Destiny's Binds

Invent and Commence

The news of the unfortunate passing of the Duke of the Dark Island spread quickly across the Sea of Sand. No one knew why bandits attacked his estate. Or why they killed the Duke. But every local had their conspiracy theories. Such as the Dark Island formed a coup against the King, thus also rebelling against the Duchy. Others whispered that some bold pirates looted the estate and murdered the heirless Duke on their way out. The wildest theory was the Duke killed himself as no one could live on the Dark Island and stay sane.

Personally, Jay figured it was an accident. Some guards left a lantern on and unattended. Suddenly the estate is on fire. And the Duke couldn't make it out in time. Not that Jay took a particular interest in the politics of the Dark Island.

Jay wiped the sweat from his brow, sitting back to gaze at his newest creation. He'd been trying to finalise a design of mechanical wings. No matter how many times he did the maths, Jay couldn't master flight. However, he wasn't the type to let a setback extinguish his ambition.

While safely hidden in a lean-to made from various scrap metal he's acquired, Jay tightened a screw, then played with the hinge of his left wing. It squeaked as it bent. Jay bit his lip, leaning back to check his notebook. The wind had blown the pages of his journal. Jay put the wings down in front of where he sat, flipping to the proper page. He dusted the spare pieces of sand off the paper, frowning as he peered at his math.

Despite his happy life, Jay didn't have many opportunities. He lived in the middle of the Sea of Sand. Of course, Jay had seen civilization before (if the city of Ouroboros was comparable to the rest of Ninjago). But still, he struggled to recreate society in his mind's eyes. Only idiots or super-intelligent people would dare to attempt to survive the harsh desert. Super-intelligent people were the only people who could survive the harsh arid environment. And idiots were idiots for venturing into an obviously inhabitable biome. Jay was still undecided on which category applied to his family.

Somehow his parents managed to survive in the harsh climates. From his earliest memories, Jay watched his parents make the most with the least. Whatever came their way, they worked with it, building a home from whatever junk they could get their hands on. From their resourcefulness, they created everything they owned. That mentality was vital to Jay's outlook on life. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if there was more. He loved tinkering with whatever junk he could find, scrapping and being resourceful. He loved his parents.

However -dare he thought for a second- Jay's life was missing something. He hardly ever ventured anywhere beyond the desert. He'd been to Ouroboros plenty of times. But the ancient Serpentine City didn't meet a hunger deep inside Jay's subconscious. He hadn't seen a fraction of his fief, much less Ninjago. Jay paused his inventing and pondered what would happen if he asked his parents to let him go to Ninjago City. Just to see what it was like. What an adventure! He could meet new people, and get inspired to invent more. Maybe he'd meet people his age. Maybe he'd meet a damsel in distress that he could save with his makeshift invented skills. He could learn swordplay -all the best heroes in novels wielded swords. Jay's mind slipped into a daydream envisioning what massive adventure he'd go on! Like something out of the books, he had read.

"Jay!"

He snapped out of his muse, looking around his surroundings for his father calling his name. Jay dug out the sand pile blocking his exit from his cover and emerged from his shack. He could see his father waving at him in the distance, beckoning him home. Jay waved back, before returning to his hole to grab his satchel. He took a swig of water from his leather skin, sending warm liquid down his throat, revealing the dryness in his esophagus for a moment before his breath scraped against his thirst yet again.

Jay arrived at his home only a few minutes after his father. But the way his parents were waiting for him, Jay knew he should expect the worst. Something was very different. The cheery demeanour of his parents had disappeared. Instead, his mother put up a facade with a tight smile and his dad grumbled under his breath.