High in the sky floating over Ninjago, was the newly formed Djinnjago, a land belonging to Nadakhan the Djinn. However, though it looked like a beautiful place to live in, Jay on the other hand was treated like a servant mopping the floor of the deck. From the moment that Jay and Anirei were brought to Djinnjago, the two were separated and Jay was strapped to a ball and chain, while Anirei was kept somewhere secret in the ship.
Jay was worried to death about his younger sister, but at the moment, he couldn't do anything except swab the deck and do whatever Nadakhan told him to do.
"Looks like you missed a spot." Nadakhan said as Jay continued to mop, then hit the bucket of dirty water, spilling everything on the deck for Jay to clean up once again.
Jay sighed, "I'm not gonna say it."
"Say what? That you can wish it all away? Or better yet, why not wish for your sister's freedom. You can. You've already made your first two wishes, you have one left."
"My friends will come for me, and if they can't save me, I'll make sure they get Anirei back at least."
"I hope so." Nadakhan smirked, "The more of you my Djinn Blade collects, the stronger I become. Creating a world from scratch takes a lot of hard work. Djinjago would get done a lot sooner if everyone pitches in. If you know what I mean. And I am sure that I can get that little silver haired child to make a few wishes."
"Ha! Good luck with that! Anirei's the most strong willed girl I've ever met." Jay said.
"Oh, not even when she has the chance to save her family and friends?" Nadakhan smiled and threw his blade at Jay's feet. The blade stuck into the wooden deck and from the green jewel echoed the screams of the other ninja that Nadakhan had captured.
"Care to say hello to your friends? Wish it. Wish it all away and join them. Wish it and you'll never have to pick up another scrubbing brush again."
Jay walked away from Nadakhan with a glare in his eye, "If I didn't have this vengestone ball and chain, I'd zap you clean off this ship and get back my little sister."
Nadakhna stared at Jay curiously, seeing his fiery temper amused him greatly.
"Hmm. I can see why she once liked you. You're stronger than you appear. But I know it's all an act. Deep down, you're scared. You know you're weak. You make jokes to mask that you're afraid. That's why you didn't do anything when she fell for your friend, why you can't do anything when she falls for me."
Jay thought for a moment, but didn't say a single word knowing that it would just make things more clear. Nadakhan knew his weaknesses, his fears, his worries and his regrets. And one of Jay's soft spots was his feelings towards Nya, a very fragile spot that could break in an instant when given the chance to crack. And if he were to make a wish here and now, what would happen to Anirei and the others once Nadakhan gained more power from him? Nothing good, and Jay knew that.
So, he stayed silent and continued to mop away the deck.
"Believe me, aboard my ship, you and that girl will break. I'll make sure of it. And when that time comes, I will be there, so you can wish it away."
"Still not gonna say it." Jay declared.
Nadakhan sighed, "When he's done swabbing the deck, make sure he swabs the entire hull."
Flintlocke's eyes widened at the mention of the hull, "The bottom of the ship, captain?" He questioned. Though he was skeptical about his orders, Flintlocke did as he was ordered and made sure that after Jay was finished with the deck, he would go down to the hull.
Which was not a very easy place to clean with heavy vengestone chained to your ankle. Nadakhan and Flintlocke watched in amusement as Jay struggled to scrub and hang onto the hull with everything he had. And being thousand of feet in the air, Jay wanted to hang on more than clean.
"You're not afraid, are you, funny man?" Nadakhan asked.
Jay laughed, "Ha! I love it!" He said and continued to scrub while laughing at Nadakhan's frustration.
"Well then, I suppose it would be a good use of my time to have a pleasant conversation with that sweet silver haired lass. What was her name again? Anirei Vevila?"
Anirei's name made Jay stop scrubbing for a moment, "You hurt her in any way and I swear on the First Spinjitzu Master that I will take you down myself. I don't care what I have to do." He shouted, but Nadakhan was already poofing away to where Anirei was being kept.
He reappeared in front of a solid black cage made entirely out of vengestone, a single light hanging from the ceiling to light up the room and reveal the prisoner locked away inside. The girl with silver and powers of light and darkness. Anirei Vevila, a great treasure he captured and a reminder of his past mistakes with Yang.
"Anirei, would you mind having a small conversation with me today?" Nadakhan asked, floating in front of the cell bars. Anirei looked up at Nadakhan with a glare holding all of her anger towards him.
"And why should I speak to the one who's holding my brothers and my master hostage within his sword?" Anirei asked, "I see no reason to have a conversation with you."
"Then why not wish for me to go away? It would be so easy to say this one little thing."
"Because, if I annoy you enough, then you'll leave on your own. I see no reason to wish for something that will happen soon enough."
Nadakhan's eye twitched, "Then perhaps you would grace me with just a little bit about that woman who resembles my Delara so well?"
"Nope, not gonna happen."
"Ugh! You are just as stubborn as that man Yang. Always getting in my way one way or another."
"What do you know about Yang?"
Nadakhan's attention was peaked by her reaction, "Oh, and what do you know about Yang?"
"A few rumors here and there. I heard that he sealed you away."
"Yes, quite unfortunate that day. I wanted everything I could ever imagine, and yet he and that woman were able to stop me." Nadakhan smirked, "I couldn't help but notice that you bear such a strong resemblance to that shadow that had always surrounded Delara. Even your hair color is similar to Yang, albeit just a few shades more silver."
Anirei remained silent and turned her back toward Nadakhan.
"They are your mother and father, are they not?" He asked, "I had heard that they had passed years ago. Such a pity, I would have adored to meet them again, but having you locked away in the brig is just as good I suppose. You know, if you would just wish for it, I could give them back to you. What do you say, Anirei?"
"Yeah right." Anirei scoffed, "Even if you are a powerful Djinn, you can't bring a person back from the dead. It's against the laws of both the Djinn and of nature."
"Then how about giving them a way to speak to you?"
"No thank you."
Nadakhan was surprised. Any time that he would offer something like that, people would jump at the chance to see their loved ones again. And yet this girl didn't wish to see her deceased parents?
"Truly? You do not wish for your parents to reunited with you? They have missed so much of your life, have they not? Wouldn't you like for them to be there for the rest of it? I am sure they would wish the same if they were sitting in your cage instead of you."
"I would love for my mother and father to stand here by my side, but they would never want that. They came to peace with their fate. Besides, if they were brought back to life, I would have to disappear as well to keep the balance. It would be a lose-lose situation for you and everyone else in Ninjago."
Nadakhan couldn't but feel like he was outsmarted by this girl. But no matter, he would get her soon.
"Very well then. I see that there is no budging with your opinions. Perhaps later on today you will join me for a meal later on in the day. I am sure that you are famished. Maybe then, you will have a change of heart."
Nadakhan left in a puff of orange smoke, leaving Anirei alone in the cage. She sighed and leaned against the cold bars. The vengestone bars were keeping her from using her elemental powers, and even if she tried to become a spirit, it was still part of her powers, so she would still be drained and limited in her area of reach.
~~~~~
Hours passed and Anirei had at one point fell asleep in her cage, only to be awakened by someone walking into the brig. It was Flintlocke, Nadakhan's right hand and a pretty good shot with a pistol which was on his hip armed and ready.
"Oh, do what do I owe the pleasure of having a visitor in my little prison?" She asked, but Flintlocke said nothing and unlocked the cage.
"The captain wants you to join him for dinner. And that is not a request. It's an order." He said.
Anirei, seeing this as her only chance to learn more about the Djinn, stood up and followed Flintlocke up to the upper chambers of the ship. Flintlocke opened a door and led Anirei inside and in the room was Nadakhan helping himself to a large feast. Dogshank was even in the corner strumming a harp to soothe the atmosphere.
"Anirei, lovely to see that you have joined me for a meal." Nadakhan smiled, "Please, take a seat."
"Why should I join you at the table?" Anirei asked.
"Well, I would assume you would want to sit next to your dear brother."
Anirei was about ask what he meant by that, when Flintlocke came back into the room, this time with Jay in tow.
"Elder Brother Jay!" Anirei shouted and rushed to her brother before hugging him tightly. Jay didn't hesitate to return the hug just as tight.
"Anirei, oh my gosh I'm so glad that you're all right. You weren't hurt were you? They didn't do anything to you?" Jay panicked and pulled away to search her for any kind of injury or bruising.
"Oh, I assure you, Jay, that I have not hurt her in any way." Nadakhan said, "Now why not sit and join me for dinner, the both of you. Please, please, eat something. But I must warn you, don't try anything...foolish. I aim to have manners around the dinner table."
Jay walked closer with Anirei, pushing her behind him in case Nadakhan tried to do something. The two sat down in the chairs provided, but still kept their guard up.
"Don't think you can butter me up like a bread roll and expect me to make my last wish." Jay said.
"And you already have my answer when it comes to wishes. It will never happen." Anirei added.
"Mm. No, no, no, I would never dream. Please, eat. I simply want your company."
Jay and Anirei looked at each other, before they both started taking bits of the food and eating whatever they could, since they weren't fed too much since arriving at the ship.
"Though we are from different worlds, we have something in common." Nadakhan said, "Especially you and I, Jay was it? We both have an affinity for a special someone."
"Mm. Sorry, pal, but I don't know who this lost love of yours is, but she ain't Nya. She's too good for both of us. And she makes up her own mind."
"My Elder Sister is a strong woman, and I know for a fact that she has better taste than to even consider you being a lover for herself." Anirei said taking a sip of a drink.
"Maybe. Hmm." Nadakhan floated up with his cup, "But I have made up my own mind."
Jay looked down and saw that he could finally use his powers again since the vengestone was gone. Anirei noticed this and placed her hand on his crackling with lightning. She smiled at her brother and then turned back their attention to Nadakhan who continued talking.
"All my life, I've been blessed with the ability to grant wishes for others, but cursed to have none of my own. Though born unto a king, everything that is mine I've had to work for. This food, this ship, this crew."
"That accent?" Jay joked.
Nadakhan grunted annoyed, "Truth be told, I don't care about a new world, nor winning Nya's heart."
"Then why are you doing this?" Anirei asked.
"Oh, I don't need her heart." Nadakhan answered, "I only need her hand... in marriage. Because when a Djinn prince becomes king on Djinn land, he is bestowed the greatest gift of all."
"Love?" Jay questioned.
Nadakhan chuckled, "No. Infinite wishes."
Jay and Anirei backed up in shock.
"So that's why you wanted Delara? Just so you can have infinite wishes?" Jay asked in anger.
"You never loved her. You only loved what she could give you." Anirei added.
"And after I take your friends, and take your home, Nya will be mine, and no one will be able to stop me. I tried many years ago to have my chance to marry Delara, but that shadow woman kept me away from her many times before I could put a ring on Delara's finger."
"Perhaps my mother could sense your evil intentions for Delara." Anirei growled.
"So you are related to that shadow. And you would have to be related to Yang as well, to have such a unique color of hair and those eyes as well. This is much more incredible than I could have imagined. I will be more powerful than anyone can ever imagine."
Jay, filled with rage from hearing Nadakhan's plan, tried to attack Nadakhan with his elemental power. However, Nadakhan disappeared just before the lightning could him and the attack instead struck the map on the wall.
"Too slow, junkyard boy." Nadakhan said and gripped Jay by the shoulder. Anirei shot up to her feet and summoned the shadows nearby to grip Nadakhan. She got one of his arms, but he disappeared and appeared behind her, gripping the back of her beck.
"What a lovely little trick, Anirei. However, it's not enough to capture me."