Xander's POV (a few minutes before)
I followed the mech across lakes, forests, hills, and valleys until I couldn't be sure exactly where I was on the Earth's surface anymore. My body was covered in cuts and bruises, and I knew I was covered in a fair amount of sweat and dirt. But I didn't care.

I had arrived.

Though I didn't know where, exactly.

I found myself at the bottom of a mountain of stairs that winded around a rocky face, extending far beyond the night clouds. The mech that had taken Valt had disappeared somewhere above, and my initial instinct was to start running up the stairs. But something made me pause before I started up. Something about this felt all too... familiar.

Have I been here before?

After staring at the journey ahead for a few seconds, I started up, albeit at a very slow pace. Some of it was out of respect for the place; something about about it seemed to scream "ancient", and my grandfather had taught me to respect old places. But it was also so I wouldn't fall backwards.

People kept rushing past me. Up and down the stairs, people either walked briskly or ran with urgency. People of all ages, young and old - a few even carried babies for some reason. Some carried duffel bags up the stairs and looked like they were heading to a practice of some sort; others went up with backpacks like they were going to school. Some were dressed in normal clothes, others were dressed like stereotypical ninjas. There were even two groups of what looked like cosplayers on a sugar high - one group was made entirely of snake-like people while the other was made entirely of black demons. They made me shudder just looking at them.

But then I blinked and realized - none of what I'm seeing was there. There were no people walking with me or towards me. There were no cosplayer armies.

I was alone.

Am I going crazy? Why am I seeing these things?

I shook my head, furious with myself for doubting my sanity. Come on, Xander. You're not crazy; you're dehydrated and worried sick for Valt, that's all. It may have just made you hallucinate. Content with that explanation, I willed the visions to go away and kept climbing the stairs.

They didn't go away.

In fact, as I went further up, the visions seemed to mirror my physical state. The people became breathless and slow, some even stopped for a break halfway up. I almost wanted to join them on the steps and take some time off, but I pushed myself to keep going. I had to find Valt.

The only ones that didn't even seem winded were the two armies - the one of snake humanoids and the one of black demons. The farther I went and the more tired I got, the more I was convinced that those guys weren't human. Back home, I would climb - make that run up - stairs like these after lunch and manage to keep my stomach down. But these stairs were about twice the ones back home, and the dizziness from the altitude was making my insides churn.

I've been told that I am remarkably fit for my age. Sometimes I even forget how strong I am. So if I couldn't get up these stairs without getting a touch of altitude sickness... then who the hell are these guys?

Despite the medical part of me that kept saying that this was wrong, I kept watching the visions as I made my way up the mountain. It was becoming clear that they all came from different time periods - rather, these people didn't climb up the stairs at the same time. People kept passing through each other without showing any sign of it bothering them. Different hairstyles and fashion choices that are years apart passed me by. I saw a woman flounce past me with her hair up in the bowl cut/end curl look that was popular back when my grandfather was in high school.

Speaking of my grandfather... DID I JUST SEE HIM?

Stopping completely, I stared at where I had seen the man with my grandfather's face, in the crowd behind me. He soon resurfaced, and suddenly he and those around him were the only ones I saw.

It was undoubtedly my grandfather, Bureau Shakadera (I think that's his name - didn't Xavier confirm it in episode 27 of Turbo?). He had the same grin, the same strong physique as him, only his hair had more color and the laugh lines had yet to appear around his eyes. He wore a bright red gi and was surrounded by a gaggle of friends that all wore the same gi in different colors.

What stuck with me was the curious golden flame emblem embossed on his chest. It looked like a lion with fire for a mane.

I could also hear as well as see the visions. "Hey Bureau," A guy dressed in black and purple on his left said. He looked a lot like Valt's friend - Daigo, I think his name was? "What training exercise do you think PIXAL's gonna have us do? Hand to hand or weapons?" He patted the large hammer on his back proudly.

The younger version of my grandfather shrugged. "I couldn't really care either way, though I hope it's weapons," He replied smugly, fingering the sword on his own back. "That way, it'll be just another day of me taking the rest of you fools to school!"

His group of friends went into an uproar at the statement, then another man with long black hair pushed through the crowd. "Oh, keep dreaming, Shakadera," He told my grandfather, his hands behind his head - hands that were clothed in VERY large metal gauntlets. "When it comes to weapons, I win hands down; literally!" His metallic fingers flexed.

"That's because you don't know the difference between hand to hand and weapons, Midori!" Bureau yelled playfully back at him. "Your weapons ARE your hands!" The group howled with laughter as the gauntlet user waved his covered hand at them and continued up the stairs.

As he passed me, I thought about what my grandfather had called him and took a closer look. As a matter of fact, he did bare a strong resemblance to Valt's ventriloquist friend, Ken. And not just because they both apparently liked to wear things on their hands! No, they had the same messy raven hair and small green eyes... They were probably related - Ken's grandfather, perhaps.

But why am I seeing him? I'm not even related to him.

I'm not related to any of these other people, either.

The group followed the Midori man up the stairs until they disappeared above the clouds. After they vanished, I immediately put my altitude sickness aside and rushed after them. I had so many questions. These people may just be hallucinations, but if they were from my mind, maybe they had an explanation for why I was seeing these things. A couple more steps... Almost there...

I broke through the clouds and all thoughts about my physical state and getting answers vanished. Even the vision of my young grandfather disappeared.

In front of me was a traditional Japanese style monastery with red tile roofs and white walls, outlined with moonlight, but it seemed so much more than that. This building had been through fires, wars, intruders, yet had been rebuilt every single time. It had seen more than three hundred generations, and was still standing. It had withstood all of that... just to protect a very precious secret. A secret that protected every world imaginable.

The Monastery of Spinjitzu.

I shook my head. How the hell do I know that?

Rattled back to reality, I continued walking up the stairs. Once I got to the sturdy wooden doors, I gave them a hard push. They didn't even wobble on their hinges. I was thinking about finding another way in - the walls look low enough for me to jump over - when a robotic female voice sounded from hidden speakers: "Unknown entry attempt. Enter password to properly proceed." A light in the sloped arch above the doors shone a watery blue, then to my shock, a keyboard materialized in the light in front of me. Or something that resembled a keyboard - instead of letters and numbers, there were symbols that I didn't recognize.

I knew I didn't have a chance with solving it. I've never been to this place before, and I didn't understand this weird alphabet zilch. I contemplated vaulting over the wall again, but I wasn't even two steps through the door and I could already tell that this place may look old in appearance, but was high tech in every other way. There was probably some top of the line security system on the inside, and I didn't feel like being sliced and diced by lasers or something. So entering the password was my best chance of getting to Valt unscathed. I turned back to the light keyboard, gritting my teeth and bracing myself for some sort of booby trap if I pushed the wrong key.

But none came.

Because I got the password - or passwords - right on my first try.

Fire. Lightning. Earth. Ice.

The four Elements of Creation.

Okay, not a inkling of that made sense. First off, how did I understand this alphabet? I knew Japanese, American, and a little bit of Chinese, but this alphabet was just straight up alien to me. And... Fire? Lightning? Earth? Ice? The Elements of Creation? First off, doesn't water make ice? And doesn't lightning form in the air?

So many technical questions...

Regardless, the blue light turned green, disappeared, then there was the sound of clanking metal. The wooden door slowly swung open on oiled hinges, revealing a stone laid courtyard centered with a golden statue of a dragon.

It wasn't empty, either. At least not in my eyes.

It was a similar sight to what I had seen outside on the stairs. I saw people milling about with hairstyles and fashion choices of every era, wielding every weapon known to man. They either sat around leisurely, or trained on jungle gyms that seemed to spawn out of the ground. Some even wore grave expressions and walked about in military procession - like they were getting ready for war.

A monastery, traditionally, is supposed to be a place of peace. Where people go to meditate under the watchful guidance of monks. I did see people meditating in the shade, but other than that, it looked more like a dojo than a monastery.

Where people learn to fight.

I saw the younger version of my grandfather again, this time sparring with a woman dressed in aqua who wielded what looked like a trident. They were pretty evenly matched - neither gave an inch and neither looked ready to surrender. For a few minutes, I just stood there and watched them launch themselves at each other. I had never seen my grandfather in action before, except when he was working with a patient. This younger, vibrant side of him was something new... it was honestly refreshing.

Finally, a man dressed in a white gi and wearing glasses broke the two apart. "Alright, twenty minutes is the limit, you two," He told them with a voice brimming with authority. "Let someone else use the space!"

"Aww, man!" The woman growled, throwing down her trident. "You're no fun! I was just about to beat this guy!"

My grandfather snorted. "As if, toots!" He told the woman haughtily. "You couldn't beat me even if I had one hand tied behind my back and a blindfold over my eyes!"

"Oh, you wanna test that theory, flame brain?! I'll rearrange your body so much, they won't be able to identify you even with your DNA!"

"Bring it, water guts! I'll slice you, dice you, fry you, and make some nice saikoro!"

Wait, back track - this guy is my doctor of a grandfather?

Luckily the guy in the white gi stepped in before the two could start brawling again. "You guys can continue your friendly, albeit gruesome, bickering later," He said firmly, holding his hands out to physically keep them back. "It doesn't matter, anyway. Bureau," He turned to my grandfather. "PIXAL is looking for you. She says she needs your opinion on a new fire-based weapon."

My younger grandfather stared at him incredulously. "Again?" He asked. "When does that Nindroid find the time to build?" He sighed and started toward the main door to the monastery. After witnessing another pair step into the space to spar, I decided to follow him.

I walked up the stone steps onto the small porch that stretched the length of the front of the monastery. On my way, I passed a man sitting at the top. It seems that he sat there for hours a day, watching the students train. As I watched him, years seemed to go by. He always wore a traditional straw amigasa and a silk white yukata, which at first fit snugly on his frame, but eventually was reduced to nothing more than a rag on a doll. His face started out smooth, then developed a snowy beard that pooled in his lap. Balanced across his knees was a bamboo staff that he often used to hit the students on the head if they disrespected him. However, more often than not, he smiled with the warmth of an elder and answered questions when they were asked.

Master Wu. Youngest son of the First Spinjitzu Master. Taught generations 120-187.

My grandfather passed right through him on the way to the door.

Died of natural causes during the 188th generation, aged 2256 years.

(No one knows how old Wu is - I took a guess.)

He was dead before my grandfather got here.

How the HELL did I know that?

And seriously - who could possibly get that old?

The door was closed, but my grandfather passed right through it - it must've been open for some reason that day. I walked up to the doors and paused for a second. If I had seen all of that just on the stairs and the courtyard, there was no telling what I would see on the inside. A satanic cult with skeletons on the walls? A cosplayer club with bombastic costumes?

Valt is in there.

That was all that mattered.

So I took a deep breath, gathered my courage and my strength, and slid open the doors.

It was... not what I was expecting. Like, at ALL.

For one thing, it was empty of people, real and visions. Not even the image of my younger grandfather stuck around. For another thing, it was completely still. There was no sound coming from anywhere in the monastery, save for the quiet ticking of a clock somewhere. The place gave off a sort of "haunted" vibe. I hesitated on the threshold.

But then I remembered who I was here for, and all traces of hesitation disappeared.

So without taking off my shoes, I entered the monastery.

(I'm not sure about the layout of the Monastery, so this is going to be my version.)

I found myself in a long corridor lined with doorways and branching hallways. It didn't really surprise me, as I passed each one, that I knew exactly what was behind each closed door. One on my left was a guest room. One on my right was a meditation room.

No blood on the floor. No glitzy wizard costumes.

So far so good.

At the end of the corridor, it turned at a 90 degree angle both ways, leading deeper into the monastery. The left corridor led to more rooms and at least six bathrooms. The right corridor led to rooms for convening. This was the corridor I went down.

One of the doors was wide open - like someone had slid it open in a hurry, then forgot to come back and close it. A delicious smell was coming from within, so I sneaked a peek inside. It was the kitchen, with yakitori and rice cakes still steaming on a ceramic plate on the counter. A slightly burning smell made me realize that the stove top was still on. Whoever else lived here with Valt must have just taken the food off before something had compelled them to leave. Concerned that neglecting it further would start a fire, I took a small break and entered the kitchen to turn off the stove top.

Having done so, I turned around to get back to finding Valt. Then a sound other than the ticking clock broke the otherwise still air. It sounded like the flapping of wings, only... metallic.

Before I could get back to the door, someone got to it before me - or rather, something. A falcon swooped into the kitchen and made a beeline for the plate on the counter. As it landed, its feathers shimmered oddly, and its claws made a funny noise - kind of like the noise a knife makes when it's being sharpened. That's when I realized that it wasn't a falcon... it was a ROBOT.

I would have tried to stop the falcon or at least talk to it, but I was too busy staring at it to make anything more than a dumb "Uhhh..."

Because I realized... I knew this falcon.

It was introduced into the Masters during the 124th generation. Zane Julien, the current Master of Ice, discovered it - purely by chance or design; the cause had been debated for years. The two immediately struck up a mutual friendship, and once Zane learned that he was also a robot, AND that they had been built by the same scientist, their relationship deepened. The falcon was the closest thing he had to a brother-by-blood. Since then, its design had varied greatly, though its assistance to the Masters never changed.

I smacked myself across the face to snap myself out of it. Masters? Zane Julien? Master of Ice? Brotherly robots? Where was all this coming from?

Maybe I could get some answers out of this thing. "Hey you," I asked, drawing the attention of the metal falcon. "I remember you, somehow, and I remember some things about this place. I don't know how, but I don't really care. I just want to find my brother and apologize to him, because..." I looked down, now ashamed to look at such an ancient being. "I feel responsible for what's happened to him. I made him feel like he had to turn into something he wasn't in order to make those he cared about proud of him." Clenching my fists, I swung my gaze back up to meet that of the falcon's. "PLEASE! TELL ME WHERE HE IS SO I CAN MAKE IT UP TO HIM!"

The falcon stared at me with large yellow eyes for a few unbearable seconds. I got the distinct impression that it was scanning me, searching me for signs of weakness. Then it bent down and pressed a button on the rim of the plate. Part of the rim separated from the plate and stuck up from the dish at a 90 degree angle, forming a kind of ceramic handle. The falcon took the air, grabbed the handle with its claws, squawked at me once, then flew out of the room.

Reasoning that it intended for me to follow it, I ran out of the kitchen and down the corridor after it. It took great care to fly steadily enough that none of the contents of the plate flew off, so I caught up to it in no time.

It lead me to a large room, equipped with a state of the art television/video game set, a comfortable-looking sofa set, and even a classic dartboard on the far wall next to the VERY LARGE TV. I was still surveying the room when the falcon flew over to the dartboard. Timing its wing beats, it first hit the inner circle, then the outer circle, then the middle circle, then the bullseye. A section of the wall separated below the dartboard, revealing a small elevator. The falcon gently set the plate down on the floor, slowly prodded it into the elevator, then stood beside it. It looked up at me, squawked once more, then the wall closed. The sound of elevator gears could be heard.

At first I was angry that the falcon didn't wait for me, then I realized that the elevator was WAY too small for me, and I was tall for my age. There had to be a larger elevator - an elevator made for humans, not robotic falcons.

And I knew just how to call it, too. The falcon had given me the hint.

I walked over to the dartboard. Pushing it directly opened the elevator for the falcon, but it also indirectly opened the other elevator. Brushing it aside, I exposed its true purpose - to hide the glowing red button behind it. Shaking slightly, my fingers lifted to press it gently. Once I had, the massive TV beside it slid aside and revealed the larger elevator.

Stepping inside, I realized that the monastery was truly bigger on the inside than the outside - the elevator could have easily fit fifteen people. As the doors closed and I started to descend, I even saw fifteen people, and more. The visions were back, this time showing me all of the people that used the elevator. They all had the same expressions: boredom. Some leaned against the walls or handrails, the picture of people who did this everyday.

Me? I was sweating through my shirt; more so, I mean.

Because I was going to see Valt again. Properly, this time.

The elevator descended like twenty stories, deep into the heart of the mountain. The whole time, I kept pacing and clenching my fists, passing through visionary people again and again. I couldn't remember the last time I was this nervous. I shouldn't be - Valt was my buddy, after all. But he'd changed in more ways than one, and he hadn't seemed too happy the last time I'd seen him. He might lash out if I approached him...

I shook myself. This was ridiculous. Valt may have changed, but he was still my childhood best friend. He wouldn't harm me... wouldn't he?

The elevator shuddered and chimed, signifying my arrival. The doors slid open and the visions disappeared. I was greeted with the image of a cavernous room filled wall to wall with vehicles of every color and design. I would have stayed to look at them all if my attention had not immediately been drawn to that of which had drawn me here.

The falcon had waited for me, perched on the wheel of a large motorcycle, the plate now down to a lukewarm temperature and sitting at the bottom of the wheel. When it saw me, it nodded its head, swooped down to take the plate once more, then flapped its way down a side hallway. I took one last look at all the impressive vehicles in the room, then quickly followed it.

There were several doors in the hall, but the falcon didn't stop at any of them. It went straight for the door at the very end of the hall, placing the plate and landing just a few feet away. When I saw it and the person standing in front of it, I just stopped and stared, shocked.

"Oh, there you are!" The person said, sounding surprised at seeing the falcon. "Change of plans: Valt has a guest at the moment, so he's probably going to wait to eat. Just keep it warm for him. In the meantime, did you bring the Elemental Navigation System as I requested?"

The falcon squawked in affirmation, and the person leaned down. It didn't really surprise me to see them open the falcon's chest cavity and pull out what looked like a jumbled mess of wires and metal plates. When they closed it up, the falcon stood next to the plate and spread its wings over the contents. The metal started to glow orange and a faint warmth filled the hallway. In the sudden light, the person's features became more apparent, and they noticed me.

She stared at me with her bright green eyes while I stared at her with my wide red ones.

Her name was PRIMITIVE INTERACTIVE EXTERNAL ASSISTANT LIFEFORM, or PIXAL for short. She had been created by Cyrus Borg to be an android assistant - not the first of her kind, but her fifteen predecessors had burned out too quickly due to a faulty thermo-coil and a malfunctioning emotion suppresser chip. (source: Ninjago Fandom) During the Nindroid Invasion, she had temporarily been under the influence of the Overlord and created an army of Nindroids, but the Elemental Masters of that time had snapped her out of it. Zane, who was also an android, instantly took a liking to her and even shared half of his heart with her when her own power supply was cut. She helped the Elemental Masters win that battle and several others afterwards. As the years progressed, she kept learning about the Masters, their allies, their fighting styles. She learned so much that on the late Master Wu's deathbed, he appointed her as the next teacher for the future generations. She'd taught nearly two hundred generations of Masters since.

As I stared, her own eyes widened in surprise. "Do you recognize me?" She asked, the destroyed gadget in her hands forgotten on the moment. The falcon glanced up from its task of warming Valt's supper, as if curious.

Stunned, I whispered, "How...?"

A smile spread across her metal face and she whispered something that sounded like "two new Masters, one day", whatever that meant. After a minute, she slowly approached me. The top of her silvery hair came up to my chin. "I assume that you're here for Valt," She stated calmly. At my nod, she pointed towards the door, which I hadn't noticed was a dark purple and edged with veins of amber. "He's in there, but he's a little occupied at the moment, and it would be wise not to disturb him. Until he's ready, how about we get to know each other?" She stuck out her gloved hand. "I am PIXAL Borg. What is your name?"

I looked over her shoulder at the door that Valt was behind. Every instinct in my body told me to forgo this strange lady and run in there, but something stopped me. This woman, PIXAL, knew my grandfather and possibly my father. My memory may suddenly be larger, but there were still holes. Maybe she could tell me things that I don't know about my family.

And I apparently didn't know a LOT.

"Xander Shakadera," I told her, shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you."

———————-
4505 words.

Wow, this took a lot longer than I thought it would be...

Is it bad that I gave Xander a longer chapter than Shu?