Rise of the Snakes

Tick Tock

Alyssa didn't sleep much that night, and she knew it wasn't because she slept the entire day away. She felt guilty, the idea of Lloyd being in the Serpentines grasp had her stomach in knots. She should have kept a closer eye on the boy, who knows what he's going through now.

The second she knew Sensei Wu would be up, she left her room after a long shower and headed towards his mediating quarters. His door was wide open, so she simply knocks on the wall and bows respectfully, "Sensei."

The old man turns his head to smile softly at her, an old katana in his hands. "Alyssa, you may enter." He shuffles around to face her as she slowly walks inside the room, her curious gaze on the weapon. "I sense you have something weighing you down. Would you care to talk about it?"

"You know me," She breathes out a weak chuckle and takes a seat on a cushion nearby, crossing her legs underneath her, "I'm not the best when it comes to expressing my worries, even after all these years."

"You do not need to remind me." Wu copies her actions and takes the cushion in front of her, where an open case lays besides him. He carefully places the katana on his lap and begins to clean the blade with a cloth, old eyes shining back at him from the reflection.

They both sit there in total silence for a few minutes, Wu knowing that if Alyssa wanted to talk about it, she would, just in her own way. Finally, she sighs loudly and slouches her back, fingers toying with the sash around her waist. "Okay, I'm worried about Lloyd."

"Oh, really?"

"Wu." Alyssa sends the smiling old man a faint glare at his sarcastic tone. She rolls her shoulders and straightens her posture again, "I'm serious. What if something bad happens to him? How're we supposed to get him back when he's surrounded by every Serpentine alive?"

Wu finishes cleaning the blade of the katana and places the cloth inside the open case, his previous smile being replaced by a frown. She watches him stand shakily, and she quickly rises to grab him by the arm for balance. When he was on his feet he pats her hand in thanks. "That is why I am in here."

"I don't understand." She feels her eyebrows furrow as she watches her father figure take out a large red cloth from a cabinet. "Sensei-"

"Well, every morning I do five hundred push-ups." Zane's voice flows down the hallway and into their room, cutting off Alyssa's next words as their loud conversation continues as they get closer.

"Five hundred? Ha, try a thousand."

"Hahaha, I do a thousand and one."

"What is this, amateur hour? Sounds like my warm-up. Sensei, what does True Potential look like if—" Cole leads the others into Sensei's mediating room, only to freeze at the tense atmosphere in the area.

The four of them clasp their hands together and bow in respect, "Our apologies, Sensei. We've interrupted you." Zane frowns softly, bright eyes watching as Sensei Wu places the katana into the red cloth with a sigh.

"I'm sorry if I've been distant lately." He gently lays the katana into the open case, his back to them. "My mind has been elsewhere since Lloyd has gone missing. What can I help you with?" He still doesn't turn to meet their eyes, concerning Alyssa who furrows her eyebrows besides him.

"Sensei, what if we've done enough training? What if we've reached our True Potential?" Cole clenches his hands into fists, staring down at them in wonder. "What if we're ready?"

Wu hums and slowly spins to face him, "You might have reached peak physical condition, but you've yet to reach your inner potential. 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."