Legends of Ninjago: Book 3: The Four Fangs: Chapter 4 — Visions

It was still dark outside when Wu got up. Still cold and damp. He put on his warmest robe and cloak then grabbed his satchel, bulging with the weight of its cargo. It would be a short journey, but an extremely emotionally taxing one. He’d better get started.

He exited his new room and turned down the hall only to find Ann sitting on the stairs to the deck, head hanging low. She snapped to attention the moment Wu’s door shut, her eyelids sagging under the weight of sleep. He would have scolded her were it not for the look of concern on her face.

“You’re up late,” he said quietly.

She stood as he passed her. “I wanted to see you off.”

They stepped onto the top deck and he turned to her, smiling. “Feeling nostalgic?”

Her eyes fell. “Not quite… Sensei… I don’t want to sound like I don’t trust you, but…”

“Why am I leaving so suddenly?”

She nodded.

Wu sighed and took a step closer to her. “As I said last night, I caught a glimpse of something while I was meditating. Something dark and deeply unsettling.” He paused, remembering the way Lloyd had looked in the vision, half deformed into a Serpentine minion, huddled against a cave wall. “My nephew… I fear for his life now more than I ever have before. Perhaps I am being hasty… but perhaps, over the course of this past month, I have been too much the opposite. I just hope that in the end I really can save him.” He sensed rather than saw Ann stiffen, and he knew full well why. Even before Lloyd had caused mass mayhem, they had never gotten along, always fighting like a dog and a cat.

“I understand,” she said quietly, and she stood there for a while longer, staring hard at the ground.

“Was there something else?” Wu asked.

She seemed to hesitate. “Sensei… these visions you get… how do they work? Are they… glimpses of the future?”

He looked her over carefully, taking in a potentially hidden meaning behind the question. “No,” he said carefully. “It is a technique—a skill—that allows one’s mind to peer into the happenings of the here and now, however distant they may be. It cannot prophesy.”

Ann nodded her understanding and took a half-hearted step backward. “Well then, I won’t keep you any longer. I’m sure you’re eager to find this friend of yours.” She turned and began to leave, almost curtly, as if she had suddenly changed her mind about meeting him.

“Ann Jing.” Wu’s words were soft but they caught the girl off guard. She turned to look at him, a hint if surprise just visible in her brow. “I love you. You do know that, don’t you?”

“Yes, Sensei,” she said, letting her eyes fall again.

He laid his hand atop her head, the way he always used to when she was little, stroking her silky black hair. “You are like a daughter to me, Ann. Nothing will ever change that.”

She merely closed her eyes and nodded. He knew words were not enough. They would never be enough, not for this. With a sad reluctance, he withdrew from her and said his final goodbye, disappearing down the cave tunnel.

* * *

In the morning, Wu was gone, and a blanket of snow covered the outside world. Their master had left them with enough food to last two days, but after that, they would need to go hunting, something which only Ann and Keaton seemed to be familiar with.

The six ninja had gathered on the shore beside the ship where Cole had made a clearing by levelling the rough stone. Kai lit a handful of fireballs which floated at each corner of the training area giving the dark cove a warm yet eerie tone. Ann had suggested that they work on their elemental training today, and had cautioned Kai to simply work with the pre-existing fireballs rather than try to do something more dangerous, like accidentally setting the ship on fire. Kai had not taken the comment well.

Everyone found a space to practise and then was lost in their own world, Zane especially. He began to let his power out slowly—creating snowflakes had been his intention—but a shard of ice shot out of his hand instead and he had to physically pull himself back.

Right, of course. It was winter now. Winter was the most dangerous time of the year for him.

He straightened and took a breath, imagining a calm ocean. Preferably a warm one. The mental picture did help, but only just, as the rest of the training exercise he was still wrestling with his powers and trying not to let it hurt any of his friends. His movements were jagged and stiff, something Wu always chided him for, but most days he found that he couldn’t help it. The power inside of him just wanted to move that way.

After a while, Zane came to the final move in his routine, and held his breath. The goal was to freeze a target—in this case, the target being a nearby rock—so he took his stance and let the ice fly, but he instantly winced when he felt more power slip out than he had intended. The rock was frozen, but so were about ten other rocks beside it.

He made a face and sighed. Winter was always so frustratingly difficult.

“Zane? Zane.”

He turned around.

“Are you having trouble?” Ann asked.

“A bit,” he admitted, looking back to the splatter of ice, “but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Sheesh,” said Jay, who was still holding a lightning bolt and looking over at the rocks. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.” Suddenly there was a loud CRACK and a flash of light. “Ahh! Sorry! My bad!”

Half the ninja looked like they’d just had a heart attack, but otherwise they and the cave were fine.

“Focus!” Ann cried with a noticeable hitch in her voice. She seemed the most rattled, but carried on with her training with stark determination.

The only one not training, of course, was Nya. She was sitting on the top deck of the ship watching her brother and teammates from a safe distance. She was often on the sidelines.

As she watched her brother manipulate the balls of fire floating through the air, she couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. If she had powers too then she’d be able to protect herself just as easily as Kai and then nobody would pressure her to learn ninjitsu. Fate, however, seemed to pick favourites, and in this case Nya had not been so lucky. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder—given the fact that they were brother and sister after all—if maybe fate hadn’t snubbed her entirely.

While nobody was looking, she went to the middle of the deck and sat down, the way that Kai was sitting down on the ground. It was much darker here without Kai’s fire, but she could see well enough. She remembered much of what Wu had taught her brother and tried to feel “connected” to the warmth around her. Something which was incredibly difficult considering the fact that she was sitting in a cave in the middle of winter, but she did her best.

Once she felt that she was sufficiently “connected” she tried to make a fireball just like Kai. She could picture it in her head “poofing” into existence, but every time she opened her eyes, nothing had happened.

“Come on…” she mumbled. “Please?” Still nothing. She closed her eyes again and concentrated even harder, despite the little voice at the back of her head saying that she was just wasting her time. “Do something.”

PLOP.

She felt the top of her head, right where something wet had fallen. Instantly she looked up to try and figure out what substance exactly it had been, and any fears she had stirred up evaporated when she saw a cluster of wet, shiny stalactites. Water. It had only been a drop of water. She rubbed her head dry and went back to her little experiment.

She tried to bring the fireball to life using every odd mental method she could think of, and after a while—

PLOP.

She snapped her eyes open and felt the top of her head again. More water. With a huff, she scooted away from that particular spot and tried one more time to—

PLOP.

Right in the exact same spot, another drop had fallen. She moved again, this time as far away from the center of the deck as she could, and leaned against the railing on one side. She gave a sigh, but then right as she closed her eyes—

PLOP.

She growled and clenched her fists, glaring up at the stalactites. Could she not be left alone to concentrate for two seconds?

PLOP.

That was it. She was going below deck.

Back on the ground, Ann was doing her best to direct everyone.

“Jay, don’t get cocky—focus! Cole, good work, nice control! Keaton, don’t strain yourself! Kai—Ahh! Watch it!”

Kai smirked as he watched her narrowly avoid one of his fireballs which he might have sent flying in her direction.

“I will not hesitate to throw you into the cove,” she said dryly.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” said Kai, closing his eyes again as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

All of a sudden, there was a loud crashing sound and everyone looked over to see Zane bent over a large chunk of ice that nearly touched the cave ceiling.

“Zane, what on earth—?” Ann gasped.

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “It was an accident.”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared. They were lucky that the ice hadn’t grown any larger or it might have caused some serious harm to the structural integrity of the cave.

“Maybe we should take a break,” Ann suggested, and she sat down near the dark water’s edge. Everyone seemed to agree that a short rest was in order and they all took a seat in an uneven circle. Without Wu there to guide them, the group really did feel sort of aimless.

Kai was watching one of his fireballs intently, and one could practically see deep thoughts moving behind his eyes. Or perhaps, not so deep. He brought the fire closer to him and began to play with it; moulding it, stretching it, letting it dance among his fingers, and generally just experimenting with it. He could never quite put into words the strange and yet wonderful sensation he felt, being able to touch and play with fire. It was surreal in one way, and completely natural in another. He couldn’t really remember a time when he wasn’t an elemental, or at least hadn’t known the fact.

“What are you doing?” Ann suddenly asked, eyeing his fire.

“Well, you see, it’s this incredibly rare and foreign activity called: fun,” said Kai with a smirk. Now it was Ann’s turn not to be amused. “You know? F-u-n, fun? It’s something teenagers tend to do?”

“She’s no teenager, look at that face, she’s clearly a goblin,” Jay joined in, matching Kai’s sarcastic tone. Ann’s scowl deepened. “An ugly goblin, at that.” He and Kai got a few snickers out of it, but nothing more.

“Guys, knock it off,” said Cole in an authoritative voice. “She’s in charge, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” was all that Kai said as he flicked a small flame in Cole’s direction, who deflected the tiny burst of heat and then quickly shot a pebble which landed right between Kai’s eyes. “Hey!”

“I’m sorry, it’s called fun remember?” Cole teased. Kai rolled his eyes.

Just then, Keaton looked up and saw Zane fiddling with a thin bracelet, his brow furrowed, deep in thought.

“Hey, Zane?” He didn’t look up. “Zane?” She said again.

“Hmm? Yes?” He finally answered.

“You told me something once before about your powers… do you know why they’re so difficult to control?” It was an earnest question, but one that seemed to catch the ice ninja off guard.

“Um, no. No I don’t. It was never something I could readily talk about with anyone until I met all of you. It’s just the way it’s always been.”

“Maybe it’s an age thing?” Cole guessed. “How old are you, anyway?”

“I…” Zane’s eyes turned foggy. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean, ‘you don’t know?’” Jay repeated.

Zane sighed. “I mean, I don’t know. Sakana Village is my home, and it has been for a number of years now, but… prior to waking up there, I have no memory of my past.”

“You were living alone? All that time?” Ann asked quietly.

He nodded, his face expressionless. “My only clues were my mysterious powers, and the accounts of the villagers who said that I appeared after a snowstorm, bloody and bruised. And that was it. Until…” he let his words hang in the air, as if trying to find the courage to finish. “Until I met Sensei Wu. Through some form of chance, he had known who my father was. A man named Dr. Julien. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to recall anything about him, and I haven’t had the chance to research who he was.” He looked up and only then did he realise that the others were staring at him peculiarly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble,” he said awkwardly.

“No, you’re fine, it’s just… I guess I’m just surprised,” said Cole, trying to reassure him.

“You really don’t remember anything from before?” Keaton asked, looking almost sorry for him.

“Not a single thing. Although,” he said abruptly, and his face turned thoughtful. “Now that you mention it, I have been having strange dreams these past few months that… well, this may sound somewhat silly out loud, but they feel like they could be… glimpses, I suppose. Vague impressions of what might have happened the night the villagers found me. Of course that’s ridiculous, but—“

“The dreams about the snowy mountain?” Kai asked.

“…yes.” Zane stared at him, his eyes growing wide.

“With the soldiers chasing you?” Jay added, suddenly a lot more sober.

“And the dead end by the cliff above the ocean?” Said Cole.

“How… how?” Zane stammered, looking from one boy to the next. “How do you know that?”

“I thought it was just a random dream,” said Kai, slowly. “Ever since coming to the monastery, my dreams have gotten really weird. Sometimes I see this long, dark blue hallway with people talking somewhere near the end that I can’t see.” He looked at Jay as he spoke and understanding passed between them.

“Sometimes,” said Jay, “I see this woman laying in a hospital bed.” He swallowed and looked at Cole who had turned pale.

“And sometimes I see this old blacksmith forge.” He locked eyes with Kai. “Even though I’ve never seen it before in my life.”

“So that means…” Zane breathed.

“For the past few months…” said Kai.

“Have we been…?”

“Sharing dreams?” They all said at once.

“Why is that weird?” Ann suddenly asked, and every eye turned on her. “Why are all of you acting like this is completely unheard of?”

“Umm, maybe because it is?” Jay offered.

“Most normal people don’t tend to have the same dreams every night,” said Kai, throwing her a confused look.

“Are you sure?” She asked, frowning.

“Yes!” They said in unison.

She sighed, exasperated. “Well, Keaton and I have been dealing with this for as long as we can remember, so…” and she threw up her hands as if to accentuate her point.

“Wait, really?” Cole asked. “You two have been sharing the same dreams your whole lives?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact. Actually, until now I had assumed that’s just how dreams worked,” she said, her cheeks turning a slight red. “That’s certainly how your dreams work.”

Jay’s jaw gaped slightly. “You’ve been seeing them too?!”

“Not by choice,” she said defensively.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,” Cole interrupted. “Why? Why does this even happen? What’s causing it?” ‘And how do we make it stop,’ he added in his head.

“How should I know?” Said Ann.

“Maybe it’s just an elemental thing?” Keaton piped up.

“Yeah, but how does that have anything to do with our powers?” Jay asked, rightfully confused.

“Maybe you should ask Wu when he gets back,” said Ann, seeming to come to the end of her patience. “Because all I know is that it just happens, alright?”

Everyone seemed to take a moment to think, as if pouring over all those muddied images they’d been seeing each night and finally making sense of them. Then Jay looked up.

“Can Wu see them too?” He looked absolutely mortified at the idea, and gradually, so did everyone else.

“Well, to be fair, they’ve been dialling down the last couple of weeks,” Ann said, trying to be reassuring. “At least they’re not so vivid now.” When the boys kept on staring at the ground, looking as though they might never want to sleep again, she added, “Oh, come on, it’s not the worst thing in the world.”

“Oh yeah, sure, it’s just my privacy being invaded every night,” Jay mocked. “Man, I really hope Ny—ah, no one else has, uh, been seeing these dreams.” Kai glanced at him suspiciously and Jay avoided eye contact.

* * *

Training continued after a while, though not nearly as focused. The elephant in the room was still standing there long after the day had ended. Actually, by nightfall it had practically doubled in size, waiting for someone to address it.

Kai had readily filled Nya in on their conversation, to which she replied that she had noticed a change come over her dreams over the months as well, but nothing as drastic as what the boys were describing. In her case, it sounded more like pure nightmares, born of genuine real world terrors that she alone had experienced.

Even so, everyone lay awake for a long time after the light was put out. Zane in particular kept his eyes wide open and stared into the dark.

For a long time now, he had hardly given his dreams any real thought. He had supposed them to be nothing more than his imagination, but something about hearing those visions spoken aloud, and with such clarity, made him start to second guess himself. Perhaps there had been a battle up in the mountains. Perhaps he had nearly fallen into the sea. But who had been chasing him? Why were they trying to kill him? And where was his father? If he ever returned to Sakana Village, he intended to ask the townsfolk.

When he finally did fall asleep, his mind felt anxious and scattered. The same as every night, various unfamiliar images flashed before his mind’s eye, however tonight they remained only that: flashes. Never did it feel like he had fully stepped into another’s dream.

Then, some time deep into the night, when he would usually begin to wake up, he found himself still swimming through the dark void of sleep. He looked around the emptiness, waiting for his body to wake up.

Then came a sound like the flapping of wings. It came and went, first to his right, then to his left, and then behind him. He tried tracking it, but it was moving too fast, and now matter how hard he searched for it, he could never quite catch sight of it. Until, that is, a little squawk came from behind him. Zane turned around and suddenly everything changed.

He was standing in a birch forest covered in early winter snow. There seemed to be no end to it, the trees just extended on and on before fading into fog, and there, sitting on one of the birch branches, was the falcon.

“Hello my mysterious friend,” he called to it. “What brings you here?”

The bird was staring at him, tilting its head this way and that, studying him. It was as if he knew him. There was something so familiar about his face.

Then the bird began to speak in a deep, wise voice Zane had only ever heard once before.

“Wake up, Zane. I know where you come from.”

Zane’s eyes were open at once as he sprang from his bed. The other ninja were already up, their beds abandoned. He decided that he would join them, wherever they were.

The first lace he looked was the lower deck where the steering wheel and control panels for the ship were, as well as Nya and Sensei Wu.

“The hunt starts early today,” he said to them, noting busy they where with a table full of maps while the computer systems whirred in the background.

“A watchful eye never sleeps,” Wu replied thoughtfully.

Then Nya looked up. “As long as Lloyd and the Serpentine roam free, no one in Ninjago is safe.”

Zane looked around and noted the absence of his brothers and sisters. “Where are the others?”

“Training on the upper deck,” said Wu.

Without another word, Zane left to go find them.

The top deck of the ship was floating through a sun kissed sky—perfect weather for training—but once again, Kai, Cole, Jay, Ann and Keaton were nowhere to be seen. Then, from out of nowhere, the falcon appeared, and landed on the railing of the ship.

“You were in my dream, little friend. The last time I saw you, you led me to good fortune. For what reason have you returned?” Before he could receive an answer, though, Zane felt a chill darken the air. The wind had picked up, the sky had clouded over, and there was an unmistakable feeling of eyes on him. He turned around and saw the shadowy figure of a man, clad in black robes. “Lord Garmadon,” he realised. “But how? You were defeated!”

“My powers are beyond your comprehension,” he snarled through pointed teeth. “All you need know is that I have returned for the Golden Weapons of Spinjitsu, so that I may recreate Ninjago in my image! Ha ha ha!” With a twisted grin he attacked, dual katanas in his hands. Zane had no choice but to pull out his Daggers of Ice to defend himself. Their blades collided.

“Give me your Daggers of Ice!” Garmadon demanded, his eyes flaring red.

“You’ll have to take them from me.” Zane locked his jaw and used all of his strength to push his opponent back. Garmadon only faltered a little, but he tried to use this small opening to get in an attack. A decision he ultimately regretted.

Garmadon easily stepped out of the way and grabbed hold of Zane as he lunged, using his momentum to propel him into a pile of junk which had been cleaned out of the ship. Zane was practically upside down in the pile, and was trying to get up as quickly as possible without making his back throb any more than it already was.

“So be it,” Garmadon said in a low voice. He dropped his katanas and a sickly purple energy began to glow around his hands. Zane knew his only chance was to create an ice shield, but he began to wonder if he even had enough time to stand up as Garmadon began to let out a shrill battle cry and ran right at him, prepared to turn him to dust.

Then, right when Zane was sure Garmadon’s power was about snuff out his light forever, someone else appeared. Someone he had never seen before. He was a ninja. A green ninja.

With a single hand, he warded off the power of destruction with his own vibrant green energy.

“What?!” Garmadon cried, stopping in his tracks.

“The green ninja…” Zane breathed, remembering the prophecy. “It really is true.”

The evil warlord was quick to shake off this interruption and began to focus all of his energy on the green ninja who pulled out his own dual katanas and attacked. However, the swords’ lives were short lived as Garmadon used his powers to destroy them. The green ninja, however, didn’t seem all too concerned.

This time, when he moved to attack, green energy was rippling all around him, flowing in time to his movements. His fists began to fly at Garmadon, and even with the power of destruction on his side, he couldn’t seem to completely counteract the green ninja’s Spinjitsu.

Yes, Spinjitsu. Zane had seen it once before, during the fight between Garmadon and Wu outside of the fire temple, but only now did he realise what their fighting style truly was. And it was breathtaking to behold. Each flying kick, every perfectly timed punch, seemed amplified tenfold with the weight of an entire element behind it. Unfortunately, Garmadon also knew Spinjitsu, and so the two became locked in hand-to-hand combat.

Zane got up, his eyes never once leaving the spectacle before him, and wondered if perhaps he should help.

Then, Garmadon shot a purple bolt at the ship’s mast, crumbling its base and sending it toppling over right on top of the green ninja.

“Look out!” Zane yelled, but right as he was about to use his ice powers to help, he was surprised again. Without hesitation, the green ninja reached out his arms and caught the mast. He began to shake under the massive weight, but never did he buckle. Instead, he turned around, causing Zane to duck as the mast swung around, before he finally chucked it, with a great deal of effort, in Garmadon’s direction. It sailed over the side of the ship and fell a great distance out of sight.

For a moment, Zane looked around, searching for Garmadon. Had the mast taken him out?

From out of nowhere, Garmadon reappeared and resumed his fight with the green ninja. The dark lord had regained his katanas, swiping at his opponent without mercy. Zane tried to follow the fight as closely as he could, but he must have missed something when suddenly the green ninja was wielding a kusarigama much like the one Wu had given Jay, although he was clearly better at wielding it.

In a blink, the green ninja had the chain of the kusarigama wrapped around one of Garmadon’s blades and when he pulled on it, dragging Garmadon with it, he expertly deflected the second katana with the blade on the small scythe part of the weapon and then landed a double kick to Garmadon’s stomach. Both katanas fell out of his hands and the force of the kick sent him flying into the railing. Garmadon barely had a moment to grimace before the green ninja ran up to him and delivered an energy powered uppercut to the face, sending him over the railing and falling—and screaming—down to his death.

Zane stared breathlessly as he turned around, his fists still lit with green fire, and a bright red light in his eyes.

“Who are you?” Zane asked. The green fire made him think. “Kai? Is that you?”

Then the falcon swooped down and landed on his shoulder, the two of them staring dead-eyed at Zane, as if waiting for him to figure something out. Some big mystery.

“What’s the meaning of this? Who are you, Green Ninja?”

Reality seemed to stretch and warp. He was growing more and more distant from his surroundings, like he was being pulled away by an imaginary source.

* * *

Zane opened his eyes and sat up, staring at the far wall. What exactly had he just witnessed? Hesitantly, he looked down at his hands as if to make sure this, too, was not a dream.

“Well it’s about time,” Kai quipped from the other side of the barracks. “Has anyone ever told you that you sleep like a brick?”

Zane only glanced in Kai’s direction. His thoughts were still with the dream. Hesitantly, he asked, “Did… did anyone see that, by chance?”

“Another dream?” Said Jay.

“In case you haven’t noticed, we’re all awake,” Kai pointed out as he rose from his bed irritably.

Zane stayed seated and thought about it for a while longer, feeling that there was somehow something uncanny about it. Like it had felt almost real.

“It must have been some dream,” said Cole, eyeing Zane carefully. “What was it about?”

He thought for a moment, trying to figure out where to begin. “I saw the falcon again.”

“Falcon?” Cole and Kai repeated.

“He appeared several months ago,” Zane explained. “He visits me sometimes.”

“Yeah, and last time he showed up, he led us to Lloyd’s secret base.”

The others turned to look at Jay. “Seriously?” Kai asked.

“Seriously,” said Jay.

“Well this time he showed me… the Green Ninja.” At Zane’s words the atmosphere seemed to change.

“The Green Ninja?” Kai repeated. “As in, the greatest warrior, ancient prophecy, could be any one of us, Green Ninja?”

Zane nodded solemnly.

“What did he look like?” Cole asked, his eyes growing the tiniest bit wider.

“It’s… difficult to say.” The dream was already beginning to fade a bit, the details becoming smudged and blurred. “There were no physical traits I could identify him by, per say. But he did fight Garmadon using a multitude of skills.”

“Like what?” Jay pressed, scooting closer.

“Well, at the start of the battle, he caught the mast of the ship as it was about to fall on him. Then he used a kusarigama to defeat Lord Garmadon, sending him to his doom with his fists of green fire, while the falcon perched on his shoulder.”

The other boys didn’t say anything at first. They seemed just as lost in thought as Zane was.

“But,” the ice ninja started, feeling that the dream sounded somewhat silly when spoken aloud, “it was just a dream. Nothing more than an overactive imagination.” But he knew it wasn’t. It had felt too real.

“Yeah, yeah, imagination,” Jay agreed, taking a breath. “But, I mean… not just anyone fights with a kusarigama.” His overly casual tone was anything but.

“Hey, who’s the one with flaming fists?” Kai countered, lighting up his own fist for an example. “How many other elements are there that look like this, huh?”

“But he was also super strong,” Cole pointed out. “I doubt any of you guys could catch an entire mast.”

“Oh, and like you could?” Said Kai condescendingly.

“I think you’re all missing the point,” Zane interrupted. “The point is that it was my dream and the falcon was on his shoulder, which would seem to indicate that—“

“Zane, buddy, come on. Flaming hand.” Kai held up his own flaming hand again for reference.

“So when are you gonna pick up the kusarigama?” Jay prodded with a smug look. “Wanna trade weapons?”

“Even if he could learn, there’s no way he’d ever be strong enough to catch a literal mast,” said Cole, using his hands for emphasis.

“Flaming hand,” Kai said again.

Just then, Nya poked her head into the room. “Hey, guys. What are you all talking about?”

“Nothing!” They all blurted reflexively.

Nya gave them a look. “Alright, fine. Breakfast is ready.” Then she left.

The boys turned back to face one another.

“So… what? Does this mean it could still be any one of us?” Jay asked, rubbing at his arm a little.

“I suppose,” said Zane. “He did present attributes that each of us posses.”

“Come on, there’s gotta be a way to know for sure,” Kai lamented, leaning against the wall of the cabin. “A birthmark? A sign? A letter from destiny?”

“Well, it’s not like we even know when this is supposed to happen either. The prophecy didn’t say anything about the time. It could be years from now, for all we know,” Cole pointed out.

They all seemed to settle back into their thoughts for a while after.

Zane decided to skip breakfast that morning and opted to get a breath of fresh air. He walked past the old campsite, now cleaned of any evidence, and followed the weather-stained path out into the open. He was met with a splash from the ocean and a gust of salty wind. This had been a good idea. The change in scenery would certainly help him clear his mind.

He had no desire to keep banging his head against the rock that was the prophecy of the green ninja. He might also have been just the tiniest bit salty that the mere idea of him being the green ninja had been so readily shot down by the others. But what did they know? He was clearly more skilled than they were in combat, which would make him a natural fit for a role like the green ninja. Or, he thought, at least.

He stared out over the grey ocean and breathed in the icy air.

Then came the sound of a quiet squawk.

Zane looked up and there, perched atop the cave entrance, was the falcon. “Hello my mysterious friend.”

* * *

Down in the deep dark, a great meeting had been called. An enormous cavern had been chosen to fit the army of snakes which had gathered together to hear their leaders speak. Chief Scales spoke first.

“Brothers-s-s of the Hypnobrai!” The Hypnobrai cheered. “Of the Fangpyres-s-s!” The Fangpyres whooped and clapped. “Of the Venomari and Cons-s-strictai!” Deafening cheers and hollering. “At long, long las-s-st we have finally been reunited!” Another round of applause.

Then Fangtom and his two heads took the stage. “We are gathered—“

“—with one singular purpose.”

“To destroy—“

“—all of Ninjago!”

The crowd was eating up the speech as if it were the last piece of meat on the planet.

Then a green chief with four yellow eyes and fangs so large that they could not fit inside his mouth came up beside them.

“The time has-s-s come, yes-s-s it has-s-s!” He cried eagerly. “The time that had been foretold by the ancient ones-s-s, yes-s-s!”

Then another chief slithered up, this one more squat than the others, with black and orange scales covering his bulky body, and he spoke with a deep, gruff voice.

“The time of our triumph! The time of blood! Of reckoning! Of victory!”

Finally, Pythor took center stage.

“It is the time of the Great Devourer!” The crowd was practically screaming its approval now. “Let us release the goddess Anguis from her tomb and set her wrath upon this world! Let it be crushed underneath her scales, and let its filthy, loathsome inhabitants be swallowed whole!”

Lloyd watched all of this from a dark corner of the room, covering his ears most of the time, trying to tune out the painful noise. An uncomfortable feeling had been growing in his stomach recently, and now he knew why. The Serpentine’s plan was downright unspeakable. Not even he had wanted the total destruction of his home. But what was he to do? He was in no position to argue or run away. No, his best chance was to play along and hope to be offered a seat at the table of power when all was said and done.

“In order to release Anguis,” Pythor went on. “We must first reclaim the old Fang Blades of legend. The Blade of Winter, the Blade of the Depths, the Blade of the Sky, and the Blade of Fire. We march at once to the Blade of Winter!”

The crowd gave one final, massive cheer and then Pythor began to lead them forward. Lloyd was obligated to follow, but he kept his head low and steered himself as far away from the other snakes—from the Serpentine as he could. From this distance, however, he could still hear the chiefs talking amongst themselves.

“And then he tried to have us-s-s launch a full s-s-scale attack on Ninjago all on our own,” Scales was saying, his voice still gravelly. The other chiefs laughed. “He really had no clue what he was-s-s doing.”

“Mmm, yes-s-s, the flawed mind of a s-s-stupid child. Why ever did you follow him in the firs-s-st place, hmm?” The Venomari chief asked.

“It certainly was-s-sn’t my idea,” Scales sniffed, turning his nose up. “The previous-s-s chief, S-s-slithraa, thought we owed him a debt of gratitude, or s-s-some s-s-silly notion.”

“What a waffle!” The Constrictai chief cackled. “If it had been me, I would have squeezed the life out of him the second I saw him!”

“I would have s-s-shot him full of my venom, yes-s-s, and then s-s-see how well he can fight after that!” Said the Venomari chief, seeming almost wistful.

Lloyd felt his heart turn cold and drop into the pit of his stomach.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen, remember, the boy is with us now,” Pythor reminded them in his usual bright tone. “One does not simply poke fun at an ally, now do they?”

The other chiefs almost squirmed a little as they slowly agreed, except for Scales of course, who remained silent.

“Now, onward, my friends! Destiny awaits!”

Lloyd smiled somewhat at the purple chief. He always knew just what to say and how to rally his forces. One day, he hoped to be just like him.