Escapade | Ninjago AU

Chapter 25

Nya's POV

I run my fingers through Jay's hair, gnawing on the inside of my cheek as I wait for him to wake up. Sitting against this stone wall, I've been nearly pulling my hair out for who knows how long. With the giant pile of rocks blocking the exit, no light can enter the cave, so I have no way to tell how much time it's been. All I know is that with every second that passes, the room gets stuffier and stuffier.

Jay's heartbeat has had the same, faint, uneven pulse since he passed out. The thrum of electricity that surges beneath his skin is still nonexistent. It's as if his body is either at the brink of death or in an extreme hibernation. Both of those theories make my chest squeeze in on itself. Tears perpetually pool in my eyes.

"How ironic is it? Us finding each other again just for us to die in this damn cave," I shake my head, swallowing back my tears.

His skin is pale all over, the reduction in blood flow draining all of the color from his skin. Even the orange tint from the fire can't restore his usual glow. I gently run my thumb over his cheek, his freckles more apparent with such a lifeless backdrop.

"Jay! Jay, are you in there?" I jump in my spot, startled by the voice on the other side of the rock wall.

I freeze, my mind scrambling. The voice doesn't belong to PIXAL, Kai, nor Zane, so I'm naturally weary, but none of the unnatural elementals would know his name. It sounds vaguely familiar though, like I've heard it in passing, so someone easily could have found out our identities and came after us.

I stay quiet until I look down at Jay and his fickle state. If we don't get out of here, I don't think he's going to make it, and I couldn't stand to actually see him die. Even though there are risks in letting ourselves be known, there's no other option.

"I'm going to open up the exit, so shield yourself and close your eyes," the voice commands, making the executive decision that he's going to come in and get us.

I drag Jay further away from the rocks before I turn my body so that I'm shielding him. I close my eyes tightly. My arms hug Jay as they slightly shake.

Suddenly, an earth shaking boom makes my whole body vibrate. The rocks clatter loudly and send a ringing sound deep into my ears. Dust that flies up from the impact quickly coats my skin. It invades my lungs too, sending me into a brief coughing fit.

Once the rocks stop falling, I open my eyes and turn to face the exit. With the heavy cloud of dust in the air, I can only see two approaching silhouettes. One is of a man and the other of a woman.

I pull Jay tighter to my chest. "Stay back! I won't hesitate to use my powers on you!" I lift one of my arms, summoning a ball of water above my palm to deter them.

From the other side of the dust, an orb appears, a green glow illuminating through the cloud even though I still can't make out any details. My eyes widen as my heart rate elevates further. There's only ever been one person in all of history who could do that, a boy who was only a kid when his life was flipped upside down.

"Who are you? I was told that Jay was in here," the orb increases in intensity, finally lighting up enough to showcase its owner, and when I see his face, my jaw drops, the air evacuating from my lungs.

His golden hair shines through the dust while his bright green eyes match the orb perfectly. The powers look so natural on him, and I kick myself for not picking up on anything back when I saw him.

However, I only take a few seconds to process it before my focus goes straight back to the man in my shaky arms as I hold onto him for dear life. "You need to help us. Jay... Jay he," the panic creeps up on me, my chest closing up on itself.