Before we start the chapter, I want to thank everyone who reads this book. Because...........we just scored 10k reads! Woo hoo! Thank you all for the support. And without further ado...............
(Pixal has a nightmare about the Pyro Vipers breaking into the Hanger Bay. P.I.X.A.L. shivers and pulls up the covers.)
Past Lloyd: Lookout! (The Titan Mach is seen disappearing. Aspheera shoots out of her staff at Wu. Wu is pushed out of the way by Zane.)
Past Nya: (Cries out at the sight of Zane disappearing when the magic hits him.) Zane! (Wu is knocked backwards onto the floor, shocked. Reaches out towards the empty space.) Oh, no!
Past Crystal: Zane!
Past Styx: No. (Kai shakes his head saddened)
Past Cole: Zane!
(It cuts to Zane holding onto P.I.X.A.L.'s hands, he then falls into the Ethereal Divide.)
P.I.X.A.L.: (Dream.) Zane! (Flails, reaching out.)
(P.I.X.A.L. wakes up.)
Pixal: Nooo! (She sits up and pants. She grabs a picture of her and Zane staring at it. )
(The ninja run into the room.)
Nya: (Flips the light switch.) P.I.X.A.L.! Are you okay?
Styx: What happened?! And if it's Cryptor, then I'll put him in his place. (Has a fighting stance and swings his tail hitting Kai)
Kai: Ow!
Styx: Oops. Sorry.
P.I.X.A.L.: I am fine. And no it is not that, Styx, I was dreaming about the moment..... he... he...
Crystal: (She pats her back.) It's okay, we know.
P.I.X.A.L.: (Gazes at the picture, sadly.) I... find it difficult to accept that he is gone.
Lloyd: Me too. (Sighs.)
Styx: Same here.
Jay: We all do. It just doesn't feel real. (Cole nods.)
Wu: (Runs into the room.) Zane's alive!
Lloyd: What?!
Kai: Where?!
Jay: How?!
Styx: You're telling us this now?!
Wu: Quiet. All of you. Listen! I spoke to Aspheera at Kryptarium Prison. She didn't destroy Zane. She banished him to a distant realm.
Kai: Well, what are we waiting for?! We gotta go after him!
Lloyd: Yeah!
Crystal: What Realm?
Wu: The Never Realm.
Kai: Huh?
Styx: The Never-what now?
Nya: The Never-Realm?
Cole: I've never heard of it.
Wu: There are few who have. (Wu turns away and hurries down the hallway, with the ninja close behind.)
Lloyd: Wait! What's the Never-Realm?
Styx: You can't just tell us which Realm and not tell us about it!
Wu: According to legend, it is the most distant and remote of all realms. My father only spoke of it to me once... (He stops and the ninja bump into each other.) in warning. (He continues walking.) He told me of all the realms of Creation, it was the one I should never visit. He told me it was a cold and dangerous place. He forbade it.
Jay: Uh, "forbade" as in absolutely never, ever?
Kai and Styx: Why?
Cole: Yeah. What's wrong with it?
Wu: I don't know. He went there only once and said he nearly couldn't find his way home. He said it was unlike the other realms. He warned me that others would not be as fortunate.
(Wu walks into another room and the others follow.)
Jay: Well that's just great. Creepy and vague.
Styx: Pfft, nothing we can't handle.
Wu: I will use Aspheera's staff to find Zane. It banished him there. It will work for me too. (He takes a small box out of a cabinet and opens it, revealing two small sacks.) Once I have found him, I will use the Traveler's Tea to bring us both home.
Lloyd: You mean all nine of us because we're going with you!
Cole: Yeah!
Wu: Absolutely not. I cannot allow it. What happened to him is my fault and mine alone. It is my responsibility.
Kai: Hey, no way!
Cole: We're not sitting this one out!
Jay: Zane's our brother!
Crystal: Master-
Wu: Enough! I will risk no other lives! My foolishness has already caused enough damage. (He turns to the wall.) My decision is final.
Crystal: But-
Wu: My decision is final.
Lloyd: (Thinks for a moment. He smiles.) Okay. We understand, Master. But.. this feels a little rushed. Maybe you should just, you know, sleep on it. For a night. And come up with a game plan.
Styx: What are you talking- (Lloyd covers his mouth)
Wu: (Turns back.) A game plan?
Lloyd: Yeah, you know, prepare. Think it all out.
Crystal: (Gets it and plays along.) Um. Yeah, yeah. Exactly. You are the one always telling us not to rush into things.
Jay: Yea! Right?
Wu: (He sighs.) Very well. I will meditate on it.
(Lloyd winks and smiles at the other ninja.)
(It cuts to Lloyd sneaking into the room while Wu meditates. He drops down from the ceiling. He sprints past Wu and opens the box. He takes one of the sacs. He climbs onto the ceiling and onto the Monastery's roof. He enters the room where the ninja are in and closes the doors behind him. Lloyd opens the sack, taking out a sandwich.)
Cole, Nya, and Kai: Ugh.
Styx: Just go and get the right one. (Points outside)
(Lloyd scratches the back of his head. The latter tries sneaking back into the room where Wu is meditating.)
Chicken: (Clucks and turns to Lloyd.)
Lloyd: Oh no, no, no. You're a nice chicken, Right? A nice chicken? (The Chicken powers up and attacks Lloyd.) Oh great, where's Crystal when you need her?
(The chicken drops down and Wu pets it. Lloyd drops down from the monastery's roof. Lloyd comes back to the others.)
Styx: Well?
Lloyd: (Spits out a feather.)
Cole, Jay, Kai, and Nya: (Groans)
Styx: The chicken!
Crystal: (Sighs) Lets try this again. But with two people. (Lloyd nods and the two come back into the room and Wu paces back and forth.)
Wu: (Sighs. He meditates again.)
(Crystal lowers herself with Lloyd holding on her legs. Wu opens his eyes and looks around. He closes them and resumes meditating. Crystal gives a signal and Lloyd lets her go and she drops down. Crystal does a cartwheel behind Wu and reaches the box. She opens the box and grabs the sack. She puts it in a pocket. Lloyd and Crystal come back to the ninja. The team walk into the elevator.)
Cole: Did you get it?
Crystal: (Holds up the sack with the tea.) Got it.
Styx: Great. We have our return ticket.
Cole: I wonder why Wu was so adamant about going alone. Sure, the Never-Realm sounds creepy, but how bad could it be?
Lloyd: Beats me. Come on. Let's get the staff.
Nya: (Puts her hand on a handprint scanner. The elevator starts descending.) What about the tracking device?
P.I.X.A.L.: Right here. (She takes it out and hands it to Nya.)
Nya: What's it key to?
P.I.X.A.L: The mech. Assuming Zane is still with it and it's within a 500-mile radius, you will see it on this display.
Jay: Master Wu's going to be pretty upset if he wakes up and finds us gone.
Styx: Didn't think of that. What do we do then?
Lloyd: He's upset. (The elevator door opens.) He's not thinking rationally.
Cole: Yeah. He'll understand.
Crystal: I hop-
Jay: (He sees something and recoils.) Gah!
Styx: What- (See's the something)
(The team are all shocked to see Wu down in the Hangar Bay holding the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu, attached to Aspheera's staff.)
Styx: How did he do that?!
Kai: Master Wu!
(The ninja walk toward Wu.)
Lloyd: How'd you get down here? Y-you were just upstairs.
Crystal: The better question is why he's holding the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu.
Wu: Give me the Traveler's Tea, Crystal. (Reaches out his hand)
Crystal: I'm sorry Master. It's for your own good.
Wu: That is for me to judge. Give me the Traveler's Tea.
Styx: You heard her Master Wu. You'll thank us for this later.
Kai: Yea.
Lloyd: We stand a better chance at finding Zane and you know it. There are more of us, and we're younger, and stronger and—
Wu: GIVE ME THE TEA!
(Wu sends out a shock wave of elemental power. He charges up.)
Kai: You're holding the Forbidden Scroll, Master Wu.
Jay: Yea! Why don't you put it down? We can talk about this right?
Wu: You disobey me?!
Crystal: Well, I, um, I'm sorry, but.........yes.
Wu: Yah! (He runs at the ninja and hits the ground with the staff, causing Cole and Kai to fall back.)
Styx: He's going for it guys!
(Wu tries hitting Crystal, but she blocks the staff with her sword. Wu knocks Crystal's sword out of her hand. He tries to hit Crystal again but Lloyd moves her out of the way in time.)
Crystal: (Wu is about to charge at her and Lloyd) Kai! Heads up! (She throws the tea at Kai)
Kai: Got it!
Styx: Now run!
Kai: Right!
(Wu tries hitting Kai but misses. Wu knocks it out of his hand, and Kai kicks up into the air. Everyone runs after it. Wu spins towards the tea, but Nya jumps in front of him, catching it.)
Wu: Give it to me, Nya.
Nya: No, Master Wu! (Jumps away as Master Wu comes at her again.)
Wu: The tea is not the answer! (Nya chucks it across. Jay slides in, catching it.)
Styx: The tea is not the answer? What is he talking about? (No one hears him to busy trying to keep the tea away from Wu)
Lloyd: Master Wu, please! (Wu leaps at Jay, slamming his staff. Jay dodges Wu's strikes.)
Jay: Yeah, come on. Let's not fight about this. We can talk about this instead. (Tosses the tea at Cole.)
Cole: Yeah, Wu.....try to understand. (Swings his hammer at the tea toward Lloyd.)
Lloyd: (Catches it, but shouts in surprise as Wu charges at him.) Gah! (He quickly moves out of the way and tosses the tea to Crystal. Wu knocks him down but see's Lloyd's hand empty.) Ahh!
Crystal: Lloyd! (Wu turns to her and charges.)
Lloyd: It's the scroll, Master Wu!
Crystal: (She gets knocked down by Wu) Ahhh!
Crystal: (On the ground) Lloyd's right Master, don't you see what it—
Wu: I will not risk anyone else's life! Now do as I command, and give me the Traveler's Tea, Crystal!
Crystal: (Get's up and looks to the other ninja behind Wu) Master, I'm really sorry about this, but you're not giving us another choice.
(Lloyd produces a shuriken behind his back. Jay stands by with a rope. Wu keeps looking at Crystal who still has the tea)
Wu: Give me the tea, Crystal!
Kai: Get him!
(Lloyd throws his shuriken, knocking the staff out of Wu's hand.)
Styx: The rope! (Jay tosses the rope over Wu's head to Cole, and together, they wrap the rope around Wu.)
Wu: (Struggles, grunting.) Unh. Oh. The tea. The tea will not r— (Lloyd gags Wu. Wu stumbles backwards and sits down, angrily.)
Jay: Oh boy!
Crystal: (Still holding the tea) Did we just tie up our own master?
Kai: I think we just did.
Cole: At least we know the rest of us are back in shape. Last time was just embarrassing.
Lloyd: We didn't have a choice. I'm sorry, Master Wu, but you're not thinking very clearly. Just like you were before Zane disappeared, and that's just making it worse.
(Crystal picks up the staff and tosses to P.I.X.A.L.)
Crystal: P.I.X., you do the honors. Ninjago's in you're care till we get back.
Styx: (Appears on Pixal's shoulder) And mine too. (Everyone looks at him) What? Someone's gotta keep the light in this realm safe with P.I.X.
Pixal: (Nods to Styx) I most appreciate it.
Lloyd: Everyone else, on the Land Bounty.
Nya: We'll see you three when we get back.
Cole: Don't have to much fun without us! (Runs into the Land Bounty)
P.I.X.A.L.: Please do hurry. I do not wish to hold this any longer than necessary. It feels... strange. (Everyone runs off to the Bounty except Crystal and Lloyd.)
Lloyd: I'm really sorry about this, Master Wu.
Crystal: I hope one day you can forgive us.
Wu: (Muffled.) Don't do this. Don't do this! Don't do this.
Lloyd: We'll be back with Zane. We promise. (Runs off to join the others with Crystal.)
Cole: Lock and load!
Nya: P.I.X.A.L., Styx, do you copy?
P.I.X.A.L.: We read you. Are you ready?
Lloyd: Anyone having second thoughts?
Crystal: It's now or never.
Jay: Next stop, the Never-Realm.
Cole: What are we waiting for?
Kai: Let's get the show on the road.
Nya: We're ready.
Styx: Here we go, Pixal. (Pixal lifts the staff, then stops, recalling her nightmare.)
(Aspheera fires her magic at Zane back in the past.)
Styx: Pixal?
P.I.X.A.L.: (Holds the staff in the air, summoning all her concentration, and points it at the Land Bounty, casting them to the Never-Realm.)
Wu: (Muffled.) No! Please... (P.I.X.A.L. tosses the staff aside, casting a suspicious look.)
Styx: Woah.
Pixal: Woah......is correct.
(The Land Bounty spirals through the portal.)
Ninja: (Screams.) Ahh!
Jay: What's-what's happening?!
Kai: Whoa, whoa. (Land Bounty tips upside down.) Whaaa!
Crystal: We're going to another Realm! Travel sometimes can be really bumpy!
Nya: You're not kidding!
Lloyd: Hold on, everyone!
Ninja: (Screams.) Ahh!
(Back at the Hanger Bay)
Styx: (Looks at Wu still tied up) Soooooooooo, do we untie him or?
P.I.X.A.L.: (Unties Wu.) I know you are angry, Master Wu. (Wu takes off his gag, and stands up.) But logically, the ninja was correct. Their chances together outweigh your chances alone. They will return to us.
Styx: Yea, they have the Traveler's Tea.
Wu: That was what I was trying to warn you about. Traveler's Tea grown in Ninjago won't work in the Never-Realm. I lied so that I could go alone. Now they are lost there, just like Zane. (Walks back to the Monastery.) It's called the Never-Realm because they may never return.
P.I.X.A.L. and Styx: (Look at eachother in worry and sigh.)