A long line of people stood in front of one of many different electronic stores in New Ninjago City, waiting in great anticipation for it to open. Though it was early in the morning, the people didn't care and just wanted to get inside. However, at the same time, the team of Ninja were working at the museum, asked by the owner to help move some things around in the newer exhibits and just to overall tidy up the building.
"This ends now, Samukai." Jay said, holding up a model of Samukai's skull, "Nope, pretending this is the actual Samukai doesn't make cleaning up the museum any more interesting. This is so lame. We're Ninja, not janitors."
"Come on, Jay. We're all kind of responsible for the damage to the museum." Lloyd said as he wheeled a statue of Master Chen, "After all, if we hadn't had that massive battle on the Day of the Departed, this place would still be in one piece."
"Yeah, and who's fault is that, Cole?"
Jay turned to Cole, who sighed annoyed by the fact that Jay was still blaming him for the events on the Day of the Departed.
"Okay. How many more times do I have to say I'm sorry for accidently unleashing the ghostly forces of evil that attacked Ninjago?"
"How high can you count?"
"Elder Brother Jay." Anirei walked into the room carrying a box of items, "There is no need to blame Elder Brother Cole about what happened. It happened and now we can move on."
"Thank you, Anirei." Cole smiled and tried to lift the handles of the dolly, but his arms started to glow bright orange, the light running up his arm like molten lava. Even the green scar on his forehead started to glow the same color.
"Eh, speaking of which, you're still not used to having your old, non-ghost hands back?" Jay asked.
"I'm working on it." Cole said wheeling the wheelbarrow out of the room following Jay and Anirei to the other room.
"It shouldn't take you much longer to get used to your physical body once again." Anirei smiled.
"Thanks for that, Anirei."
They all went into the other room where the others were cleaning up and organizing. Nya groaned and cracked her back in exhaustion.
"This is exhausting." She collapsed onto one of the crates she was moving, "IF I could go back in time, I'd tell Dr. Saunders we were too busy to help."
"Nya, you may recall that the rest of us once time-traveled." Zane pointed out, "It can have devastating effects, and should not be used lightly. Certainly not to get out of labor."
"It's just an expression, Zane." Nya answered.
"I... I don't believe it." Kai said, drawing his sister's attention to where he was looking on the wall. There sitting on the wall in full view was a picture of their parents, the previous master of water and father.
"What is that?" Nya asked.
"It's a portrait of... our parents."
Their mother, the master of water, looked just like Nya, with long black hair and gentle eyes. Their father, the master of fire, was much like their son Kai, with the same dark brown hair and fiery spirit that matched their power.
Nya looked on the back of the portrait to see who painted it and when it was painted. She didn't find a name of the artist, but did find a date.
"Whoa. This dates to when I was, like, three years old." Nya said.
"Shortly before they disappeared. We know so little about them, Nya."
Anirei noticed the two looking at the portrait and put down her things to walk over and see it herself. She recognized the faces of the two previous elemental masters, mainly from the one picture her parents had of them in their notebooks.
"Masters Mya and Ray of Water and Fire." She said and smiled at the picture, "Quite the couple. Masters of opposite elements, and yet they are used to create such an incredible unified power."
"You knew them, Anirei?" Kai asked, but the girl shook her head.
"Not personally, but my mother and father wrote of them every now and again. This is the first time I'm seeing their picture other than in their journals."
"What can you tell us about them?" Nya asked.
"Why do you ask?" Anirei questioned.
"We haven't seen them since we were little kids. We just wanted to know something about them." Kai said, "Anything."
Anirei sighed and shook her head, "My mother and father didn't write much about the other elemental master, so I can't tell you much. But what they write about them were their strengths and good qualities. Master of water, Mya, was incredible smart and gentle, but she was fluid and able to change any situation from bad to good."
Nya chuckled, thinking of how similar she was to her mother.
"Master of Fire, Ray, was stubborn and hot-tempered, but he was brave and powerful. His fire could burn anything to a crisp. Thankfully, he knew how to control his flames so that it didn't hurt those he cared for."
Kai sighed, thinking about he was basically a clone of his father, not just in looks and abilities, but in characteristics as well.
"Guys, look what I found." Cole said, turning attention towards yet another large portrait on the wall. It was a depiction of a great battle, warrior against warrior and fire engulfing the large buildings where the battle was waged. Anirei could even see a couple of elemental warriors mixed into the portrait, but two were clearly shown in the center.
"Uh, isn't that Garmadon?" Jay pointed out the dark haired man standing next to the light haired man. It was indeed a younger Garmadon.
"It is." Cole turned to Lloyd walking into the room, "Lloyd, that's your dad."
"And there's Master Wu." Kai said pointing to the younger light haired man standing next to Garmadon.
"He looks so... young." Nya smiled.
"Look at them, my father and my uncle, Ninjago's two greatest Elemental Masters. I wonder if I'll ever live up to their legacy."
Anirei smiled and took Lloyd's hand, "No reason to compare yourself to your father and uncle. They're proud of you no matter what becomes of you."
Lloyd nodded and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"First Kai and Nya, no Lloyd. It's family picture day at the museum. What's next, Anirei's parents?" Jay joked.
"Not a chance." Anirei chuckled.
"Does anyone recognize this battle?" Cole asked.
"PIXAL, analyze." Zane said.
"Facial contour mapping indicated this scene takes place forty years ago, during the Serpentine Wars." PIXAL analyzed and explained.
"During the Serpentine Wars? But Ninjago was at peace. Who would they be fighting?" Cole wondered aloud, but before they could discuss anything more, Dr. Saunders came in with a tray of cool drinks.
"Refreshing time." He announced and approached the group, "Hot, sweaty work deserves a cool drink."
"Ah, thanks, Dr. Saunders." Kai thanked and everyone took a cup for themselves.
"Enjoy the pickled beet tea." The Dr. announced and nearly everyone spat out the drink and gagged at the sour taste. The only ones who didn't spit and gag were Jay and Anirei, who both sipped the tea and enjoyed it.
"What's this painting?" Lloyd asked Dr. Saunders, pointing to the larger painting.
"Oh, this? Nothing." Dr. Saunders answered, "Minor skirmish. No historical significance. That is why I don't hang it in the main gallery."
"It looks pretty significant to me. This thing is huge." Jay said.
"Yes, a huge myth. The folklores."
"Well, even myths and legends hold some truth behind their fantasies." Anirei pointed out, "This must've been painted about some kind of story."
"Anirei does have a point. Even if it is a myth, who are these men Master Wu and Garmadon supposed to be fighting? I have no data on them" Zane said and pointed to the two men opposing the two Spinjitzu masters. Anirei tried to get a closer look at their faces, but all she saw were their helmets and some paint over their eyes as battle markings.
Dr. Saunders sighed and set down the tray of empty cups, "There is a legend. Twin brothers called the Hands of Time."
"The Hands of Time?" Kai repeated.
"They could allegedly manipulate time itself. Speed it up, slow it down. All sorts of things." Dr. Saunders laughed, "See what I mean? Manipulate time? A ridiculous fairy tale."
Anirei held her stomach at the thought of time travel, considering that the last time she traveled through time was when Lloyd and her recently aged up and she was forced to change a few things as a child back in time. This triggered her decision to take her powers fully to come much faster than anticipated, along with the great amount of pain that came with it. It still shook her. Time should only go one way and should never be changed. That is the balance it had to keep.
"Who's this one?" Nya asked.
"Oh, this handsome-looking fella? Ha! The legend says his name is Krux."
"And who's the nasty looking guy?" Lloyd pointed to the second twin brother.
"In the stories, he's called Acronix."
The silver ninja continued to stare at the painting, then, from the corner of her eye she spotted something in the painting. She turned and saw something in the shadows, a figure cloaked in black, but with bright eyes that barely showed in the painting.
"Rei, what's wrong?" Lloyd asked.
"Over there, in the corner by the debris." Anirei whispered and pointed to the figure, "It's my mother."
"Your mom?" Lloyd questioned, "That's impossible. I thought that your parents didn't allow anyone to paint their portrait or to even write down their names to keep themselves secret."
"They're not. But I suppose even Elemental Masters can make a mistake or two. But my mother and father would never risk their safety and identity, especially when it comes to battle. So why would my mother be there in the first place?"
She couldn't ask anymore questions, since the large clock rang for exactly six o'clock, their agreed time to head back home. Anirei sighed and looked back at the painting, only to see that her mother's eyes had disappeared. Maybe she just imagined it, all this talk about family probably just reminded her of her parents.
Anirei shook it off and ran with the others to leave the museum.
"Six p.m. Quitting time." Kai said, but all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, they were no longer outside the museum. Instead, they were on they bounty with the alarms blaring out of control.
"What just happened?" Lloyd asked, obviously just as confused as everyone else on the deck, "Time just...."
Just then, they heard someone gagged over the side of the deck. They turned and saw Anirei emptying her gut off the side of the ship.
"Rei, you all right?" Lloyd rushed over to comfort he, rubbing her back until she was finished. When she was finished, she slumped to the floor and tried to regain her breath. Nya came over and made a small orb of water for her to drink.
"Thank you, Elder Sister Nya." Anirei thanked and drank the water, "It's so strange.. I haven't felt sick like this since our last time travel adventure."
"Time travel? But you've never been--"
"Yes I have, Elder Brother Kai. It's a long story, I'll tell you later." Anirei brushed off and stood back up with Lloyd's help.
"But that's impossible. We're we just outside?" Cole asked, "When did we get here?"
"How did we get here?" Nya added.
"My circuits are picking up an energy displacement." Zane said.
"There was a displacement all right. It displaced us right here." Kai said.
"What is going on?" Lloyd questioned.
"I don't know, but it's loud!" Jay yelled, covering his ears so that he could drown out the sound of the blaring alarms.
"Let's get this situation figured out. Elder Sister, Elder Brother Zane, with me." Anirei said and the two ran over to the screens to analyze the readings and data they picked up from the strange wave of reverse deja vu.
"These energy readings are off the charts. Where is it coming from?" Nya said.
"I'm trying to pinpoint a location." Zane said.
"How about pinpointing the location of the off button?" Jay shouted again, "These alarms are giving me a..."
The alarms quickly turned off when Kai pressed the button for them.
".... headache. Ha, ha. Thank you." Jay thanked Kai.
Anirei took a look at the energy readings and found it very strange, "This is very strange." She saiad.
"No, it's not. I've always had sensitive ears and--"
"Not your sensitive hearing, Elder Brother Jay. I mean about our sudden jump to the Bounty."
The map of Ninjago was scanned and showed different energy readings all over Ninjago.
"You have found a clue, Anirei. This would explain how we were transported to the Destiny's Bounty." Zane agreed.
"How?" Cole asked.
"The displacement we experienced was not caused by just any normal energy." Zane started, "It was temporal energy."
"Oh, well, temporal energy. Of course. Everyone knows that's, um..." Jay tried to say, but couldn't find the right answer, "Powerful."
"You have no idea what 'temporal' means, do you?" Kai asked.
"I do not."
"It means time." Lloyd answered.
"Exactly, Lloyd." Anirei confirmed, "Whatever created that displacement can warp the very fabric of space-time. That would also explain why I threw up. The balance of space-time is very delicate and should never be tipped. If it's being tampered with, then this could be considered disastrous."
"Because it's so powerful, right?" Jay asked.
"Very." Zane said, "All the normal rules of existence no longer apply to such a force."
"Told you it was powerful." Jay mocked to Kai.
"Elder Brother Zane, mind hooking yourself up to the ship? PIXAL and you could be useful in tracking down the source of this temporal energy." Anirei said.
"Of course."
Zane did as he was asked and hooked himself to the main computer of the Bounty, trying to find the source of the temporal energy with Nya by his side typing away. Meanwhile, Anirei was thinking about this whole situation and how it affect her in the present and possible future. Temporal energy is very difficult to control, and even if someone was to control that kind of energy, it wasn't to be used lightly or for their own personal gain. In her opinion, not even Lloyd, the master of Energy, should be allowed to try and mess with temporal energy.
And, with the balance of time being threatened, this was going to be trickier than she thought.
"Okay, yes, there was a little hiccup in time." Jay sighed, "But just one. I'm sure it was nothing. They probably happen all the time, and we don't realize it. You know, like déjà vu. Can we go home now?"
Everyone turned to Jay, looking at him as if he had gone crazy.
"Seriously, we just cleaned up an entire museum. Aren't you guys tired?"
"Well..." Zane said.
"Well?" Nya questioned. Just then, PIXAL appeared on-screen.
"I've located the surge's epicenter." She stated.
"Where, PIXAL?" Zane asked, and a picture of the old Monastery where they used to live and train appeared on the screen.
"The old Monastery."
"The monastery? That place totally burned down. Why would anyone or anything be up there?" Cole asked.
"We should find out." Lloyd claimed and Jay groaned.
"Oh, why? Cole's right, there's no reason for anyone to be up at the monastery. Zane's probably malfunctioning."
"Self diagnostic indicated negative." Zane stated and Jay hit him on the back of the head.
"How about now?"
"No." Zane's answer stayed the same.
"I agree with Lloyd. We should go." Kai agreed, "Where's there smoke, there's usually fire."
"And where there's massive energy displacement, there's usually trouble."
"And I would personally like to see who is messing with the balance of time." Anirei said.
Jay tried to excuse himself out of the situation, but nothing came to mind and he was forced to concede defeat in the idea of getting out of there.
"Wait." Lloyd said, "Master Wu said he was going to the monastery. Something about "finishing and old fight". He said this was something he should do alone."
Immediately hearing that their master was there, the ninja quickly made their way to the monastery as quickly as they could. They sped across the sky to the mountains until finally, they saw the burnt remains of the monastery they used to call home. But someone was indeed down there, and it didn't seem to be their master.
"Hey, has anyone seen Master Wu?" Lloyd asked as they looked down to try and spot their master.
"Hm. I only see that guy." Jay said.
"Who's that?" Cole wondered.
"I don't know. Let's find out."
"I'm going along with you, Elder Brother." Anirei said. The two didn't stop to listen to their fellow ninja and kicked off the ship using the anchor to get down faster. As soon as they landed, they got a better look at the man, seeing his out of date clothing and a mask that covered his face. Anirei had a feeling that maybe she didn't have to follow her brother, but it was already too late for that. She scanned the area, markings of a battle all over the wood and stone.
"Ahem. Excuse me, we're looking for someone." Jay said walking up to the man.
"That's no pirate." The man muttered to himself, "Who do you seek, Ninja?"
"We're seeking our master." Anirei said, "An older man with long white hair, carrying a bamboo walking stick."
"He's about yay tall, goes by the name Wu." Jay continued.
"Haven't seen him." The man said.
"That's peculiar. This place may have been burned to a crisp, but some of these marks are new." Anirei said, reaching behind her back and pulling out her weapons, small twin daggers much like the ones her mother and father once carried. But these were hers, glittering in a silver sheen. Jay did the same, pulling out his nunchucks to begin fighting if the need should arise.
"You'd better tell us where Master Wu is, or this is gonna get ugly." Jay threatened.
The two rushed to fight the stranger, each one landing a blow but was blocked by the stranger. Jay pushed the man back and tried to shock him with his powers, but to no such luck. The man blocked the attack with his glowing blade and disappeared. Anirei scanned the area and ran behind Jay, just as the man appeared once again and tried to attack. But Anirei was faster and blocked the green blade with her own, pushing him back as he stared at her in shock.
"You could see where I was going to strike next? How?" He asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know." She stated and prepared to strike again.
"You know, a moment ago, I had no quarrel with either of you. Unfortunately for you, I do now."
The man was about to strike at Anirei, when a flurry of rock smashed in between them. They all looked up to see the rest of the team coming down to lend them a helping hand. Cole jumped from the chain of the anchor and tried to hit the stranger, but the man grabbed Cole by the wrist, spun him in the air and threw him into the rest of the ninja.
"More ninja? Curious." The man said.
All of the ninja performed Spinjitzu, but the man vanished once more. They all collided with each other and fumbled to the ground.
"You only missed be by a few seconds." The man said, but then gasped when he felt something on his arm. He looked at his right arm, right near his blade and saw that his clothing had been cut and his arm was bleeding. He looked up and saw Anirei holding her blades, one of them having just the smallest amount of blood on it.
"Such a spry little girl. Curious." He said.
Everyone stood back up and pulled their hoods over their heads.
"You're fast. But faster than this?" Kai asked and threw a ball of fire at the stranger. Once again, the man dodged and the monastery was set ablaze.
"Ha, ha." The man laughed, "Elemental Master of Fire. I've encountered one of you before."
"Huh? You met my father?" Kai asked.
The man didn't answer, but disappeared again only to reappear on the burnt roof.
"There he is!" Nya pointed out.
"Ninja... Come out and play." He taunted.
"Jay, Cole, Kai, Rei, we got Acronix. Zane, Nya, use your Elemental Powers to put out this fire." Lloyd ordered.
"Hang on. Who put you in charge? Why can't I help with the flames?" Jay asked.
"You think lightning is better than water and ice for putting out flames?" Lloyd questioned.
"Good point. Let's go!"
Jay tried to hit Acronix with his power, but he stepped and dodged it. Cole took the chance to jump onto the roof and attack Acronix.
"You got lucky last time." Cole said and attacked, trying to land a punch, but instead hit a broken piece of wood and got stuck in it.
"Clumsy." Acronix said, "Like a fawn standing on her new legs."
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
"Four!" The four remaining attacking ninja shouted and shot their power at Acronix. Anirei tried to use her power over the shadows to entrap Acronix, but he had run off and dodged every other attack that followed.
"Keep him on the run. He's gonna have to surrender or else the flames are gonna get him." Lloyd assured and Acronix stopped running near the edge of the monastery.
All four of them took the change to attack, the elemental power hitting Acronix's blade causing an uproar in energy and power. Eventually, the power that was expelled was released, throwing the ninja back and allowing Acronix to escape easily under the smoke.
"Ah. Burned down again. Man, this place just cannot catch a break." Jay sighed.
"Neither did Acronix." Lloyd said.
"Good. You know me, I don't back down from a challenge." Kai stated, "But I wouldn't want to face that guy again."
"No way. He moved at, like, the speed of time." Cole said.
"Come on, guys, let's get back to the Destiny's Bounty."
"But what about Master Wu?!" Nya reminded everyone. They spread out across the monastery and found him about to fall off the side of the mountain. Thankfully, Cole grabbed the old master just in time and pulled him back up to safety.
"Barely made it." Cole sighed in relief.
"Master, are you all right?" Zane asked.
"I.... fear not." Wu said.
"Master Wu, why was Acronix here?" Anirei asked.
"How did he do that?" Kai asked.
"Why were you fighting him?" Jay added.
"There is much to tell you. And not much time." Master Wu said.
Sorry I'm so late with the update. Things came up and I was mentally drained by Fridays. So, as an apology, I give you a brand new chapter, and a little idea of what Anirei looks like. I gave you guys a picture before in earlier chapters, but that was what I thought she would look like if she was human. This is more accurate to the Lego franchise. Thanks!