Kai grumbled to himself as he slaved over his forge. He was sweaty, filthy, and tired, but he pressed on, enduring the heat. He had to, for his parents' sake.
"Are you almost finished?" asked Nya, his younger sister, as she brought more fuel for the fire. She was shorter than him with silky black bangs and a short bob cut. Her light brown eyes were tired and weary, and her red qipao (kee-pee — don't ask me why it's pronounced that way) was stained with dirt, flour, and water.
"Do I look finished to you?" Kai snapped. His forehead and mouth were scrunched up into a frown and his breathing was heavy.
"Okay, okay. I was just asking," Nya said.
She couldn't really blame him for being upset. After all, he was under a lot of pressure. A year ago, when Garamdon had taken over their land, he forced their father, a blacksmith, to make weapons for his army. One day, Kai accidentally ruined the last few weapons they were making together, and their father had shouldered the blame. As punishment, Garmadon took away their parents. He said that he would return them if Kai and Nya were able to work off their debt. Kai, being the oldest, was now in charge of the house, the forge, everything. Nya did what she could to help in the forge and in the home, but every passing day seemed to wear on both of them more and more.
Kai was relieved when his sword was completed and he held it up to his face to admire it while he waited for Nya to return with some polish. He was so close to finishing his latest order, one step closer to seeing his parents again. He put the sword down and wiped some sweat from his forehead and neck, then reached for a bucket of clear, cold water to refresh himself.
"Hey, look what I made," said Nya quietly as she returned holding the polish and a small tray of melonpan (a kind of sweet bun). They were somewhat small, and a bit misshapen, but Nya wasn't exactly known for her cooking.
"Thanks, sis," Kai said with a half smile. They both sat down with a bun in their mouths and a sword on Kai's lap. He did't waste much time, though, and set to polishing his creation while Nya kept him company.
The evening air was still warm from the heat of the day, but there was a cool breeze coming in from the south, gently rocking the trees back and fourth.
"No fireflies tonight," Nya noted. "They must be on vacation."
Kai snorted. "Better than being stuck here." Nya took an uneasy breath. She watched him work for a little while longer, but soon she got up to leave.
"I'll go get you more water," she said.
Kai didn't look up. He didn't have the time. The Skulkin soldiers would be coming tomorrow, and he needed to finish this, and a few other things before then. Then he heard something break inside the house.
"Kai! Kai!" Nya shouted, racing in. "They're here!"
"What?" Kai asked quietly as he stopped his polishing. His eyes were bulging with fear. "What?!" He said again, leaping to his feet.
"They came a whole day early, they're coming down the road right now! Is the order ready?" Nya asked, shaking.
"I-I was told they'd come in another day, I don't have the last weapons assembled yet!" said Kai frantically, running his hands through his hair. His stomach felt like it was twisting itself into giant knots.
"What will they do to us?" asked Nya in a hoarse whisper.
Kai looked up at his sister and thought for a moment. He clenched his teeth angrily, then said, "Nya, get inside. Now. Wait for them to leave. I'll take the blame for this."
"No, Kai you can't! They'll take you away too!" Nya's eyes were brimming with tears.
"Maybe they will, but I won't allow them to take you." Kai grabbed his sister and held her close. "If they do take me, I want to you to escape to Aunt Yuki's house. You'll be safe there."
"Kai-"
"I can hear them coming now!" Kai said, looking up. "Get inside the house, NOW!"
Nya reluctantly ducked through the back door, but continued to watch her brother through a crack in the wooden beams.
Kai stood up straight and walked out into the street to meet the soldiers. He clenched his fists. This was the moment of truth. A dozen, disgusting skeleton soldiers came up to him, lead by a Skulken captain.
"Peasant! Do you have Lord Garmadon's order?" asked the Captain. His ugly face was contorted with scars of all kinds, not to mention a dozen or so metal piercings.
Kai threw a bundle of sharp objects to the ground. "Take it and leave," he said firmly. The Captain signalled for one of the soldiers to pick it up and inspect it.
"Three swords, a mace," said the skeleton as he looked through the bundle. "four clubs, and eight spears."
"Eight?!" The general bellowed. He reached forward and grabbed Kai by the collar. "Lord Garmadon ordered fifteen spears! What kind of insult is this!? Well, mortal? What do you have to say for yourself?!"
"I-I... r-ran out of... time," Kai choked.
"Impudence!" The Captain threw him to the ground hard. "You will pay for your disrespect to your emperor!"
"Do your worst, skull face," Kai said, rising to his feet.
"Men!" he called attention to his soldiers. Then a crooked grin spread across his horrifying face. "The boy has a sister! Search the house! Find the girl!"
"NOOOOOO!" Kai shouted desperately. He grabbed one of the swords from his bundle and swung it wildly at the advancing skeletons. "Don't you even touch a hair on her head!"
"Fool!" cried the general. He swung a club at Kai which hit him dead in the stomach. He fell to the ground clutching himself. "This runt is a disgrace to the Empire! He doesn't deserve to make weapons for our mighty emperor! Take it all!!"
The soldiers began to ransack the house. They took food, fire wood, anything that wasn't tied down. Nya blocked the doors as best she could and made a break out one of the windows. She ran with all the strength her legs could give, and nearly made it to the nearby forest, but she was cutoff by skeletons. She was quickly over powered, gagged, and taken with them like a prize.
"Nya!" Kai called weakly, tears streaming down his face. With all his remaining energy he rose to his feet and tried get close to his sister as the soldiers carried her away, but the Captain struck him down again.
"Now look what you've done, you idiot child," the general cackled. He bent down and grabbed Kai's face. "You just keep trying to pay off your family's debt, and maybe you'll see your pathetic sister again." He laughed, letting go of Kai, and stood up straight. "Come on, men. Back to the citadel."
Kai looked up and his eyes locked with Nya's as she was carried away. "Nya, no matter where you go I will find you!" he called desperately. "I will find you!" He clutched his stomach again as the pain swelled for a second time.
Silence fell over the blacksmith forge, and Kai was left sobbing in the dirty street. He didn't know what to do. What to think. What to say. He felt a pit of guilt and shame rise up in his stomach which seemed to drain all his strength.
Soon night fell, creating dark shadows throughout the little house. Kai usually would have been asleep at this time, but tonight he was packing. He would find his sister even if it meant killing himself to do it. In his traveling pack was his weapons, a compass, clothes, and a map, now he just needed food. He planned on going to the market and using what little money remained in the little house. His family was all he had left to live for, and he wasn't about to lose them.
A floor board creaked in the next room over. Kai froze, then grabbed his sword and ducked behind a wall. Was it more soldiers? He peaked around the corner and looked into open darkness. Nothing.
Then he thought he saw a shape moving in the dim light of a window. Without a second thought he lunged forward and attacked with all his strength, swinging with intent to kill. CLANG!! Metal hit metal. Whoever the intruder was, they were armed with a sword as well. He swung again. CLANG!!! Every time their swords collided, sparks flew, illuminating the room for a moment, each time becoming brighter and brighter.
"Who are you?!" Kai shouted at them.
"Enough, Kai," came the voice of an old man.
In a blurry moment Kai suddenly found himself disarmed, on his knees, his arms pulled out straight behind him, and someone's knee pressing into his back.
"How do you know my name?" Kai demanded to know as he shook with fear and adrenaline. But he got no reply.
The next thing he knew, a wet cloth was being pushed into his face. He struggled and tried to scream, but within seconds he was unconscious.
* * *
Moonlight poured into Kai's eyes and he looked around the strange bedroom with terrifying mixture of confusion and anger. He had no idea where he was or how much time had passed, but he knew that he needed to find Nya.
Without thinking, he leapt to his feet and burst out of the room where he found himself in a hallway that led to a flight of stairs. He looked around for a weapon, but all of his belongings had been taken from him, further adding to the sense of violation and confusion which was growing rapidly. None of it mattered, though, as long as he could get out of here, so he bolted for the stairs and began sprinting through the hallways and chambers, knocking over various objects as he went.
An alarm bell sounded in the darkness of the early morning and Kai felt panic rising in his chest.
Once he had reached a room with many large, open doors and lit candles, a girl, maybe a few years older than him, brandishing a bo staff, leapt in front of him. "Stop right there!" she cried. Kai knew he couldn't beat her without a weapon, but out of the corner of his eye he could see an open courtyard through the door on his left. He ran for it, listening for the sound of her footsteps growing closer behind him.
There was no gate that led outside, so he threw himself through one of the paper doors of the building in front of him and continued on frantically. There was another hallway, another room, another door leading to the outside world. Then—
THUD!
He fell to the ground hard! There was someone on top of him, and he barely had time to look at their face as he began to wrestle with them. He knocked their heads together, and in the split second that his attacker was confused, he kicked at him with enough forced to knock himself loose.
He got up on all fours, but felt a hand grab his ankle and pull. Kai looked back to see the attacker lunging again. This time, though, he was ready, and before he landed, Kai rolled out of the way and punched him in the stomach before making another break for it.
"Oh, no you don't!" Kai thought he heard him say.
Something hit him in the back—hard! He fell, but only for a second. He might've had enough time to escape if someone else hadn't tackled him from the front. It was the girl from earlier. She had her bo staff pinned against his chest, and had her knee pressed into his stomach.
"Let me go!" Kai shouted. He didn't want to fight, he just needed to get away. But if he needed to, he wouldn't pull his punches.
He put all of his strength into pushing the girl away from him, and managed to get his torso upright after some strain. She pulled back right as he was about to over power her, and came at him again with a smarter move.
She raised her bo staff, got to her feet at the same moment that Kai did, and—THUD! Someone else—a very large someone—had tackled Kai, landing them both in another side room, filled with early morning darkness. Two large arms wrapped around him and lifted him up. He thrashed and kicked and shouted, but Kai was thoroughly immobilised.
"I came as soon as I heard!" yelled another boy, who came running in wearing a blue bath robe over blue pyjamas.
"I told you to stay upstairs, Jay," said the guy who was holding Kai.
"Yes, and I believe I told you to stay upstairs," said another person who was coming down the hallway, clutching his stomach.
"Well all of you shouldn't be here!" The girl snapped. "I had this under control."
"Sure looks like it to me," said the first boy. The girl glared at him.
"Let go of me!" Kai shouted again. He kicked some more, but whoever was holding him was strong. "I need to get back to my sister!"
"Ann, who is this guy?" asked the man holding him.
"My name is Kai Rayson, and if you don't let me go, I'll—"
"You'll what? Shout us into submission?" The boy in blue asked.
Kai felt a deep, burning anger rise in his chest, and his breathing quickened. Heat began radiating from his neck and his arms, making him sweat a little. His fists were clenched and his eyes were fixed on Jay. The heat grew bigger and bigger, a heat he had felt before, but usually kept under control. But now, he let it run wild, and it shot through his veins and down to his fingertips.
"LET. ME. GO!!!" Kai shouted. He yelped as he felt those big arms release him and he fell to the floor. He barely even realised what was happening.
"Ow! How did he do that?!"
"Fire!" Jay yelled.
Kai shook his head and looked down at his hands which were literally on fire. He screamed and fell back a bit, waving his hands in the air to extinguish the flames, but only spread the hungry fire.
"Don't move!" The girl shouted. Then, in a split second, Kai was drenched from head to toe in water, which was thoroughly unpleasant after the warm flames.
He looked down at his hands, which were back to normal, but shaking, then he looked up. The girl had a spear made out of some sort of shimmering material pointed straight at him. It took him a moment to realise that the spear was made of floating water. He stared blankly and could neither speak nor move—neither could anyone else.
"Get up," said the girl. "Slowly."
Kai didn't argue. He didn't say anything. He just stared at the floating spear as he rose on shaky legs. The others were staring at her, too.
"That... that was, like, crazy! With the—and then you—but then he—a-and the splashing, and... how did you do that?!" Jay exclaimed.
Ann seemed to be at a loss for words, same as the rest of them—well, except Jay.
"And how did he do that thing with his hands?!" Jay went on. "He was, like, all—SHOOM, SHOOM! Help me! Fire everywhere!"
"Yes, we get the picture," said Cole, dryly. He and Zane seemed to be a little less shocked than Jay.
Kai looked down at his hands again. How had he done that? It felt so natural, too. It reminded him of being in the forge.
"Perhaps I can be of some assistance."
Everyone turned suddenly to see Master Wu standing in the doorway next to Keaton, who was dressed in her nightclothes and holding a candlestick. Wu was still and calm as a lake, and that calmness seemed to spill from him, easing a bit of the tension in the room.
"Sensei Wu, I—" Ann began.
"No need for apologies, Ann Jing. They would have found out sooner or later," said Wu.
"Found out what?" Jay asked.
"In fact, I believe some of them already know," the old man chuckled. He shot a knowing glance toward Cole and Zane. Then, he walked over to Jay and yanked off the bath robe he had on and moved over to Kai, who up until this moment, had not realised that he was shirtless. He gladly took the robe that Wu offered him, as the water had left him shivering. "Come now. There is much to discuss."