For the past two weeks, you've been exhausted.
Of course, you were mostly to blame. You had set up a debilitating schedule for yourself that the others knew nothing of.
You wake up at the crack of dawn and train. Once the others wake and breakfast is made, you take a break to enjoy the others' company. You head right back to training until lunch, then continue afterwards up until dinner. After that, you wind down by either writing or hanging out with the others.
Then, once the sun has long since set, you head out on a journey to visit Morro. Despite the heartbreak and sadness of losing someone once so close to you, you felt a sense of... tranquillity with the grave.
It could be because you were within the Forest of Tranquillity, though you highly doubted that.
You had better control over your power within the presence of Morro's grave. You found better leaps with your Element while visiting Morro.
You had even performed Spinjitzu once when you had a difficult time before.
You've been trying to replicate it at the monastery, though nothing really seemed to work all that well. You always tripped up and fell whenever you got close to your goal. You hardly took breaks, instead putting all your effort into trying to perform Spinjitzu consistently.
With this long-winded, rigorous schedule, you were almost always exhausted.
You sat in the gaming room with the others. You were near the back, resting against the wall. A few pillows crowded around your body as you comfortably drifted off into sleep. The others were mostly-considerate about you resting in the back. They had even given you a couple of blankets in case you grew cold.
Of course, the peace didn't last too long.
"Aw, man!"
"What the heck?!"
"We spent three hours on that! Why?!"
You drowsily opened your eyes. "...Huh? You guys win...?" You glanced at the television. Its screen was dark. It had been unplugged.
"Just because Garmadon escaped through a vortex," You jolted at Wu's stern voice, "doesn't mean he won't return for the Golden Weapons!"
"Though, Sensei," Zane began. "Ever since Garmadon's disappearance, there has been nothing but peace."
"Yeah! Peace is boring!" Jay exclaimed. "There's literally nothing to do but sit around and wait!"
"What about your training?" Wu offered. "You have plenty of opportunities to better yourselves, much like (Y/n) has."
"Huh?" You asked. You were still too tired to process everything.
Wu let out a small sigh.
"We can train tomorrow," Kai called.
"We've got all day, tomorrow," Cole added.
"Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today," Wu told the ninja.
"Well..." Cole held a smirk as he reached for the nearby pizza box. He lifted a slice of pizza. "I was gonna eat this pizza tomorrow, so..." He moved to take his first bite.
Wu dashed ahead and swung a foot. His foot connected with the back of Cole's hand, and the pizza flew across the room. The pizza hit the wall and stuck for a moment before it fell and hit the ground.
"Ow, hey!"
"No pizza for you!" Wu scolded. "To reach your full potential, you must train."
"Uh, remember when we did a little thing called the 'Tornado of Creation?'" Kai asked. "I thought that was pretty cool."
"The what?" You stopped the conversation. "When was this?"
"Oh, crap!" Jay jumped to his feet. "We never told you about that! So basically—"
"You five have merely scratched the surface of your potential," Wu interrupted. "There are so many secrets you have yet to uncover. You do not even know the powers your Golden Weapons hold!"
"You wanna talk secret powers?" Cole reached for his scythe and lifted it. He extended his arm and picked up the television's cable with the scythe's end. With a few precise movements, the plug was soon back in the outlet.
The television sparked back to life, and the four ninja immediately went back to gaming.
You got up from your corner and stretched your back as much as you could within the short room. "You guys should really—" Your back popped rather loudly before you relaxed and began rubbing your eyes, "—listen to Father... You have only been in here most of the time." Your body felt very sore. You definitely regret sleeping against the wall, especially with how much you've been overworking yourself, lately. Maybe staying in your room would've been better...
You glanced up at the others. The video game was paused, and the four ninja were staring at you. Wu seemed to be hiding a smile.
You let out an annoyed sigh. "Father can't get your attention, but me stretching does?"
Quick footsteps sounded outside. You glanced at the door curiously.
"You can—"
"Guys!" Nya threw the door open. "Lord Garmadon! He's returned! He's been spotted heading towards Jamanakai Village!"
The four ninja glanced at each other in shock before they all got to their feet. The four tripped over each other and dropped their weapons as they attempted to be the first one out the door.
Nya moved out of the way as the four ninja stumbled out and sprinted towards the monastery's exit. You held your head in your hands in embarrassment.
"(Y/n)," You looked up at Wu. "It would be wise if you tagged along."
"What?" You asked. "They're... going to a village, right?"
"I do not believe they will be fine on their own," Wu stated. "Their skills are severely lacking..."
"...Right," You sighed. As much as you didn't want to go out in public, the four might get themselves hurt without proper training. You held a small, nervous smile as you left the gaming room. You offered Nya a wave as you trailed after the ninja.
You left the monastery and headed down the stairs. The stairs branched off a few steps downwards, and you followed the path that circled close to the mountain. Towards the back of the mountain were four large doors built into the mountain's side. All four were open, and the four ninja were miserably failing to mount their dragons. Cole had fallen off of his dragon, Jay dropped his nunchucks, Zane tripped as he approached his respective dragon, and Kai struggled to reach his dragon's reigns.
You're surprised none of them have fallen off the mountain, at this point.
You hopped up onto Kai's dragon, Flame. You reached for Kai's reigns and held them before Kai.
"(Y/n)?" Kai glanced back at you in surprise. "What are you doing?"
"Going with," You said. "Father said to." You knelt down behind Kai's seat and held on tightly. "You still know how to fly, right?"
Kai let out a short scoff. "As if I'd ever forget this!"
Flame moved towards the open door. He took a running start before he jumped and spread his wings far. Flame rapidly flapped his wings and took off into the air.
The other three dragons soared alongside you and Kai.
Cole let out a loud cheer. "Just like old times, huh?"
"What do you guys think of Sensei talking about us unlocking our 'full potential?'" Kai called to the others. "You guys believe him?"
"He might be onto something!" Jay shouted back from his dragon. He was a fair ways ahead. "It's not like we had much of a chance to use our new weapons!"
"I, for one, look forward to the future," Zane mentioned. "If there is more for us to accomplish, then simply let it be."
"Anyone else excited to face off against Lord Garmadon?" Cole asked. "I've been looking forward to trying out some new moves!"
You certainly weren't ready. These four haven't been putting in an ounce of training, these past several days. Should Lord Garmadon really be back, they wouldn't stand a chance.
Up ahead, the clouds gently thinned and revealed a towering mountain. You and the others soared high above, and you stared at the village atop the mountain's cliffs. It was a tiny village—there were probably just over twenty buildings built—constructed close to the mountain's peak. Snow covered the dark roofs of the buildings and lined the great stone walls that bordered the edges of the village. A long path trailed up the mountain towards the village.
"Jamanakai Village!" Kai exclaimed. He glanced at the others. "First one there wins!"
"Wait—"
You barely grasped onto the dragon just as Flame dove towards the small village below. The blistering cold air ripped at your face as you desperately tried to get a better grip on the dragon.
The dragon pulled up, and Flame slammed against the ground. You slipped right off of Flame and hit the ground hard. Your right shoulder crashed against the stone ground, and you rolled onto your opposing side and grasped your shoulder.
"I was first!"
You got up to your feet and shook off whatever pain you could. You didn't break your shoulder, though you're positive you'll have a nasty bruise in the future. You continued to hold your hand over your shoulder.
"No way, were you faster than me!"
You glanced up ahead. The four ninja were crowded together, arguing over who made it to Jamanakai first.
"My feet were on the ground first!"
You made your way towards them with an annoyed expression.
"You are all clearly disillusioned. I had made it first."
You reached out and smacked the back of Kai's head.
"Ow, hey!" Kai whipped around to face you, hand on his head.
"You need to tell me when you do that," You angrily scolded the red ninja. If you hadn't grasped onto the seat in time, you could've flown right off the dragon.
That was scary enough on its own, but what scared you more was that you didn't even know if Kai would've noticed.
Kai held a nervous, apologetic expression. "Uh, sorry..." At least he was sorry.
You let out a sigh. "We need to get ready—"
Screams echoed from the village up ahead. The others immediately silenced their argument before they rushed ahead. You drew your pair of kunai and ran after your friends. Villagers fled into their homes as voices called out.
"Lord Garmadon!"
"Everyone, hide!"
A great, looming shadow cast itself upon the walls of the nearest buildings. Maniacal laughter echoed down the street.
"Stay sharp, fellas," Kai stated. His katana shone in the sunlight. "Whatever happens, don't let your guard down."
You nodded and readied yourself for battle. The others did the same.
The shadow fell to the ground, and its owner appeared right before it. Instead of Lord Garmadon, however, a young boy made his way forward. The boy wore a black sweater, its hood up and obscuring most of the boy's hair. He held a metal cone before his face.
"It is I," The boy's voice projected through the megaphone, "Lloyd Garmadon!"
"Wait, Lloyd Garmadon?" Jay lowered his weapons and glanced at you and the others. "I thought we were facing Lord Garmadon."
"It's his son," Cole realised. He let out a short laugh. "Seems he escaped his boarding school and decided to come here..."
"You know him?" You pondered.
"I demand all the candy in town!" Lloyd jumped up onto the town's fountain. "Or else I'll release the Serpentine on you!"
"Eh, kind of," Kai answered your question. "I've only heard about him from a friend."
"And to think we could've been fighting, already," Cole grumbled.
People slowly began leaving their homes and approaching the fountain. Many of them appeared annoyed. Some even looked furious.
You nervously glanced around as people gathered. No one was really paying you any mind, but you were still anxious. It only takes a second for the people of Jamanakai to turn on you. "Uh, I'll... head back," You told the others.
"Go ahead," Kai nodded. "We've totally got this taken care of."
"Yeah!" Jay laughed. "He's just some kid who thinks he's all high-and-mighty. We've definitely got this in the bag!"
You slowly offered a thumbs-up before dropping it. Even after all this time, your friends still don't know what a thumbs-up is. "Yeah... I'll be with the dragons." You then spun around and sped your way back to the outskirts of Jamanakai. You kept your eyes down as more and more villagers left their homes and shops to investigate the commotion. Several people glanced your way, though no one spoke.
You could see the edge of the village. The dragons were just beyond.
"Hello?"
You jolted in place before turning on the spot. A young Ninjagoan woman stood behind you. She seemed a bit meek approaching you, yet her expression held wonder.
"Are you the one from Ignacia?" The young woman asked. "You look like the drawing my niece sent me!"
"...Huh?" You were fairly dumbfounded. "I... guess? I was in Ignacia, yeah..."
"It's cool to see you in person!" The woman stated. "You're also a bit taller than I expected..." She held a hand behind her head, "Sorry if I'm being rude."
"N- No, no," You immediately protested. "You're not being rude at all. Just..." You nervously glanced around. A few other Ninjagoans stared from their homes and shops. "You're... not scared of me?"
"To be honest, I kind of am," The Ninjagoan let out a quiet laugh. "I'm trying not to be. I mean... You're with the ninja, right? You saved Ninjago from Garmadon!"
You took a moment to register her words. "...I didn't really... help too much?" You hesitantly began. The entire time your friends were in the Underworld, you were stuck in Ignacia with a severe injury. Sure, you were with your friends whilst gathering the Golden Weapons, though you highly doubted you deserved the credit of "saving Ninjago from Garmadon."
"Still, it's really cool to see you!" The woman held a smile.
You returned her excitement a small, anxious smile. "Thanks..." You did your best to sound genuine, though you were still a bit nervous. "I... should get going."
The woman seemed surprise. "Oh, sorry!" Before you could tell her that she wasn't at fault, the woman continued, "I'll leave you to it, then! It was nice meeting you!"
"Uh, you, too," You called after the woman as she turned with a small wave. The woman headed off. You glanced at the spectators, whom all continued to stare at you. You quickly spun around and left.
You eventually escaped the village and went to the dragons. You slowly let out a shaky breath as you approached the dragons.
You quietly approached Flame, who silently regarded you. Out of all the dragons, you've grown the closest with Flame. He had saved your life in the Fire Temple, after all.
"The others will be back eventually," You softly spoke in your original language. You never bothered speaking Ninjagoan with the dragons as they most likely don't understand. Of course, they didn't understand your language, but you didn't mind.
You exhaled as you hopped up on Flame's back. You glanced back towards the village with a modest expression before turning back to the dragons.
Your appearance in Ignacia has spread to other parts of Ninjago.
Not everyone sees you as a monster.
It made you wonder who else knew about you. The young woman said her "niece" sent her a drawing. You might not know what that translated to in your native language, but it was someone close to her. A family member, perhaps?
You heard distant laughter. You glanced back towards the village. Your friends were making their way over. They all had some type of candy (you assume) with them, though Kai held two.
Kai came up to you and held up one of his snacks. It looked like a large blue cloud stuck to a white stick. "I got you this to say sorry about scaring you."
"Huh?" You slid down from the dragon and stared at the blue cloud. "What is it?"
"You don't know what cotton candy is?!" Jay hysterically asked. He held a pink cloud of his own, though half of it was gone.
"'...Cotton candy,'" You slowly repeated. "What is it made out of?"
"Pure sugar," Cole told you with a sigh. He had a box of popcorn instead of a sugary snack.
"Sugar?" You questioned.
"It's not that bad," Jay argued. "The whole thing might be made of sugar, sure, but there isn't a lot of it in the first place!"
"It certainly is not healthy," Zane chimed in. He had a rainbow disc on a stick—a dessert you've seen but didn't know the Ninjagoan name of. "But it is enjoyable every once in a while."
You gingerly took the blue cotton candy from Kai. "Thanks," You offered a small smile. You glanced at the cloud of candy before you reached up and pulled a small piece off. It definitely felt like cotton, which put you a bit on edge.
You placed the piece into your mouth and immediately choked. You were hit with the strong taste of sugar. "Is it supposed to melt?"
"Yeah!" Jay grinned. "That's the cool part!"
You glanced at the cotton candy in your grasp. You were familiar with some snacks being made completely of sugar, though this snack was so light and fluffy. It felt like thin cotton and melted the moment it entered your mouth.
You took another piece and ate it. Now that you knew what to expect, it tasted very good.
"Well, we got everything done, here," Cole moved to his dragon. He jumped up with ease. "Let's get back home."
Kai nodded in agreement before he hopped up onto his dragon. His foot slipped and caught on the small satchel attached to his saddle. It ripped off of its strap and hit the ground.
The bag opened, and a scroll rolled out.
A scroll you've seen once before.
"Huh?" Kai jumped back down before the bag. "I don't remember packing—"
You panicked and reached out. You slipped the scroll back into the bag before closing the bag and picking it up. "Why did you take Father's bag?" You quietly asked.
"I don't know," Kai shook his head.
"You must have taken it by accident during the rush," Zane said.
"What was that?" Kai asked. "It was some... scroll?"
"We should get going," You redirected the conversation. You held the satchel and your cotton candy with one hand and, with the other, made your way atop Kai's dragon.
"Aw, c'mon!" Jay complained. "Can't we see what's on it?"
You shook your head. "It's Dad's..."
"(Y/n) is right," Zane told the others. "It isn't right to intrude on what isn't ours."
You offered Zane a small smile. He knew how to put it in words for the others.
"Man..." Jay didn't press any further.
"C'mon," Cole called from his dragon. "Let's head back!"
"And no racing this time," You quickly added. "I don't want to lose my cotton candy..."
~
i sometimes call it "candy cloud" though i wrote "cotton candy" since that's what the show says lol?
i did a little bit of research and, holy cow, that snack has a lot of different names around the world lol
my favourite's "ghost breath" so far