It wasn't like she felt it, because she did.
Laçiaña could feel that someone was controlling her soulmate's body, and it was absolutely horrid.
All she could feel was pain, the drive of someone controlling Lloyd, in his body as a soul, it hurt because she too could feel it. It was like fire, like someone burning her body and fighting against the flames.
She wanted Lloyd.
"Ah," She let out a small noise of pain, gripping her bed sheets with Emerald on her side. She clenched her eyes close, feeling the ship tilt and move faster.
She had no idea what was happening outside but she wanted too, she wanted to help. But she could barely walk, how was she gonna fight?
She breathes out, taking deep breathes to compose herself and ignore the feeling of agony that was upon her body.
.............
The ninja are being chased by Morro's dragon, which was getting closer to the Bounty with each minute wasted.
"Take positions." Wu spoke up, his tone grave as he neared towards the ledge of the railing.
Cole grunts. "Ah, I give you this much. That ninja never quits." He shakes his head.
"Port side!" Zane yells.
"The cannons!" Cole exclaims.
Jay runs towards the cannons and fires the cannons at Morro, but misses. "Aah! Let me get this straight. You're just telling us now that you had another pupil before us, and now his cursed spirit has possessed Lloyd, all so that he can take your staff?" He asks turning to the old man, bewildered.
Wu shakes his head. "Morro won't stop until he gets what he's after. There's a secret message engraved on it. All these years, I had no idea." He mutters.
Jay nods. "Of course. Ha, just another day in Ninjago." He pauses. "Where's Lacey?"
"If this is as fast as the Bounty goes, I think we're in for some serious trouble." Cole says, the Bounty rocked between the harsh wind and the weight.
Morro laughs as he lands on the Bounty, a smirk on his face as he advanced forward.
Wu looks at his students. "I need ink and parchment to make an imprint to see what's on the staff."
Zane nods. "Kai and I will take you to our quarters while Jay and Cole will keep him busy."
Cole scoffs, not looking happy. "Oh, that's honorable of you to nominate us."
"Yeah, we didn't fare so hot last time. Why is it you get off with the easy task?" Jay asks, angry as he glares at their retreating figures.
Zane glances back at them. "Because I'm the intelligent one."
"Check on Lacey!" Jay yells before looking at Cole. "Ah, let's take this guy." They charge at Morro who skillfully dodges before attacking.
Nya frowns from the bridge, shaking her head at her stupidity. "Why am I steering the ship? There's a reason autopilot was invented." She activates autopilot and runs off.
The Autopilot was a brown ninja, Dareth, balloon.
"Oh, great." Jay mutters.
Nya dodges Morro's attacks, which deflates the autopilot. "Oh, that's not good." She says. They all scream as the Bounty swerves to the side.
Zane and the others run down the hallway. "Our quarters aren't much further. Go, Sensei. Kai and I will hold him back." He nods.
"We'll crash if we don't stabilize the Bounty." Cole says from above.
Nya makes her way to the steering wheel. "Ugh. Come on, pull up. Pull up!" She grips the rod but it doesn't budge.
Zane and Kai fight Morro, but the Ice Ninja is hit on the head with a crate.
Morro smirks. "Your team will fall apart without its Green leader." He cackled, his eyes dark.
Kai glares at him. "I'll lead them. And make sure you go down if it's the last thing I do. Sensei says you won't give up. Well, neither will I!"
.......
Jay and Cole catch up with Nya.
"Ah! Are you aiming for that mountain?" Jay asks as they all gather on the Bridge, near the steering wheel and where the control machine is.
Nya grunts, gripping the wheel. "Trying to rise above it! Ugh, a little help?" She asks, as the wheel doesn't budge.
Red lights of warning start to appear on the Bounty screen, ready for impact as the mountain is shown getting closer.
As Cole and Jay help out, Nya turns on the boosters. The Bounty barely misses the mountain, making a hole in which Kai almost falls out of.
"I'm coming, Kai!" Zane yells.
"Aah!" Kai yells as Morro tries to make him fall by using his Wind.
Wu runs and arrives on time in the corridor. "You want the staff? Take it!" He throws the staff out and Morro chases after it. Zane catches Kai before he falls out.
"Got you." Zane smiles, pulling Kai up.
"Primary thrusters destabilized, better hold on!" Nya exclaims, warning them. She grabs the wheel, grunting and trying to get something to work.
Red lights start to flash brightly on the screen, the ground getting closer.
"Lacey!" Jay yells, he grunts before running towards her room.
He slams open her room and she looks up, groggy.
"Jay?" Lacey mutters, he runs over before wrapping his arms around her, protecting her head as the Bounty starts to detour towards the ground.
Lacey stares at him confused, she sqeals when she feels the Bounty swerve, she closes her eyes tightly, her hands tighting on Jay with her head buried in his chest.
Morro laughs as they crash land in the Forest of Tranquility, flying away from them.
Kai groans, standing up. "Okay, let's never do that again." He mutters, he looks around him, frowning at their now, yet again, crashed Bounty. He holds his head, his head hurting.
Jay walks out, with Lacey behind him, confused and dazed. "Ah, just think, if Sensei hadn't gotten rid of the staff, it could've been worse." He chuckles nervously.
Cole nods. "Yeah, but now we don't know the message." He looks at Sensei.
Wu humms."Not exactly. I managed to make an imprint." He shows them the symbols, painted on the walls in their quarters.
Jay furrows his eyebrows. "But what does it all mean?"
Wu sighs. "My father told me long ago that he would leave a message, leading me to his final resting place. After he passed, I looked everywhere for it, not knowing it was in my hand all this time."
Kai's eyes widen. "You mean to tell us-" He starts, his tone in awe.
Wu nods. "Yes. These symbols will lead us to the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master. Only problem is I haven't the foggiest idea what any of them mean."
"Well, if Morro is trying to find the tomb, we gotta find it first." Kai frowns.
"Hey, maybe Misako can help decipher the clues since she's a total history buff." Cole spoke up.
"P.I.X.A.L., release the Falcon and give her our location." The Falcon flies off at Zane's command.
"Good, then we set up camp." Wu says.
"Where's Lloyd?" Lacey mutters, her skin still pale, but she was getting better. Goosebumps traveled down her arms and legs, making her shiver.
They all share a look.
Kai shifts uncomfortably. "Lacey, maybe you should go to sleep, Lloyd will be here when you wake up."
Cole gives him a confused look, frowning at his lie.
"Yeah," Jay nods before helping her to sit down on the floor, he quickly gets a blanket while the others start to make camp.
Lacey only stares at all of them, confused. What was happening? Why was there a pit in her chest?
Like something was missing?
Where was Lloyd?
Her eyes, it felt like she could sleep for a month. She just wanted to close her eyes, but that uncomfortable feeling stayed with her.
♡♤◇♧
"Care to hear a ghost story?" Wu spoke up, as they all sat around the campfire.
Jay glanced at Lacey, who was sleeping somewhat peacefully on the makeshift beds the Ninja had made for her.
They had dragged a spare mattress outside before bringing a blanket and some pillows.
The girl was in agony, in her sleep terrors, she would call out Lloyd or scream. It was heartbreaking for all of them to see her like this.
For now, some color had returned to her cheeks and she was resting for the time being.
Zane nods. "If it means saving Lloyd, of course." He says as they all sat around the fire.
"Morro may have been my first pupil, but he was also my greatest regret. Before he was a cursed spirit, it wasn't I who found him...but he who found me. My brother had just gone off to train under Master Chen, which gave me time to attempt my hand at teaching. Morro was the perfect student. He did everything that was ever asked of him."
During training, a young Morro falls over.
"Get up." Wu told him and he did.
"I had shown him things he had never seen. And he showed me a few things too. He had a power over the Wind I had never seen. He was a descendant of an Elemental Master. It was then I thought I had found the one. Perhaps he would wear green."
Jay blinks. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up. You're saying Morro, the Master of Wind, was gonna be the Green Ninja!?" He exclaims, interrupting.
The wind shifts, causing the fire to become bigger.
Cole frowns, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Uh, did that just happen? Maybe I don't like ghost stories." He clears his throat.
"What happened next, Sensei?" Zane asks Sensei, ignoring dumb and dumber.
"After I told him he could be the Green Ninja, there was a hunger unmatched." Wu shakes his head, looking disappointed.
Morro kicks some of the others trainees, making them fall. "Get up. Get up!" He snaps aggressively.
"Enough." Wu comes over, his lips upside down in a frown. His white hair was kept and neat, wearing his black gi with golden ancient symbols on it.
"But Sensei, I'm gonna be the Green Ninja. I need greater tests."
"I said enough!"
Wu leaves in annoyance, leaving Morro.
"There was an arrogance in him. I feared I had made a terrible mistake. But it wasn't for me to decide. It was destiny. When the Golden Weapons didn't respond like they did for Lloyd later, I knew Morro wouldn't become the chosen one."
Morro shakes his head, looking heartbroken. "I'll train more. Learn more lessons." His voice cracks.
Wu turns away, regretful. "I'm sorry, destiny has spoken."
Morro scowls. "Then I refuse to listen! I am the Green Ninja! You made me believe!" He screams.
"He became obsessed to prove me wrong. To prove destiny wrong. He became reckless. He thought he was invincible."
After Past Morro disturbed a Grundle, Wu had to save him.
"You see, Sensei? It was destiny for you to save me. I can still be the Green Ninja."
Wu sighs. "I knew right there and then I could not teach those who would not listen. He told me he would find my father's tomb to prove he was worthy. I told him it could not be found. My father had left no message. I left the gate open in hopes he'd return, but he never came back. I am saddened he was banished to the Cursed Realm. But what worries me more is that he escaped, and for what reason? To save Lloyd and return your powers, you must find the tomb before he does. Or else."
Jay swallows hard. "Or else what?" He asks hesitantly.
"Unspeakable power will curse us all."
Jay laughs nervously. "Just another day in Ninjago, am I right?" He quotes.
Kai shakes his head. "This is different. Lloyd is at stake." He tells them.
Cole frowns. "But how can we compete against the Green Ninja? He's more powerful than all four of us combined."
"Huh." Nya mumbled.
"That was before we lost our powers." Zane said.
"But it's like Sensei said. Our real power doesn't come from our hands, it comes from inside here." Kai taps his chest. "This is Lloyd we're talking about. This is one mission we cannot fail." He states sternly.
Lacey whimpers, her dream and night terrors taking over.
......
Everything was so blurry, so hazy, like a giant cloud of nothingness had taken over her mind.
The young Sorceress sees flashes.
She manages to see herself, only older and more darker with a smirk on her face.
She manages to see a silhouette of a young girl, before she sees a flash of a girl.
That girl had the same eyes like Lacey, only her hair was darker. Black or a darker brown. She was glaring at something with anger.
She then sees flashes of a white haired girl, her green eyes glinting with malice but her soft cherry lips were pulled up into a soft and kind smile.
"Lacey....."
All she could feel was pain. What wad happening to her? And where was Lloyd?
It was like someone had personally ripped our her heart, taking it away from her. Now all she felt was a void of nothingness. Empty. Cold.
Gone.
It felt like someone or something had crawled up inside her and was now taking control over her body and mind. Something so foreign and alone.
She only curled in herself, hugging her body and shivering from the cold. She was sweating, but she was cold.
...
"As far as I knew, the tomb was only a fable, until I saw what's on the staff."
Lacey woke up to the sound of Misako's voice. She blinked owlishly, shaking her head with a small groan leaving her lips.
She slowly sits up, remembering the events from last night. She may have slept all night but she was still tired, it felt like she hadn't slept a wink. Her tired eyes took in her surrounded.
The trees weren't so dark anymore but they were still tall, and the Bounty was still crashed and broken.
Again.
"Does she know what the symbol means?" Kai spoke up, a bit cranky as a Walloper had eaten his breakfast.
Cole shakes his head. "Not the last two yet, but get this: the first symbol means Airjitzu." He smiles.
Kai furrows his eyebrows. "Airjitzu?" He mumbles in confusion.
Misako looks at them. "A lost martial art created by Sensei Yang, who passed years ago. If mastered, it allows one to temporarily take flight." She explains softly.
Jay grins. "You hear that, Kai? We get to fly!" His eyes flashed with excitement, his hands shaking the bowl of oatmeal in his hands.
"You haven't found it yet." Wu says."The Scroll of Airjitzu is well guarded in the ancient Library of Domu."
Zane frowns. "Forgive me if I speak out of turn, but my records reveal it was recently stolen." He says, remembering a certain someone.
Jay gasps."By who?"
Cole scoffs. "Ah, let me guess. Ronin." He says with a scowl.
"Who's Ronin?" Nya questions, looking at her brother.
Kai shakes his head."Let's just say he's not a friend."
Jay smiles, realizing something. "But this is good news." He nods.
"Uh, how so?" Cole trails off, looking at his best bud.
Jay laughs. "Aargh, 'cause if Morro doesn't know this, he'll be heading to the library." He grins.
Cole nods."And Ronin's most likely holed up in the village of Stiix, which gives us a head start." He smiles. They now had a head start, they could stop Morro.
Wu nods. "Then it's set. The ninja will head to Stiix. We four will head back to the tea shop and start deciphering the next clues." He looks at Lacey, concern growing in his eyes.
Misako goes over to the Sorceress, helping her stand up and lean on her.
Nya scowls. "But Lloyd's my friend too. The ninja will need my help to-" she starts.
Wu shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Nya. You're sitting this one out. There's too much to be done here." He tells her sternly.
Kai walks up to his Walloper and tries to mount it, failing miserably. "Uh, okay. Stand still." He falls off but gets back on. He let out a groan."Don't worry, sis. With me in charge, this scroll will be ours in no time." He smirks.
" 'Cause time flies when you know Airjitzu! Get it? Haha." Jay laughs, smiling tightly when he realizes no one laughed at his pun.
"Be careful, ninja, for the path we seek is never a straight line." Wu tells them, staring at them."Rely on each other to guide your way."
Kai yells. "Hyah! Hahaha!" The others leave without him, he looks after them."Wait up! I'm supposed to be leading here!" He snaps, trailing after them slowly, thanks to his Walloper.
Lacey manages a small smile to ghost her lips.
♡
The other four make it back to Steep Wisdom, Nya had somehow kinda of repaired the Bounty somewhat and they had arrived at the Tea Shop.
Lacey trailed in after the other three, saying how she was fine and she needed no help in walking but Misako still glanced at her worriedly.
Nya sighs, dejected. "Who needs to go on an epic quest when my services are best needed here?" She walks over and begins to pick up the spilled tea and boxes laid on the floor.
Misako looks at Wu. "You need to tell her." She whispers furiously.
Wu shakes his head. "She's not ready." He states quietly, looking at her.
Misako scowls. "And you waited this long to tell them about Morro, and how did that go?" She raises an eyebrow before turning to the raven head in front of them."Nya, dear, we didn't exactly hold you back to care for the shop." She spoke up.
Nya blinks, turning to them. "Really? Then why?" She asks.
Wu sighs. "Um, there's something I haven't told you about your parents." He starts hesitatinly.
Lacey moved and pushed down the small yell of pain that wanted to escape her. She grabbed the table and leant against the desk.
Nya shakes her head with an eye roll. "Ah, you can save it. Kai already told me that Chen dangled that carrot too. We looked into it and we know our father used to be a Master of Fire. Not exactly mind-shattering." She shrugs and turns around.
"But did you know your mother was the Master of Water?" Misako speaks up, staring at her.
Lacey blinks, standing up straight and looking at the trio in front of her in surprise.
Nya pauses, turning to them. "I...I didn't know that. You mean-" She looks at them with wide eyes.
Wu nods. "Yes. As Kai took on the traits of your father to become a Fire Ninja, for the sake of saving Ninjago, you must train to become the Master of Water." He explains all at once.
Nya drops a jar and faints, falling on the floor with whimper.
Misako blinks, staring at her figure. "Huh. You're right. She wasn't ready." She frowns.
"Wait, does that mean Nya will become the Ninja of Water?" Lacey mumbles.
"Okay, time for you to rest." Wu says, walking over to her while Misako checks up on Nya.
Lacey yelps as she is then hoisted up into Wu's arms, bridal style, as he turns to walk down the small hallway to a guest room they had made. It wasn't much and it wasn't like her room on the Bounty but it would do.
She yawns, wrapping her arms around the his neck so she didn't fall off. She mumbles something, laying her head on his chest as her eyes blink sleepily.
There were a few plants here and there, along with the bed that had been set up with brown and beigh sheets.
He lays her down gently on the soft brown pillows, staring at with her regret. He trails his hand down her cheek, frowning.
Wu presses a quick kiss to her forehead, staring at the girl he had raised as his own daughter.
He then looks over the blinds on the window, deciding to pull them over, he draws the curtains in.
There was much Laçiaña didn't know about her family, nor did she know about her own power. There were some things even he didn't know.
He hoped he didn't fail her mother, Anastasia may have trusted him but Wu didn't think he could trust himself.
With a soft sigh, Wu leave the room quietly, closing the door and enveloping the room in darkness with a small light.
𝓐𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓷𝓪 ❦
Sorry I took so long!
Bye!
P. S. Here's a meme I made! Check out the others in my Ninjago Extras!