, throwing open the door. “Guys! Garmadon’s returned!” As everyone cried out in alarm, she continued. “Someone reported him approaching Akayuki Village!”

Everyone started making noises of surprise and scrambled to get up. Unfortunately, they all tripped over themselves. Kai knocked into Jay, Zane’s foot caught on one of the controller wires, and Cole knocked into him as he tried to worm his way out. Nya and Wu watched this happen with concerned faces.

Nya leaned over to pick up the Nunchaku of Lightning, only for the weapons to continually zap her. Growling and giving up, she kicked them up with her foot, letting Jay catch them. His face grew red as he looked at her. “Th-thanks, Nya-”

“Hurry!” The blue ninja’s blabbering was cut short by Nya literally shoving him out of the room. The group pulled their masks on as they rushed outside. They all whistled, calling their dragons home. A roar answered as the dragons approached.

It felt wrong to chain up and keep dragons like pets, the ninja had decided, so they let them roam free, as long as they stayed away from most civilization. As to not incite too much panic at seeing dragons. Thankfully, they were ready to follow any signal their riders gave them, which in this case was a sharp whistle.

The dragons arrived in no time, Wisp being the first. They seemed to brag about it to the others, especially to Rocky, who grumbled and smacked the lightning dragon with their tail. Flame laughed. 

Zane rushed forward, but ran face-first into one of the dusty pieces of equipment still in the courtyard. Cole tried to leap onto Rocky, but dropped his weapon on the floor as he landed. Thankfully, his dragon grabbed it for him. Jay lept at Wisp, overshooting by a mile and landing five feet to their left. 

Wu grimaced as he watched with Nya. He didn’t think they got this out of shape. Nya approached her brother, who slid a bag around one of Flame’s horns. They flicked an ear distastefully. “Uh, can I help?” she asked, petting the dragon’s snout.

“Sorry, sis,” Kai shook his head, leaning on the dragon’s neck. “Where we go, danger abounds.” She snorted at his usage of ‘abounds.’ “This is a job for ninja.” He stretched to climb on top of Flame, but his foot kept slipping. He looked at Nya with an embarrassed sideways glance. “Uh- a little help?” he chuckled.

Nya rolled her eyes and shook her head, but pushed her brother up on his dragon. He used that momentum to fully climb on, then caught the bag that Flame shook off their horns. Yea, that’s fine. They didn’t like that.

All the dragons gave a loud roar, signaling they were ready for takeoff. With one quick motion, they pushed off the ground and into the sky, spinning and twisting their way through the clouds. Cole let out a loud cry of “YEAAAAA” as they took off.

“Will they ever reach their full potential?” Nya sidled up to Wu, who sighed.

“In time,” he replied. “Maybe a long time, but in time.” The “I hope” went unsaid for either party.

-=-

The ninja soared through the sky. Rocky and Flame were still galloping, but Wisp and Shard were certainly soaring. Jay smiled wide as the wind blew through their hair, tousling and messing it up. Kai had already thrown his hood on to protect his precious spikes.

Cole laughed and stroked Rocky’s head. “Just like old times, eh, Rocky?” he said. It had been a month or two since the ninja had all teamed up and saved Nya, and while Jay took Wisp out on regular flights, the others had mostly stayed on the ground. It seemed natural for Jay to be in the sky. Cole had certainly warmed up to dragons at this point, going from fear to love. He loved these giant sky noodles.

Kai frowned. “You guys believe what Master Wu said about unlocking our full potential?”

“He may be onto something,” Jay replied, gliding up to his left side. They pulled their nunchaku out. “I mean, since we got these golden weapons, it's not like we ever had to use them. I wonder what they do.”

“I, for one, look forward to the future,” Zane said. “If there is more for us to accomplish, let it be.” His dragon slid into place beside Jay.

“Don't know about you, but is anyone else a little excited about battling Lord Garmadon?” Cole asked, guiding Rocky to finish the lineup. “I've been looking forward to trying out some new Spinjutsu moves. Could be the perfect opportunity!” He jumped in place with a spin.

“Race you there!” Jay suddenly exclaimed, leaning forward on Wisp, who screeched in excitement and took off. The other dragons squawked in surprise before taking off after the lightning duo, but you can’t really outspeed a lightning dragon.

As they soared over forests and plains and up a mountain, the dragons spun around each other. They were dancing in the air, the wind currents their gentle guides and the clouds their toys. The joy of a flying dragon is something unparalleled. 

Eventually, a small village poked through the clouds. Compared to Hakka, it was actually pretty sizable, but in comparison to the City, it was tiny. It was built into a small plateau on the side of the mountain, covered in snow and with beautiful red-leaved trees. It appeared to be what the town was named for; the red trees and crunchy snow. 

“First ninja there wins!!!” Jay yelled, flying down like a bullet. Not ones to be left behind, the others followed closely.

The dragons landed on the outskirts of the village, far enough away from prying eyes. They all landed at around the same time (Wisp was slowed due to Shard being a bit petty), and the ninja hopped off to gloat.

“Haha! I was first!” Kai puffed his chest out. He finally got a normal binder from Jay’s parents in the mail, and he really had to thank them for this when he saw them. This was MILES better than bandages.

“Nuh-uh! No one was faster than me!” Jay leaned up into Kai’s face, glaring at him.

“My feet were down before yours!” Cole argued, pointing at his legs. 

“You were all disillusioned!” Zane exclaimed. “It was clearly me!”

The dragons seemed to have the same argument, but in dragon. Shame none of them spoke dragon.

However, their arguments were broken when a scream rang out across the village. The ninja froze and pulled their hoods on. Fun and games were over, it’s time for serious combat.

The ninja snuck inside the town, watching villagers run around and hide inside their homes. It was a quaint little town, covered in November snow. There was a beautifully sculpted fountain in the corner of the village, embroidered with jade dragons. Behind the fountain stretched a huge shadow. 

Kai gulped. He wasn’t ready to fight Garmadon again, especially not if he’s a shadow again. Wasn’t he in this world already? What need would he have for being a shadow? Kai drew his sword, and heard his fellow ninja do the same. “Stay sharp, fellas,” he muttered to them. 

Someone began to cackle from behind the fountain, but something was… off about it. Some part of Kai’s brain itched when he heard it, something that told him this wasn’t familiar. It wasn’t Garmadon’s laugh. This was something else.

It became clear when the fountain quit making the voice echo more, and all that was left was a rather young-sounding voice. The cackle faded into melodramatic laughs, like a child playing villain. Indeed, this was something - or someone - else.

What emerged from behind the fountain was certainly not Lord Garmadon. This was a child. Like, straight up this kid could not have been older than eight. He was dressed in black from head to toe, with a hoodie with the hood up over his head and black pants that draped over his shoes. A purple sash was tied around his waist. His pant legs barely showed worn and yellowed green sneakers, scraped with dirt and with loose purple laces. A long black cape extended from his back, the end almost fading to purple. His hoodie had hastily painted on white ribs, the paint dripping and strokes uneven. One of the ribs crossed over a green 5 in the upper left corner. 

They couldn’t see many features under the hood, but they could see the general picture. The kid had warm brown skin, but it was paler than it probably should be. Hints of blonde hair poked out from under the hood. The strangest part was the eyes. They were startlingly red. Redder than the trees he stood under. There was a weird golden-orange shine to them, and the ninja couldn’t tell if there were pupils from here.

The kid sauntered out from the fountain, cackling, hands in the air. “It is I, Lloyd Garmadon!” he laughed. He grabbed the ledge of the fountain and climbed on, barely even reaching 5 feet tall. “Gimme all the candy you got, or else!”

Jay raised an eyebrow. “ Lloyd Garmadon? I thought we were gonna face Lord Garmadon!”

“Garmadon has a son?” Kai asked in disbelief. No one ever mentioned Lord Garmadon having a kid, but as he looked closer at Lloyd, he noticed how the two’s eyes were the same shade of red.

“I think I heard rumors about this back home,” Cole explained. “Lord Garmadon had a kid about a decade ago, said to be the spawn of evil. Though no one ever confirmed this, since he was said to be sent off to a boarding school at a young age.” He sighed. “And to think we could've been doing Spinjutsu already.” He and the others began to approach the kid.

Several villagers started poking their heads out of their homes, realizing that it wasn’t actually Lord Garmadon. Lloyd gulped and stared nervously at the ninja. He quickly regained his evil little look as he faced the villagers. “Uh- gimme your candy, or I’m gonna- uh, release the Serpentine on you!”

The villagers had come out of their homes at this point, fully realizing this kid wasn’t a threat. Many of them started booing him, much to the kid’s dismay. He pulled out an aluminum can and opened it at the villagers, releasing several spring-loaded snakes. He chuckled evilly, but was met with a bell pepper thrown at his head.

“AH-” he exclaimed, holding his head where it was hit. “N-No way! I asked for candy, not vegetables! I hate vegetables!” From how close the ninja were, they could see little fangs in his mouth. He tossed the lid of the can at the villagers, who continued booing and throwing vegetables at the kid. Several banana peels landed in the fountain behind him, but one hit him in the head.

Kai picked up one of the fake snakes. “He's gonna have to do a lot better than use an old bedtime story to scare people,” he sighed.

“The Serpentine are real,” Zane corrected. “They're not something to joke about.”

“Real? Sure,” Kai huffed. “Alive? Don’t think so. We haven’t heard anything from them since the war 40 years ago.”

“They were sealed in tombs,” Jay shuddered. “To separate the warring tribes and ensure they don't unify to exact their revenge upon those who put them there.”

“There’s no way any of them are still alive, dude,” Kai frowned under his mask. “It’s just an old cautionary tale, to warn kids about sticking their noses where they don’t belong. No one’s even found the tombs to confirm they’re still there.”

“Well that's because you'd be a fool to look for one,” Cole rolled his eyes. He and Jay approached the kid. “If there was anything I hated more than dragons, it was snakes. Rubber or not.” They dragged Lloyd off the fountain, who cried out in protest and smacked Jay’s head with the can. It didn’t do much.

“Don’t worry, folks! We’ll take care of this,” Cole said to the villagers. Zane and Kai joined in carrying the kid, who squirmed in their grasp. They all noted just how light he was. “Nothing to see here!” The villagers that weren’t still booing the kid started cheering on the ninja. 

As they began to carry him out, Lloyd growled and tried to wriggle out of the carry. “Bow down to me or suffer my wrath! I'll give you to the count of three! One! Two!”

“What are we supposed to do now?” Kai snarked. “Spank him?”

“T-two and a half?” Lloyd’s tone grew hesitant and wobbly. 

Still, that didn’t deter the ninja from hanging him up on a signpost, cape tied around the bar. He wiggled his limbs to try and get down, shaking his head to try and remove the banana peels and rotten food that was thrown at him. His red eyes (and they could tell now that his pupils were sharp and golden orange, almost sunset colored) were watery and he looked on the verge of tears, but he didn’t let any fall.

“Y-you just made me your nemesis!” Lloyd stammered out. “Mark m-my words, you'll pay for this, you bullies!” The ninja laughed at him.

“Not bullies, ninja,” Zane stated. He gave a street vendor a few coins, and the vendor gave him some sticks of tanghulu. He handed them out to the ninja, and Jay immediately lifted their hood. Just enough to free up their mouth, as their nose and partially their eyes were still covered. They bit into the sweet candy-coated fruits and hummed happily at the sugary taste.

“Next time, try paying for your candy,” Cole quipped, waving his tanghulu in front of the kid’s face. Lloyd’s mouth watered as he stared at the sweet, orange pupils dilating like a cat’s. 

“Crime doesn’t pay, muchacho,” Kai followed up. “Take that one to the bank.”

“Mmmmmm,” Jay mumbled through the candy, “so good!”

Lloyd growled angrily, thrashing against the signpost he was hung up on. The villagers and ninja continued to laugh at him. Suddenly he went limp, staring at the snow glassy-eyed. The ninja exchanged concerned glances before he came back, glaring at them. “Fine, be that way. Just leave me alone,” he grumbled, turning away from the teens.

Cole raised an eyebrow at Kai, who shrugged. The earth ninja frowned, but the scent of the tanghulu overtook his senses and he pulled up his hood for his own share. He could already see Jay trying to eat Zane’s. 

As the ninja headed off back to their dragons, they quickly finished off their treats before taking off. Wouldn’t want to ride sticky-handed. Kai climbed up onto Flame, but his foot hit the bag, sending it to the ground. Something fell out of it, which Zane took notice of. 

It was a scroll. Kai furrowed his brows. “Huh? I don’t remember bringing this with me,” he said. 

Zane perked up, looking at the bag Kai knocked over. Kai, too, noticed that it wasn’t his bag. “This is Master’s bag,” the ice ninja stated. “You must've accidentally taken it in the rush.”

Kai took the scroll from Zane and unfurled it. Unfortunately, he understood none of what it said. 

Jay walked over to the two. “What is it?” they asked.

Kai looked up at Jay. “It’s a scroll, sparky.” 

Jay rolled their eyes at the sarcasm. “I meant what’s on the scroll, flame brain.” They glared at the scroll. “This is chicken scratch.”

“Not chicken scratch,” Zane corrected, looking at the scroll. “This is written in an ancient Jagian script, one used thousands of years ago.”

“Can you read it?” Kai asked. Most likely not, but worth a shot, right?

“I can recognize a few symbols,” Zane said. He pointed at one. “This means prophecy.”

“A prophecy?” Jay’s eyebrows shot up.

“What kind of prophecy?” Kai looked over at Zane, who’s too-blue eyes remained focused on the scroll.

His eyes scanned the scroll, mumbling under his breath. “From the symbols I am able to translate, I believe the prophecy states this: ‘One ninja will be- will rise above others, and will become the Green Ninja. The Green Ninja is… I think destined? To defeat the Dark Lord.’”

“That’s gotta be the Green Ninja then!” Jay pointed at the lower part of the scroll, where several ninja surrounded one larger ninja dressed in green. 

“Dark Lord?” Kai cocked his head. “Hold on… you think they mean Lord Garmadon?” He then noticed the little ninja surrounding the Green Ninja, all corresponding to the four ninjas’ current gi colors. They all also had the same golden weapons. “Wait a minute! Is that us?” A smirk crossed his face. “Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?”

“Like how good I'm gonna look in green?” Jay chuckled, elbowing Kai in the arm.

“Hah!” Kai laughed. “Isn't it obvious I'm gonna be the Green Ninja?”

“Green obviously suits me best,” Jay flipped their hair playfully. “Cyan’s pretty close to green anyways!”

“Technically, I am the best ninja,” Zane stated nonchalantly. 

“Everyone STOP,” Cole's sudden appearance had them all flinch and look up at him. He stood with his hands on his hips and a frown on his face. “Remember why Master Wu brought us together in the first place: we're a team . We weren't meant to see this and probably for good reason.” He took the scroll from Kai, who let him take it. “Come on, let's head back home. We have training to do.”

Everyone groaned and headed back to their dragons. Jay jumped on Wisp. “It's about time I added some finesse to my routine,” they said.

“I could use some exercise,” Zane agreed, brushing his fingers through Shard’s mane.

“Yea, I gotta work on some new moves,” Cole patted Rocky’s back, coaxing him to take off. The three dragons soared into the sky, leaving Flame and Kai behind.

The red ninja stared off into the distance. “Could I be the Green Ninja?” he thought, putting a hand on his chin. The promise of destined power - it was a strong promise for sure. Maybe it will be true for him, he mused, letting Flame take off behind the other three. Maybe it will come true.

-=-

Lloyd blinked awake and found himself standing in a snowy wasteland. He groaned, shaking the snow off his shoulders. He hated when that happened. His tail twitched against his leg, and he pulled it out of his pants. He didn’t want the villagers to see how abnormal he was. The red eyes were enough. 

“Stupid ninja,” Lloyd grumbled, kicking an icy rock. “I’ll get my revenge on them.” He really thought people on the outside were nicer, but he didn’t listen to Darkley’s when they told him the outside world hated him. He thought announcing himself as Garmadon’s son would make him more respected, but just like Darkley’s, no one did. His stomach growled. He still hadn’t gotten anything to eat. Those damn ninja, teasing him with the candy. He didn’t even know what it was, he just knew he needed it.

He shivered, drawing his cape around himself for better protection against the snow. It was fully snowing now, and he was lost in the middle of nowhere, probably too far from other people. They wouldn’t pity him, anyways. Why would they pity the son of the Dark Lord? He’s not to be pitied, he’s to be feared!

The thought almost made Lloyd laugh. But no use laughing out here. No one would hear him. Why would he do an evil villain laugh with no one to hear him do the evil villain laugh? There’s just no point!

Instead, the kid kicked a rock, frustrated over his loss at the ninjas’ hands. However, he paused when he heard a strange thunk. Looking over where the rock landed, he didn’t notice anything unusual. He picked up another rock and tossed it in the same direction, perking up when it made that sound again. Definitely a metallic clang.

When he rushed over to investigate, he stopped in his tracks. At Lloyd’s feet was a huge metal sheet covered by snow, with a large snake face engraved in it. The eyes were spirally and huge, staring into his soul. “What the…” he murmured, looking over it. At the side, he noticed a gold lever, shaped like a snake. Eh, what the hell. What’s the worst that can happen? With that reasoning, he pulled the lever, then fell back and yelped as the metal plate slid open. The maw of the snake engraving slowly opened.

However, it opened and sloped downward, letting Lloyd slip and fall into the tomb. He yelled the whole way down, then cried out in pain as he hit the icy floor. He slid across the floor until he hit a large ice pillar. Crying out in pain, he pulled himself up, holding his leg gingerly.

Immediately, the harsh cold hit him. Oh, First MASTER was this cold! Lloyd wrapped his arms around himself, shivering and listening to his teeth clack against each other. He looked around, hoping for a way out.

Lloyd was in a huge ice cavern. The air was bitingly cold, his threadbare clothes not protecting him much. Large spines of ice rose up from the floor, and rocks filled in whatever cracks were left from the giant ice planes. A large ice spire hung from the ceiling, holding tools of some sort. Holes covered the walls, something dark hiding inside them. However, there wasn’t any way out. None that he could immediately see, anyways.

Suddenly, he heard a hiss behind him. Lloyd whipped around and came face to face with something entirely nonhuman. The figure before him was tall, with teal scales covering their face and body. Yellow markings lined their head and down their spine, and there were white swirls on their cobra-like hood. Their face was more of a muzzle, fangs stretching out in front of their face. Huge red eyes, ringed with dark spirals, looked down at the child. They wore thick layers of clothing, many torn coats and shirts layered on top of each other. They didn’t have legs, only a long snake-like tail that shook behind them. They held a tall golden staff with a golden snake curling around it, a blue gem in the center. 

“You are out of your mind to venture ssso far away from home, little one,” the snake hissed, leaving Lloyd to stumble back in fear. His tail flicked erratically. “Look into my eyes. Give up your mind. I will control you.” As they said that, the rings in their eyes almost seemed to expand out of their skull, red taking over Lloyd’s vision. He distantly heard a rattle. 

He backed away in fear, but his foot caught the edge of his cape and he slipped on the already slippery enough ice. He yelped as he fell, though when on the ground he quickly drew himself into a ball. He shook in place for a bit before daring to open his eyes, not hearing a sound above him. His red eyes looked up at the snake, who’s own red eyes were fixated solely on the reflection they cast in the ice spire. They were gently swaying in place.

It clicked in Lloyd’s brain what happened, and he smirked. The poor snake’s eyes were spiraling worse than a swirly back at Darkley’s. “No,” he said, puffing out his chest. “ I will control you from now on!”

He was only half expecting that to work, so he was pleasantly surprised when the snake turned to him and tipped their head. One hand rested on their chest as they closed their eyes, letting Lloyd see the false eyes painted on their eyelids. “What shall you have us do, Master?”

This caused Lloyd to blink in confusion. “Us?” He didn’t even know where he was, but Darkley’s taught him to always take advantage of a situation. If he can get the upper hand, he can win. This counted as a pretty good upper hand, with this weird snake in the palm of his hand, but were they insinuating there were more of their kind? More snakes?

This was confirmed when he heard slithering and rattling noises from all around him. Lloyd looked around to see a bunch of snakes, all some variation of teal or white, emerge from the holes in the walls. There weren’t many here, only about two dozen maximum. Some had visibly serpentine heads and long tails, while other, smaller ones had flatter snouts and a tail extending from the back of their hoods. Most of those more humanlike snakes were the white-scaled ones. There was one snake-headed one, however, that was a bright pink, supported by another snake-headed being, all teal. There were a few smaller, more normal snakes perched or cradled by those with legs. The pink one specifically had a little white and teal snake in their arms. 

If Lloyd were a tad bit more observant, he would have probably seen the tattered rags and torn clothing they all had on, how they were all shivering and holding onto each other like a lifeline. If he knew a little bit more about snakes, he would know they’re cold blooded, and the cold was probably deadly for them. Maybe he could tell, then, how frail they seemed to be. 

However, he was not that observant, that careful. He was a child, raised in a school that only taught him to be strong, no matter what. He had control of this situation with how he “hypnotized” the tailed snake, right? Besides, like it was just stated, he’s a child. His impulse control is abysmal. Would anyone expect him to do good at this point? No, he was the son of Lord Garmadon. He was as evil as he was. 

So Lloyd grinned, sharp teeth on display. His eyes flashed, golden pupils shrinking. He pulled himself up to his tallest height, tail lashing behind him. “My own army of snakes!” he exclaimed. With all the villainous glee he could muster, he broke out into a loud cackle. A good old “mwa ha ha” for the soul. 

The serpentine looked on in concern. What will this child do with them? 

Lloyd… didn’t know. But he’ll figure it out. After all, he wanted revenge. Revenge is something all villains did, right? He glanced up at the hole he fell from. He needed to get back at Akayuki, at those darn villagers, at those darn ninja. He’ll get his revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge. It WILL be his!

Chapter Text

The ninja arrived back at the monastery a long dragon ride later. The dragons were now curled up on the mountainside before the monastery, Wisp’s head hanging off the side of the cliff. The ninja gathered around the front gate of the monastery, shaking excess snow off their shoulders. 

“So then we all agree,” Jay began. “The prophecy says that one of us will become the Green Ninja and none of us will rest until we figure out who it is.”

Everyone nodded. Zane raised his hand politely. “May I suggest a tournament?” All eyes turned to him. “Last ninja standing is the best.”

“And will be declared the Green Ninja! I love it!” Kai exclaimed, throwing an arm around Zane’s shoulders. 

Cole pushed open the monastery doors, and everyone was surprised to see the training equipment active and, more importantly, in use. Nya was bouncing to and fro on the equipment, dodging blades and slashing at cardboard enemies. She leapt off one of the poles and landed steadily on the next one, and her next jump propelled her over the next one all the way to the next obstacle. However, she looked over at the ninja at the last second and missed a cardboard cutout, which hit her in the face and sent her to the ground. She landed on her back with a grunt.

Jay ran up to her, reaching a hand out. “Hey, Nya,” they said shyly. “Any closer to beating your brother's speed record?”

Nya groaned and grabbed the blue ninja’s hand, letting them pull her up. “Just about.” She stretched and felt her spine pop satisfyingly. “What happened in town? Did you guys beat Garmadon?”

“He wasn’t even there,” Kai grumbled, heading over to his sister. “It was his son.”

“The Lord of Darkness has a kid?” Nya asked. 

“Apparently,” Kai shrugged. “What are you doing training, anyways?”

“Got bored,” she replied, stretching out her arms. “Wu let me use the space while you guys were gone.” 

Ever since Garmadon had escaped the Underworld, Nya had been training with Wu a little bit. She wasn’t incredible at being a ninja, and the motions still felt clunky to her, despite weeks of practice. But she was at least capable of a tiny bit of self defense instead of just being a damsel in distress all the time. Plus, Kai was super supportive of her learning to fight. They’ve even sparred a few times, though Kai always won. Older brother powers and all that, she supposed.

Kai nodded and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Go take a break, Nee. We’re gonna need the space anyway.”

Nya sighed but moved to where a water bottle sat. “Glad to see you’re training again, at least. Wu’ll be happy.” She grabbed the water bottle and chugged about half of it. 

Kai looked at Jay. They were staring at where Nya sat with flushed cheeks and a dopey little grin. He gave a sharp breath through his nose annoyedly. Jay’s crush on his sister hadn’t faded since they met her. It’s not that Kai disapproved, though his big brother instincts were screaming protectively. It’s moreso that they were still kids. Hell, Nya wasn’t even a teen yet. He didn’t want them to rush things.

They were both snapped out of it by Cole reaching into the closet for sparring gear. A kendo helmet was pulled out and tossed at Jay, which hit them square in the head. They yelped and cradled their skull, glaring up at the black ninja. 

“Two matches, then the winners of each face off for the title,” Cole stated. “Armor’s for our own protection.” He reached for the Scythe of Quakes strapped to his back, pulling it out and holding it high above his head. “It's time to see what these babies can do!”

As Kai pulled on his own set of armor, he looked over at his sister. “Hey, Nya,” he asked. “Wanna stay and watch me mop the floor with them?”

“Nah,” she shook her head. “I think I'll just visit Akayuki. Knock yourselves out.” With that, she waved and headed out the monastery gates. 

Only the ninja remained in the courtyard. Cole stepped back, pointing at two of them. “Alright, first up! Kai versus Jay!” The red and blue ninja made their way to an empty part of the courtyard. Zane went over to the button that summoned the training equipment, pulling the machinery back down into the floor. Kai and Jay bowed at each other before drawing their weapons.

Cole let the two of them take a deep breath, watching the training equipment go down. As soon as the top of the rotating machine was hidden, he chopped through the air with his hand. “Go!”

With lightning fast speeds, Jay shot at Kai, who raised his sword to block the blue blur. Jay’s nunchaku clashed against the blade, before they jumped out of the way. Kai glared at Jay through the bars of the helmet, who glared back. They spun their nunchaku above their head threateningly, though it backfired when a stray bolt of electricity hit the blue ninja. They gave a cry of alarm as their body tensed involuntarily.

Kai rolled his eyes and grinned. This is gonna be an easy victory. He ran at the frazzled ninja and vaulted over them, landing behind them and lashing out with his sword. Jay, thankfully, had pretty good reflexes, and quickly recovered to block the blade. The two weapons screeched against each other painfully, causing them both to wince. Kai recovered first, and dodged out of the way of Jay’s next swing.

The red ninja jumped above Jay’s attempt at a sweep, and, using the pillar next to him as leverage, jumped off and slashed at Jay.

To the lightning ninja’s credit, they dodged the blade itself. What they didn’t dodge was a ball of fire that emerged from the sword, hitting them straight in the chest. They fell to the ground with a pained cry.

Kai landed, giving an apologetic wince at his friend. “Sorry! Didn’t realize I could do that,” he said, pulling Jay up after making sure he wasn’t on fire. Jay looked fine, if not just a bit miffed that they lost.

“Good match,” they said, totally not bitter at all. They stomped off to mope on the monastery walkway, sitting by a pole.

Kai decided to moderate the next match, between Cole and Zane. Just like the previous fight, the two bowed at each other, and only began fighting once Kai chopped down with a “GO!”

They both immediately drew their weapons, shurikens spinning on Zane’s fingers and the scythe balanced easily in Cole’s grip. The black ninja made the first move, charging at Zane and slicing in a wide arc. Zane dodged it with a particularly high jump, though one of the wing chun dummies was unfortunately sliced in half. 

Zane landed, though was met with another slice by Cole. He ducked under the swing and ran under Cole’s radar to a point behind him, where he tossed a shuriken at him. It landed at Cole’s feet, who smirked cockily and put a foot down on the star. 

That caused Zane to smirk instead, watching as ice began to creep from the shuriken up to Cole’s feet. The black ninja suddenly looked down in alarm, feeling cold seep through his boots. Unfortunately, the ice was shockingly fast, and had already trapped his feet inside.

Zane took the opportunity to rain regular shurikens at Cole, who managed to deflect them all with his scythe. He heard Jay yell from the sidelines “don’t get cold feet now, Cole!” which really did a number for his confidence. 

As the white ninja darted around him, throwing stars at random, Cole watched until he was close enough to hit. Sure enough, Zane wandered too close, and Cole swiped his scythe at his legs, sweeping the ninja off his feet. As Zane tried to push himself back up, he was met with the blunt end of a blade to the throat. His breath hitched as he looked up at Cole. 

Kai snapped his fingers. “That’s a win for Cole.”

“What?” Zane blurted out, confused. Cole removed his scythe from the other ninja’s neck, cheering triumphantly. “But I had trapped him!”

“Doesn’t matter, in a real fight, you’d be dead,” Kai reasoned. He stabbed his sword into the chunk of ice, melting it into a puddle at Cole’s feet. The black ninja groaned happily and shook the water off his legs. 

“Great match, though!” the black ninja smiled, pulling Zane up. 

The white ninja smiled back. “Indeed. I see now that you are the true winner.”

“Not until he beats Kai, he isn’t!” Jay yelled from the sidelines. Zane headed over to sit beside them, sighing a bit.

“You rooting against me, Sparky?” Kai sneered. 

“Uh, yea, cuz they know who’s gonna win,” Cole snarked. “Come on already!”

Kai and Cole got in their spots across from each other. Jay didn’t bother to get up, just waited for the two to bow at each other before muttering out a “for the prize and title of best ninja blah blah blah ninja go.”

If anyone took notice of Jay’s lack of enthusiasm, the fire in Kai’s and Cole’s eyes drowned it out. Sword clashed against scythe in a beautiful shower of golden sparks. Kai jabbed and sliced at his sparring partner, who moved out of the way for his own swing, which Kai ducked under. 

Cole took a careful step back before launching himself into a backflip. He landed and immediately jumped up again, scythe stabbing into the ground. The earth shook, causing Jay and Zane to grab onto the pillars next to them. Kai wasn’t as lucky, and the tremor sent him up into the air briefly, before gravity claimed him and sent him falling face first into the cobblestone.

Cole whooped in success, puffing his chest out proudly. Jay and Zane cheered him on from the back.

Unfortunately, Kai wasn’t done yet. He pulled himself up with a fierce snarl, one that gave Cole pause. His smile faded a bit as he watched Kai stagger off the ground.

“Hey, dude, it’s ok. It’s just training,” Cole tried an easygoing smile to calm Kai down. It didn’t seem to work. He smelled smoke.

With a growl, Kai sent himself into a spinjutsu tornado, the scent of smoke and burnt hair wafting from the blaze. However, it only lasted a second before sputtering out. Kai panted heavily, before suddenly his eyes blew wide open. The scent of something burning grew stronger.

“It- It’s too hot!” he exclaimed, holding his sword away from him. The others all jumped up and realized the burning smell was coming from Kai’s gloves. The sword was trying to burn him.

“It’s burning!” Zane pointed out, at the same time as Jay yelled “FIRE!!!”

Kai, in a panicked state, spun into another vortex, though it only caused fire to bloom from where his spinjutsu touched. A blazing pattern, wild and nonsensical, was burned into the cobblestone, the ash that lined it still on fire. Kai spun out of it when he heard his teammates yelling (he thought one of them might have been calling Wu), finding himself in a ring of fire surrounding him on all sides. 

He immediately tossed the Sword of Fire away. It was misbehaving, so if he got rid of it and it would stop burning his hand, that would be great. The sword clanked against the floor. 

Cole, Zane, and Jay were rushing around trying to put out the fires best they could. Kai’s breaths started to pick up. He was inhaling smoke. It was hot. His eyes darted around the ring of fire he was in. No way out. The armor and helmet suddenly seemed to burn him, the overheating metal rebelling against their wearer. 

The sound of the shoji doors slamming open caught everyone’s attention. Wu stood in the doorway, golden eyes filled with confusion. The confusion only lasted for a second, however, as their master assessed the situation and leapt into the fire. His more draconic traits shot to life, protecting him against the heat. 

He grabbed the Shurikens of Ice, left abandoned on the walkway. He spun them at mach 10 speeds with his fingers, then sent them off to fly around the monastery. A trail of snowflakes and frost fell from them, covering the flames and extinguishing them. They quickly returned to sender. He repeated the motion a few more times, until the poor courtyard was all snowed over. 

The ninja sighed in relief. Kai breathed in fresh, cool air. The sword lay a few feet in front of him, pointing at him. As if accusingly.

But it didn’t look like the ninja were out of the oven just yet. A low, inhuman growl sounded, and the ninja all turned to look at a particularly pissed off Master Wu. His gold eyes were almost glowing as he snapped at them. “What were you THINKING?”

The teens stood meekly in front of him. Jay, of course, was the first to speak. “Uh, we were- uh, tryna figure out who the Green Ninja is.” Maybe they shouldn’t have spoken at all. Is it too late to glue their mouth shut?

The others glared at them in alarm. Zane smacked the back of their head, resulting in a loud “OW.” Thankfully, Jay got the hint. “Did I say Green Ninja? No, sorry.” They cleared their throat. “What I- what I said was lean -”

They were cut off by Wu’s sharp inhale. The damage had been done. He looked the guilty party in the eyes, who all tried to look away. After a while, he sighed, dragon parts retreating. “You were not supposed to know about that.”

“Kai had accidentally taken your bag when we went to Akayuki,” Zane explained. “We found the scroll there.”

“B-but Master!” Kai spoke up. There was a strange sort of desperation in his eyes. “We wanna know. Which one of us is the Chosen One?”

“None of you, if you keep acting like petty children,” Wu chastised. The group winced. “Not until you all unlock your full potentials at the very least.”

“My sword was so bright just now!” Kai argued. “It almost burned me!”

“Your sword disobeyed you,” Wu corrected. “It burns those who it feels do not deserve it. You managed to anger it.” He walked over to the sword, picking it up gently. It didn’t seem to react. “I suggest you apologize.”

“...to the sword?” Kai raised an eyebrow.

“Yea, Master, this is a bit silly,” Jay laughed. “The weapons aren’t sentient.”

“Sentient, they are not. But they aren’t unintelligent,” Wu said. He placed the sword in front of Kai. “You have barely scratched the surface of your potential. The road will be long, winding, and arduous.” He sighed. “If the prophecy will be the guiding force to make you take it seriously, then so be it. But none of you are near the level of what it takes to be the Green Ninja.”

“I’ll prove it to you!” Kai yelled. He balled his fists and glared at Wu. “I’ll prove that I can be the Green Ninja!”

And when Wu looked back, Kai’s fury almost melted away. Because in the old man’s eyes was a flurry of emotions.

But most prominent was recognition, fear, and, scariest of all, regret.

-=-

Nya waved happily at the saleswoman. “Hello, ma’am! What do you recommend today?”

The saleswoman smiled. “Our apples are particularly crisp this harvest.”

“Perfect!” Nya pulled out a wallet from her bag. “How much for six?”

After she paid and headed off with a bag of sweet apples, Nya breathed in the cool air. The incident with Lord Garmadon’s kid seems to have worn off, the villagers mostly going about their business as usual. There were a couple villagers still picking off leftover bits of trash from the fountain, but otherwise, a perfectly normal village.

That is, if you didn’t count the sudden screams and panicked running away. Nya’s head whipped around to the source of the screams, where she saw a child. The kid, dressed in all black and purple, was rolling out the tanghulu cart, giggling like a madman. “Take the candy! Take it all!” He let out an over-dramatic villain laugh.

Nya grimaced. This must have been the kid her brother and friends dealt with. However, as he stepped out of view, she saw something unbelievable. Two huge teal snakes, dressed in ragged clothing, slithered behind him. One of the snakes had a giant golden staff.

No way these were actual Serpentine. Kai told her they were locked away forever, never to be uncovered by human hands! She watched as villagers unlucky enough to be cornered were found by even more Serpentine, teal and white, long tails slithering behind them. Red eyes swirled as the snakes held the villagers in place, and the poor villagers grew loopy and tired. 

Nya’s eyes darted over their tattered clothing, as well as the fact that few of the Serpentine were smiling. A few were nervously looking back at the legless Serpentine, the one with the staff, as well as the child. She noted how all hypnotized humans had red swirls reflected in their eyes, a hollow look to their faces. She quickly hid behind a shopping stand and listened to the snakes talk. 

“This makes no sssense, sir,” one of the Serpentine said. “Raiding an entire town for sweets?”

His leader didn’t seem to like that, because there was a hiss and a shift of snow. “You will do as I command because I hold the ssstaff!” Something metal tapped the snow.

There was an uncomfortable hiss (or, at least she thought it was uncomfortable). “Yesss, sir.”

The snakes passed by her. She remained undetected. As quickly as she could, she whipped out her phone and flipped it open. She had to call the others.

-=-

The others were training, for real this time. Jay was practicing quick jabs at a wing chun dummy, getting in close then darting away. Kai slashed at a dummy of his own. His sword was apologized to, but it still seemed a bit too hot to hold sometimes. He wasn’t sure it forgave him fully. Zane was practicing his aim by throwing shurikens at a dartboard, and Cole was spinning around with his scythe in circles, thankfully quite far from the others.

Meanwhile, Wu was meditating inside when something other than the consistent noise of fighting caught his ear. A strange beeping he had begun to associate with cell phones. Groaning, he got up. He was never going to finish his meditation today, was he? 

The phone he found to be the source of the beeping was red - Kai’s, after Jay's parents gave him and Nya some spare ones. He flipped it open, then promptly realized he had no idea how to use a phone. Did he hold it up to his ear to talk? He tried that. “Hello?”

“ Master Wu! ” Nya’s voice rang through a tiny microphone. Technology is amazing. Where was something like this a hundred years ago? 

“Nya,” he greeted. He immediately noticed the hushed and urgent tone she held. “What’s wrong?”

“ The Serpentine! They’re back! ” Wu’s blood ran cold. “ And they’re invading Akayuki! You and the others need to come, quickly! ”

“Are you certain?” he asked. Perhaps she just saw people in costume. Historical reenactors have been around for centuries.

“ Positive .” That answer didn’t fill him with delight. “ They’re tall, with teal and white scales, and they’ve hypnotized the entire town! ”

“Hypnobrai? That’s not good,” he grimaced. “If they’ve hypnotized the whole town, you need to get the leader’s staff. It holds the antivenom.” He heard her hum in confirmation. “Keep yourself hidden, Nya. The ninja are on their way.”

“ Thank you, Master Wu, ” Nya sighed gratefully, before hanging up. Wu sighed. What is happening today?

He rushed out of the monastery, throwing the doors open to the courtyard. The ninja froze in their training to stare at him, like deer caught in a flashlight. “The Serpentine are back!” he yelled. “Everyone in Akayuki is in danger!”

The ninja all looked at each other. Cole was the first to speak, gently holding his hands up. “Calm down, Master. We were just there. It was some kid who says he-”

“Nya just called me on Kai’s cellular phone,” Wu interrupted, holding the phone up.

“She’s there?” Kai exclaimed. He suddenly remembered her saying she was going down there, right before the sparring rounds.

“Shi- shoot, we gotta go!” Jay fumbled, already running out the doors. 

The rest of the ninja followed suit, waking up their dragons and jumping on their backs. Thankfully, the dragons seemed to sense their urgency, and barely waited for their owners to board before taking off. 

“Stay close, stay together,” Kai ordered.

“Wouldn’t do it any other way,” Cole nodded.

In what was basically a new record for the dragons (not counting Wisp and Jay, who arrived a minute quicker than the others did), the ninja arrived in Akayuki. They wasted no time in jumping off their dragons, sprinting to the center of the village, right by that fountain again.

Lloyd Garmadon was there. His mouth was covered with sticky candy, tanghulu skewers and wrappers left all over the floor. The kid was vibrating at abnormal speeds, bouncing around in the snow. His golden pupils were wide enough to obscure the color of his irises. 

“I! Am NEVER coming down from this sugar high!!!” the kid exclaimed, running in circles happily. He whooped in delight. 

The ninja hesitated for a second. He was only a kid. One could even mistake him for a normal kid, if you ignore the eyes. If it weren’t for the army of snakes he was (supposedly) commanding, they wouldn’t think much of a kid getting a sugar rush from too much candy. 

Unfortunately for him, the fun had to end. “Sorry to bust your buzz, little Garmadon-” Cole started, putting a hand on the scythe on his back.

“-but it’s already past your bedtime!” Jay finished, whipping his nunchaku around.

Lloyd’s pupils sharpened slightly. He turned around and pointed at the ninja, looking up at something. “Get them!” 

Or… someone. Because emerging from behind a building were two tall teal snakes, taller than even Zane. The ninja immediately went on guard.

While Zane seemed calm enough on the surface, his too-blue eyes between his mask folds showing no emotion, the other ninja were freaking out. Jay was shrieking in frequencies that shouldn’t be shrieked in, Cole took a nervous step back and gripped his scythe tighter, and Kai swallowed nervously. They had all previously assumed the Serpentine were extinct, or permanently locked away. Not in front of them and ANGRY.

The Serpentine with the staff shook his tail dangerously. They hissed and pointed at the ninja. Their eyes were red and swirly. Too swirly. “Seize them!”

“The Serpentine are ALIVE?” Kai yelled. A group of smaller serpents, some snake-headed and some more flat-snouted, ran down from behind the fountain to surround them. 

The ninja turned around to run back, but were blocked by a red-eyed mob of humans. “It's not just them we have to worry about,” Cole said. “The whole village has been hypnotized!”

The villagers all lumbered over to the ninja, hands outstretched like zombies. Jay raised his nunchaku, but Zane grabbed his wrist before he could attack them. “No! Our weapons may harm the townsfolk more seriously than we wish. We may do more harm than good.”

Jay swore under his breath. “I guess that leaves us with RUN!” 

At that command, the ninja all jumped up, bouncing off the shoulders of hypnotized villagers and humanoid snakes. They parkoured their way up to the rooftops, skidding on the snow before getting their balance back. It crunched underfoot as they sprinted away from the crowd.

Eventually, Kai spotted a flash of red and gold by an abandoned wheelbarrow. He breathed a sigh of relief and directed the ninja towards his sister. “Nya!” he called, as quietly as he could. To alert her, but leave the Serpentine unalerted.

Nya whipped her head around to see the ninja all landing around her. Kai gave her a quick hug, then looked her over. “You alright?”

“Barely,” she frowned. “They’ve hypnotized everyone in town!”

“Yea, we saw,” Cole kicked a rock. 

“Mind control!” Jay huffed. “How’s that even possible?”

“They rattle their tails and do a weird swirly thing with their eyes,” Nya explained. “The tail rattle is just a warning.”

“So, don’t look them in the eyes, that’s how they get you?” Kai raised an eyebrow. Nya nodded.

Jay groaned. “Great! What are we supposed to do? We can't use our weapons, and now we gotta fight with our eyes closed? Fucking perfect .” He fumed, stomping the ground and crossing his arms.

“The snake with no legs and the staff is I think the leader,” Nya continued. “Maybe we can get him to stop this? Undo it?”

“By what, defeating him in gladiatorial combat?” Kai snarked.

“We could just beat him up,” Cole added.

“No,” Zane interrupted. “I believe I remember something about the antivenom being held within the staff of the five Serpentine tribes.”

All heads turned to Zane. “And you know this… how?”

Zane shrugged. “Like I said, I simply remembered it as a fact. Perhaps prior to my memory loss, I had learned about the Serpentine.”

“No, he’s right,” Nya confirmed. “Wu told me the same thing over the phone.”

“Why would there be antivenom in the staff?” Jay asked. 

“Usually one would need the venom of the snake species that bit you to create a suitable antivenom,” Zane explained. “I believe this is a similar process to that, except instead of a bite, it’s hypnosis.”

“If it works, it works,” Cole sighed. “Not like we have much of a choice.”

“Guys…” Kai spoke up. “Let’s forget about the whole Green Ninja thing. Let's just make Master proud. The four of us. We're a team.”

“By beating up the head honcho snake?” Cole asked, hand on his scythe.

“By beating up the head honcho snake,” Kai nodded, a smile growing behind his mask.

Cole smirked under his mask too. “Now you're talking!”

“Nya, you can be an honorary ninja for the day,” Jay winked at her.

“Gee, thanks,” Nya replied, sarcasm heavy in her tone. Either Jay didn’t notice it, or he didn’t care. 

Anyway, the ninja (plus Nya) all clambered back up to the rooftops and ran back to the center of town. While most of them stayed back on the roofs, Kai jumped down and tilted his head cockily at the teal snakes approaching him. “You wanna play?” he taunted. “How about a little Spinjutsu?” 

With a ready cry, he spun into a fiery vortex. The heat from his tornado melted the snow underfoot, and he heard the Serpentine hiss in fear. However, he could feel his muscles moving the wrong way. His Spinjutsu was too rusty, he was too out of practice. 

Jay, from on the roof, watched Kai as he bounced around the crowd of snakes like an out of control top. Eventually, the red ninja sputtered out of the cyclone and smacked face first into a wall. Jay hissed through his teeth. “Man, we’re really out of shape.”

Back on the ground, Kai got back up off the floor and punched two serpents right in their snouts. They yelped in pain and cradled their faces. One of the other snakes went over to make sure they’re ok. Kai frowned. Something didn’t seem right here.

Meanwhile, Lloyd wheeled his tanghulu cart, full of leftover tanghulu and other pilfered sweets, to the other side of town. He giggled, looking back at Kai. “Consider this a warning, ninja!” he yelled. He let out another “mwa-ha-ha” for the road.

His sweet escape was halted by Zane throwing his shurikens at the ground in front of the cart, freezing it over. The wheels slipped on the quickly-spreading ice and, with a loud yelp, Lloyd and the cart tipped over. All the candy spilled out onto the snow.

“AAAA! My candy!” Lloyd screamed, grabbing as much as he could. His stomach growled. He needed more sugar. 

A blazing white tornado, whiter than sun-lit snow, appeared before him. He paused from scooping chocolate into his hoodie pocket to see the white ninja before him, staring down at him threateningly. 

“Master was right,” he said. “Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today. We should've dealt with you the first time around.”

Lloyd’s pupils sharpened and his eyes opened wide. They were going to kill him. Oh First One they were going to kill him or send him back to Darkley’s and oh First Master anything but Darkley’s he can’t go back he can’t go back-

He got enough of his senses back to scream “RETREAT” at his snake army, grabbing what little candy he could and booking it in the opposite direction from the scary white ninja. 

The Serpentine general heard the boy’s cry, parroting his “RETREAT” call to the rest of the snakes, who fell back. They began to all run and slither in the direction Lloyd had run, though the leader was stopped by a black blur slamming into him.

Cole knocked into the general, the golden staff flying out of their grasp. It landed in the snow before them. Cole steadied himself and breathed in deeply, glaring at the general. He hated snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?

“Go on,” he said. “Give me a reason.”

The general seemed to buy the threat, hastily slithering away. The staff was his for the taking. Well, that was easy! He smirked and picked the staff up, marveling at its golden glow in the sun. However, he failed to notice the rattle of a tail creeping up behind him, until his head was yanked forward by a snake-headed Serpentine. 

They tilted their head slightly so that one huge red eye looked directly at Cole. “Look into my eyesss,” they hissed. “I control you.” Their eye swirled like a pinwheel, drawing Cole’s eyes in.

Something about this voice was… incredibly soothing. Cole’s eyelids drooped as he swayed slightly in place. He really wanted to listen to this voice. Surely nothing bad will happen if he does so, right?

“You… control-” Cole didn’t have a chance to finish that sentence, because something slammed into the snake from the side.

The Serpentine hissed and retreated, staring at the little girl that just kicked him straight in the head. She wasn’t worth the effort, apparently, so the final snake vanished into the crowd. 

Cole snapped out of his trance. What was he doing again? Was he listening to that lovely voice?

“Cole! You have the antivenom!” Nya’s voice broke through the hazy cloud he was swimming in. Was her voice always this clear?

Either way, he looked down at the item in his hand. The Serpentine general’s staff was clutched tight in his grasp. “Oh shoot, you’re right!” He paused. “What do I do with it?”

“Gimme it for a sec,” Nya reached out. “I wanna try something.”

“Oh, ok, sure.” Cole handed over the staff. He wasn’t sure why Nya’s voice was so compelling to listen to.

Nya tipped open the top of the staff, letting a pale blue liquid seep out into the fountain. It hissed and made a strange mist, one that floated over all the hypnotized villagers. Slowly, the red faded from their eyes. They all blinked, confused. He knew the feeling.

The villagers all approached the ninja, who gathered back by the fountain. Each one took their turn thanking them for saving their town, to which the ninja responded with “it was no problem” or “of course” or “it’s the least we could do.” Polite you’re welcomes to their thank yous.

Jay watched as Kai plucked the staff out of the fountain once it was clear every villager was cured. He turned around-

-and promptly screamed in shock upon seeing Master Wu standing right behind him.

“FIRST MASTER- WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?” Jay yelled, hands on his knees.

Wu blinked. “I entered the village. I found you. I went over to you. You simply did not notice me.”

The others joined the group. Jay regained his breath. “How did you even get here so fast? You’re an old man with old man bones!”

Wu only smiled mysteriously. “I have my ways.”

Kai, holding onto the general’s staff, stepped forward. “We're sorry, Master,” he said. “If we dealt with Lloyd before he became a problem, none of this would've been necessary.”

“Even lessons learned the hard way are lessons learned,” Wu stated. He looked around the town. Many stalls were destroyed, and some homes were broken into and stolen from, but from the looks of things, the Serpentine only took food and clothing. Not anything valuable. “I sense a great evil to be released.”

“You mean the Serpentine aren’t already a great evil released?” Cole frowned.

“No,” Wu shook his head. “There is something… bigger, that will happen. I am unsure what.” He knelt down and picked up a teal scale. “I fear troubling times will come. This is only the beginning.”

“Then we will train,” Zane said, “and be ready for the Serpentine.”

“It may not be Lord Garmadon,” Cole added, “but that doesn't mean we won't bring our A-game.”

“Help us train. Help us realize our potential.” Kai put a hand on Wu’s arm. A split-second glint appeared in Wu’s eyes before fading. He didn’t like it.

“Yea!” Jay chirped. “Teach us the secrets behind Spinjutsu and our weapons!”

“Hmm… there is much to teach,” Wu stroked his beard. “We must return to the Monastery.” With that, he and the ninja set off back home.

“When am I gonna get my own dragon?” Nya asked, sidling up beside Wu. 

He looked at her almost… sadly. “In due time, Nya. In due time.”

-=-

Meanwhile, down in the icy caverns of the Hypnobrai tomb, the snakes and Lloyd were cashing in their spoils. Warm clothes, fresh food, and no deaths! They may not be an army, but they managed to survive and may see another day.

Lloyd, however, was having a much worse time. His stomach growled, but he didn’t want to eat food. He already ran through his stash of candy, what little of it he had, and he was starving. His body craved food. But… he looked over at the plate of vegetables provided to him. He couldn’t eat that. He didn’t want to. Eating these wouldn’t be worth it. He pushed it away with his tail, watching it slide across the ice. 

“Candy…” he groaned, clutching at his stomach. Candy, cake, sugary candy skewers, all that is good in life. Not icky vegetables. He couldn’t (and wouldn’t) eat meat either, because that was needed for the Serpentine. They’ve been surviving off bugs and whatever stray rabbit fell into the cavern.

(They were dying. Lloyd didn’t know this.)

A few feet from Lloyd were the general and his second in command, Slithraa and Skales. Currently, they were deep in an argument.

“The boy set usss free,” Slithraa stated. His fingers clutched at nothing, too used to the staff being there.

“He is a child ,” Skales argued. He put a hand on his general’s shoulder. “He is not one of us. Not unlessss we get the Fangpyresss in on this.” 

Slithraa knocked his hand off. “I may not have the staff, but I'm still your general! Stand down!”

Skales furrowed his brow and sulked off, hugging his new hoodie tighter. He needed all the warmth he could get.

Speaking of which… Skales slid across the icy floor. He could easily spot the pink scales of his mate, the main standout color within this drab blue hell he’d known almost his whole life. Though now with the acquisition of new clothes, there’s more colors peppered around the cave. Selma held their son in her hands tenderly. He was still but a hatchling, not yet old enough to sprout arms. 

Skales slid up to his mate and placed his snout against the crown of her head. She flicked her tongue out to greet him. 

“I heard Mezmo call you a coward,” Selma whispered. “That you’re sssecond in command, yet do nothing againssst a hypnotized sssnake.”

“Lesssser snakes would doubt me,” Skales hissed. “We want revenge on humanity for trapping usss in here, on those elemental masssters for sssealing us away. There were children, posssssibly dessscendants of the elemental mastersss.”

“We’re not going to kill the children, are we?” Selma frowned. 

“Of courssse not,” Skales assured her, cupping her face with his hand. “The children had no part in thisss. But if they continue to ssstand in our way, we will have no choice.”

He took a deep breath. “Now wasss not the time to confront Slithraa. I hold a ssspecial key to take down the ninja.” In the corner of his mind, he saw through the eyes of his victim. He was eating with the other ninja. They were all children, only a bit older than he was when he was sealed down here. Kids didn’t deserve this fate.

“Maybe you’ll take out Slithraa, while you’re at it?” Selma suggested. She wormed her hand up to Skales’ shoulder. “I think you’d look rather ssstunning with a ssstaff. Sssets a good example for our son.”

“I’ll ssse what I can do, love,” he murmured. “I do not want usss to become an army again. But if that isss what humanity will push usss to do, then we have no choice.”

Junior hissed slightly, reaching up to boop his father’s snout with his own. Skales laughed and ran a hand down his son’s hood. 

Maybe he didn’t want revenge. Maybe he just wanted to get away from here, with his mate and child. Live somewhere that’s hot. Maybe the desert? He’s heard great things about the desert.

But for now, he was needed as Slithraa’s second in command. And what choice did he have but to follow the leader?

Somewhere behind him, he heard Lloyd groan in hunger. He was a child too. He deserved to be free. Perhaps he will give him this chance. 

When Skales is general.

Chapter Text

A few days later, Wu found himself meditating again. However, just like a few days ago, he found the meditation to be interrupted by a shout. He snapped his eyes open in annoyance. This is what happens when you take in four whole teenage boys (or at least boy-adjacent, in Jay’s case). Thank his Father that at least Nya had some sense.

From what Wu could hear, Kai was complaining about something, Cole was ready to beat something up, and Jay was taunting them. Sounded about right. Wu grumbled and headed to the living room. If those kids were playing video games again, Wu would not be so lenient in his punishment.

However, as Wu opened the doors to the living room, he was surprised to see no one there. Empty soda cans were all that occupied this room. The shouts still remained, so, discounting ghosts, the ninja must be outside.

Carefully opening the shoji doors, Wu was pleasantly surprised to see the ninja all training, each doing their own thing in the courtyard. Jay was deflecting arrows with his nunchaku, Cole was attacking some dummies, Kai was practicing his Spinjutsu, and Zane was meditating in the center of the courtyard. 

Zane’s meditation didn’t last long, however, as he opened his eyes and jumped off the ground. He flipped in front of Jay, knocking him off his rhythm. An arrow lodged itself in the lightning chain as he scratched his head. He ran between Cole and a dummy, causing him to yelp and pull his scythe closer to himself. Zane then spun into a frosty vortex, coating the courtyard in ice and freezing the ground under Kai’s feet, causing him to slip and fall.

As Zane continued to spin around, the three ninja gathered by the steps. “This roof ain’t big enough for the four of us,” Kai grumbled, rubbing his back.

“Correction,” Cole muttered in return, “this roof isn't big enough for him .”

“It's like he's in his own world,” Jay said. He noticed Zane spinning to a stop behind him, ice covering every square inch of the training field. “I BET HE CAN’T EVEN HEAR US,” he yelled.

Zane appeared undisturbed by this, and threw his shuriken at a dartboard. He then jumped up, kicked, and spun around.

As the ninja watched him dance, Wu approached them. Kai noticed and sighed. “Master, Zane’s weird.”

Wu raised a bushy white eyebrow. “What is weird? Someone who is different, or someone who is different than you?”

“No, he’s like, weird weird,” Cole corrected. 

“He probably has a really bad case of undiagnosed autism,” Jay offered, “but I’m no psychologist. Like, even I’m not that weird.”

“You have that- uh, AHD thing though, right?” Kai raised an eyebrow. 

“ADHD,” Jay corrected. “Weird knows weird, but Zane’s too weird, even for me,” he huffed, crossing his arms.

“Like, one time, Zane just. Walked in on me in the bathroom,” Cole explained. “I had the door closed, and he just walks in and starts brushing his teeth! And I yell at him, ‘do you mind?’ But he looked at me like I was the weird one!”

“Nya and I were watching a movie,” Jay spoke up, ignoring the look Kai sent him. “We got to a really sad scene when Zane walks in and starts laughing. We both look at him, very confused, but he just stands in the doorway, watching the movie for a few seconds before leaving the room.”

“I found Zane in the fridge, eating all the deli meat one time,” Kai added. “Moved out every rack in the fridge to sit inside and gorge himself on cheese.”

“...How long did he sit in there?” Cole asked, concerned. 

“Not long, I hope,” Kai frowned. “Sounds like hell.” He sighed. “We like the guy, we really do. He's really smart. He's just… a little off sometimes.”

Wu’s face remained impassive. “Zane is a brother and brothers are often different. I should know.”

Every ninja winced when they remembered Lord Garmadon. 

…Is Lloyd Wu’s nephew then? Fuck. Weird to think about.

They were all broken out of their thoughts when someone knocked at the front door. The ninja tensed and pulled their hoods up, though Wu just headed straight for the door. Opening it just a crack, he nodded to the ninja. They relaxed, recognizing the sign of “it’s ok.”

The ninja went up to the door to find an older man in a purple tracksuit, glasses, and a rice hat - their beloved mailman. He would come up here to deliver mail every few days, as going up the stairs every single day would simply kill him. He’s an old man, and Wu is the only old man crazy enough to climb these steps.

The poor mailman was panting and leaning on his letter basket. The climb had surely exhausted him. The ninja let him catch his breath. After he was looking better, the mailman collected himself and reached into his basket. “You’re my last deliveries of today, saved the best for last,” he told them. “Still don’t understand what insane bodybuilders you kids have to be to climb this mountain every day.”

“Oh, we ride dragons down-” Jay started to say before Cole clamped his mouth shut.

“What he means to say,” he laughed, “is we don’t come down unless it’s necessary. We have bikes to ride up and down the steps.”

“Bikes, huh?” the postman scratched his goatee. “Not an awful idea. I should invest in one.” He shook his head. “Anyways, here.” He dug into his basket and pulled out two letters. “One from Jay’s parents, and one from Cole’s dad.” Both recipients took their letters with differing levels of joy. “This is for Kai, but I think it’s just spam.” He handed a colorful advertisement to Kai, who glared at it halfheartedly. 

“What, no package for me?” Cole asked, stuffing his letter into his back pocket. 

The mailman hummed and dug into the basket more. He made a small “ah!” noise and pulled out a small brown box. “This it?”

Cole laughed triumphantly. “Rocky's gonna love this!” he exclaimed, sprinting over to the center podium to sit down and open it.

As Wu accepted his monthly pack of free teas, Kai noticed Zane staring wistfully at the mailman. He elbowed Jay, who was reading his parents’ letter. At the blue ninja’s confused look, Kai motioned at Zane.

Jay got the hint. “Hey, Zane. How come you never hear anything from your parents?”

“I don't remember my parents,” Zane said. “I've been an orphan as far as I can remember.”

Kai winced. “Right, you did tell us when we met that you don’t remember your past.”

“Amnesia’s a bitch,” Jay grimaced. 

“So were you just… homeless the whole time?” Cole asked.

“I’ve lived temporarily in several villages before Master Wu found me,” Zane frowned. “But yes, I never had a real home.”

Wu walked over to Zane and rested a hand on his shoulders. “The monastery is your home now.”

Zane smiled slightly, but shook off the hand and walked into the monastery. The shoji door clacked closed behind him.

Meanwhile, Cole headed down to where he knew Rocky was perched. Sure enough, the earth dragon was curled up by a small rest area on the cliff, a tired Wisp draped over them. As soon as Cole approached his dragon, the sky noodle opened molten orange eyes and perked up their ears.

‘Is that a snack I smell?’ Rocky asked. 

“Liver and toads, your favorite!” Cole grinned, holding up the bag of strange meat. 

Rocky made a happy growly yap as they pushed themself up and tried to eat the bag. Cole laughed. 

“Wait until I open it first, Rocky!” Cole said, tearing the package open.

Within seconds, the dragon snapped up the snack, and Cole shook his head in mirth.

However, through his eyes, someone else was watching. 

Skales’ tongue flicked as he sniffed the forest air. It smelled great, nothing like the dingy icy caverns he’d been stuck in the past few decades. His legs hung over the haphazard patio of wood.

For whatever childish reason, Lloyd wanted a treehouse. And since he was very obviously too small to do it himself, he enlisted the Hypnobrai to help. So for the past few days, the snakes have been building a treehouse along the side of a giant spruce. There was a pretty sizable shack there already, constructed by those Hypnobrai that remembered how to build. 

As Skales held the vision of his puppet in his mind, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Opening one eye, he saw a teenage Hypnobrai, Rattla, if he wasn’t mistaken. His mismatched red eyes were filled in awe. “I can't believe you hypnotized one of the ninja!” he exclaimed. “Does Slithraa know?”

Skales rolled his eyes. He needs to stop the rumors from circulating before Slithraa finds out. “Of courssse not. He's under the control of Lloyd,” he stated, tail rattling in agitation. “I plan to use it for a better time, when the opportunity is jussst right.”

Rattla’s eyes sparkled in amazement, before his uneven gaze snapped over to behind Skales. A hint of fear entered his eyes, and he immediately turned around and entered the little shack.

Skales turned to see Slithraa behind him. That was too close, he thought. He could have heard. “Everyone works while you two ssslack,” Slithraa hissed. Skales saw Rattla flinch from inside the shack. “As my sssecond-in-command, I expect more from you, Skalesss.”

Skales looked away sheepishly, wringing his hands. “My apologies, sir.” His tail flicked nervously. Slithraa turned away, heading back down the tree. Skales rushed to fall into step with him, as best as he could on the narrow walkway. “Sir, you know I am mossst loyal to you, but I must quessstion this childish agenda,” he stated. “The ninja have stolen our staff, yet you instruct us to make this playhouse for Lloyd?” He narrowed his eyes, still glowing from the presence of a puppet. “Snakes like us don't belong in trees.”

Slithraa hissed angrily and rose up to his full height. Serpentine were already fairly tall, reaching 6 feet on average, but leader Serpentine were SO much taller. Especially when they rise up on their tail. Slithraa towered a full foot above Skales, making him feel quite small indeed. “You know better than to question my judgment, Skalesss.” He leaned into Skales’ face, leaving the smaller Hypnobrai no room to breathe. “I’ll pretend you didn’t ask.”

“HEY!” They were interrupted by Lloyd shouting up at the two of them. They looked down to see the human (?) child perched on a lower-hanging walkway. “If we plan to rule Jago from here, this elevator needs to have a trapdoor!” His pupils grew huge and his tail lashed. “I want more booby traps!” He raised his arms in the air triumphantly.

Something swirled in Slithraa’s eyes, and he nodded. “As you wish, Massster Garmadon.” He then turned to Skales and waved a hand dismissively. 

Skales’ eyes narrowed dangerously. “As you wish, general, ” he just about spat that word out, barely stopping himself from snarling. With that, he headed back into the treehouse, leaving the child outside.

-=-

Meanwhile, back at the monastery, everyone was gathered around the dinner table. The scent of something extremely good-smelling wafted out from the kitchen, and everyone breathed it in.

Jay hummed in delight as he smelled the air. “Oh, I love it when it's Zane's night to cook!” he exclaimed. 

Cole leaned on his elbow as he poked his empty plate. “I didn't hear any complaints about my duck chowder last night,” he pointed out.

“That's because it glued our mouths shut,” Kai countered, leaning back. “You really thought Jay was speechless all throughout dinner?”

Jay made a face and crossed his arms. “Yea. Please don’t make that ever again.”

Before Cole could respond to this, the door to the kitchen opened, and even more delicious smells emerged. Zane also emerged, placing down a roast duck on the table. “Dinner is served,” he said, a smile gracing his face.

However, no one’s eyes were on the duck, or on Zane’s soft smile. It was on his apron. On the surface, it was a plain black apron. But the white text on the breast made everyone stop and have a heart attack. 

“What. Is that.” Jay’s eyes were squarely on the apron.

Zane looked confused. “That is a duck? Cole used the same type of poultry yesterday for dinner.” He noticed several people across the table struggling to hide their laughter. His smile vanished. “What’s so funny?”

“You’re wearing a-” Nya began, but then slapped a hand over her mouth when it was clear another round of giggles were about to escape.

“Even I wouldn’t wear that,” Jay said, with wonder and shock and horror in his eyes.

“You laugh because I take steps to ensure I'm clean after cooking?” Zane’s brows inched closer together. His lips pulled in just slightly. Wu could tell his discomfort from all the way where he was sitting. However, the phrase was just… too distracting.

Kai fully broke and started laughing. “Haha, oh, no! We’re laughing because of that ridiculous thing on your chest!”

Zane looked down at his apron. The message seemed innocuous enough. “I guess we don’t share the same sense of humor,” he concluded. 

At this point Kai and Cole were laughing their asses off, Nya not far behind. Wu kept trying to avert his eyes from the message. And Jay was making ungodly screeches and odd pseudo-laughter noises while holding his head in his arms.

Through his laughter, Cole grabbed his glass of water. “W-Well, how about this?” He grabbed the glass and emptied it on Kai’s hair, who leapt from his seat with an angry squawk. Several hair spikes lowered from their perfectly sculpted peaks, the gel loosening now that it’s wet. 

Everyone’s laughter redoubled, this time Wu joining in the mirth. Zane continued to stare oddly at the group, not quite understanding what’s so funny about this. He fiddled with the waistband of his apron, suddenly feeling like it was wrapped too tight around his torso. It was hard to breathe suddenly.

The black ninja noticed Zane not laughing. “Oh come on!” he said, “how could you not find that funny?” Zane didn’t know how to answer that.

Cole and Kai barely noticed Wu sidling up behind them until it was too late. An entire jug of water was poured over Cole’s hair, and he shrieked in alarm. Jay and Nya started losing it, holding onto each other for support. “Now, you are brothers,” Wu stated, a catty smirk on his face.

Eventually, someone threw something, and the dining room escalated into a full-blown food fight. Wu decided to step out of it, then noticed Zane in the corner. He was covered in food scraps. His face was completely impassive. However, there was a deep confusion and sadness in his too-blue eyes. They seemed to scan the room, watching his fellow ninja and housemate throw his hard-worked-on dinner at the wall. 

“He looks so silly in it!” someone said.

“Does he even know what it means?” someone else asked. Everything else was drowned out by a sudden static in Zane’s ears. Everything was too much. The world was exploding in his mind. 

On autopilot, he headed into the kitchen and fetched a black trash bag. Collecting all the wasted food on the floor, he left his fellow ninja to their food fight. It was time to clean. Clean, clean, clean clean clean-

Zane found himself outside. The trash bag was clenched tightly in his hand, and their other hand was grasping at his apron. Zane navigated himself to the trash bins, and deposited the bag inside. He pulled off the food-stained apron, almost tearing it off with how fast he did it. Why was it so hard to breathe suddenly?

He dropped the apron on top of the trashcan and collapsed. He leaned against the wall of the monastery, sliding down it until he was sitting (read: slouching) against the base of it. His breaths were panicked and irregular. Something in his brain told him this was a panic attack. He suddenly couldn’t remember anything that could help deal with it.

Zane gasped for air, hand clutching at his chest. Something whirred deep inside his chest, spinning at a frequency he could tell was wrong. Static buzzed in his ears. The night was suddenly so loud .

And yet, he risked a glance up. And stared at the stars. The beautiful twinkling lights, a bright swirling river of cerulean against the deep dark midnight blue, the way the stars almost welcomed him into the night. The way the moon, a thin sliver of a crescent, hung among the stars, the most important player in the sky. It seemed to wave hello.

Slowly, he could feel his breaths returning to normal. The whirring in his chest slowed to a more stable pace. The static faded and was replaced by crickets. And an odd squeaking noise.

Wait. That was unusual. Zane shook his head to get rid of any excess panic, then stood up and turned his head to the source of the noise. It came from the branches of the tree next to him.

Up in the branches was an absolutely stunning peregrine falcon. Its plumage was a lovely black on its back, and a mottled cream on its belly and breast. Its talons gripped the branch under its feet. Its yellow-rimmed eyes, black as the void, stared straight at Zane.

Something in Zane’s brain… clicked. This animal, this falcon, it was right. It was supposed to be here. But he wasn’t sure why he realized this. Could it be that this was a pet, from years ago? That finally found him? He blinked up at the falcon curiously and cocked his head.

The falcon repeated the motion.

Zane exhaled slightly in surprise, shaking his head to make sure he wasn’t imagining it. He was not, as the falcon shook its head a second later. He gasped, realizing that the falcon was copying his movements. He reached out an arm to the side, watching the falcon extend a wing in the same way. The cream and gray striped feathers shone against the night sky like the moon itself.

Testing a silly hypothesis, he stomped his feet and flapped his arms, much as if he were a bird himself. He tried to mimic the cry of the falcon as well as he could. He’d give himself a 3/5. 

Either way, the falcon did the same thing, making its squeaky cries in sync with Zane’s. Then, it looked off into the distance. Black eyes calculated something. It looked at Zane one last time, twitching its head towards the mountain’s steps, and flew off. 

Zane watched it fly off, thinking this was goodbye. However, he noticed how the falcon did not continue to fly, instead hovering in midair. It was looking back at Zane. Did… did it want him to follow it?

He snuck a glance back at the monastery. He could hear the laughter of the ninja behind him. They did not need him now, they were having fun. A fun that Zane cannot share. He was not the same as them, he knew this. He had never fit in with anyone before. An outcast, for all time to come.

And yet, this bird understood him. Like an angel in the night, the falcon hovered, squawking as if impatient. Perhaps it wanted to show him something important. 

With one last glance behind him, Zane took off down the mountain, following the strange bird.

The falcon flew true to its mark. Zane had to rush to keep up, but found himself barely tiring. The chase was too invigorating, too pleasant to the rush of blood in his ears. The snow crunched underfoot as he sprinted through the forest, watching the pale shape twist through pines. He felt free as the wind whipped through his hair, and he knew that it understood him. The snow understood him. The trees, the sky, the woods, all accepted him. They loved him. 

A warning squawk came from the falcon. Zane stole a glance up to see the bird stop and perch on a branch, gazing into the distance. Zane stopped as well, then ducked behind a pile of snow as he saw lights ahead.

A tree house was being built here. It was shaping up to be a pretty sizable one, at that, and it even seemed to have a functional elevator! Zane was pretty impressed. He pulled his hood on, squinting to zoom into the treehouse. He then hissed inwards through his teeth when he saw teal humanoid forms roaming the walkways.

Hypnobrai. Which meant… Zane scanned the area until he saw a tiny figure, dressed in black, being carried by some snake-headed serpents on a pile of planks. “If I see one girl in here, I'm gonna go ballistic,” Lloyd said. Zane spotted an odd… thing moving behind the kid.

Zane took a deep breath in, then looked up at the falcon, who stared back with eyes far too intelligent for a bird to have. “Thank you, my mysterious friend,” he murmured. The bird seemed to hear, and nodded. It fluttered away, this time without waiting for Zane to follow. 

Fine by him. He should tell the others about this; they’d be so excited!

-=-

Back at the monastery, the ninja were cleaning up their plates. Despite Zane vanishing, they still found time to eat his food. It was delicious. 

“Were we too harsh on him?” Jay suddenly asked.

Kai snorted. “Nah, he just didn’t get the joke,” he replied. “I mean, he was out wearing that . How’d he even get it?”

“Did someone give it to him as a joke?” Cole grabbed everyone’s dishes and piled them into the sink. “Cuz that was so funny! No way he bought it himself.”

Everyone shook their heads no. Cole’s eyes widened. “I stand corrected,” he muttered.

“I don’t know,” Jay mused, sitting on the counter. Like the gremlin he is. “He seemed actually upset about that.”

“You were all calling him weird a few hours ago,” Nya mentioned offhandedly, doodling something in her sketchbook. “And now you’re concerned?”

“I’m allowed to call someone weird and be concerned about them,” Jay countered. 

“Relax, Zane’ll be fine,” Kai shrugged. “He’s probably just taking a walk.”

Jay didn’t look convinced. “I dunno…” He suddenly snickered. “It was pretty funny though.”

“Right??” Cole laughed. 

The kitchen was filled with silence for a while, the only sounds being the faucet running, dishes being scrubbed, Nya’s pencil scratching on paper, and Jay’s tapping fingers on the counter. Eventually, Nya sighed.

“You guys uh…” she started, then bit her lip. “Did you guys notice something weird about those Serpentine?”

Everyone turned to look at her. “Weird?” Kai raised an eyebrow. 

“Yea,” Nya tapped her pencil on the sketchbook. “The only things they took from Akayuki were clothes and food. And their clothes were like… weirdly raggedy? I dunno.”

“Nah, you raise a good point,” Cole hummed. “Those guys were barely trained. Some army they are.”

“Yea, I punched a few in the face last time,” Kai added. “They went down super easily, and their friends immediately tried to help them up instead of fighting on. It’s like they weren’t even trained to fight.”

“Maybe they’re not,” Jay idly cracked his knuckles. “What if they’re just regular people, but being forced to fight us?”

“It’s not impossible,” Cole frowned. “I just don’t like those implications.”

“Me neither,” Kai cringed. “I’d rather fight a full-fledged army than a bunch of street rats.”

Nya hummed. “I’d keep an eye out for anything suspicious with them, guys,” she suggested. “There’s something wrong here.”

“Tell me about it,” Jay groaned. He spotted a used cup not far from him, and passed it over to Cole. “Here, wash this.”

Cole felt an odd twinge in the pit of his stomach. “Yea, sure,” he complied, grabbing the cup and washing it. 

-=-

When the ninja woke up the next morning, Zane had some exciting news for them. The first is that they were definitely not a guy today, to which everyone nodded understandably. The second is that they had something very important to show the others, and that they should hurry. 

Which is how the ninja found themselves sprinting through the Forest of Tranquility, boots crunching through snow as Zane led the way. With their hoods pulled up, it was almost impossible to spot Zane, as their pale white garb blended in perfectly with the surrounding snow.

As the white ninja paused to look around, Kai groaned. “I don't even think Zane knows where they’re going.” He and the others stopped behind them as everyone caught their breath. “Uh, tell us again how you stumbled upon Lloyd's secret headquarters?“

Zane looked at him. “I followed a bird,” they said, completely seriously.

“Why did you follow a bird?” Jay piped up. 

“Because it danced.” Oh, well of course. Now it all made perfect sense.

“Oh. Okay,” Jay said, letting a smirk show in his eyes. “Was it a cuckoo bird?”

Kai and Cole laughed along with Jay at that, but Zane shook their head. “Of course not. Everyone knows cuckoo birds are not indigenous to these forests.” And with that, they ran off again. Everyone else shared a shrug and ran after them.

Eventually, the group heard noises, ones that didn’t belong in a soft and peaceful forest. They ducked behind a rock, then gasped when they saw the treehouse. Lloyd was somewhere in there, because while they couldn’t see him, they could hear him barking orders. Serpentine walked along the pathways and hammered wood into the tree, fortifying this haphazard home. 

“Holy cannoli,” Cole murmured, “Frosty was right!”

“We can't let that brat and those snakes get a foothold in Jago,” Kai pointed at where he thought he saw a flash of black. “We gotta topple this thing before something bad happens. Who even builds a treehouse as a secret base?”

“Uh, treehouses are cool as hell?” Jay argued. “I never had a treehouse growing up, not enough trees for that. This thing is pretty nifty already! Look!” He pointed out several parts of it as he talked. “There’s a ropes course- oooo a swing!!”

Cole elbowed Jay in the side. “Hey, remember whose team you’re on,” he scolded lightheartedly. He punched his fist into his hand and smirked under his hood. “Alright guys, what do we do with this?”

Kai took a moment to scan the surroundings. “It looks like the entire place is being supported by those three trees.” He pointed at three spruce trees, all with viney ropes connecting them to the main treehouse. While the house itself was built on one tree, the supports for it were attached to three other trees. “Once those ties are severed, the whole is gonna fall like a house of cards.”

“But why would one make a house of cards?” Zane asked earnestly. “Such construction would be careless.”

Kai rolled his eyes and facepalmed. “Oh brother…”

“Travel in shadows, everyone,” Cole ordered. “We can’t afford to be spotted.”

The rest of the ninja nodded and took off. While Kai grumbled internally about being the most standout color in the forest, he was somehow unseen as he darted through the building materials and tree trunks. He found a rope up to the treehouse’s lower levels and quickly climbed it, making sure he wasn’t seen.

Cole stuck himself to the bottom of an elevator, grabbing on for dear life. As the lift moved up, he heard two Serpentine talking to each other, giggling and whispering in hushed tones. He could almost make out one of them asking if the other had a crush, before hissing filled the air. Not aggressive hissing, but more like a laugh.

To the other side of the elevator, unnoticed by the gossipping serpents, Zane and Jay leapt up the lower branches of a spruce tree. They were pretty much unnoticed against the blue sky, blueish nettle, and white snow on the branches. However, that snow caused Jay to slip, though he was caught by Zane, who whispered a quick “got you” as they pulled him up. 

Eventually, all the ninja made their way up to the top of the treehouse. They peered down through a hole in the ceiling to see Lloyd walking around, admiring the architecture. However, they also noticed a tail waving around behind him. The ninja shared a glance. Did he always have that? Did they notice it last time? Looking back at it, it was a long, thin tail the same shade as his skin, with a patch of blonde fur/hair at the end. 

Lloyd chuckled in that trying-to-be-sinister way. “It's almost finished. Soon, my fortress will be complete!” He looked around, spotting a hypnobrai working on a sign. “You!” He pointed at them, and they looked up, confused. “Show me the sign!”

The serpent held up the sign, a small 2x4 piece of wood that said “NO GIRLS OR NINJA ALLOWED” in white paint. Lloyd smirked, then pulled a lever. A trapdoor opened under the Serpentine’s feet, and they fell through with a cry of alarm. Lloyd looked down and laughed. “Booby trap!” he shouted down. The ninja looked down the trapdoor and saw the serpent dazed but unharmed a few levels down. Another Hypnobrai was helping them up.

Content that no one died from that, but keeping an eye out for booby traps, the ninja proceeded upwards. Kai stayed at the very top of the treehouse, keeping an eye on everyone. He was, unfortunately, the easiest to spot, so it was better for the more invisible ninja to sneak out.

Jay, Zane, and Cole all ran across the tethers to the trees they were tied around. With a quick slash from Zane’s shuriken, one of the ropes fell, and the treehouse visibly shifted. Kai held on for dear life, but he noticed that the Serpentine inside weren’t so lucky. Many started falling out of the treehouse, and Kai suddenly realized that people could be really hurt from this. But it's fine, right? The Serpentine are the enemy. 

(He tried not to think about what Nya said to them all last night. If the Serpentine were that weak and helpless… he didn’t want to think about it.)

Jay burned through his rope using the lightning chain on his nunchaku, easily singing it off and causing the treehouse to almost fully topple. More snakes fell out of the collapsing treehouse, and Kai almost dug holes into the piece of wood he was hanging onto.

Lloyd, being tossed around like a ragdoll, exclaimed in pain as he hit the side of the room he was in. Looking up at the sky, he saw red. The red ninja. Childish anger burned in his chest. This was supposed to be his space! Not the ninjas’! How dare they destroy what he so rightfully deserved to have! He growled and pointed at Kai. “I said no ninja! Attack them!”

Unfortunately, all the hypnobrai were busy trying to survive the collapsing building. Cries of “RETREAT” were shouted instead of attacks, and any serpent that could help was helping. A majority of the Serpentine were on the ground now, either injured from the fall or helping the injured. Most were just watching the treehouse break apart and calling out for the serpents still in the treehouse. 

Back at the top of the treehouse, Kai turned around. “Cole!” he pointed at the black ninja. Cole turned to stare at him. “Wait till we're off the treehouse, then cut the line.”

Something in Cole’s gut twinged at the command, and he nodded and waited for the right cue. However, out of the periphery of his hearing, Cole heard a rattle. Oh, how that rattle sounded like the most beautiful sound in the world. He whipped his head around to the noise, desperate to find its source. A hypnobrai stood on one of the remaining platforms, clinging onto a pillar, tail rattling. 

“Can you hear me, ninja?” the serpent’s voice was clear as bells in Cole’s ears and mind. He nodded, eyes not leaving the swirling red of the hypnobrai’s eyes. The snake smiled. “You will obey my every command,” they continued. 

Cole, not noticing his eyes turning red and swirly to reflect his hypnotizer’s, nodded. “I will obey your every command,” he repeated, the sound of his own voice far away, like he was in a dream. How could he not listen to a voice such as the hypnobrai’s? It was beautiful. He could barely resist it.

“Thossse ninja are trying to take thisss whole place down,” the serpent said. “They’re going to kill anyone ssstill in it.” Cole gasped. How could they? “You need to be the one to ssstop them, Black Ninja,” the snake continued. “Make sure they don’t get away.”

“Of course,” Cole replied. He looked at the mess that was the collapsing treehouse. The three ninja standing on the roof of it, watching it fall down. He knew that they made it fall. He knew Kai wanted him to wait until they were all off until he cut the last rope. But there were still Serpentine inside the treehouse! His commander was still there! He couldn’t abandon them in their time of need! A ninja is supposed to protect the innocent. Cole pulled his scythe out. Those ninja needed to pay for causing this much damage.

Meanwhile, as the rest of the ninja grouped up, they noticed Cole was no longer on the last tree. “Where’s Cole?” Jay shouted over the racket. 

“This whole place is coming down!” Kai looked down at his feet, seeing the last remaining Serpentine try and escape. “We need to get out of here!”

However, his thoughts were broken by a figure dressed in black landing in front of them. At first, the ninja sighed in relief at Cole’s reappearance, but all celebrations were halted when they saw red eyes. Hypnotized eyes. 

“No one goes anywhere until you deal with me!” Cole growled, holding his scythe out at his team. He stepped forward, anger flowing from every movement, and the ninja stepped back in fear. Zane’s foot caught the edge of the roof and they almost slipped, but caught themself at the last moment.

The team stared at the blood red eyes of their teammate, intent on attacking them without a second thought. Cole was taken by the hypnobrai. And they had to fight him.

Chapter Text

Cole growled as he brandished his scythe at the ninja. His former teammates, he reasoned, as he cannot be teammates with people who put lives in danger like this. He couldn’t believe it. Being a ninja meant standing up for defenseless people like the Serpentine here. Not targeting them and causing dozens of injuries with their recklessness. 

The others backed away nervously from the earth ninja. “What's gotten into him?” Kai asked.

Zane’s eyes locked onto Cole’s. They widened as the white ninja noticed the red glint in them. “He's under their control,” they informed the others.

“I’m not under anyone’s control,” Cole growled. He approached closer. “I’m only doing what’s right here.” 

Kai tsked annoyedly. “You’re literally about to attack us right now.”

“You’ve gotta snap out of it, Cole!” Jay shouted. “The whole place is coming down!”

“I know that!” Cole didn’t pause in his gait. “I’m just buying time for the Serpentine to get out of here. Then , I can let you all fall with this place.”

The other ninja exchanged worried glances. Cole was fully under the Hypnobrai’s control. He wasn’t even on their side anymore. But he raised a good point; the Serpentine needed to get out of here before anyone got killed. They may be enemies, but they weren’t evil. 

So, with an unspoken agreement, the ninja and Cole continued to circle each other. Buying time. Once they couldn’t hear any more activity directly below them, then they can tousle. 

A few levels below them, Lloyd gripped tightly onto Skales’ tail. Both in a feeble attempt to pull him back, and in trying to not fall through the floor. “Don’t go! We have to protect my treehouse fortress!” the child begged, trying to dig his heels into the floor. A bit of dust descended upon his hood.

Skales was not Slithraa. He was not under the control of anyone, and he knew where he stood here. He stood on uneven ground, haphazard planks that were hardly safe for anyone to stand on, much less live on, built by a child that commanded his general and thought of no one but himself. Skales was a father, yes, but human children (or whatever Lloyd was) were not in his list of favorites. Especially with how the child’s been mistreating them.

So Skales turned around to stare the child in the face. Lloyd’s eyes glimmered with desperation, but Skales’ angry look shot him down. “ Your treehouse?” he hissed. “It’s about time we did thisss .”

With that, he pushed Lloyd away. The child landed on his back with a cry of alarm. Skales pulled a lever beside him, causing the floor to open up. One of Lloyd’s favorite booby traps, a taste of his own medicine. The child screamed as he fell, and a few of the serpents that remained clapped. It wasn’t much of a secret that most of the Hypnobrai didn’t like Lloyd. They only tolerated him and his incessant commands because of Slithraa. But his second in command was good enough to follow, in the end.

This particular trapdoor hid a cage under it, crudely made from branches and planks of wood. It creaked under Lloyd’s impact as he fell in. He groaned in pain as he picked himself back up, staring despairingly at the top of the trapdoor. Skales was staring down at him with an unreadable expression (it was hard to figure out Serpentine expressions when you aren’t one). But the kid could tell there was victory in his grin. 

Shaking, Lloyd hugged his knees to his chest and tried not to cry. His stomach rumbled. His body hurt. They… they betrayed him. How could they? They were supposed to be his personal snake army! He was supposed to command an evil army to take over the world! And now… he’s trapped in a cage of his own design. This sucked. 

A sob escaped him as he heard Skales shout something from above him. He lost.

-=-

The ninja were still circling each other at the top of the treehouse. The entire structure shuddered underfoot as it threatened to collapse. Nervous looks were thrown at Cole, who shrugged them off. He knew he was just stalling right now.

Eventually, he stole a glance downwards and saw a flash of red. The one controlling him. They were down at the base of the treehouse, standing atop a cage with something inside. The serpent nodded. Cole grinned under his mask. He was free to attack.

With that, he broke the circle and charged at Jay, aiming a swing at him. The blue ninja yelped and nimbly jumped back. “Hey hey hey! Friends don’t hit friends!” he tried to reason.

Cole rolled his eyes and kicked him in the jaw. “Friends…” he muttered. 

Jay went down, cradling his jaw. “Ok, I’m just gonna… ignore that,” he mumbled through his injury.

Unfortunately, Cole didn’t ease up on his attacks. Now that there was nothing holding him back, he growled and tossed himself at the other ninja. People he used to call friends. How could they be so callous, he thought as he swung his scythe at Kai. How could they just not care, he thought as he aimed a punch at Zane. They were all dodging him. Not attacking.

Cole breathed hard as he retreated a few steps. This was one against three, he knew the odds weren’t quite fair. “Cowards,” he hissed. “Attacking defenseless people like this? They’re just building a treehouse!”

“They’re building a base to house Lloyd’s evil schemes!” Jay shouted back. “You really think they’re up to non-evil things up here? No!”

“So putting lives in danger is fine if it’s for the greater good?” Cole raised an eyebrow. He could hear Jay try and stammer out a response. Not good enough.

Behind Jay, the red and white ninja were whispering to each other. “What're we supposed to do?” Kai asked. “If I use my sword, this place will turn up into flames faster than a tinderbox.”

“Isn’t there antivenom in the staff?” Zane replied, eyes darting to where Cole and Jay were fighting.

“It’s back at the monastery,” Kai grumbled. “Can’t exactly go back and get it now.”

Kai jumped out of the way as Cole’s scythe smashed into the planks at his feet. However, he jumped a bit too far, and slipped on the edge. Yelling, he started to fall-

-only for something to catch his foot. Glancing up, he saw Zane holding his leg, and the white ninja swiftly pulled him back up.

As Zane stabilized Kai on the roof, they looked at Jay. “Use your lightning! Try to shock him out of his trance!”

Jay’s eyes brightened at that, and readied his nunchaku. He stole a glance at Cole, who was watching them warily. “Sorry, Cole,” he winced, “but this is gonna hurt you a lot more than it's gonna hurt me.” 

With that, he spun his nunchaku and used the generated force to send a bolt of lightning at Cole, who got hit straight in the chest. Everyone groaned at Cole’s yelp and the sound of his body hitting the floor. His scythe clattered out of his hand. Jay bit his lip. He didn’t cause too much damage, right? Cole was still alive, right?

The other ninja watched carefully as Cole picked himself off the roof. Jay let out a brief sigh of relief at seeing that the lightning didn’t do any permanent damage. However, everyone’s relief was shot once Cole’s eyes shot open, still red and angry. Only this time he was angrier . 

With a furious roar, Cole shot at Jay at speeds unknown for the stocky ninja, tackling him off the roof. Jay’s scream grew fainter as he fell further down, though he seemed to catch onto part of the roof just in time. Kai and Zane breathed easier now that they knew Jay didn’t fall to his death, but it was short-lived once the treehouse shifted violently to the side Jay was hanging onto. 

“That is a serious safety hazard!” Jay grumbled, barely audible to the rooftop ninja.

This, however, spurred an idea in Cole’s hypnotized mind. He sprinted up the remaining rope connecting the treehouse to the spruce, and stood on the platform by the rope. 

While Zane rushed over to help Jay get back up, Kai noticed Cole’s plan. His eyes widened in fear and he reached a hand out uselessly. “No! Cole, don’t!”

Jay and Zane echoed the sentiment, but it didn’t seem to phase Cole. His eyes narrowed. Oh, they value their lives now, huh? Sure didn’t seem like they valued the Serpentines’ lives. As he raised the scythe, he sent his ex-teammates a smirk behind his mask. It’s what they deserve.

However, his thoughts were cut off by a song slicing through the block in his brain. Everything he was thinking about the past few minutes suddenly floated away, nothing but dust on the wind. Serving the will of his hypnotizer, siding with the Serpentine, fighting and trying to kill his teammates, none of that mattered. Why was he even thinking those things in the first place?

As Cole’s hypnosis faded, the ninja all looked to the source of the song. In the sky was a long red form, and Kai grinned when he recognized Flame. On top of the dragon rode Wu and Nya, the former playing a soft melody on a flute. 

Cole shook his head as the music continued to wash his brain free of external influence. “Huh? Where- where am I? What are we doing?” He looked around, confused.

The dragon extended their tail towards the earth ninja, who looked up at its riders. “We're getting outta here,” Nya reached a hand out, “because this whole place is coming down!”

Cole didn’t waste any time grabbing her hand and holding on to Flame’s mane. He shook his head, letting all remaining hypnotic influences recede. He was… free now, probably. Hopefully.

The other ninja frowned, wondering how they could fit all six of them on one dragon, when Shard descended from above. And perfect timing, at that, because the treehouse started to really shake underfoot. They all preemptively jumped off, hoping the pale white dragon would catch them. Thankfully, they did, and they wasted no time latching onto their mane in turn.

As Flame and Shard flew away from the treehouse, everyone watched as the structure collapsed and fell apart into a pile of wood at the bottom of the forest. Birds flew in alarm around them, trying to escape the scary pile of debris. 

Kai stared at the wooden flute in Wu’s hands. “That flute!” he pointed at it.

“It cancels their powers!” Jay added, stars in his eyes.

“It’s as old as the Serpentine themselves,” Wu stated. 

“How did you know where to find us?” Zane asked.

“A Master should always know where his pupils are,” he said. Then, his face grew deadly serious. “But we must hurry! The monastery is unguarded! Quickly!”

The ninja (plus Nya) exchanged worried looks. What did that mean?

Turns out… it meant fire. The dragons returned to the cries of Rocky and Wisp, the former of which was trying to hurl up dirt into the fire that was blooming across the monastery. The ninja spotted teal forms slithering away, and Cole shivered when familiar red eyes stared into his. They narrowed in anger, and before they knew it, smoke let the snakes have a hasty retreat. 

Wisp, seeing as they couldn’t help with the fires, immediately shot up to Jay, rambling something in dragon tongue. Jay leapt off of Shard and onto his dragon’s muzzle, scrambling to get a proper perch on their head. He rubbed at the base of their horns gently, trying to soothe both them and himself.

As the group hovered in the air above the remains of the monastery, everyone’s eyes teared up. Mostly because of the smoke, but also at seeing their home burning. They took their hoods off, their sad faces mirroring each other. 

Zane laid a cool hand on their dragon. “Shard! Put this out!” they commanded, and their dragon complied. Icy breath cascaded over the rest of the fire, and Rocky scrambled to move out of the way. Thankfully, this put the flames out.

Since there was no more active fire threat, the dragons descended and let their passengers off. Kai stared at the wreckage of the monastery, residual smoke and heat blasting his face. He didn’t feel a thing. “Our home…” he muttered. Then, he growled and kicked a burnt plank as far as it could go. He could have sworn it lit alight again. “Those FUCKING SNAKES,” he roared. “We were too late!”

Zane frowned as they observed the smoke rising up from the spots in the floor where the training equipment was. The rocks and ice forming around them didn’t help matters. “Our training equipment, gone,” they said mournfully.

“Our video games!” Jay added, burying his face in Zane’s shoulder. “GONE!”

Wu observed the wreckage and saw no sign of a golden glint. “They stole their staff back,” he stated. 

Cole bit his lip. “What do we do now?” he murmured, voice barely loud enough to be heard. With a place as empty as this, it still carried through. A scaly head poked its way into Cole’s personal space. He noticed Rocky’s sad orange eyes, and pressed his forehead against his dragon’s muzzle. He gave them a good scratch on the nose for comfort.

Kai, meanwhile, wasn’t letting the fire die out. He stared at a piece of charred wood in his hand, then growled and crushed it in his grip. He marched towards Zane. “If you hadn't followed that silly bird, none of this would've happened!”

Zane’s expression turned from sorrow to muted shock. They didn’t fully comprehend why Kai was mad at them. However, Jay seemed to have the same opinion, as he tore himself away from them and gave them a glare too. 

“Kai-” Nya tried to speak up, but Jay drowned her out. 

“No, Nya, he’s right!” he cried angrily, tears gathering in his stormy eyes. “Because of you, my high score’s been deleted!” He pressed an accusatory finger at Zane’s chest. While the height difference would have been really funny in another circumstance, they were too busy grieving at the moment. 

Zane felt their breath catch as the whirring in their chest picked up. “This- this is a teaching moment. We must learn from this.”

“‘A teaching moment!?’” Cole asked incredulously. He stepped away from Rocky, getting up in Zane’s face. The static in their ears picked up. “What's wrong with you? Don't you get it?! EVERYTHING IS GONE!” At the last sentence, he threw his arms in the air and gestured around them. 

“Enough!” The harsh word and a clack of bamboo on stone caught everyone’s attention, and the ninja stared at Wu. Golden sunrise eyes narrowed in subdued anger. “We are all at fault. Zane is your sibling. Apologize at once.” 

The ninja glanced over at Nya, who was making herself invisible as she looked at the wreckage. She caught Kai’s eye and gave him a curt nod. The ninja all sighed, guilt crossing their faces. 

They turned around, ready to apologize. In fact, Cole was already halfway through saying “We’re sorry Z-” before they realized that Zane was not, in fact, here.

“Zane?” Jay asked the air, before the roar of a dragon caught their attention. Everyone looked up to see a white dragon flying off into the sunset. The other ninja were left behind on a burning mountaintop, with more questions than answers, and more guilt than can fit under the mountain itself.

-=-

Deep down below the earth, the Hypnobrai entered their cavern. Many were injured, and the healthy treated their wounds. The icy cave wasn’t the best place for an injured snake to be, but they had no other home. That was swiftly destroyed by the ninja. 

Skales hissed angrily to himself as he gripped his tribe’s staff in his hands. If he were General, he would get his fellow Hypnobrai out of this damned cave and move in somewhere nicer. Maybe a desert. He heard those were quite nice.

Lloyd’s wrist hurt as the rope tied around it tightened. He looked at the Serpentine general next to him, red eyes meeting red eyes. “Do something, General. You're still under my command, right?” he asked him nervously.

Slithraa’s eyes swirled for a moment before he shook his head and reared up on his tail. “Enough! I am the general! You will return my staff at once!”

The rest of the Hypnobrai stopped to look between their general and his second-in-command. Skales stopped as well, sending Slithraa a poisonous look from the corner of his eye. Turning around to face him, Skales ran a claw down the length of the staff. He leveled a glare at his general. “No.”

Slithraa hissed in shock. Everyone around hissed and gasped in similar states. “You dare challenge my command?” he asked, tilting his head up and showing his fangs. His hood flared out and his tail rattled slightly - an obvious threat display.

Skales wasn’t intimidated, flaring his hood similarly. While he couldn’t rise up on his tail like a Leader could, he could still tilt his head in the Hypnobrai-standard threat display and rattle his tail.

The other Hypnobrai seemed to find this conflict exciting, because cries of “slither pit!” sounded from just about every serpent in the room. Lloyd smirked from his position next to Slithraa, as if also challenging Skales.

Skales looked down at the staff in his hands, holding it gently. He looked down (as much as he could) at Slithraa, smiling widely. “I guesssss we’ll have to fight for it,” he purred, “...in the SLITHER PIT!”

The serpents around them cheered, and everyone ran to form a circle at the center of the cavern. Not the first time a Slither Pit was formed in this place, but it was the first time in about 30 years since a new leader was chosen from it. Skales handed the staff to Mezmo. The odd light in his eyes made Skales feel a bit uneasy.

Mezmo decided to referee this battle. Skales rolled his eyes. Of course Mezmo was going to announce and ref it. The guy was pretty much hatched to oversee Slither Pits. He had a great announcer voice, and was mostly impartial as a judge. It was just a bit worrying to see the bloodlust in his eyes whenever there was a fight - and especially now with them being free and the ninja fighting them… yea, Mezmo was a snake to look out for. Wouldn’t be smart to have a feral dog in the tribe.

“Winner gets the ssstaff and leads the tribe!” Mezmo called out, swinging the staff around like it’s not a legendary artifact. “You know the rules - there are none! But in the Slither Pit, whatever I say goes.” Skales and Slithraa nodded. They knew how it went. He gave a wicked grin from where he was perched. “Alright, fight!” 

As snakes cheered them on the fighters circled each other. Tongues flicked the air, searching for a weakness. Lloyd, tied to a pillar of ice, wiggled, trying to get a good look at the battle.

Slithraa moved first, sweeping his tail under Skales’ feet. He jumped over the limb, then leaned in to punch his general in the muzzle. Slithraa caught his hand before it could reach his face, forcing it down. Despite it all, Slithraa wasn’t the general of the Hypnobrai for 30 years for no reason. The guy was huge , and there was enough muscle built up that made it stupidly hard to wrench out of his grip.

Skales hissed and punched with his other hand, surprising Slithraa enough to let go of his wrist. The general stumbled back, holding his muzzle in pain. Hissing and spitting angrily at each other, the two continued to circle.

Meanwhile, Lloyd spotted something out of the corner of his eye. A strange piece of yellowed fabric or paper, wedged into an ice pillar next to him. He reached out to it, groaning quietly at the effort. The rope burned his wrist as he stretched. 

It wouldn’t work. He couldn’t reach it. But that was fine. His hand couldn’t reach it. Sneaking a glance around the Serpentine, he saw that they were all distracted watching the Slither Pit. He stretched out his tail, moving as far away as he could from where he was tied up. Thankfully, only one hand was tied to the pillar. It left him plenty of room for his tail to coil around the strange item and yank it out of place.

Who knows what it was, and who cares. He had something the Serpentine didn’t anymore. “Go, General, go!” he shouted, stashing the paper(?) into his belt under his cape. A Hypnobrai gave him an annoyed look. He gave away nothing.

Mezmo hissed with glee at the announcer’s seat. “Weapons!” he shouted, throwing down several weapons made of translucent blue ice. Well- one of them was a shield, which Slithraa grabbed, along with a pickaxe. Skales got the luckier end of the draw, grabbing a sword and knife. They burned on his scales, too cold for him to hold. But that was the fun of it. 

Slithraa immediately threw the pickaxe at Skales, who dodged it. The pickaxe wedged itself into the wall behind them, causing some icicles from the ceiling to fall. Slithraa looked up in shock, and raised his shield in time to defend himself. However, that left him vulnerable for Skales’ attack, who sliced at him with the sword from under the shield. 

Slithraa hollered in pain as the sword cut through his clothing and scales, red blooming on his stolen sweater. He grasped onto the wound, but then looked up to see another attack. He raised his shield hastily to block sword swipe after sword swipe, though he was backing up with every hit. 

Skales grinned. He had an opening. He sprinted up, slicing the shield away, and roundhouse kicked Slithraa straight in the jaw. A gasp echoed across the cavern as every Serpentine watched their general fall to the floor. Mezmo, the thrill of violence fresh in his eyes, sprinted up to check on the fallen general.

Lloyd’s eyes widened. “Come on, get up! Get up!!” he begged, tail lashing in fear.

Skales hissed victoriously and planted his foot on Slithraa’s chest, careful to not hit the wound on his side. Slithraa tried to pick himself up off the floor, but gasped in pain and gave up. His eyes stopped glowing, hypnosis fading with his strength. Though there was an understanding there - he had lost. 

Mezmo seemed to understand it too, because his grin grew wider as he grabbed Skales’ wrist and yanked it upwards. “WE HAVE A WINNER!” he yelled, letting the whole cavern know. As Skales grinned and raised his other arm, the entire cavern burst into cheers. Slithraa was known to be a bit… harsh, especially with keeping the old ways of warrior culture. He knew the people preferred Skales - a more down to earth, responsible snake. It was clear who they wanted as their leader. 

As Mezmo handed Skales the staff, he could feel a change overcoming him. He gasped in alarm as all feeling was cut off from his legs, and as he (and everyone else) watched, his lower half fused and melded into one limb, the process painless and smooth. The melting and reshaping of bone was far less painful than he thought, though no less uncomfortable. He was being blessed by the Ancients.

At the same time, Slithraa’s tail melted away, legs regrowing where there used to be none. The process was not painless for him. He lost, and the Ancients did not approve. His legs grew back in under his robes, and the long Leader’s tail shifted into a regular-sized one. He continued to lie on the floor, in too much pain to think about standing up.

The cavern chanted Skales’ name. He could feel power surging through him. When the transformation was complete, and both he and the staff stopped glowing, he rose up on one singular thick limb, his Leader’s tail. Like his ancestors before him, he achieved the might of a ophidian warrior. He pointed the staff at the downed Slithraa. “You will be loyal to me now,” he stated. 

Slithraa pushed himself up as much as he could, one eye staring at his new leader. “I will do as you command,” he whispered, before succumbing to the pain and passing out. A medic rushed over to treat his wounds.

Skales then sighed and looked at the human(?) boy behind him. The kid looked scared out of his mind, cowering with his tail between his legs. Literally, his tail was coiled around one leg, and he was huddling into a ball as tight as possible. Skales slithered over, instinctually knowing how to use the new limb. It felt… weird, but natural at the same time.

He approached Lloyd, who gazed up, frightened. As Skales reached out to grab his arm, he flinched away and let out a choked sob.

And oh, that tugged on Skales’ heartstrings. This child was clearly not meant to be doing this. He clearly had no idea what he was doing. He was barely a snakelet, for crying out loud! Not even close to being a teenager! He was scared. But he seemed scared for… a specific purpose. One that Skales didn’t want to uncover.

“Do not worry, little one,” he said, untying the rope around the ice pillar. He could tell Lloyd didn’t want him touching his arm right now. “I will not harm you.”

Lloyd evidently felt the ropes slacken, because he hopped away a bit and undid the rest of the ropes. He looked up at Skales with an unreadable expression. “Y- you won’t? Why not?”

Ouch. “While you have been a thorn in our ssside, it has only been because you sssomehow managed to hypnotize Slithraa. He was already enough of a pain to deal with.” He gazed at the child, trying to project authoritative care in his eyes. “I do not want a child to get hurt in a dangerous place like this. You deserve a sssecond chance, much like the one you gave to usss.” At Lloyd’s hesitation he nodded. “Go on. You’re free to go.”

Lloyd’s face brightened and he ran off, quicker than a rabbit. Skales sighed. He would only hope that this child would not stick his nose further into this snake den. Leave them to their own business, and he’ll stick to his own. 

Welp. First thing on the docket as the new leader: find a new place to live. The snow is no place for a cold-blooded species to be. He should find them a nice place to live. One that will not kill off 70% of the population again. 

He shuddered. Never again. He will not repeat the cycle of war. He just wanted to live.

-=-

The ninja were cold and hungry. They were camping out on a boulder in the desert, the dragons curled up on a sand dune. A tent sheltered them from the blowing sands, as well as housing and protecting the last of the items that survived the fire. It… wasn’t much. 

They mourned the loss of the monastery. It had been a home to many of them, with no home to go to otherwise. While gathering any remaining stuff, Jay had suggested that the group stay with his parents, who live in the desert. That’s where they were headed, but the dragons grew tired and needed a rest. So the ninja, too, decided to rest. 

A small fire burned, courtesy of Kai’s sword. The five of them were roasting… something on it. Kai grimaced and looked at the strange creature that was stuck on his skewer. “Uh, what- what are we eating again?”

Jay tossed a rock somewhere while Cole bit into his skewer. “Ugh. Mud newt.” He shrugged and took another bite. “Not bad for something that lives underground.”

“Wait, it’s WHAT?” Jay exclaimed. He would’ve thrown the skewer away if he wasn’t distracted by his stomach rumbling. He didn’t want to take a bite though, so he picked up another rock and tossed it in the same direction - a can. This time, contrary to the dozen other rocks around the can, it went in. He grinned weakly. “Y-yes! A new high s-sc-score!” he exclaimed, though it didn’t have much heart behind it. His stutter acted up with that last word, and he bit down on his tongue.

Rocky lifted his head, glaring at the loud ninja, before sighing and rolling over. Wu hummed. “Remember, we must be thankful for what we still have.”

Cole huffed. “What do we have? Our home is gone.”

Kai drew Nya closer to him. She leaned into the side hug and fit her head neatly between Kai’s head and shoulder. “You know, I don't miss our home. What I really miss is Zane.”

“Same,” Jay muttered. 

Suddenly, Nya shifted. “Zane?” she asked, confused.

“Yea, Zane,” Jay rolled his eyes, poking at his mud newt skewer. “You know. White ninja. The smart, strange one.”

Nya didn’t spare him a look as she pulled away from Kai and pointed behind them. “No! Zane!”

At that, everyone turned around. And all at once, their faces exploded in joy. “ZANE!” they all yelled, grateful to all that was the First Master that they saw a familiar white-clad figure scaling the boulder to meet them.

Everyone (minus Wu) abandoned their feeble dinner and tackled Zane in a hug, laughing and cheering. They smiled as they accepted the hugs, their heart warming at the touch. Something in their chest whirred faster, excited to see family again.

The ninja pulled away, guilt flashing across their faces. “Oh, Zane,” Jay said. “We're so sorry for everything we've said. We're a team and that means we're all responsible. 

Zane looked slightly confused. “You don’t need to apologize to me,” they said, smiling. 

Kai looked even more confused. “But what about all those awful things we said? Isn't that why you left?”

“Of course not,” Zane answered. “I saw the falcon again and I followed it.”

The group shared a look. “That’s our Zane,” Cole laughed. He looked at Zane with loving fondness in his eyes.

“We're so happy to have you back,” Nya smiled.

“Why? Is it my turn to make dinner?” Zane asked, a perfectly earnest expression on their face.

Everyone laughed, shouting out desperate yes-es. “Yes, Zane,” Wu recovered first, finishing off the welcome backs. “We would love for you to make dinner.”

Zane glanced at the abandoned mud newts. “Was that not your dinner already? I don’t believe it was my turn to cook today.”

“You could certainly cook something better than me,” Kai laughed, leaning on his sister’s shoulder. 

“Oh, but I already made dinner!” Zane exclaimed. At everyone’s surprised looks, they smiled. “Come. I want to show you what I've found. I think you will all be pleased.”

Quickly, the group gathered the rest of their materials, and ran to catch up to Zane. Shard had arrived as well, waking the other dragons. The two groups, human and dragon alike (and Wu, the weird in-between), traveled across the desert. The ninja discussed in hushed tones what it might be. 

Zane turned to them as they walked. “I can't explain it, but I feel a strange connection with the falcon,” they said. “I think it's trying to help show us the path we need to take.”

“Only you would get answers from a bird,” Kai huffed good-naturedly. 

“That or Jay,” Cole added. “He’s literally named after a bird.”

“That is not why I named myself Jay and you know it,” Jay grumbled.

“Why did you choose Jay then?” Nya asked curiously.

Jay’s heart skipped a beat as he processed that Nya asked him a question. First Master damn this crush of his. “It’s uh- well, it’s uh-”

It didn’t matter what the answer was. It would have been drowned out by what the group saw as they turned the bend. A large boulder hid the visage of a gorgeous ship. It was made primarily of red and black wood, though most of the body was buried in the sand. A huge figurehead of a red dragon head was on the front, and there was a ratty and weathered sail hanging off the mast. A cabin was built into the back, the lights inside shining through the windows. It was in remarkably good shape, for being a ship in the middle of a desert.

“Our new home,” Zane smiled. 

Everyone let out their own cries of surprise and amazement, staring at the beauty that was this ship. Cole’s keen nose picked out a smell that wasn’t just sand and dust. “Do I smell pie?” he turned to Zane, mouth watering.

Zane’s smile grew wider. “Myrtleberry. Oh, I also made apple pie, and berry cobbler, and-”

They were cut off by the ninja cooing in excitement and sprinting to the ship, digging up clouds of sand on their way there. 

Wu stayed behind, smiling at Zane. “I’m proud of you, Zane,” he praised. As the white ninja looked at their master, he laid a hand on their shoulder. “One day, I promise. We will find your family.”

Zane processed that for a second before shaking their head. They glanced at the others, pretty much running over each other to enter the back room of the ship. “No need. I’ve already found them.”

Wu’s eyes widened in surprise, before they softened with care. “I feel there's more to you than meets the eye. There's something special about you, Zane.”

Zane… thought about it for a moment. They had to ask, right? “Master, will I become the Green Ninja?”

Wu sighed, some of the light dying in his eyes. “It’s too early to tell. But if it is your path, you will know.” The light quickly returned, as if it never left. “Come now. It would be a shame to let them eat all that pie.” His eyes crinkled with mirth as he led Zane to the ship, arm resting on their shoulder. Zane smiled and leaned into the touch. It felt nice to have a family, they decided. 

An hour later, the group was happily eating dinner, cooked to perfection by Zane, and making random smalltalk. The sound of laughter filled the desert, stemming from the warmth of family.

Warmth that Lloyd Garmadon did not feel. His father was trapped in the Underworld, and his mother was nowhere to be found. Not that he could blame her. Who would want Lloyd as a son, anyways? He wouldn’t. He watched the ninja talk and laugh and have fun in that ship of theirs. He was seconds late to claiming it as his own.

Could- could Lloyd join them? He hugged himself tightly as he imagined himself sitting at the table with them, enjoying fresh food and candy and water and sleeping in a bed with a decent mattress. People that loved him, not caring for the fact that he was the son of the Dark Lord. Family.

…No. That was too much to wish for. Lloyd would never get that. If he wanted to join his father, he needed to be evil. That way, his father would love him. 

(He tried to ignore all the times his father told him to not be evil for his sake. He ignored the way his shadow sunk when Lloyd said he was going to prove he was worth caring for. He remembered the time, on his 6th birthday, when his dad’s shadow told him that he would always love him, no matter what happens.)

Not like those ninja would care about him. They’ve already proven that they only see him as the son of the Dark Lord. They’d beat up a child to prove a point. His nails dug into his arm. He was so hungry. He was so lonely. 

Lloyd couldn’t go join the ninja in their little dinner party. The Hypnobrai kicked him out. His parents were either missing or unreachable. He can’t go back to Darkley’s. (he can’t he can’t he can’t) 

He opened the map, hastily scribbled on a piece of burlap. He had stolen it from the Hypnobrai, and it labeled the locations of the other Serpentine tombs. Maybe if the Hypnobrai were a bust, another tribe would be more effective! Maybe he’d prove to them that he’s worth keeping around this time!

Lloyd sighed and turned away from the ninjas’ ship. It was time to find another den of snakes, and he was sticking his nose down into its depths.

Chapter Text

The ninja were snoozing peacefully.

Too bad that didn’t last.

Everyone awoke with a start when a loud noise broke through their sleepy haze. Half-asleep, they all looked over to see Master Wu hammering a gong. “Evil doesn’t sleep, and neither should you!” he yelled. 

Kai shoved a pillow over his face, Cole and Nya covered their ears with their hands, and Zane and Jay hid under their blankets. However, this did not deter Wu’s gonging. “In order to reach your full potential, we must greet each day as an opportunity,” their master continued. 

“Okay, okay, we’re UP,” Kai groaned, almost falling off the bunk. “But if you want us to reach full potential, shouldn't we at least-” he yawned “-get a full night of rest?”

When the ninja had finished with dinner that night, they had been too exhausted to do anything but pass out. Thankfully, the cabin had sets of bunk beds that the ninja crawled into and instantly fell asleep. They hadn’t paid much mind to the dust on the covers, too tired to complain.

Kai moved to the blinds opposite to his bed and pulled the drawstring, though he jumped slightly when the entire blinds fell off the window and clattered to the ground. 

“Ugh, you call that rest?” Cole groaned, cracking his back. “I think my back has more lumps than the mattress.”

Jay lazily slid out of their bunk above Cole’s, trudging their way to the sink. The cabins seemed to have a little sink and mirror setup in the corner. They smacked their lips free of morning grime. “Honestly, I’m just glad to have a roof over our heads,” they said, trying to wet their toothbrush (one of the only things that survived the fire). Not noticing how sand came out of the faucet instead of water, they stuck it in their mouth. They spat it out just as quick.

Nya growled as she fought her way out of the blankets. “These things are stiffer than wood,” she complained. “Why couldn’t our new house be a few hundred years more modern?” She finally untangled herself and gave the blankets a kick.

Zane seemed to be awake, and started to do quick stretches. “What is our lesson today, Master?” the white ninja asked. “Mastering the strike of the scorpion? Or perhaps the grace of-” they were cut off when their foot broke through the floorboards. They sputtered and coughed as the dust plumed around them. 

As the others helped them up, Wu chuckled. “I think today's lesson should be… chores,” he said.

“CHORES?” every teen (and preteen, in Nya’s case) exclaimed in horror. 

“Ninja fight , Master,” Cole grumbled, “they don’t clean .”

“In order to respect ourselves,” Wu began, “we must respect our new home and where we are from. And this place is a long way from becoming a ninja headquarters,” he added, looking around the dusty room. The teens cringed, also looking around.

Wu gave them all a look and headed for the doorway out. “I expect things to be spotless when I return. And put your backs into it!” He smacked the gong one last time for good measure, causing Jay to slam their hands over their ears. 

“Where are you- going…” Nya started to ask, but Wu was already gone. She huffed and muttered something under her breath. 

“This place is gonna take forever to clean and fix up,” Kai grumbled, crossing his arms. 

Jay sidled up to him, a light shining in their eyes. “Unless… we put more than our backs into it, eh?” 

Kai blinked, confused, then grinned. “Ohhh I'm picking up what you’re putting down!”

Zane scanned the room and their teammates. “Are you alright with starting to clean without me? I want to make breakfast, as I am the only one who knows the kitchen setup so far.”

“That makes sense,” Cole nodded. “Alright everyone, pick a room and work. We gotta make this place spick and span!”

“Ninja, GO!” everyone shouted, and with that, they scattered. 

A few things were made apparent. One, they all needed a shower, but there wasn’t any water in the tanks. Just sand. The only clothes they had left over were the ninja gi they were dressed in for the treehouse mission, so they couldn’t exactly change. Nya, too, only had the qipao she had on before she left. 

Two, much of the technology in the ship was old-timey, definitely not up to modern standards. This left Jay whining at how subpar the electronics were, and how they couldn’t work with this “garbage.” They made a quick call (Nya had the sense to rescue everyone’s phones before she and Wu left) to their parents, telling them their current location and what to bring.

Three, despite the old appliances, Zane managed to cook something remotely edible with what little ingredients they had. It was very obvious that they needed to find civilization and stock up on food, because they would starve to death otherwise. Breakfast burritos made of salvaged tortillas and various vegetables that Zane had gathered before finding the ship would simply have to do. 

Three point five, Zane said that today he was a guy… maybe. He wasn’t too sure. “Something within the range of male,” he said. Jay seemed to understand perfectly, though the other three were left a bit confused. 

With that being made clear, it was time to make the ship just as clean. Cole sighed as he looked upon a room of junk. Various old knicknacks, cooking supplies rusted and cracked with age, and broken furniture were strewn about the place. Not to mention the copious amount of spiderwebs everywhere. He shuddered. Gotta evict those spiders soon. 

He shook the thought of spiders off and effortlessly spun into a whirlwind of magic dirt. With the spinjutsu tornado, he picked up all the junk and deposited it outside the ship. It was… organized enough. 

There was just… one small issue. Cole’s spinjutsu summons more dirt. He saw Nya, who decided to sweep the deck, give him a sour look as she swept aside more dirt. Cole grimaced and gave her the most sorry look he could.

Now that Zane was done cooking breakfast, he joined Kai for further cleanup. Zane spun his shurikens above his hands, then sent them spinning around the room Cole had just cleared. The whole room got covered in a layer of ice. 

Kai smirked. His turn. With his spinjutsu being hot enough to melt Zane’s ice, he gave the room a quick powerwash. Dirty water seeped through the cracks in the floorboards. He’d go over the spots he missed later, but it looked passable enough right now. He and Zane shared a fist bump as they looked over their work.

Jay, meanwhile, discovered that there was a generator in the bottom most part of the ship. The group had seen lights installed in the ceiling, but weren’t sure they could be turned on. Thankfully, with an electrified smack from Jay’s nunchaku, the generator got enough power to prove the lights worked. The ship looked so much better now that they could see it.

The final step was the sail. While the group managed to get it opened, Nya frowned at how torn up it was. There was little chance that it could function in such disrepair. However, paired with determination and a sewing kit, she attacked the sail and fixed it up. Not fully, but enough that the blatant holes were patched with scrap fabric and messy stitches. Good enough in her book. 

(Kai gave her a proud noogie. He usually did all the sewing in the family, so it was nice to see her picking it up too. He was still better, he laughed, which made Nya smack him playfully.)

All in all, the ship was clean! Every room was cleared out, all the junk was outside, and there were still leftover vegetables in the pantry. Zane, who had a really good internal clock, stated that it took them about 4 hours to clean this whole thing up. 

There wasn’t too much to do to celebrate, however. The ninja would usually power up a video game or something, but they didn’t have that. Thankfully, there was a chess table that was able to be salvaged, and Zane cheerfully snagged a seat. The pinnacle of entertainment when there was nothing else to do was to watch him beat Jay every round. The lightning ninja insisted on playing just one more round, where they were beat again. They were just so easy to pick on.

Ten rounds into chess, the ninja heard a set of weird beeps and footsteps on the deck above them. Wu’s back.

Cole, Kai, and Nya waved hello to him as he entered the room. Zane and Jay were too focused on their game. Wu looked around in pleasant surprise. There were plastic bags hung from his arms.

“What took you so long?” Kai asked, a smirk in his voice. And on his face. He looked smug as hell.

“You truly achieved all this?” Wu asked, eyebrows disappearing into his hat from the shock.

“Ninja don't just fight, Master,” Cole smiled cattily. “We clean.”

Wu laughed. “Oh, you have exceeded my expectations,” he started, but was interrupted by another car honk, “but can you keep it up?”

The car honk immediately sent Jay shooting upright, staring in a vague direction upwards. “Oh, did my parents give you a ride back?”

“Indeed they did,” Wu confirmed. “They are kind folk, helping an old man like me out. The desert is no place for me to wander,” he chuckled. “Can someone help me move these groceries to the kitchen?”

Zane placed a bishop into check against Jay’s king and stood up. “I will, Master.”

Jay sputtered and groaned, almost falling out of his chair. “What the FUCK how do they keep DOING THAT!”

“It’s like playing against a computer,” Cole mused. 

Another car honk was heard from above, and faint conversation drifted down through the window. “So your parents are here?” Nya asked, turning to Jay.

The blue ninja groaned and nodded. “Listen, I love my folks, but please, if they start yappin, just don't get them going, okay? They don't know when to quit! And if you start talking then they'll start talking, and suddenly half the day is gone before you know it ends-”

“We get it, they talk a lot,” Kai interrupted. Under his breath, he added “looks like the cherry doesn’t fall far from its blossom.”

Despite Jay’s indignant look, the rest of the group abandoned the chess board and moved up to the top deck. There, they saw two older people admiring the menagerie of rubbish Cole had tossed out. One of them, with wild white hair and overalls, smacked the hood of their… car? It was hard to describe this monstrosity. It was like a car had been back-engineered from a train. Haphazard parts made up its form.

“Take a note, Edna: either better brakes or a better bumper,” he said. He turned around, letting the teens see a small goatee and warm gray eyes. He walked over to the junk, picking up a cracked pot. “Oh, will you look at all this great stuff? They can't just get rid of it. We should have brought the trailer.” His voice carried a twang heard mainly in the western half of Jago, not unlike Jay’s own accent. 

“This ain't a flea market, Ed. We're here for Jay,” the other person said, presumably Edna. She had a bomber jacket and salt-and-pepper hair tied in a bun. Red glasses made her brown eyes look bigger than they were supposed to be. 

Ed put a hand to his ear, leaning closer to his wife. “What was that? Did you take a note?”

Edna rolled her eyes, pulling out a small notepad and pencil. “I’m writing it down, dear.”

Jay took this moment to walk up to them, arms outstretched. “Ma! Pa! Good ta see ya!”

“Oh, my baby boy!” Edna cooed, wrapping her son in a big hug. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen ya!”

“Ma, I call ya like, once a day,” Jay huffed, hugging her back tightly. “Ain’t that enough?”

The others exchanged surprised looks. While Jay’s accent had mostly been subtle up until now, the west Jagian twang was in full show. Cole raised an eyebrow, chalking it up to a type of code-switching - Jay feeling more comfortable talking in his normal accent with his parents around.

“Oh well… it's not enough, son,” Ed added. “We miss your cute little face! When are you coming out to the junkyard? You say you are coming an- a-and ya don't.” His voice trailed off sadly at the end there. 

Jay’s cheeks turned red. “Pa, do we gotta talk about the junkyard in front of my friends?”

“Oh, you always hate it when we tell people you were born in a junkyard,” Edna chuckled. Her crows feet crinkled as she smiled. Jay heard chuckling behind him and his face darkened. 

Then, Edna caught sight of the others. “Oh, and who are your friends here?” she cooed, going up to Nya. “They all seem very sweet. Oooh, and I can see a couple people here that are just your type!” 

Before Edna could point anyone out, Jay pretty much turned into a beet. “Maaaaaa!” he groaned, causing his mom to chuckle. 

The others laughed with her, except for Zane and Wu, who had returned at this point and didn’t understand the context. Jay was the color Kai’s gi was. Could he get redder? Only time can tell.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you!” Nya said politely. “I'm sure if you want, Jay can give you a tour. He worked very hard on this place!”

Jay sent her a betrayed look as his parents yelled in unison “We’d LOVE a tour!”

The blue ninja groaned. “Come on then, lemme show ya around.”

“Oh!” Ed suddenly exclaimed. “One moment, son.” He ran back to the car and pulled out a duffel bag. “Got ya some goodies in here, fresh from home!”

Curiously, Jay took the bag and ruffled through it. In it were spare clothes (and underwear), some little knick-knacks Jay had in his room back home, some pieces of scrap metal for him to play with, and-

“My old console!” Jay pulled it out triumphantly. 

“Oh no way! Video games are back!” Cole grinned. 

“We still need a TV to plug this into,” Jay said, “but this is great!” He beamed at his parents. “Thank you!”

“Stop by home soon, alright Bluejay?” Ed winked. “We just got a shipment of some old uh- some old TVs and screen doodads. ‘Parently the company had no need for em!”

“Oh that would work great!” Jay stuffed the console back in the duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder. He grabbed his parents by their arms and pretty much dragged them onto the ship. “Lemme show you where we can plug it in!”

As the Walkers disappeared into the ship, the others exchanged a bewildered glance. Cole spun a finger around his ear, an action which made Kai snort. “Peculiar folks, aren’t they?” Wu commented. Nya snorted. 

“Wonder who here is Jay’s type,” she rolled her eyes. 

“Yea, it’s a bit obvious,” Cole huffed. 

“He is very unsubtle about it,” Zane added. 

“As long as he’s normal about it, it’s fine,” Kai raised his hands. 

“Clearly it’s you,” Nya elbowed her brother.

He swatted her hand away. “As if!”

“Shall we follow them inside?” Zane suggested, already making their way to the cabins. 

“Yea, why not,” Cole shrugged, and the team went in. 

About half an hour of touring later, the Walkers were found in the bridge, the topmost cabin on the ship. There was a steering wheel close to the front, which Jay was turning slightly, demonstrating how it turned the sail. Desks covered in maps lined the walls, and a mildly rusty periscope hung from the ceiling. A large window above the steering wheel let light in from the outside. 

“And this is the bridge,” Jay was explaining. “This extends into a periscope. This tells what's going on in Jago.” He lowered the periscope as he talked, spinning it around and peering through the looking glass. He jumped away from it and went up to a machine. “And this-” he paused, then gave a dramatic claw and look. “If an enemy's not giving us the answer we want, and we're late up night-”

“A neuro apparatus to read their minds?” Edna cut in, hands cupping her face excitedly. 

“An audio appliance to make them talk?” Ed raised his hand, just as excited.

Jay’s face went neutral. “No. It’s a coffee machine.” He demonstrated by pressing a button on it, though it just sputtered and whined. He laughed nervously. “Still uh- still fixing it up.”

Ed laughed proudly. “Amazing, son!”

“We’re so proud!” Edna added, her smile crinkling the corners of her eyes.

Jay flushed pink. 

“Hey, how come your names are the same?” Cole asked, having snuck into the room with the others. “Isn’t it a bit weird?”

Ed and Edna shared a look, then chuckled. “Oh, we named ourselves to match each other, sonny!” Ed explained.

“We were but lovebirds, meeting when we were young and dumb,” Edna continued, closing her eyes. “Both of us had questions, ‘bout who and what we were.”

“When we found out that we were trans, we somehow told each other at the same time!” Ed laughed. “I went up to Edna, I did, and went ‘Golly, dear, but I don’t think I’m a woman anymore.’ And then Edna laughs right in my face, and I think, oh that’s it, she’s breaking up with me,” he sighed, “but she just goes ‘Well what a coincidence! Cuz I sure don’t think I’m a man!’”

“After that, I told him, wouldn’t it be adorable if we had matching names?” Edna smiled. “So we decided to name ourselves Ed and Edna, so that our love would remain true for just the two of us.”

“That’s… so sweet?” Nya cooed. 

“That’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard,” Cole wiped a fake tear from his eye. 

“Is this why you know so much about the whole uh-” Kai looked at Jay, then bit his lip and looked away slightly. “The whole trans thing?”

Edna perked up. “Oh, yes, Jay told us he was a boy when he was only three,” she explained. “And when he started having more gender questions as he grew up, well I just opened the gender dictionary and helped him choose a label that fit!”

“You have a… gender dictionary?” Zane blinked, confused.

“They’re advocates for queer folk,” Jay explained. “Ma used ta run a little help center for gettin people sorted out with that sorta thing.”

Cole seemed to perk up at that, looking curiously at the Walkers. The others nodded approvingly. 

“Do ya have anything else in here to look at, son?” Ed asked, looking around the room. 

Jay frowned as he looked over at a spot in the room. “Well, there’s a project I wanted ta tackle, but I didn’t have the right materials for it. Maybe I can get some stuff from home next time?”

“Ohhh, we haven’t had ya visit in so long!” Edna cooed. “Not since you became a ninja, and all.”

Cole shot Jay a strange look. The blue ninja chose to ignore it. “I know, I know,” Jay frowned. “I’ll try and visit.”

“In the meantime, why dontcha tell us about the project ya have in mind?” Ed winked, elbowing his son in the side. “We’re all buzzing like bees to hear it!”

“Ah- it’s, well-” Jay stammered, cheeks flushed. “I don’t wanna talk about it yet. S-secret project and all, right?”

“Aw, come on kiddo, you can tell your pa,” Ed poked him in the shoulder. 

At Jay’s further reddened cheeks, Edna stepped in. “Come now, Ed, leave him be,” she chastised. “If he wants to have secret projects, he can have secret projects!”

Jay could still tell the curious light didn’t leave his dad’s eyes, and there was a similar one in his mom’s. If this project failed, he didn’t want his parents worming their tech into it. It was his project, his contribution to the ninja team.

“Look, it’s- fine,” he sighed. “I’ll tell you a little bit when I pick up parts at home.” He glanced down at his wrist as if there was a watch there. He needed to get his parents out of here before they pried too far into his business. “H-hey, would you look at the time,” he laughed, grabbing Edna by the hand and beginning to lead her out of the room. “Don't ya need to get back before it gets dark? There could be dangerous Serpentine out there.”

He could feel his parents sag slightly in disappointment. “Uh, I suppose we could get back,” Ed said.

Edna managed to wrench her arm out of Jay’s grip and turned to look at the others, who were watching this scene with various levels of confusion and intrigue. “It was so nice to meet you kids! Oh, and Wu.” The old man nodded in response.

Cole stifled a giggle as he and Nya walked up to the couple. “Edna, it was a pleasure hearing about Jay's first potty time.”

As Jay’s face went scarlet in embarrassment, Edna leaned in to whisper conspiratorially to Cole. “Oh, if you thought that was good, wait until you hear the story about the time I caught him kissing his pillow!”

Everyone laughed as Jay’s face turned cherry red. Cole could even smell smoke coming from his ears. “Snakes, Ma. Snakes!”

“Okay, we’re going, we’re going!” Edna laughed as she and Ed were practically pushed out by Jay.

As everyone went outside, they noticed that the sun was already setting. Curse winter daylight, leaving them with basically no time in the day. Jay helped his parents get into their unholy vehicle. As he did, Edna ruffled his hair. “So you promise to come to the junkyard to visit your mother and father?”

“I already promised I would,” Jay groaned, face still red. “But I’ll only get there if ya go home!”

“We can take you back home for a sleepover, if you’d like,” Ed suggested, strapping his pilot hat on. “It’ll be just like the good old days!”

“I’d love to, really,” Jay looked away guiltily, “but there’s still work to be done on the ship. Sorry.” At his parents’ disappointed looks, he sputtered to backpedal. “B-but maybe sometime later? Anything to get away from Cole snoring.”

Ignoring how Cole protested with a “heyyy” in the back, Jay went up to the car and slapped the hood. “Your headlights are working, right? It’s already getting dark.”

The headlights flicked on, effectively blinding everyone in the area. Groans of pain and alarm sounded from everyone as they shielded their poor eyes. 

Ed leaned back in his seat and smirked. “Heh, like em? I used a little extra juice.” He flicked the headlights off, giving the ninja back the gift of sight. “Yep.” He turned the car around, angling it towards where the road through the desert should be. “Bye, son! Couldn’t be more proud!”

“Oh, and bring those friends of yours with you!” Edna shouted. “Maybe that gir-” Her voice was drowned out by the distance and the roaring sands. That didn’t stop Jay from transforming into a beet as he waved them goodbye. 

“Now that they have left,” Wu said, barely concealed mirth in his voice, “perhaps Jay can teach us the art of… kissing pillows.”

Everyone laughed as Jay groaned in agony and stormed off, face cherry red.

-=-

Meanwhile, far away from the desert, a tiny figure dressed in black walked through a spooky forest. Well, technically this was still the Forest of Tranquility, but it had a much different atmosphere in this sector of it. Lloyd had wandered into the Cemetery of Souls, an ancient tomb and graveyard sunk deep into the heart of the forest. Heavy fog rolled through the cemetery, cradling the gravestones it surrounded. 

Lloyd’s feet kicked up bits of fog as he trudged through the creepy vibes. Armed with nothing but a map and a stolen flashlight, he wasn’t exactly feeling the safest right now. “It's not scary,” he told himself. It was cold here, because the shiver he just suppressed was definitely not because he was scared. As he passed under a particularly creepy torii gate, he thought he felt something touch his foot, and yelped and jumped onto the nearest gravestone.

He steeled himself and, when he didn’t see anything that could have hurt him, hopped back down. “Um, maybe just a little, but I like scary. Yea, that's it. I'm the son of the Dark Lord! I love the dark! I eat this stuff for breakfast-” Lloyd’s rambling was cut off by him screaming. His flashlight had angled on a dead tree in the center of the cemetery, which looked a lot like a monster. Thankfully, after he looked at it more carefully, it was definitely just a tree. He let out a sigh of relief.

“I'm gonna make those Hypnobrai pay for betraying me,” he grumbled, looking at his map. It said that the Fangpyre tomb should be around here somewhere. “I have to find the Fangpyre. If there's anything a snake doesn't like, it's another snake.”

Lloyd approached the misshapen tree carefully. “Here. By the fucked up tree. I found it!” Getting on his hands and knees, he brushed away fog and dust from what he assumed the entrance to the tomb was. He was proven to be right as he noticed an emerging design of a snake on the top. “Soon, the Serpentine will know who their master is, and it will be I, Lloyd Garmadon!” He started laughing evilly, his standard “mwa-ha-ha,” but yelped in fear when thunder rumbled behind him. He looked up fearfully. It wasn’t raining yet, but he didn’t want it to start anytime soon. He had snakes to unearth.

Finding the lever to open the tomb, Lloyd yanked it open. There was silence for a few minutes, and Lloyd frowned. What, did they all die out in there? He leaned down into the tomb and yelled “HELLO?” as loud as he could. Maybe they were sleeping. 

He yelped in alarm as glowing white eyes appeared in the darkness. Red shapes slithered out, clambering out of the tomb with scary, jerky motions. Lloyd whipped around to look at the group that had gathered around him, regarding him with caution and curiosity. Most of the serpentine were red and white, dressed in black clothing, and with large fangs sticking out the front side of their faces. There weren’t as many little snakes as the Hypnobrai had, Lloyd noticed. Still a few, but not as many. 

He also noticed the hissing by his ear, and jumped back in fear. Jerking his head towards the noise, he saw an… interesting figure. They had a golden snake staff much like Slithraa had, though this serpent was much, much different than Slithraa. For one, they were red, with sharp, thin fangs, and white markings under their eyes. They had a long black cloak with a tall collar. Their eyes were pointed and snow-white, staring into Lloyd’s soul.

The strangest thing was the amount of heads. The snake had two, to be precise. The right head was tilted upwards, looking down at Lloyd. The left head leaned in, tongue flicking to sniff at the kid. He tried not to flinch.

“And who-” “may I sssay released us-” “from our captivity?” the heads said. The left head spoke first, with the right head continuing, and the left finishing. They had a strange accent. It didn’t sound like the way Hypnobrai spoke, though there was still that sibilant note in their voice.

Lloyd gulped, backing up in fear. “L-Lloyd Garmadon. I released you to make the- the Hypnobrai pay for betraying me.” He picked his map up and held it in front of him, as if it was a shield. 

The two-headed snake considered his words. “The Hypnobrai?” the right head hummed, turning to the other head. “Never liked that leader of theirsss,” the left head agreed, nodding. They both turned to Lloyd and smiled. “Our name is Fangtom. It vill be-” “-our pleasure.”

“Oh, great!” Lloyd smiled, glad to have gotten a victory here. His own fangs flashed as he grinned. “I’ll lead the way, I know where they were last. Then,” his smile turned evil, “there's some ninja I want dealt with. “

“Sssounds like you know-” “vhat you vant,” the leader Fangpyre stated. “But the Hypnobrai are ssstrong.” “And we are few in numbers.” Lloyd frowned and looked around. True to their words, there were very few Fangpyre around. Far less than the Hypnobrai had.

“Ve need-” “reinforcementsss,” the two-headed serpent added. 

“What did you have in mind?” Lloyd asked.

Fangtom laughed cruelly. “Let us hope-” “-that it is ssstill there.” “Follow usss, child-” “ve have vork to do.”

-=-

A few days pass. At Ed and Edna’s Scrap and Junk, the junkyard/workplace/home for the Walker family, a car pulled into the front gates. It parked by a lamppost, and Ed and Edna hopped out. “Home sweet home,” Ed breathed in. He picked up a toolbox and immediately headed over to a giant robot he was seemingly working on. “And back to the grind.”

“Oh, sweetie,” Edna tsked as she went into the trailer that was their house. “You've been working on that thing day and night.”

“Well, ya never know when Jay comes by again!” Ed pointed out. 

“Oh, you're right,” Edna sighed. “You never know.” She headed inside the trailer. “I’ll prepare dinner!”

“Thanks, sugarplum!” Ed called back. Pulling out a welding torch and putting his face plate mask on, he hummed and went to work. 

As Jay had said, they came by the next morning, arriving on a gorgeous cyan and yellow dragon. It had been zipping around excitedly, taking in the sights of its owner’s home. Or at least, Ed and Edna assumed Jay owned the dragon. Maybe it was like how a horse and human have a relationship. Truth be told, they thought dragons weren’t real. But here one was, sniffing some broken down engine. 

Jay collected a whole bunch of stuff. Big screens, control panels, other bits of scrap metal, some rocket boosters, all sorts of stuff. They tried to be secretive about the project, but a Walker can hardly keep their mouth shut, and they ended up blabbing about it. However, they caught themself at certain parts, saying that they wanted to show the project off once they finish, and no sooner. 

Now, 3 days later, Ed and Edna still don’t know much about the project. They hadn’t even gotten a call back, just texts that confirm that Jay is, indeed, alive, just hyperfocusing on their project. Ed chuckled at the thought; not like he was any better, truly. This robot was his own special project, one to show to Jay next time they visit. Maybe for their birthday. That’s only in four months!

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck rose. He turned around to see a dark figure dart behind him. He gulped. “Uh, Edna? Was that you?” he called out.

Unfortunately for him, Edna poked her head out of the doorway of the trailer. “What, Ed? Are you hearing things again?”

Something didn’t feel right. Ed could feel his heartrate picking up. “Uh- you uh, you turned on the security alarm before you left, didn't ya, hun?”

Edna seemed to pick up on her husband’s nervousness, and went over to the security alarm. She opened the box and fiddled with a switch, only for nothing to happen. Fiddling with it a few more times, she looked over at Ed. They locked eyes, an unspoken fear communicated across the junkyard. “It’s broken,” she said, too nervous to raise her voice.

That was when the lights flickered out. On one moment, off the next. A lightbulb exploded somewhere deeper in the junkyard. There were noises, clanging and slithering and hissing, surrounding them. Ed raised his welding torch, holding it in front of him. “Whoever's there, my son knows Spinjutsu!” he yelled.

He was met with growls and laughter. Ed ran over to Edna, holding her close. She had already procured a wrench from somewhere, gripping it nervously. “What's happening, Ed?” she asked, looking around fearfully.

“Call Jay, hun,” Ed urged. “Someone’s broken in.”

Laughter broke through the dead quiet. They whirled around to see a child on the roof of their trailer, holding a smashed cellphone and a cut landline. A two-headed red Serpentine loomed behind him, far more terrifying than the child. The child laughed evilly, and the snake(s?) behind him hissed in echo.

Ed gulped and held Edna closer. “Ed…” she murmured, eyes not leaving the serpent.

“Be strong, Edna,” he whispered back. “I won't let them hurt you.”

Fangtom’s right head turned to Lloyd, ignoring the cowering couple. The other head kept its eyes on them instead. “If ve plan to attack the Hypnobrai,” the right head began, “ve’ll need to grow our army.”

“Oh!” Lloyd exclaimed. His tail twitched from where he shoved it inside his pants. “And, uh, how do we do that?”

A devious look entered Fangtom’s eyes. “Let’s just sssay… ve Fangpyre bite off more than ve can chew.”

Lloyd blinked, then smirked. The right head smirked too, then swept an arm around the junkyard. “Go on then, feassst!”

From piles of scrap metal, Fangpyre emerged. They approached several different broken-down vehicles and sunk their fangs into the metal. Green began to coat the vehicles, spreading like corrosive acid. The metal melted and warped, melting into goop at some point. 

But the goop wasn’t where it stopped. The Fangpyre took the melting metal and forced it into shapes - sharp spines and edges and functions that couldn’t make sense. The snakes’ hands seemed to be immune to the corrosive acid as they worked like potters on a new project. When the acid stopped spreading, the machines were still green, a sickly kind of green that looked wrong .

Not that melting and reshaping a car was anything but wrong.

“My creations!” Ed cried, hands covering his mouth in horror. “They’re turning them into-”

“An army!” Fangtom purred, slithering closer to them. “You are correct,” the second head added. “But I’m sssure you know vhat else ve can do.”

Red serpents approached from every angle, cornering the poor Walkers. They hugged each other tightly, staring fearfully at the two-headed leader. One of the heads cocked itself in a mocking fashion, sniffing the air. The other leaned closer, into the couple’s faces. “Ve can change people , too.”

Ed and Edna’s gasps were cut off when two sets of fangs lunged for their throats.

Chapter Text

Jay pulled a screw out from where it was stored in their teeth. They screwed it in place, locking the mechanism. That face plate isn’t coming undone anytime soon. 

They’d been working on a special project for a while now. The ship was now equipped with a huge screen that showed a map of Jago, connected to a mainframe computer that was stored in the base of the ship. It acted as the new heart of the ship, as it was now also connected to the generator, pumping it full of fuel. Plus, a few quick zaps from the Nunchaku of Lightning certainly helps. 

They were currently finishing up the face plate for the circuitboard of an… extra special part of the project. A red button that their teammates had joked about pushing the entire time it had been installed. Jay shooed them away, pretty much banning everyone from entering the room unless it’s to help. 

To their embarrassment (but joy), Nya frequently came by to help. Turns out she had a knack for mechanics and engineering, and Jay happily shared their knowledge and expertise. She seemed to pick it up really quickly, and the project overall went a lot faster with her help.

The issue is that their damn crush prevented them from speaking half the time. A Walker can’t be shut up, they knew, but in the presence of someone they liked, Jay seemed to clam up. It was either staying silent or blabbering like an engine with too much fuel. Ugh, why were girls so hard to talk to? Jay’s mom was a girl, and they had no issue talking to her.

The snarky part of their brain reminded them that that was their mom. They rolled their eyes. They know , it’s called a joke , brain Jay.

“Sure got a lot of junk piling up,” a voice broke through Jay’s thoughts. They jumped and looked around, seeing Zane and Cole picking up some leftover junk from cleaning the ship of its previous inanimate inhabitants. “If only there was a place we could get rid of it,” Cole snarked to Zane, though his eyes locked on Jay’s.

Jay scratched their face, smearing more grease onto it. They glared at Cole and Zane as they smugly walked by. “If you don't fucking mind, I'm trying to focus.”

Kai, apparently, didn’t wanna be left behind. He sauntered in, shitty little cellphone held by his ear. “Hi, mom and dad. Of course, I'd love to visit. What kind of son would I be if I didn't?”

A spark of annoyance lit in Jay’s heart. They let out a sarcastic “ha ha ha” and pushed themself up off the floor. They leveled a glare at the smug red ninja. “I know what you bastards are trying to do,” they said. Zane and Cole joined Kai by the helm, all looking at Jay expectedly. “I already visited my parents a few days ago, what the hell do you want from me?”

Zane frowned and cocked their head. “I do believe we are concerned about how little you have contacted them in the past few days.”

“I text them,” Jay countered, crossing their arms. “Not as much, the last few days, but only cuz I’ve been busy with fixing the ship. There’s a lot on my plate.”

“We’re just asking you to be thankful for what you have,” Cole frowned. 

“You’re literally the only one of us with two loving parents,” Kai grumbled. “We’re allowed to bully you about that.”

It was Jay’s turn to be confused. “Wait, I know that Zane doesn’t remember anything about their past, but what about you guys?”

Cole looked away, but Kai groaned. “Nice tact dude. Why do you think Nya and I have been running the shop on our own? Our parents are missing.”

“And/or dead,” Nya added, walking into the room. Jay felt their face heat up as she walked over to stand beside her brother. “Kai raised me on his own since I was only four.”

Oh. Well now they just felt like a total dick. “Oh. I didn’t know.”

“When the rest of us see you, with two wonderful, loving parents, we can’t help but feel a bit jealous,” Cole said. He still wasn’t looking at Jay. “It doesn’t make sense why you’re so embarrassed by them.”

“And how you were pushing them out at the end of their visit,” Zane added. “While I may not feel the same bitterness the others do, I do question why you did what you did the other day.”

“You don’t know my parents!” Jay defended. “They’re always in my business; I can barely get a moment to breathe with them! Like, don’t get me wrong, I love them to bits, I’d do anything for them, but being away from them is a breath of fresh air. I barely got any privacy with them back home!”

Everyone fixed them with an unreadable gaze. Jay bit their lip. “And… that’s not helping my case, is it.”

“It’s not that it’s not explaining it, because I get it,” Nya crossed her arms. “But for these guys…”

“What, you don’t miss your parents?” Cole raised an eyebrow. 

Nya shrugged. “Not really. Didn’t know them for as long as Kai did. Like, it’s a shame they weren’t there, but Kai’s been the one to raise me, so I don’t care that much.” Kai visibly flinched at that.

Jay groaned. “FIIIIINE, I’ll call them for you guys, since you want me to appreciate them that badly,” they grumbled, pulling their phone out. 

“Hey, we’re just poking fun, dude,” Kai rolled his eyes. 

“Yea, plus Kai’s jealous of everything and everyone,” Nya chuckled, ducking under the swat her brother sent her way. 

“Just know that my parents would be ready to adopt everyone here if they heard your sob stories,” Jay huffed. 

They raised the phone to their ear, but frowned in confusion when the phone immediately disconnected. They tried again, and it disconnected them just as fast.

“What’s wrong?” Zane asked, coming closer to look at the phone. 

“I dunno,” Jay muttered. “But my folks don’t ever have their phones off. In case I call or text.” A seed of anxiety sprouted in their mind. Their feet moved on autopilot to go outside. “I’m gonna go visit home for a bit,” they said. “I, uh, need a part that I forgot to grab.”

The other ninja could tell that something was wrong, and followed Jay outside. There, they found the blue ninja talking to Wisp, who was fidgeting restlessly. Jay was pulling on the dragon’s whiskers, trying to climb on, but the dragon kept worming out of their grasp.

Wu was also there, with a hand on the dragon’s flank. He nodded, as if he heard something the others didn’t (minus Jay, who looked confused). “Hm, it is as I suspected,” the old man frowned, running his hand down the keeled cyan scales. “The dragons are going through a metamorphosis.”

“A what?” Kai raised an eyebrow.

“A metamorphosis is a change of physical form, structure, or substance,” Zane explained. “Are the dragons changing?”

“Yes,” Wu nodded. “They’re going through a molt, though they cannot complete that molt here. We must allow them to go home for their transformation.”

“Home?” Cole asked. 

Wu let a strange smile pass over his face. “Yes, home.”

“Will we see them again?” Jay laid a hand on Wisp’s muzzle, who leaned into the touch. The dragon seemed to have said something, because Jay instantly hugged them (as well as they could, when you’re a small human and you’re hugging a large dragon’s head).

“It is hard to say,” Wu stated. “But we need to allow them to follow their path. These dragons, much like you, have a great destiny ahead of them. We must let them come closer to fulfilling it.”

“Say it ain’t so, Rocky,” Cole murmured into his dragon’s mane as he hugged them. The dragon grumbled something back.

As Kai and Zane bid their farewells to Flame and Shard, Jay walked up to Nya, who was petting Flame’s back. “Well, I guess I gotta go on this long walk all by myself,” they said, shifting from foot to foot. “Sure would be nice to have some company…”

Nya opened her mouth to agree, but was interrupted by Kai. “Of course we'll go, buddy.”

“I could use a break,” Cole added, cheerfully butting in.

“All you had to do was ask,” finished Zane, also intruding into the conversation. 

Jay’s mouth hung agape in disbelief, before muttering something under their breath and rolling their eyes. “Yea, fine, you can come too. Check out this bad feeling with me.”

And so, the ninja set out for the long walk to the junkyard. Thankfully, it’s still in the same desert, so it was the closest spot to where their ship was marooned. Still, walking through this intense heat with full ninja gi on was awful . How Kai and Zane seemed unaffected was unbelievable to the others.

Wu also seemed to be taking the heat fine, as he played a gentle melody with his flute. Jay groaned. “Of all the days to lose our rides…”

As Cole looked mournfully at the dragons, flying off into the setting sun, Zane took notice of the flute Wu was playing. “That flute,” they pointed out. “You've never told us why it's so special.”

Wu stopped playing and turned to his student. “Long ago there were many flutes, created to combat the powers of the Serpentine,” he explained. “But over time, the people forgot about the flutes, and many ended up lost. This is the only one we know of that still remains.” 

He whipped around to Jay, blowing a quick set of notes in their face. The blue ninja cringed at the sudden noise and glared at their master. They groaned and walked further in front of the group. “Geez, I get it. Respect your elders or else suffer the consequences. Boy, you guys are laying it on thick.”

Wu chuckled. “Perhaps you are only hearing what you need to hear.”

Everyone else chuckled along, making Jay roll their eyes as the group continued down the road. Soon, Jay started noticing familiar landmarks and saw the junkyard come into view.

However, as they approached it, they noticed something was… wrong. They furrowed their brow, that sinking feeling of anxiety worsening and eating away at their gut. Their breathing hitched as they pricked their ears to hear something- anything.

Nya noticed their stress and headed over. “What is it?”

“...It’s quiet,” Jay realized, eyes wide with fear. “My family is never quiet.” They pulled their hood on and ran into the junkyard, prompting the others to do the same. 

The junkyard was dead silent. Not a single noise to be found. A project lay abandoned on the side of a pile of scrap. No clatter came from the trailer. No scrap metal fell from their piles.

No, that wasn’t right. There was a noise, Jay realized as they zeroed in on an old fridge. It was standing by a pile of scrap, muffled thumps emanating from it. They dashed over instantly and kicked a haphazard lock off the door before tearing it open.

There, sitting inside the fridge, were Ed and Edna, mouths covered with strips of duct tape and arms bound to their sides with chains. Jay felt their face drain of blood as they went to gently remove their parents’ mouth coverings. “What happened?” they demanded. “Who did this?!”

Edna’s mouth was freed first. She smiled up at Jay, crows feet crinkling. “Sweetheart, you came!” 

However, Jay paled further as they noticed that her teeth were much sharper than they were a few days ago. As he removed Ed’s tape, it didn’t get any better. “Oh, you gotta get out of here,” their father warned. “You shouldn't have come, it's those ssssnakes!”

The new sibilant tone to Ed’s voice caught everyone off guard, though they all turned to Wu as he let out a gasp of alarm. “The bite of the Fangpyre!” he exclaimed, taking in the Walkers’ appearances. “Once they sink in their teeth, their venom can turn anything into a serpent. It's only a matter of time before the full transformation is complete.”

Jay helped their parents out of the fridge, and everyone cringed when they noticed a strange bump by Ed’s lower back - a tail growing in.

From the distance, the ninja heard hissing. They whipped around to see a slither of snakes, red and white, approaching from behind a pile of tires. Trailing behind them was a giant wrecking ball on a crane, though the metal was oddly green and the wrecking ball had horns and a glowering face.

“Uh, is that wrecking ball staring at me?” Cole quipped, swallowing dryly to mask his fear. The wrecking ball deemed his quip bad and swung down to try and hit the ninja.

“DUCK!” Jay yelped, jumping at their parents and pushing them out of the way. As the dust cleared, the Walkers looked up to see that the fridge was almost entirely destroyed. 

“Thanksss, ssson,” Ed grunted, pushing himself off the sand. 

Meanwhile, Wu looked around the junkyard, assessing the situation, and his eye caught on a small black form on the top of the pile of tires. From the size, reputation, and clothing style, he knew it can only be one person. “Lloyd!” he exclaimed, hoping he was wrong.

Unfortunately, the kid smirked and spread his arms dramatically. “Hello, Uncle!” he sneered, putting a hand on his hip. A two-headed serpent emerged from behind him, circling him protectively. “Looks like we're not the only family reunion,” he continued. “I'm glad you brought the ninja. I could use some help taking out the trash! ” He gave a mwa-ha-ha at that, like it was the best joke he’d ever made. The double-headed snake hissed along to the laugh.

“If we want to turn your parents back,” Nya pointed at the Fangpyre, “we need the antivenom in the staff.”

Cole, thankfully, turned around at the right moment to see the wrecking ball coming back. “Second dose, hit the dirt!” he cried, and everyone scattered. The wrecking ball also hit the dirt, causing sand to fly absolutely everywhere.

Kai groaned. “How do you Walkers live like this,” he complained, brushing sand off his clothes. Noticing a bunch of Fangpyre walking this way, he steeled himself and held his sword out in front of him. “Easier said than done, sis,” he told Nya. “We're a bit outnumbered.”

Jay growled, a spark of anger flashing in their chest as they glared at the approaching red snakes. They readied their nunchaku and charged at the snakes. “No one messes with my family!” Leaping up into the air, they slammed down into the sand, spreading electrified pixels all over the Fangpyre, who yelped in alarm. The engineer in their brain carefully monitored the electrical output, knowing exactly how much would probably kill someone. 

That being said, the serpents that got hit by the electrified sand were downed. Twitching, so not dead, but not a problem. The ones that weren’t downed were checking over the ones that were. So Jay dashed onward, sliding under the wrecking ball that swung at them, and running as fast as they could towards the two-headed leader.

Back with the others, the ninja spun into Spinjutsu tornadoes and took out several snakes in the paths. Wu, meanwhile, found himself surrounded by six Fangpyre. Not like he was worried. He stared some of the serpents in the eyes (too young, he noticed for some of them, too young to be out and fighting) and pulled the flute out.

As he played some soft, haunting notes from his flute, he noticed the snakes slam their hands over their earholes, hissing in pain. Their tails thrashed as the younger ones pretty much keeled over. Wu would have felt bad if they weren’t under attack right now.

Those that were still standing were taken out by Nya, who flew at them with her now signature kick and continued fighting. The serpents went down, one curled into a ball. She approached her (brother’s) master, panting. “I don't know, Wu. I think we make a pretty good duet.” He chuckled in response.

However, they were swiftly interrupted by blaring rock music. Lloyd, it seemed, had procured a boombox from somewhere, and was now playing obnoxiously loud rock. The kid stood proudly, hands on his hips, though his serpentine companion looked like they’d rather be elsewhere.

Wu growled, repressing the urge to let his annoyance show through draconic traits. “Young nephew, must I teach you whose side you should be on?”

His response was Lloyd turning the music even louder. Nya slammed her hands over her ears, though Wu’s sensitive hearing could pick up the kid’s mocking “Sorry, uncle, can’t hear you!”

This, however, distracted him from noticing a Fangpyre sneak up on him. Though he certainly heard the distinctive BONK of metal against bone, and watched a white, black, and red form crumple at his and Nya’s feet. Above the downed serpent stood Ed and Edna, the latter of which was holding a frying pan above her head. “Way to go, Edna!” Ed praised. Wu nodded his thanks.

On the other side of the junkyard, the ninja had met up with wherever Jay had ended up. Spinning elemental tornadoes chased a few Fangpyre away, screaming in fear. However, those Fangpyre also noticed a large robot in the corner of the junkyard, hidden away from initial sight, and all jumped on it, sinking their fangs in.

The teens’ tornadoes fizzled out as they stopped spinning, wondering what the rumbling was under their feet. They were given the answer in a giant robot, stepping out of hiding, with sickly green metal and a devilish red-eyed look. Everyone gulped at the now mutated robot that stood 2 stories tall before them.

“What is that thing?!” Jay exclaimed, eyes widening. 

“It was supposed to be in your honor, ssson,” Ed called nervously, “but- eh, do you like it?”

As the robot lifted its weapon, ready to strike down, Jay swallowed. “Uh- thanks, but no thanks.” They and the others immediately bolted, trying to ignore the cloud of sand behind them. 

However, in the direction they were running was the wrecking ball, which turned to glare at them. Cole gasped, then groaned. “Why'd you have to be born in a junkyard?”

Jay groaned too. “I knowwwww tell me about it!”

The wrecking ball swung at them, and another cloud of dust obscured their vision. However, when the dust cleared… “Hey, weren’t there four of us?” Kai noticed, and then they all looked up.

Jay was gripping onto the wrecking ball, hanging on through pure inertia, and then realized where they were. Through the sickest flip off the ball, they righted themself out in the air like a cat and landed on the roof of the mutated crane. There, they kicked the poor driver out of their seat and hopped in. “Let's see if I can work this,” they grumbled, staring disgustedly at the serpentine face that was now the control panel.

Thankfully, the machine complied, and as the giant robot was threatening to crush Cole under its weapon, Jay slammed the wrecking ball into the robot’s side. A faint cry of alarm sounded from the top of the pile of tires, probably Lloyd. The robot toppled and fell into a scrap pile.

Jay jumped out of the cockpit, running back to the other ninja. “I told you I had it,” Cole muttered. 

“Didn’t look like it, didn’t hear you,” Jay muttered back.

Lloyd took a shaky breath in as he surveyed his environment. The giant robot, downed. Many Fangpyre, down. The ninja, still ready to kick his ass. Everything was going wrong. Everything was going wrong, how could it go wrong again, he thought he had it down this time, he picked the right snakes, he- he- he-

Back on the ground, the ninja raised their weapons. Lloyd’s last non-panicking braincell shot to life as he shouted “RETREAT!” at his second army in a row. 

Fangtom echoed his command, and the Fangpyre began to retreat. They got into any spare transformed vehicle they could and took off. Lloyd and Fangtom got into a helicopter, the child suppressing a panic attack as they flew.

“He's getting away with the staff!” Nya shouted, running up to the ninja with the older folks in tow. 

Jay swore under their breath. “Now would be a good time to have those dragons.”

“It’sss ok, ssson,” Jay heard their father’s voice say from beside him, and had to resist jumping five feet in the air when they turned around to see a lime-scaled Ed walking up to them. He was extremely snakey at this point, as was Edna. Jay’s heart skipped a beat as they gazed at them in horror.

Wu broke through their trance. “There is still a way,” he said.

“How?” Jay’s head snapped towards their master, hope glistening in their eyes.

“Can these weapons turn into minijets?” Cole asked, a sarcastic undertone in his voice.

“...In one timeline, maybe I would have said yes,” Wu pondered, stroking his beard. “But no. You are in a junkyard, Jay. Your home. If those Fangpyre could find a helicopter to mutate, surely you can create something similar. Lightning is the element of innovation, after all.”

Jay blinked, taking it in. Then, they started muttering, pointing out things in the junkyard. The older Walkers were quick to follow, herding their son to a part of the junkyard while grabbing things along the way. 

The others followed, curious what was there, when they saw a broken down old biplane. Jay tore their hood off, blabbering excitedly about it in speeds that no one could parse but Ed and Edna. 

Suddenly, Jay snapped to the others. “Kai, get me that big engine in the left pile. Cole, bolts and screws. Zane, that propeller on the right. Nya, Ma, Pa, you know what to do,” they barked out, already climbing onto the plane and pulling a hammer out from - somewhere.

While the ninja looked at each other in confusion at first, they quickly realized what the blue ball of energy was doing. Everyone scrambled to get their required materials and tools, and the mechanics and engineers got to work assembling a plane. As one does!

“Didn’t take you to be a snappy leader like that,” Cole pointed out, holding the engine in place as Kai welded it.

“We don’t have much time,” Jay countered. “The Fangpyre are getting away with the staff with the antivenom, and I don’t want my folks to be green and scaly. Uh-” they blushed and turned to their parents, “no offense.”

Edna chuckled. “None taken, ssson,” she said. “I too would rather be back to being human.”

“Here, here!” Ed chimed in. Jay looked over at him and frowned. A small white tail was already poking out of a hole in his overalls. They needed to hurry.

Thankfully, the team brought this plane to working condition within minutes. The Sword of Fire was a surprisingly good welding tool. Plus, an old man with infinite creation power sure helped give a few extra parts to the plane. 

Jay immediately hopped in and took off, whooping as they blasted away. For whatever reason, their nunchaku gave this plane an unnatural boost, sending it absolutely rocketing through the air. It was fast enough to catch up with the green helicopter in the distance, and as Lloyd yelped in alarm at the stupidly fast biplane rushing past him, Jay crowed with laughter.

“Whoa, what the heck was that?” Jay distantly heard Lloyd say.

They were more preoccupied with how much they overshot their flight path, which they chuckled at nervously. “Whoops, overshot that.” They shook their head. “Let’s see what this pile of scrap can do!” They shot their plane forward like a jet, watching as confusion turned to fear in Lloyd and the Fangpyre’s eyes as they rocketed towards them.

Somehow, Jay pressed a button, and the plane did a barrel roll, making everyone in the vicinity scream. However, as Jay exited their corkscrew, they found a golden staff in their hand. “I got it?” they asked, confused. Then they realized. “I GOT IT! YEA-HA-HA!!!!” Jay whooped in joy.

…then they heard a popping noise behind them. The familiar scent of smoke filled their nostrils. “Uh oh-” they managed to say before screaming as the plane began to do a nosedive. 

Down below, on the sand, the other ninja had scrounged together some scrappy cars and bikes to catch up with the Fangpyre (and Jay). Unfortunately, as they saw the crashing plane, they knew they had to get out of the way. “Jay! Pilot the fucking plane!” Kai yelled.

“I CAN’T FUCKING PILOT THE PLANE THE ENGINE’S KAPUT,” came the windswept reply.

“I think we're gonna have to catch him,” Cole pointed out. 

“Jay! Eject!” Zane called. 

Jay, thankfully, listened to the white ninja and bailed, flapping their arms like a bird to try and slow their fall. “NOW WHAT?”

“I got them, I got them,” Kai said at the same time as Cole said “No, I got them!” and Zane said “They’re mine!”

In the end, the three’s vehicles collided and they ejected out of them. The cars and bikes landed in a smoking heap before them. Kai swore under his breath.

Jay continued to scream, now that their saviors were just as dead on the ground as they were about to be. They shut their eyes, preparing for the painful dig of sand on their skin and face. But the warm and scaly-smooth feel that caught them was certainly not the sand. They cracked open an eye to see a lime-scaled Edna cradling them in her arms. Their face broke open into a smile, and they lowered their hood so their mom could see how happy they were to see her.

Quickly climbing out of their mother’s arms, they found themself in their parents’ jalopy, Wu behind the wheel. Nya was sitting next to him in the front seat, and she turned to look at them happily. They returned a bashful smile back. 

“Heh, nice catch,” Jay finally said, holding Edna’s scaly hand. 

She and Ed were extremely serpentine now, their entire faces and hands being green and scaly. Even their hair turned shades of green. Their faces were already starting to bulge out, trying to form a muzzle. Their mouths were lengthened, extra room made by tearing at the corners of their mouths. Fangs poked out from their lips. Jay could see tails poking out from their rear ends. 

“Hold on!” Wu warned before turning the vehicle sharply towards where the poor fallen ninja were. 

They were no longer fallen, now standing their ground against an encroaching army of serpentine cars and serpentine… serpentine. The jalopy pulled up behind them, Ed hanging on for dear life and muttering similar phrases like “oh boy, oh golly, oh dear,” then shook his head and waved the boys into the car. “Get in!”

“We have to get back to headquarters!” Jay exclaimed as Kai, Zane, and Cole hopped onto the back of the car, holding on as best as they could. 

“On it!” Wu nodded and slammed his foot on the gas. The car shot off through the desert, sand pretty much exploding behind them. 

The Fangpyre army was a lot slower than this one tricked-out car, unfortunately (for the snakes). Lloyd growled, holding onto Fangtom’s tail. “Go! They're getting away!” he cried, pointing at the car.

This was good for the ninja, however, as the group arrived at the ship in record time. Everyone leapt out of the car and onto the ship, scattering across it. Nya took charge of the Walkers, grabbing the staff from Jay and taking out the bright red gem in the center of it. “Come with me. Once we reverse the venom, we can fix you,” she explained. 

As she and the Walkers made their way downstairs, the others sprinted up to the bridge. Jay ran to the big red button and yelled out “man the stations, everyone!”

Kai peered out the cockpit window and grimaced at how close the Fangpyre were. “Jay, we better hurry.”

“I’ve been waiting for this moment,” Jay smirked, slamming a fist down on the big red button. Only for… nothing to happen. Panic seized their heart as they pressed it again, and again.

“They're gaining on us!” Kai warned again, not taking his eyes off the window.

Ed and Edna walked into the bridge, Nya holding out cups of, presumably, antivenom for them to drink. They gladly accepted the cups and, with a “bottomsss up!” from Ed, downed the liquid. They started wiggling in some strange combination of agony and pleasure as scales melted back into skin, their muzzles shrank back to being noses, and their tails slurped up into their spines. 

As Jay continued to hit the button, they growled through tears. “Ugh, I don't get what's wrong,” they fought out. “I spent forever on this. It's supposed to work!”

“Uh, son?” Ed, finished curing, shuffled up to Jay. “Maybe I can help?”

Jay instinctively jumped and held their arms up, but then noticed that Ed was back to normal. “P-Pa! You're okay!” Relief flooded their eyes as they tackled their father in a hug.

“You’re darn tootin!” Ed laughed, then peeled Jay off of him and kneeled down to look at the mechanism. “Lemme have a looksee.” After taking off the cover, he poked through the wires, making hums and “I see”s as he fixed some wiring. After just a few seconds, he stood back up and gestured at the button. “Oh, that should do it then. Try it!”

Jay wasted no time in slamming their hand over the button, and everyone could feel the ship roaring to life. It shifted, moved, and a sudden sense of vertigo overtook the crew. 

Outside, Lloyd and Fangtom watched on as the ship, previously thought to just be a landlocked beached ship, started to move. The sails shot out to the sides, the decals on the back unfurled and revealed rocket boosters, and fire and smoke ejected from the ship as it soared into the sky. 

This ship could fly. And it was using this flight to get away from the Fangpyre, as fast as possible. For the ninja, this was good. For the snakes and Lloyd, not so much. 

Lloyd bit his lip as he saw the ship rocket away, too fast to do anything to stop it. “No, no no no NO !” He started coughing as the desert sand entered his lungs. 

Unfortunately for the ninja, not all of them could keep their balance. Several fell over as the ship teetered in the air, and Nya felt something leave her hand as the Fangpyre staff fell out of the ship and onto the desert below.

It didn’t matter in the end, since the ninja were gone, everyone was back to human, and they didn’t need that staff anymore. 

Fangtom slithered over and picked up their staff. “These ninja…” “...they are very annoying.” “Ve should ssstop them.”

Lloyd finished his coughing fit as he stood beside the two-headed serpent. “Ugh, tell me about it.”

-=-

Back on the ship, the Walkers watched the sun set. They were above the clouds, and Jay smiled as the wind whipped through their hair. They looked at their parents fondly, then frowned when they saw the scars. Unfortunately, the antivenom didn’t leave them without any remnants of what happened. The harsh tearing open of their mouths left small thin scars at the corners of their mouths. That, and their canines were just slightly longer than normal.

“We'll getcha back to the junkyard just as soon as we see the coast is clear,” Jay explained. “But… stay as long as you'd like,” they added, giving their parents a small fond smile. “It's nice having you here.”

Ed and Edna looked at their son with pride, love, and that same fondness. “Oh, take a note, Edna,” Ed began, adoration saturating his voice. He draped an arm over Jay’s shoulders, pulling them close. “Of all our inventions, this one is our greatest.” Jay flushed, a mushy grin on their face.

Edna was already halfway through pulling her notepad out, but chuckled and put it back in her pocket. “I already know, dear.”

She joined in on the group hug. Jay smiled, holding their family close. They felt their warmth, their love. “No matter what, a Walker will be a Walker, snake or not,” they muttered. “I would still love you if we couldn’t find a cure.”

“But we knew ya could,” Edna hummed. “You love us as much as we love you. And I’m so sorry if we made you feel like it was too much.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Jay tucked their head into the crook of their mother’s neck. “It’s ok, Ma. I love you. Pa too.”

“We’ll try an’ be a little less pushy, alright son?” Ed added. “Don’t wanna scare ya off, now.”

“Don’t worry, Pa,” Jay laughed. “Nothin like that’s ever gonna happen.”

As the family hugged it out, Wu looked over with a soft smile. It was good, today. Perhaps it will not be tomorrow, for the others. But for the Walkers, together under the setting sun, it is good. And that’s all that matters, for today.

Chapter Text

Sand kicked up as a breeze swept through the desert. A swirl danced around a telephone line. Looking upwards, almost on the level of the wires, one could see a flock of pigeons cooing the morning away. Among the pigeons was an… unusual member. Usually pigeon flocks didn’t include falcons. 

The peregrine turned to look at… it was a known point, yes, but currently unnameable. Something strange was with this bird as it made eye contact. It leaned closer, and the pigeons around it flew away. 

“Zane, can you hear me?” the bird seemed to ask. The beak opened and sound poured from it. Who was Zane, here? A- an unreachable point. It was almost there. The falcon made a frustrated, almost mechanical grinding noise. “Wake up, Zane. I know where you came from.”

Zane shot awake. A ticking noise sounded in the background, though he didn’t pay attention as he climbed out of bed. Approaching the window, he was happy to see the falcon fly around outside. 

He exited the bedroom to see Wu in the hangar bay. Though- how exactly did he get from the bedroom to the hangar? It was on a completely different floor. 

“The hunt starts early today,” Zane said, his voice muffled as if underwater. 

“A watchful eye never sleeps,” Wu agreed, lowering his map. A snake was painted over the back of it.

“As long as Lloyd and the Serpentine roam freely, no one in Jago is safe,” Nya’s voice added from next to Zane. Where had she come from? And why was she wearing armor?

“Where are the others?” he asked. 

“Training, in the upper deck,” Wu replied, before turning into a dragon and flying through the ceiling. 

Zane blinked, and suddenly he was outside. The ship was sailing through a sea of golden clouds, stars tickling his cheeks. The screech of the falcon overhead alerted him, and he looked up. It was perched on the crow’s nest. It’s not supposed to be there, that’s for the crows! It already pretended to be a pigeon before. Was the falcon, too, going through an identity crisis?

“You were in my dream, little friend,” he breathed. “Last time I saw you, you led me to good fortune. For what reason have you returned?”

The falcon flapped its wings and took off. Zane followed close behind, then frowned when he realized it flew off the ship and vanished into the clouds.

Then, he heard strange breathing behind him. He whipped around to see Lord Garmadon looming over him. Strangely enough, he had four arms, and his helmet lacked the bone he saw last time. It was a curved and gorgeous kabuto helmet, horns looking almost like flames. Purple energy licked at his hands, and his head was cocked in such a way that he was looking down at the poor ice ninja.

“L-Lord Garmadon!” Zane exclaimed. “But you were banished!”

“Only to return for the Weapons of Spinjutsu,” the Dark Lord scoffed. He pulled two katanas out of nowhere, and his face split into a cruel smirk. “Soon I will have the power to recreate Jago in my own image!” And with that, he charged at Zane.

The ninja acted fast and pulled out his shurikens, leaping over Garmadon’s head and landing beside the mast.

“Give me the Shurikens of Ice,” Garmadon commanded, pointing a katana at him.

“You'll have to take them from me yourself,” Zane snapped back, readying his shurikens. He spun into his spinjutsu, but Garmadon’s free lower hand grabbed his pajama top by the collar and held him up. Zane’s breath caught in his throat, and he could only let out a strangled yelp as he was tossed away into a pile of trash. 

Garmadon smirked. “So be it,” he stated, before slicing through a rope holding up a crate (for whatever reason). 

Zane gasped, watching the crate fall. It would crush him. He shut his eyes. Winded, he couldn’t move.

Thankfully, he didn’t need to, because the impact never hit him. Opening his eyes, he saw a figure dressed in green robes lifting the crate above their head. With a quick motion, they tossed the crate overboard. 

Zane’s breath caught again, but this time in awe. “The Green Ninja… The legend’s true…” he murmured, watching as the mysterious figure puffed their chest out. The sun backlit them like a halo.

He couldn’t see many identifying features on this ninja. Most of their body was covered in green fabric, the shoulders of which were studded with iron piercings. The gap in the hood barely showed what skin color they had, and their eyes glowed a brilliant gold. There’s no way to tell who the person under the hood was.

(something in zane’s chest panged. familiar, close, he’s seen them before, who is this- )

Garmadon seemed to have noticed the Green Ninja as well, growling and tossing himself at the mystery ninja. The ninja was forced to dodge, dancing around the Dark Lord. Garmadon’s downward swipes were lept over and the ninja landed on his katanas. In frustration, Garmadon tried to toss them off by spinning them off, but they caught the mast as they flew and flipped to safety right back in front of him.

Garmadon roared and tossed the swords at the Green Ninja, who easily dodged them. They stuck into the mast. Then, they spun into a brilliant, emerald green cyclone. Flecks of gold light danced through the green. Zane felt alive just looking at it, a feeling he couldn’t describe in words. Like the power the Green Ninja wielded was life itself.

They attacked Garmadon, who jumped high above with a great leap. They spun out of their spinjutsu and faced Garmadon, who snarled and attacked once again. The two danced around each other, trading blows. 

Eventually, Garmadon made the final charge, letting the Green Ninja kick him, sending him flying off the ship with a cry of fury. Zane watched him fall, the angered scream fading in his ears. 

When he turned back around to thank the Green Ninja, his mouth failed to work. The Green Ninja stood there, green energy swirling around their lifted hand. It almost resembled fire in how it danced, but with a vigor that was absent in flame. On their other arm, the falcon perched, staring at Zane. Glowing green-gold eyes met petrified icy blue. 

“Who… are you?” Zane finally managed to choke out. The Green Ninja didn’t say anything, only cocking their head. 

Screeching filled the air. Zane’s head shot up to see a second peregrine in the air, then another one by the Green Ninja’s feet, then another on the rail, and more and more appearing, circling, screeching, laughing.

“What’s the meaning of this?” he cried, breath picking up. “Who are you, Green Ninja?” 

There were about 20 falcons around them. He felt so cold. He looked down at his hands. They were covered in frost, spreading across his skin. He tore his gaze away and looked back at the Green Ninja. They were turned away, the sun framing them. 

And Zane understood. The Green Ninja was the sun. They were water. They were the mountains, the sky, the moon. They were life itself. Ice crystals gathered at the nape of his neck. Gears whirred in his ears. 

Zane’s eyes shot open and he scrambled awake with a cry of pain and fear. This proved to be bad, as he immediately hit his head on the ceiling. 

He looked around, confused, trying to calm down his panicked breathing. The other four teens on board were staring at him. Jay rolled his eyes from the top bunk, where he was running a comb through his hair. “Sleeping in, Zane? You’re gonna be late for training.”

Zane placed a hand on his forehead. That was a dream. Right. “How come no one awakened me?”

“Didn’t think you’d want us to,” Kai shrugged, rinsing out his toothbrush. “You looked like you were having some dream.”

A cold feeling grew in Zane’s chest. “How do I know this isn’t a dream?” He already had a fake wake-up after the telephone poles, so- it’s possible-

He was met with a pillow to the face. Cole, eyes still half shut from sleepiness, lowered his improvised weapon. “Does that feel like a dream?” 

Zane pouted and rubbed the place he was hit. “No. Thank you for your help.” Without another word he got up and trudged out the door. Everyone else laughed behind him.

“Nya, it’s your turn for breakfast, right?” Kai yawned, running gel through his hair. 

“Yea, yea, I’m on it,” she grumbled, following Zane. “Let’s get this over with. I hate cooking.”

-=-

Half an hour later, the ninja, dressed in their gi, exited the ship, which had been parked on a stretch of ocean. It couldn’t keep them airborne all night, so it was sensible to park it at night when it didn’t need to be piloted. Plus, it was a ship, it belonged in the sea. They weren’t too far from land, the ninja noticed, as they could see the towering skyscrapers of Jago City in the distance. 

But now, it was time for sunrise exercise. As Wu exited the kitchen, nursing a cup of tea, Kai slung an arm around Zane’s shoulders. “Little slow today, eh?” he laughed. “What exactly did you dream about?”

Zane perked up, happy to talk about his dream. “I saw the falcon again.”

“Whoa, whoa,” Jay interrupted, brows furrowing. “Zane, every time you see that bird, something big happens. First, it led you to the secret treehouse.”

“Then it led you to the ship,” Cole added. 

Wu cleared his throat, standing before the ninja. “Alright, stretches. First, tree.” He raised a foot to his knee and raised his arms above his head. His students followed.

This didn’t stop them from whispering to each other. Zane took a look at Wu, then back at the others. “This time, it showed me the Green Ninja.”

“THE GREEN NINJA?” the others just about shouted that last one, causing Wu to look back and see only Zane in the proper pose. 

“Bad form, more focus,” he snapped, turning back around. 

The ninja breathed a sigh of relief and got back in position. Cole fumbled, letting Jay support him. He lamented his lack of flexibility compared to the others. 

The blue ninja’s eyes snapped to Zane. “You can't just drop a bomb like that. Spill the beans!”

“Yea, what else did you see?” Kai added. 

“They were fighting Lord Garmadon,” Zane whispered. 

“That’s what the prophecy said,” Kai nodded. “That the Green Ninja would defeat the Dark Lord. But did you have a chance to see which one of us it was?”

“Yea, did you see?” Cole whispered at the same time as Jay’s “yea!”

“I couldn’t tell,” Zane frowned. “They shared attributes each of us possess.”

“Now, garland!” Wu said, getting into a low squat. The ninja tried their best to replicate it.

Kai turned excited eyes to Zane. A fire burned within umber brown. “Well, tell us everything,” he whispered. “And don't spare any details. There has to be a clue that tells us which one of us is gonna be the Green NinJAAWW OW OW”

His hushed plea was stopped by Wu grabbing and pulling on a hair spike. As their master let go, Kai clutched his poor skull, a low-pitched whine in the back of his throat. 

“What, exactly, was so important to ignore my teachings?” Wu’s golden eyes stared down at Kai, who shrank from the attention.

“Uh, nothing-” Kai said. 

“It was nothing, Master-” Jay said at the same time.

“Yea, we don’t talk while you teach-” Cole continued, sentence running over Jay’s.

“Everybody was paying attention-” concluded Zane.

Wu facepalmed. “Since you all appear to be lacking in focus, then you can all share in the punishment.”

Amidst Kai and Jay’s “what?” and “punishment?” Cole instantly pointed at Zane. “It was all Zane.”

Zane felt a spark of resentment light something in his chest. “I was merely answering their questions!”

“No free time and no video games,” Wu stated. The ninja all cried out in horror.  “The rest of the day can be used for training. And tomorrow, for that matter,” he added, turning around to go back into the ship’s interior. 

“Training? For how long?” Kai exclaimed. 

Wu stopped and turned back around. He somehow made eye contact with all four ninja. “Until you can answer this simple riddle: What is the best way to defeat an enemy?”

“Easy, with a sword,” Kai replied, slicking his hair back. The strand Wu grabbed was loose now - he’d have to redo the gel on that one.

“Your fists!” Cole added, pumping a fist in the air. 

“Spinjutsu!” Jay tried, spinning in place. 

“The Tornado of Creation?” Zane offered. 

Wu didn’t look impressed. He shook his head and headed up the stairs to the hangar. “Pace yourselves. You have a lot of training ahead of you. Make sure you sharpen your mind as well as your Spinjutsu.” And with that, he was gone.

The ninja groaned and got out training equipment. While this was no monastery, they managed to grab some wing chun dummies and other tools from the retractable parts of the monastery floor. The Serpentine didn’t find that part. 

“What's the best way to defeat an enemy?” Cole pondered, pulling a bo staff from the pile of weapons. “It could be anything, ugh!”

“Come on, guys, we're smart. We can figure this out,” Jay said, performing a flip over a dummy. 

Kai, however, wasn’t so willing to train, not when the secret to being the Green Ninja was right there. He slunk over to Zane, who was standing in the middle of the deck, motionless. “Yea, but let's hear more about this dream,” he purred, slinging an arm around Zane’s shoulders. 

Zane perked up. Cole and Jay stopped training to watch them, listening to whatever the white ninja was about to say. He smiled. “Let me just say, the Green Ninja is awesome.”

-=-

Far, far away, on a dingy snowy slope, Lloyd Garmadon and an army of snakes advanced. He smirked. He knew that the Hypnobrai hadn’t left yet. It was his and the Fangpyres’ chance to strike. 

He and Fangtom were in a snakeified car, keeping the serpents safe from the cold temperatures. He could feel the cold too, and knew the snakes weren’t happy with the weather. Well, they could suck it up, no one gets what they want in this world. Not without hard work and suffering.

The Fangpyre approached the entrance to the Hypnobrai tomb. They hissed something in Serpentish, the language of snakes, and got a response back. Lloyd could see teal moving from inside the cave.

“The Hypnobrai,” he murmured. “Now to teach them a lesson for betraying Lloyd Garmadon!” One of Fangtom’s heads turned to look at him. There was a question behind those milky white eyes. “Uh, do your thing, Fangpyre,” Lloyd shrank back a tiny bit. “I let you out of your hole for a reason.”

A flood of Hypnobrai emerged from the cave. The cars parked outside, and Fangtom got out. They shivered, unprepared for the falling snow. They spotted the gold staff of the Hypnobrai and hissed in displeasure, approaching. 

However, Fangtom’s left head perked up when the face of the Hypnobrai leader came into view. “Isss that-” The right head perked up too. “Skales! Our old chum!” They held their arms out, simultaneously in excitement, as an invitation for a hug, and a way to halt the other Fangpyre.

Skales seemed to instantly recognize the two-headed Serpentine. His muzzle split into a wide grin as he stopped the Hypnobrai from approaching. “Fangtom! Good to sssee you again!” They met in an embrace, staves held in their tails. 

“Ve didn't think ve'd be fighting you,” Fangtom’s right head began, eyes closing in joy. “Hmm, moved up in the vorld, have you?” the left head added, flicking their tongue at Skales’ hood.

“It was a recent development,” Skales said, nuzzling his head against Fangtom’s. “Of all the sssnakes to pay us a visssit, I'm glad it is a friend.”

“W-wait,” Lloyd interjected, looking lost beyond belief. “I thought you were enemies, not friends!”

“Ve had beef vith the previous leader,” Fangtom’s left head turned to look at the child. “But ve suppose-” “after forty yearsss of waiting-” “sssomeone else took over!”

Skales rolled his eyes. “Oh pleassse, we demoted Ophio within monthsss of being trapped. I’m mostly sssuprised you’ve kept your position for thisss long!”

“Two heads-” “-are better than one.”

Skales laughed. “I never had many friends in the Constrictai or Venomari tribesss,” he admitted. “Had you released them, or heavens forbid, the Anacondrai,” this sent a shudder through every snake that heard that, “ then we would have had a tusssssle.”

“Tussle? A tussle? ” Lloyd exclaimed, tugging at the edges of his hood. His pupils slit in anger. “But I'm Lloyd Garmadon! Bringer of evil!”

The Hypnobrai leader finally looked over at Lloyd and rolled his eyes. “Oh, of course you would want war. Little devilspawn.” Something in Lloyd withered at that. “What should we do with him?” Skales turned to his fellow leader, laughing.

“Ve could turn him into one of us,” Fangtom suggested. 

“Nah,” Skales shook his head, “the kid’s pretty uselesssss.”

“Vhat if you hypnotize him-” “-and make him think he's a pig?”

“That'd be pretty funny!”

“Heheheheh-” “-Can you imagine?”

Lloyd felt a well of despair open up within his chest. The Serpentine- they weren’t on his side anymore. They never were. They never cared for him. They were going to humiliate him, make fun of him, hurt him, he wasn’t safe, tears mixed with snow, everything felt dull, the snakes were laughing, they- they- 

They needed to get out of here. Something in Lloyd’s eyes hardened, washing away the fearful glaze that was there a few seconds ago, and they leapt off the snakeified car. They dashed through the crowd of snakes, calculating the best way out of this place, hissing in alarm when a crowd of Fangpyre approached them. Shit, they couldn’t stay any longer. 

Green appeared out of the corner of their eye. Perfect, one of the cars. With claws that definitely didn’t belong on a normal child, they sunk their nails into the vehicle, clambering on. Sending one last sorrowful look back at the snakes, they jumped off the car and rolled down the hill. That fucking hurt.

Pushing themself off the floor, they looked back up to where the Serpentine were gathered. Some looked back at them, others didn’t care. Fine by them, they huffed, spitting snow out of their mouth. Let’s just get out of the cold.

-=-

“-with green fire coming out of their fist,” Zane finished. The other ninja had long since forgotten about training, gathered in rapt attention around Zane. 

“Whoa…” Kai breathed. “So I'm the Green Ninja.”

“The hell are you talking about, dumbass?” Cole smacked Kai on the back of his head. “They had green fire, not normal boring orange fire. Can you make green fire?”

“Maybe not now, but later!” Kai pouted indignantly. 

“I think you’re missing the point, Kai,” Zane corrected. “I told you, the Green Ninja shared all of our qualities. They were strong, like Cole, flexible like Jay, and brave like Kai. As well as that, they had command of the falcon.” Then, he smiled. “The Green Ninja has to be me, it was my dream!”

Jay cackled at that. “He raises a good point, Kai!”

Kai rolled his eyes. His rebuttal was more of a rambling grumble. “Whatever, dude, I can make green fire, shows what you know.” 

“Since you are not training-” Wu’s voice cut through their discussion, making them all yelp in alarm. Where on earth did he come from??? “You must have already found the answer to my riddle. What is the best way to defeat your enemy?”

The ninja glanced at each other guiltily. “Uh, the best way to defeat your enemy is to… train, Master?” Kai tried.

Wasn’t good enough. “Feeble and incorrect!” Wu scoffed, turning his head away. “Maybe more training will help you focus. A razor-sharp weapon is an extension of a razor-sharp mind.” 

With that, he went back downstairs. The ninja groaned. “How am I supposed to focus when we don't know who the Green Ninja is?” Jay complained.

“I don't want to be training all day,” Cole huffed. “Let's work together on this riddle. We can figure it out.”

-=-

Lloyd woke up in a desert. He groaned, looking around to try to figure out where he was. Thankfully, whatever happened between Skales and Fangtom laughing at him and him waking up let him wake up right by the border between the desert and the forest. He hated when that happened. 

This was also good because he could try and find the next tomb. As he walked, he complained. “‘Had you released the Constrictai, the Venomari, or heavens forbid the Anacondrai, then we would've had a tussle,’” he mocked Skales’ words. “Pfft. Dickhead.” 

Following the map, he glanced up to see a huge fang, carved out of rock, on top of some boulders. He grinned. He found it! “The Anacondrai tomb! The most feared and powerful Serpentine of them all.” He approached the front of the tomb, guarded by a door. Some sort of runes were carved on the door, but the sandstorms had weathered them away. “And if the others are afraid of the Anacondrai, then the Anacondrai is what they're gonna get.”

Lloyd laughed, another “mwa-ha-ha” (he’s got to be tired of this by now, surely), before pulling the lever next to the doors to open the tomb. The doors slid open, but what greeted him was complete silence.

He frowned and entered, looking around the tomb. It was pretty big, all things considered, but nowhere near the size of the ice cavern. He clicked on his flashlight, spanning the light across the tomb. And- oh.

Lloyd’s breath caught in his throat and his tail lashed in fear as his flashlight beam illuminated dozens of skeletons. And these weren’t just tiny little mouse skeletons, or large small animals. No, these skeletons were bigger than him. What- what happened here? Did… did all the Anacondrai die? Serpentine could survive in ice, a natural killer of snakes, but not a desert? Lloyd thought they thrived in the heat!

In his thoughts, the kid almost failed to notice something creeping up behind him. A presence completely invisible, yet sending such a chill down Lloyd’s spine that he almost froze in place. There was something… here. With him. He spun around and shone his flashlight behind him. 

Nothing.

A hiss passed from one ear to the other, a phantom tongue sniffing his hood. His muscles tensed, eyes flickering in place. 

Something touched his shoulders, and Lloyd screamed and scrambled away. He crawled under a skeleton, hiding behind a rock.

A deep chuckle, something so chilling and off-putting that he had to slam his hand over his mouth to keep from breathing too loud, sounded through the air. And then- he saw it.

A pink eye. Glowing in the darkness. Then, golden yellow markings, followed by a shimmer of black and purple scales. He scooted back into the skeleton’s embrace as a Serpentine formed before him out of thin air.

The snake fully appeared. They were purple, with angular black and gold markings. They had bright pink eyes, poisonous in hue, and sharp white fangs that poked out from their thin smile. A small ice-blue gem rested on their forehead, and a matching one held their cloak clasped over their shoulders. The cloak was dark blue and tattered, worn over stormy blue robes. The sleeves were huge and swamped their hands, which were black, but it was unclear if that was scaling or gloves. It was hard to tell if there were legs under the robes, or a tail like Skales or Fangtom.

The main, and most interesting, fact about this serpent was their neck. It was thrice as long as the other Serpentine, maybe more than that. He wasn’t counting. It coiled and wound as the serpent moved their head closer to Lloyd. A pale pink tongue sniffed the air before him, and he barely breathed. 

Then, the Anacondrai leaned down and picked up the flashlight. “My sincerest apologies, young man,” they began. They had a strange accent, which led Lloyd to wonder if every Serpentine tribe had a different accent. They seemed to miss the sibilant hissing that the others had, instead sounding very posh and refined. They handed the flashlight to Lloyd, whose eyes darted between it and the Anacondrai’s fuchsia gaze.

The snake sighed, then lifted their head to its fullest height while still making eye contact with Lloyd. “Oh, dear. Due to my unfortunate appearance, I tend to have an unsettling effect on people.” They chuckled a bit. “I believe you dropped this.” They held Lloyd’s flashlight out.

He took a deep breath and climbed out of the skeleton. Cautiously, he left safety and approached the snake. As he (VERY carefully) took the flashlight from the snake’s hand, they nodded. “Ah, there you are.”

“Uh, thank you,” Lloyd managed to say. He started to walk in the direction of a skeleton, but froze when he felt an arm snake its way around his shoulders. He suppressed a shudder. “Uh… what happened to the others?”

“Poor, unfortunate souls,” the Anacondrai cooed pitifully. “All those years, locked away with nothing to eat. Must have slowly starved away until they were just scales and bones. It’s just so hard for other living beings to crawl through the cracks here, you understand, yes?” 

Lloyd looked the Anacondrai over. They didn’t seem too hungry. He knew what someone hungry looked like, and they didn’t look particularly starved. Did they manage to get a recent meal? A lizard, or desert rat, or something? Must be.

The snake slid in front of the kid, a hand trailing the line of Lloyd’s shoulders. “And who may you be, my little friend?”

Friend? Was this snake seriously already considering Lloyd their friend? His eyes sparkled with hope. “Lloyd Garmadon!” he proudly puffed his chest out. “Son of Lord Garmadon and future dark ruler!”

The snake laughed, a strange sound, because for once, it didn’t seem to be laughing at him. “Oh, how deliciously evil. If I had feet, oh, I'd be trembling in my boots.” Their neck twisted as they spoke, almost hypnotizing him better than the Hypnobrai could. 

Lloyd narrowed his eyes. “And, uh, who are you?”

“Humbly, I am Pythor P. Chumsworth,” he introduced himself, bowing his head. “And since you've freed me, I am eternally in your service.”

“R-really?” Lloyd’s eyes narrowed further. “You’re not gonna trick me?”

“Oh, what purpose would that bring me?” Pythor crooned. “I hardly have any friends. The rest of my kind had all but died out. And, as I’m sure you’ve learned, the other tribes do not like us Anacondrai that much. I fear I am alone in this world.” He turned away slightly, a plaintive expression crossing his face.

“Whoa,” Lloyd’s eyes sparkled, all suspicion forgotten. “I hardly have any friends too!”

“You don’t say!” Pythor looked back at Lloyd, something happy glinting in his eyes. 

“Hey, how would you like to be my loyal henchman?” Lloyd asked, hand on his chin in thought. “I've been betrayed by the Hypnobrai and the Fangpyre, and I'm looking to get a little revenge on some ninja too.”

“Oh, I love revenge!” Pythor cried, stretching his arms so that his spine cracked. His eyes flicked to something slightly to Lloyd’s side, but went right back to looking at Lloyd. Must’ve been a bug or something. “Oh, you know, Floyd-”

“It’s Lloyd.”

“-whatever,” Pythor rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around the poor kid’s shoulders again. “I have a feeling this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”

As the two exited the cave, Lloyd leading the way, Pythor took one last look at the cavern. “Oh, my boy, can you give me just a second? I would like to pack some of my valuables before we leave for good.”

“Oh, yea sure!” Lloyd nodded excitedly. “We can go get something to eat after this, you must be starving!”

“Positively famished,” Pythor called back, slinking into the tomb. 

Once he was confident Lloyd was out of earshot, Pythor rose to his full height and let out a deep, cruel cackle. “You see that, you lot? Survival of the fittest.” He slithered over to a pile of bones, ones that still smelled of rot. “Thank you, everyone, for helping me get here. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

He slithered over to a carving on the back wall, one that Lloyd fortunately missed. A giant snake, frills circling its head like a jagged halo, devoured an entire town. Serpentine stood beside it, and poor humans perished as the snake ate. He laid a hand on top of the carving. Soon, he knew. He was so close to fulfilling his dream.

“The son of Garmadon, hm?” Pythor hummed. “Forty years certainly bring change, don’t they…” He shook his head. “Like father, like son, I will use him. And this time, I will win. No more tombs, no more solitude. Only destruction.” His fist closed over a particular human on the carving, one with purple scales stabbed in. 

His fist uncurled. The scales fell from the wall. The human was barely recognizable. No matter. Pythor knew exactly who it represented.

And he will not win again.

Chapter Text

Cole groaned as he lifted a weight. His arms were getting exhausted from doing nothing but lifting weights and swinging weapons all day. “Anyone got a solution to Master Wu’s riddle?” He wiped a stream of sweat from his forehead. 

“It can't be that hard,” Jay complained from where he was practicing his front flips. “What's the best way to defeat an enemy?”

Kai made a frustrated growl and hit a punching bag. “Zane, you're smart. What do you think it is?”

“I do not know,” Zane sighed. “But I sense that Master is going to keep us here if we don't work together and find an answer.” He switched to standing on the other foot, carefully keeping his balance.

“That’s bothering me,” Cole huffed, “because while we're here working, the enemy’s most likely playing.”

“Y’know what else is bothering me?” Jay sidled up to Cole, speaking in a hushed tone. At the black ninja’s raised eyebrow, Jay subtly jerked his head in Kai’s direction. “It’s Kai.”

“What about him?” Cole asked, confused. 

“Isn’t he just a little bit… too into this whole Green Ninja thing?” Jay whispered. “I mean, we all wanna know who the Green Ninja is, but look at him!” As Cole looked over at Kai, he noticed how intently he was punching the poor punching bag. He didn’t show that he heard the others talk, so Cole shrugged.

“I dunno, man,” he rubbed the back of his head. “He seems fine to me. A bit overzealous, sure, but nothing too bad.”

“Jay raises a point,” Zane added. “Remember the night we found out about the prophecy? And the promise Kai made?”

“Shoot, you’re right,” Cole realized. “He knows this is just friendly competition, right?”

At Jay and Zane’s apprehensive looks, Cole sighed. Yea, that was asking too much. He could only hope that Kai would get over this.

As Kai continued to go ham on the punching bag, he took a breather to notice Nya exiting the hangar, face scrunched at her sketchbook. “Hey Nee,” he greeted, grabbing a bottle of water to cool down. 

She nodded in greeting. “Hey. Heard you guys are stuck training all day?”

Kai groaned. “I know it’s better for us to be training more, but I’m so tired.” He chugged his water, then caught his breath. “Did Master Wu ask you any riddles?”

It was Nya’s turn to groan, running a hand through her hair. “I’ve been stuck on it all day! The best way to defeat an enemy, right?” At Kai’s nod, she grumbled and flipped through her sketchbook. “Been thinking of ways since this morning. Nothing.”

“Wanna train and brainstorm with us?” Kai offered. “The more the merrier.”

“As long as I can hit someone with a sword,” Nya chuckled. “I’m no good as a ninja, but at least I’m good at swinging around a sword.”

“Who needs stealth when you have the power of sharp blades?” Kai laughed. “Come on, five heads are better than one. Or four, at that.”

She rolled her eyes in response. “Yea, yea. Let’s go solve this thing.”

-=-

Meanwhile, the enemy sure was having fun. Childish, gleeful laughter sounded across Akayuki, where Lloyd and Pythor had just arrived. It’s time to enact their evil plan, which appeared to mostly be petty vandalism. Pythor’s tail knocked over trashcans, causing the villagers to groan in exasperation and go inside their homes for things to throw at them. Unfortunately, Lloyd and his new minion were on a scooter, which was significantly faster than human feet.

Not by much, but hey, it is faster.

The next step of their evil plan was to step on some private property, vandalizing the fountain with bright neon paint (which they had. um. acquired. legally) and random profanity. Lloyd giggled when he noticed Pythor had painted a depiction of himself trying to eat a human villager. Pythor, in turn, chuckled at Lloyd’s scribbles of the ninja, paired with little oni horns and tails.

Speaking of acquiring things totally legally, it was time to do more theft! And Lloyd was a bit peckish (he needed sugar, sweets, candy, sugar sugar sugar). So, with some of Pythor’s expert distracting skills (which were mostly just existing and letting these silly humans react to him), Lloyd scooped handfuls of ice cream into his mouth, uncaring for cones or cleanliness. Vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, pistachio, peach, everything that was good in the world was shoveled into his hungry stomach. 

He would staunchly deny later that he got brainfreeze from this. He handled it perfectly fine.

The next task was sinking enemy ships. Lloyd and Pythor fistbumped as the rocks they tossed completely sank some local childrens’ toy boats. The evil masterminds laughed as the kids cried. 

The last order of business for the day was stealing candy from babies. As Pythor distracted the mothers (again, by just existing. It’s really a wonder why the babies were even out here, did these mothers just not hear about the most evilest of villains here in their town?), Lloyd swiped lollipops from the babies’ hands. Finally, some actual candy. This town seriously needed a candy store.

Done with their raid, Pythor and Lloyd headed down into the forest, where they collapsed and set up a little base camp. This level of adventure was a lot for a kid as young as Lloyd, and he was exhausted. A lollipop stuck out of his mouth as he listened to the birds sing overhead. Pythor curled up next to him, head laid flat on the ground. 

“Wow,” Lloyd breathed. “You're the best henchman an evil mastermind could ever have.”

“Oh, Lloyd,” Pythor cooed. “You're the best mastermind a henchman could ever have.” Lloyd chuckled at that, a warm feeling swirling around his chest. His tail lashed happily. “Hmm,” Pythor continued, rotating his head to look at Lloyd, “why is it that you have no friends?”

The warm feeling vanished instantly. “Everyone knew me as the son of Lord Garmadon,” he muttered bitterly. “No one wanted to talk to me or be friends with me because of that.”

“Your old village?” Pythor probed. 

Lloyd shook his head, sitting up. “Nah, I went to this boarding school. It was supposed to be a reform school, for like, bad kids and stuff. To make em better.”

“Those things are still around?” Pythor’s surprise was genuine. He really assumed those barbaric things were shut down ages ago. He’d been around for long enough to know that very few reform schools successfully helped wayward kids and teens. Most of them were just… punishment.

He got a noncommittal shrug in response. “I think my mom sent me there cuz she thought I was gonna turn out like my dad, and didn’t wanna raise a hellspawn like me. I mean,” he gave a bitter laugh, “who would wanna be friends with this?” He gestured to himself, to his tail, his long ears, his red eyes, his sharp teeth. “I’m not like the other kids, or adults, or anyone in the world.

“Except… I was like my dad,” he sniffled, suppressing a tear. “He was always there for me, in shadow. No one else cared about me. A-and Dad being there for me made it worse, even if he didn’t mean it. When they found out I could talk to Dad, they- they bullied me more. Like I deserved it for being like my dad. So I ran with it,” he smiled, though there was little joy in it. “If everyone saw me as a mini version of Dad, then I’ll become a bad guy, like he was!”

Pythor hummed at this admission. “I notice you are… no longer attending school.”

Lloyd snorted. “Fuck no. I ran away when Dad vanished.”

This caught the Anacondrai’s attention. “Your father vanished?”

“He always talked to me on Friday nights,” Lloyd explained, tail wagging. “But he didn’t show up at all on Friday, so I assume he must’ve gotten out of the Underworld! So I ran away, so I can go find where Dad ended up!” He beamed, a smile as bright as the sun. “If he notices me being evil like him, he’ll come pick me up! I’ll get to see him, for real this time!”

Oh, childhood innocence. Still, the news that Garmadon was most likely somewhere around was interesting. Banished to the Underworld… but somehow back. Perhaps Pythor could get his revenge, after all!

Speaking of revenge… Pythor tilted his head, a faux curious look in his eyes. “Say, why don’t you kill two birds with one stone?”

Lloyd frowned, confused. “Why would I kill birds?”

“It’s an expression, dear,” Pythor laughed. “We can get two things done at once. You can take over the school through force, to show them you’re not weak anymore, and it’ll send a message to Garmadon that you truly are evil .”

“Whoa!!!” Lloyd’s eyes lit up like rubies. “Can we really?” Then, a frustrated look crossed his face. “But won’t those ninja come to try and stop us?”

“Then we set a trap for them!” Pythor suggested gleefully. “The ninja fall, you get daddy’s attention, and the school is overtaken!”

“A double revenge!” Lloyd exclaimed. 

“A double revenge,” Pythor nodded. “Now Lloyd, you should get some rest. Pillaging a town is a lot for anyone, and if you're going to rule the world, well,” he chuckled, “you'll need to get your beauty sleep.”

As if on cue, Lloyd yawned. “Ok, I will.”

Lloyd stretched and put some of his candy in a pile next to him. Pythor looked the poor kid over, then realized there was an opportunity here. Might as well take it. “Oh, and one more thing,” he added, totally innocently.

“Mnyea?” Lloyd replied sleepily, fighting back another yawn.

“ I’ll be your friend,” Pythor bowed his head slightly.

He didn’t expect to be tackled at the midsection, tiny arms wrapping around his torso. Looking down, Pythor saw Lloyd embracing him, face deep in his robes. “Thank you, Pythor,” he muttered into the snake’s chest. “You’re the best.”

Pythor blinked, then sighed and cupped the boy’s head with his neck. He smiled sinisterly, careful that Lloyd didn’t see, and returned the hug. It was all working perfectly. Lloyd trusted him completely.

Eventually, Lloyd let go, gave Pythor a soft, grateful smile, and curled up on a patch of grass. The serpent’s sharp pink eyes zeroed in on the map, poking slightly out of Lloyd’s pocket. He reached out - perhaps he didn’t even need to go through with that childish revenge plan.

As he did, Lloyd turned over, hiding the map under his cloak. Pythor hissed in annoyance. Next time, he convinced himself, curling up into a ball. Next time.

-=-

Wu hummed to himself as he drew his brush down across the page. In his old age, painting had become quite fun, specifically traditional ink paintings. He lifted the brush off the paper, revealing a lovely bamboo shoot. This was fun, maybe he’ll get his students to start painting too. Good relaxation.

Speaking of his students, Wu could hear them trying to sneak in. He had thousands of years of ninja training, he could tell when someone was trying to sneak around him. Especially when those someones weren’t any older than fifteen, and definitely not fully trained in ninjitsu. He could at least commend their efforts. Gold star for effort. 

He looked up, making eye contact with the first one he saw. Cole froze under his gaze, as did everyone else. Wu didn’t let any emotion slip. He simply adopted his teacher persona as he addressed them. “Oh,” he began, placing the brush into the water. “You must have found the answer to my riddle. What is the best way to defeat an enemy?”

“We’ve figured it out, Master,” Cole nodded, getting over his surprise. “It’s-” he turned to the others, who had all gathered in a semicircle around Wu, “-on three, guys. One, two…”

All five teens then placed their hands in the center of the semicircle, looking confidently at Wu and saying in unison “TEAMWORK!”

Wu raised his eyebrow. “Is this what you all think?”

They all responded with some variant on “yep” or “absolutely.”

“Sadly,” Wu sighed, “you’re all wrong.” He closed his eyes dramatically as five angry cries rang out in exasperation. 

They all started to trudge out of the room. Wu heard the tailend of Cole grumbling something like “I'm starting to think whoever figures out this riddle can be the Green Ninja for all I care.” He had to hold in a snort.

However, before they could leave the room fully, an alarm started blaring, causing Jay to slam his hands over his ears. “What is that?”

“Who cares, it’s something other than training!” Kai breathed in relief, and the ninja rushed to the hangar. Wu, curious enough to follow, set aside his art and set out after them.

In the hangar, Nya poked through the police radio she… acquired. She listened to something through her headset, then turned to the others. “Lloyd and a Serpentine have overtaken Darkley's Boarding School,” she said, annoyed. 

“Just one?” Jay raised an eyebrow. “Did he lose his army?”

“That’s what the report said,” Nya shrugged. “One of the teachers called the cops a little bit ago.”

“Darkley’s?” Wu hissed through his teeth, ears drawing back in alarm. 

“You know that place, Master?” Zane asked.

“Not personally, but I am aware of its reputation,” Wu answered grimly.

“I’ve heard of it too,” Cole frowned, crossing his arms. “It’s a reform school.”

“I thought they shut those things down ages ago!” Jay exclaimed in horror. “It’s still open?!”

“What’s a reform school?” Kai asked, starting the ship’s engines up. 

“Cruel excuses for education and ‘betterment,’” Wu growled. He was having troubles restraining a bloom of white and gold scales on his cheeks, he knew, but this… this was awful. “They take in troubled youth under the pretenses of fixing them, of making their attitudes better. Breaking the bad out of them. Instead, it’s more akin to a torture chamber.”

“Darkley’s has enough of a reputation on its own,” Cole sighed. “It hasn’t been shut down yet because it scares away anyone who tries. It’s messed up.”

Everyone unfamiliar with reform schools now paled at the information presented. “That’s so fucked up,” Kai muttered, biting his lip.

“I heard that the son of Garmadon was at a boarding school through the rumor mill, but not Darkley’s ,” Cole said. 

“I… did not know he was there either,” Wu felt his hearts skip a few beats. Was he not with his mother? Wu had assumed Misako was taking care of him, and he ran away from her , but that he was left at a reform school, especially one as horrific as Darkley’s… 

A seed of horror sprouted in Wu’s chest. He summoned a cup of tea to try and calm himself down. There’s no way a child that young should have been through something as awful as Darkley’s. Leaving his students to prepare, Wu exited the room, tail swishing under his robes. He knew what to do next. He just needed to set up a spot for it.

The ship blasted off and everyone hung onto the closest nailed down thing so they didn’t fall over. A drop of Wu’s tea spilled onto the floor. He tried not to notice.

-=-

Darkley’s was a tall tower on the top of a hill. It was built with dark, drab bricks, with no windows anywhere but the top. Dead trees were dotted over dead grass on the courtyard. A rusty and broken swingset sat in the corner. 

Inside, the stuffy air was filled with victorious laughter. Only from two people, though, a young blonde boy and his giant purple snake companion. Students and teachers alike were gagged, tied up, or shoved in lockers or closets. Lloyd skipped through the halls, whistling a silly little tune, rope in his hands. Pythor slithered close behind, a hammer in his hands. For safety reasons.

“Hey, how are the booby traps?” Lloyd asked Pythor. He fidgeted with the rope in his hands, totally not because he was nervous. Not at all.

“Every door, window, and hole into this place is spring loaded,” Pythor confirmed. 

“Ah, good,” Lloyd huffed, holding his elbows. “I'm sick and tired of those ninja sneaking their way into my revenge scheme. They can’t ruin this.” 

Distantly, he imagined the ninja picking him up by his cloak and handing him off to the teachers they freed. Of course, the teachers would try to convince them that they hadn’t done anything wrong, and Lloyd was acting out. He’s heard that one before, but those goody-two-shoes ninja won’t listen to him. 

A fang dug into the inside of his lip. Lloyd tried to shake that image away. This plan has to work. No way it won’t.

Outside the school, the ninja arrived. They hovered above the clouds, far above the school. They could almost feel the darkness emanating from it. Something wasn’t right with that school.

“Looks quiet down there,” Zane commented, peering down over the guardrail. “Should we infiltrate using stealth?”

“Ah, we've done that,” Kai waved him off. “We need something else. Can we bring the ship down lower?”

“Can’t do that,” Nya called from the hangar. As she wasn’t a ninja, she stayed behind to act as the backup driver. Wu had disappeared somewhere. “They’ll notice us otherwise.”

“Anyone else got any bright ideas?” Cole groaned. 

Jay hummed. “Well, I have one idea, but you guys gotta trust me.”

Three pairs of skeptical eyes turned to the blue ninja. “I don’t think I like the sound of this,” Kai muttered to Zane, who nodded.

Down on the roof, Lloyd and Pythor prepared a cannon. Where they got a cannon, Lloyd couldn’t really figure out. It just kinda… appeared when Pythor emerged from a closet. 

He looked around, red eyes scanning the ground for signs of ninja. One of them was wearing red, they were super conspicuous! 

Pythor seemed to notice his young companion’s worry and tapped his tail against Lloyd’s. “Relax, we've made the perfect trap,” he said. “We're in broad daylight so there aren't any shadows. But even if they could get in-”

He was interrupted by Lloyd shrieking and pointing at the ground. “What’s that?!” Pythor hissed in alarm and aimed the cannon. A net fired out of the cannon and landed on the ground below them. They peered over the edge to see a squirrel trapped under the net, furiously wiggling to try and get out.

Lloyd laughed nervously, and turned to Pythor, guilt in his eyes. “Oh, good! Yea, good reflexes. I was j- I was just testing you. Yea.” Pythor rolled his eyes, flicking his tongue out in distaste. Lloyd changed his posture, walking around the roof with his chest puffed out. “If I know these ninja, they're cleverly sneaking their way right past us at this very moment.”

Five seconds later, Pythor and Lloyd jumped out of the way as multiple screams rang out above them. Just in time, too, as Lloyd watched the ninja drop from the sky riding an anchor. Loud crashes sounded through the school as the anchor fell through floor after floor, letting in the most sunlight this musty place had ever seen.

The ninja collapsed on the bottom of the school, dust and wood chips floating around them. “Ok,” Cole groaned, pulling himself off the ground, “let's agree to never do that again.” They all agreed and looked at Jay, who looked away and chuckled guiltily.

“Y’all remember the plan, right?” Kai muttered, rubbing a sore spot on his arm. “Try and save the kids, fuck the teachers.”

“They will attempt to convince us they are innocent,” Zane confirmed. “I will not listen to such lies.”

“Oh shit, I see him!” Jay pointed up at the topmost floor of the tower, where they spotted a little face peering down at them. It vanished just as quickly.

“Awesome,” Cole nodded. “Ok team, let’s split.”

With that, the group split up around the school, all searching for the fastest way upstairs. On occasion, they would spot a child tied up in a corner, or stuffed in a locker. They would be released and set free. If they saw someone that was clearly an adult… they could sit there for a little while longer. 

(On one occasion, when Kai freed a group of kids with his sword, he noticed them all flinch and turn away. A natural reaction to seeing a weapon come at them, but they almost seemed… prepared for it. That, and they looked genuinely surprised when he freed them. They also seemed to look relieved when he saw a teacher in a classroom and left them in there. Something really bad was happening here.)

In fact, all the ninja could tell this place sucked. Classrooms had outdated equipment, old desks that looked rotten and sad, lockers that were dented and rusted, and a few of them would report later that they saw bloodstains in some corners. This place wasn’t right.

Jay, who had decided to take the elevator, sighed when he discovered it didn’t work. Obviously not, with dimmed lights and a live sparking wire in the corner. First fucking Master they did NOT care about safety in this place. That, and there was graffiti all over the walls of the elevator. One scrawled message on the wood read “Knife Was Here,” and Jay was suddenly envious of this kid named Knife, as that was the coolest name on the planet.

He was dedicated to this elevator, however, and kicked open the top panel to crawl through the elevator shaft. It’ll just have to do. He ignored the voltage from the live wire. He was the lightning ninja, it’s fine.

Kai and Zane had decided to go up the stairs. Unfortunately, in their rush to the top, they kicked open a door too harshly and got drenched with a bucket full of green slime. They both groaned and tried to shake it out of their hair and clothes, but they were stuck to the floor. This sucked.

Their thoughts were interrupted by a slow, cruel laugh. They looked up to see a purple Serpentine staring callously at them. Long neck, long tail, long cloak. Kai’s eyes widened in shock at this strange being before them, while Zane’s narrowed in confusion as he tried to figure the snake out.

Lloyd began to echo this laugh from a few floors above, cackling in victory. He, however, forgot about Cole, who had decided to climb the chain of the anchor. The child quickly hid from view. That somehow worked, because Cole’s attention was drawn to the mass of purple across from him. 

He jumped off the chain and faced the Serpentine, trying to not show his shock on his face. He had only heard about these guys in history horror stories, the most fearsome of Serpentine warriors. This, unfortunately, lowered his guard enough for a tripwire to hook around his foot and knock him to the ground, effectively winding him. 

This was the moment that Jay escaped the elevator shaft, kicking the doors down and blinking at the floored Cole. The black ninja turned to him and pointed at the escaping snake. “He’s got an Anacondrai with him,” he muttered gravely. 

Jay turned to look and balked. “Ah. That’s a big snake.”

“Big and dangerous,” Cole rasped out, pushing himself off the floor. “Get him. Watch for booby traps.”

Jay nodded and bolted after the Anacondrai, who slunk his way up the stairs. The snake disappeared onto the roof, closing the way up with a trapdoor. On the roof, Jay could hear Lloyd running around like a chicken with its head cut off. “They're coming. They're coming. They're coming!” he was screaming.

The blue ninja rolled his eyes at the theatrics and busted the door open. Leaping out, he pulled out his nunchaku and spun them around. “Shocked to see me?” he quipped.

Lloyd’s heart dropped. Fuck. Fuck. His worst nightmares were coming true. His hand grabbed onto Pythor’s robes absently. “Do something!” he begged him. 

Pythor had… a strange look in his fuchsia eyes. He reached for something to Lloyd’s side, which was- the map. The snake plucked the map from Lloyd’s belt, and held it gingerly in his hands. 

“Wha-” Lloyd’s breath hitched. “What are you doing?” Pythor fixed him with a cold glare, one that shook him to his core. “I- I thought you were my friend…” he murmured, feeling the familiar stings of betrayal in his heart. 

“All you wanted was to make the Serpentine your servants,” Pythor scoffed, suddenly lacking any warmth that he displayed just earlier today. “Well, sorry, my dear boy, I have other plans.” With one final cruel look, Pythor vanished, along with any faith Lloyd had in friendship. 

The kid felt tears well up in his eyes. His breaths picked up. He looked around- left, right, behind him, nothing but open air. He couldn’t jump. He couldn’t go back down, the blue ninja was there waiting for him. He was trapped up here. He looked up when the sound of a rocket roared above him. The flying ship. He was done for.

Vaguely, he noticed the other ninja entering the roof. Oh First Master. They’re going to take Lloyd back to the teachers. He can’t go back. Not to Darkley’s. They’re going to punish him for this. No no no no no no-

“Lloyd!” Wu’s voice was the last thing he heard before he collapsed onto the roof, sobbing and muttering, curled up in a little ball.

The ninja (plus Wu and Nya, who exited the ship) watched as the child they’ve been chasing about for the past few weeks collapsed, and they could hear why. Through the mutters in his panic attack, Lloyd was begging them. Not to take him back. 

And… something in Kai bent. It didn’t break, not just yet, but with everyone remaining motionless, he knew what to do. He approached Lloyd carefully, making sure his footsteps were loud and noticeable. Gently, he knelt down to Lloyd’s level and scooped him up. He fit almost perfectly into Kai’s arms. 

The moment broke when Lloyd started thrashing, shoving against Kai’s chest, pulling at his mask. “No- please, you can’t- don’t take me back!” the child cried. “Leave me- please, I don’t wanna go, don’t take me back-”

“Hey, hey, it’s ok,” Kai muttered, soft and warm, into Lloyd’s ear. “I’m not taking you to Darkley’s.” He knew that when someone was having a panic attack, the best thing was to be direct. Don’t dance around an issue, don’t use flowery language, just say it straight up. A panicked mind will only process fact. 

This didn’t stop Lloyd from yelling “liar!” at him, but that’s fine. He didn’t expect him to trust him.

“I’m going to take you aboard our ship,” Kai continued. “We’ll get you away from Darkley’s. You don’t have to see this place again.”

Lloyd stopped thrashing. He peered up at Kai with watery red eyes. His golden pupils were blown wide, almost covering up the irises. “Not- not lying?”

“Yea,” Kai nodded, smiling. “Not lying.”

Lloyd looked up at Kai, feeling something warm bloom in his chest. He didn’t know what it was. But… oh, he was so tired. So, so tired. So he let it all out. 

Kai patted Lloyd’s back as he sobbed into his gi. He gently carried the kid onto the ship, not paying attention to everyone’s faces right now. He looked at Wu, who nodded and gestured for him to follow. 

Kai followed Wu into a small side room on the ship. It hadn’t been used for anything other than weapon storage, but there was a small futon spread out on the floor, along with a lantern and cup of tea. 

“So… what do we do with him now?” Cole’s voice sounded from the doorway. “Wash his mouth out with soap for a year?”

“Ground him indefinitely?” Jay suggested. 

“Have him sit in a corner for a century?” Zane added.

Wu shook his head at all this. “I know exactly what we must do.”

Kai felt Lloyd tense, but then slump, as if resigned to his fate. He detached the kid from his chest, who seemed to have cried out all the tears he had. He looked so tired. He passed him off to Wu, who shooed him out of the room.

As Kai joined the group in the doorway, Nya bumped her shoulder against Kai’s. “Nice job,” she said, a knowing glint in her eyes. 

He huffed. “It was just to calm him down, don’t look at me like that.” He refused to acknowledge the lump in his throat. He’s sure it’s nothing.

As the group of teens watched, all Wu did was tuck Lloyd into the futon and open up a storybook. They exchanged confused glances as Wu started reading. Lloyd paid rapt attention to the story, a simple one of a rabbit who got betrayed by a snake. Seemed… topical, especially after Jay explained what he saw on the roof. 

He had even taken off his hood, revealing a messily cut head of blonde hair, choppy bangs and badly done bleach spread throughout. His tail (which they just realized he had) flicked from where it poked out from under the blanket. 

“‘...And that is why Jack the Rabbit never trusts a snake. The end,’” read Wu, shutting the book. He tucked it into his robes as Lloyd sighed.

“If someone had shown me that book before,” he said sleepily, “I wouldn’t have done that. Thanks, Uncle Wu. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize, nephew,” Wu’s eyes crinkled, matching the glow of the lantern. He picked it up and blew the flame out. “I am sure that if your father was still here, it would be the first book he'd read for you. Sweet dreams.” He finished that statement with a word the ninja had never heard before, though it was laced with tenderness. 

“Good night, uncle,” Lloyd muttered, already half asleep. Wu ran a hand through his nephew’s hair and left, closing the door quietly behind him.

The ninja had done their best to disappear, reappearing on the deck. They watched Wu exit the underneath, though they all instantly swarmed him once they saw he was alone.

“I don't get it, Master,” Zane started.

“Why isn't the little brat getting punished?” Jay frowned.

“Yea,” Cole huffed, “we had to train all day and he gets read a bedtime story? It's not fair.”

Wu fixed them with a pointed gaze. He spared the glare for Kai and Nya, who appeared to have understood the lesson more than the other three. “Hmm, you're right, I nearly forgot,” he hummed thoughtfully, stroking his beard. “Why are you not still training? Did you find the answer to the riddle?”

He laughed internally when his students all hung their heads and sighed. “No, Master,” Kai muttered. “We still don't know what the best way to defeat your enemy is.”

They all began to walk away dejectedly, readying themselves for another day of training tomorrow. 

Oh, whatever, they learned it today anyways. “The best way to defeat your enemy,” Wu stated, causing the kids to turn back to him in surprise. He smiled. “...is to make them your friend.”

Something dawned in their eyes. They all sighed in relief, all saying some variant on “of course.” Some even laughed a little.

As they trudged down to their quarters, Cole looked over at Kai, who had a strangely soft look on his face. “What was that, earlier?” he asked. “With Lloyd?”

Kai was silent for a moment, then shrugged. “I’m an older brother,” he eventually said. “It’s second nature for me to help when a kid’s going through something tough.”

“Practiced on me enough times,” Nya chuckled. 

“So you and Lloyd’re friends now?” Jay yawned. 

“Nope,” Kai shook his head. “I just helped calm him down from a panic attack. Nothing more to it than that.”

“You did very well,” Zane commended. 

Kai blushed. “Thanks, I guess. I just did what anyone would’ve.”

And as the ninja lay in their beds, trying to get to bed, Kai stared in the direction he knew Lloyd’s room was. The lump in his throat hadn’t gone away. He forced it down. It nestled in his chest. 

This means nothing, he reminded himself, turning over in bed. It was just some brat that they now have in their base. It doesn’t mean anything.

His dreams that night were plagued with green.

Chapter Text

Lloyd poked his head into the doorway. There he was, the perfect target. He smirked and slunk into the room, casually leaning on Red’s shoulder. This startled the ninja so bad he jumped, dropping his controller. 

“Fu- frick, kid, you scared me,” Red sighed, glaring at Lloyd. 

The kid smiled innocently in response. “Sorry!” He feigned interest in the game the ninja had booted up, currently showing the starting menu of some guy in a black belt gi on fire. “Whatcha playing?”

Red rolled his eyes and smirked. “Fist To Face 2! You wanna try?” He held up a controller to Lloyd.

He shook his head. “Nah, just wanted to check if Black was right.”

“Bla- you mean Cole?” Red raised an eyebrow. 

“I can’t be bothered to remember your guys’ names,” Lloyd huffed, navigating the menu so that the high score page was shown. “But I heard he beat your score last night!”

Red scoffed in disbelief. “Cole? Beat me at Fist To Face ? Hah! Fat chance,” he laughed. “You must mean Sitar Legend, that’s the only one he’s good at-”

Lloyd stifled a giggle as the red ninja’s jaw dropped. They both looked at the high score page, proudly displaying Cole’s name throughout the records. Red’s name barely showed through on the 5th place marker. 

“Wow, he was right!” Lloyd exclaimed in faux surprise. “Well, good luck trying to beat it!” He casually walked off, tail smacking Red in the arm. He stifled another giggle when he heard Red growl behind him.

Easy target, Lloyd chuckled once he was out of earshot. Now… who was next?

A strange smell from the kitchen caught Lloyd’s nose, and his face scrunched at the odor. What was that? He was sure he didn’t mess it up that badly. Lloyd entered the kitchen to see Black cheerfully stirring a pot full of some foul-smelling… something. 

“I’m not gonna mess it up this time,” Black was muttering to himself, lifting the spoon up to sniff it. His nose also wrinkled. He put the spoon to his lips, then spat it out with a roar of disgust. 

Lloyd laughed into his hands. “Oh hey! I think I heard Blue say they were gonna fix that soup of yours!” he said. “Wanted to spice things up, or something?” Black’s eyes turned to the child, who shrugged. “I told them not to, but they insisted on it…” 

With a casual shrug, he left the kitchen, relishing the yell he heard. Everything was going perfectly to plan! Next target was…

Lloyd found Blue outside starting up a sparring bot. He had to admit, the guy being born in a junkyard had its benefits, specifically in building robots. Robots were cool as fuck.

“Hey!” he said, drawing Blue’s attention. “I think I saw, uh-” he halted, not knowing what to call the girl, “-the girl tinkering with the robot earlier.” That'll have to do for now. She wasn’t a ninja, so she wasn’t easily color-coded. She wore red like her brother did. There can’t be two Reds on one ship! And besides, she was the only girl.

At this comment, Blue’s face turned a little bit pinker. “Nya? She did?” They frowned. “But we agreed not to tinker with each other’s stuff.”

Lloyd shrugged. “Guess she ignored that.” He smirked when he saw the robot spark and whir faster. “Better get to fixing that, I don’t think she did a good job!” And with that, left behind a shrieking ninja to deal with a killer robot. 

Now the girl, Lloyd spotted in the hangar. She had sat down at the center table with her sketchbook, twirling a pencil in her hands and flipping to the next available page. A pile of scrap metal was on the table, alongside a wrench and other tools Lloyd didn’t recognize.

She noticed him approach and waved hello. “Hi, Lloyd! What’s up?”

“Oh, nothin,” he rocked on his heels innocently. “Just wondering if I could see your sketchbook?”

“No can do,” she shook her head. “I’ve got special girl secrets in here.” She winked, and Lloyd suppressed the urge to gag.

“Eugh, don’t spread cooties on me!” His tail lashed. “But I figured, if White could see it, I could too?”

Her face grew confused. “What do you mean?”

“I saw White flipping through it earlier,” he smiled. “I think he wanted to do some proofreading or something? He even used the red pen and everything!” He pointed conspicuously at a red pen by the coffee machine. “Well, I don’t want cooties, so bye!” 

He sprinted out of the room. Girl germs aren’t gonna get him today, thank you very much! And finally, there was only one last sucker to grab. 

Lloyd found the last ninja in the laundry room, just about to open the washing machine. He was greeted with a soft smile. “Hello, Lloyd. What brings you down here this fine morning?”

So polite… Lloyd frowned for a millisecond before his ears perked up and he shoved his whole body into the washing machine. Please tell me it worked please please please YES!

“Red wanted me to pick up his ninja suit,” he said, fighting a laugh. “He said he threw it in with your whites.” He pulled himself out, seeing the confused and betrayed face of White as he proudly showed off a red gi. 

He skipped out of the room, but turned back in time to see White pull out a gi that certainly did not match his color. Oh, that was a glorious shade of pink. Cackling, Lloyd ran out of the room. There’s only one last step to this.

Somehow, all the ninja found each other, all with complaints and angry faces.

“You couldn't just be happy with the top score, you had to rub it in my face!” Kai yelled at Cole. 

“I didn’t do anything, flamebrain,” Cole grumbled. “ Jay’s the one who messed up my soup! That was a family recipe! It took me three days alone to simmer that broth!”

“Cole, you're banned from the kitchen!” Jay growled. “You can’t cook! Stop pretending like you can!”

“It’s called a solid fucking effort, Jay!” Cole bit back. “You should redirect that energy into fixing that stupid robot of yours.”

Jay’s eye twitched, a stray spark running through their hair. “I wasn’t the one who messed it up, Nya did!” They whirled on Nya. “I thought we had an agreement!”

“I didn’t touch the robot, Jay!” Nya defended herself, face scrunching up in anger. “But someone touched my sketchbook!” She leveled a toxic glare at Zane. “I thought I said specifically that no one is to touch my sketchbook! And what do I find? My careful notes scribbled over in red pen!”

“No one touches your sketchbook, but I guess robots are free game?” Jay snarled. It seemed that their crush was forgotten in favor of blind rage.

“Speaking of games, don’t fucking mess with the one game someone’s good at!” Kai added, glaring at Cole. “You stick to your guns, and I’ll stick to mine! Capiche?”

“I think we’re missing the biggest crime here,” Zane finally spoke up, his gaze icy cold as it bore into Kai. He lifted his gi, pink as shrimp. “How exactly is the White Ninja supposed to be the White Ninja without a white gi?”

“What’re you blaming me for, Frosty?” Kai furrowed his brows. 

“You threw your red gi in with my white one in the wash,” Zane explained none too kindly. “And now I’m pink!” A frustrated noise whirred in his chest from the anger.

“Serves you right for going all correction officer on my notes,” Nya huffed. “Guess it was the red ink in the pen that gave you away.”

“I didn’t touch your sketchbook, honest!” Zane countered.

Cole coughed and waved a hand in front of his face. “First fucking Master, it still stinks! It would have been fine if you hadn’t messed it up,” he glared at Jay, who squawked in offense.

As their arguments devolved into petty squabbles, Wu entered the room, Lloyd in tow. As soon as the kid saw the teens arguing like squirrels, he burst out laughing, though he made sure to flavor it like one of his classic evil cackles. This did the job, as the others stopped talking and turned to look at him.

He very unsubtly showed off a hammer, bottle of bleach, and a spice container, the latter being held in his tail (which he knew the ninja were staring at. Bah, humans, they can suck it). 

The teens all gasped in unison and, also in unison, exclaimed “YOU?” Lloyd smiled like he was the picture of innocence.

Black growled. “Alright. I get first dibs.” He smashed a fist into his hand, causing the kid to yelp in alarm and drop all the items. He dashed behind Wu, holding onto his uncle’s thick dragon tail. 

Wu held out a hand. “No dibs,” he said sternly. “I put him up to this for today's lesson. I wanted to show you the destructive power of rumors and that jumping to conclusions can only lead to trouble. Did you ever think to find out if the accusations were true?”

The ninja had the common decency to look away guiltily at this. Lloyd smirked triumphantly. Lloyd 1, Ninja 0. 

Red huffed. “Uh, no offense, Master, but let me jump to this conclusion: today's lesson is lame .”

“Yea!” Blue agreed, nodding their head fervently. “Why can't you just teach us to paralyze your enemy with one finger, o- or find out if a man is lying by the… twitch of his nose?”

“Because not all lessons are about fighting,” Wu stated, his whiskers waving. Then, he looked to the side slightly, blushing. “And I… misplaced my lesson planner.”

Lloyd smothered his giggles, but not loudly enough, apparently, because Red took notice and knelt down to his level. Lloyd frowned, not liking being looked down on. His tail lashed uncomfortably. 

Red reached over and- oh, he found the lesson planner. It was plucked out of Lloyd’s belt and held up to Wu with an exasperated look on his face. “You mean this lesson planner?”

Lloyd growled under his breath. “Asshole, ruining the fun.”

“Language,” came the simultaneous reprimand from Red, Black, and Wu. He stuck out his tongue in response. 

“Why was I even included in this?” the girl asked, stretching and cracking her back. “I’m not a ninja.”

“Would you rather have been stuck bored on watch duty?” Wu asked.

She balked and shook herself out. “Absolutely not,” she said, then groaned. “We should probably get back to hunting for Pythor.” 

Everyone else groaned in response, and Lloyd winced. He didn’t need a reminder that he was the reason Pythor was loose in the first place. That’ll show him to trust strangers. 

The group of teens (plus one old man and young kid, and minus Zane, who needed to change into his gi) started walking over to the bridge. “I keep tellin ya, sis, you can always join in on training,” Kai slid an arm over Nya’s shoulders, hugging her from the side. “We haven’t actually done ninja training in a while. We’ve just been hitting each other with weapons.”

Nya shrugged. “Eh. I might, one of these days. But we’ve already proved I’m no good as a ninja. I mean, I don’t have a golden weapon, or an element tied to said weapon, and I’m dogsh- dogbutt at stealth.” She caught herself over the swear last second, not wanting to expose Lloyd to more foul language than he already has been.

“You may not have a Golden Weapon,” Wu sidled up next to them, “but that doesn’t mean you cannot be a ninja.”

“Did you not just hear what I said,” she deadpanned. “Can’t stealth. No acrobatics. I eat dirt every time I try.”

Cole walked up next to her. “It’s the effort that counts,” he patted her on the back. “You’re still good with a sword.”

She smirked. “Thanks! I try my best.”

“It’d be pretty cool if you did have an element like we do,” Jay said from the back of the group. 

“Watch it be something stupid, like flowers,” Kai laughed.

Nya groaned playfully. “Oh First Ones, no! ” she laughed. “Anything but that!”

(As they entered the bridge and got to working the map, none of them noticed Wu hang behind, a guilty look on his face. When Zane passed by him, fully dressed in pink, he caught a mutter of “I should have never let them form a crutch,” but it was too quiet for him to parse.)

Everyone turned to see Zane enter. Cole whistled amusedly, Jay, Kai, and Lloyd tried not to laugh, and Nya bit her lip in an attempt to not smile. He stared at them all with a deadpan expression and tugged his hood over his head, hopefully to mask the darkening flush of his cheeks. His heart whirred faster, like an overheating computer.

Wu put a hand on his shoulders good-naturedly. “Not to worry, Zane,” he said, “a replacement gi is on its way.”

“Thank you, Master,” he replied. Small mercies, he supposed. 

All things considered, everyone, including Zane himself, agreed that he looked pretty good in pink. 

“Last we heard of Pythor, he stole the Serpentine map from Lloyd and is now on his way to open the last two Serpentine tombs,” Nya summarized, fingers flying over the computer. 

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Lloyd grumbled, pulling his hood over his face. His tail wrapped around his leg. 

“Pythor's our most dangerous threat,” Wu added. “If he finds those tombs before we do, with his intellect and all four tribes unleashed, there's no telling what he'll do. Lloyd-” the kid jumped “-did Pythor tell you anything about his plans?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. Just… other plans, right at the end.”

Jay nodded in confirmation. “But those tombs could be anywhere! Without the map, we might as well just throw darts.”

Nya’s eyes sparkled. “Great idea!” She picked up two suction tip darts and launched them at the screen. “These are the two locations of the Hypnobrai and Fangpyre tombs,” she said, as if what she did wasn’t the coolest thing ever.

While Jay freaked out and fanboyed over this, Kai rolled his eyes. “Show-off,” he muttered. Honestly, Nya would give the others a run for their money with these skills.

Nya threw another dart at the map. “This is Pythor's tomb. According to several history books, and Wu’s journals, the last two tombs should be somewhere here.” While Wu made a confused noise (most likely wondering why she was rooting through his journals in the first place), she held up two darts. “And, according to one last little discovery, I know their precise locations!”

She grabbed a flashlight and a piece of paper and shone it over the screen. “This is the ancient Jagian symbol for serpent,” she explained. “See how the other tombs perfectly line up with the start of each stroke?” 

“Oh! Oh oh oh!” Jay chirped, grabbing the darts and placing them on the map. “Then that means the last two tombs should be here!”

“Precisely!” Nya grinned excitedly at them. 

Jay’s face flushed as pink as Zane’s gi as they swooned. “Nya, you’re so cool and smart. I’m sorry for yelling at you about the robot.”

“Nah, you’re good,” Nya shook it off. “And come on, was there ever any doubt? I’m always cool.” She flipped her hair, then stuck her tongue out at Kai when he groaned.

“There's little time,” Wu interrupted. “Kai and Jay, you head to the Venomari Tomb. Cole and Zane, you take the Constrictai Tomb. And take this,” he handed the wooden flute to Cole. “You might need it if you run into Pythor. Good luck.”

“Why does Cole get the flute and not us?” Jay pouted. 

“Can you play the flute?” Cole raised an eyebrow.

“Can you ?” Jay countered. 

“Yes, I can.”

“...Oh. Carry on then.”

“What am I gonna do?” Nya asked, already moving to the back of the hangar.

“Yea, what are we gonna do?” Lloyd asked, tail wagging excitedly.

“Nya, I need you here to make sure Lloyd doesn't get into any more trouble,” Wu instructed.

Nya groaned, annoyance clear on her face. “Yes, Master Wu.”

“I don’t need a babysitter!” Lloyd puffed his cheeks out angrily.

“Lloyd you’re literally a child,” Kai huffed. 

“Well she’s not a teen yet either!” Lloyd argued.

“I will be tomorrow,” Nya shrugged.

Everyone turned to look at her. “Wait, your birthday’s tomorrow?” Jay asked.

Nya blinked. “Did I not tell you guys?”

“I knew,” Kai said.

“You don’t count,” Cole deadpanned. 

“Lovely discussion, everyone,” Zane suddenly grabbed Cole by the arm and dragged him out with surprising force. “Let us continue it once we have stopped Pythor.”

“...good point,” Jay nodded, sending one last look to Nya before he and Kai set out.

Wu sighed and stared at the map, a strange, nostalgic look in his eyes. “What are you doing, Pythor,” he murmured, barely audible to Lloyd. “Please, don’t start another war. No one wants this.”

Lloyd bit his lip, careful that his fangs didn’t puncture anything. This was all his fault, he sighed, sneaking out of the room to his makeshift bedroom. Dammit.

-=-

Cole and Zane arrived at their destination first. They both stared fearfully at the mountain before them. The Mountain of One Million Steps, as it was usually called, was a popular rock climbing destination, though very few people had managed to reach the top. In fact, it was too dangerous to get that high, so there were more doable checkpoints for those that wanted to scale it. 

“This mountain will take too long to climb on foot,” Zane noted, looking at the natural steps built into the side of the mountain, for hikers, rather than mountain climbers. “We are pressed on time.”

“Then we’ll take a shortcut,” Cole said, scooping up Zane and, after making sure the white (pink) ninja was secure, began to climb up the cliff wall.

“I had forgotten you used to do rock climbing,” Zane commented, amazement in his voice. “Are you going to be alright, carrying me all the way up?”

“Yea, sure, I can manage it,” Cole breathed. Truth be told, Zane didn’t weigh that much, so he wasn’t that much of a burden. Nothing more than usual.

They climbed in silence for a while until Cole paused, catching his breath. “So… I’ve been meaning to ask this for a while.” At Zane’s confused head tilt, he continued. “What’s it like to be a girl?”

Zane blinked, then put a hand to his chin in thought. “I do not know.”

“You’ve had a few girl days though, haven’t you?” Cole asked. 

“Yes, but it is difficult to define what is and is not a ‘girl thing,’” Zane explained. “I do not have a concrete explanation as to what I feel when I am a girl, or when I am a boy, or when I am neither, or both, or something in between.” He bunched up his gi in his hands. “Pink is stereotypically a girl color, but I am very much a boy today. Wearing pink does not diminish from that at all.”

“I never said it would make you a girl,” Cole huffed, standing back up and continuing to climb. “But you seriously can’t tell the difference?”

“I imagine that it’s the same with you and Nya, for example,” Zane hummed. “What is the difference between the two of you?”

Cole thought about it for a while. “Well, she wears a dress, has lipstick, and has a high pitched voice. And she uses she/her.”

“What is stopping you from wearing a dress or makeup?” Zane asked.

“N-no one, really…”

“Then why do you count that as a difference?”

“Cuz it’s something she does that I don’t,” Cole frowned. "Boys don't wear dresses or makeup."

“It’s all behavior and appearances,” Zane shifted around on Cole’s shoulders. “I am still a man today if I wear pink, and I may be a woman tomorrow and wear a full suit. I have never understood this gender binary that is set,” he added. “It is pointless to me, to box people in such a way.”

Even though he internally cried out in uncertain disbelief (boys don't do girl things, that makes them queer, you don't want to be queer, Cole), he made a noise of thoughtful agreement, and the rest of the climb was spent in silence. Eventually, the two reached the top of the mountain, and Zane slid off Cole’s shoulders.

“Alright, we made it, Pinky,” Cole panted, hands on his knees. 

“Do you need a moment?” Zane asked. 

“Go on first without me, I’ll be fine,” he replied. Zane nodded and made his way to the center of the peak. However, the tomb doors appeared to be open, which was definitely not good. 

“Looks like Pythor was already here,” Zane stated. “Perhaps we should investigate.”

With that, he jumped straight into the tomb, using a rope hanging from the open doors to slow his fall. As he reached the bottom and pulled a flashlight out, he heard something slide down the rope behind him. He turned around to see it was Cole, and turned back around to look at the walls around him.

They were in an earthy, circular cavern, but the walls were covered in sheets of metal. The ninja remembered that Constrictai, the supposed members of this tomb, could dig very well, so this was probably an effort to keep them entombed. One of the walls, however, was fully rock, and covered in some sort of art. 

The most important fact, however, was that it was empty.

“Huh,” Cole hummed, looking over the mural. “Didn't mama snake ever tell them not to draw on the wall?”

“I believe it is a prophecy of some sort,” Zane considered, looking at all the images. One in particular unnerved him, a giant snake that five different-looking snakes were crowded around. 

“Maybe Master Wu knows what it says?” Cole suggested, running a hand across it.

“I can try and decipher it,” Zane said. Whirring filled his ears as he studied the mural. After a few minutes, something clicked. “I believe that if all five Serpentine tribes unite, they will be able to summon… that.” He pointed at the giant snake in the center of the mural.

“Yeesh,” Cole hissed through his teeth. “Why would they wanna do that?”

“I do not know,” Zane frowned, “but I cannot imagine it will be good. If Pythor's not here and unites all the tribes together before Kai and Jay find him-”

“Relax, Zane,” Cole said. “These snakes can’t possibly be stupid enough to summon a giant snake. Who knows if it’s even real, much less-” and something went PING in his mind. It wasn’t an actual pinging noise, but he felt something, at the edge of his subconscious, something coming near.

“Did you feel that?” he asked, all humor gone. 

Zane looked around, confused. “What?”

“There’s something else here,” Cole said, looking at the ground around him. Whoever was sneaking up on him was not gonna like it.

As soon as he thought that, something burst out of the ground next to Zane, and the next thing either of them knew, a tail was wrapping itself around the pink ninja. They both stared at the intruder, a Serpentine with pitch black scales, gray accents, and an orange belly. They were short and stocky, definitely packing muscle under those scales. White spikes ran down their neck and back, and they had on a simple gray sleeveless robe and a leather guard over one side of their chest. They didn’t have legs, just one long tail. 

“Awfully sssorry for this, children,” the serpent began, their voice deep and rumbly. “Pythor told me to take care of you.”

“And you’re actually listening to that crazed snake?” Zane snapped, careful not to move too much. 

“We Ssserpentine don’t actually wanna hurt youse chumps,” they hissed, their voice definitely more Western than any other Serpentine they’ve met. “But Pythor’s promisssing usss freedom, and that ain’t sssomethin’ we can pass up, ya know?”

“Whatever he is promising is a lie !” Zane exclaimed.

The serpent’s yellow eyes flicked to the mural on the wall. “The Great Devourer could help set usss free,” they said. “I don’t wanna do this either, Pinky, but we gotta do what we gotta do.”

“No one calls him Pinky but us!” Cole interrupted, smashing his scythe into the ground beside the snake. The resulting earthquake shook Zane free from the snake’s grasp, who stumbled back out of shock. Then, the Constrictai burrowed underground. Cole gasped. “To the rope! Quick!”

Zane made a mad dash to the rope. When he looked back, Cole was gone, his golden scythe on the ground. Before Zane could even think about screaming out in shock, Cole burst out of the ground again, flopping onto the floor like a fish. At the same time, a path formed around the central platform. Someone was swimming through the earth like a shark.

Cole managed to right himself and pulled out the flute, playing a few soft notes on it. It did the trick wonderfully, as the snake popped out of the ground, hands shoved over their ears with an angry cry. Or whatever snakes had for ears.

This was cut short, however, by the snake’s tail wrapping around Cole’s throat, strangling him. He barely managed to choke out a “Zane-” before he was left just coughing and sputtering.

Thankfully, through a very pink spinjutsu, Zane managed to snag the fallen flute and play a few notes. Nowhere near as good as how Cole played it, in the ice ninja’s opinion. One which the snake seemed to share, if the speed by which a hand wrapped itself around his throat was any measure. 

Strangely enough, Zane didn’t feel anything (other than pain) when the Constrictai’s hand began choking him. No shortness of breath, no sensation of choking. Yea, he felt the hand around his neck, but anyone could feel that. 

He was breathing just fine.

He didn’t think about it for long, instead slamming the flute to his lips and finishing the song. That seemed to do the trick, and the ninja were both released.

“Wrap your head around THIS!” Cole quipped, slamming the blunt end of the scythe into the snake’s chest, felling them. 

“Good one!” Zane congratulated with a grin.

“Thanks,” Cole grunted. “But if he was expecting us, I think Kai and Jay are walking into a trap.” At Zane’s widened eyes, he nodded and raced to the rope. “Come on. Let's get out of here.”

-=-

At the Toxic Bogs, meanwhile, Kai and Jay were having a terribly stinky day. 

“Ewww,” Jay complained, waving a hand in front of their face. Wearing a ninja mask did not help.

“Tell me about it,” Kai groaned. “This stuff will eat through you worse than Cole's chili.”

“Can we please just ban him from the kitchen already?” Jay grumbled. “I don’t think he’s ever made one edible thing in his life.”

“Untrue, he didn’t burn toaster waffles.”

“That doesn’t count. Besides, you’re the one who burns them every time.”

“I like them crispy, what can I say?”

“Sorry is a good place to start,” Jay rolled their eyes. 

The swamp squelched underfoot. Everything surrounding them was a toxic shade of lime, almost too green to safely look at. It smelled like battery acid, and neither ninja trusted the swamp water. It could just be acid. This is why they wore thick rubber boots, in case either of them stepped into the bog.

They walked in silence for a bit before Kai cleared his throat. “Actually, it’s good that Master Wu sent us two alone. I wanted to talk to you.”

“T-to me?” Jay blinked. “Why?”

“Nya.” At the mention of her name, Jay instantly went red. “You like her.”

“I- I mean, of course I like her!” they laughed, a hand rubbing the back of their neck. “How could anyone not? She’s cool, and smart, and pretty, and really good at inventing things, and, uh, smart, and-”

“Yea, yea, she’s cool or whatever,” Kai huffed, “but I mean you like like her.”

Jay sputtered through some undignified noises before sighing and hanging their head. “Yea…”

“I just wanna say right now that I’m not against it,” Kai stated.

Jay’s head jerked up fast as lightning. “Y-you aren't?”

“Yep.”

“Completely fine?”

“Not completely, mind you,” Kai positioned his arms behind his head as they walked. “But you two seem to get along, and she obviously likes being with you.”

“Sh-she does?” Jay’s face was crimson. “That- that’s cool! Really swell! Oh gosh.” They paused for a second. “First Master I sound like my parents.”

Kai snorted. “You just gotta communicate this. You’re not gonna get anywhere by thinking your feelings at her.”

“A guy can try, can’t I?” Jay sighed. “I mean, I’ll try. For sure. Maybe not tomorrow, but I’ll get her a nice birthday present!”

“You better!” Kai laughed. “My lil sis deserves nothing but the best, and I’m sure you can come up with something she’ll love. That being said,” he trailed off, giving Jay the most poisonous stare he can, “break her heart and I’ll personally make your life hell.”

Jay’s eyes went wide in fear and they nodded. “Got it!” they squeaked. They looked around and immediately took off running. “Oh look it’s the tomb let’s go look at it definitely not just changing the subject!”

Despite the rushed subject change, Jay did indeed spot the tomb, though it was very much open. The tomb was just a hole in the ground, foul-smelling smoke emerging from it.

“Pee-yew!” Jay groaned, then chuckled when they heard the tomb echo it back. 

Kai sighed. “Let's just make this quick before Pythor gets here.” However, movement out of the corner of his eye distracted him. “What?” Abandoning Jay, he walked over in that direction.

Jay poked their head out of the tomb, finding where Kai had wandered off to. “This place looks empty. We must've just missed them,” they said glumly. Kai swore under his breath.

Then, Jay’s face scrunched up into a little grin. “Watch this though.” They leaned back to the tomb and cupped their hands over their mouth. “They say you're the Green Ninja, but I say I am!”

“I am!” the cave’s echo argued.

“No, I am!” Jay yelled back.

“I am!” the echo replied.

Jay laughed. Kai rolled his eyes at their antics, turning back to whatever had caught his eye before. A noise surprised him before he could finish turning around, and he whipped his sword out. 

…only to find a frog. A strange, purple, probably mutant frog, but a frog nonetheless. He sighed and lowered his sword. “You shouldn't sneak up on people like that,” he told the frog. “Heh, if I wasn't such a well-trained nin-” he was cut off by the frog jumping away and landing on a strangely dark part of the bogwater.

That dark patch started rising, scaring the frog off its head, and revealed a- oh. A snake. Serpentine. Shit.

Before Kai could react, the snake sprayed something from their mouth and Kai yelped in alarm when he felt the liquid go into his eyes. He rubbed them furiously, trying to get rid of the venomous spit, but when he opened them again, everything looked… strange. Blurry, with weird colors that weren’t there before. The Serpentine before him suddenly started to grow and change shape, wobbling dangerously before him and laughing. The sound echoed in his ears as he tried to regain his balance.

“Jay?” he cried, desperately trying to get his friend to notice. “Jay!!!”

Jay perked up, finally torn away from the echo match they were having. They looked over at Kai, alarmed that he yelled their name instead of their color, as they all agreed to do to maintain anonymity. They balked when they saw a good dozen snakes all circling Kai, surrounding him on all sides but his back, which was up against a tree. 

Several of the snakes were a toxic lime green, almost the same color as the bogs around them, with darker green heads and four yellow eyes. They wore reds and greens, toxic colors that made Jay’s eyes bleed. Those ones were all dripping with swampwater, which sizzled as it hit land. The other snakes were gray, black, and orange, and were a lot shorter than the others. These ones, however, had extremely long tails, small horns, and looked like they were built to smash bricks.

Kai, however, didn’t see any of that. Before his very eyes, the toxic green of the bog melted away to a darker, angrier blue, churning foam at the top of the waves. The water in the bog turned into the ocean - deep and furious and violent. Waves crashed at his feet, forcing him to scoot back. Strange figures that looked like sharks crossed with humans emerged from the waves, teeth gnashing in a flurry of colors. 

“Jay!” he cried, eyes wide with terror as the ocean pulled back. He knew what that meant. “Jay! Help me! I need to get to higher ground!”

“Higher ground?” Jay asked, whapping a snake with their nunchaku. “What are you talking about?”

“The- the tsunami!” he shrieked. “It’s gonna hit any second!” The wave was so, so high now. 

“Okayyyy I don’t know what you’re seeing, Red, but this is no time to lose yourself,” Jay grimaced. “I need you, partner!”

Kai dropped his sword and whined in terror. In desperation, he grabbed onto Jay and clung as tight as he could, too scared to let go. Jay bit his lip, scared to tell him off. Then, they looked in his eyes.

His very green-tinted and bloodshot eyes.

Jay’s heart skipped a beat. “Oh no, dude what happened?”

“I can feel the waves,” Kai muttered into their gi. “They’re cold, and wet, and I’m scared.”

“Kai I don’t wanna be the one in charge here!” Jay squeaked.

The Serpentine drew closer. They weren’t attacking, but what were they doing? Either way, Jay held Kai close and held their nunchaku out as a threat. No snakes were gonna get past them, not today!

Chapter Text

Jay swallowed as he held his nunchaku out in front of him and Kai, who was still clinging to him like a lifeline. Serpentine around them cocked their heads in interest, knowing what the poor red ninja was going through. Or, at least, an approximation of it. 

Jay had never seen Kai so scared, so genuinely terrified for his life. Kai was the hot-headed but dependable member of the team, who would protect them no matter what. Someone powerful, capable, and fierce.

Not scared and whimpering and pathetic. This wasn’t Kai.

Thankfully, Jay was saved from the responsibility of leadership when Cole and Zane showed up, their motorbikes skidding to a stop across the bog, which they easily leapt over. “Anyone order some kick butt?” Cole quipped, his scythe out. Zane held his shurikens high.

The cave liked that line, and decided to echo the last part a few times, making Jay laugh, despite the situation. His nerves were getting to him. 

Unfortunately, the echo wasn’t the only thing that emerged from the Venomari tomb. A shimmery displacement of air heralded the arrival of one purple serpent. Pythor appeared behind the black and white (pink) ninja and spoke right in Cole’s ear. “Boo!”

Everyone screamed and jumped back, all four ninja now huddled together. Surrounded on all four sides by snakes, they could very easily say that this sucked. Kai whimpered and clutched Jay’s shoulder tighter. No way whatever he was seeing was worse than Pythor, but it seemed to upset him enough.

Zane slipped his mask up over his nose and quickly stuck the flute over his mouth, playing a few notes. However, the flute was just as quickly snatched away by Pythor’s long tail.

“Aww,” he cooed, “let’s not let music ruin things, hmm?” He stood up straighter and stashed the flute in his robes. He looked at the other serpentine and nodded at the ninja. “Go on. Get rid of them.”

But the serpentine didn’t move. “B-but, Missster Pythor,” one of the Venomari hissed, looking concerned. “They’re just children. They’re not going to do anything, are they?”

“They are Elementals,” Pythor spat. “They will try and stop our plans. I will not let them try again.”

“Pythor-” a Constrictai tried to say, casting scared glances at the ninja, who gave them a scared look back. “We- we can’t-”

“Oh, you can’t, can you?” Pythor turned his head to the poor Constrictai, who withered under his gaze. “Would you rather them come back and imprison you once more, once they are stronger and older? Don’t you want freedom ?”

The serpentine all looked at each other, fear in their eyes, then turned to the ninja guiltily. They all approached, forcing the ninja to stumble back. 

“They don’t wanna fight us,” Cole murmured to the others. 

“I’ve noticed,” Jay replied, “but that’s not stopping them from doing something else to us.”

“I do not wish to hurt those who do not wish to hurt us,” Zane whispered. “I would feel quite bad about it.”

“Yea, I get it,” Cole nodded. “I also don’t wanna hurt them. But we might have to.”

“Careful! The river!” Kai squealed. Technically he wasn’t far off, because the ninja were about to back up into a stretch of bog. They jumped onto a giant floating log in the murky water, careful to keep Kai close.

“Well shit,” Jay swore, seeing the log float out from the bay. The serpentine halted in their approach, seemingly satisfied that they did their job.

Pythor seemed to agree, because he gave a satisfied chuckle and tilted his head condescendingly. “I've got a sinking feeling this may be the last I see of you four.” He laughed at his own joke, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.

As the ninjas’ minds went at a thousand miles an hour to figure out an escape plan, Cole grumbled. “That’s it. I used to hate dragons, but the hatred’s moved onto snakes. Fuck snakes.”

“They don’t mean it,” Zane frowned.

“I hate that snake specifically,” Cole rolled his eyes and pointed at Pythor, who gave an innocent “who, me?” expression in response.

“The- the lifeline!” Kai suddenly said, peeling himself off of Jay. “We need to grab that rope, it’s the only way we’ll get out of here!” He started walking off the log, reaching for something in the distance. 

Jay immediately grabbed his gi and pulled him back. “Earth to Kai! No lifeline! We’re stuck!”

“What happened to him?” Zane asked. His eyes darted towards the bottom of the log, which sizzled in contact with the bogwater.

“Venomari venom got in his eyes,” Jay hastily explained. “He’s hallucinating pretty badly.”

“Yeesh,” Cole groaned. “Like this situation couldn’t get any worse.”

“For what it is worth, it was an honor to fight beside you all,” Zane said.

“Yea, same,” Cole said.

“Ditto,” Jay agreed. Kai made a strange crooning noise. Soft and vulnerable.

They might just die here. The ninja all quickly grabbed onto each other's hands, and closed their eyes for what could be a painful death.

However, nothing happened, because something thwipped from above them. They all opened their eyes to see a rope hanging from the sky. “The lifeline!” Kai exclaimed, relief palpable.

“Everyone grab it!” Jay cried, and the ninja were quick to do that. 

However, as they hung onto the rope for dear life, they saw something else descend. The wind picked up, and the sound of motors and pistons filled the air. And floating on rocket-boosted power was… a giant robot.

Yea. Really. A giant robot, painted red and blue and black, with sharp gold accents. It was humanoid shaped, with clear Eastern inspirations if the built-in kusazuri were anything to go by. In fact, the whole robot reminded them of a samurai, bulky armor and an untouchable appearance. 

It descended and landed on the boggy ground. It held out one gold-clawed hand towards the Serpentine, who backed away in fear. It shot out a net, which most of the snakes dodged, but two Constrictai were caught under the heavy metal net. However, they quickly dug out through the ground, and joined their fellow snakes in retreat. Venomari leapt into the water to escape that way.

Pythor stayed frozen in place, probably out of shock. Or terror. As the robot reached out its hand again, Pythor backed away in fear. “Oh dear,” he mumbled, pink eyes widening.

Then, the robot opened up. The center panel moved downward, revealing a small figure in the cockpit of what the ninja now realized was a mech suit, not a giant robot. The figure inside was dressed in gunmetal gray samurai armor, with bright red and blue accents throughout. A snarling red faceplate and silver goggles completely prevented their face from being seen. In fact, there were no recognizable features under the armor whatsoever. 

“Pythor,” they spoke with a deep, mechanical voice. Most likely a voice changer. Or maybe a robot. “I’ve found you. You won’t get away this time.”

Pythor yelped and slithered away as fast as he could, though not before the samurai fired something at him with an arm gun of some sort. The snake didn’t seem to notice the bullet hitting his numerous layers of cloaks and robes and continued to make his getaway.

But with Pythor and the other snakes gone, the ninja had a chance to hop off and meet this mysterious figure. 

They approached them. “Who are you?” Cole asked, wonder in his voice.

“How about the coolest thing I've ever seen!!!” Jay exclaimed, flapping his hands excitedly. His eyes sparkled. 

Kai looked up at the figure and the robot with awe in his venom-green eyes. “First One?” he murmured. “I’m not ready yet…”

The samurai looked at him, confused, but was distracted by Zane bowing low to them. “Thank you, mysterious warrior,” he said. 

The mysterious warrior responded by spraying some sort of mist at them all. Immediately, they felt sleepy. “That wasn’t very nice,” Jay managed to say before he passed out. 

Zane, however, was still standing. “Wh- why did you do that?”

The samurai didn’t move. “Why did that not work on you?”

“What was that?” Zane demanded, drawing his shurikens. 

“It was supposed to put you to sleep,” the samurai explained. Their voice sounded stressed from under the voice changer. “It didn’t work. But this will.” With that, they grabbed a bo staff from their back and hit Zane over the head, downing him. 

Content that all the ninja were now sound asleep (or unconscious, in Zane’s case), the samurai nodded and jumped back in their mech, activating the rockets and flying away.

The samurai mech flew through the musty air, finally breaking free of the swamp musk. That felt… bad. Thank the Firsts the stink was covered by a mask. They landed on the deck of the flying ship, much to the excitement of one tiny child. 

“This is so cool!” Lloyd exclaimed, running up to observe the mech in close detail. He ran his hands across the sleek but worn metal. “This is soooo cool!” He grinned up at the samurai as they emerged from the cockpit. “How did you do this, Nya?”

The samurai took off their helmet and goggles to glare at Lloyd. “I told you to keep it a secret, didn’t I?” Nya said, fluffing her hair out. “You can’t just say my name out loud like that.”

“Right, sorry, Cool Robot Guy,” Lloyd laughed, but the sparkles in his eyes didn’t leave. 

“I knocked the others out with some sleeping gas,” she explained, closing the latch on the mech and pressing a button on her arm. “We should go pick them up. Make it seem like we never left.”

“Well, I never left,” Lloyd blinked innocently. 

“I mean me, squirt,” Nya rolled her eyes. The mech rumbled and folded into itself, becoming an inconspicuous metal crate.

“Whoaaaa, how’d it do that?” Lloyd asked excitedly.

“I’ve got a secret room in the ship," Nya winked. "I work on it there, and stash it safely in case one of the others accidentally breaks in. Now I gotta go tell your uncle we found the ninja, cuz we need them back ASAP.”

It was right when Nya left, unstrapping heavy armor from her body, when Lloyd decided she was his favorite. She wasn’t a ninja, after all!

-=-

It was two and a half hours later when the ninja awoke, groggy and feeling out of place due to the sleeping gas. They woke up in their beds, confused but comfy. Wu made them a quick lunch (dinner? it was already evening) of fried eggs over rice to give them back some energy, which they all heartily attacked. 

Jay’s arms were waving excitedly in the air as he retold the story of everyone’s adventures in the swamps. Cole had already finished his and Zane’s half of the story, leaving the blue ninja to finish it off. The guy clearly had a love for storytelling, if the way Lloyd’s eyes were shining was any indication.

“So then, just when we were gonna bite it, this huge mech suit-” he continued, but was cut off by Zane.

“They were a samurai,” she said, stuffing a heaping of rice into her mouth. It seemed that the presence of gender got reset every time Zane woke up, and this time was no different.

“A sama-what?” Lloyd asked, confused. (He didn’t miss Nya giving him a subtle wink and smile.)

“A samurai,” Wu explained, “a noble and powerful warrior class, known for defending nobility and emperors. They serve with honor on the battlefield.”

“They were hundreds of feet high,” Kai added, an odd lilty note to his voice. “With weapons coming out of every part of them. They sliced the ocean in two and saved us from the tsunami,” he sighed dreamily. “I thought they were the First One incarnate, here to protect us from the sea.”

Everyone looked at Kai in sympathy. Unfortunately, being knocked out didn’t remove the Venomari spit from his system, which would remain until it would naturally pass. Wu said that it should be wearing off soon, which was why Kai was experiencing what should just be a normal high, instead of the adrenaline-driven fear hallucinations he was having before.

Then, Kai snickered and leaned over to Cole, pointing at Wu’s beard. “H-hey, Cole. Look at Master’s beard!” He made a nasal chuckle, glancing extremely obviously at his master. “It’s wigglyyyyy like an eel…”

Cole suppressed the urge to facepalm when Kai burst into laughter next to him. Nya didn’t have that restraint and fully smacked her face into her palm. “Alright, when the hell is this spit supposed to wear off? It’s starting to get annoying.”

As if on cue, Kai grabbed the fried egg he had on his rice and placed it on his head. Completely nonchalantly too, like it was the most normal thing in the world to do.

“It will… wear off soon,” Wu hummed. “I hope.”

The egg slid a tiny bit off Kai’s head. Cole groaned. “Okay, don't let this mysterious samurai cloud what's really important,” he said, getting into leader mode. “All the Serpentine are out, and if Pythor can unite them, then he’s gonna do something really bad.”

“I believe the Constrictai we met mentioned something about a Great Devourer?” Zane put a hand to her chin, trying to remember. 

Wu gasped in shock. “The Great Devourer?”

“I was about to ask the same question,” Nya huffed. “Who’s that?”

“Do you know what that is, Master?” Cole asked.

“The Great Devourer is an evil that mankind should hope to never awaken,” Wu shook his head, though he looked incredibly distressed by this. Gold and white scales bloomed on his cheekbones, and for the first time since they met him, the kids saw black scales join the fray. “If this is truly part of Pythor’s twisted revenge plan…”

“The mural on the Constrictai tomb stated that the five tribes united will summon the Great Devourer,” Zane said. “Is that true?”

“It will be the key to summoning it, yes,” Wu nodded, hands tented in front of his mouth. “Only with the power of all five tribes can the Great Devourer be awakened. I can only hope Pythor fails in this step.”

“Whatever the Great Devourer is,” Cole grumbled, “it’s a can of worms I don’t wanna see opened.”

“This is all my fault!” Lloyd suddenly exclaimed, curling in on himself. “If I hadn't released the serpentine, none of this would've happened.”

“We cannot change the past, but we can affect the future,” Wu stated, calming down. The scales receded from his face. “At least we have the Sacred Flute in our possession, so-”

“Ah, haha, yea, about that…” Jay laughed nervously. He toyed with his cup of water until it tipped over and spilled all over the table.

“Pythor sort of… stole it?” Zane added meekly.

Wu’s whole face slumped in dismay. “The last Sacred Flute? Gone?” He sighed, running a hand through his beard and pulling his hat down over his eyes. “You four are Jago’s last hope,” he stated, so heavily that it would send the flying ship plummeting. 

Suddenly, a loud beeping filled the air. Everyone jumped at the noise, staring up at the alarm system. “The Pythor signal!” Nya exclaimed, already running out of the room at breakneck speeds. Everyone else was quick to follow. And since the ninja fell asleep and woke up in their gi, no one needed to change. 

They gathered around the computer, watching a blinking red light move through a map of the city. “Is that our guy?” Cole asked.

“Yea, Pythor,” Nya confirmed, fingers flying over the keyboard. “He’s bugged, and will lead us right to the others.” Before anyone could ask how Nya managed to sneak a bug onto Pythor, the screen changed, now showing dozens of blinking lights. “That should be them.”

“They’re in the city?” Jay grumbled. “Great.”

“There’s so many of them!” Kai pointed at the screen. The green from his eyes was slowly fading. “That’s gotta be the whole population!”

“Most likely,” Zane confirmed. “Pythor must be trying to enact his plan.”

“Go, now!” Wu commanded. “You must not let this happen!”

“Right!” The ninja nodded and ran off, leaving Wu, Lloyd, and Nya alone in the hangar.

The kids looked over at Wu, who looked definitely worse for wear. He was less human than they’d ever seen him before, scales and floating whiskers and claws and eyes of molten gold and ears that were too long and soft to be human. Something about the conversation earlier was causing him to lose control.

Nya and Lloyd exchanged a glance. Was it the Great Devourer that set him off? There was so much that they didn’t know about this strange old man. Maybe he had history with this thing. 

Lloyd, in a surprising moment of empathy, reached over to tug at his uncle’s robes. “Uncle Wu, can you read me a bedtime story?”

When Wu looked over in moderate surprise, Nya realized what the child was doing. He was calming Wu down. Giving him an outlet to relax and an excuse to get the children out of the way. 

“Right, yes, of course,” he nodded, sending his nephew a little smile. “I apologize for overreacting to this whole… situation,” he said, and the inhuman features withdrew. Not by much, but by a little bit. Nya smiled. Looks like Lloyd’s plan worked.

“It’s fine, Master Wu,” she said. “You’re old enough that you probably met that giant snake’s mom, or something.”

Wu laughed at that, though it was partially bitter. “Yes, something like that. Thank you, children. Would you be so kind as to brew us some lavender tea, Nya?”

Nya sighed. “Yea, sure. Just give me a moment.”

As she left the room, rolling her eyes at her being treated like a little assistant, she breathed out steadily. She could almost taste Wu’s fear and indecision and hurt, it was so evident. What history did he have with that snake?

She supposed it didn’t really matter that much. She started boiling some water. All those secrets were sure to come up eventually, when Wu was ready. She put a lavender tea bag in the boiling water. It smelled like flowers and bitterness.

-=-

Meanwhile, the ninja gathered on the deck of the ship. Kai tripped over his own feet and slumped over the railing. “Urghhhh,” he grumbled.

“It’s wearing off,” Cole noticed, “but it’s not gone completely yet.”

“Thanks, I figured,” Kai slurred. 

Zane frowned, picking at her gi. “It feels… incorrect, to be wearing such a color.”

“You look good though,” Kai said, giving her a thumbs up. “Suits you. Like a rose. Or something.”

“Ok, buddy, I got you,” Jay rolled his eyes and propped up the poor red ninja. “It’ll wear off soon, but for now, I gotcha.”

“He’s got a point though,” Cole shrugged. “Pink’s a good color on you.”

Zane frowned. “It may simply be- unusual to me, right now. Perhaps I may grow to like it. But not for my ninja gi,” she decided. “What use is a ninja of ice to be pink?”

“Glider packs on, everyone?” Jay checked. Everyone gave him a thumbs up, which he returned, and jumped off the ship, Kai attached at the hip. The wings spread out and the duo flew across the city. Though this wasn’t without Kai screaming his lungs out while Jay whooped in excitement. 

“Adrenaline junkies, am I right?” Cole huffed, getting his pack prepped. He and Zane jumped off, releasing their wings at around the same time and joined the other two. Cole breathed deep through his mask. “Ah… I love the smell of land hurtling toward you in the middle of the night.”

Zane blinked at him. 

The four ninja hurtled through the air with nothing but a glider pack to keep them airborne. In the night air, the city was alive, lights on in every little apartment and office building. Tall skyscrapers rose past them as they descended, which Jay ran his hand down. The city almost felt like its own solar system, stars blinking at every angle. The air smelled like smoke and darkness and moonlight. It tasted amazing. 

The ninja landed in an alleyway somewhere downtown, looking up at the gorgeous view of the city. They oohed and aahed at the sights, with Jay and Cole pointing out several of the important landmarks. A few people passed by, some walking dogs, others just out on their own or with friends or family. Some children pointed at the ninja, who weren’t exactly making an effort to blend in right now.

“I feel like I’m in a dream,” Kai muttered. “It’s all blurry and misty and bright.”

“You’re still high, give it a second,” Jay snickered. 

“Always heard stories of this place,” Kai continued, though he rubbed his eyes a little bit. “Everyone in Hakka hyped this place up to no end.”

“Biggest city on the whole continent!” Jay chirped, slinging an arm over Kai’s shoulders. “Been here a few times myself, but I can never get enough of it!”

“I’ve always imagined myself on a billboard here,” Cole mused.

“For what?” Kai asked.

“...Great question, I don’t think I ever figured that out!” Cole said, but it sounded a bit rushed. 

“Uh, but may I remind you,” Zane cleared her throat. “Where are the snakes? We should be standing in the middle of a massive serpentine gathering.” 

That was when a hiss caught everyone’s attention. They all jumped, weapons at the ready, but relaxed when they saw it was a sewer grate that was releasing steam (though everyone was confused as to why this was happening). Then… everyone realized something at the same time.

“I hate snakes,” Cole grumbled, already moving to lift the sewer grate.

Down in the sewers, the serpentine were gathered. Common serpents talked amongst each other in a huge crowd down below the leaders, who were gathered on overturned subway trains. The whole place looked like an abandoned subway.

Pythor fixed his many coats and robes (seriously, why did he have so many???) as the other generals observed. They had all quickly introduced themselves to each other, and from this, learned that not a single one of them had the desire to fully follow Pythor’s insane plan. 

“Raise the Great Devourer?” Acidicus had exclaimed, voice hoarse with age. He’d been the leader of the Venomari since before the Serpentine Wars, so even Skales remembered him. That snake was absolutely ancient. “How preposterousss.”

“Truly,” Fangtom nodded, both heads tilting in unison. “Vhat a ludicrousss idea.”

“It could work,” Skalidor held a hand to his chin. “If we’re careful about it.”

“It can’t,” Acidicus disagreed, shaking his head. “It is a foolish quessst.”

“He cannot posssssibly believe the Great Devourer will ssset us free,” Skales rolled his eyes. “It’ll eat him jussst as quickly as it will eat the world.”

“He is dead ssset on revenge,” Acidicus hummed. “It isn’t healthy to hold a grudge thisss long.”

“Ve all vant revenge on the humansss too,” Fangtom frowned. “But ve aren’t ready to raise The Great One for that.”

“Anacondrai,” Skales shook his head. “Ssso bloodthirsty.”

“Gentlemen!” Pythor suddenly appeared, wrapping an arm around both Skalidor and Skales’ shoulders. “Are we about ready to begin the unification?”

“We cannot go through with thisss, Pythor,” Acidicus stated, raising himself up to his fullest height. “Our people want peace. Not dessstruction.”

“Well, why don’t we ask your people?” Pythor purred. He slid his arms off the other leaders like oil and approached the front of the ruined train car he was standing on. He cleared his throat and snapped his fingers, the sound echoing through the cavern. He spoke loud and clear, a voice made for talking. “Friends, enemies,” he paused for dramatic effect, “and enemies who pretend to be friends.”

A few laughs sounded from the audience, which the purple snake seemed to take as a win. He opened his mouth and jokes poured out, buttering his audience up. The poor saps barely knew what he was doing. 

Meanwhile, the ninja arrived on scene, finding it easy to find a crowd of multicolored snakes when they were chattering up a storm. They gathered up on a catwalk above the crowd, far above every snake. A perfect vantage point. 

“That is a lot of snakes,” Cole grimaced.

“What are we gonna do?” Jay asked, fingers tapping on the railing.

Kai, all sobered up (probably from the stench in the subway), suddenly gasped. “I have an idea. Follow me.” And with that, they slipped into the crowd effortlessly.

“And what is with the Constrictai and their vice-like grip? Let it go already!” Pythor continued cracking jokes. Everyone laughed, including the Constrictai. Skalidor cracked a smile, but was quickly poked by the end of Skales’ staff.

Pythor laughed easily, all honeyed words and oily tones. “Heh, but in all seriousness, the reason why I called this gathering is because…” He looked to the side for dramatic effect, a sad and mournful look passing his face. “The humans, those Elemental Masters,” he spat, “they locked us down in those tombs. Imprisoned for decades, some barely even had anything to eat,” he lowered his head, subtly tilting it in Skales’ direction.

“It would be in our best interest to exact revenge on those humans for all they did to us,” Pythor continued, body moving like a winding river. “Forty years of awful starvation, and torture, and loneliness, all for losing a war. I believe it is time to show them our true power! Show our strength once and for all!” He raised a fist in the air. “We will win this war at long last!”

A round of cheers sounded from some of the serpentine (and Pythor could see a very vocal Hypnobrai jumping for joy). However, not all of them were convinced, and looked at each other nervously. 

“If I may interrupt,” Skales said, sliding up to the front of the car. “I would like to sssuggest a sssecond option.”

Pythor shot him a poisonous glance. “What are you doing?”

“A good leader consssiders every side,” Skales narrowed his eyes in return. “We vote on democracy, not majority.” He cleared his throat and spoke louder for the crowd. “Another option yet remains. We can abandon thessse foolish ideals of war, and settle down in a new city, far away from humansss.”

A few Serpentine hummed and nodded along to that. Pythor tsked his tongue. He can’t lose them now. “Come now, friends. We can still have a city of our own if we destroy human civilizations. Reuse, reduce, recycle!”

“Sounds like a good plan and all,” a voice spoke up from somewhere in the crowd. “But we all know the Hypnobrai’ll fuck it up.”

While everyone searched for who said that, someone else started talking. “Those big Fangpyre fangs can bite my ass!” 

“I bet those Venomari are drinking their own venom!” someone else piped up. 

“All that digging must have given the Constrictai dirt for brains!” one more voice chirped. 

Unable to find a source for any of those, the crowd began to hiss at each other. Snake faced off against snake. One Hypnobrai looked ready to leap out and claw out the eyes of a Fangpyre. Someone held them back.

Pythor hissed in displeasure when he saw the snakes fight. “Why am I losing them?” He whipped around to face the other leaders, who shrugged, equally as confused.

That was when Skalidor noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye. He whipped around to see a figure with a golden scythe on their back run around the catwalk. “Ninja!” he cursed, causing the other leaders to look over in shock. “I’ve got them, boss.” With that, he leapt off the train car and burrowed underground.

A second later, Cole went missing with a yelp of surprise. When Kai, Jay, and Zane turned to look, the latter two were shocked to see Kai also vanishing underground. When a snaking path of disturbed earth made its way towards the two remaining ninja, Zane hissed through her teeth and signaled Jay to run, and the two took off running. 

Unfortunately, Jay was grabbed by the ankle, too slow to outrun the Constrictai leader. “White!” he cried out, though his breath was knocked out of him when he fell chest first onto the ground. 

Zane turned around for a second, but at the sight of multiple other snaking paths, she took off running, knowing she had no choice in this. 

She ran until she found the main subway system, completely empty. This must be a rarely used line, if not abandoned. She had to get away from those snakes, but rattling the chains covering the gate did nothing. 

Footsteps sounded not too far away. They were closing in. Zane thought fast, looking around the subway. Tracks, flickering lights, and green-blue tiled floor. There was a giant pink advertisement on one of the walls. It was a stupid idea, but… maybe?

Zane dashed towards the advertisement, pressing herself flat against the wall. Footsteps drew closer as she screwed her eyes shut. She forced herself to not breathe, ignoring the whir coming from her chest. 

The footsteps stopped right in front of her. She didn’t dare breathe in. 

And then, the footsteps moved on. Zane dared to open an eye and was shocked to see the room was entirely empty. She could hear the tailend of footsteps going up the stairs, the chain on the gate broken down. She peeled herself off the wall, staring at the Sitar Legend ad that had saved her life. It was unconventional, but if it worked, she’s not gonna complain. Time to go save the others.

(Zane didn’t have time to think about how she still wasn’t breathing.)

Back at the main room, the Serpentine continued to clamor. Pythor sighed and dragged a hand down his face. “Did you get them?” he asked Skalidor.

“All but one, boss,” the Constrictai replied. He pointed to a door in the wall, most likely a maintenance closet of some sort. The Fangpyre by the door opened it to reveal the three captured ninja tied up with a rope. They immediately started to complain and scream until the Fangpyre hissed at them.

Pythor narrowed his eyes. “Search every nook and cranny. A ninja will never be in plain sight.”

Never say never. “Look! A pink ninja!” someone shouted from the crowd, and everyone turned to see a blur of bubblegum pink swinging down from the catwalk. 

“Go, pink ninja, go!” the three captured ninja all said in unison, watching their teammate swing around.

With a sharp turn, Zane rocketed towards the generals and took out both Pythor and Skalidor through the sheer power of knocking into them. They all fell off the train car, though Zane righted herself and freed the others with her shurikens.

“Now,” she said, tilting her head back, “let's get out of here.”

The others nodded and all four ninja jumped back into the rafters, though this time they weren’t being let go that easily. Several bloodthirsty Serpentine crawled up with them and chased them through the tunnel they entered from.

They managed to run pretty fast, spinjutsu speeding them up considerably. Then, Zane stopped and turned around. “Let us blow this popsicle stand!” she quipped, then threw her shuriken into the walls. The tunnel immediately began to creep over with frost, ice forming on every surface. 

“Popsicle stand!” Jay repeated, chuckling. “I like it!”

The four of them ran as fast as possible after Zane retrieved her shurikens, trying to escape the creeping frost. Thankfully, the snakes weren’t so lucky, and the ninja could hear some of them falling behind them. 

As the ninja escaped, the Serpentine were having an awful time. It was cold and biting and painful, and while the Hypnobrai were having an easier time than the others, no one was able to catch up. 

Pythor specifically seemed to have issues, because after five seconds on the ice, he slipped and fell. Skales looked down at the pathetic purple snake on the floor. 

“You'll have to do better than that to unite the tribes,” Skales mocked, pulling Pythor up by the arm.

This was a bad move. Pythor immediately recoiled and tore his arm out of Skales’ grip. “GET YOUR HANDSSS OFF OF ME!” he screamed.

Skales, as well as every snake in the vicinity, stared at him. Pythor took a second, then cleared his throat. “My… apologies. Goodbye.” And with a hand against the icy wall (which was starting to melt), he slowly made his way out. Mollified.

Skales snorted. Guess the unstoppable Anacondrai was sensitive to embarrassment. What a joke.

-=-

Early tomorrow morning, the ninja woke up, groggy and with sore arms. They got washed up and dressed in casual training clothes, hanging out in the kitchen for breakfast. 

Cole shoved a toaster waffle into his mouth. “Yknow,” he said after finishing chewing it, “whether it was in a lesson book or not, we used the destructive power of rumors to our advantage.”

“And now, the serpentine are further away than ever from getting their act together,” Kai agreed, taking a sip of tea. 

“You know, I don't think we would've gotten out of there if it hadn't been for Zane,” Jay winked at the white ninja, who rubbed the back of their neck sheepishly.

“Don't thank me,” they chuckled. “Thank Lloyd. If it hadn't been for his ‘laundry skills-’” they made airquotes “-we all would've been found.”

Everyone laughed at that, and as if on cue, Lloyd entered the room, sliding the door open. “Yea, sorry about that. Thought it’d be funny.”

“Did you bleach the gi like I asked you to?” Wu sidled up behind him. 

Lloyd stuck his tongue out. “You said their new gi’s gonna come soon! What’s the point if White’s not gonna be using the old one anymore?”

Wu considered this for a second. “A fair point. Carry on.”

Everyone rolled their eyes. Lloyd approached Cole. “Hey, to say I’m sorry for the stew, and getting you permabanned from the kitchen, I got you a can of nuts!”

As Lloyd held up a purple can of peanuts, Cole narrowed his eyes suspiciously, then laughed. “Ha ha, yea, sure. Don't think I don't see what this is.” Lloyd was the pinnacle of innocence. “When I open this, a bunch of snakes are gonna pop out, right? Yeah, no thank you.” 

With that, Cole waved the kid off, heading to the fridge. The more eagle eyed ninja instantly noticed how the smirk didn’t leave Lloyd’s face, and instead only got bigger as Cole got closer to the fridge. And when he opened the fridge, it was obvious why.

Cole yelped in alarm when a dozen rubber snakes leapt out of the fridge at him. As he sat stupified on the floor, knocked over by the force of toy snakes, everyone dissolved into laughter. Though Cole easily joined in, grabbing one of the snakes and hurling it at Lloyd, who squealed playfully.

Then, the sliding door banged open. Everyone turned to see Nya standing in the doorway, wearing a cute little red qipao, her favorite, a huge gray jacket, and a feral grin on her face. “GUESS WHO’S A TEENAGER NOW, FUCKERS!”

Kai’s face immediately split into a huge grin and he ran up and tackled his sister in a hug. “Happy birthday sis!!!” he said, hugging her tight. “My baby sister’s growing up!”

A varied chorus of “happy birthday!” sounded from the rest of the ninja, all walking up to congratulate her. 

“Welcome to the 13-year-old club!” Jay chirped, extending his hand for a high five. (Though he did look a few shades redder when Nya met the high five.)

“I apologize greatly,” Zane said. “I did not know it was your birthday today. If I had known, I would have prepared a gift for you.”

“Yea, same,” Cole tilted his head in Zane’s direction. 

“Aw, don’t worry about it,” Nya waved them off. “Neither of us told you guys. But we’ve got all of today to celebrate it!”

“Are we having a birthday party?” Lloyd perked up, his little tail wagging. “With cake, and ice cream, and presents?”

“We’ll see what we can do,” Kai laughed. “We only ever managed like a slice or two of cake. Didn’t have much money on our own, y’know?”

“Well, we can certainly remedy this now,” Wu smiled warmly, approaching Nya. “Happy birthday, Nya. Allow us to make you a good celebration.”

“I think Lloyd’s gonna die of sadness if we don’t,” Cole laughed, looking at the kid, who’s eyes might as well be orange by how blown wide his pupils were. Like a cat.

“Ninja!” Wu suddenly spoke up. The four ninja stood to attention. “I have a mission for you.” They shared glances, wondering what this could be. Wu’s expression softened in mirth. “Find Nya the best birthday present you can. And throw her the best party you can. That’s an order.”

“Yes, Master!” everyone said. And with a burst of chatter, the ninja split, scattering to the winds.

Chapter Text

The party began to be set up. Cole and Zane went down to a small nearby town to buy presents and cake, Jay stayed on the ship to tinker one, and Kai hung out with Nya and Lloyd, since he had already gotten a gift for Nya. 

When Cole and Zane came back, presents and cake in hand, they were surprised to see the party was already decently set up. The ship group had set out plates and cups on the kitchen table that they moved outside, and barrels of bo staves and spears had colorful ribbons dangling off of them. (They realized, later, that those were their ninja gi belts.) 

This was a casual, fun party, everyone decided, so none of them wore their ninja gi. However, none of them also had any fancy clothes, so most of them were just wearing hoodies and sweaters. Nya specifically was wearing this big gray coat that Kai got her a week before all the ninja stuff happened, and it was keeping her rather warm in the nippy air. 

Everyone put their presents near a barrel, and Nya’s eyes sparkled as she looked over at the bags and boxes laid out. None of them were prettily wrapped or decorated, but she didn’t really care about that. Out of the corner of his eye, Kai spotted Lloyd trying to sneakily peek into the presents and grabbed him by the hood. He ignored the wriggling child and his complaints as he was placed to the side.

Nya eyed the cake that Zane had managed to get at a local bakery. It was simple, with plain white frosting and strawberries on top, and most likely strawberries inside. Kai must’ve told them about her favorite fruit beforehand. She smiled and looked over at him warmly. He was scolding Lloyd for being naughty. She rolled her eyes. Typical Kai.

Eventually, Jay came out of the hangar with a speaker attached to the main computer. He grinned widely and started playing some party-suited beats, much to everyone’s delight. On the open space on the deck, the teens (and Lloyd) gathered around to start dancing.

The clearing of someone’s throat caught Nya’s attention, and she turned around to see Jay standing there shyly. “H-hey, Nya,” he began, rubbing the back of his neck. His face was pink. “Would you, uh- would you maybe like to dance?”

Nya knew where he was coming from. Jay VERY obviously had a crush on her, and made almost no move to hide it. He was at least willing to make a move about it, which made Nya glad that he wasn’t just skirting around it and pretending he didn’t have a crush. 

“Yea, sure,” she said, because why not? Jay was a good friend now, and she was willing to give him a chance if he wanted to pursue something more than friendship. That was the polite thing to do.

Jay’s face lit up like a lightbulb and he carefully held out his hands. Nya chuckled and placed her hands in his. They started to groove along to the beat, though eventually they stopped really dancing and just kinda spun around in circles. Not that Nya minded, to be fair; she was having so much fun! She’d never had friends her age, aside from Kai, and it was great to know that these guys really cared for her.

As they slowed down to catch their breaths, she caught Kai’s eye. She wondered, for a second, if he was going to go all overprotective-big-brother mode on Jay, but instead he gave her a smile as warm as a bonfire and turned back around to dance with Zane. Assured that she was fine, Nya shook off some sweat and continued to dance.

Half an hour later, none of the kids were in any shape to keep dancing. Collapsed on the deck in various positions, they caught their breaths and drank some juice. At some point, even Wu had come by to join them, though they all just laughed at his horrible old man dancing. 

As everyone was dying of exhaustion, Wu cleared his throat. “While you were all dancing, I decided to cook some dinner.” At the mention of food, everyone perked up. Wu laughed. “Yes, yes, it will be ready soon. Please be patient.”

The group scrambled to get to the table, chattering and finding a good seat. The cake was missing, presumably moved to the fridge by Wu. 

Soon, Wu came back out with a plate of karaage, a large bowl of freshly grilled vegetables, and (on a second trip) some rice. Everyone chittered excitedly about the fried chicken, all ravenously grabbing as much as they could. 

However, when the vegetables were being passed around, Kai tried to give some to Lloyd, who stuck out his tongue and cringed away. “Ewwww I don’t want vegetables!”

“You’re gonna have to eat your vegetables,” Cole chided, “they’re good for you.”

“They’re not good for me ,” Lloyd disagreed, blowing some hair out of his face. 

“Naughty kids who don’t eat their veggies don’t get cake,” Kai said nonchalantly, stuffing some rice into his mouth. He carefully measured the kid’s reaction.

Lloyd’s hackles immediately raised. “Wh- well, can’t I just have the cake now?”

“Nope,” he replied, popping the p. 

Zane frowned, realizing something. “Lloyd, you have barely eaten any vegetables since you were taken aboard the ship. You have eaten far less of everything else.”

“Uh, duh, cuz I don’t need any of that?” Lloyd narrowed his eyes defensively. “All I need is candy to keep me full. Gives me energy.”

“And my stash of chips, apparently,” Jay grumbled, spearing a karaage piece with his fork. 

“Why do I have to eat some stinky gross veggies?” Lloyd shuddered at the thought. “That cake had strawberries, that’s similar to a veggie!”

“Not even close,” Nya rolled her eyes. “Besides, we’re not gonna eat the cake till later, and you haven’t eaten anything all day.”

As if on cue, Lloyd’s stomach rumbled, though he glared and looked away. “‘S fine. I’m not that hungry.” He stuck a piece of karaage into his mouth, chewing on it almost petulantly.

Cole gave a measured look to Wu, who shrugged. Cole sighed. “Ok. Lloyd, can you come with me for a sec?” At Lloyd’s frightened look, Cole raised his hands. “It’s ok, you’re not in trouble. I just wanna talk to you in private.”

The kid looked nervous, but nodded and hopped off his chair. Cole led him downstairs to a spot where he couldn’t hear the others anymore, and he assumed Lloyd wouldn’t hear either. Who knows how good the kid’s hearing is.

“Ok, Lloyd, I have a few questions for you,” Cole said, a soft tone lining his voice. He needed to breach this topic very carefully. He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the response. “Have you been getting enough to eat? Like, before we took you in?”

Lloyd froze at the question. He paused for several seconds, the blood rushing in Cole’s ears turning into the ticking of a clock as he counted the seconds. He watched his face carefully, noticing every twitch of his red eyes and quiver of his lip.

“Why?” was the eventual answer, forced out through a tight throat.

“Not liking vegetables is a typical little kid trait,” Cole explained. “Most kids say ‘eww’ when they’re forced to eat a vegetable. But… you haven’t been eating anything other than candy and junk food.” Lloyd bit his lip at the accusation. “You’re gunning for the food that has the most calories in it. It’ll make you feel full, give you energy, but it’s really not healthy, and it-”

“It’s fine!” Lloyd snapped. “Like you said, it gives me energy, and I can survive by eating just that!”

“We’re not asking you to survive,” Cole’s heart broke at that. “We want you to live. To be happy, and eat whatever you want. You don’t have to just survive anymore.”

Lloyd’s eyes widened, pupils dilating. He stared at nothing for a while, mouth opening and closing. Eventually, he shifted his gaze up to meet Cole’s. “Y-yea? You promise?”

Cole smiled, something soft and nurturing. It was his mother’s smile. “Of course. You can eat as much as you want now. We’re not gonna punish you for wanting to have a good lunch.”

Though Lloyd flinched a bit at that, he breathed out a little laugh. Tiny pinpricks of tears gathered at the corners of his eyes, though he hastily wiped them away with his sleeve. “Th- thanks.”

“Now, are you gonna go back and eat those veggies and earn the cake that way?” Cole egged the kid on, poking him on the back playfully. 

“Yea, yea, I’ll go. I’ll eat a stupid vegetable,” Lloyd rolled his eyes and walked off, hands stuck in his pockets. Cole noticed his tail wagging happily as he returned to the dinner table, though he chose not to mention it.

-=-

Dinner was eaten, and soon the cake was too. While it would have normally been a rather mediocre cake, Nya knew that the teamwork from everyone seeped through to make it even tastier. 

So after the cake came the most exciting part - the presents! Even though Nya knew that some of these guys had literally only a few hours to come up with and get a gift, she didn’t have any doubts that these gifts would be special. While she wasn’t a ninja like her brother and friends, she was still a part of the group, and one that she loved being a part of. 

Picking blindly, she grabbed a random item off the floor, and was pleasantly surprised to find she picked Kai’s. He nodded approvingly, and she grinned and tore open the box, the most prepared package of them all. Opening it up, she gasped at the beautifully made sculpture of a fish, made from welded and melted metal. It twisted around, jumping into the air off of a wave. It wasn’t master quality; you could still see small bumps and chips in the metal. But it was perfect.

“When did you have time to make this?” Nya asked incredulously. 

Kai grinned proudly. “Back when we were staying at the monastery, Master Wu would sometimes let me go back home to the shop. I had already started on it a month before I became a ninja, so I continued to work. And when I couldn’t go to the shop, I just used the Sword of Fire,” he added, laughing. 

Nya laughed too. “You were always so bad at making weapons, but you can make such a pretty little sculpture like this?”

“What can I say,” Kai shrugged, “I’m an artist.”

The others leaned in to take a good look at it, and she let them take it off her hands while she tackled her brother in a big hug. He instantly enveloped her in his warmth, and she leaned into it. After a bit, she pulled away. “Thank you, bro.”

“Anytime, sis,” Kai smiled.

Turning back around, Nya grabbed the next present, which turned out to be Zane’s. Opening the just-bought gift bag, she cooed excitedly when she saw it was a book on advanced engineering. “Oh dude this is amazing!” she exclaimed, already flipping through it. Beautiful diagrams and blueprints met her eyes. “I’ve been looking for something like this!”

“Of course!” Zane smiled. “I am aware that you enjoy working with machines alongside Jay, so I figured this would be a good next step.”

“Zane, it’s perfect, thank you!” she grinned at him. He blinked in response, still smiling slightly. 

“Next next next!” Jay exclaimed. He was bouncing on his feet, eyes darting towards the very obviously blue bag. 

“Fine, Jay, I’ll open yours,” Nya rolled her eyes good-naturedly, picking up Jay’s gift. She heard him squeal in delight behind her as she unwrapped a metallic paper crane, with hinged joints and what looked like mechanics. 

“If you pull the tail, it flutters its wings!” Jay explained, already somehow next to her. 

She inhaled in surprise and pulled the tail, and the wings started flapping for a few seconds before stopping. Mechanic squeaks and noises sounded from inside the crane. “Dude, did you make this?”

“Like I keep sayin, I love tinkering and inventing things!” Jay chirped. “So I made a little crane, kinda like a wind-up doll, but it just goes when pressed! I- I thought it would be cool…” He trailed off at the end, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Jay, did you do this in like 2 hours???” Cole’s jaw dropped. 

“Oh, no, I started on it last night!” Jay waved him off. “Didn’t sleep too much, but who needs that when Nya’s more important?” He seemed to realize what he said and turned beet red. “I- uh, I mean-”

Nya snorted. “Jay, this is wonderful. Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. She could almost feel him short circuit as the space next to her face warmed up. 

She let go of him to grab the next present. Kai muttered something behind her and seemed to move Jay, who was making odd but happy noises. Lloyd retched from her peripherals.

There were only two gifts left, so she grabbed the last one in the gift bag. In it was a simple gray tshirt, with a faux-worn design of a willow tree overlooking a river. Judging from the fact that everyone else had already given her something, she turned to Cole, who was smiling proudly. 

“I dunno if it’s your size,” Cole explained sheepishly, poking at a loc. “I kinda just guessed. The gift receipt is in there if you need to exchange it.”

“Oh, thank you!” Sure enough, there it was, at the bottom of the bag. Unfolding the shirt, she laid it down on top of her chest. “Looks like it should be fine enough.”

Nya pulled off her jacket and slid the tshirt over her qipao (it was the fanciest thing she owned, even if she did wear it a lot). It was a tiny bit big, but otherwise felt great. Very soft and breathable. 

“You look great!” Cole gave her a thumbs up, which she returned. 

“Fits great too!” She walked over to Cole, who immediately crushed her in a big bear hug. He seemed to be the most touch-friendly person on the team, and had a secret technique to crack someone’s back just right. And- OUGH yea there it was. 

As Nya walked over to the last gift, she pulled her jacket back on. It was still November, and it was already nighttime. The last gift seemed to be a joint present from Wu and Lloyd, presumably because the latter was not allowed to leave the house. Well- ship.

Opening the small box explained everything, considering it was Wu who gave this present. She gave him an “of course you did” look, to which he shrugged and looked away. It was a pack of tea, a nice little cherry rooibos that smelled absolutely delightful.

“We drink tea every day, Master Wu,” Nya chuckled. 

“But that is all the team’s tea, or my tea,” Wu explained, stroking his beard. “This is your tea. Your personal stash. One I picked specifically with you in mind.”

Oh. Well then. “It smells great,” she eventually said. “Thank you.”

Wu nodded. Lloyd, however, stayed silent, looking up at his uncle with an odd look in his eyes. Wu’s whisker twitched almost imperceptibly, though Lloyd seemed to notice and ran off into the brig. “Now, students, I believe we should wrap up for the night. We’ll need to wake up early in the morning to chase after Pythor.”

Everyone groaned. Wu’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Know that we did not waste today. This was a team bonding day, to get you closer than you were before. Nya may not be a ninja like the rest of you, but she is a member of your team nonetheless. And it would be sad to miss your 13th birthday party,” he smiled warmly. “It is a special day.”

A chorus of “thank you, Master” sounded from the teens, before they all headed into the brig.

However, Wu’s hand caught on Nya’s shoulder. When she turned around to see why, he winked and tilted his head at the hangar. “Uh, you guys go on ahead! I’ll be in in a second!”

Everyone shouted back an affirmative, and Nya followed her master up to the hangar. There, Lloyd was waiting with a very long thing wrapped in cloth. “This is Lloyd’s real gift to you,” Wu explained, and Lloyd held out the stick. “The tea was just from me.”

“I figured,” Nya snorted, but took the package anyways. Unwrapping it, she gasped in surprise to find out it was a spear. “Whoa, what?”

“It’s so you can fight better!” Lloyd chirped. “I noticed you like fighting with long-ranged stuff, like the long staff or a dart, so I got you a spear! It’s like a staff and a sword in one weapon! It’s so cool!!!” His eyes sparkled as he explained.

Nya hummed and looked at the spear. It was made of a gorgeous silvery metal, though it almost shone gold under the light. The handle was wrapped in a dark cloth with blue wave-like patterns on it, and the speartip had waves carved into it. It was beautiful.

“Samurai use this type of spear,” Wu commented, giving Nya a mysterious smile. Her breath caught in her throat. Did he know?

No, of course he knew. It would have been harder for him to not know, she realized, watching him walk away downstairs. She smiled at Lloyd and ruffled his hair as thanks, then sent him off to bed. And soon, she went to bed herself.

The spear was stashed under her covers now, safely tucked between the bed and the wall. As she laid down to go to sleep for the night, she listened to the soft snores the other teens let out as they dreamt. This was good. This was very good.

Chapter Text

The sun beamed down on the sweltering sands of the desert, but it didn’t really affect snakes much. Hypnobrai were born to live in the desert, and Skales basked in the heat he hadn’t felt in decades, since he was but a hatchling. His scales soaked up the sunlight and he hissed in delight. This would be a wonderful place to live, to rebuild a home for the Serpentine, or at least the Hypnobrai. He knew that snakes like the Venomari or Anacondrai didn’t fare well in the heat, preferring wet jungle-y environments.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a shovel hitting sand for the 800th time today. He breathed through his nose in displeasure and turned around to his… companion. Pythor was busy with excavating some ruins, shovel scooping sand into a huge mound behind him. He looked awful in this heat, having shed one of his layers already. Skalidor was digging beside him, funneling the sand away from the ruins.

“We're wasssting our time, Pythor,” Skales sighed, slithering over to the overheating serpent. “There's nothing here but sand and dussst.”

Pythor paid him no mind and kept digging. “Keep digging,” he commanded. A thumbs up shot out from a dune. He turned back to his pillar. “The Lost City of Ouroboros is under us. I know it.”

Skales rolled his eyes. “Oh please, Ouroboros hasn’t been found in centuriesss. Face it, your first attempt to unite the tribes failed, and now that you have lost your flock, you've become desssperate.”

“I am desperate, my disloyal fellow leader,” Pythor hissed none too kindly, “but only to bring our kind together so that we can unleash the Great Devourer.”

“You mussst truly be deranged to believe that the Great One will unify the tribes,” Skales scoffed. “There will be no progresssss made if you keep going down thisss road.”

Pythor grunted and leveled a poisonous glare at Skales. However, whatever he was about to say was interrupted by Skalidor, who emerged from the sand with an excited grin on his face.

“I think I found somethin!” he triumphantly reported. Pythor immediately dropped his shovel and slithered over to where Skalidor was. Skales, out of curiosity, joined them. 

On one of the pillars, a strange set of words were etched into the ruined sandstone. On closer inspection, Skales identified it as old Serpentish, a dialect not spoken since the Copper Era. But the words were complete nonsense, sounds and syllables that didn’t seem right for a sibilant tongue. They looked harsh yet esoteric, mysterious and melodic. 

Pythor’s eyes sparkled like gemstones. “This… it cannot be!” He ran his hands over the etchings, mouth twitching as he tried to read the words under his breath.

“What’s it say?” Skalidor frowned, scratching his head. “It don’t make sense.”

“The text is not Serpentish,” Pythor grinned cattily. “It’s Runic.”

“The magical tongue?” Skales’ eyes widened. 

“This is a spell,” Pythor confirmed, tracing a letter. “One that, hopefully, will reveal the Lost City to us, once and for all.”

He cleared his throat and breathed out, focusing on something the other leaders couldn’t feel. Skales and Skalidor looked at each other nervously and backed away, watching the violet snake raise his arms to the sky, as if pulling something from the air itself. “Ecrucio Tasatic Eperize! Forana Ithaetis Vasyecro!” 

These words meant nothing to the ears of the other snakes, but the air responded. Something tightened, the dust swirling around Pythor like a self-contained vortex of sand and purple light. The sandstorm kicked up, forcing Skales to shield his face from the particles.

Under his tail, he could feel sand shifting. He poked an eye open to check, and was shocked to see the sand being pulled into the air, off the ground, and disappearing into the sky. Out of the dunes emerged buildings, pillars, walls, a city , all emerging from the straining sands. A huge statue of the Great Devourer rose up from the ground, rearing its head like the god it represented. 

Pythor smiled proudly and waved his arms around the unearthed city as the sandstorm died down. Out of the sand an entire city had completely emerged, weathered and eroded, but still whole. Skales’ jaw fell open. Acidicus would have a field day with this.

“Welcome, gentlemen,” Pythor announced, “to the city formerly known as the Lost City of Ouroboros.”

-=-

The airship was parked on the base of a small mountain. The ninja, awake bright and early in the morning, were chowing down on a breakfast of eggs and bacon. Most were still in their pajamas, though Nya was wearing the shirt Cole got her for her birthday. 

Wu opened the screen door to the kitchen, thanking the mailman for delivering their package. An inconvenient spot to travel to on a bike, but at least he didn’t have to climb an entire mountain for that. As it was, the old man opened the door to a conversation already in full swing.

“First, I'll stomp on his tail,” Lloyd was saying, hands waving wildly as he explained. “Then, when he turns, a thunder clap to his ears!” He clapped his hands loudly. “Then when he's stunned, I'll disarm him!”

“Too late, you’ve already been hypnotized,” Cole scoffed. “Now you’re under their control.”

“Or you’ve already been put in a squeeze,” Zane added. 

“Or you’ve been spat on with that awful hallucinatory venom,” Kai glowered creepily over Lloyd, who scrunged away with a grimace. Kai laughed without much mirth. “Haha, trust me, it’s some bad stuff.” His gaze left Lloyd and he stared at his eggs.

“And then you’ve been bitten and are turning into a snake,” Jay rolled their eyes. 

Lloyd groaned. “Uncleeeeee,” he complained, looking up at Wu, “what’s the best way to stun a Serpentine if you don’t know what kind they are?”

Wu got a strange look in his eyes. “Well, it is fairly easy to tell which snake belongs to which tribe,” he said. “You just have to learn it.”

“Hypnobrai are teal and yellow, Fangpyre are red and white, Venomari are green, Constrictai are black and orange, and Anacondrai are purple, right?” Nya asked.

Wu nodded. “Correct. There are possible hybridizations or mutations, but after their imprisonment, I do not know how many exist.” Then, he sighed. “Sadly, their commonality is their weakness to the Sacred Flute, which you four carelessly lost.”

The ninja all cringed. “Hey- no, no, no, we didn’t lose it,” Jay sputtered. “Pythor stole it!”

“Whatever the case may be,” Wu sighed and poured himself some tea, “without it I fear we have nothing to combat their powers. We may have prevented them from uniting in the past, but they will try again, and one day they will be stronger.”

“Don't worry, Master,” Cole said. “I've almost reached my full potential, and when I become the Green Ninja, we're not gonna need any magic flute.”

Kai immediately slammed his hands on the table and raised himself up higher. “ You're gonna be the Green Ninja? Hahaha- don't make me laugh.” That last part was delivered perfectly flat with a glower aimed right at the black ninja.

(Nya and Wu exchanged a worried glance at that. She caught something dark (regret, maybe? recognition?) in his eyes.)

“Please, calm down, Kai,” Zane frowned. “Refrain from shaking the table.” Then, a little playful sparkle entered its eyes. “I thought it was decided that I am destined to become the Green Ninja!”

Jay laughed and punched the white ninja’s shoulder. “The only thing decided about you, Zane, is that you're weird.”

As the ninja started to argue, Lloyd slipped out of his seat and slunk up to Wu, poking the nondescript black box he had placed on the table. “What’s in the box?” he asked. 

Wu rolled his eyes at the ninjas’ antics and opened the box. “Your new gi,” he explained.

The ninja all snapped their heads towards the box and they all reached out to grab their specific uniform, almost ravenously. They oohed and aahed over the new gi, fanboying about the shiny details and facets. 

“Whoa!” Jay exclaimed, eyes wide. “They’ve got like, armor and stuff!”

“I love the gold highlights!” Kai grinned, holding it up to catch the light.

“Battle claws!” Cole made claw motions with his hands, staring at the gloves he got in his set. 

“The material is so light and breathable!” Zane’s eyes shone as it rubbed the fabric between its fingers. 

“Anything for me?” Lloyd asked. His tail wagged excitedly.

Wu buffered for a minute as Nya snorted. “Oh- uhm,” his eyes darted around the very empty box and the table. “You can- um, you get.” Uhhhh. “The box?” He shoved the box towards his nephew, who had an incredibly deadpan expression on his face.

Thankfully, he was saved from a response when the alarm blared overhead. Nya was, as usual, the first one out of her chair, sprinting upstairs to the hangar. The ninja were a bit slower, but joined her there all the same. Wu and Lloyd made last place as they caught up.

Cole frowned as he poked at the security camera footage being broadcast to the police network. “Sorry to break up the moment, boys, but a small faction of our slithering friends are apparently stirring up trouble at Mega Monster.”

“Mega Monster?” Lloyd squealed in joy. “The amusement park? Oh, can I go? Can I go with you, please? Let me make things up. I can help!” His tail wagged like a dog as he pleaded with childlike glee with the others.

“I’m sorry, nephew,” Wu immediately shut the idea down, much to Lloyd’s utter dismay. “You will remain on the ship, where you are safer.”

Lloyd’s face sunk into a pout and slunk off to plant his head against the wall. “Ninja get all the fun,” he groaned. 

Not caring much for the child’s misery, Jay grinned. “Whaddaya say, guys? Time to try out the new merchandise?”

Everyone returned their wide grin, and about five minutes later, they were all out on the deck, dressed in their new gi. Kai’s gi was still bright red, with gray trims and dark red sleeves. Two layers of dark red leather armor protected his chest, molding well with the shape of his chest. Concealing but not constricting. Beautiful gold swirls marked the armor. Gold armor accented his shoulders and forehead, a three-pronged “crown” present in all of their gi. A few shurikens were stuck into two thin dark red leather belts on his hips. His sword was tucked into a sheath on his back.

Cole’s suit was still black, with orange trims. He had two shoulder pads of studded leather, a dark earthy brown, that connected with two straps on his chest, with some matching straps around his hips attached to a cloth orange belt. His shoulder armor and “crown” were silver, though the studs on his leather armor were iron. A white undershirt was visible through the gi’s folds. He held his scythe in his hand confidently.

Zane’s gi was still white, with icy blue trims and gold armor. This was the simplest gi of them all, comparatively, but it had a strange piece of armor. Dark blue leather protected its left shoulder, though it looked woven and purposefully raggedy, with stray cuts of leather hanging off the straps. Kunai were hidden smartly in the belt, made of the same dark blue leather. Zane’s gi, too, had gold armor, much like Kai’s, and the golden shurikens were stashed somewhere on its back.

Jay’s uniform was still cyan, with darker blue trims. It was the flashiest gi of them all, with their right sleeve being made of shiny metal. It seemed to be still flexible, as Jay could still move their arm around freely, but it caught the light in the most annoying way possible, in the others’ opinions. The armor spread down to a third of their chest, the strap wrapping around under their other arm. Their belt was cloth and bright yellow, and the armor was silver, like Cole’s. Their nunchaku was being idly flipped in their hand.

“Alright!” Cole said, stretching. “This new stuff feels like it'll really protect us!”

“Yet provides more mobility,” Zane added, spinning in place briefly.

“You wanna strut your stuff on the catwalk, or get down to that amusement park so we can go on some rides?” Jay tilted their head towards Mega Monster, which they had managed to get to in the time they needed to change. 

“Never actually been to an amusement park before,” Kai confessed. Then, he got a catty little smirk on his face and put a foot up on the banister. “But I don’t think a dinky little roller coaster could ever beat real life-threatening adrenaline!”

With that, he jumped off the ship, glider pack ready to be activated. Everyone else whooped and set off after him, savoring the wind in their hoods and the rush of adrenaline in their veins.

Glider packs activated, the ninja descended onto the roof of a kiosk and they jumped down into action poses. “Haha! Check that out. And not a scratch on me!” Cole exclaimed happily, strutting up to a gathered crowd. They seemed to be cheering.

“Haha, ladies, relax, relax, we have arrived,” Kai said easily, though he was caught off-guard when the crowd didn’t even look at him. Instead, everyone was looking at something ahead, and when the ninja pushed through the crowd, they saw a tied up group of snakes, struggling against their constraints.

“Uh- what just happened?” Jay blinked in confusion, tilting their head.

“Oh, you totally missed it,” a teen girl leaned over to them. “There were like, icky snakes, and then this mysterious samurai came in and saved everyone!”

“He was so cool, and handsome,” another girl cooed, clasped hands rubbing her cheek as she swooned.

“He?” Kai’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know it’s a guy? Did you see his face?”

“Nah, I can just tell,” the girl explained. She sighed dreamily. “I know what a heroic man looks like.” 

As Kai’s brain short circuited at this information, Jay noticed something out of the corner of their eye that made their brain break. “N-Nya! You’re here already?”

Nya walked up to him, ice cream cone in hand. She looked a little out of breath. “Yep! Wanted to see the action, so I came down to watch, but you guys were late to the party. They just flew in, took care of business, and then flew off. It was pretty cool!”

The ninja spotted a fussy child being dragged behind his poor mother. “I don’t wanna be a ninja anymore!” he cried. “I wanna be a samurai! He saved us!”

A pair of men passed by in the opposite direction. “I bet the Samurai could kick those ninjas’ butts,” one of them said.

A pit of jealousy stirred within the ninja, especially one red ninja. “Ugh, who is this guy?” he growled, embers in his throat. 

“Whoever they are, they’re stealing our thunder,” Cole grumbled, crossing his arms.

“And we just got these cool new gi!” Jay complained, flicking a finger at their armor. “I wanted to show them off…” Then, they made a growly, angry noise. “That’s it! I hate that samurai!”

“Preach, brother,” Kai huffed.

“Is that jealousy I hear?” Wu somehow appeared behind the teens, making them all jump and yelp in alarm. Their master seemed nonplussed. “Maybe this can be a lesson for you.” He took a bite of the cotton candy he had seemingly bought.

“Not another fucking lesson,” Jay groaned, ignoring the complaint of “language!” from Zane. They were all usually more careful about swearing in front of Wu. “Hey actually, how’d you get here so fast?”

Wu chose to ignore Jay. “Iron will sharpen iron.”

Huh? “I do not follow, Master,” Zane frowned.

“Healthy competition might help you reach your true potential faster,” Wu elaborated, pushing through the ninja. “Do not envy this Samurai, let them inspire you.” However, his cool Master demeanor immediately vanished the second a smile split his face. “Is that a ferris wheel?” And he was off, vanishing as fast as he appeared. He nearly bowled over several civilians in the process.

As the ninja blinked confusedly at this, Kai placed a hand to his chin. “Wait a minute. Maybe he’s right.”

“You want us to compete with the Samurai?” Cole asked incredulously. “He’s got all the cool gadgets, we don’t stand a chance!”

“Not with him,” Kai added, a fire growing in his eyes. “With us.” At everyone’s intrigue, he continued, puffing his chest out a bit. “I say we turn this into our own competition. Whoever can catch this Samurai guy is probably the best of the bunch!” He whipped out his sword dramatically, not noticing some guy that almost walked into the path of the blade. 

“So whoever learns the identity of this Samurai will become the destined Green Ninja,” Jay mused. “Hah! I love it!” They pumped their arms into the air.

“Then it’s settled!” Cole stuck his hand in front of him, and the others were quick to place their hands on top of his. “May the Green Ninja win!”

With a group cheer, they lifted their hands into the air, cementing the bet. 

“I’m obviously gonna be the first to get them,” Nya spoke up, making everyone jump. They honestly forgot she was here. “You guys are too focused on being better than the other, I don’t have competition.”

“You can join us in our bet,” Zane offered. “It is not too late.”

“How can I be the Green Ninja if I’m not even a normal ninja?” she rolled her eyes, finishing up her ice cream. “I’ll be fine.”

“We don’t even know the guy’s gender ,” Jay complained. “We just started he/theying this guy.”

“I can just tell it’s a guy,” Kai countered. “It’s the vibes.”

“Does it truly matter?” Zane added, who woke up today with no gender and no cares about it. 

“I guess it doesn’t,” Nya muttered, though there was an odd look in her eyes. Something in the back of Jay’s mind rang an alarm, but they chose to ignore it for now. Probably just their crushy feelings acting up. “Whoever he is, I’ll get him first,” Nya continued, brushing off her jeans.

“...Hey, weren't you supposed to watch Lloyd with Master Wu?” Cole raised an eyebrow.

Nya froze. “OH SHIT WE LEFT THE CHILD ALONE.”

The ninja and Nya raced to the ship. Lloyd was still on the ship, but their bedsheets were not. Everyone groaned. Lloyd smiled innocently.

-=-

About an hour later, an alarm pinged from the hangar. Everyone was already here, waiting for something to happen so they could get there quicker than that samurai. “Multiple snake sightings! They're everywhere!” Nya exclaimed, staring at the screen. There were four locations, all beeping with alarms. 

The ninja looked at each other in exhilaration. Time to go kick some snake butt!

And so they all split up, each ninja going to a separate location. Kai went to the Forest of Tranquility, which was being disturbed by a group of Constrictai. A group of picnicking girls screamed in fear at the snakes, but it didn’t seem like the serpents were attacking. Instead, they were just… stealing their food. Odd, but it wasn’t like Kai was gonna pass up an opportunity to impress these girls.

“Help us, Red Ninja!” the girls yelled. Kai puffed out his chest. Oh yea, it’s time to turn on the swagger.

“Not to worry, ladies, the Red Ninja’s here-” Kai began, though he was interrupted by rocket engines roaring to life behind him.

He whirled around to see the samurai standing there, though with a swift motion - too swift for machinery of that bulk - he grabbed the Serpentine in a net and dangled them in his hands.

“Oh, Samurai!” the girls swooned, gathering in front of the mech. One of them leaned dreamily on the leg. The samurai was stock still, not bragging or anything.

(Inside the mech, Nya was having a blushing red crisis. She’ll unpack this later.)

Kai gaped, mouth open under his mask. What the fuck! Why was that stupid Samurai getting all the attention?! He’s the one with the fancy new armor and shiny gold sword! He growled, heat gathering in his throat. He charged at the Samurai, sword swinging down at him, though he was blasted back when a net hit him. 

Disoriented, he opened his eyes to see he was in the samurai’s grasp, hanging upside down in a net, just like those Serpentine he just captured. Kai growled and tried to rip the net open. It was made of metal, but he liked to think it looked a little melted under his grip.

He and the Serpentine were unceremoniously dropped off by the nearest town, and he scrambled to get up and insult the samurai, but the big hunk of armor was gone. The snakes, too, ran away. Great.

-=-

Later, in a cave by a small town (it was the same town Kai was dropped off at), Cole arrived just in time to see the samurai tying up some snakes. 

“Hey, Samurai!” he called, scythe at the ready. “I’ve got you now!” And with that, he jumped up and onto the mech’s outstretched arm, ready to pierce the armor with his scythe. 

However, he didn’t expect the arm to shoot off on its own and slam into the wall, almost knocking Cole out cold. Through his blurry vision, he saw the arm being reattached to the main mech. “Uuouhouahuhhh,” he groaned, struggling to stay conscious. 

Fortunately, the snakes were easily taken care of as the samurai took them out of the cave, though that just left Cole with a rather nasty headache as he tried to pull himself together.

-=-

Meanwhile, Jay was trying a different tactic. Maybe hunting after the snakes themselves was pointless. Besides, none of them seemed to be doing any actual crimes yet. Just stealing food. Understandable.

No, Jay was hunting the Samurai themself. They had grabbed a random outfit that was left hanging around in the closet, something that would disguise them. They weren’t a ninja, they were just a poor defenseless civilian about to get run over by a train!

Speaking of which, they approached the train tracks and fake tripped on the rails, collapsing (rather painfully) onto the track. “Oh noooo!” they cried, clutching their knee in fake anguish. “I’ve tripped on the rails and I’m going to get run over by a train! If only there was a big strong samurai to come save me!”

As they lay there, they heard the train steadily approaching. Their breath hitched. The samurai had to show up, right? They’re in danger here!

Sure enough, a rocket booster sounded at the corner of Jay’s auditory range. They whipped their head around to look up at the hulking mass of red and blue armor that was the Samurai, standing there in disbelief with their arms by their sides. 

“Samurai!” Jay exclaimed, excited. They didn’t even need to fake that one. “Are you here to save me from the awful train?”

They could hear the train approaching. It wasn’t far now. They swallowed nervously, then chuckled. 

Thankfully, the samurai was merciful, and plucked them off the rails like a kitten. Safely off the rails, Jay looked over at the samurai, trying to gauge if there were any recognizable features they could see. Unfortunately, behind the goggles and face mask, there was nothing. Wisps of black hair poked out from the helmet, but that was nothing. Two thirds of the world’s population had black hair.

Jay was deposited on the ground. “Uh- thanks, Samurai. I owe you my life!” they said, hamming it up. 

The samurai didn’t seem impressed, and walked away. Didn’t even dignify Jay with showing off their cool rocket boosters??? They see how it is.

They kicked a rock. Shit, they weren’t any closer to finding out this guy’s true identity. However… maybe that’s a good thing. The samurai didn’t know the ninjas’ true identities, though they weren’t trying to find them out.

Either way, Jay groaned and found their motorbike and took off back home. That was a bust.

-=-

Zane shielded its face from the snow as it arrived at its location, a small village on the top of a snowy cliff. It frowned. Why would snakes be up here? They’re cold-blooded, it would be torture to be in such cold weather such as this.

It was, apparently, a lone two Hypnobrai, struggling against the net that suddenly engulfed them. The Samurai stood beside them, red armor standing out against the pale snow. 

“White Ninja,” came the distorted voice of the samurai as they approached. Zane immediately pulled out its shurikens and stood on the offense. 

“I came to capture you, Samurai!” Zane stated, readying its stance.

“There will be none of that,” the samurai replied. They pointed a large golden claw finger at Zane. “How did you remain unaffected by the sleeping gas?”

“Sleeping gas?” Zane blinked. “You mean, the first time we met?”

“Indeed,” the samurai nodded. “It worked on the other ninja, but not you. Why is that, White Ninja?”

Zane paused and opened its mouth to answer that. Then… it realized that it didn’t have an answer. Nothing came to mind. A whirring noise filled its ears. “I… do not know.” And it was the truth. Zane didn’t know why the sleeping gas didn’t work on it. It should have entered its bloodstream and knocked it out, just like the others, but… for whatever reason, the white ninja remained unaffected. 

The samurai hummed, a strange noise when put through the voice changer. “I see.” They released their accusatory stance and fired up their rocket boosters. “Please get these snakes off the mountain.”

As the samurai took off, flying into the sky, Zane bit its lip. Worry stirred in its mind as it contemplated everything. It wasn’t affected by sleeping gas, it didn’t need to breathe sometimes, it never truly felt hungry … 

Maybe it was just a strange human. Just a bit quirky, as Jay would say. Zane shook its head, ignoring the way its chest heated up and the whirring sound kicked up. It approached the Hypnobrai and helped them up. “Come along, then.”

“Please don’t lock usss away,” one of them pleaded. Zane wasn’t an expert in Serpentine faces, but this one looked awfully small. Was this a teenager?

The other one nodded in agreement, holding the other closer. Zane sighed. “What are you doing up here anyways? It is dangerous for cold-blooded creatures such as yourselves.”

“We were hatched in an icy cavern,” the first one replied. “We’re used to the cold.”

“We jussst wanted to find food…” the second one whispered, tail lashing in the snow.

Zane felt something pang at his core. These guys were just trying to live, with whatever they could get. Not like humans would give them any food if they asked, either. Maybe that’s why every other Serpentine sighting was relatively non-violent, and in places that should have food. Shit. It’ll have to report this to the others.

For now, it sighed and tilted its head to the base of the mountain. “I will give you a ride down. Please do not climb a frozen mountain again.”

“You won’t report usss?” the second serpent asked, red eyes glimmering with hope.

“No, I will not,” Zane shook its head. “You did not terrorize this village out of ill will.”

The serpents looked happy to be set free, and the three of them walked down to the base of the mountain, where they hastily ran away. The smaller one waved goodbye, and Zane returned it.

-=-

Defeated and no closer to figuring out the Samurai’s secret identity, the ninja returned home. No sooner had they all gotten back did Wu immediately force Kai to babysit Lloyd. The red ninja complained, of course. Why does he have to take care of some snot-nosed kid when the Samurai was still out there somewhere?

Wu’s harsh gold glare silenced his complaints, which is how he found himself in the city with Lloyd trailing behind him like a lost puppy. Kai rolled his eyes. He had enough kid issues dealing with Nya, he didn’t need some 8-year-old to make matters worse. He’s a ninja, not a nanny!

“Why’d Wu even make me babysit you? I thought you’re not allowed out of the ship,” he scoffed. 

“He said I needed some fresh air,” Lloyd replied, kicking a rock. His hood was back on and his tail was seemingly tucked into his pants. Looks like he really didn’t want to be seen with such inhuman features in public. 

“Half the ship is open to the air,” Kai countered.

“Yea, but I’m so boooooored there!” Lloyd complained. “I’m not allowed to do anything!”

“Why me?” Kai grumbled under his breath.

“Wu said you’re the best with kids,” Lloyd heard anyway, much to Kai’s annoyance.

“Riiiiight, you have one little sibling, and suddenly you’re the elemental master of babysitting,” Kai grouched, hands in his pockets. He was in civilian clothes this time, to keep attention off himself and Lloyd. Plus, it gives him a chance to pull a Jay and pretend to be a normal guy. 

The two of them walked down the streets of Jago City, sniffing the smoggy smells and loud beeps from every car in existence. As a country bumpkin, the big city was fascinating but scary to Kai. Too much of everything, in his opinion. Hakka was always quieter. And less smelly.

Kai stopped in front of what looked like an arcade. Jay told him about these things, centers full of games and endless fun for kids. Though the way Jay talked about it sounded like they were the one enjoying the games. It took a lot of restraint not to make fun of them for being the youngest ninja.

“Here’s some cash, have fun in there,” Kai dropped some coins and bills into Lloyd’s hand. 

“Wh- you’re just leaving me?” Lloyd’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“I’m gonna go hunt for the Samurai,” Kai said, looking around the city. “He’s gotta be somewhere here. I’ll lure him out.”

Lloyd snorted. “You’re gonna try to find some guy you don’t even know anything about? Out of, what, jealousy?”

His catty smirk was met with a heated scowl. “Please, I’m not jealous of him. Definitely not.” Neither of them believed that.

Lloyd groaned. “Just lemme help you! You don’t gotta ditch me here like this!” 

The red ninja rolled his eyes. “Nope. You’re staying here.”

“Asshole!” Lloyd cursed. “At least drop me off at a decent fucking arcade! I’ve been to this one, and it’s a real shitty one!” He jerked his thumb angrily at the arcade behind him.

Red’s eyes flashed angrily. “Watch your language, you’re eight.”

“Eat shit.”

“Whatever, I’m outta here,” Red waved him off. 

A well of panic suddenly emerged from Lloyd’s chest. “W-wait! No, let me come with you! I can- help…” His complaints trailed off as Kai ran off at full sprint. Lloyd’s tiny legs couldn’t hope to keep up. 

He groaned and muttered every curse word he knew under his breath. Dammit. Even the guy that was babysitting him didn’t want him here. No guarantee that he’ll even be remembered and picked up. Red was an asshole, he decided. Why’d he have to be related to the coolest person on the boat? He turned around begrudgingly and headed into the arcade.

Or… he would have, if a strange hiss didn’t catch his ear first. He knows that hiss - that’s a Serpentine! He noted that the sound came from a nearby alleyway, and he left the arcade door to peek around the corner.

Sure enough, there were a bunch of Serpentine standing at the back of the alley, just over a sewer grate. Lloyd instinctively wrinkled his nose. Stinky. They all seemed to be of different tribes, a wide range of colors among them.

“I hear he found it,” one of them said. “And everyone is gathering again.”

“Imposssssible,” another hissed. “The Lossst City doesn’t exist! It’sss been buried for centuries, since the Copper Age!”

“Well it sure isn’t lost anymore,” a third chuckled. “I hear there’s gonna be a fight!”

“A Slither Pit?” a fourth exclaimed, sounding excited. Lloyd recognized the Hypnobrai that said that as the announcer that ran the Slither Pit that declared Skales leader. There was an unhealthy bloodlust in his red eyes. “Count me in!”

Lloyd’s gaze traveled from the snakes to the giant green bus, most likely a Fangpyred and hijacked vehicle. Serpentine were entering the bus slowly. A seed of panic bloomed in his chest. He had to catch up to them; this was a great lead!!! If he found out where the snakes were making their new base, he would show those ninja that he was useful! They could take him on missions, and compliment him, and not kick him out when he proved to be dead weight! A perfect plan!

Now, the only step was to disguise himself to get on the bus. Glancing around the surrounding shops, Lloyd was ecstatic to find a costume shop that was, for some reason, still open, despite it being mid November. The Day of the Departed was weeks ago, come on, people!

Either way, there was a Serpentine costume in the front window. What luck! Lloyd’s eyes sparkled as he sprinted into the shop, grabbed the first one he saw, and ran back out, ignoring the cry of alarm from the cashier. Dashing into an alleyway, he tore open the bag and pulled out a Hypnobrai-teal onesie. He quickly took off his hoodie, pulled on the onesie (it was a bit big on him), and pulled the hoodie and cloak back over it. Funnily enough, his tail actually fit into the fake tail provided by the costume, and it helped sell the illusion perfectly. 

All that’s left is a finishing touch. His eyes were already red, so no changes there, but he slapped his cheeks, imagining white scales blooming there. Sure enough, he could feel a tingling sensation as scales appeared on his face, dusting his cheekbones. He looked at himself in a window reflection. He looked… good enough! Even his fangs wouldn’t seem out of place!

Assured in his disguise, he rushed back to the alleyway with the bus, seeing one last Serpentine entering. He quickly jumped in, panting and out of breath.

“Hey, you, hold it,” a voice cut through his exhaustion, and Lloyd froze. Oh shit, had he already been caught? He looked up, forcing his face to remain stony and reigning in his nervousness. The Hypnobrai in front narrowed their eyes slightly.

“Last one in closes the door,” they said. Lloyd sagged in relief. Oh, so it was just that. Thank the First Master.

“Oh- uh, sure thing!” he chirped, closing the doors. He found a seat in the back of the bus, relieved his disguise worked. A few Serpentine gave him strange looks, but ultimately didn’t look again. He huddled himself into a ball and stared out the window as they traveled.

Unfortunately, the ride from one city to the other was EXTREMELY long, and Lloyd found himself falling asleep on the way there. Only way he knew they were there was the fact that a lot more chatter filled the air. He woke up, bleary red eyes focusing first on a giant snake statue outside the window. Oh. Great.

They were here. The Lost City.

The Serpentine all filed into stands at one corner of the city, with an absolutely HUGE snake statue towering over them. It looked like a stadium of some sort, and while the whole place was dusty and sandy and hard to breathe in, everyone sat down and chattered excitedly. It was nighttime, and as such, the desert (they were in a desert? wild) was very cold. Lloyd was happy to have so many layers on.

Under the giant statue was Pythor, joined by Skalidor. Pythor sneakily passed the Constrictai something, which resulted in a quick look up and down from the short snake. “Just do as I’ve said,” Pythor whispered, “and I promise you will be my second in command.”

Skalidor’s eyes sparkled and he nodded. Both of them stuffed cotton wads into their earholes. Skalidor slunk back behind the statue, joining his fellow leaders. With that, Pythor puffed his chest out and slithered out to address the crowd. “Serpentine of all scales! I bring you together to the Lost City of Ouroboros, before the statue of our very own Great One, to speak of unity!”

Every serpent whispered among themselves, pointing out the giant statue. Its head frills ringed it like a halo, backlit by the moonlight. Strange green water leaked from the smaller (but still big) snake statues that accompanied it. A few snakes bowed down to the statue.

However, the more bloodthirsty members of the crowd weren’t satisfied. “Where’s the fight?” 

“Yea, we were promisssed a show!”

“Slither Pit! Slither Pit!” The chant for the Slither Pit continued, with many other snakes joining the cry. 

Pythor grimaced dramatically and jumped off the platform he stood on to stand in the center of the stadium. “You want a show?” he called out, arms raised to welcome the cheers and jeers of the people. “You want a fight? I ask for your allegiance, but you will not give it.”

The other four leaders emerged from the stands, all carrying their staves. Pythor smiled. “If you will not give my support, I will have to take it.”

The leaders stilled at that. Acidicus rose up to his full height. “What are you saying, you fool?”

“I challenge the four tribe generals for their staves and their allegiance. At once!” Pythor taunted, rearing up on his tail. With his neck and length, he absolutely towered over the other leaders. The crowd cheered. 

“I fought hard for thisss staff,” Skales stated. “I will not give it up easily!”

“There's no vay he can defeat the four of usss at once,” Fangtom said, their other head nodding.

The four of them approached, circling Pythor. He tilted his head, cooing in pity. He did not envy what these poor souls were about to experience.

Fangtom struck first, hitting him on the arm with their staff. As he leaned back, not anticipating such ferocity, he was struck by Acidicus. He almost crumpled, though he managed to knock Skales off his tail, taking Fangtom down with him. 

This let Acidicus tackle him from behind and bring him down. That old snake could really move when he put his mind to it! However, being down for the count was what Pythor wanted. Out of his pocket, he pulled a wooden flute out. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Skalidor nod at him.

And then, Pythor put the flute to his mouth and blew. A clear, beautiful note sounded through the stadium, echoing through to every snake here. As such, absolutely every snake screamed and collapsed, slamming their hands over their earholes.

Lloyd’s eyes widened as he watched the snakes around him curl up in agony. “Wh- oh no!” A cold dread filled his lungs as he realized what happened. “He’s using the sacred flute against his own kind!” 

The generals screamed and backed away, clutching at their heads and moaning in pain. “It… hurtsss…” Acidicus rasped, shrinking in on himself. Pythor’s eyes narrowed in glee as he continued to play a sweet little song on the flute of death.

Skalidor, for his part, was doing a really good job of pretending to be in agony, and threw his staff into the center. At the same time, Pythor stopped playing and swept his tail under the leaders, knocking them all onto the ground. Skalidor just ragdolled. Their staves clattered onto the ground as they writhed in pain.

When the snakes on the stands recovered and noticed the outcome, they cheered. Pythor’s name was praised like the next Great One as he basked in the glory. “Bow to your master!” he gloated, head tilted up, drinking in the victory.

As he threw down the staves, all somehow pointing at their individual leaders, the downed Serpentine got up. Exchanging looks, they knew they lost, despite how Pythor cheated. Anacondrai were never known to play fair. They tilted their heads downward, one hand on their chest. They lost.

“Bow to your master, all of you!” Pythor continued, gesturing at the crowd. The snakes looked at each other, concerned, but tilted their heads downwards in the same bow.

Lloyd, to blend in, also tried to bow, but one of his coins tilted out of his hoodie pocket and tumbled down into the pit. The leaders all looked over in his direction, as did the snakes in the stands, and he realized in growing alarm what it felt like to be hunted. 

He tried to run away, but a Hypnobrai nearby grabbed him, and the force of him trying to get away shook off his hood, revealing messy bleached hair. Gasps surrounded them as Lloyd struggled. “Where do you think you’re going?” the Hypnobrai hissed, and Lloyd realized, with great terror, that it was Slithraa. The same old general that he accidentally hypnotized.

Pythor’s eyes widened in shock. “Lloyd?!” he exclaimed. Lloyd felt a pit open in his stomach. Oh fuck.

Chapter Text

Kai rode the anchor up as he arrived home. Nya, the one who pulled up the anchor, raised an eyebrow. “Where’s Lloyd?”

“Asked Cole to go pick him up,” Kai shrugged. “Was busy finding the Samurai.”

A strange expression passed Nya’s face. “Uh. About that…”

Kai gave her a confused look. She bit her lip and headed to the kitchen, gesturing for him to follow. He furrowed his brows.

As they opened the door, they saw a discussion already happening around the table. Jay and Zane were arguing, and- oh shit, that was Cole. Without Lloyd. 

“He’s gotta be somewhere,” Jay said. “D’you think he ran off? I know he hates us, but this is going too far!”

“I do not believe he would do that,” Zane shook its head. “This is a stable home for him. He would not abandon safety and stability like that.”

Nya snapped her fingers, signaling her arrival. The others turned to look at her, then stared at Kai, who was feeling like something was extremely wrong.

“And where were you?” Cole asked coldly. 

“Searching for the Samurai,” Kai shrugged, crossing his arms. “The guy's elusive. He's like a ghost. One moment he's there, the next he's gone.”

Everyone stared at him like he just cursed out the First Master. “Are you fucking insane?” Jay asked tactlessly.

“What?” Kai retorted. 

“Lloyd’s missing, dumbass,” Cole glowered. His dark eyes stared directly into Kai’s. “You were supposed to watch him, and you went to go look for the Samurai instead?”

“I left him safe and sound at an arcade,” Kai waved it off. “He’s fine. Weren’t you supposed to pick him up?”

“Yea, he wasn’t there,” Cole slammed his hands on the table. Kai felt something cold enter his lungs. “And before you say ‘are you sure,’ yes I’m fucking sure. I checked.” This was a lot of swearing for Cole. He was serious.

Kai’s gaze snapped to his sister for help, but she had already left his side and sidled up to Zane. Both of them gave him accusatory expressions.

It only got worse when the shoji doors slammed open behind him, letting the cold night air nip at his soul. He turned around to see a livid Master Wu. There was a horrifying energy around him, golden waves of anger rolled off him like the corona of the sun. It was like looking at a star incarnate, something holy and damned at the same time, not meant to be here in solid form. And that wrath was aimed at him . 

Wu marched up to Kai, and the red ninja backed away in fear. Golden eyes, rimmed with dark scleras and toxic purple, razor sharp pupils, gazed straight into the core of Kai’s very being. He felt fear gripping his heart as his breaths became shallow. Wu raised himself up to a much taller height and sharp ivory antlers spread around him like a butchered halo.

“KAI JIANG, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE.” Those words were spoken in an echoed growl, a tone none of the ninja had ever heard before. 

“I- I just-” Kai’s words were cut off by a bone-chilling roar.

“YOU HAVE ABANDONED LLOYD AND ALLOWED MISFORTUNE TO CROSS HIS PATH,” he screamed, mouth full of too many teeth for a human to have.

“I- the Samurai-”

“THE SAMURAI WAS MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU THAN MY OWN NEPHEW? ” Wu growled, deep in his throat. Inhuman. His whiskers rose up, floating in ethereal golden power. 

“We- we made a bet,” Kai hurriedly explained, trying to keep his heart from skipping too many beats. “Who- whoever would f-find out the Samurai’s secret i- identity first, would uh, would become the Green Ninja?” The last part was said in hardly louder than a whisper, Kai shrinking in on himself and the chair he was leaning against.

That was the wrong thing to say. The golden aura suddenly burst with strength, leaving images of starbursts in Kai’s mind. The honey-cloying feeling of the power of Creation itself surrounded him, keeping him frozen in place.

“BECOMING THE GREEN NINJA ,” Wu roared, “ WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LIFE OF A CHILD? I GAVE YOU A SIMPLE TASK, KAI, AND YOU FAILED IT, ALL TO CHASE THE VERDANT DREAM THAT WAS NEVER PROMISED TO YOU. YOU ARE BLINDED BY AMBITION, AND CANNOT SEE THE PATH BEFORE YOU.”

Kai tried, just barely, to defend himself. “Ambition is- it's good, right?”

“YOUR AMBITIONS ARE NOTHING MORE THAN ARROGANCE AND DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR,” his master snarled. “IF YOUR 'AMBITION' ENDANGERS INNOCENT LIVES, THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR FAULT.”

“I- I just…”

“NO EXCUSES. YOU ARE NOWHERE NEAR YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL, AND I WILL NOT WATCH YOU THROW EVERYTHING TO THE WAKE FOR THE POTENTIAL OF PROPHECY, M- ” he seemed to catch himself, then quickly shook his head and corrected course “- KAI.”

The room was dead silent. The other teens cowered in the back of the room, watching this scene go down. As Wu breathed heavily, the golden force receded, leaving a slightly more human-looking Master. 

“You will search for him. Bring him safely home. Accept your punishment in due stride. ” He whipped around, shaking golden dust from his hands. He paused at the doorway before looking Kai in the eye one last time. “ You have broken my trust, Kai. This will take a long time to fix.”

The shoji door slammed shut as Wu left. Kai’s breath hitched as he collapsed to the floor, holding his chest as he struggled to breathe. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he refused to let any fall. Any warmth around him was gone. He felt colder than ice.

The others gathered around him, but none of them gave him comfort. “We should go find him,” Nya was the first to speak, looking down at Kai with pity and- disappointment. Fuck.

“I will ask Master if we are allowed to sleep,” Zane murmured, already heading out. “We are all tired, and will be of no use to the search exhausted.”

“Good idea,” Cole muttered back.

Jay scoffed. “Nice going, dickhead. You had one job: to watch the kid, and you fucked it up.”

“I get you don’t like him,” Cole turned a disappointed gaze down at Kai, crossing his arms. “None of us do. He’s the son of Lord Garmadon himself. But come on dude. He’s just a kid.”

“We all know you’re obsessed with becoming the Green Ninja,” Jay said none too kindly, “but this is going too far. We wouldn’t have done that.”

Kai was silent. Nya sighed and tore her gaze away. “I thought you’d be the one to- y’know, bond with him the easiest? You should have been the one, anyway.” 

The pit in Kai’s chest grew, but he didn’t show any external reaction. Vaguely, he heard Zane returning and telling them they could search first thing in the morning. Everyone left the room, leaving him alone.

He growled and grabbed the chair he was leaning against. As his hand gripped the wooden leg of the chair, it caught ablaze, the first hint of warmth he felt since he got yelled at. A reflection of the fire shone in his eyes, a combination of anger, regret, and self-loathing. He just had to go and fuck everything up, huh? This fucking stung. 

The fire petered out as Kai stood up and brushed gold flakes off his jacket. He just needs to forget about this and sleep. Yea. That’ll be fine.

He didn’t think about what it meant that he set the chair on fire on his own without a weapon. Maybe it’s a sign he’s getting closer. He didn’t let the guilt take root as he went to bed.

-=-

The ninja woke up the next morning in a rush. Breakfast was the quickest toaster pastries that had ever been made and eaten, all in a hurry to get out and search. Everyone had been giving Kai dirty looks, and he glared back. He didn’t have to play nice with these guys, even if they were his only friends. It’s whatever. He shrugged off the bitterness he felt.

In their gi, the four ninja gathered around the arcade Kai dropped Lloyd off at. “He was right here, last I checked,” Kai commented.

“Yea, he definitely stood in one spot for twelve hours,” Jay rolled his eyes sarcastically. “He’s obviously gone, cinderbrain.”

“Hey guys,” Cole interrupted whatever Kai was gonna retort with. He pointed up at a camera mounted on a nearby pole. “Check it out.”

They were able to talk to the owner of the shop the camera was set up at, and they agreed to let them look through the footage. They seemed to grumble something about stolen merchandise as the ninja went into the back office.

“Oh shit, there he is!” Jay pointed at the screen as a little black-clothed blob appeared on the cameras. “Play that back.” Lloyd seemed to peek into an alleyway, then looked around the street, and ran into the store the camera was set up at. He seemed to emerge from the store in a blur a little bit later, and hid in another alleyway. When he finally emerged, he was in a Hypnobrai-patterned costume, pulling up the hood as he ran into the first alleyway.

“What’s he up to?” Cole frowned. 

The ninja left the store, promising to reimburse the storeowner for the theft, and stood outside where the alleyway was. Zane frowned as he looked at the ground, noticing strange traces of footprints. “These are Lloyd’s footprints,” he stated, pointing at the slightly blue-ish outline. He didn’t notice the others giving each other strange looks. “But they end there.” He pointed at a final set of footprints, which seemed to vanish into thin air.

“Ah!” Kai exclaimed, pointing at some dark marks. “Tire marks! We should follow them!” 

Was it a ploy to make himself seem less useless and horrible? Yes. Did it work? I mean, they were now on their way to follow the tracks, which drove down the highway that spanned the Sea of Sand. Everyone thanked Ed and Edna for the wonderful motorbikes, which traversed the desert like it was nothing.

Zane kept a careful eye on the tracks, seeing them slightly blue in his mind’s eye. At some point, they veered off the road and into the desert proper, and at his arm signal, the ninja headed that way. 

A few hours of driving from the city to- wherever they were going, the ninja gasped as a huge city came into view. Had this always been there? Jay shook his head; definitely not. He grew up in this desert, and this was brand new.

They drove up to the front gates of the city. “What is this place?” Cole wondered.

“Snake City, if I had to guess,” Jay replied.

They parked their bikes a bit away from the city, so that no one would see them. Cole used his scythe to coax the sand to form a dune around them to hide them. They ran up a wall and hid on the roof of a building, watching two Fangpyre chat about random things. 

They heard faint cheers from somewhere in the center of the city, and crept over to where they heard the noise. Peeking over the roof, they saw a big open pit with spectator stands. A coiled cobblestone pattern of a snake was in the center of the stage, which was mostly sand. A giant snake statue oversaw the arena, one fang spilling green fluid. 

Hopping off the roof, they got a better look at the stage from the safety of behind the stands. “It appears Pythor has successfully united all of the tribes,” Zane stated, noticing the intermingled tribes of serpents in the stands. 

“I know we ruined their last get-together, but that's no reason to not get an invitation,” Cole playfully complained. “My feelings are hurt.”

Suddenly, something caught Kai’s eye. Hope surged through his heart. “There’s Lloyd!” he exclaimed, pointing at an iron cage, where a blonde kid was sitting, huddled up in a little ball. Oh thank fuck, they could still get him out of there.

“Well, at least we know he’s still alive,” Cole said, though relief lined his voice.

“Look at that giant snake!” Jay pointed at the statue that held the cage. 

“Lemme guess, that’s the Great Devourer,” Cole hummed. 

“All the more reason to get Lloyd out of here,” Kai growled. A fire sparked up in his chest. He was ready. “Let’s end this, now!”

Zane frowned as Kai drew his sword. Why were the Serpentine gathered in the stands? Were they waiting for something? For someone?

However, as the ninja ran into the arena with a battle cry, Zane’s question was answered when a huge cage slammed down on the ninja. Their golden weapons were knocked out of their hands and they collapsed, falling on top of each other in a stack of ninjacakes.

They heard the snakes gasp in alarm and surprise, and Lloyd’s voice exclaiming “The ninja? They’re here?”

The ninja groaned and pushed themselves up off the ground, only to be met face-to-face with Pythor. His taunting grin was the first thing they saw, and he chuckled. He coiled his tail around the Scythe of Quakes, careful to not touch the other weapons. “It looks like we’ve caught the main event,” he purred. Then, he cackled, a full body laugh that made the ninjas’ blood curdle. “We’ve been expecting you, ninja.”

As the cage lifted, they felt blades touch the backs of their necks, and they stood up with their hands in the air. The Serpentine around them led them to the center of the arena. “Did you know we were coming or something?” Cole spat.

“We had an… informant,” Pythor hummed. With that, he slithered away, finding a spot near Lloyd’s cage.

“What do you think he meant by that?” Jay asked nervously. “The main event?”

“Obviously it’s us,” Kai huffed. “ We’re the main event.”

At the communal cheer from the Serpentine, Cole gulped. “Or the main course.”

Zane frowned. “Kai, you may be right. Things really may come to an end today.”

Kai didn’t like being right. Jay sighed next to him. “Well, the Samurai might still save us! It’s not too late!”

As if on cue, Pythor yelled out, voice echoing across the arena. “You say you wanted a battle, and I give you one! I give you: Ninja versus Samurai!”

Aaaand there went any hope the ninja could possibly have. With growing dread, they watched as an iron door opened to reveal a hulking red and blue set of armor - the Samurai, in the flesh (well, metal), towering over the poor ninja. The snakes that had led them to the center of the arena quickly scattered, not wanting to be anywhere near the scary metal guy.

“What?!” Jay exclaimed. “We have to fight the Samurai? But we don't even have our golden weapons and they have that hulking thing of armor! It's not fair!” His arms flailed wildly as he explained, gesturing at where their weapons were stashed.

“I want to see once and for all who is the greatest hero,” Pythor hummed. “Is it the samurai, or the ninja? Only the victor will be allowed to leave.”

Kai gulped when he noticed the Samurai’s golden fingers curling into a fist. “Stay together,” he muttered to his team. 

“Perhaps we can convince them to join our side?” Zane wondered. “After all, they want to take down the Serpentine too.”

The second he said that, a whirling blade came from the Samurai, shooting towards them like a razor-sharp frisbee. The ninja yelped and ducked, and looked up in time to see the chakram hit a statue in the back of the arena. The snakes nearby it also flinched away in fear.

“Scratch that,” Cole grumbled, getting into a fighting stance, “he is NOT on our team.”

The Samurai charged, forcing the ninja to leap over them, landing behind them as the mech skidded to a stop in the middle of the arena. They immediately spun around and fired another chakram, which everyone but Jay jumped out of the way of. The blue ninja, instead, ducked, and stood back up once the blade sailed overhead. “Haha, missed me!” he taunted, hands on his hips.

Unfortunately, he didn’t expect the chakram to come back around and hit him directly. Thankfully, it hit his armor, and didn’t actually cut anything too bad, but he screamed in pain and alarm regardless. The others ran over to steady him as he almost fell.

The crowd cheered as the chakram landed in the mech’s hand. Jay rolled his shoulder and grimaced under his mask, though shook it off and joined the others in battle-ready poses. 

In the back, Pythor nodded contently. Everything was going according to plan.

The Samurai suddenly jumped up and slammed down a giant sword on the ninja. They all dodged as the sword swiped and crashed around them, but found enough time to converse.

“No weapons, which means no powers,” Kai said, ducking under a swipe. “And I don’t think any of us are stupid enough to try and punch him.”

“Other than Black,” Jay quipped.

“Hey,” Cole complained, jumping over a sword swipe. “But Red’s right, we need to figure out how to beat this guy.”

“Spinjutsu?” Zane suggested, immediately going into a funnel. As he approached the Samurai, the mech’s rocket boosters made them leap over the tornado. White snow spun out into Zane, who hummed in displeasure.

“You’re onto something though,” Cole realized. “If we just try Spinjutsu-ing at him enough, we should win!” 

“Or…” Zane sprang backwards, “what if we formed the Tornado of Creation?”

“And create what, a way out?” Jay grumbled, ducking. “Cuz I sure would like that!”

“We sure didn’t have a plan for it last time,” Kai replied. “Maybe we just don’t need one!”

“We don’t have much of a choice, guys!” Cole stated. As everyone gathered together, he punched the earth and spun. “Earth!” A dust devil surrounded him.

“Fire!” Kai spun in next, flames licking his form as he was swallowed by a fiery vortex.

“Ice!” Zane whipped around, frost and snow falling from his tornado.

“Lightning!” Jay finished the spinning harmony, a cyclone of striking lightning overtaking him.

Together, they drew close to each other, magnetized by fate and familiarity. Just like the first time, a feeling bloomed in their chests, the knowledge that this was meant to be, meant to happen. The teens laughed in the joy of creation, holding hands as they formed something new. They weren’t sure what they were making, but it’ll be good. Because it was the four of them - creating. It was meant to be.

Outside the tornado, Nya’s eyes widened in awe. She had heard tales of the Tornado of Creation, but seeing it firsthand like this was… something else. Something deep within her pulled her towards it. (And no, it wasn’t the actual tornado pull.) The Serpentine were in similar states of awe. Pythor’s jaw specifically was hanging open from his spot under the Great Devourer statue. 

Lloyd gripped the cage tightly, not understanding the longing pang that surged through his body. He needed to join the Tornado, to create, to join them, but- he didn’t have an element, especially not an element of Creation. So then why did he feel like this? Why did he feel like this Tornado was just a missing piece to a puzzle he didn’t know he was solving?

Aside from the metaphorical pulls, the cyclone was drawing in random items into its eye. Weapons, bits of the walls and buildings, even the Samurai’s sword flew out of the stands and hands and into the Tornado. The bystanders and instigators held on as best as they could so they wouldn’t fly out of the stands. 

Eventually, the Tornado faded, and in its wake was… a giant slingshot? The Samurai cocked their head in confusion, as did every snake. 

(“Who was the genius who came up with a slingshot?” Jay whispered to the others. He was met with shrugs.)

However, they all gasped when they saw what was being pulled back by the makeshift slingshot - a giant spiky metal ball. The Samurai’s eyes widened from under the goggles. This is gonna hurt.

That suspicion was confirmed when the ball was released and hit the Samurai straight in the chest, sending them flying. They landed somewhere close to Pythor, only missing the purple snake by mere inches.

The ninja cheered and high fived about it, but instantly sprung back into action and charged for the Samurai, ready to attack and pull the mysterious stranger from the mech’s cockpit. However, before they could reach them, Pythor pulled a hidden lever and spikes erupted from the ground, nearly impaling them. 

“AUGH!” Jay exclaimed. “Why can’t anyone fucking play fair?”

Pythor only grinned at this, tilting the lever to the side. This caused the entire arena to tilt to one side, much to the disorientation of the ninja. They all screamed and started sliding down the angled arena floor. They managed to grab onto a spike at the last second, eyeing the dark pit below them. Jay was complaining and screaming something incoherent, though none of the other ninja could hope to translate it.

“Can this get any worse?!” Cole complained.

The Samurai joined them seconds later, also grabbing onto one of the spikes.

“It can,” Kai groaned.

“We must continue to make it appear that we are fighting,” the Samurai’s distorted voice spoke up. 

“Huh???” Jay asked incredulously. “We're not fighting for real? No one told me!”

“Keep up the charade and hold onto my exosuit,” the Samurai continued. 

“Don’t need to ask me twice,” Kai growled and swung himself onto the mech. He started to punch parts that he thought were sensitive enough.

When the other ninja joined him, the Samurai’s rocket boosters fired up and they flew up into the sky. The Serpentine gasped in excitement. 

However, the boosters started to sputter. The ninja hung on tight. “There's too much weight!” Zane realized.

The Samurai opened the cockpit hatch and jumped out of the suit. Talk about abrupt. Without the added weight, the mech gained more altitude and began to properly fly. 

“I can't believe he just saved us!” Cole exclaimed, holding on as tight as possible.

“He stole our thunder again!” Kai angrily complained. He gave the mech a smack for good measure.

“Augh!” Jay groaned. “I hate that Samurai!”

Back on the ground, Pythor growled as the mech flew off. Lloyd, meanwhile, was cheering them on. “Go, ninja, go!” he yelled. It’s good they escaped. Now, the Samurai just has to help him get out. Easy peasy! Nya’s way more competent than those bumbling idiots.

The Samurai, no mech and just gray samurai armor, landed on the stands. They grabbed a random banner hanging on a pole and jumped down to the arena, which had evened out, and charged at Pythor. Thinking quickly, the violet serpent tore open the cage and pulled Lloyd out. The kid yelped in alarm when a knife appeared at his throat.

The Samurai skidded to a halt, then pulled out their own spear. Lloyd’s eyes flicked to it. His gift. “Release him,” the voice changer growled. Eyes narrowed behind red goggles.

“Hmm…” Pythor pretended to think. “No.”

Skalidor jumped into the stage and circled behind the Samurai, who tsked under the mouthguard. 

“Samurai!” Lloyd cried. He felt the knife press against his throat, but not cut. “Get out of here!”

“But- but what about you?” the samurai questioned.

“I’ll be fine,” Lloyd laughed in false confidence. “I’ve survived worse, and I know snakes. I-” he swallowed “-I’ll be fine.”

“The boy is correct,” Pythor hissed, inching his muzzle close to Lloyd’s face, who leaned as far away as he could. “Leave us, victor. You have proved yourself.”

“I will leave with only the boy,” the Samurai stated, “or the weapons. You won’t give up both, so I want you to choose. Or else I’ll turn this arena red.”

“Counter-argument,” Skalidor piped up, slithering closer. “You leave and we don’t kill ya.”

The Samurai hummed. “Nah,” they eventually decided. “I’ll do my own thing.” And they spun out their spear and hit Skalidor on the head. As the Constrictai gripped his head, the Samurai charged at the base of the statue. Pythor growled and flashed the knife, making Lloyd whimper. 

When Lloyd and the Samurai made eye contact, he tried to communicate his thoughts as best as he could through thoughts. Leave him, he begged. He could survive the snakes. They won’t kill him. He could escape on his own. He’s capable.

(He tried to not let his eyes betray the fact that he was so, so scared. Pythor was right behind him, holding a knife to his throat, and he was scared of him. He was scared of what they’re gonna do to him. But he has to be brave. Strong. Otherwise, no one will respect him. Like him.)

The Samurai - Nya - seemed to read those feelings. Besides, she reasoned, the ninja could always come save him. This is not a fight she could win, with so many Serpentine around her and the power of Pythor’s authority and cunning against her. She only had her spear. She wasn’t even certain she could beat Pythor in a physical fight. So she nodded at Lloyd and darted for the weapons, kicking them up with her spear and wrapping them in the banner.

Just as quickly, she ran out of the statue before a tail could trip her, and fired up her own rocket boosters, landing on the top of the Great Devourer statue. 

Pythor growled in fury, fist tightening on the knife. Nya just smirked behind the mask and bowed theatrically. They got the show they asked for. And with that, she fired up her thrusters and took off through the sky. 

-=-

Meanwhile, the ninja were having an awful time on the mech. “How do you turn this thing off?!” Kai screamed, hanging on for dear life. That didn’t really work, as he lost his grip and fell off, though his yell was lost to the wind.

The others still held on, and were there with the mech as it crashed into the sand. A cloud of sand hung over the area like the world’s worst fog, and Jay pushed himself off the ground, groaning. Everything’s gonna hurt so much tomorrow morning. 

He looked around, spotting Zane picking himself up off the sand near the mech. He must have been imagining the small blue spark that shot out close to Zane’s eyes. He also saw Cole shake the sand off his gi, on the opposite side of the mech. But…

“Where’s Kai?” Jay shouted down at the others, who looked around. 

The red ninja was gone. In fact, he was a far distance away, having fallen off the mech a bit before it crashed. He was headfirst in the sand, and at the very real threat of suffocating, he pushed himself out. He was so thankful to be wearing a mask, though he’s gonna be cleaning sand off every inch of him for weeks . 

“Guys?” he asked the empty air. 

…Nothing. No one answered. Kai was alone. He pulled off his mask, coughing at the sand-filled air. He scanned the surroundings and pulled himself up a dune. Maybe- maybe he could see them from higher up? His leg stung something fierce. It hurt to walk. It’s fine. He pushed through.

Meanwhile, the Samurai was flying through the desert, trying to reach the base ship safely. It was parked somewhere close by, right? 

Kai gasped as a gray blur shot past him. “The Samurai?” he wondered, and in a split second decision, he sprinted after them, ignoring the burn in his leg.

Smoke was a bad sign, they realized at the same time, when the jetpack engines began to release acrid smoke into the air. The Samurai quickly descended and crashed into the sand, leaving Kai enough time to run after them. 

He hid behind a tall rock and watched the samurai sputter and cough as they pushed themself off the sand. Their mouthguard and helmet were crooked, and the voice changer sounded like it wasn’t functioning right. “Testing . Testing? One, two…” Oh yea, that sounded pretty fucked up. They took off their helmet to reveal a short bob of black hair. 

Kai’s heart skipped a beat. He knew that hair. And as the Samurai removed their mouth guard to reveal a round, tan face, Kai’s heart stopped altogether. He could tell immediately who it was, just from the hair. It’d be hard to not recognize the person you raised.

“Nya?” he breathed. Somehow, the Samurai- Nya- heard and flinched. She hastily shoved on her mouthguard and helmet, whipping around to point at Kai. 

“S-steer clear, Ninja! Don’t- don’t look…” The Samurai sighed, a strange sound through the stuttering voice changer. The helmet and mouthguard were once again taken off, and this time the goggles were also slid up her head, showing off her full face. The face that Kai had seen for the past thirteen years of his life and loved more than life itself. The face of his baby sister. 

“...at me…” she finished, face scrunching up in guilt. 

“I- I don’t understand,” Kai murmured. “ You’re the Samurai?” He approached her, eyes taking in every detail of her armor. The meticulously engineered jetpack, the grooves in the armor, the arm brace that had a large glowing button on it. The soft, young, barely grown up face that was his little sister. 

Who had apparently defeated him multiple times. He felt a lot of emotions swirling in his chest, but he could at least label pride. She was so strong now.

“It was always a boys’ club,” she shrugged, shrinking into herself. “I was never good as a ninja. I’m not flexible, or agile, and I can’t dodge attacks like you guys can. Besides, you guys were always leaving on missions,” she added bitterly. “I was stuck on the ship, babysitting or taking care of stuff with Master Wu. But… this is my own way of being a hero. Someone who can fight, y’know?” She looked up at her brother nervously. “Are- are you mad?”

Every feeling he had of animosity towards the Samurai vanished. Kai’s face softened as he immediately drew Nya into a tight hug. The solid armor dug into his skin, but he didn’t care. “Mad? Of course not,” he muttered into her hair. She hugged him back. “It’s just-” he laughed “-all this time, I’ve been trying to protect you, but you’re so much more capable than me. You’ve never needed it.”

Nya pulled away from the hug, and Kai laid his hands on her shoulders. “Really?” she asked nervously. Tears were threatening to spill.

Kai smiled, warm as the hearthfire. “Promise. You’re amazing, Nya.”

She laughed, slightly wet from the tears. “Girl power,” she said. They touched foreheads gently. Then, she pulled away fully. “You’re not gonna tell the others, right?”

Kai frowned. “We made a bet-”

“I know, I was there.”

“-but… it doesn’t really matter that much,” Kai conceded, sighing. “Of course I won’t say anything.” As Nya laughed in relief and wiped her tears on her sleeve, he thumped a hand against the jetpack. “How’d you even make all this stuff?”

“You'd be surprised how much spare time I have waiting for you guys to come back from your missions,” Nya said, rolling her eyes. “You seriously didn’t notice me working out blueprints in my sketchbook for, like, a month?”

Kai thought back. Nya did start getting secretive about her sketchbook around when the Serpentine first showed up. “I… didn’t.”

Nya snorted. “Of course you didn’t.” She ignored his offended noise. “Anyways, you better head back before anyone gets suspicious.” She handed Kai the wrapped set of golden weapons. 

“What about Lloyd?” Kai asked, dreading the answer. The one task he had, he once again failed. He didn’t get back Lloyd. No one did.

“We’ll have to rescue him another day,” Nya said, looking down at the sand in guilt. 

“You did what you could, Nee,” Kai comforted her, holding the weapons close. He could feel the warmth of his sword through the fabric. “Y’know, whenever I get in trouble-”

“Like last night?”

“-the others have my back. But you… just be careful, will you?” 

She was dealing with this shitty situation on her own. Being unable to tell anyone that she was the Samurai, having no one in her corner. Being alone. He steeled his expression. He’ll be there for her, if no one else can be. 

Nya smiled, small and soft. “Promise.” She giggled. “Well, Lloyd knew I was the Samurai. He snuck into my sketchbook and doodled all over my blueprints.”

“Typical,” he rolled his eyes, ignoring the sting of guilt at losing him. 

“Guess that means Lloyd’s the Green Ninja, if he figured me out first,” Nya snorted.

Kai scoffed incredulously. “As if! The shrimp could never.” He took a moment to look at the smoking remains of the jetpack. “How are you gonna get back?”

Nya smirked and pressed the button on her arm band. “I have my ways.”

-=-

Back with the other ninja, they were still searching for Kai. Surprisingly, his red gi was not showing up at all against the golden sand. “KAI!” Jay yelled for the fiftieth time. His voice was the strongest of all the ninja, though Cole and Zane had their fair share of calls to Kai.

Behind them, the giant mech stirred, its coding calling it to return to its owner. 

The ninja heard it, and whirled around. “Quick, get it!” Jay screamed. “It's gonna get away!” However, the ninja were too slow, and it flew away, smoke trailing from its boosters. The ninja glared up at it. “Great. Now we lost Kai, the Samurai suit is gone, and we have no way to get home,” Jay panted, stabbing his foot into the sand.

As he ranted, Cole’s attention was caught by a noise behind them. He turned around to see a familiar figure. “I wouldn’t say that!” Kai said cockily, waving his sword around and showing off the sack of weapons.

The ninja cheered and made their way over to congratulate him. “Ok, you’re forgiven for losing Lloyd. You got the weapons!” Jay cheered.

“We can either go back to the ship on foot,” Zane mused, “or locate our bikes.”

“We’re closer to the bikes,” Cole said, wrapping an arm around Kai’s shoulders. “Let’s get those and head back home.”

-=-

They made it to the bikes and home safely. Wu and Nya greeted them from the ship. They almost drained their entire water supply trying to scrub the sand off every inch of their bodies, but they were clean in the end, and they all collapsed in the living room with bowls of food. No one cared about table manners or sitting at a table.

Wu paced nervously. He no longer looked like a horrifying eldritch beast, but the ninja + samurai could see his tail poking through his robes. “Lloyd is still missing,” he stated.

“He’s not missing,” Jay grumbled. “We know where he is.” He was silenced with a glare from Wu. He chuckled nervously and went back to poking at his food.

“We tried, Master,” Kai said, willing to take full responsibility. “But there was no way to save him.” He exchanged a brief glance with Nya, who shook her head. “I don’t think the Samurai could either.”

Wu stopped pacing and stood in front of Kai. He gulped. “I am so, so sorry, Master,” Kai continued, voice soft and lined with guilt. “This is all my fault for being careless.”

Wu was silent for a while, then sighed. “Even lessons learned the hard way, are lessons learned.” He made eye contact with the red ninja, and he withered at the sharp intensity of the gaze. “This has not fixed my trust in you, Kai. But I can see you are truly sorry. Work on that, student.”

Kai let go of a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He nodded meekly.

“How’d you even get our weapons back?” Cole asked through a mouthful of food.

“The Samurai gave them to me,” Kai explained. 

“WHAT?” Jay slammed his hands on the coffee table. “You MET the SAMURAI?”

“Don’t get too excited, I didn’t see who was under the mask,” Kai lied. “He was all mysterious, never said a word. Then handed me the Golden Weapons and poof, he was gone.”

“Poof? He just poofed?” Cole asked in disbelief.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Jay waved his arms in front of him. “Wait a minute, Kai. If the Samurai had their hands on the most powerful weapons in the whole wide world, why would they just give them back to you?”

Kai shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe he's-” Kai’s gaze flicked to Nya, who was watching him carefully “-not so bad after all. All I do know is that we owe him our lives. Maybe he has made us all a little better.” He smiled. It seemed thankful on the surface, but Nya could see the deep gratitude in it, meant especially for her.

“I sense this means the bet is off?” Zane stuck a fork into his salad. 

Everyone nodded sagely. Wu cleared his throat, forcing attention back on him. “More importantly, my nephew has found his way into the den of all snakes. I fear there may be no way of rescuing him now.”

“We’ll find a way, Master,” Kai countered, slamming a fist into the couch armrest. “We’ll never give up!”

“And don't worry,” Cole grinned. “We’ll find him.”

Wu smiled, assured that his students would stop at nothing to find Lloyd. They may not like him, he knew this, but they were not blind to justice. He headed out of the room, shutting the door with his tail. 

Later, when everyone was going to bed, Wu handed Nya a chakram. “I think you forgot this,” he whispered. She smiled thankfully at him. “Iron sharpens iron, as sibling sharpens sibling.”

As he left, Kai slunk out of the shadows and stared at the chakram that was most likely the one that hit Jay in the shoulder. “Looks sharp.”

“Not really,” she shrugged. “Didn’t sharpen them. Knew I’d probably fight you at some point. Didn’t wanna actually hurt you.”

“Smart,” Kai praised. “Now, I gotta pester Master Wu for something for my leg. It hurts like crazy.”

“Good luck,” Nya patted him on the back as he left. Kai winked back and walked off after Wu. His leg still hurt after so long, and he probably should get that looked at. 

Approaching his Master, who had gone into the kitchen to make some tea, he coughed to make himself heard. “Hi, Master Wu,” he began carefully.

Wu turned slightly to look at Kai. “Yes, Kai?” His tone was neutral.

“I think I messed up my leg when we fell from the mech,” he explained. “Stings a bit.”

Wu hummed, then started rummaging from his many tea jars. He grabbed one with small white and yellow flowers and strange pink leaves. “Drink this tea, and you should feel better. Allow me a moment to brew it.”

And so, the two of them stood awkwardly in the kitchen together as the water boiled and two cups waited for their portion. Kai bit his lip and sat down on the table, sparing his injured leg. He shuffled uncomfortably.

Wu finally broke the silence by sighing. “I am… sorry, for my outburst last night.”

“‘S fine,” Kai murmured. “I deserved it.”

“I mean my… less than appealing form,” Wu corrected, wincing. “I do not let that side of me be seen. Mortals have a tough time looking at it, yet I exposed you directly to it in my fury. I apologize for that.”

Kai paused in his thoughts. He remembered the form (the bursting lights, the dawn that kills the stars, the gold of pure Creation, the sharp teeth and antlers and claws, the white scales of the sun itself) as much as he tried not to. “It’s fine, really, Master. You were mad, reasonably so. I fucked up.”

“You did,” Wu nodded. “That fact is undeniable. However, you did not deserve to be exposed to that.”

Kai hummed. “Sure. And, for the record, I’m truly sorry for what I- failed to do.”

“I can tell you know the consequences of your actions,” Wu said. He grabbed the teapot when it started whistling. “I just hope you can correct them and grow from them.” He poured the boiling water into the two cups. 

They sat in silence for a minute longer. Kai watched the steam rise from the two cups. Wu picked up the first cup, one with gold dragons on white and blue porcelain. He took a careful sip from it, then removed the tea strainer. 

“Are you drinking the same tea you’re giving me?” Kai asked.

“I’m drinking white peony tea,” Wu said. “You are getting a special blend. It should help heal your leg.” He removed the tea strainer from the other cup and handed the red and orange mug to Kai. “Drink that, and your leg should heal by the morning.”

“Thank you, Master Wu,” Kai nodded his head gratefully. He brought the cup to his lips. It was a pleasant heat, just the right amount of burn. It tasted vaguely of flowers, and maybe something fruity. “Tastes sweet,” he commented.

“It tends to be that way, yes,” Wu chuckled. He took his steaming cup and exited the room. “Good night, Kai.”

“...Good night,” Kai replied to empty air. He took another sip of tea. He liked the way it burned the roof of his mouth. It reminded him of molten metal. 

The next morning, Kai’s leg was perfectly healed, like it never hurt in the first place. Heat lingered in his mouth.

Chapter Text

Days after the Lloyd situation, the ninja were no closer to finding out where the kid was. Ouroboros didn’t have a good chunk of its citizens, only a few adults, teens and kids (presumably), and actual snakes (which Wu explained were their babies). It seems most of the battle-capable snakes were taken with the leaders for… whatever reason. Which meant that Lloyd was still missing.

The only thing they could do between searching was train. Kai, Nya, Jay, and Cole stared at a ticking stopwatch in Kai’s hands, jaws on the floor. “Ten fucking minutes,” Kai said, disbelief ripe in his voice. “The guy can’t be human. That’s impossible.”

Jay peered over the railing of the ship, looking over a shallow part of the ocean. Somewhere down in the depths was Zane, who was holding his breath for the past ten minutes . The ninja (and samurai) couldn’t believe it. No way was that normal.

Down at the sea floor, Zane was meditating. There was something extremely wrong with him, he knew. He was holding his breath for a while - or maybe he wasn’t breathing at all. Humans needed to breathe, right? The other ninja could only spend a short while underwater. Cole only managed 20 seconds, Jay made it to a minute and 15 seconds, Nya beat the record with two minutes (no one knew how she did it), and Kai refused to go into the water. 

(A strange look had entered Jay’s eyes when Kai moved to the mast when they egged him on to get in the water. Nya instantly shot it down, and Jay followed quickly. He remembered the fear in Kai’s eyes during the Venomari venom high. And Nya knew Kai best - if they both adamantly refused, they’ll respect it.)

He thought back to when the Constrictai leader was choking him, or when he held his breath in the abandoned subway. Even the sleeping gas didn’t work. He didn’t understand why he was different. Was this normal? Was he that abnormal?

Zane blew some bubbles out of his nose. He wasn’t sure why he could do these things, especially when the others could not, but it was normal to him. He used to spend days underwater, because he just liked it down here. He liked the crushing cold pressure of deep water, the chill it brought as he meditated. There was no sound underwater - just pure, blissful silence.

A large fish swam in front of Zane. He smiled and ran a finger down its side. It blinked at him owlishly, then swam away. He waved it goodbye. A clock in his head ticked to mark ten minutes, and he figured that was enough time down here. He kicked off the sandy floor and swam up to the surface.

As he broke the surface of the water, he was met with a chorus of cheers. “Amazing!” Cole exclaimed. 

“We are not worthy!” Jay bowed low to the floor.

“Are you even human, dude?” Nya asked incredulously. “Good Firsts, that’s insane!”

“I broke the record?” Zane asked. 

“You shattered it!” Kai pointed at his stopwatch. “Do you know how long that was?”

“Ten minutes and 3 seconds,” Zane replied, matter of fact. He didn’t see the confused looks shared by the ninja on the ship as Nya pulled him out of the ocean.

“Ok, ok,” Jay leaned on Kai’s shoulder. “Anyone thinking what I'm thinking? We've been training for so long, I don't think we can get any better! Just think about all we've accomplished.”

Cole, who was doing a victory dance behind the hotheads, remembered how he could lift like 50 pounds now. Apparently, Master of Earth also meant being as strong as the earth, which he’ll definitely take. 

(He then asked Nya and Zane to sit on the weight. He could still lift it.)

Kai smirked as he remembered the way he sprinted across hot coals in a desert in sweltering weather. The heat can’t bother him anymore, he’s more powerful than the sun itself!

Jay chuckled, remembering how he did handstands on a lightning rod in a storm in the City. The high altitude and delicious smell of ozone comforted him, and the lightning shooting around him was exhilarating.

Even Nya had been doing much better in training. While she didn’t have an element, she sure did have the chance to spar with her brother. She beat him in combat more times than he could count, which would have damaged his ego if it was anyone else. Instead, he just hugged her tight and told her how proud he is of her. Her chest felt warm.

“Perhaps we have reached our full potential?” Zane asked, wringing his clothes out. With a mutual nod of agreement, the ninja all headed to the heart of the ship - Master Wu’s room. 

As they entered his room, Zane continued with what he was saying. “Well, every morning I do five hundred push-ups.”

“Five hundred? Ha, try a thousand,” Kai scoffed, puffing his chest out. 

“Hah, hah,” Jay chuckled cockily. “ I do a thousand and one !”

Nya rolled her eyes at their antics. “Come on guys. That’s nothing .”

“Exactly, what is this, amateur hour? Sounds like my warm-up,” Cole crossed his arms proudly. He turned to Wu. “Master what does true potential look like if-” He paused, noticing Wu staring at something long, wrapped in red fabric. He was holding it gingerly. Something sad glimmered in his eyes.

Cole froze, then straightened up. The others followed. They all bowed slightly. “Our apologies, Master,” Zane said quietly. “We’ve interrupted you.”

Wu seemed to snap to attention at this, looking at the ninja like he didn’t realize they were there. “I'm sorry if I've been distant lately. My mind has been elsewhere since Lloyd has gone missing.” He placed the item into a case. He turned to the window, not looking his students in the eyes. “What can I help you with?”

“Master,” Cole began, “what if we've done enough training? What if we've reached our true potential? What if we're ready?”

Wu seemed to perk up at the words “true potential.” He turned around to look the ninja (and samurai) in the eyes. “Hm. You might have reached peak physical condition, but you've yet to reach your inner potential,” he explained. “In each and every one of us, there are obstacles that hold us back. Only when you conquer that fear will your heart be free. Only then will you reach your True Potential. Only then will we have a fighting chance to stop the Serpentine from releasing the Great Devourer.”

The teens nodded in understanding. 

Zane felt something whir in his chest. A question buzzed in his mind like an unoiled gear. “There's more to the Great Devourer than you've led on, isn't there, Master?” He watched as their master turned away in guilt. “You reacted… negatively, when we first discovered it.”

As he placed a hand on Wu’s shoulder, the old man sighed. “I, too, have obstacles within my own heart. Do you have time to hear a story?” The ninja nodded, and Wu breathed in and out heavily. “Long ago, when I was a young boy, Garmadon and I were more than brothers. We were the best of friends.”

Before the story could continue, Jay interrupted. “Wait a minute. Now, I know you two were brothers, but really? The King of Cruelty, the Doer of Destruction, the Captain of Chaos, and you two were friends?” He made wide, dramatic gestures at each nickname, almost hitting the others in their faces. They glared at him.

The names were a bit excessive, in Wu’s opinion, but he nodded. “Please, no interruptions.” Jay’s mouth shut with an audible click. He sighed and continued his story, picturing the memory in his mind’s eye.

“You see, he did not always have a wicked heart,” he stated, remembering how the two used to spar. Tiny children, with fluffy manes and happily wagging tails. They couldn’t have been older than a thousand years old. Their growth rates were… interesting. Wu’s blonde hair sparkled in the sun, and his brother’s brown locks shined like shadows. 

“One day, I lost this very katana,” he said, stroking the cloaked item he held in his lap. In his flashback, he knocked his brother’s sword out of his hands, sending it flying over the wall. The boys looked at each other in alarm, then at their father, who had his back turned to them. “Knowing our father would be mad, my brother told me to go retrieve it. But I refused,” he grimaced, remembering the staunch refusal he showed. Child him shook his head. 

His brother grimaced. “He told me not to put off what can be done today and went to get it himself. Now, note that the world outside the walls of the monastery was… unsafe. There were creatures that patrolled the walls; hungry, vicious creatures. As the older brother, he said he could handle it.” He visualized the brunette child scaling the wall with clawed hands and paws. 

He imagined the scene he never saw, the poor child finding the katana close by, and preparing himself to grab it. No sooner had the hand reached out to grab the sword, a green blur shot out and sank its fangs into the child’s hand. He yelped and fell back, grasping his wrist in agony. 

A snake was there before him. Small, unassuming, with forest green and toxic acid scales, and a frill that circled its head like a jagged halo. Purple eyes glared at the child, who fell back as his head spun. His vision swam. And he passed out.

“When my father found him, he was very ill, for he was bitten by a legendary snake that would grow forever as long as it consumes,” Wu continued. “The Serpentine worship it; it is their Great One, the Consumer of Worlds, the Great Devourer.” 

He remembered the way the gates to the monastery were burst open, and his father, in full holy-unholy form cradling an injured child in his hands, rushing inside. Questions died on his tongue as they ran inside. Wu followed, peeking into the room his father placed his brother in.

“A great evil had found its way into my brother's heart, for the snake's venom could turn the purest of things wicked,” Wu dug his nails into his palms. He could feel blood welling up under them. The poor boy tossed and turned in bed, fighting off his father’s careful hands. Sweat ran down his face and his fangs pierced through his lip.

“Leave- leave me alone,” the young boy screamed, voice delirious with fever. “I don't need you! I hate you!”

Wu in the vision turned away, guilt rising from his stomach to his lungs to his eyes as tears started to fall. “The snake is the same one the Serpentine want to reawaken today,” he said. 

“Ah! It hurts!” his brother screamed. Then, he pushed himself off the bed, and stared directly at Wu. “It's all Wu's fault! ” He made eye contact with him, eyes no longer soft, dark purple. They were a poisonous shade of red. Toxic like an apple that was more cyanide than fruit. He couldn’t take the fear in his chest, the rising guilt, and ran off, shutting himself in his room.

“Li was hurt because of me,” Wu shook his head, clearing his mind of the flashback. “I wish he knew how sorry I was.”

“Li?” Zane cautiously said. The story seemed to be finished, it seemed alright to interject.

Wu chuckled at that. It didn’t have much mirth in it, but it was better than that awfully somber expression he had the entire story. “Did you honestly think the First Spinjutsu Master would name one child Wu, and the other Garmadon ?” He shook his head. “My brother’s name is Li. Garmadon is a title. It means ‘destructor’ in our birth tongue.”

“That honestly explains so much,” Nya mused. “That’s been bothering me for ages.”

“So the Great Devourer turned your brother into the Dark Lord he is now?” Kai asked. 

“Li fought the venom for thousands of years,” Wu sighed. “But four thousand years were a lot to handle, even with all the cures and remedies we tried. He couldn’t fight back anymore. That is why I banished him a decade ago. It was a safety measure, one he agreed on. To ensure no one got hurt from his true cruelty.”

He sighed. “Garmadon is all my fault.” He shook his head and closed the case that held his sword. He picked it up and turned to face his students. “You four have finished your training. You must now focus on stopping Pythor from reawakening the Great Devourer.”

“Wanna tell us how, exactly?” Jay crossed his arms. “He’s gone AWOL.”

“Most likely, Pythor will seek out the four Fangblades,” Wu explained. “They are the keys needed to resurrect the Great Devourer. Without them, the Serpentine have no hope of succeeding.”

The ninja murmured amongst themselves. “How do we get them?” Cole asked.

“Their locations are currently unknown,” Wu admitted, looking away. “But I believe you five will be able to find them and stop the Serpentine. However,” he breathed in, then steeled his gaze on the teens, “you must remember: never lose focus on the obstacles that lie within each of your hearts that holds you back from true greatness. Unlock your True Potential.”

His words rang loud in their hearts. Zane raised a hand. “But how are we supposed to do that, Master?”

“It is up to each of you to discover,” Wu answered. “Now, I must go on a personal journey of my own.” He pushed his way through the teens and headed out. 

“Where are you going?” Jay asked.

“To a place you cannot follow,” Wu smiled mysteriously.

“If you're going for Lloyd,” Cole began, “it’s pointless. We don’t know where he is, only that he’s with Pythor. Who is missing. You’ll never find him on your own.”

“I am going to find someone who can be of aid,” Wu explained vaguely. “The Serpentine have united and grown stronger and we will need all the help we can get. Nya, can you take me to Shinki?” The girl nodded and headed to the hangar.

After the ship traveled to somewhere closer to a small town a ways away from Jago City (Shinki, from the looks of things), Wu jumped off the ship and waved the teens goodbye. “Remember, your power is within you.” He vanished into the village as quickly as he entered.

And so, the teens were left alone. This will probably not end poorly. Probably.

-=-

Deep underground, in another part of Jago, Pythor hissed in frustration and clenched his hands. He and the other leaders stood around a mural painted by their ancestors, a way to find the keys to the Great Devourer’s rebirth. However…

“It don’t say anything about where the four Fangbladesss are hidden,” Skalidor pointed out. “Have our ancestors left us nothin? Where are they?”

Skales turned to Acidicus. “Do you know where the keysss are located?” he asked quietly.

The older snake’s tongue flicked out. “Perhaps,” he rasped. “If I did know, Pythor cccertainly would not hear it. One such as him does not deserve thisss knowledge.”

Pythor grumbled in anger and slithered over to the table in the center. This was an old hideout from a long time ago, built sometime after the Copper Age. A tunnel under the Ouroboros stage led here, but Pythor had no clue what this table was. 

“This, here,” the Anacondrai pointed at a spot on the table, etched with old Serpentish. “This must be a clue. ‘When five fangs unite as one, the path toward the Devourer has begun.’”

Skales raised an eyebrow. “Yesss, when the five tribes unite, presumably,” he hissed. “You've already done this. It meansss nothing. But… if you don't find out soon, the others will begin to asssk questions, and sssoon they will start to think you don't know what you are doing.” He gave a poisonous little look at Pythor, who glared back with equal venom.

“I know what I'm doing, fool,” Pythor snapped. He shook his head and focused back on the table. “Legend spoke of a map showing exactly where the four Fangblades have been buried. There must be something around here. Keep looking.”

-=-

Seeing as they were already there, the ninja hopped out of the ship with a handful of papers and headed into Shinki. It was a quaint little village, though it was cold as hell. The ninja bundled up, wearing warm jackets over their gi. Nya huddled her face into her scarf as she put up a missing poster. 

Cole had done a really good job of drawing a quick sketch of some Serpentine, specifically Pythor and a Hypnobrai, as well as one of Lloyd. The phone number that led to the shitty little rotary on the ship was plastered on the bottom. 

As a joke, Jay had drawn a knife and put up a poster for it. “That’s just silly,” Zane frowned. 

“Hey, maybe someone did see it somewhere,” Jay huffed, brushing some snow off his hood. “You don’t know.”

“We don’t got any better leads,” Cole sighed. A snowflake landed directly on his nose. He brushed it off.

“Hey, maybe Master Wu’s gonna go get the Samurai for help,” Jay said.

Nya immediately shot a panicked look at Kai, who subtly raised a hand to pacify her. “The Samurai? I'm sure he's busy hunting down Lloyd and Pythor. I don’t think he knows about the Fangblades. I mean, we didn’t until a few hours ago.”

“That’s fair,” Cole nodded. 

Nya relaxed, nodding at Kai thankfully. Sometimes she forgot how good of a liar he could be. He took care of her on his own for like a decade, after all. Had to get pretty good at lying to adults for that, she supposed.

Unfortunately, no one noticed Zane wandering off. As he moved to hang up a poster somewhere down the street, something pinged at the corner of his mind. He turned his head in the direction of that feeling , indescribably familiar and known and home , and stared straight into the eyes of a peregrine falcon. 

The posters fell from his hands as his grip slackened. The store owner peeked his head out of the door and gasped, affronted. “Hey, weirdo, you're making a mess of my store front,” he grumbled. When Zane didn’t react, the guy thunked him on the arm. “Do I gotta teach you a lesson on manners or something?”

Zane walked off to stand by the falcon without looking at the shopkeeper even once. Kai, however, noticed the situation and immediately ran in to remedy it. “I'm sorry, sir. Sometimes our friend is in another world.” He forced a chuckle as he crouched down to pick up the posters Zane left behind.

As the others joined the group, the store owner scoffed. “He's littering all over the place! Look at what he did! So disrespectful, kids these days.”

“We’ll pick it up,” Cole assured. “So sorry.”

The shopkeeper grumbled and headed back inside, stepping over some posters.

Jay rolled his eyes. “What’s the deal, Frosty?” He paused, however, when he noticed what Zane was staring at. A falcon hovering overhead, sharp yellow-rimmed eyes staring directly at the white ninja. He was holding out a hand, reaching out to the bird.

“Ah!” Jay gasped, pointing at the peregrine. “The falcon! Oh my First Master, every time we follow it, it leads us to good fortune!”

Zane was already moving before Jay finished his sentence, rushing after the bird. Cole and Jay were quick to follow, though Kai hung behind for a second. He thrust the posters into Nya’s arms. “Head back to the ship and wait till you hear from us.”

Nya frowned. “I can help, you know.”

“Then fly after us, I don’t know,” Kai shrugged. “We gotta follow that bird. Who knows, it could lead us to the first Fangblade.”

Nya rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll head back. Don’t die out there, I’m still repairing the Samurai mech.”

Kai playfully saluted and ran after the others. 

It took the ninja a while to run after the falcon. It led them west, through the Glacier Barrens, where the Hypnobrai tomb once was, to the Birchwood Forest, a pale birch forest blanketed by a layer of soft snow. The whir of an engine sounded overhead, but started to fade further into the sky as they ran. A blizzard was picking up, and the ship couldn’t safely traverse through it.

“I guess good fortune is really far away,” Kai said through sharp breaths. 

Jay was the first to give out, collapsing and holding his chest. “Keep going,” he panted, already moving to remove his binder. “I’ll- I’ll catch up later.”

The others nodded and ran on ahead, guided by the squeaks and cries of the falcon. The next to collapse was Kai, pausing at the base of a large fallen tree. “I'm good. Just… just taking a breather,” he breathed, also trying to free up his chest. All this running cannot be good on his ribs. “Uh- I'll meet up with you shortly.”

Cole and Zane, the last two remaining, saluted and let Kai rest. They crossed the canyon that Kai stopped before and carried on. 

The snow nipped at their skin through their gi. The jackets they wore weren’t nearly enough to protect them from the cold. Cole wrapped his arms around himself as he panted, taking a small breather by putting his hands on his knees. “Good thing… we're in… peak… physical… condition…” he managed to say. Zane didn’t look back at him. He just continued to run. Cole sighed and ran after him. 

The falcon waved through the birch trees as the forest started to thicken. The blizzard had weakened, leaving only gentle snowfall. Cole still shivered; he had no idea how Zane was alright. “Damn, that bird just keeps going,” he panted. Zane, thankfully, stopped to wait for him. “Hey, what do you make of this?” Cole suddenly pointed at a sign. 

Zane cocked his head, tearing his attention away from the falcon for the first time in a bit. The sign read “BEWARE OF TREEHORNS” in giant etched letters. “I am not familiar with a Treehorn,” he eventually said, then turned his attention back to the falcon.

“Probably some wild squirrels or something,” Cole joked, then crouched down to huddle into himself as a particularly cold wind hit him. 

Zane stared at the falcon, who circled and squawked. “Well, don't lose it,” Cole continued. “I'll wait for the other guys to catch up.”

“Are you sure?” Zane asked, still keeping an eye on the bird.

“Positive,” Cole flashed him a thumbs up. “Now get going, birdbrain.”

Zane nodded and took off after the falcon. The bird noticed Zane was moving again and stopped hovering to continue its path. 

Zane was once again reminded of the first time he met the falcon. The time it took him straight to one of Lloyd’s evil hideouts. How he felt alive, running through the snowy woods, listening to the frost crunch underfoot and birdsong circling around his ears. There was one true purpose - follow the falcon. It knows things. It knows Zane, in a way that no one, nothing, knows Zane. 

He remembered it from his dream. It told him it knew who he was. The gap in his memory frustrated him, as little as he tried to show it. He didn’t want people to know he was worried about the past, that his strange amnesia was that big an issue. He was satisfied with his new life and family; it didn’t matter anymore who he was.

But the falcon knew who he was. Who he used to be. Did he once know it? Was it a beloved pet, or a companion? Was it a spirit, sent by his ancestors to guide him towards the truth? Would he finally meet his birth family, the ones that made him, the place he originated from?

Snow piled on his exposed cheeks and eyelids. He didn’t feel the cold. He was the Ice Ninja, it made sense that the cold would not do much to him. He felt at home in this forest, though he wasn’t sure if it was because this forest used to be home, or if he felt more comfortable around his element. The cold fueled him, spurred him on to go further, find more, explore, know, find out, he had to know-

“Where are we going, my mysterious friend?” Zane asked, projecting his voice to the bird. Perhaps, like in his dream, it would answer.

The falcon turned its head, but as a result, it ended up hitting the branch of a birch tree and tumbled to the ground in a crumpled heap. Zane gasped and sprinted faster to catch it, managing to do so in the nick of time. It was strangely cold in his hands. He tore off his hood, trying to get a better look at the poor thing. He touched its wing, accessing the damage.

However… the second he touched the falcon’s wing, it twitched and spasmed in a way not dissimilar to the training bot that Jay was trying to reprogram. Stray sparks leaked from its wing, and a mechanical whirring noise emitted from its mouth, not like the falcon-like screeches it was making before.

A similar whirring noise echoed inside Zane’s head as he processed this. Something clicked as he gasped, gently holding the bird. “You’re- you’re a robot?” he asked it. 

It turned one yellow-rimmed eye towards him. A noise similar to a camera lens zooming in sounded as it looked at him. And nodded. 

“H-how? How is this possible?” Zane murmured, scarcely believing it. He let the falcon perch on his shoulder, watching its movements carefully as it gripped his shoulder with its yellow talons. Ones that had obvious seams and divots in the joints.

Divots and seams that seemed extremely familiar to Zane.

He absently traced one of his own, the seam around his elbow. He saw the other ninja shirtless at times, mostly Cole, and he didn’t seem to have seams on his joints. It seemed to be smooth flesh all the way through. At some point, he had assumed his seams were like Kai’s scars, and that they should be treated the same way. But… the only one he saw with seams like his was… the falcon.

He turned his head slightly to look at it. It was looking in a specific direction, letting Zane see the back of its head. A strange symbol was etched into the feathers, a squiggle surrounded by two curved lines and three dots.

The falcon turned its head and peered at him with an intelligent eye. Too intelligent for a bird to rightfully be. It stretched out its good wing, ignoring how its bad wing twitched and sparked (thankfully away from Zane’s face). Its primaries pointed at a specific tree, the widest, largest tree in the forest. 

“Where have you brought me, my falcon friend?” Zane asked, approaching the large tree. A displaced texture let him know there was something there, and when he brushed snow off the trunk, he saw the same symbol from the falcon’s head on the door. 

“Is this your home, little one?” he asked it. It made a grinding noise, shaking its head, but then nodding. Zane’s stomach sank when he realized what it meant. “This is… our home, isn’t it?” The nod he received wasn’t as comforting as the bird probably intended it to be.

He took a deep breath, even though he suspected he didn’t need to do that. Something was incredibly wrong with him. Whatever it was, he didn’t need to breathe. He had strange seams throughout his body. He was starting to suspect the whirs and clicks he always heard from his head, chest, every part of him, were not normal human experiences. Humans do not have skin that covered a hard interior. Their skin was soft, and their flesh supple. He knew that enough from sparring with the others. Humans actually feel hungry, not feeling forced to eat because everyone else is, and it would be weird not to. He was the one who cooked the food, after all.

He hadn’t been breathing since he caught the falcon, he realized. He forced himself to take another deep breath, to calm his nerves, to soothe the whirring in his ears, the heat rising from his chest and the cold gripping his throat. He had been standing outside the door for a minute and four seconds. The time was perfectly recorded in his head. Was that, too, a normal abnormality that he never knew was wrong?

Without wasting any more time (and to calm the nervous bird on his shoulder), he pushed the door open. It creaked, hinges rusty and unoiled. He stepped inside the tree, and was both surprised and not to find that the interior was entirely made of metal. A huge metal bunker, with a winding staircase that took him down at least a story and a half.

He and the falcon took the stairs down, hearing every metallic clink his footsteps made. His boots still crunched from residual snow. He hugged his arms as they descended. The falcon nipped at his hair. He didn’t feel it.

They arrived at the bottom. Zane looked around. It looked to be the entrance to a large room, functioning both as a workshop and home. A workbench with blueprints was on one half of the room, with tools strewn about on shelves and racks and tables. A boiler with a long-since rusted pot stood nearby, pipes connecting it to some invisible network in the walls. Another desk of sorts was by that, with a mechanical cat figurine on the floor and a spool of wire by its feet. On the other side of the room was a bed, tucked neatly under the stairs. It seemed dusty and untouched, with a nightstand with a framed photo on it. A door was close by it, presumably to a washroom of some sort.

But Zane didn’t care about exploring. He was drawn to the workbench. Something poked at his mind, at his memories. This place was right, correct, but he wasn’t sure why. What made it correct? He didn’t know. 

He steeled his nerves and approached the workbench, taking slow, careful steps. He let the falcon hop off his shoulder onto a convenient perch, and he looked at the table to see the bird’s blueprints. Every inch of it was detailed, every gear, every cog, every wire. A small central computer sat at its heart, most likely providing it its intelligence. 

It picked up the end of the blueprint in its yellow beak. It pointed a primary feather at one part of the blueprint, one that showed the anatomy of its wing. Zane hummed and studied the schematics, noticing that something was misaligned on the real falcon’s wing. Looking back and forth from the blueprint and the wing, he gently adjusted and pressed into shape part of the coverts and one of the secondaries. 

As soon as he did that, the sparking and twitching stopped, and the falcon squeaked happily. In its joy, it flew around the room, chattering in delight. Zane watched it with a smile on his face. Oh, how he would have loved to take flight, join it in its freedom. Birds didn’t have to care about social conventions, or saving the world, or anything like that. 

But this wasn’t a real bird, he remembered. The falcon wasn’t real, and therefore will likely not experience the same freedom a real bird will. The thrill of the hunt, the wind in its feathers, none of that would be felt, on steel feathers and no stomach. 

“You brought me here, but why?” he asked the falcon, who seemed to remember where it was and settled back down onto its perch. It looked sadly over at the blueprints, to one hidden underneath its own.

A cold dread closed over Zane’s body. He was used to feeling cold; he didn’t ever feel anything else. But this horrific sense of wrong settled over his nerves and made something whir in his stomach. And it wasn’t just plain wrong , because somewhere, deep inside, he knew that it was right . Something was about to be spelled out, clear as day, in legible Jagian script. 

His hand inched towards the blueprint peeking out from its shield. He could just… not look. Live in ignorance his whole life. He wouldn’t have to know what’s wrong with him, just blissfully enjoy living, knowing he was different. But to put a label on what was wrong with him… it would mean fully categorizing him as other . An “us versus them” situation, where he will be forever split from the rest of humanity. 

He didn’t know what he would find, really. He had suspicions, yes, it was hard not to have them, at this point. But he had never gotten a confirmation. These blueprints… they would be his confirmation. A one-way ticket to abnormality, as if he wasn’t already riding the train to the furthest station. Knowing what it was would cement it as fact. He… he didn’t know if he was ready for it yet.

…No. He’s not going to live his life in ignorance any more. He had lived his life not knowing who he was, where he came from, just an odd nomad that traveled anywhere where it was cold. He knew everyone called him odd. He laughed to himself. It doesn’t matter if he knows what’s wrong with him or not. Everyone can already tell he’s not right.

But he’s not going to deny himself any longer. He would finally, finally, have answers. He would find out where he came from, who made him, and who he even was. What he really was. If he didn’t do it now, it would eat at him forever. He was ready.

Zane’s hand closed around the blueprint and pulled it out from its hiding spot. It was a huge piece of paper, and he unfolded it to its fullest. It was as tall as him - perfectly as tall as him. Frost gripped his heart, or, he supposed, the circuits and servos that passed as a heart. His grip on the paper tightened as he trembled. The knowledge, the confirmation, took its toll as he processed it all. He knew what it meant.

“No…” he breathed, barely audible in the cold, empty bunker. “It… it’s true.” He told himself he wasn’t afraid. So why was he panicking now? Why was the whirring so loud? Why was everything so loud?  

“NOOOOOO!” he gave one final cry, vocal chords (voice box) tearing as he reached a decibel he had never reached before. A soulful, plaintive scream, guttural and raw, every feeling Zane had ever pushed down in the past suddenly rising and breaking free. All those bottled up feelings tore free as he collapsed to his knees, the paper crunching underneath him.

He could feel tears leak from his eyes. They splattered on the blueprints. Blueprints that held an identical copy of Zane, with every cog, gear, and wire in perfect position. His blueprints crumpled as he curled in on himself and sobbed.

Chapter Text

Wu’s staff click-clacked on the cobblestone as he approached the small tea shop. He glanced up at the sign above the door - a teacup with steam rising out of it in brightly colored paint. He rolled his eyes. What in the world could have convinced her to do that ?

He pushed open the red door, letting the little bell chime. He blinked in surprise, however, to see who was behind the counter. A small child, only a bit older than Lloyd, peered over the counter. Their round glasses made their dark eyes gigantic, though that was all he could see. The kid had a big green hood over their head, hints of black hair poking out of it.

Wu smiled gently, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Hello, little one,” he greeted. “Is your grandmother around? I need to purchase some Traveler’s Tea.”

The kid blinked at him owlishly, then ran into the back of the store. Wu’s ear flicked as he listened into a silent conversation in the back. 

Then, an elderly voice yelled from the back. “NEVER HEARD OF IT.”

“Hmm,” Wu hummed, stroking his beard to hide his smile. “Are you certain you’ve never heard of it, Mystake?”

A few moments later, an old woman peeked her head in from the back. She had gray hair that disappeared into a rice hat nearly identical to Wu’s own, an old, wrinkled face on olive skin, and harsh, dark eyes that, under certain lighting, looked purple. Then, her face softened, and she leaned out fully from the doorway to stand behind the counter. This revealed her gray track jacket, with a simple zigzag pattern of pink and red lines on the chest.

“Wu! Good to see you, old friend,” she greeted. “You say you need Traveler’s Tea? Whatever for?”

“I’m on a mission to find someone,” Wu slid some coins over. “Just enough for two trips, just in case.”

“Is the destination a place or a person?” Mystake asked.

“A person,” Wu answered. “I do not know where he is, but I will find him.”

“I‘ll make the concentration stronger for you,” she replied, going into the back of the store again. As clatters of glass jars sounded in the background, the kid poked their head out from the doorway. Curiosity sparkled in their dark eyes - the same dark purple that Mystake had.

She returned with two small pouches of tea. Dark leaves, scattered with bright yellow flowers. It smelled vaguely of spices and tree bark. She handed over the bags and Wu nodded in thanks. 

“Now, you wouldn’t happen to have any more healing tea, would you?” Wu asked.

Mystake groaned, leaning over the counter to stick a finger at Wu’s chest. “Listen here, lóng mó , healing tea is extremely hard to grow and make, and you know it! What are you even doing with all that stock?”

“I have students again,” Wu moved her hand off his chest. “They, like many teenagers, are rather danger-prone.”

“You’d better take better care of them, or you won’t have any tea left for their wounds,” Mystake huffed, leaning back and ringing the sale up on her cash register. “Feng will have to take care of things otherwise.”

Wu grumbled and pinched the bridge of his nose. “He’ll kill me personally if I start bothering him for every injury.”

“He should, you’d deserve it,” she snarked, collecting the coins that Wu had laid on the table. She fixed Wu with a playful glare. “You should know, those who take the Traveler’s Tea never return.”

Wu smirked, matching her mischief. “Then I will not bother you again.” He took his teabags and walked backwards through the door, letting it close with a little clatter and ring of the bell.

Mystake rolled her eyes at the theatrics. “Is he gonna be ok?” the kid next to her asked, tail swishing nervously. 

“Oh relax,” Mystake gave him a little side hug. “He’ll come back within a month or two. I’ve known him almost his whole life, he won’t die to some extradimensional threat. He has tea to buy.”

He blinked in surprise. “Wait, is he the Wu you tell me about, grandma?”

Mystake chuckled. “Indeed. He may seem strange, but I know Wu. He’ll be alright.”

-=-

Cole’s foot tapped a rhythmic beat as he waited for the other two ninja to arrive. He had followed where he saw Zane’s footprints trail off, and found a giant tree with a door in it. However, he knew Kai and Jay were still catching up, so he didn’t want to rush things too much. He knew they’d wanna see this as much as he did.

Right on time, shocks of bright red and cyan appeared in the treeline. Cole perked up and waved them over. Cyan arms waved excitedly, and the two caught up. 

“Where’s Zane?” Kai asked, catching his breath.

“In there, I think,” Cole jerked his thumb at the open door he was standing next to.

“The fuck is this?” Jay took off their hood, investigating the strange metallic interior of the tree. 

“I dunno,” Cole shrugged, pushing himself off the tree. “Let’s go down and find out.”

“Zane?” Kai called, already walking down the steps. He took his hood off as well, spikes on full display.

“Would ya look at this place?” Jay marveled, running a hand down the wall. “It’s a bunker in a tree…”

As they descended, they didn’t hear any sound from Zane, though they could see him at the bottom of the bunker. Or, there was something white down there. They just all assumed it was Zane.

However, once they got down to the bottom, they could see that something was incredibly wrong. Zane was there, but his gi top was untied and left his chest and stomach exposed, jacket thrown to the side. He was curled in on himself, looking smaller than ever. 

The ninja rushed up to him, but hovered around him, not wanting to touch him if he wasn’t ok. “Are you hurt?” Kai asked at the same time that Jay asked “Zane? What’s wrong?” at the same time Cole asked “You ok?”

Zane’s head lifted from its spot on his knees, and they could see his too-blue eyes shining with unshed tears. He wordlessly reached out to the blueprint lying in a crumpled heap next to him, picking it up and studying it for a moment. Jay wondered what was on it, their inventor brain desperate to look.

Then, Zane stood up. His white gi hung loosely off his body, and the ninja realized that this was the first time they had seen him without his shirt on. And they all noticed the strange… seam around his torso. It ran around the front of his body like a plastered-on square. They also noticed the seam around where his neck met his chest, and the strange lack of a bellybutton.

Before any ninja could question what was going on, why he looked like that, Zane stuck his fingers right on the edge of that square seam. With growing horror, the others watched as Zane dug his fingers in and pried open his chest . However, instead of guts and gore and bone, all that was under the skin was electronics.

The inside of Zane’s body was nothing but brass and copper, wires and tubes and switches and glowing buttons. A steel beam ran down the center of him, like a mockery of a spine, and right above where the heart was supposed to be was a beautiful glowing core. It was a soft, icy blue, humming with an otherworldly power. They realized with a start that it was the same shade as Zane’s eyes. On the inside of the door on his chest was a strange symbol, a squiggle bordered by two curved lines and a few dots. 

The ninja gasped, yelped, and cried out in alarm. Eventually, Kai was the one to gather the courage to speak first. “You- you’re a r-robot?” he breathed.

“All this time, and I never knew,” Zane replied, the volume and tone about equal to Kai’s. He sounded remorseful and gutted. Not just because the ninja could see his guts.

Jay forced a laugh, toying with the strap to their armor. “Uh, guess this explains why you're always acting so weird? Right?” When Cole and Kai glared at them, they shrunk into themself a bit. They chuckled nervously. “Heh heh…”

Zane seemed to at least notice this attempt at cheering him up. “I believe the reason for my… lack of humor, so to say, is the fact that my Silly Mode was turned off.”

At first, the others thought he was joking, but then they saw him reach down into his chest and flicked on a particular switch. A little smiley face was drawn next to it. 

Near instantly, Zane’s eyes lit up . A sense of true joy and laughter entered his eyes, and a huge grin split his face. Then, he started dancing. It wasn’t good dancing, but it went along with the tune he was whistling. As the other ninja watched in confusion, he slid up to them, darting from shoulder to shoulder. “ Hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my ragtime gaaaaal~! ” he sang, winking at them for the last one, before spinning back to the center of the bunker. “ Send me a kiss by wiiiiire~ ” His dance finished with a silly little pose.

Jay immediately broke down laughing, while Cole and Kai stared in confusion. “Oh my First, hold on,” Jay cackled, wiping a tear from their eye. “Hold on. How do you feel about puns now?”

Zane had always generally participated in pun-slinging, though he could never get into it as much as the others could. It was like he liked to play with the words more than he liked making them sound funny. 

But this time, Zane’s face formed an expression they had never seen before - mischief. “I’d say they’re pretty ice , in my opinion.” His voice held barely disguised laughter.

“Ice puns!” Jay exclaimed. “Hah, I love it!” They went up to Zane, eyes glittering in excitement. “Come on, don’t leave me on thin ice like that!” They elbowed Zane in the side, who laughed. 

“Oh, well, I would tell you my best ice pun,” Zane put a hand on his chin and pretended to think. “But it must have slipped my mind!”

They both broke out into laughter, and while Cole and Kai were still in a state of shock, they couldn't ignore the fact that that was stupidly funny, so they laughed too. The bunker was filled with the sound of laughter, friends enjoying their company through strange revelations and odd happenings.

Eventually, Zane settled down and flicked off the Silly Mode switch. His face went neutral again, and he took a deep breath. He also started to curl in on himself more, causing the others to also stop laughing and look at him somewhat sadly.

“Uh…” Cole began, rubbing the back of his neck. “This whole- robot situation, it just makes you more special. You're still the same Zane. Just more- uh- gears.”

Kai nodded firmly, reaching a hand out to his fellow ninja. “No matter what you’re made of, you’re still our brother.”

Zane looked up from his huddled position, staring at Kai’s gloved hand. “Really?” he murmured.

“In fact, I bet it even makes you an even better ninja,” Cole smiled, moving to stand beside Kai.

Zane smiled gently and took Kai’s hand. It was so, so warm. It warmed up and melted away all the ice that had gathered inside his chest (metaphorically), and he gripped it tighter. He needed to hang onto that warmth for as long as he could - the warmth of family, of love, of acceptance. 

Jay inserted themself between Kai and Cole. “Yea, and how cool is it that I can honestly say ‘my teammate/close friend/brother is a nindroid!?’”

“‘Nindroid?’” Zane cocked his head in confusion.

“Ninja android!” Jay explained. “You’re not a robot robot, cuz that’d mean you look less human. Androids are robots that look like people! And you’re a ninja! Therefore, nindroid!”

“Name’s a bit stupid, Zaptrap,” Cole rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Now come on,” he continued, looping an arm over Zane’s shoulders. “Pythor’s still out there looking for the first Fangblade, and we need you.”

Despite the hopeful glances, Zane shook his head and pulled away from the warmth. “I am sorry,” he closed his chest cavity and walked away. “You'll have to go on without me for now. I just don't feel right yet.”

Kai and Cole exchanged a glance, then headed for the stairs. Jay reached an arm out to Zane, then clenched their hand into a fist and joined the others. They all shot worried glances back at Zane, who spread his blueprints onto the workbench and was staring at them intently. 

“We just have to give him time,” Kai said once they got outside the bunker. “I don't know how I would feel if I was told I was a robot.”

“You mean a nindroid,” Jay elbowed the red ninja in the side playfully.

“Yea, whatever,” Kai shrugged him off.

“We’re not gonna just… leave him here, right?” Jay frowned. “I don’t feel alright just… going.”

“We’re gonna wait for Nya to arrive on the ship,” Cole stated. “Kai, where’s she at-” He was interrupted by a strange noise in the background. Cole stood stock-still. “What was that?”

“C-cute little birds?” Jay suggested, though when the noise sounded again, they all knew it was definitely not cute little birds. Whatever that noise was, it sounded like a creature shambling and growling.

The ninja threw on their masks, then Cole screamed, pointing at some trees. “Did you see that?!” 

“I don’t see anything!” Jay panicked, looking around frantically.

“I just saw it too!” Kai pointed at some other trees, over by his side. 

And then, they all saw them. The tall birch trees that were not trees, but instead legs of towering, spindly creatures, like deer stretched in a taffy puller and powdered with flour. They were at least two stories tall, and their bellies were colored like the sky. Their legs were patterned exactly like birch trees, and their heads, looking down at them from high above, were almost insect-like and had huge, bulging red eyes. Their antennae and mandibles twitched as they studied their prey. They approached from all sides, a herd of at least six, maybe eight.

The ninja huddled together, drawing their weapons and standing their ground against these terrifyingly large foes. “Treehorns!” Cole realized, remembering the sign he and Zane crossed on the way here. 

“What do they want from us?” Jay exclaimed.

“I think they want a snack,” Kai replied snarkily. “Frozen ninja meat!”

As the treehorns got closer, the ninja split and rushed at the beasts. Jay smacked at their legs with their nunchaku, which seemed to easily knock them over. Thankfully, they seemed to have really poor ankle support. The treehorn Jay hit immediately collapsed, its hooves in full display when not covered by snow.

Kai tried to copy this technique, rushing at the treehorns before him with his sword on fire. Unfortunately, he was attacking two at once, so when he swiped at one, its friend smacked him with its front leg. Right in the chest, and Kai went flying, landing in the snow. FUCK that hurt. He groaned, trying to pull himself to reach his sword, only for another treehorn hoof to punt him across the clearing. And again. His ribs felt like they were breaking.

Cole, meanwhile, had grabbed a fallen treehorn by the leg and began to swing it around, knocking over two other treehorns in his spin cycle. The creature was still really heavy, so he had to let go eventually, letting the treehorn he didn’t knock over trip him and put a hoof on his chest. “There's just too many of them!” he cried before the hoof pressed down harder and he started to struggle to breathe.

Jay, too, for all their success at first, found themself overwhelmed and trapped between several treehorn legs. They screamed in frustration, pain, and in a hope that Zane would hear.

-=-

Back in the bunker, Zane scanned the different buttons and switches he had in his system. He found several relevant ones, and corresponded them to the ones in his chest cavity. He found his gender settings, which… well those were incredibly broken. But that’s fine, he shrugged. He didn’t mind his gender fluctuating like this. It was quite fun to see how he would wake up that day!

(He realized, now, that the reason he woke up each day with a new gender is because his gender settings kept getting literally reset. Sometimes it updated with something new, sometimes it would revert back to default. It made a lot of sense now.)

Everything was pretty straightforward until he found a strangely labeled switch. He furrowed his brow and frowned. A backup switch? What would this one do? 

Zane looked at his chest cavity. He almost didn’t find the switch, it was so tucked away into his wiring. It was almost like it wasn’t meant to be found. 

His fingers hovered over the switch. Did he want to press it? A second later, he shook his head. Of course he wanted to know! He already made up his mind, he would find out what he was, where he came from, who made him. Nothing’s going to stop him from finding this out.

Abandoning all hesitation, he pressed the switch, then his head was TORN APART .

He was just made. His AI was fresh, barely able to tell what was up and down, only that he was awake, and he could see. The first thing he saw was a man, with wild brown hair and round, flat-bottomed glasses. He had a doctor’s coat over a blue button-up. He looked excited, cheering wildly and hugging him, though he wasn’t sure why. “Hello, Zane,” the man said. Is that his name? Zane? He tested the name in his head. It didn’t seem bad.

The man held out a hand, and Zane grabbed it. It was only right to. He was guided off the table he was laying on and led to a mirror, where he saw himself. He had pale white hair, pure as the snow, sharp features, and coppery bronze skin. He wasn’t sure if it was skin, like the man beside him, or metal. He felt like he was made of metal, at least. 

He was dressed in simple clothes - a white button-up and gray cloth pants. He looked over his reflection, bright blue eyes focusing on every detail. His mouth parted slightly in curiosity as he studied himself. 

The man next to him smiled proudly. “You look beautiful,” he said. 

“Who are you?” Zane asked. His voice was scratchy, fighting its way out of an unused voice box. 

“I am your father, Zane,” the man replied, eyes crinkling. “My name is Dr. Wynn Julien, and I made you. I hope you enjoy living.”

Zane cocked his head. “Living? I am unsure how to do that.”

“That’s alright, Zane,” Dr. Julien laughed, giving him a side hug. “You’ll learn how.”

Over time, Zane grew up. His tone was no longer completely monotone, unsure of who or what he was. His basic AI was evolving, becoming anything but basic. As he learned more and more things, was taught love and life and good and freedom, he evolved, and became human. His skin was synthetic and layered on top of brassy metal, his insides were gears and wires, but he was human. He felt it.

He saw the first time he got injured - he had kicked a pot too hard at the wall, and it rebounded and hit him in the chest. He fell back, much to his father’s distress, but he was alright. He remembered the first time he learned how to cook, under Dr. Julien’s watchful guidance. He cracked an egg over a frying pan and watched it sizzle. The egg wasn’t perfect, but the smile his father made when eating it warmed his circuits oh so gently.

He remembered… the white haired man. The man had stopped by the bunker one day, on a day with a heavy blizzard, and when they waited for the snowfall to die down, Zane had tried to entertain him. He had never met another person. This was very exciting! The man had given him a hug, saying something about keeping the winter alive, and was gone by the morning.

He remembered chopping firewood and a man in a rice hat and a long white beard stopping by. Zane didn’t recognize him, but tried to make conversation. It was only a week after the white-haired man had arrived, and the snowstorm hadn’t faded. The new man had said something mysterious, how he’ll return for him one day, and left. The Juliens were confused, but carried on.

More time passed. Zane wasn’t sure how long. He was playing with some sort of toy, his father watching on. Dr. Julien’s hair was now graying, streaks of gray turning his hair salt and pepper. Wrinkles were more prominent on his face. He was aging. Zane didn’t quite understand.

Still, Dr. Julien crafted Zane a companion. The falcon blinked to life and flapped its wings, taking off to fly around the bunker. Zane’s eyes sparkled. A friend… someone he could talk to, someone he could play with, now that his father was declining playtime more and more. He was worried about him, but he didn’t know how to help. He seemed fine in his health scans.

Dr. Julien had a full head of gray hair now. He set up a camera, and Zane and the falcon fidgeted excitedly. His father smiled, clicked a button and headed over to his son. They slung arms over each other’s shoulders, smiling for the camera. The shutter went off, and Dr. Julien checked the film. He immediately put it in a frame. It was placed on the nightstand, a memory preserved forever.

His father was on his bed. Zane was gently smiling, holding a yellow butterfly in his hand. Its wings moved up and down steadily. “You were built to protect those who cannot protect themselves,” Dr. Julien said. They watched the butterfly fly away.

Just a few months later, Zane crouched over his father’s bed as the old man reached a hand out to him. He grasped the frail, bony hand in his soft, ageless ones, and looked at his father with sorrow in his eyes and grief building in his core. “It’s time you begin your next stage in life,” Dr. Julien said. His face was wrinkled and etched with age, and his eyes, once a bright and warm brown, were dull and pale. 

Zane shook his head. “No… father, please,” he begged.

“Death is natural for all living things,” Dr. Julien rasped. “Even you, my son, will die one day.”

“I can’t let you die!” Zane screamed. “What do I do, once you are gone?”

His father smiled kindly. He removed his hand from his son’s grip and laid it on his cheek. He sobbed and leaned into it. “You have to live.”

With his other hand, Dr. Julien opened Zane’s chest cavity and reached deep into the wiring, finding a hidden switch that only he knew the location of. “And the only reason I'm about to do this is because I love you,” he continued, his tone barely a whisper. “I know you will live. You are so full of life. Do not let my death be a hindrance - live on past it. I love you, Zane.”

He pressed the switch, and Zane’s face went blank. The falcon immediately swooped down and pulled Zane up the stairs, and in his dissociated state, he was led up and out of the bunker. 

The last memory Zane had of his father was out of the corner of his eye, he smiled, watching his son ascend. His glasses landed on the ground with a clatter, and he breathed his last breath. 

Zane found himself outside the bunker, where he promptly collapsed. The backup had fully initialized now, saving decades worth of memories into one big file. If the switch was flipped again, those years would flood back, but for now… nothing.

Zane woke up, fresh and new, in a snowy birch forest. He did not know where he was, what he was doing here, or anything other than his name. He was Zane, and he was in the woods. What now?

Zane was wrenched back into the present by the presence of something wet on his cheeks. He reached up to touch his face, only to realize he’d been crying. And… oh. Thirty years. He had missed thirty years of his life. He shut his chest cavity, trying to hold back a sob. He failed, and the resulting noise was somehow worse.

The falcon chirped, looking up at him with wide black eyes. He sniffled, wiped his eyes, and reached out for the bird. It immediately hopped into his arms, and he hugged it tight. Metal scraped against synthetic skin. It felt like love.

“Thank you…” Zane breathed. “Thank you for bringing me home.”

The falcon squeaked happily, nuzzling its head into Zane’s chest. He laughed, despite the tears, and pressed his nose into its head. Then, when he looked up, he saw the photo. The same one he and his father and falcon took in his backed up memories. It was covered in dust, he realized as he grabbed it, but it was still preserved. 

“Let’s go find the others,” Zane whispered, wiping the rest of the tears from his eyes. Fascinating that he was human enough to cry, that he even had the ability to do so. A nindroid… that seemed nice.

He and the falcon headed up the stairs, though as they neared the top, they heard screams and sounds of combat. Zane accessed the situation, noticing giant deer-like beasts kicking his fellow ninja around. He pulled his hood on, and the falcon soared off his arm. 

“Leave my family alone!” he yelled, spinning into a snowy cyclone and ping-ponging off several treehorn legs. When he stopped, he threw his shurikens out, hitting one of the beasts and knocking it over. He moved through the animals like a madman, attacking in a frenzy.

Jay, meanwhile, helped Cole up off the ground. “What’s gotten into Zane?” the black ninja wondered.

“I dunno,” Kai said, joining the group. “But I like it!”

The four ninja clumped together back to back, ready to take on these treehorns and win. “Ninja, GO!” they cried in unison, and all spun into their own individual tornadoes. They knocked over several treehorns in their paths, then some more when Cole slammed his scythe into the earth. The resulting earthquakes sure upset the animals, but the ninja were used to it. 

As Jay charged up their nunchaku, they noticed something off about the movement patterns the treehorns were doing. “Are they regrouping?” they asked as several treehorns huddled together. 

And then… they saw it. A GIANT treehorn, with longer legs, a longer tail, larger body, wider head, and about five times the amount of eyes. Its teeth were sharper, and as it opened its mouth to roar, there were far more teeth than any beast had the right to have.

“What the fuck is THAT?” Kai exclaimed.

“The queen,” Zane realized. As the treehorn queen approached, easily towering over the ninja with her four-story height, Zane stood his ground. He whipped an arm out protectively over his teammates. “You will not hurt my friends!” he yelled. “There is nothing that will hold me back.”

He started to glow, white and ice-blue shards of ice circling around his head like a halo. His eyes glowed pure white, the white of fresh snow. A chill surrounded him, snow already falling around the clearing. It felt like the calm before the blizzard, the cold warning that came before the freeze. The cracking of ice filled the air. Zane rose up into the air, surrounded by shards of ice.

“I KNOW WHO I AM!” he finished, and he erupted into a pillar of white and blue light. The others shielded their eyes from the overwhelmingly bright light. The freshness of winter seeped into their bones, the desire to build a snowman, make snow angels, have a snowball fight, the want to have fun as the months got colder. The earliness of sunset, the moody darkness, the beautiful stars over snowy fields. Zane radiated all that.

And inside, Zane knew what was happening. He knew who he was. He was the son of Dr. Wynn Julien, a robot created by a lonely man to feel less sad about his life. He was an artificial intelligence that gained life, that found out what it meant to live, to love, to be free and have fun. He was a wanderer, a strange person that never settled in one place, only settled with people. He was a ninja, a protector of those who could not protect themselves, someone who will save the world one day. He was a brother, a teammate, a best friend, a son. He was Zane Julien, and he never wanted to forget that ever again.

“What's happening to him? Was he programmed to do that?” Kai asked the others, voice raised over the rush of the winter wind. His eyes never left Zane’s glowing form.

“I’ve never seen a robot do that,” Jay said, staring straight at the light. 

“You mean nindroid,” Cole corrected absently.

“Yea, whatever,” Jay responded just as absently.

As the queen roared in challenge, Cole laughed. “Zane’s unlocked his true potential!” 

With that, Zane fell out of the sky and a giant ice crystal formed where he landed. He spun around her, almost toying with her as she tried to bite him. Finally he stopped in front of his giant crystal. He aimed a hand at the Queen, and shot a pale beam out at her. She screeched in agony as ice began to cover her, and she collapsed. The treehorns made an unholy noise as they turned tail and ran off, leaving the frozen queen prone on the snowy ground. 

The glow around Zane faded as he drew in a breath. Then he, too, fell over. 

The ninja gasped and ran over to him. Kai helped him up, and he grunted at the effort. “What… happened?” he wondered.

“That was awesome!!!” Jay exclaimed. 

“You should’ve seen yourself!” Kai added, just as excited.

“Heh, I've never seen anything like it,” Cole finished, patting Zane on the back.

Zane looked at his hands. “This must be what Master meant by unlocking our hearts,” he murmured. He pulled off his hood, breathing in the cold air. “I remember now. I remember everything. I remember my father and how he cared for me. I remember where I came from.” He smiled, facing the others. “And I feel stronger for knowing.”

“So can you just use your powers whenever now?” Cole asked. “You fired a beam of ice at that thing!” He gestured at the downed queen, who was being dragged off by two loyal treehorns. 

“I suppose I can, yes,” Zane said. He opened his hand and tried to remember the cold feeling, and a small snowflake appeared above it.

“So cool!!!” Jay cheered. “We have our very own Nindroid!”

They all high fived, chatting victoriously among each other. “Pythor doesn’t stand a chance now,” Kai laughed. “We’re golden!”

The screech of a falcon and the rumble of the airship’s engines directed their attention upwards, and they were relieved to see Nya approaching. The falcon landed on Zane’s arm. He smiled at it. “Yes, we are. We are golden.”

-=-

Speaking of Pythor, he wasn’t having such a good day. He was stressed, he was angry, and the other leaders weren’t making it easy. 

“Vhere are the four Fangblades?” Fangtom asked.

“What if there isss no map?” Skales scoffed.

“I know, I am trying!” Pythor snapped. “But I don't know where to look.”

Fangtom’s other head hissed in displeasure and they grabbed their staff. “Then we’re taking our staff back,” they stated.

“Me too,” Acidicus hissed, grabbing his staff.

“This wasss a waste of time,” Skales rolled his eyes, though this made him knock into Acidicus. Their staves went flying out of their hands, and when Acidicus fixed Skales with a particularly poisonous glare, the poor Hypnobrai coiled in and held his hands up. He wasn’t trying to pick a fight here.

However, Pythor pushed past the two of them and stared at the staves. Their antivenom had been dispensed, and the colors were flowing into each other. The green and blue mixed together to make a gorgeous teal. Pythor made a delighted noise as he scooped the staves up. “That’s it!”

“What’s it?” Skalidor asked, handing his staff over to his boss. 

“The Map of Fangs,” Pythor exclaimed, grabbing Fangtom’s staff and then his own. “It's been right in front of us all this time!” 

He set up the staves so their heads were pressed together, each on an equally divided part of the table. “‘When the five fangs unite as one, the path toward the Devourer has begun!’” he quoted, watching the venom drip down the staves. “It's not speaking of the five tribes, it's the venom in the five staves!”

He slid a piece of paper under the dripping venom, and the leaders watched in delight (and concern) as images began to be painted. Some sort of magic spell from the table mixed with the antivenom of the five tribes, and a map appeared on the blank piece of paper. 

“Behold, the locations of the four Silver Fangblades!” he cheered. Skalidor cheered with him. “Soon, the Great Devourer will be unleashed and Jago will be ours!” 

A good chunk of the audience of snakes that gathered around of them also cheered. The remaining three leaders exchanged worried looks. There was no going back now that Pythor had a map. They were doomed. Jago was doomed. 

-=-

On a tall mountain, Wu brewed a pot of tea. He poured boiling water into a tea sieve containing his new magical tea and hummed to himself. He waited for a minute for the tea to brew. Then, once he was satisfied with it, he started to pour it out. He formed a circle around the campfire he was sitting at, and the fire turned a horrible purple. Maddening laughter and screams of agony sounded between the crackling wood. 

Wu tsked. This was the last realm he hoped to get. But his destination was a person, not a place, so he had no control there. He would only hope that his target would be easy to find. 

A swirling portal formed by the campfire, and Wu braced himself. It had the same awful colors and sounds as the campfire did, only louder. Beckoning him. He gathered his things and stepped through the portal. It closed behind him.

Wu took a step into wet, squelchy mud. He grimaced at the sensation, and straightened up. He felt a presence at the corner of his awareness, one he had known since birth.

“Brother,” Lord Garmadon’s voice greeted. Wu turned to see his brother perched on a nearby dead tree. The oni grinned widely, showing off all his sharp teeth and tusks. “What took you so long?”

-=-

Back on the ship, the ninja chugged healing tea (Kai had found the jar of tea that healed his leg and brewed up a teapot. Everyone greedily drank it up) and relayed the news to Nya. She had seemed surprised, but accepted it like the others. As Zane left, he could have sworn he heard her and Jay whispering about androids and how they functioned. Should he be worried?

…No, they were family. They would only try anything invasive with permission. He could trust them. Besides, if he ever needed repairs or checkups, Jay was the person to go to. Nya was good with large-scale mechanics like engines and cars, but Jay loved the fine detailwork of tinkering. They were the one to ask to give him a checkup.

He petted his falcon absently, listening to it squeak happily. The ninja had set up a temporary perch for the bird, a small pole jutting out of the wall by Zane’s bed. Kai’s sword was good for welding things, apparently. 

“Do you want a name?” Zane asked. The falcon looked up at him, its black eye twinkling in curiosity. “I do not wish to call you ‘the falcon’ for the rest of my life, you deserve a proper name. You are part of my family.” The falcon squeaked and headbutted his arm. He chuckled. “Did my father or I ever give you one, from before?”

The falcon shook its head. Zane hummed. “Do you have one in mind?” The falcon shook its head again. “That’s fine, we can come up with one.”

It took Zane a few tries, giving random names out to the bird, only for it to reject about half of them. A few were met with neutral stares, but nothing was really liked. Until Zane remembered something.

“My father’s name was Dr. Wynn Julien,” Zane recalled. “Most would call him Dr. Julien, as that is our surname, but his first name was Wynn. Perhaps… to honor his memory, would you like to take on that name?”

The falcon looked at him for a moment, then screeched and flapped its wings. 

“Is- is that a yes, then?” Zane asked hopefully. The falcon nodded. Zane laughed in delight. “Then it is settled! You shall now be called Wynn. How do you feel about that?”

The falcon - Wynn - squeaked happily and flew around the room. Zane smiled at it. “It is good to have you back, old friend.”

The look Wynn gave him said that it, too, was glad to be back.

Chapter Text

The ninja gathered around the table in the hangar. All eyes were on Nya, who grabbed the edge of a tarp laid over something on the table. She tore it off to reveal a skeleton. A Serpentine skeleton, to be precise. Gasps and ooos sounded around the room as everyone looked at the bones. 

“Some villagers unearthed the remains of this ancient Fangpyre a few miles away,” Nya explained. “They think it predates the Golden Age, and must be hundreds of years old, if not thousands. It’d be interesting if the venom here is different than modern Fangpyre venom, but we can’t really know for sure.”

“How exactly did you acquire a Fangpyre skeleton?” Zane raised their hand, taking a break from scribbling notes. 

She froze for a second. “I- uh, I asked really nicely? I just ki- kinda-” Nya suddenly sneezed, then started coughing. Her cheeks were flushed. “Ok, hold on,” she said, covering her mouth and nose with her hand. “Is someone wearing perfume?”

All eyes turned to Jay, who was the supposed source of the smell. He had a dopey little smile on his face, though that was very quickly washed off when he noticed everyone’s concern and Nya’s reaction. 

Kai instantly noticed the situation and grabbed Jay by the hood, pulling him to the back of the room. “Zane, Cole, water, now.”

As Jay yelped in confusion, Cole grabbed the bottle of water by his side and tossed it over to Nya, who caught it, moved back further into the open air, and splashed some on her face. “Thanks,” she called.

“What happened?” Cole asked, brows furrowed in worry.

“I’m really allergic to perfume,” Nya explained. She coughed. 

Jay hissed in alarm and regret. “Oh shit, I’m sorry,” he said. “I thought it was cologne, I didn’t realize it was perfume!”

“I think both of them set me off,” Nya sneezed. “I’ll live, I just need to air it out. Makes me-” she started coughing “-cough a lot.”

“Well, it looks like class is over,” Cole tried to lighten the mood. “Let’s see if there’s any clues for where Pythor and the others can be. We gotta find the Fangblades before they do.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Kai huffed, crossing his arms behind his head. He glanced over at Nya, who gave him a thumbs up. Nodding, left the room with Cole.

“I am excited to join!” Zane smiled and followed them.

Jay, however, stayed behind. He rubbed his arm nervously, then approached the front of the room. He was careful to watch out for the skeleton, as well as getting too close to Nya. “Uh,” he started eloquently. “Hey uh, Nya, I'm sorry.” Nya turned to look at him, taking a step back. He stopped in his tracks right by the skeleton. “The reason I was- you know, I- I was just trying to-” he shook his head, clearing himself of his stuttering. “Look. What I'm trying to say is-”

“I know,” Nya shook her head. “It was just a mistake. My fault for not telling you ahead of time.” At Jay’s pathetically worried expression, her face softened. “I’ll be fine. You go fight snakes with the others.”

“No- no, no, no,” Jay held his hands up. “I did this to try and impress you.”

“Impress me?” Nya snorted, though it just turned into another sneeze.

“Before Master Wu left, he said our heart was the key to unlocking our true potential,” Jay reminded her. “So I was just… following my heart?” He blushed, face turning beet red.

Nya laughed, but not cruelly. “I know you like me, Jay,” she said, and the blue ninja’s heart skipped a beat. “But… me? I’m just so…”

As she looked away, Jay’s heart fluttered. “Fantastic,” he murmured. Nya heard and blushed redder, looking away shyly. He took a deep breath and shot her a disarming smile. “Maybe I can take you out to, like, some fancy restaurant someday? Y-you don’t gotta, if you don’t wanna-”

“Like… a date?” Nya looked at him. Something swirled in her eyes, something akin to confusion and intrigue. 

Jay’s smile grew dopey. “Y-yea! If you wanna?”

“Sure! Why not?” Nya smiled back. She coughed some more, face no longer red from just blushing. “Are you free tonight?”

“Got nothing to do but beat up snakes!” Jay laughed. “So, yea, I think I’m free.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Nya laughed with him. Then, a particularly big sneeze almost knocked her off her feet. “Ok, I gotta go to the front deck and get some air, otherwise I’m gonna asphyxiate. You go change.” She rushed out the hangar and leapt onto the banister. She looked back at Jay with a bright smile. “See you tonight!” And with that, she jumped off.

Jay stood there, stupid little smile still on his face. Then, once he realized that she said yes to going on a date with him, his smile turned into a big beaming grin, and he chuckled giddily to himself. He spun around, laughing victoriously. “Yes! Haha!!!” The girl he’s been crushing on for months now finally said yes! He was amazing!!!

As he spun around in his ecstasy, he failed to think about the Fangpyre skeleton on the desk. As a result, he failed to notice when he was too close until he felt a sharp pain in his hand. He yelped and clutched his left hand close, glaring at the skeleton. How dare this pile of bones interrupt his victory dance! What a jerk. “Man,” he grumbled, tugging his glove off. It all seemed fine, just a small set of two pinpricks on the back of his hand. It was only slightly bleeding, so he just dabbed at the wound with a tissue and shrugged. Not gonna get him down! He has a date tonight.

He sauntered out of the room, a pep in his step. Though as he left the room, he didn’t see how a tiny droplet of green venom seeped out of the fang.

-=-

Far, far away, deep within the marshes of the Realm of Madness, Garmadon stood facing his brother. Wu frowned as he held his several-thousand-year-old katana firmly in his grasp.

“So you finally come to visit me?” Garmadon huffed, tilting his head up. His eyes focused on the blade. “I see you have the katana from our youth. Funny, you never had the courage to cross the temple wall, yet now you have the courage to come here,” he sneered.

“Why have you come to this place of darkness?” Wu ignored his brother’s taunts. 

“You think I chose to come here?” Garmadon’s eyes narrowed. “The Golden Weapons clearly decided that I belong here, and so here I was stranded.” He growled and tore his gaze away from Wu and towards the red clouds on the horizon. “A place as evil as this? Truly, I feel at home.”

Wu chose not to respond to that. “You have four arms now,” he pointed out instead. 

“A permanent change,” Garmadon looked back to his brother. “If I was unable to hold the Golden Weapons before, I should be able to now.” He spread his four arms to his sides. His previously bare chest was covered by some sort of armor. It suspiciously didn’t fit perfectly.

“You permanently shifted your form to have four arms, just to be able to possess the Weapons of Spinjutsu?” Wu’s eyes widened in shock.

Garmadon smirked. “Yes, brother, and I refuse to allow you or your petty ninja to stop me!” Purple energy swirled around his fingers as he suddenly dashed forward.

Wu gasped and jumped, allowing his dragon legs to propel him further into the air. Garmadon growled and jumped after him. He managed to get higher than Wu, and slammed his foot into Wu’s stomach. The younger brother coughed as he plummeted towards the ground.

Before his landing could seriously hurt him, he spun into a golden tornado and righted himself in the air, landing like a cat on top of a hill. It didn’t last long, however, when Garmadon tackled him in his descent and they both fell down the hill, hitting and kicking each other like petty children. Eventually, Garmadon jumped off, leaving Wu to splash into some mud. It seeped into his robes and felt cold and clammy against his skin.

Garmadon laughed, though he wasn’t laughing for long, as Wu spun into a tornado and splattered filthy mud all over him. He coughed and backed away. “Quit your childish fighting!”

“It worked, did it not?” Wu spun out, smirking. The smirk was wiped off his face when splorching noises sounded from behind him. He whipped around to see three beings made entirely of mud staring at him. Sparing a glance at Garmadon, he said “I’ve not come here to-”

“Silence!” Garmadon shouted, fangs on full display, and stepped back, letting the golems focus exclusively on Wu. He smirked cruelly. “You will pay for your visit. Mud monsters, converge!” He watched Wu ricochet off the mud monsters, his spinjutsu barely doing anything. He knew from months of experience in this realm that it was pointless to fight back against mud. Wu finally stopped to breathe, which let the mud monsters envelop him. 

Garmadon stepped forward, lower arms folded behind his back and upper arms spread out triumphantly. “You don't belong here, old fool. You should've known better than to try to stop me,” he said, crouching down to look Wu in the eyes. Red met gold as the two stared at each other.

Wu shuffled to try and get out. “I didn’t come to stop you,” he choked out. “I came to warn you.” Garmadon raised an eyebrow. Wu was enveloped further into the mud. “Your son-” he disappeared into the mud, only to break free less than a second later. “Your son is in danger!”

Garmadon’s eyes widened. “Lloyd?” He instantly stuck one hand into a mud monster, watching it disintegrate and bellow in pain. His other three hands grabbed onto Wu and tugged him out. He was free with a loud pop and they collapsed onto the ground. Garmadon immediately picked up Wu in a fireman’s carry and sprinted out of the area. 

“What has Lloyd gotten himself into?” Garmadon asked as he climbed up a small hill. “Last I checked, he was still at Darkley’s.”

“He… has opened a can of worms I fear I will never be able to close,” Wu admitted. 

Garmadon dropped him unceremoniously to the ground. “You mean we will never be able to close,” he corrected. He extended one of his lower arms to Wu. “Come on. You can tell me more later. First, we need to return home. How did you find me?”

“Traveler’s Tea,” Wu explained, feeling his very muddy pockets. He grimaced. “Though, I do not think it will be of any use brewing mud tea.” He sheathed his katana. 

Garmadon grimaced. Perfect. “There’s only one way to return to Jago from here,” he explained, pointing to the top of the biggest mountain. “There is a natural portal at the peak. However, it is guarded by Craglings and oni.”

“Oni?” Wu exclaimed. “There are oni here?”

“It seems they have made a home here,” Garmadon rolled his eyes. “Had to fend off several that attempted to steal from me.” He shook his head. “Regardless, the road home will be dangerous, and fraught with perils. This is not a realm to live in, brother. It is maddening here.”

“I can only imagine,” Wu murmured. He took a deep breath. “I wouldn’t have the trip home any other way.”

Garmadon cast a glance at the sun. “Day is about to disappear. We should head back to my camp.”

“Disappear?” Wu raised his eyebrow. 

“You’ll see.”

A short while later, back at Garmadon’s camp, Wu watched the sun vanish suddenly. He blinked in surprise. Oh well, it’s the Realm of Madness. It makes sense that it doesn’t make sense. 

The fruit Garmadon bit into exploded into neon blue juices. It glowed bright in the total darkness of the night. “Is it… good?” Wu asked conversationally. He wrung mud out of his robes. 

“Nope,” his brother replied through a mouthful of fruit. “The mud is better.”

Wu decided not to ask. “You’ve been living here for… months?”

“It’s hellish here,” he laughed. “The Underworld was better. But at least this place is fun.” He took another bite of fruit.

“Fun?” Wu asked skeptically. He reached over to the fruit pile, grabbing a fluorescent fruit. He bit into it, and immediately recoiled from the foul taste. It tasted like wet grass and electricity and mold.

“Madness becomes interesting if you study it,” Garmadon explained. “As does anything. You should try it sometime.”

“I’m not staying here any longer than I need to,” Wu huffed. Garmadon laughed in agreement. They both need to get out of here. 

Garmadon felt something stir in his chest. His son was in danger. He needed to leave this awful realm. As soon as he does… his son will become his top priority. Nothing else matters.

-=-

A sewer grate popped open. A long, purple shape poked its head out of the hole. Pythor shook his head and pulled himself out of the sewers, though he didn’t watch as the other snakes emerged. Instead, his snout was pressed into the map, studying it intently. “The map leads us here,” he stated. “The first Fangblade.”

The snakes all looked up to see a giant amusement park, with swooping roller coasters, funky rides, and a giant ferris wheel. Murmurs of recognition echoed somewhere at the back, a few Serpentine remembering how they got captured by the Samurai here. The others muttered in confusion and alarm at this strange place.

Skalidor, sliding up beside Pythor, frowned. “Ey, boss, you think we should go at night inssstead?” he suggested. “Ssso we don't get any unwanted attention from dose Ninja or Samurai.”

“Some are sssaying they’ve already been caught here,” Skales added. “It’d be wissse to wait until dark.”

“Oh, no,” Pythor shook his head. “I have a feeling we'll fit right in.”

‘Are we just ignoring what I’m saying?’ Skales thought, rolling his eyes. Oh well. The Ninja and/or Samurai are coming for sure now.

As the group of Serpentine arrived at the amusement park (and scared the ticket sellers into letting them in for free), they all scattered, save for a group of Venomari, who all exchanged worried glances and slunk off into the shadows. The leaders remained close to the entrance, watching as several people dressed in monster costumes and big mascot suits took photos with children. 

Almost as if on cue, someone tapped Pythor on the arm. He looked down to see a small human child looking at him with wonder in their eyes. “Can I get a picture with you, mister?” they squeaked. 

Pythor shot a smug look at Skales. He was met with an unimpressed frown. “Of course!” he turned back to the child, laying on a sickly sweet smile. “Welcome to Mega Monster Amusement Park!”

The child beamed and ran to his parents, pulling them in. The child’s mother handed Skales a camera. “Your costumes are so well-made,” she said. “My sister’s a historian, and I think she’d love how accurate they are to Serpentine history!”

“The war was fourty yearsss ago, and they’re treating it like it’sss ancient history,” Acidicus hissed under his breath, already slithering away. 

Skales rolled his eyes and held up the camera, making sure the family and Pythor were all in the shot. (He did try to crop out Pythor, but he was practically wrapped around the family like a scarf at this point.) “Sssay cheessse!” he hissed. The family echoed “cheese” with a mocking sibilant hiss in the s. All the remaining Serpentine had to repress the urge to complain.

The camera flash went off and Pythor blinked the lights out of his eyes. This… was going to be a fun search.

-=-

Back on the ship, Jay fluffed up his freshly washed hair and straightened out his suit. His hair was usually straight, but fresh out of a shower? Fluffy. Just the right texture. He ran a hand through it. Kai’s hair gel was helping it keep its shape, but he hated the texture of sticky hair, so in the end he has to suffer in order to look good. 

He had to quickly travel down to the junkyard to pick up the only fancy thing he had - a suit his dad bought him for fancy occasions. Not that they had that many of those, but it’s whatever. He has it, and it’s fancy. It was this nice soft dark blue, with a white buttonup and a blue bowtie. He even found a blue flower corsage. Did he have the money for a fancy restaurant? Maybe. Did he look the part? Absolutely!

“Did I ever tell you how I was the first one to learn Spinjutsu?” he said to himself in the mirror. He needed to practice good lines to impress Nya more. After all, she said “yea sure” not “yes, absolutely!” So he needed to do more to impress her. An idea popped into his head. “No. I mean, uh, I invented Spinjutsu! I’m best friends with the First Master himself, after all!” 

He chuckled to himself. “That’s good, yea. And-” he went back to his grandiose way of speaking “-I invented a few other cool moves too! Like the double karate chop! Hyah hyah!” As he chopped the air twice, his left hand lingered in front of him for a bit. And. And and and and-

His heart jumped into his throat. “No… no no no no no,” he breathed, eyes locked on his hand. At the green scales spreading up from the two prick marks, the change of skin from freckled peach to a sickly lime, the fact that the inside of the wounds were a toxic dark green. 

Now that he was focusing on his hand, he could feel it. The pricking of scales coming in, like tiny needles stuck into his skin. He suddenly felt a chill run through him, like his clothes weren’t warm enough. His teeth hurt. Oh First Master. “The Fangpyre fang,” he breathed.

He finally tore his gaze away from his hand, and gripped the sink like his life depended on it. He stared at himself in the mirror. So far, his face looked the same. “Heh,” he chuckled. “This- this is nothing. It’s just a rash. It’ll probably just go away soon. Yea. Heh heh… heh.”

The air was cold against his exposed hand. He stuck it in his pocket as he pointed the other at the mirror at himself. “You’re gonna do great,” he promised himself. “This is your chance to shine.”

His reflection looked unsure. He steeled another look at it and pounded his fist on the sink. “You’re not gonna fuck this up.”

Five minutes later, Jay emerged onto the hangar, where the other ninja were staring at the computer screens. He fixed the scarf around his neck (because it was getting too cold in this thin suit, and it might snow today) and made sure his gloves hid all signs of green (what green? there’s no green here). 

He strutted up to Cole, who turned to look at Jay and chuckled bewilderedly. “Whoa, where are you going, Mr. Fancy?”

“Didn’t you hear?” Jay smirked. He ignored how much his teeth hurt. “I'm taking Nya to a nice restaurant. A really nice restaurant.” He puffed his chest out proudly.

“No you’re not,” Kai said, not even looking at him.

Jay scoffed in disbelief. “Oh come on, Kai! Don’t play protective big brother now!”

“Not that, sparky,” Kai sent him a look. “Ninja situation.” Jay’s stomach sank as he looked at the screen. Kai pointed at a spot on the map. “Got an anonymous call from Mega Monster saying there’s Serpentine activity there.”

“Pythor?” Jay exclaimed, looking at a photo someone took and sent the ninja, of a family taking a picture with one familiar purple snake. “The fuck is he even doing?”

“Pythor would not be there for fun,” Zane stated. “We believe a Fangblade may be buried underneath the park.”

Jay grumbled under his breath. “We can't let them get it!” Then, he realized. “Oh, but Nya and I wanted to go out today…”

“Jay, if they get all four of them, Pythor can unleash the Great Devourer,” Kai gently bapped him on the head. “Get your priorities straight, man.” As Jay opened his mouth to say something, Kai shot him a glare. “And no, it’s not just my big brother protectiveness. I’m fine with you and Nya going out. But not while the world is at risk.”

Jay hummed in defeat. Then, he got an idea. His face brightened and he ran off, leaving the others no explanation.

In Nya’s room, she was getting dressed when something started beeping on her bracelet. She frowned and grabbed the bracelet, looking at what it said. However, she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Uh, Nya?” Jay’s voice sounded. 

Nya quickly shouted “Don’t come in!” and there was silence on the other side. 

“Well, um-” Jay eventually continued. “I just wanna talk to you about our date. You know, I'm hearing really bad reviews for the restaurant and I just…”

Everything went into the background as Nya stared at the coordinates her SOS alarm showed. “Mega Monster?” she murmured to herself in surprise. “Serpentine, probably.”

Eventually, she opened the door a crack. She saw Jay on the other side, looking sheepish and small. “I think we should cancel our reservation,” he said.

Nya frowned and opened the door fully. Not like she was indecent or anything, she just had a big t-shirt and sweatpants. “You’re canceling?” 

“No, no,” Jay immediately waved his hands in front of him. Nya realized with confusion that he was in a full suit with a bright orange scarf on. What a strange boy. “I just wanted to know if you’d rather go to Mega Monster?”

What a coincidence! “Really?” Nya exclaimed. “That’d be perfect! But…” she looked him up and down, “aren’t you overdressed?”

“I was dressed up for the restaurant,” Jay pouted. “But who’s to say I can’t wear a fancy suit to an amusement park?”

Nya snorted. “I think they would have kicked you out of the restaurant with that scarf.”

Jay laughed. “Yea, I don’t think we would’ve been able to afford it anyways.”

Nya laughed with him. “You’re so silly, Jay.” She smiled at the way his face turned red, hiding his face behind his scarf. “Lemme get changed then. Let’s look nice!”

She shut the door on a cute little squeak from Jay, and picked out a cute dress and her sharpest weapon. As she changed and put on a glittery maroon sundress and her favorite gray jacket (it’s cold out!), she stashed some chakrams and smaller blades in her bag. She clasped her bracelet onto her wrist. Pressing a button on her samurai helmet, it shrunk down to a nice and portable size and was stashed in her bag.

“Hey, should we take my parents’ jalopy there?” Jay joked as she got dressed.

Nya barked a laugh. “Neither of us can drive!”

“I’ll have you know, I’m forklift certified!” Jay bragged. “Besides, the guys and I ride our own motorbikes to ninja missions!”

“I’m shocked you even can, those things need a special license to drive.”

“Not if you’re not caught!”

“Jayyy it doesn’t work like that!” Nya finally got everything she needed and opened the door. She didn’t miss how Jay immediately went beet red at the sight of her. “‘Sides, I don’t trust your parents’ car, no offense.”

Jay shook the blush off his face and chuckled. “Neither do I, really. Heh heh.”

Nya gave him a soft smile and extended her hand towards him. “The motorbike will do,” she said. “Come on already!”

Jay smiled brightly as they clasped hands. And off to Mega Monster they went!

-=-

The sons of the First Spinjutsu Master woke up early when the sun lit up the sky in neon red. Garmadon looked used to it and immediately stood up and grabbed a fruit. Wu blearily blinked up at the world. 

About half an hour and several glowing fruits later, they were off to the Upside-Down Mountain. True to fact, it was an upside down mountain, literally like someone turned a mountain upside down. It didn’t look natural, but nothing in this realm made any sense. 

Wu, at some point in their journey, pointed at a giant white box placed haphazardly in the distance. It looked like it was put there willy-nilly with no regard for the landmasses around. It stretched up into the sky and was equally as impossibly long. Wu asked what it was. Garmadon had given him such a terrified look that he didn’t press.

Now, they were walking to the Upside-Down Mountain. It was silent for the most part, until Garmadon cleared his throat. “So, what kind of trouble has Lloyd gotten himself into?”

Wu sighed. “Well, I'm afraid to say, the worst kind. He's reopened the Serpentine tombs, and now that they have united, Pythor is trying to find the Four Silver Fangblades to unleash the Great Devourer.”

“The very snake that turned me evil?” Garmadon asked, a strange look in his eyes. Wu nodded. Garmadon shook his head. “Wait, Pythor? He’s back?”

“You know him?” Wu raised an eyebrow. He didn’t expect this.

“He was a coward in the Serpentine Wars,” Garmadon scoffed. “He wasn’t that old at that point, but his mind was sharp and his tongue sharper. He could talk his way out of anything, and avoided battle for that reason. I am surprised no other Anacondrai kicked him out of the leadership spot.”

“As far as we are aware, Pythor is the last remaining Anacondrai,” Wu explained.

“...Oh.” The weight of the consequences of war settled on Garmadon’s shoulders. He shook it off. “W-why would Lloyd open the tombs?” He changed the subject swiftly.

Wu looked away. “...To be like you,” he said finally.

Garmadon’s hearts sank. “I never wanted him to.” He remembered the conversations through shadow that he would have with his son. When Lloyd would say how he’s going to be bad, evil, mean, so that Garmadon will come see him faster. He just wanted to see his father, and Garmadon didn’t have the heart to tell him that he was trying to get out. Lloyd didn’t need to be evil like him to be loved. He already loves him, so much.

“He ran away from Darkley’s,” Wu informed. 

Garmadon hummed. “Good. That place was killing him.” Then, he realized where Lloyd must have been between those time periods. He laid a hand on Wu’s shoulder. “Thank you for looking out for him.”

A shadow crossed Wu’s face. “Not well enough,” he lamented. “I tried, Li. I really tried.”

“It matters that you tried,” Garmadon smiled, keeping the tusks and fangs out of it. “It means you care.”

Wu echoed his smile, eyes crinkling. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Garmadon breathed. 

“We may technically be enemies now,” Wu sighed, “but I was first your brother.”

It took all of Garmadon’s restraint to not hug his brother. The evil in his blood also helped. But the way he said it… it reminded him of home. He missed this so much.

-=-

Jay and Nya arrived at Mega Monster and found a seat at one of the cafe-restaurants in the park. They decided to order two Mega Monster Burgers, which were stupidly expensive and the person at the till gave them both weird looks. It was only when they sat down did they realize the grave mistake they made.

The burgers were two feet tall. There was no burger patty. There was chicken in there, like a whole ass drumstick. And noodles. And corn, like whole corn on the cobs. And slices of sashimi. And seaweed. And bell peppers. Whole bell peppers.

They gazed in horror at the monstrosities they ordered. They looked at each other with matching terrified expressions, then Nya got up and grabbed some extra plates. Moving all the disparate parts onto the plate made it easier to stomach. Why the fuck was this a burger? Explains why it was so expensive. 

After a few seconds of staring at the MULTIPLE plates worth of food, they broke down laughing. This was so ridiculous. 

At some point, Nya went silent, tapping at her bracelet. Jay decided to fill the silence. “Yea, even when I was young, it was clear I was born and bred for adventure,” he was saying. “I was the first one to get my knot badge in Little Scouts. I was always trying daring foods. I once built these wings from scrap metal and other stuff, the team and I still use them…” 

He trailed off when he noticed that Nya wasn’t paying attention, instead staring at her bracelet. Which was… flashing? Okay. “Uh, you ok?” he asked. “You seem kind of distant.”

Nya jerked up in surprise. “Whuh- yea, fine.” She looked down at the food. “It's just- the portions are so big. How are we gonna eat all this?”

“Leftovers for later!” Jay replied. Nya shrugged noncommittally. 

Jay frowned and burrowed into his scarf. Everything hurt so much now. His teeth ached, and he could feel how sharp they were under his tongue, which was also starting to hurt. This wasn’t supposed to happen! He was supposed to have a nice date with Nya, where nothing bad happened and he could casually keep an eye on the Serpentine in here! Except… he did have his eye on a Serpentine. Himself.

The scales pricking his skin had already spread up to his shoulder. His whole arm was in pain, tiny pinpricks of needles hitting his skin. His other hand was also sprouting scales, somehow, like it was just following the actions of the other one. He resisted the urge to itch at it, knowing he won’t stop until the scales are all gone.

A new pain had also started - his spine. Specifically his tailbone. Was he gonna sprout a tail, like all the other Serpentine? Was it gonna happen on his date? Oh, he should have just canceled. He gripped his fork with more strength than he needed to.

“So that Samurai, huh?” Jay said, trying to distract himself from his problem and Nya from her funk. “Oh, man. I hate them, don’t you? They’re such a showboat, you know?” He looked over at Nya, who’s face had fallen further. “If you ask me, he's nothing without his big, clunky exo-suit.”

“Oh…” Nya said quietly, almost too quiet to hear. Jay was too focused on a sudden wave of pain through his body. He clenched his hands together so tight he thought he’d leave more wounds from his nails. 

“Y-yea,” he managed through the pain. If what he was going through was visible at all, Nya didn’t show any sign of noticing. She was looking at her bracelet again. “Nothing can compare to- uh, two good old fashioned feet and fists, y’know?”

“Uhuh, yea,” Nya said absently. 

Jay hissed in pain when his tongue suddenly gave out on him. It went fully numb, though he could feel something change in his mouth. It didn’t feel natural, and if it weren’t for the numbing, it would really hurt. He dug his face into his scarf to try and hide his pained expression from Nya. 

As the numbness and sensation faded from his mouth, he breathed heavily into the scarf, then pulled his face out of the orange wool and winced as needles pricked his neck and back. It was spreading faster. 

Jay slammed his hands on the table and stood up. “Sssorry, I’ll be right back,” he hissed. Literally. His eyes widened at that, but he didn’t have time to process it. He sprinted from the table into the bathroom. He didn’t wait to hear Nya’s reaction, he just ran.

He tore open the bathroom door and slammed it shut behind him, locking it. Thankfully it was one of those one-person gender neutral bathrooms, meaning he had complete privacy. Another wave of pain made him groan and collapse onto the floor. The cold from the tiles seeped through his gloves, and he shivered in agony. 

Suddenly, an even worse wave of pain tore through him, and he almost screamed. He just managed to bite down onto the scarf, earning a keening whine. His spine and tailbone were on fire . It felt like lightning was racing through every nerve. Everything burned, everything felt awful, he felt like he was dying.

A tearing sound broke through his train of thought, and the pain momentarily halted. It stopped enough for Jay to pant on the floor, heavy breaths in the musty bathroom stench. He pushed himself off the tiled floor, moving through the horrific stinging pain all throughout. He glanced behind him only to see the source of his most recent source of pain and the tearing sound - his pants had torn open in the back to release a small tail. It was barely big enough to count as a tail, but it was this sickly shade of green and undeniably his. 

A part of his brain twitched, and the tail twitched accordingly. A horrible pit of dread opened in his stomach. What was happening to him? Why now?

He pulled himself up to the sink. He almost didn’t recognize the face in his reflection. His eyes were yellow , and the scales were creeping up his neck and were almost up to his face. He could see one grow before his eyes, appearing through his skin with a painful prick. His ears were lengthening, poking out of his fluffy hair. His jaw dropped open to reveal long, sharp fangs, and a tongue forked at the end. 

“Ssshit,” he hissed, too petrified to notice the sibilant note. “I’m turning into a sssnake.”

Chapter Text

Jay whined pitifully from his curled up position on the floor. His face was buried in his scarf; he didn’t want to look at himself. More pain wracked his body. His skin was on fire. 

Someone knocked on the door. Slit pupils peeked out of the scarf as he shouted “IT’SSS OCCUPIED.” He slammed his hands over his mouth at the hiss. 

He could hear footsteps recede. His hands brushed his ears, long and sensitive. A blast of pain made him hiss and retract his hands. 

Yet… amidst this horrible transformation, all Jay could think about was Nya. She was all alone out there, and he was a snake in the bathroom. This was the worst date ever, he thought, bracing himself against another wave of stinging. He can’t go out to see her like this, she’ll hate him. Everyone’ll hate him. They’ve been fighting the Serpentine for months, and now he is one. Fucking fantastic.

-

Outside, back at the booth, Nya stared at the bathroom door in worry. The way he just… ran off like that. It scared her. Something was happening to Jay, and she didn’t know what. There was real fear in his eyes when he bolted from the table, and she was left behind. Sighing, she grabbed some take-home containers and put the massive amount of food into the boxes and stashed them in her purse.

She didn’t really know if she liked Jay like that. She thought he was cute, and funny, and sweet, but she didn’t know if she felt like he did about her. Or like Kai when he saw a cute girl at the store (about three times ever). 

But… it was nice, to hang out with Jay. She sure didn’t know how to romance, and neither did he, so they were both being silly together. Like friends. If Jay saw more than friendship in his mind, that was fine. Nya would just have to see how it goes. 

Because she did like Jay! She just… didn’t like him. Maybe. She didn’t know. She glanced at her bracelet again. She should probably go find the Serpentine.

-

Speaking of whom, the Serpentine were digging around the amusement park. Pythor and Skalidor were working on a patch of dirt inside the spooky dark ride when a car full of human kids rode by. “Heh, look how stupid this guy looks,” one of the children pointed at Pythor and laughed. 

The Anacondrai snarled and snapped his fingers. A group of Venomari stepped out of the shadows, assigned to be his and Skalidor’s loyal bodyguards, and sprayed some acid onto the poor kids. They all started screaming and crying, holding onto each other. 

-

Outside the dark ride, Kai, Cole, and Zane were huddled together. While Jay and Nya were on their date, the others decided to scour the amusement park. A few serpents were captured, but those were the ones that didn’t bother to run or hide. They imagined that Pythor would be the hardest to find.

“Fuck’s sake, where are they?” Kai groaned. “We searched the entire park!”

Screams suddenly caught their attention, and they turned to see a group of people sprinting out of the spooky dark ride. “Wait a minute, that ride was never scary,” Cole pointed out.

“Venomari,” Zane realized.

“Should we get Blue?” Kai turned to Cole.

The black ninja shook his head. “Let's not bother the two lovebirds. I think we can handle this.”

The three of them ran into the dark ride area. “Excuse us, coming through,” Kai said.

“Nothing to look at, folks,” Cole continued, pushing past some people with suspiciously green-tinged eyes.

“This is official ninja business,” Zane concluded, trying to not get pinned against a wall.

-

Nya was getting restless. The food was packed into her bag, but the beeping of her bracelet was getting to her. She shut her eyes, grimaced, then shook her head. “Sorry Jay,” she muttered to no one in particular. “Duty calls.” And she took off out of the restaurant.

In the bathroom, Jay gripped the sink with more force than necessary. He stopped cowering on the floor, now having a staring contest with himself in the mirror. He hadn’t blinked in minutes. His pupils were sharp as a razor, sharp as his fangs. His face was almost fully green and overtaken with scales. His spine and tailbone (tail) hurt. His claws - because they weren’t hands anymore - gripped the sink tighter. His eyes were bright toxic yellow, painful like an oversaturated highlighter. 

“You look fine,” Jay lied. His chest rose and fell at uneven intervals. It was taking every bit of energy to not have a panic attack. “You’re just gonna go out there, and tell her everything. Ssshe won’t judge you.”

Something at the back of his mind controlled his tail. He could feel it wagging. It was now a few inches long, poking out of torn pants. “That’sss ok, Jay, a tail isss nothing to be afraid of. Nya won’t be ssscared of it.”

He remembered the shock when he and the others learned that Lloyd had a tail. His little inhuman quirks that he tried to hide, in fear of their reactions. If that was Jay now, trying to hide these features in fear of his family’s reactions, then… oh who was he kidding, no one’s gonna like him like this!

But there was only one way to find out, he reasoned. So he pulled up his scarf over his face and exited the bathroom. He hastily made his way back to the booth, only to find Nya missing and the table empty. “Ssshe left?” he hissed. 

Unfortunately, the hiss didn’t go unnoticed by a random guy in the neighboring booth. “S- snake!” suddenly grated on his ears, and he turned to look at the guy. It was just some dude, pointing at him in fear and alarm. 

“You were right, dear!” his wife exclaimed. “There are Serpentine in the park!”

“Is it gonna hurt us?” their kid exclaimed, burying their face into their mother’s shirt. 

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” the man’s face hardened and he stepped towards Jay.

Jay backed away in terror. This guy hated him just because he looked like a snake. His back bumped into a wall, and he tried not to cry out in agony as every nerve ending was struck by lightning. When he shook off the pain, he saw several more people approaching, suddenly spurred on by this man’s bravery and the apparent weakness of the enemy.

His heart felt like it was about to shatter from how fast it was going. A tomato was thrown at him, and he hissed in distress. This was, apparently, an invitation to attack him further, as people surrounded him on all sides, kicking at him and hitting him with hard bread and forks. Someone even had a knife.

Every injury felt ten times worse to his sensitive scales. He whimpered in agony as the people continued to hit him. “No! P-pleassse, ssstop!” he choked out through the pain. “I’m not a sssnake!”

The torture didn’t stop. In fact, it only got worse when he felt a wave come on from his tail. Oh, please make it stop , for the love of the First Master, please!

-

Nya scurried outside and found a nice hiding spot. There, she took out her weapons and helmet, pulling it on as she called for her mech. After a little bit, it arrived, and she got in quickly, flying around the park to see where the snakes could be.

The snakes were still digging, the Constrictai making fast work of the dirt. When Skalidor popped back up with a sharp grin, holding up a silver dagger, the snakes cheered. Pythor grabbed the blade with his tail and hoisted it high in the air. “Haha!” he laughed triumphantly. “The first Fangblade is ours!”

The Serpentines’ victory was halted by a sudden rush of warmth. They all turned around to see the ninja standing there, Kai’s sword on fire. “Not so fast!” he exclaimed, pointing the sword at them.

Cole gave him an incredulous glare. “Really? That’s the best you got?”

As the black ninja shook his head, Kai rolled his eyes. “I couldn’t think of anything on the fly.”

Zane lowered their shurikens and stared in disbelief at their teammates. Cole groaned and waved his scythe around. “How about ‘time to burn’ or ‘jump on this fire ride?’”

“Well next time you lead,” Kai grumbled.

“Next time I will,” Cole grumbled back. 

Zane’s face fell into their hands. They made eye contact with Pythor, who looked incredibly confused. None of the snakes knew what was happening. “For the record, I am sorry about these two,” Zane nodded their head towards Cole and Kai.

Pythor’s eyes darted between them and the hotheads, before he blinked at the ice ninja. They shrugged. 

“Oh yeah? If you can catch up, that is,” Kai continued.

“Oh come on. You gotta follow my lead,” Cole spun his scythe around, then faced it at the Serpentine, who still looked confused.

Getting over their argument and their stupor, everyone attacked each other. As the ninja and snakes trade blows, a train car passed by. They overheard “ninja? The ninja aren’t scary” as the car went by, causing Kai to roll his eyes. 

Eventually Zane gestured for the others to stay behind them. They looked at them curiously, then their eyes widened when Zane began to summon ice. Frost and snow swirled around their hand and shurikens as they aimed one hand at the snakes. Pythor’s eyes widened in fear and he backed away, the rest of the serpents following.

A bright white light shot out from Zane…

…And froze the ninja in place. 

“Oops…” Zane managed to say in their frozen state. 

The snakes began to laugh, pointing fingers at the poor frozen ninja and being extremely glad that wasn’t them. Would’ve been real tough to get frozen as someone who is cold-blooded. To avoid the fire ninja melting out of there, the Serpentine left the dark ride, laughing to themselves about the situation.

However, the second they stepped outside, the Fangblade was torn out of Pythor’s grasp and magnetized into the hand of the Samurai. He growled and pointed at the giant mech. “Stop him!”

The Samurai smirked under his mask and activated his rocket boosters, only for them to… not work. “Thruster malfunction,” he swore. Well, he had legs for a reason. And that reason was to run. So run he did, past several frozen rides to the rollercoaster. The Serpentine gave chase, though one was unfortunately hit by the moving car of the coaster.

The Samurai climbed up the support beams of the coaster, then looked down and grimaced under he face guard when he saw the snakes also climbing up. He was at the top of the coaster now, and with the right momentum, down he slid. 

Distantly, he was realizing that rollercoaster cars are supposed to have wheels. Something the mech certainly didn’t have. So this slide down was mostly just a balancing act, and only through sheer luck did he right himself on the tracks after nearly falling off.

The Serpentine watched with wide eyes as the Samurai performed cool tricks on the rollercoaster tracks. Though the second he jumped off, the snakes followed. They ran through the park some more, but Constrictai were always there to herd him back into a corner. He growled, trying his thrusters again. No luck. 

His moment of indecision was capitalized on by the Constrictai, who leapt at him and knocked him over with their collective weight. Effectively pinned, he could do nothing more than watch as Pythor approached, gazing down with a honey-cruel smirk. 

“Finally, the mystery man is revealed,” Pythor purred, taking the Fangblade from the mech’s hand. As the front hatch popped open and the Samurai tried to escape, a couple of Constrictai grabbed his arms and pinned him down. He growled at them, the voice changer breaking up the noise. 

One of the Constrictai pulled off the helmet and another pulled off the face guard and goggles. And everyone gasped when they saw who was under the mask - a young human girl.

Nya’s eyes darted around in fear. They met Pythor’s surprised fuchsia eyes, which quickly narrowed coyly. “Or should I have said mystery girl?” Pythor continued his taunt, tapping the tip of his knife. “Who’s going to save you now, hmm?”

Nya’s breath caught in his throat as he tried to grab a weapon from the mech interior, but the glint of a knife close to his face was enough to dissuade him. …Wait, why was he still using he? Nya didn’t dare to shake his- her? head to clear the confusion, since there was a knife there.

The real question was, where was Jay?

-=-

At the restaurant, Jay was in as small of a ball as he could possibly be. He knew he was crying, tears soaking into his scarf. At some point, the people stopped wailing on him, probably recognizing that he was beat. He poked one eye out of his cocoon, and saw the people around him looking at him carefully. His tongue escaped his mouth involuntarily, sniffing the air. Immediately a bombardment of smells invaded his senses, and he curled back into himself. 

“Alright guys, I think it’s had enough,” someone said. It sounded too loud to his newly sensitive ears. 

“It’s not gonna hurt us anymore?” a child asked. 

“No, honey. It’s not,” their mother said. 

Jay pushed away the pain and heartbreak and sat up, then pulled himself off the floor. Everything hurt, but Nya was missing, and that was top priority. He pulled his scarf so it his the rest of his face. “Sssorry,” he whispered to the gathered people. 

“Get you and your kinda outta here already,” the first man who had attacked him scoffed. “We’re here to have a good day, and we didn’t want snakes to ruin it.”

Sadness clamped over Jay’s heart. He nodded anyways, cradling a particularly bruised arm. “Yea. Sssorry. I’ll leave.”

He moved out of the restaurant, and he could hear cheers behind him from inside. It made him sick to his stomach. But he’ll process all of that after Nya’s safe. After he’s cured. He turned around and saw that his tail had indeed grown, now reaching down to his knees. Shit.

“NYA!” he yelled. No answer. “Where is she?” he fiddled with the edge of his scarf, claws picking at the yarn. 

Looking around, he spotted a group of Serpentine, Pythor standing at the lead with a silver dagger. His heart dropped further. The other ninja failed at stopping Pythor? Well this was perfect!  

“Hey!” he yelled at the snakes. They all turned to look at him. He pulled out a spare dagger he found in the ship's storage, stashed carefully under his jacket on his belt. As he brandished it threateningly, the Serpentine all took notice of his… scaly appearance. A few of them laughed, pointing at his tail, though the Fangpyres looked intrigued. 

“Isss that-” “-the Blue Ninja?” Fangtom asked, eyes shining with curiosity. The right head leaned down to a smaller, normal Fangpyre. “Do you know who it vas that bit them?”

The Fangpyre shook their head. Every other one also shook their heads. Fangtom hummed. 

As Jay watched the group, Pythor broke the silence with a taunt. Typical Pythor. “What’s wrong? Snake got your tongue?” He laughed mockingly.

Jay growled, tail lashing on its own. That felt SO fucking weird. However, before he could charge, something distracted him. “JAY!” Nya’s voice yelled. He immediately snapped his head in her direction and saw that she was tied to a rollercoaster car with chains. “Help me!” 

“Your choice, Ninja,” Pythor said. “You can either come with us, now that you are clearly unwanted by humans-” Jay had to hide his flinch at that “-or go save your little girlfriend.”

Jay didn’t waste a second glaring at the snakes, flipping them off, and charging at Nya. Pythor shrugged and signaled for the snake at the control panel to flip the switch. The second they did, the cart rocketed off, Nya yelling as it sped away.

“See you later, alligator!” Pythor taunted. “We got what we came for, now let’s go.” With a wave of his arm, he and the Serpentine left, though the Fangpyre all cast Jay one last glance. 

Jay ran towards that rollercoaster faster than lightning. He quickly grabbed onto one of the cars before it began its ascent, claws digging into the metal frame. 

Nya gasped in shock when she saw green skin and lightning-yellow eyes and claws and a tail showing through layers of fabric. “What happened to you?” she asked.

“What happened to you? ” Jay echoed. He had to admit, the claws were really good for holding onto surfaces. He glanced up the track to see there was a broken part of the track up ahead. He threw himself into the seat next to Nya and grabbed at the chains, trying to rip them with his bare claws. “Hnghh,” he groaned. “We gotta get you outta here!”

Nya’s eyes gravitated to Jay’s tail, swishing in the wind. It was about ankle length now. “Were you bit?” she asked, looking Jay in the eyes. “Take off that scarf.”

“I don’t wanna,” Jay shook his head rapidly. “I promissse, I wasss gonna tell you, but- I, uh, I didn’t wanna ruin the date…”

“Aww, that’s sweet,” Nya said semi-sarcastically. She wriggled in her seat, then got an idea. “Hey, you were the first in your Little Scouts group to get your knot badge, right?”

Jay’s eyes looked at anything other than Nya. “I uh. Lied. I made it up ssso I could impresssss you. I wasss never in Little Ssscoutsss.”

“You weren’t?” Nya cried, almost hysterically. Her gaze snapped back to the track. “Hold on!”

“What? You have an idea?” Jay looked back at her hopefully.

“No! Hold on!” The rollercoaster was at its peak, and down it went. Jay clutched the handlebar as tight as he could, his claws digging into the foam. His scarf flew off from the wind, leaving him uncomfortably exposed. Every scale, every inch of covered flesh, it was battered by harsh wind, and he hissed and ducked his head. 

When the rollercoaster stopped going fifty miles an hour, he realized what happened. He patted his face with a scaly, clawed hand, feeling only scales under his touch. His mouth had torn open in the journey here (that explained the pain in his cheeks), now wide and long like a snake’s. He could feel the transformation being almost complete. 

He felt Nya’s eyes on him, and fluorescent yellow met mottled brown-blue. He shrieked, covering his face with his arm. “Don’t look at me! I’m a monssster!” Before Nya could say anything, he cupped his hands over his mouth and screamed “SSSAMURAI! SSSAMURAI, WHERE ARE YOU WHEN WE NEED YOU MOSSST?! HELP USSS!!!”

Nya looked away guiltily. “Jay, I don’t think the Samurai is coming.”

Jay stopped screaming and turned his snake-sharp gaze to Nya. “Why?”

She would be lying if she said she wasn’t unnerved by that stare. Those weren’t Jay’s eyes. She took a deep breath against the coaster wind pressure. “I know this might not be the best time, but I haven’t been totally honest either.”

Jay got this weird incredulous look on his face. “What isss it?” His snout was already pushing through, distorting his face, and- oh First Master were those horns?

Nya squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself. “I… I’m the Samurai!”

There was nothing but the coaster winds for a bit. Then, a disbelieving scoff from Jay. “Y- you’re the Sssamurai? Thisss whole time?”

They didn’t really have time to worry about that, however, as they were nearing the huge missing chunk in the track. “Ah! We’re running out of track!” Jay exclaimed. 

“Jay,” Nya began, grabbing Jay’s hand from under the chains. He looked at her, tongue flicking out in surprise. “If anything horrible were to happen, I want you to know that you don't have to wear cologne or pretend to be anything that you're not. Because I like you best when you're you.” She gave him a soft smile, then kissed his cheek. 

If Jay still had skin to show, he would have gone beet red. As it was, he flushed a darker shade of green. “I- I-” he stammered. 

“Whatever happens next, just remember, you are the best you,” Nya smiled.

And Jay… realized something. It clicked for him. All the lies, the posturing, the perfume and the hair gel and the everything , it was all nothing. He didn’t need to pretend to be someone cool for Nya to like him. He didn’t need to be something better than himself to be himself. Even if he’s a snake, that just means he has scales instead of skin now. Deep down inside, he’s still Jay, and he always will be. Because no matter what changes on the outside, people that really love him will see him on the inside, and people like that. He likes that. He knows who he is.

Sparks flew across his skin as he started to glow. Every inch of him sparkled yellow and cyan, flashes of hot lightning in a summer storm, bright and loud and destructive but with thunder rumbling low and calming in the distance. The air smelled like ozone and oil and gears, and the sound of rolling thunder and high-spirited laughter filled the air. 

Nya gazed up in awe at the laughing, lightning-clad form of Jay. He looked divine against the setting sun, merging with the sky itself. “What’s… happening?”

Jay flexed his fingers, letting the lightning course through the air. “My true potential,” he answered. His voice sounded like a crackling bolt of lightning.

And just as fast as lightning, he vanished, reappearing in front of the cart before Nya could blink. He floated before it and slammed his hands on the front of the car. Nya felt static coursing through her limbs as the power of lightning itself hit the car, pushing it back slightly but surely. 

(For a split second, in Nya’s vision, it almost looked like the clouds behind him were wings. Must’ve just been her imagination.)

The cart stopped. Several onlookers cheered from below, and Jay quickly grabbed Nya and flew down to the ground level. The cart toppled off the coaster. 

As they landed, the glow around Jay faded, leaving just him in the wake. Human, normal Jay. He didn’t even notice, just slumping over Nya and hugging her tightly. She hugged back, and he laughed into her shoulder. 

“Thank you,” she muttered into his ear. 

He slowly pulled away and looked her in the eyes. Normal gray-blue eyes, not highlighter yellow- or, wait, no there was still some yellow in them. Nya squinted. There was a tiny bit of a yellow underglow to them, like they were being backlit. “Pretty,” she absently muttered, before blushing.

Jay was also blushing. “Thanks,” he muttered, and flashed her a grin.

Her stomach dropped when she saw fangs.

However, her train of thought was interrupted when three familiar voices approached them. They turned to see Kai, Cole, and Zane running up to them, though only the former two did. Zane was doing crowd control.

A few minutes later, the group walked over to the entrance of the amusement part. The sun was setting, and it was starting to get bitterly cold. Jay shivered. He hugged his arms (human arms!!!) and shivered. The others caught each other up to speed on what happened, with Jay interjecting with his snakey side of the story (though he left out all the… gory details). 

“You’re the Samurai?” Cole and Zane exclaimed. Kai just smirked. Oh, that bastard knew all along, probably! Cheater!

“You really had me fooled,” Zane said, eyes wide in disbelief. “I would have never guessed!”

“I wish I had a sister like you,” Cole complained good-naturedly. Nya blushed and giggled. 

“Technically, I was the first to discover her secret,” Kai mused playfully. “And didn't we agree whoever we thought was the best would naturally be the Green Ninja?” The others looked at him blankly. He pouted. “Y’know? The Green Ninja?” He pumped his fist in the air. “The destined ninja to defeat Lord Garmadon?”

“Why would we say that?” Jay winked at the others.

“Yea, I’m drawing a blank,” Cole shrugged innocently.

“Nope,” Zane shook their head. “That conversation is not in my database.” It was almost impossible to tell if they did that or not, but the wink they sent Jay’s way confirmed that they didn’t.

Kai gave them all an appalled look, then shook his head. “Traitors, all of you.”

“I seem to remember that it was Lloyd who found out about the Samurai first,” Nya said. “So it wouldn’t have been Kai anyway!”

“See? She got you there!” Cole laughed. 

Jay sighed, relishing the crisp almost-winter air. “Y’know what I learned today?”

“What’s that?” Nya tilted her head.

“No matter what kind of secret you have, whether you're a snake or a samurai, it's important to be yourself,” he nodded. “It’ll only hurt you in the long run if you keep a secret.”

“Where’d you get that one, Saturday morning cartoons?” Cole rolled his eyes.

“I kept Nya’s secret just fine,” Kai shrugged. “Didn’t hurt me at all.”

“I’ve been lying to you all for months about who I really am,” Zane added.

“That doesn’t count, you had amnesia,” Cole punched him gently on the arm. Then, his face grew serious. “You wanna know what I learned today? The Serpentine have the first Fangblade.”

“But we are getting stronger,” Zane smiled. “One day, we will all reach our true potential and Pythor will be stopped.”

“Will I get a true potential too?” Nya mused.

“Why not?” Kai smirked. “No one said it had to be elemental.”

Jay opened his palm and watched as a few sparks flew across his fingers. “And we figured out all this without Master Wu! Pretty good for four ninja.” Nya cleared her throat and punched him on the arm. He recoiled from it. “Ow! Yea, and a Samurai. Augh, I need some of that healing tea. I had a bad day.”

“Wonder what Master’s doing now,” Kai hummed. 

-=-

In the Realm of Madness, Wu and Garmadon stood at the foot of the Upside-Down Mountain. They had a tough journey, but they made it. Very covered in mud. “I am taking a nice hot bath when we return,” Garmadon growled, shaking himself off like a dog. “Do you know how little Skulkin bathe? They don’t need to. There’s no actual water in this realm either. I miss baths, Wu.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” Wu sighed. He gazed up at the awful monstrosity that was the mountain. “The only way out is through… that?”

“Unfortunately,” Garmadon grumbled. “The worst is yet to come. Let’s get climbing.”

“With what equipment?” Wu’s question went unanswered. He groaned and unsheathed his claws.

The two brothers approached the mountain with absolutely no clue as to how they were gonna get up. Great.

Chapter Text

Jay woke up with an odd sensation all over their body. They groggily pushed themself off the mattress and smacked their lips sleepily. Why did their whole body hate them?

Blearily, they noticed that no one else was in the bedroom. They yawned, big and wide, then stumbled out of bed. They dunked their head into a handful of water when they approached the sink, then looked at their reflection.

Then looked at their reflection.

Then looked at the scales on their skin.

They yelped and fell backward, only for jarring pain to shoot up their spine as they fell on something that was definitely not part of their body when they went to sleep. Through panicked eyes, Jay turned around to see a small tail, about to their mid thigh, poking out of their pajama pants.

Their breathing got more labored as they looked all over their body. Scales everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. They looked back at their reflection in the mirror. Their face scrunched in horror. 

Green scales, no longer a toxic, sickly lime, now a softer pistachio green, spread out like blush on their cheekbones and long ears, which either returned after their true potential, or never left. They spotted some scales on the back of their neck, and all over their arms in small patches. A large patch spread out from their left hand - the same one that got the venom pricked. They lifted their hand to gaze at the wound. It was cured, two dark green scars being all that remained.

They looked back at their reflection, and their breaths picked up and got more irregular. To their complete horror and disgust, scales began to prick their skin, poking through their skin before their very eyes. Pupils - sharp like a razor - narrowed in terror, and they could see the yellow underglow in their eyes. 

Jay clutched the sink so hard they thought it’d break. “You’re not a snake,” they whispered. “You cured it with the true potential. You’re fine. This is just a dream, or- or a hallucccination-” they slammed their hands over their mouth. They felt their tongue flicking erratically in their mouth, sliding over sharp fangs. Behind them, their tail started lashing and- was it longer than it was a second ago?

They made a keening noise and slid down, back to the door, and curled up into a ball, muttering “this can’t be happening”s and “i’m just dreaming”s and “this isn’t real”s. Oh, where was Master Wu when you needed him most?

-=-

In the kitchen, the ninja frowned, poking at their breakfast. It was Kai’s turn, and he delivered char-black bacon. As usual. Zane shot him this absolutely disappointed look, but had no way of fighting the happy grin on his face when he chomped down on his charcoal.

“Jay is still not up,” Zane noticed, poking at her piece of bacon.

“We gave them some time to sleep,” Kai shrugged. “They just got their true potential, that’s bound to exhaust someone.”

“Didn’t exhaust me,” Zane stated. She gave some bacon to Wynn, who happily snapped it up.

“You’re a nindroid, doesn’t count,” Kai shrugged.

Cole frowned. “I’m gonna go check on them.”

“Should I come too?” Nya asked, moving to stand.

“It’s just Jay,” Cole laughed. “It’ll be fine.” He grabbed a piece of bacon for the road and ate it before he knocked on the bedroom door. “Jay? Bud, you in there?”

Silence. Cole frowned and opened the door slowly, peeking inside. Seeing nothing unusual, he walked inside. Jay wasn’t in bed. In fact, they were nowhere to be found.

But the bathroom door was closed, and Cole could hear muffled noises from inside. “Jay? You in there?” Cole knocked on the bathroom door.

He didn’t expect a shriek and scrambling noises. “Y-yea! I’m fine!” Jay shouted back. 

“You’re gonna miss breakfast,” Cole said. “Kai cooked some delicious charcoal. I think it was bacon at some point.” He laughed.

Jay only laughed a few seconds later. Bad sign. Red flag. “Hey, you alright in there, Sparky?” Cole asked, resting a hand on the door. “You didn’t fall in, did you?”

“I did not,” Jay snapped back. “I- I jussst-”

Cole blinked. What’s with the hiss? “You sure? You don’t sound ok.” Jay sputtered something Cole couldn’t parse. The black ninja sighed. “You said it yourself last night - no keeping secrets. Only hurts you later, right?”

There was silence on the other end for a bit. Finally, there was a slight thump against the door. “I’m a sssnake again.”

Cole’s heart clenched. “Oh.”

“Yea. Oh.” Jay laughed from behind the door. “I- I jussst woke up green and scaly again, a-a-and I dunno how to fix thisss?”

Cole took a deep breath. He was the rock of the team, the one everyone could rely on. He’s the ever-steady leader. He had to act like it. “Can I come in?”

Jay was quiet for a bit. Then, the bathroom lock clicked. Cole smiled to himself and gently twisted open the doorknob. 

Inside, Jay was sitting with their head in their knees, one sharp-pupilled eye watching Cole like a hawk. A green tail extended behind them, down to about their knee, and patches of their skin were green and scaly. Their ears twitched as the door clicked shut and Cole sat down beside Jay.

“It’s not that bad,” Cole tried.

Jay scoffed. “It’s been getting worssse,” they hissed. Literally, their tongue shot out of their mouth, snakelike and forked, though still human-sized. They slammed a hand over their mouth. “Sssee?”

“Yea,” Cole absently said. They were silent for a bit, the silence only interrupted by the thumping of Jay’s tail, their wheezing breaths, or the gentle rumble of the ship. “You should tell the others.”

Jay’s eyes widened and they shook their head. “Absolutely fucking not!”

“Why not?” Cole raised an eyebrow.

“B-because, they’ll see me as a freak!” They pointed at themself. “I’m not human anymore! I’m a snake! We’ve been hunting down sssnakes since like a month or two ago!”

“And?” Cole shrugged. “We befriended Lloyd, who used to be an enemy. But… that’s not why you’re worried, huh?”

Read like a book, Jay looked away. Their tail involuntarily thumped. “I jussst don’t wanna be ssseen as a monssster.”

“Is Zane a monster?” Cole asked. “Cuz she’s not human either.”

Jay shot him an appalled look. “Of course not! She may be a nindroid, but she’s part of the team!” 

“And you’re a Serpentine that’s part of our team,” Cole confirmed.

Jay was silent. Then, they laughed. “I was thinking about that. You would accept Zane, but reject me, cuz I’m a snake.” As Cole watched, scales disappeared under their skin. “But I’m realizing that’s a bit stupid now.” They headbumped Cole on the arm. “Thanks,” they smiled, mouth closed. 

“Yea, of course,” Cole smiled back. A warm fluttery feeling tickled his guts. Then, Cole noticed how there was now far more skin than scale. “Hey, look in the mirror.”

Jay furrowed their brow in confusion, but stood up and looked at their reflection. There was a little gasp of surprise. “My face! It’s getting better!”

“Maybe it gets worse with stress?” Cole suggested. “You were probably real stressed when you first found the scales.”

“Probably,” Jay mused, poking at their skin. “And then I started to calm down when you talked me out of my funk!” Bright eyes glimmered as they beamed at Cole.

The earth ninja laughed and slung an arm over Jay’s shoulders. “Yep! Now come on, your charcoal’s getting cold.”

“Charcold,” Jay replied, moving to open the door.

Cole guffawed as they both exited the bedroom and headed into the dining room. Jay hovered outside the door, green-scaled hand resting on the handle. A firm hand on their shoulder shook them out of their indecision, and they opened the shoji door. 

The others immediately looked up at Jay. They could see their faces changing, from surprise to shock (and recognition, in Nya’s case), and they tried to smile. They waved little jazz hands at them. “Sooo guess who’s still a snake!”

“I thought we cured it with your true potential!” Nya exclaimed.

“Yea, turns out nope?” they shrugged. “Running theory was that my true potential increased my heartrate enough for me to knock the venom out of my system, but apparently not.”

“Augh, dude that sucks,” Kai frowned in sympathy. He crunched his bacon piece. 

Zane stood up and walked towards Jay. She knelt down (embarrassingly) and put her hands on their shoulders. “You are not alone.” 

This… absolutely broke Jay. They tackled Zane in a hug, face buried into her sweater. Tears welled up in their eyes, and when they cried, they knew they were still human. Monsters couldn’t cry. 

The others joined the big group hug. Their tail thumped against someone’s leg as it wagged excitedly. Well now Jay knew how dogs felt all the time. Still, a foreign limb was weird as hell to control, even if Jay wasn’t controlling it themself.

“Is that a fucking tail?” Kai’s voice broke through the happy hug. Well there went the atmosphere. Looks like it was Kai who was getting hit by their tail. 

Jay flushed and broke out of the hug, hiding their tail from Kai’s view. “What’s it to ya?” they glared. They chewed on the inside of their mouth. Please be normal.

Kai raised his hands. “No problems, no problems! Just pointing it out, is all.” He looked a bit awkward about it, like he was trying to defuse a bomb. Jay supposed that this wasn’t much different than that. Suddenly, their stomach grumbled. When they looked down, face getting redder, Kai reached over and grabbed some bacon. “Here’s breakfast.”

Jay glared at the piece of black they were just handed. “Kai this is not bacon.”

“It is! It’s the way I cook it!” Kai huffed. 

“Kai you burn everything ,” Nya groaned. “I know you like that ‘smoky flavor,’ but this isn’t smoked. This is burnt.”

“And? Sometimes burnt is better!” Kai huffed. “If Jay doesn’t want it, I’ll take it back!”

Jay stuffed it into their mouth the second Kai tried to grab it. At Kai’s offended expression, they smiled cattily. Despite it all, it didn’t taste that awful.

Then, Jay laughed. “Nothing’s changed,” they realized.

“Nope,” Cole wrapped Jay in a sideways hug. “You’re just a bit greener now.”

“See? I told you I was closest to green!” Jay pointed at Kai. “I guess I really am the Green Ninja now!”

“As if!” Kai snorted, waving a piece of bacon around. “All you are is a green nuisance! Green Goblin, more like!”

Jay gasped in faux offense. “You take that back!”

“Nnnope,” Kai popped the p, and the piece of bacon in his mouth.

Zane looked at Kai strangely. “How much bacon did you make?”

“Too much,” Nya rolled her eyes. Then, she walked up closer to Zane and leaned up to look her in the eyes. “Hold on, lemme see something.”

“Yes, Nya?” Zane raised an eyebrow as Nya looked closer.

“There is!” she exclaimed. 

“Nya, what are you talking about?” Cole asked.

“Look at Jay and Zane’s eyes,” Nya explained, stepping away from Zane’s face. As everyone looked closer. Little underglows in their irises, white highlighting Zane’s cyan and yellow highlighting Jay’s gray-blue. 

“What the…” Cole muttered.

“Oh yea, I noticed Zane’s eyes after her true potential,” Kai snapped his fingers. “I just kinda thought that was a nindroid thing.”

“I do not believe it was there before my true potential,” Zane frowned, staring at her reflection in Nya’s hand mirror. 

“Me neither,” Jay frowned. “My eyes were yellow when I was a snake, but this is just an underglow.”

“It’s gotta be tied to our true potentials,” Cole realized. “Kai’s is probably gonna be red.”

“What about yours?” Nya asked.

“Orange? I dunno,” Cole shrugged. 

“Huh!” Jay hummed. Then… they realized something. “I should probably tell my parents about this.”

The others gave them careful looks. “In person or over the phone?” Nya asked. 

“In person,” Jay decided. “They deserve to see me while talkin to me.”

“I’ll go set us on course to the Walkers’ junkyard then,” Zane stated, already moving to the hangar upstairs. Wynn screeched from its circling orbit overhead and perched on her arm as she ascended.

“I want a bird,” Jay grumbled, sitting down at the dining table and picking up a piece of char-fried bacon. 

“Gotta be a nindroid for that,” Cole joked. 

“I’m already a snake, ain’t that enough?” Jay complained. They tried to ignore the way their ears twitched at the sudden silence. They looked around. “What?”

“You’re just… unusually chill about this,” Kai frowned.

“You were absolutely losing it at our date,” Nya added. “You seem fine now.”

“Well, I’m not on a date now,” Jay held up a finger, then continued to raise fingers as they counted up their situation. “Plus, I’m not actively transforming into a snake.  Also, no one is currently in danger right now. And I just had a panic attack in the bathroom before Cole got me.”

Cole nodded. “Got the tailend of it.”

Jay finally raised a fifth finger, hand splayed out like a starfish. “And finally, I’m a bit mellowed out right now. I’m tired and I’m trying to believe this is just a weird dream. The real big freakout is gonna happen later when I don’t have a ton of people watching me.”

“I don’t think that’s healthy,” Cole grimaced.

Jay rolled their eyes. “Whatever, mom . I’ll be fine. It’s just… gonna take some time to adjust, y’know? Heh heh.” They chuckled, gazing down at their scaly hands. 

“And we’ll be there with you,” Nya said, resting a hand on their shoulder. “The whole way.”

Cole and Kai nodded in confirmation, and Jay smiled, fangs and all. “Thanks guys. That really means a lot.”

-=-

Jay spilled the whole story to their parents. As expected, they broke down crying in a panic attack, leaving their parents to comfort them. Nya, who had come with them, decided to give them some space to explain things and was just poking around the junkyard. 

He picked up a piece of scrap metal and inspected it. Nice, sturdy, perfect for repairing those damn thrusters. How dare they not work. Nya rolled his eyes and stashed the scrap in his bag-

Wait a second. He blinked. He? Well… this was happening again. He didn’t think it would be, but it was. He frowned. Oh boy. What does this mean?

The door to the trailer opened, and Nya turned around to see Jay walking out, scales almost diminished. There were only a few patches on their arms, and just a few scattered about on their cheeks. They hugged their parents tightly, tiny tail wagging. Ed pointed out the tail, and Nya could see Jay reddening from here. They pulled their shirt over their tail (which was unfortunately poking through those fancy tuxedo pants, considering they were the only ones with a tail hole right now).

Jay noticed Nya, smiled and headed over. “Hey, Nya!” they chirped.

“Are you still riding the high of calling me your girlfriend in front of your parents?” Nya laughed. 

Jay pouted and blushed. “Nnno.”

Nya rolled his eyes. “Suuure. Whatever you say.”

“Ready to go home?” Jay asked.

“Still need a few components for my mech’s repairs,” Nya shook his head. “You know where I can find an oxidizer tank?”

Jay looked away, tongue flicking out. They froze when they realized what they did, burrowed their face into their hoodie, and pointed at a pile. “Ssshould be there,” they muttered. A bloom of scales appeared on their face.

“Thanks,” Nya said, heading over to the pile. He heard Jay following close behind, shoes crunching in the sand. He chose not to mention the strange snake instincts that probably propel them now. If no one mentions it, Jay won’t worry, right? It’s better to make them feel secure, rather than ostracized. 

While poking through the pile, a shifting of metal and a hiss sounded from behind him. He turned around from where he was searching for his oxidizer tank, and blinked in surprise to see Jay sprawled on top of a dilapidated car, tongue sticking out happily. More scales bloomed on their face, though they didn’t seem to notice in their bliss.

“Uh- Jay?” Nya called. “You alright there?”

“Sssun. Good.” was the reply. 

“Ohhh,” Nya realized. “Snakes are cold-blooded! Of course you’re gonna love it in a desert in the middle of the day!”

Jay seemed to realize what they were doing, and jerked up. A bewildered look was on their face. “You- I just-”

“Must be instinct?” Nya tried. “Snake brain’s telling you to seek warmth.”

“Prrrrobably?” Jay rubbed the back of their neck. “I’d like to live without these instincts, preferably. Heh heh.”

“Mm,” he hummed. Ok, he needed to figure this out. “Hey, Jay? Can I ask you something?”

“Uh, sure?” Jay tilted their head. “Is everything ok?” 

(Inwardly, Jay started freaking out. Was Nya gonna ask about something snakey? They weren’t ready to think about this longer than they already are!)

“I…” He took a deep breath and let it out. “A lot of people have been using he/him for the Samurai.”

Jay’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, yea. I mean, I’ve been using they, but I know Kai said he, and Cole, and the Serpentine too. I’ll use she for the Samurai from now on.”

“No- that’s not the problem,” Nya shook his head. “Everyone uses he/him for me when I’m the Samurai. And… I think I also started doing that?” He wrung his hands together. “I think I still am.”

Jay gave him a strange look. “You’ve been referring to yourself as a guy?”

“Mmmmaybe? I don’t know,” Nya sighed. “I just keep catching myself referring to myself with he, and I dunno what it means.”

“Does it feel ok?” Jay asked. 

“Yea, I like it,” Nya nodded. “When all those girls fangirled over me, calling me the guy of their dreams, it- it- I dunno, felt good? Yea…”

Jay muttered something under their breath. Their tail thumped against the car. “Are you still ok with she/her?”

Nya stopped for a second and thought. Is she still ok with she/her? Does she feel right for her? After a bit, she nodded. “I think so.”

“You can use both, if you want?” Jay offered. 

“You can?!” Nya exclaimed.

“Well sure! I’m ok with both he and they, after all!” Jay explained. “You don’t gotta figure it all out now, but if you’re ok with he and she, I can use he for you more if you want?”

“Maybe!” Nya tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Let’s take things slow and just try things out, yea? Like you said, no rush to figure it all out.”

“Exactly!” Jay beamed. They leapt off the car and tackled Nya in a hug. She almost fell over from the weight. “I’m so proud of you!”

“I- thanks, Jay,” she smiled, hugging them back. 

-=-

“I don’t think all Serpentine are evil,” Jay muttered. It was a few hours later, and the ninja + samurai were gathered in the living room making plans. Jay was greener, and they could feel every prick of every scale that appeared on their skin. They were ignoring it earlier, when surrounded by family and the sun (oh my First One the sun felt AMAZING on their scales). They ignored the pain of their tail growing. But it really was hitting now, when it was cold and evening and the only source of heat was Nya, who they were cuddling with.

(They broke the news of Nya’s pronouns once they got back. Everyone, especially Kai, was supportive. The fire ninja basically picked her up and spun her around in a big tight hug. He almost went into Spinjutsu with that hug.)

“I agree,” Zane hummed. “Many of the Serpentine we faced were simply stealing to survive. Food, clothing, necessary supplies to live. Some money, yes, but never expensive or valuable things. And the places they were attacking were locations with a lot of the aforementioned items - villages, large gatherings of people, and anywhere with food.”

“When we were first facing them, none of them seemed trained for battle,” Kai noted. “And I’m no expert on Serpentine, but a few of them looked way too young to be out in the field fighting.”

“I don’t think a good chunk of them want to be doing what they’re doing,” Cole frowned. “When I got hypnotized by Skales, all I did was stall you guys so every Serpentine could get out of the treehouse. He only gave me the ok to attack once everyone was gone.”

“Serpentine begged for mercy,” Nya frowned, placing her chin on Jay’s head. “They thought I was gonna kill them. It sucks that the only thing they can think of is whether or not they’re going to die.”

“Pythor seems to be the major problem,” Zane stated. She held up a hand when everyone started complaining at once. “Let me elaborate. We all know that Pythor is the true antagonist here. He has unified the five tribes, risen the ancient city of Ouroboros, and is on his way to discovering the four Fangblades so he can summon the Great Devourer. But it does not seem that many Serpentine are actually on his side.”

“That one Constrictai that’s always with him is pro-Pythor, right?” Cole snapped his fingers. 

“I believe he is his second in command,” Zane confirmed. “When we first met him, he stated that Pythor and the Great Devourer will bring salvation, freedom. The other three leaders do not seem so eager to follow in their footsteps.”

“I remember Lloyd telling me something about Skales and Fangtom,” Kai said. “They never actually hurt him, they just wanted him out of the picture. They didn’t wanna put him in danger.”

“Thisss is still mossst of the Ssserpentine under Pythor’s thumb,” Jay added. They bit their tongue at the hiss. “One or two bad apples poisssoning an entire orchard isn’t good.”

“Especially when there’s plenty of those that actually want Pythor to succeed,” Nya huffed. “I saw that pack of snakes at Mega Monster, they were most likely battle-capable adults that were brought with the leaders as protection.”

“Teenagers, mothers, and children were left behind at Ouroboros,” Zane nodded. “It seems that all those currently with the leaders are those that are on Pythor’s side, or are forced to be here.”

“You don’t know what it’sss like,” Jay began, “to be treated like ssscum just cuz you have ssscales.” Everyone winced sympathetically. “Those people at the restaurant were ssscared of me, just because I looked like a snake. They called me a monssster, afraid that I would hurt them.” They laughed bitterly. “Isss that what we’ve been doing? Attacking every sssnake we sssee because we don’t know any better?”

Nya’s arms wrapped tighter around them. “You’re not a monster, Jay. You’re a person.”

“Nya, I’m a snerson,” they leaned into her touch. “I’m a human with sssnake venom in me. I’m a freak. But…” they sighed, “I’m not a monster. And neither are the Serpentine who are just trying to sssurvive. It’s not their fault they look like that.”

“You’re right,” Cole nodded, his tone going into leader mode. The tone that made everyone look at him and know he’s being serious. “Next time we see a small group of snakes, no Pythor and no- uh, Constrictai Leader, who we do not know the name of-” everyone chuckled “-we talk to them like normal people. It doesn’t have to end in violence.”

“The war was forty years ago,” Kai stated. “I don’t wanna be the next generation to fight in it.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. “And if they’re itching for a fight?” Jay asked.

“Then we go easy on them,” Cole said sternly. “Just because they’re looking to spill some blood, doesn’t mean they get to spill it. We settle this like ninja. Stealthily.”

“What about me?” Nya raised her hand.

“Samurai fight with honor, don’t they?” Cole shrugged. “Be honorable.”

“The two genders, stealthy and honorable,” Jay snickered. Everyone laughed at that.

Their meeting was interrupted by a screech. They all turned to see Wynn flapping in the doorway. “Dinner’s ready!” Zane smiled. She stood up and offered a hand to Kai. “Care to assist?”

“Sure, why not,” Kai accepted the hand and the two went into the kitchen.

Cole stretched and got up. “I’ll go help too. You guys gonna meet us in the dining room?”

“Yea, just give us a sec,” Nya waved him off. Cole winked at the lovebirds and followed after the other two. 

“How’re you feeling?” Nya asked. 

“Cold,” Jay replied. “But you’re warm.”

Nya smiled. “That’s nice, thanks. You wanna wear my jacket?”

Jay’s eyes sparkled as he looked up at her. “Yes pleassse.”

Five minutes later, at the dining table, Jay happily shoved pasta into their mouth as they snuggled into the big warm gray jacket. It smelled like seafoam.

Chapter Text

Far in the desert, under a small pyramid, Pythor led his collection of snakes through a series of tunnels. He glanced at the hieroglyphs on the wall - old Serpentish text. His staff clinked against the stone floor as he slithered through the tunnels. 

Something suddenly pricked at his subconscious, and he held an arm out to stop the other Serpentine from advancing. Hisses of confusion sounded behind him, and he tilted his head to observe the tunnel.

“Ugh,” Skales groaned, staring at his map. “Why are we ssstopping?”

Pythor narrowed his eyes and tapped his staff against the stone in front of him. Just as he thought, it crumbled and fell into a deep ravine, as did a large swath of stones that made up the floor. A trap, one that Pythor had the luck to spot beforehand, when his staff made a sound a bit too hollow to be just part of the earth.

“What good is unlocking the Great Devourer if we're not around to see it?” Pythor scoffed. He jerked his head at the crowd. “Get the boy!”

A couple of soldiers brought Lloyd, bound in chains. The boy walked along, not struggling against his bindings. He’d already learned that it would be pointless. He sent a strange look at Pythor - a mix of fear, pleading, and anger. His pupils were thin and slit, but his eyes were wide. 

The chains behind him clinked as the Fangpyre unlocked them, and when they dropped, the kid stared at his hands, then at Pythor in confusion. “You’re… letting me go?” His tail wagged hopefully.

Pythor’s chuckle dashed those hopes instantly. “Only to fetch, dear boy,” he purred, leading the child over to the edge of the precipice. “Do step lightly,” he added. 

The Anacondrai watched Lloyd attempt to balance himself along the wall, jumping from rock to rock. He was the only one able to make it across, being that small, and he was the most… disposable member of the current group. Pythor certainly wouldn’t miss him if he fell to his doom. 

Which the kid almost did, though he grabbed onto the edge of a rock in the nick of time, shuffling to a more stable area and pulling himself up. His tail was lashing like crazy, trying to balance him out.

When Lloyd looked back at him with teary red eyes, Pythor hummed. “Bring me the Fangblade, and I'll let you go,” he lied. Hopefully that’ll be enough motivation.

Lloyd did look braver at that, and turned back around to go further down the tunnel. Pythor watched as his little black form faded away, though he saw how the spikes began to descend upon him. From the pants he heard, he assumed the kid was still alive. Which was confirmed by a gasp and yell a few seconds later.

Unfortunately, Lloyd had pressed a hidden switch on the floor and arrows poured in from the walls. He tried running through the arrows, getting to the end. One buried itself in his arm, and another shot through his hood, dangerously close to his neck. Another hit his calf, though he kept running. He had to get free. He had to find that Fangblade. 

However, when he stopped at the mouth of the next room, his heart sank to his stomach. He stared directly at the empty pedestal that should have held the Fangblade, a gaping hole filtering in daylight above it.

“It’s gone!” Lloyd yelled, hoping it would carry over to the Serpentine. 

It did, and Pythor’s eyes widened. “It’s GONE?” he hissed. 

“Where is it then?” Skalidor muttered. 

“Do I still get to be free?” Lloyd’s hopeful voice carried down the tunnel. 

“NO!” Pythor yelled back. He waved to some Serpentine behind him. “Go fetch him, won’t you?”

The serpents looked at each other nervously, then tried to follow the kid’s footsteps and get him. Pythor really didn’t value any life other than his own, huh…

-=-

On the flying ship the ninja and samurai called their base, the teens looked at a drawing of a Fangblade. “They got the first one, but there are three more, and we just need one to stop Pythor,” Nya said. “Presumably, they have a map, which is an advantage over us.”

Jay sighed, watching her with a dopey expression. “I still can't get over the fact that you were the mysterious Samurai,” he said, bumping his shoulder against Nya’s, who rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Is anyone else blown away like I am?” He looked at the others and wiggled his eyebrows.

Kai huffed and looked away. “Yea, we get it, she’s cool, she’s the best. We're over that, can we move on?”

Jay made a mocking gibberish noise as he opened and closed his hand like a mouth. “ Someone’s snappy. Who stuck coals in his pants?”

Cole snorted. He looked back at the Fangblade. There was something so… familiar about it, he just couldn’t put his finger on it. He frowned and tilted his head. Maybe that’ll help.

“It appears his impatience is because he has not found inner peace and unlocked his true potential like you and I have, Jay,” Zane guessed. Cole shivered as they passed by. After getting their true potential, Zane was pretty much radiating cold, like a walking fridge. Wynn perched on their shoulder, seemingly unaffected by the cold. It preened its feathers as Zane explained their theory.

“Great observation, Robocop, but Cole hasn't found it either,” Kai snapped. 

Suddenly, it clicked in Cole’s brain why he recognized the Fangblade. “I got it!” he cheered, throwing his hands in the air. 

“You’ve unlocked it?” Kai asked, dismayed. “Oh, why am I the only one!?”

“No, I figured out why the Fangblade is so familiar!” he smiled, grabbing his phone and clicking through the images. “I’ve been staring at it my whole life!”

“Oh- is that all?” Kai laughed nervously. “That’s- yea, that’s- that’s fine. Haha.” He looked anywhere but at the others.

“Here!” Cole finally found the image. It was a photo of an older man with close-cropped black hair, dark skin, and a mustache. The man wore a suit, and was holding a trophy, with a rather familiar-looking fang extending from its center. Cole could instantly recognize the man as his father, and he doubted the others wouldn’t draw the connection.

Everyone gathered around Cole and looked at the photo. “Yea, that’s it!” Jay pointed at the trophy, then immediately withdrew his hand when he noticed how green it was. Everyone else tried to not look at it.

“Back where I grew up, there's this pretty big competition where every year the winner gets the Blade Cup,” Cole explained. “My dad's won it multiple times. I’ve seen the trophy in the living room for the past, like six years.”

“You never told us your dad was an accomplished athlete,” Zane said. “What sport?”

Anddddd there it was. The question Cole was hoping to avoid for the past few months. It was bound to come up eventually. “It’s… not exactly a sports competition. Or anything like that. It’s a talent show. He’s… a Blacksmith.” He bit the inside of his lip, looking at the coffee machine instead of his friends.

Kai shrugged. “Nothing wrong with that. My father was a blacksmith too.”

“Not that kind of blacksmith,” Cole sighed, then clicked the next image. It was of him and his group. “He’s a Royal Blacksmith.”

He could hear snickers from his left (Jay, probably) as they stared at the photo of four grown men frozen in a dancing pose, all in matching suits with tailcoats and big top hats. Their canes were held up in the air, and all were winking at the camera. 

“ That's your dad?” Kai asked, voice ripe with barely concealed laughter.

“But how’d the Fangblade become a trophy?” Nya asked, switching back to the first photo.

“Well, supposedly, the Blade Cup was made by this guy who collected priceless artifacts,” Cole explained, flipping his phone shut. “His name was something like, uh, Dutch… no, Clutch! Clutch Powers!” He snapped his fingers as he remembered. “Anyways, it gets passed on to each year's winner. My dad’s had it for the past few years; he only gives it up a week before the competition so it’ll get used for the trophy. He just gets it back a week later.”

“So, does your father have it now?” Zane cocked their head. Wynn copied the motion.

“Probably?” Cole hummed. “What day is it today?”

“December 2nd,” Zane replied. 

“Do you have a calendar open in your brain or something?” Jay flicked Zane’s shoulder. The nindroid frowned at him.

“The second?” Cole’s eyes widened. “The competition’s on the seventh! It’s always the first Sunday of December!”

“So your dad’s already submitted the trophy to the committee?” Kai realized.

“Probably,” Cole groaned. “But… there’s a chance that he hasn’t. When I said a week, it’s usually shorter than that. He likes having it.”

“Call him then!” Jay said. “Just tell him we need the trophy for ninja business!”

Cole cringed. “I… can’t do that.”

“Well why not?” Jay frowned. “It’s not that hard!”

“To your parents, maybe!” Cole retorted. “My dad doesn’t know I’m a ninja!”

Silence fell over the group. “He… doesn’t?” Zane said softly.

Cole shook his head. “He thinks I’m at this boarding school - Marty Oppenheimer’s School for Performing Arts. That’s what I said when I… ran away.” He gripped his phone tighter than he probably needed to. “I just… couldn’t be there anymore. I haven’t talked to him since May.”

“Don’t you get his letters in the mail?” Kai remembered.

“Only cuz the postman knows where I am and intercepts the letters to Marty Opp’s to send them to me,” Cole scoffed. “Dad’s just- so focused on me following his footsteps, that he didn’t even think that maybe, maybe , I didn’t want to sing and dance like he and Mom did. I like being a ninja! I like being strong and buff and climbing mountains! I hate dancing!”

Cole sighed and ran a hand through his locs. “Last I saw him, we had a huge argument. I can’t just tell him that I’ve been lying in all the letters I’ve sent back! What am I supposed to do to get that stupid trophy back, do something I can’t?”

Everyone was silent for a while, letting Cole stew in his memories. Eventually, Kai sighed. “How good are you at lying?”

Cole met Kai’s sharp dark eyes. “I’ve been lying to my dad for years, what’s one more?”

“Great, cuz I’ve got a plan to get your dad’s trust,” Kai jerked his head towards the door and headed out. “And, hopefully, his trophy.”

-=-

Deep in the Realm of Madness, Garmadon extended a hand to Wu when the white-clad man slipped. The old men grunted as Garmadon pulled his brother up, and they panted for a bit on the perch they found. 

“This place is… maddening,” Wu finally stated.

Garmadon barked out a harsh laugh. “You’re telling me! You try spending weeks here, tell me how it goes!”

“I’d rather not, but thank you for the offer,” Wu scoffed, his ear flicking in distaste. He gazed up the upturned mountain. “How anyone is meant to scale this is beyond me.”

“Not all things exist to make sense, brother,” Garmadon sighed, cracking his knuckles. He shook himself out. “Sometimes, one must revel in the shadows to truly see the light.”

Wu hummed. “I suppose so.” He brushed some rubble off his shoulder. An unfortunate Cragling had gotten too close to the duo, and fell victim to Garmadon’s destructive touch. He wished his brother was less… murder-happy, but these were hardly sentient. They could reform soon after, he reasoned.

“Just like old times, eh, Wu?” Garmadon smirked. 

Wu chuckled despite himself. “I did miss this. Adventuring together, facing any enemy in our path to find a cure…” He trailed off, suddenly regretful. 

“Four thousand years was good enough for the time,” Garmadon stated. “You tried. I have not forgotten that.”

Wu halted, watching his brother begin to scale the wall with his bare claws. Something warm fluttered in his chest and he smiled. “Good. I’ll be holding you to that.”

-=-

The ship was parked somewhere hidden. Nya tutted as she watched the teens hop off. “You sure I can’t come?”

“Dad’ll only accept a quartet,” Cole sighed. That and… other reasons why he didn’t wanna be seen with a girl. “Besides, someone needs to stay back and make sure everything is all taken care of on the ship.”

“And if there are any calls for help,” Zane added, “it would be wise to have someone on board to respond to them. You are the only one with rocket power.”

Nya still looked a bit glum, but shrugged. “I guess so. Take care, guys.”

“We will,” Kai flashed her a thumbs up.

“Are you all hidden away, Jay?” Zane leaned down to fuss with Jay’s hair, who swatted their hand away. 

“As well as I can be, I guess,” he shrugged. To hide his snakey features, Jay had borrowed a whole lot of Nya’s foundation. It was a bit darker than his own skin, and it hid his freckles, but as long as he kept the hood over his ears, he’ll be fine. 

The ninja were dressed in nondescript, casual clothes, though still in their signature colors. Kai and Zane had red and white (respectively) zip-up jackets over random tshirts, Cole had his favorite black hoodie, and Jay had on a blue peacoat. His excuse was that it was cold, and covered up his tail. Which, as a snake, he would be colder than most. 

Cole breathed in the familiar air of his hometown. Iwakawa was a small town, decently populated, a few hours away from Jago City. No one was around right now, thankfully, as they had parked pretty far away. He smiled as he noticed familiar stores, houses, and landmarks. Mentally, he made a map of the town, noting how far away he was from his old house. He sighed, prepping himself for the onslaught.

He turned to the others and opened his briefcase. It could pass as a guitar case if he tried. “Alright, hand them over.” His scythe was already inside.

“Ah-uh,” Jay playfully wagged a finger. “But no mortal shall possess all four!” 

Cole rolled his eyes. “Ha ha ha, very funny,” he said. The others chuckled and placed their weapons gently in the case. He closed the case and began to lead them through the streets.

“You wanna remind me again why we can't keep our weapons?” Kai grumbled, stretching. 

“Cuz my dad doesn’t know I’m a ninja?” Cole huffed. “How exactly am I supposed to explain the giant scythe I have on my back?” Kai rolled his eyes, at which Cole just sighed. “Just- stick with the plan.”

“It’s my plan, of course I’m gonna follow it,” Kai argued. Still, he didn’t make any more sassy comments as they walked. Their shoes crunched against the snow on the ground. Their breaths fogged before them. Or, well, everyone’s but Zane’s. They looked fine, blissfully enjoying the walk.

“Just remember,” Cole stated, leader tone in full effect. He needed these guys to understand how little he wanted to be here. “We find out who has the Fangblade trophy, we snatch it, and then we get the heck out of town.”

Before he knew it, Cole stood before his old door. He remembered every groove in the wood, every crack in the stone that were the walls. He braced himself, and knocked on the door. 

“Just a minute!” someone said from inside. Cole’s breath hitched at the familiar voice, chipper like he last heard it.

A few moments later, the door opened to one Lou Brookstone, curiosity melting away to surprise as he recognized who stood before him. Cole noted a slight ring of gray around his father’s hairline; had he been forgetting to dye the gray hairs?

“Uh-” Cole’s breath hitched before he shook away his fear. “Hey, Dad! How long’s it been since-”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence when his father’s face morphed into something more upset. “What, you’re too good for the doorbell?” And the door slammed shut.

Cole flinched like the door hit him in the face. He didn’t look at the others. He couldn’t. But there was only one thing to do, and he pressed the doorbell. A tinny set of voices sang out a wonderful “Welcome~!” as Cole felt the hole in his stomach spreading. This was already going badly.

The door opened back up and Lou came back out, face crinkling in delight. “Cole! Good to see you again,” he greeted, hugging Cole tightly. His cane gently knocked against Cole’s calf. As he broke from the hug, Lou smiled. “Come on in, son. It's been forever.” Then, he noticed the others, who were standing awkwardly on the porch. “Oh, what did you bring? A quartet? Come in, come in!” He stepped aside, letting the teens walk in. “I’ve got a kettle of lemon honey tea on the stove now!”

Lou led them into the living room, which was decorated in walls of trophies, a large couch in the center, a television on the stand (a real cinderblock of a TV), and a large gramophone on a cabinet of, presumably, records. The walls were decorated with theatrical masks and costumes, along with huge posters of Lou and his group. Awards hung in picture frames, blue ribbons and gold medals.

Lou immediately headed to the kitchen. As the ninja sat down on the couch, they all looked at Cole, who was looking like he’d rather be part of the cushions. “I didn’t think it was this bad,” Kai grimaced. 

“I told you we were on bad terms,” Cole muttered back. “Honestly, it’s good that Nya stayed behind, otherwise he’d be asking if she was my girlfriend.”

Jay’s eyes widened, his pupils sharpening. “He doesn’t know you’re-”

“Not everyone has great parents like you, Jay!” Cole whispered harshly. He looked back at the kitchen, watching to see if his dad heard anything. “My dad doesn’t know anything about me, and I’d rather it stay that way!”

Jay lifted his hands in surrender. Kai and Zane glanced at each other, concern in their eyes. “Are you alright?” Zane asked.

“I will be, once we leave,” Cole muttered. His ears, well-trained to recognize the step-clack-step of his father’s footsteps, perked up as he heard him come back. He instinctively straightened up.

Lou handed out four teacups, all with a steaming liquid inside. Kai immediately downed the entire drink. Cole let it sit.

“Did my son tell you how I broke my foot?” Lou asked, noticing eyes on his cane. “It was the cha-cha, but I swear the percussionist had it in for me.”

Cole groaned, looking away. “No, Dad. I didn't tell them about your silly stories.”

“Silly stories?” Lou’s brow furrowed as he clacked his cane against the floorboards.

“What Cole meant,” Kai smoothly interjected, “is that we’ve been so busy training at MO’s, that we didn’t have time for storytelling.” 

“Yea, Martha Oppy’s been working us to the bone,” Jay blurted out, wanting to add to the story.

This was the wrong move, as Cole’s eye twitched and Lou frowned. “Martha Oppy?”

“It is an in-joke at Marty Oppenheimer’s,” Zane saved the situation. 

This seemed to placate Lou. Cole nearly sighed in relief. “Right! Well, um, see, we have this final research paper we're doing on the history of Jago talent, and what we really wanted to know was, uh, how can we get our hands on the Blade Cup?”

“You're talking about getting your hands on the Blade Cup?” Lou gasped, pointing his cane at the ninja briefly. “The most prized and heavily guarded award in all of Jago, the symbol of excellence in harmony and grace?”

“Dad, it’s just Iwakawa’s talent show,” Cole groaned. “It’s not nationwide.”

“You can't just get it, you have to earn it. You have to exhibit style. Perfect pitch. Push the boundaries of artistic license and-” Lou swung his cane to hit the poster on the wall, advertising something that made Cole’s stomach pit grow wider “-win this year's Iwakawa Talent Show!”

The ninja froze. “Um,” Zane said eloquently. “Perhaps there's an easier way?”

“Is this why you came?” Lou suddenly asked, face lighting up. “You knew my foot was giving out on me, and when my quartet insisted we shan't go on, you four have come to take our place! Haha, ingenious!” He gestured widely to Cole, who looked like he was attempting to turn into sand. “My son, bringing forth the next evolution of the Royal Blacksmiths! Let me hear the sweet, sweet sound of harmony!”

The ninja grimaced and exchanged looks. Jay, of course, was the first to try, going at a lower note. “Harmonyyy-”

Zane stepped up next, singing a higher note, though somehow making it sound alright. “Harmonyyy-”

Kai was ballsy enough to try a high note, though it just sounded like his voice was about to shatter. “HarmonyY-”

Cole buried his face in his hands, though not before he missed his father cringing. As the shitty harmony faded away, the “singers” shrinking back, the Brookstones uncringed. Cole rushed to remedy this mess.

“Look, Dad,” Cole hopped off the couch and approached Lou. “We just need the trophy. Even if it’s for a second.” 

Before Lou could say anything, Kai sidled up to Cole’s side and threw an arm over his shoulders. “Yea, we're gonna be bringing home the gold and- and we want you to train us.”

Cole sent Kai a betrayed expression, one that went unnoticed as Lou’s face burst with pride. He sniffled and wiped at his eye. “I've never been more proud. If you’ll excuse me, I need to write a song about my feelings.”

With that Lou left the living room, closing the door behind him. Once Cole was certain he was out of earshot, he whipped back around to Kai. “What was that?!”

“Look, we enter this competition so we can get close enough to the Blade Cup,” Kai reasoned. “Once we get the Fangblade, we leave town. How hard can this be?”

Cole’s expression said about everything he couldn’t say with words.

-=-

Outside, a pair of Serpentine noticed a poster on the wall. Mezmo tilted his head as he studied the art. Then, he noticed something. Sharp. His eyes glimmered. “Hey, get a load of thisss!”

The Constrictai beside him cocked their head. Mezmo thought their name was Spike. They looked pretty young; they hadn’t shed their baby hood yet. Barely a teenager. “Oh, look! A sssinging competition. I like sssinging!” 

“No, you dumbassss,” Mezmo smacked the teen on the head, ignoring the squeak they let out. “The Fangblade! It’sss here! In thisss town!” His smile widened as he imagined being the one to bring Pythor the Fangblade on his own. He! The little Mezmo! Or, at least, he’d get to hold the Fangblade in his hands, feel the sharp edge of ancient silver cut his palms, digging through the scales. 

His fantasies were forcibly shaken out of his head when the kid beside him stuck a finger aggressively at the poster. “Wait, that’s what Pythor’sss looking for!”

Well. If Mezmo couldn’t get the Fangblade itself, he might as well show it off to his purple lord. He ripped the poster off the wall. “We’ll need sssome backup.”

-=-

Lou tapped his cane against the piano. “Okay, from the top. Five, six, seven, eight.”

Kai went first, stepping forward and spreading his arms. “Bop till you drop-”

Jay went next, throwing his arms into the air. “Shake it till you break it-”

Zane went after, going into a strange showy pose. “Move it till you lose it-”

Cole went last, spinning in place (careful not to go into a Spinjutsu spiral). “Spin it till you win it!”

“Stop!” Lou yelled, stepping off the piano seat. “Stop, ugh.” He groaned and approached the “quartet.” “If my ears weren't attached to my head, they'd be running away!”

He smacked his cane on Kai’s head, who squawked in surprise. “Kai, love the energy, hate the hair.”

He approached Jay next, hitting his cane against his side. “Jay, you’re giving a lot, but I need more.” As he left, he missed Jay’s appalled and, even, affronted face.

His cane stayed by his side as he nodded at Zane. “Zane, you’re like a machine, don’t change anything.” They smiled proudly (and with concealed laughter).

Finally, he stood by Cole, sending him a disappointed look. “And Cole.” The black ninja swallowed nervously as he anticipated the comment. “Try to look like you want to be here.”

As he went to the piano again, Jay leaned over to Kai. “He’s worse than Master Wu!” Kai snorted and nodded.

“Okay, moving forward,” Lou stood before the piano, pointing at the four. “Let's take a look at the big show-stopping climax. Cole, we can't have history repeating itself.” He sent his son a pointed look.

Cole bristled. “Dad, it was the Triple Tiger Sashay. I was seven .”

“What's the Triple Tiger Sashay?” Kai asked. 

“Only the most difficult dance move ever created,” Cole huffed.

“It's true,” Lou nodded. “Many professionals have dare tried, but it's very rarely been successfully completed.”

“Hence, my father thought a seven year-old could!” Cole snapped, sending a withering glare his father’s way. “But I ended up falling on my face, humiliating myself, and letting everyone down.” Bitterness gathered like bile in his stomach. 

“If you're going to win, you have to go big!” Lou turned around and shrugged it off. “Alright, time for a break. Take five.”

As Lou left the room, everyone turned to look at Cole’s red face. “Fuck’s sake,” Cole swore. “‘If you’re gonna win, you gotta go big!’ What kind of bullshit is that?”

“Whoa, easy on the pottymouth there,” Kai frowned. Cole didn’t usually swear that much. 

“I’m starting to see why Cole is so closed-off sometimes,” Jay frowned. “It took you like three monthsss to tell us you were-” he slammed a hand over his mouth. “You know.”

“If I wasn’t perfect, my dad didn’t want to hear it,” Cole grumbled. 

“What about your mother?” Zane asked. It was a perfectly innocent question, considering Cole hadn’t once mentioned his mother, nor had they seen her.

But the question still stole the breath from Cole’s lungs. He screwed his eyes, trying to force himself to not cry. “She’s… not here.”

Realization seemed to wash over the others. Their faces softened in sympathy. “I’m sorry,” Zane frowned, rubbing at their arm.

“No, it’s fine,” Cole shrugged with false carelessness. “It was bound to come up at some point.” He sighed. “She died three years ago. Ever since then, my dad and I have had… a lot of arguments. Ones we didn’t have when she was still here.”

“I understand, brother,” Zane rested a hand on Cole’s shoulder. He leaned into the touch. 

“It’s fine,” Cole said. He shook his head. “Look- I'll deal with my father, but let's stick with the plan. All we have to do is keep up this charade long enough until we can get our hands on the trophy.”

Kai and Jay exchanged a worried look. “With what talent?”

“Talent we’re gonna have to fake,” Cole huffed. “We don’t got many other talents.”

Jay opened his mouth. Kai smacked him upside the head. “No one wants to hear your poetry.”

“Nya does!” Jay hissed.

“Sure, Jay,” Kai rolled his eyes.

-=-

The ninja had declined spending the night in Lou’s house, making up some lie about the tour bus giving them a place to rest as they headed back to the Bounty. Now that they were stuck here for longer, they didn’t have much choice. But Cole had even less of a choice, considering he was invited to stay in his own house. He hated it. He didn’t want to be here anymore.

Cole’s room was exactly how he left it - perfectly clean. He bit his lip as he flopped down on his bed. Some time later, he tilted his head to look at the photo of him and his mother on his bedside table. She was happy, with her hair tied back in a big puff. Little baby Cole, too, was happy, grinning at the camera with missing teeth. He smiled back, running his thumb down the photo frame.

“Should I do it for you?” he murmured. The photo didn’t respond. He frowned. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t. You wouldn’t want me to. To suffer for you.”

He breathed in sharply, letting go of all those feelings of distress and panic. His dad would notice he wasn’t good at dancing, or singing, or anything like that. He’ll never be good enough for him. And if Lou ever learned what he was really doing, what he really was… 

Well. He just had to make sure he wouldn’t find out.

Chapter Text

Nya woke up groggily the next morning. She stretched and got up to brush her teeth, leaning over the sink lazily. Her hair was a rat’s nest, and there were probably shadows under her eyes, but she looked better than the guys did. She could’ve sworn she heard groans of pain as they collapsed into bed last night.

Still, she got all washed up and turned to see who was still in the cabin. Cole didn’t come back with the others, but it looked like everyone else was still asleep. She shrugged and headed out, starting to prepare breakfast. 

Zane and Kai slowly trickled into the kitchen about ten minutes later, the latter looking like he’d been through a torture wheel. “Dancing is fucking hard ,” he grumbled. “Cole was right, how do you live like this?”

“Thank the First Master you didn’t sign me up for any of that,” Nya chuckled, handing Kai a plate of scrambled eggs. “I definitely wouldn’t have liked that.”

“Zane seems fine,” Kai stabbed his eggs almost bitterly. 

Zane shrugged. “I believe it is because my metallic body does not tire the same as your organic one.”

“Lucky that you’re made of copper,” Kai muttered.

“Brass, actually!” Zane cheerily corrected. 

“What’ll it be today?” Nya asked, handing the white ninja a plate of eggs.

“I believe I am a guy, or at least close to it,” Zane said. “Oh, and orange juice, please.”

“Coming right up,” Nya passed him a carton. 

They had breakfast for a bit before Nya noticed one of their party members missing. “Where’s Jay?” she asked.

“Probably still asleep, the lazybones,” Kai rolled his eyes. 

“Cole stayed with his father in the village,” Zane added. 

“I’ll go check up on Jay then,” she sighed, grabbing her empty plate and putting it in the sink. “Let him know he’s gonna go without breakfast today if he sleeps in.”

“Let him starve, it builds character,” Kai joked. Or at least Nya hoped he was joking. 

Either way, she headed into the bedroom and found Jay’s bunk still occupied. She climbed up the ladder and gently nudged the blanket mound that is probably Jay. “Hey, wake up, it’s time for breakfast.”

“Can’t,” was a quick response from Jay. Nya blinked; she had been expecting him to still be asleep. 

“Can’t?” she probed. 

“Can’t,” Jay repeated, curling further into his bed. “Body hurtsss. Everything hurtsss.”

Nya frowned in sympathy. “Why?”

“It’sss the whole- uh,” the blob shifted, “sssnake thing. I can feel every ssscale pushing through my ssskin. I can feel my tail growing. I’m ssso cold.”

Nya immediately sprung down and grabbed Cole’s unused blanket and put it over her boyfriend. She was rewarded with a happy hiss as he huddled tighter into his cocoon. “Better?”

“Sssomewhat,” he muttered. He poked an eye out from the covers, staring at Nya with an ozone mix of storm-blue and lightning-yellow. “Tell the guysss I can’t go today. I- I jussst can’t.”

“Are you sure?” Nya sat down next to him. She could feel how he immediately leaned into the warmth.

“I can’t even leave the bed,” he said. “I jussst- I need to be in here for a bit. Sssorry.”

“Not your fault,” Nya whispered. “I’ll tell the others. I can fill in for today.”

“You don’t gotta,” Jay muttered, shifting. “I don’t want you to do thisss to pity me.”

“I’m not,” Nya patted the spot where she thought his shoulder was. “I’m doing this for the team. For Cole. And for you,” she smiled. “Besides, I need to get out of here. It’s boring, being cramped in here.”

“Won’t the people need Sssamurai X?” Jay shifted so both his eyes peered out of the blanket nest. The pupils were sharp as needles. “I’m in no shape to help people.”

“For one day? They’ll manage,” Nya said. “Besides, maybe you’ll feel better later!”

“Maybe,” he finally said. He dug back into his nest. “Sssorry.”

“Again, not your fault,” Nya patted his (presumed) shoulder once more, before hopping off the bunk. “Just rest up, ok babe?”

A happy little squeak sounded from the cocoon, and Nya giggled. “Ok…” he said, and then he went still, cuddling deeper into his nest. Nya threw on one of her blankets for good measure, then got dressed in the graphic tee Cole got her for her birthday and a pair of ripped jeans. She tossed on a warm red coat on top.

As she exited the bedroom, Zane and Kai were already standing outside of it. “Everything alright?” Kai asked. 

“Fine, but Jay’s not feeling well,” Nya frowned. “Says his scales hurt like hell.”

Kai cringed. “Yikes. Is he gonna dance in pain then?”

Nya shook her head. “He can’t even get out of bed.”

Zane hummed in sympathy. “I am sorry for his plight. Will he be alright?”

“Probably?” Nya shrugged. “But since he’s not coming, I’ll be his backup. People do that normally, right?”

“Hell if I know,” Kai scrunched up his face. “Cole’d know, though. Should we get going then?”

“Yes, let’s,” Zane nodded. He poked his head into the bedroom. “Get well soon, Jay!”

“Don’t die in there,” Kai added in all his tact. 

“Thanksss” was the weak response from the top bunk.

Satisfied that Jay was alive and not dying, Kai and Zane quickly changed out of pajamas and joined Nya outside. It was actively snowing today, which was probably part of why Jay was feeling so bad. They quickly ran across town to get to the Brookstone house and rang the doorbell.

The strange song of it caught Nya off guard, but before she could say anything, the door swung open to present Lou. The older man looked surprised for a second, making direct eye contact with Nya. 

“Cole? Your quartet has arrived! With, uh, someone new?” Lou yelled back into the house. Thumping noises sounded as Cole ran down the stairs. His eyes widened when he saw Nya.

“Nya? What-” he quickly scanned the group, noticing what was missing. Who was missing. “Where’s Jay?”

“Feeling sick today,” Nya explained. “Nothing contagious, but he’s not doing alright enough to get out of bed.”

Lou’s face crumpled in sympathy. “Oh, poor thing. We didn’t overwork him yesterday, did we?”

“No, it’s a chronic thing,” Kai supplied. “We think- it’s kinda new.”

“Is it the, uh,” Cole bit his lip, then used his pointer fingers to poke downwards around his mouth. “Situation?”

“Yes,” Zane nodded.

“I’m filling in for him,” Nya raised her hand.

“A backup dancer, I see,” Lou nodded. Then he looked at Cole, an odd look in his eyes. “I wasn’t aware you had a girl in your group!”

Cole’s face went through about seven different emotions before it settled on indignant. “Dad. She’s just a friend.”

Lou raised his hands innocently. “I’m just saying, she is rather cute!”

“Thanks, but I have a boyfriend already,” Nya smiled delicately.

Lou nodded. “Ah, my mistake. Please, do come inside! We’ll have to work extra hard to catch Nya up to speed!”

Everyone groaned. “I swear, my muscles are more sore than when Wu trains us!” Kai complained.