We scrambled across the rooftops, the sounds of conflict leading us on. Somewhere close ahead, Wojira shrieked into the stormy sky.
Clambering up a roof, the cruel head reared up into view, Kalmaar and Nya atop mid-fight. Purple lighting ripped through the sky, the noise was nearly deafening.
"NYA!" Jay cried, leaning off the edge of the roof towards her.
She stopped, lowering her guard, and gazed at us. "Jay," she murmured. Her voice had changed, taking on an ethereal air.
Kalmaar hauled himself upright, taking advantage of Nya's diverted attention, and prepared to blast her with his trident.
"Nya look out!" Jay screamed. But it was too late.
Kalmaar shot at Nya, and her watery body convulsed with red lightning until she burst into a thousand water droplets.
"No!" I breathed as I felt all hope depart from me.
Kalmaar smirked before jamming his trident down into the Wave Amulet. "Destroy the ninja!" he ordered.
Wojira roared, spitting a blast of energy at us. I cowered against the railing, but the blast just missed me. Master Wu and Jay were not so lucky, being sprawled across the roof.
In a flurry of rage and emotion, Jay grabbed Master Wu's staff and hurled himself off the roof at Wojira and Kalmaar.
"Jay! Wait!" Master Wu called after him but to no avail.
Almost instinctually, I dropped to the roof, my hands placed flat against the ground. "Let him go! We've got bigger problems." Turning, a company of Merlopians had just landed on the roof, weapons at the ready.
"Attack!" their leader shouted as they launched themselves towards us.
"Ninja- GO!" We spun into action. Literally. After slamming into a few Merlopians with spinjitzu, I whipped around, deflecting trident blasts back at the attackers with my sword.
Within minutes, we had neutralized the threat, at least for the time.
Jay was fighting a losing battle with Kalmaar. I watched as he struck out blindly at Kalmaar.
"Somebody help him," I pleaded.
"On it." Benthomaar leaped onto Wojira's head to confront his adopted brother just as Jay landed shakily back on the roof.
It was a nail-biting fight, neither brother seemed to take the lead. In an instant, it seemed, Kalmaar disarmed Bentho and was prodding him towards the edge, screaming at him to bow to his king before kicking him down towards the watery city.
In a last-ditch effort, Benthomaar twisted around in the air and flung an arrow at Kalmaar. Whether it was perfect aim, dumb luck, or destiny, none can say, but the arrow lodged itself square in Kalmaar's crown, breaking his trident, as well, in the process. In a burst of red light, it exploded into thin air, sending him flopping across Wojira's head.
"What have you done?!" He bellowed.
Wojira blinked. Her eyes flashing from red to blue. Kalmaar seemed to have been maintaining his "control" over the beast with the crown, and now it had been destroyed.
She tossed her head from side to side violently, trying to dislodge Kalmaar from herself.
"Destroy them! Destroy them!" Kalmaar implored angrily as he jammed at the Wave Amulet with his broken trident. But it was no use.
Wojira roared again, flipping Kalmaar up into the air and catching him in her mouth.
"Oh my gosh..."
Benthomaar, who was now safely on the roof with us, bowed his head in remorse.
Wojira turned again towards us, drawing herself up in height, a ball of stormy energy building in her throat as she opened her mouth. There was nothing we could do. The famed Ninja of Ninjago were finally faced with an enemy we couldn't beat.
"So this is how it ends," I mused quietly.
As I was accepting my and everyone else's untimely and premature deaths, a huge orb of water slammed into the side of Wojira's head.
Searching for the source, a giant, fluid dragon floated up in the air.
"Is that Nya?" Lloyd asked, pointing towards the creature.
The dragon screamed. "Sounds like her," Kai offered. Typical sibling response.
"And she looks pissed off," Cole observed.
Nya shot towards Wojira, grabbing her in her jaws and slamming her into a nearby skyscraper. We hurried to the other side of the roof as Wojira slunk down into the water, only to reappear moments later and butt Nya into our building. We cried out as the ground shook beneath us and we fought to keep on our feet. Nya whirled around, taking to the sky.
Wojira refocused on us, spewing stormy energy at the roof as we ran from the blasts. As we ducked for cover, Nya doubled back, speeding towards Wojira. She grabbed Wojira's horns and dragged her head backward over a neighboring building.
The two dragons wrestled with one another before Wojira shrieked again and a bolt of purple lighting struck Nya. She writhed as her watery body was consumed by the energy. She was struck again and again before Wojira blasted her with energy from her throat again.
With an ear-splitting cry, Nya's body once again disappeared into a spray of water.
"NOOOO!" Jay screamed.
Wojira narrowed in on us. We were defenseless on the roof. Sitting ducks. Again, a fury of stormy energy built up in her throat as she raised up over us. The sky behind her lit up with lightning, but something was different... It was blue, not purple as it had been before.
A storm cloud suspended in the sky glowed with lightning and thunder struck. The cloud opened up to reveal Nya, stronger than ever before. She aimed herself at Wojira, hurtling towards her at break-neck speed. As she closed in, she morphed from a powerful sea dragon to a more human-like form. As she barreled towards the sea spirit, she aimed straight for the Wave Amulet.
A pulse of blue energy emitted out from Wojira, the shock throwing us across the ground. Wojira roared as purple lightning blazed from her body. She began to convulse violently as she raised up into the air.
In a burst of purple, she was gone. Reduced to mere atoms, if that.
Something shot up from the water and landed on the other side of the roof.
"Nya!" Kai called.
We all ran towards her, exclaiming over her amazing feat.
"Nya!" Jay blurted. "You did it!" He advanced towards her as if to hug her, but he stumbled through her liquid form. He gasped, pulling back.
Kai chuckled, but his voice was underlined with anxiety. "That's gonna take some getting used to. But we'll figure out a way to change you back. Don't worry."
A deep, sinking feeling began to settle in the pit of my stomach. Nya's words returned to me, she couldn't come back from this.
"Back?" Nya questioned.
"To normal," Jay exclaimed. "You know, the old you."
"Normal?" She echoed, glancing at her hands and body.
"What's wrong?" Jay inquired. "Are you okay?"
The clouds had begun to dissipate, and now the sun was breaking through, lighting up the sky.
"Do you hear it?" Nya spoke.
"Hear what?" Jay was beginning to shake with nerves, and honestly, I didn't blame him. My knees felt weak and I staggered just a bit. Reaching out, Cole caught my arm, holding me steady.
"Easy," he breathed as I clung to him for support.
"This is all my fault," I mumbled.
"The sea." Nya's voice broke through my thoughts. "It's so loud... So powerful."
"It calls to her," Benthomaar spoke.
Nya's bodily form trembled and Jay hopped back a step from her. "Nya!"
"Sorry," she responded. "It's difficult maintaining this shape."
"What do you mean 'shape?' That's- that's what you are!" Jay argued.
"What I was, yes," she nodded. "I have to go now." She calmly walked past us towards the edge of the roof. "I will remember you."
"Remember?" Kai countered. "What are you talking about? You're not going anywhere."
My eyes began to water as the gravity of what was happening began to sink in. I was losing one of my best friends. My sister.
"Nya! Stop! Wait! Listen!" Jay implored, chasing after her. "Something is wrong with you. You have to concentrate. You have to focus, you have to turn back-" He was cut off as Nya walked right through him, completely unphased.
"No! Don't leave me," he murmured.
She paused and turned towards him. Smiling softly, she took his hands in her own. Gently caressing his cheek, she shifted away again.
"Nya, I implore you. Whatever you're hearing, whatever you're experiencing. Fight it, Nya," Master Wu pleaded. "Remember who you are. Remember."
Nya gazed at us as she stood at the edge of the roof, smiling. "I am Nya. I am the sea. We are one."
"Nya. I- I love you," Jay confessed. Even as he spoke his voice began to break in tears.
"Tell my mother I understand now. That's the way the cookie crumbles." With that, Nya dove off the building into the sea.
Nya followed her to the edge, calling out desperately to her, but to no avail. Shadowing him to the ledge, we watched as the glowing figure of Nya sped through the water. In spite of myself, I ducked against Cole, burying my face in his neck. His arms wrapped around my shoulders protectively, not saying a word.
Around where I would guess the harbor was, Nya rose in the air. Holding out her arms, she commanded the water and it receded, rushing back to the sea whence it came.
"You are my friends," she spoke finally. "All of you." With those final words, she melted back into the sea and disappeared from sight.
I sat alone in my room, curled up on the floor. Music blasted through my headphones as I tried to drown out the voices. I had run out of tears to cry. I had lost one of my best friends. My honorary sister. My mind flicked through our time together, which now seemed so short. She had been the first of the ninja I met back on Chen's Island. Granted, she wasn't a ninja at that point.
Lloyd's footsteps echoed through the floorboards and I quickly sat up as he knocked on the door.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat and answered. "Come in."
"Hey," he spoke softly as he stepped into the doorframe. He was holding two small bowls.
I stood and walked over as he offered me one.
"Everyone's here."
"I know," I murmured.
Lloyd locked eyes with me. "Celine, everyone is here."
"Oh..." I stared at the floor. I knew what he meant instantly. She was here.
"Celine?"
"What?" I glanced back up at Lloyd.
"Cole didn't invite her. Master Wu did."
"Of course he did," I huffed.
"I just want you to know that it wasn't Cole."
I sighed, "I knew it wouldn't have been."
"You talked?"
"We talked."
We stood for a moment before Lloyd broke the silence, "We should go."
Outside, the courtyard was filled with everyone we knew. Everyone who knew Nya. I noticed Dareth, Jay's parents, Nya's parents, Clutch Powers (surprisingly), even the Upply. Skylor was there, too. I caught her eye and she offered me a sad smile.
I stood next to Lloyd but the urn and Cole and Jay filed in next to me. Pixal, Zane, and Kai stood on the other side. One by one, as Master Wu recited a eulogy, we poured our bowls into the urn.
"We are gathered here today, to honor the memory of Nya. Inventor. Samurai X. Ninja. Master of Water. And, our dearest friend. Her courage and strength have saved us, time and time again. And although we- we were unable to save her, we will always remember her. Wherever she is now, she is in our hearts."