Loooooong chapter coming in. Get ready. It's time to get some insight on what really happened 628 years ago.

*the next morning*

Nya's POV

"Do you want bacon or sausage?" my brother asks me, stretching out his arms.

We spent all of yesterday talking about nothing specific, just telling random stories about our lives and falling asleep early. If my journey has taught me anything so far, it's that travel is exhausting.

"Bacon please," I respond. He promptly places the bacon onto my plate next to the eggs and hashbrowns. "You really did pack enough food."

"If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it all the way," he takes a bite of bacon, an audible crunch following it.

"You're determined. I've learned that already," I reply.

"Oh yeah? What else have you learned about me?" he raises an eyebrow as he lifts a bite of eggs to his mouth with a golden fork.

"You're loyal to people that you deem 'family' whether or not they're related to you. That's what I've noticed the most," I admit. "With the exception of that one time, of course."

"Yeah that definitely was not my highest point," he awkwardly scratches the back of his neck. "You know what? I want to know you better. You're my baby sister. It feels wrong that I don't know you."

"Well, then tell me your life story, and I'll tell you mine. It's only fair," I suggest. Contemplating it for a second, he tugs on his lip.

"Sure. You want me to go first?"

"Yeah. Yours is surely a lot more interesting than mine, so I'm curious," I admit.

"My life isn't actually that interesting. It's a lot of the same thing happening over stretches of time with little bits of interesting stuff," Kai admits, shrugging. "I grew up in the spotlight, being one of the elemental masters of creation. Mom and dad were members of the elemental army. Once his powers faded, he became a full time blacksmith and taught me what he knew. That's why I can make all of the weapons in my kingdom. It's convenient.

Everyone always treated me like I was special because of my powers, not that I minded the attention. It was a lot of pressure though. The master of lightning at the time, not the current one, ran away around then to be with her lover, so everyone wanted to make sure I wouldn't run away too. I 'had a responsibility to protect Ninjago' and all that good stuff.

While Mom and Dad were busy, the masters of earth and ice took care of me. I instantly bonded with them even if I was just a kid. They taught me how to fight and were like older brothers to me. It was like our own little family, the three of us.

I eventually joined the elemental army before the three of us were moved to the city on the king's order, probably about 110 years before any of the 'big things' happened. He wanted us to be his personal army and do the most important tasks like slaying dragons and going on quest and all that good stuff the other elemental masters would slow down. We said yes, of course, and got our own rooms at the palace and everything. It was fun except for the fact that I wasn't allowed to get near the princesses. I had a reputation of being a player. In their defense, I was a player, but in my defense, it was the height of my fame! If hot girls wanted to hook up, who was I to turn them away?

Anyways, one day like 70 years later we were just chilling at the castle. I was trying to sneak out to meet a girl, the master of earth was doing some leadery stuff, and I can't even remember what the master of ice was doing, but then Dad summoned us. I was confused right, cause why would Dad want us?

When we walked into the throne room, he was standing with a ten year old boy who seemed different. Apparently, the master of lightning got pregnant and didn't want him. She gave her son to an elderly couple who had no idea how to raise an elemental master, let alone one that powerful. They tried their best, but there was just some stuff they couldn't do, so they brought him to my dad who brought him to us.

It was just the four of us for a while. All of us were content. We would go on quests all the time and come back with cool stuff and cool stories, but then about 20 years after the master of lightning came, it was like a switch flipped in me. I didn't know what it was at the time, but it was like the fame mattered so much less. I lost the desire to flirt with every girl I saw which was really, really weird.

We then got sent on a 15ish year expedition to Shintaro in order to help the relationship between them and Ninjago. The king's first daughter was just born, and he didn't want to end up having to marry her off to the king of Shintaro. He hoped that sending us over to fight in their war would prevent that from happening.

The war itself wasn't that eventful. What was eventful though, was that two years into it, the master of lightning was requested back to the castle. Both the king of Shintaro and the queen of the Munce were upset, but he was able to go home.

The king's wife got sick, like really sick. The master of lightning has a little trick where he makes a really, really small electrical current and can explore someone's body with it to see if anything is wrong, so King Chen wanted him to do it on her. He did, and he found that she had a weak heart. Her body couldn't keep going for much longer. The master of energy wasn't alive yet, so there was nothing that could be done to help her. The master of lightning kept her alive for several months longer with his powers, but it was just too much on her body. She passed away.

We were all temporarily called back for the funeral. We were friends with her, so it hurt bad. It was one of the saddest days I've ever experienced, and that says a lot. Chen got up and started bawling in front of the entire ceremony. Everyone was heartbroken.

Her daughter, Skylor..."

"The one you..." I go to interrupt, but he interrupts me back.

"No spoilers. Anyways, she was so confused the entire day. She was just two and a half and kept asking everyone where her mom was. It was rough. No one knew what to tell her.

I'm awful with kids. They cry a lot and are always sticky and demand soooo much, but there was something in me that just couldn't let her keep doing that. Seeing her upset, it genuinely made me feel sick. I was so confused since that never happened.

I felt a need deep down inside of me to keep her from hurting, so I spent the whole day trying to distract her from what happened. Even though she was known for being absolutely terrible with strangers, she clung to me after I talked to her. It was so weird, and I should've realized something was up, but I was just relieved that I could make her feel better.

We went back to the war after and served 12 more years. In the time we were gone, the master of energy was born, Chen got remarried to Queen Melisa who was an absolute beating, and they had two daughters.

When we got back, Skylor was 16, PIXAL was 12, and Harumi was 8. Everything was so different from when we left. It was crazy and better yet worse at the same time.

When I tell you that Melisa was the worst, I mean it. She was the most self centered and vain person I've ever met. Oh and guess what? She saw Skylor as her competition. Both Chen and the kingdom loved Skylor the most. The kingdom thought Skylor was the most beautiful. Oh, and to add to it all, Melissa had a major thing for me. She tried to hook up with me at least once a week, and every time I denied cause I definitely was not doing that, literally."

"I sense that everything is going to blow up," I joke.

"Oh you have no idea," he laughs lightly, shaking his head. "So when I came back, my left pec randomly started throbbing. The same thing happened with the master of ice's neck. Both were right where our tattoos were, so we were really confused. We went to the castle doctor, aka the master of lightning's 'soulmate' but not really his soulmate, and she was totally confused by it, so we just wrote it off as us being weird. This'll be important later.

The other thing I noticed when I came back was how amazing Skylor was. She was grown up and everything about her was wow. It really creeped me out that I felt like that because the last time I saw her, she was a child, but then I remembered that there were hundreds of elemental masters before me that were in similar situations. I'll always be a lot older than whoever I want to be with, and Skylor was a girl you could only find once in an elemental lifetime.

She was going to be the kingdom's first queen. She was so driven and passionate about everything she did. She was smart, funny, a natural leader. Skylor was also physically strong, mentally strong, and could always strategize to get what she wanted. Not to mention she was also the most beautiful girl to ever exist. Her eyes were the most gorgeous shade of amber ever, and her skin was always glowing," he talks about her with deep adoration, his eyes sparkling. The sole dimple on his left cheek is obvious right now.

"While I was trying to dodge Melisa's attempts to get with me, I also tried to subtly get near Skylor more. The more I saw of her, the more I knew that I wanted her.

I found myself seeing her more even when I wasn't trying. It seemed like we crossed paths more, so I was hoping that she was trying to see me too. The master of ice told me that it was 'improbable' cause she wasn't looking for that, but hey, I kept believing it cause it made me happy.

So then one day, I was just hanging out when she came up to me and was like 'Kai, can I talk to you?' I became such a nervous wreck. I'm always cool and composed with girls, but nope, not with her. I agreed, and she pulled me off to the side..."

"You really liked her," I observe. The enthusiasm, the pure joy, the adoration, I can feel it all coming off of him.

"She was something else. I wish you could've met her. So Amber, her mom, always wore this necklace made of amber, the gemstone, that Chen made her. Skylor wanted one like it to remind her of her mom. The only place to get that specific amber is in a temple inside an active volcano, so I'm the only one who can get it. I got it for Chen, and she was hoping that I could go get it for her. I obviously said yes. A chance to impress her was something I couldn't turn down.

Long story short, I nearly fell to my death, but hey I got the amber so it didn't matter. When I came back, it was the middle of the night, and she had me bring it to her room. I wasn't allowed up there - especially at night - so I was really breaking the rules.

After cleaning myself up a bit (cause she obviously couldn't see me when I was a mess), I delivered it.. I knocked on the door, and instead of just accepting it like I expected, she welcomed me in and closed the door. The room was lit with a ton of candles cause that was the only form of light at the time, and it complimented her hair so well. She was so effortlessly beautiful.

She closed the door behind me and took the amber out of my hand. My left pec was stinging and burning so bad, but then her fingers brushed over mine, and all of the pain faded away. I was shocked, but she just gave me this gorgeous, massive smile.

'I knew it,' she told me. I was so confused, but then she explained it. She had the pain too, and she realized that it was worse when we were close, and that she always felt herself drawn to me. She pieced it together and wanted to see if it was true before she did anything reckless. Skylor realized that we were soulmates. Her tattoo matched mine, and everything made so much sense.

Then, she kissed me, and it was the most magical moment of my entire life. It made me feel so good. The most amazing woman ever, she was meant to be with me. Knowing that was just...wow. It was wonderful.

We stayed together in secret. I would sneak into her room, and we would lie on her bed, talk for hours, and maybe make out a bit. We could joke around, were competitive, and could just enjoy each other's presence. My life felt so much fuller with her in it.

Six months after that happened, we were making out on her bed when Melissa and Chen walked in..." he says that, and my eyes widen. I choke on my eggs, but I quickly get them out, so I can breathe. "That was the master of lightning's exact reaction when I told him. But yeah it was an interesting night. When they walked in, let's just say neither of us were fully clothed, so it already wasn't the best look. Then, Melissa absolutely lost it like she completely forgot Chen was standing there. First, she yelled at me for not wanting her and how instead I wanted to screw around with a - and I quote - 'dirty little slut'.

Then, she started yelling at Skylor about how she was an 'egotistical, ugly, idiotic slut' who only got me cause she was young. Out of pure rage, she tried to charge Skylor, but I held her back. By the end of it, Chen was more upset with her than us. He sent her out, and we explained to him that we were soulmates and were just scared that we weren't going to be allowed together.

Chen always was a bit weird, so when he said that he 'appreciated the drive' and let me openly be with his daughter, it was only a bit of a surprise. Part of me also thinks that it was him being power hungry, and the thought that one of his grandchildren could be the future master of fire made him excited, but I'll never really know.

After the outburst on Skylor, Chen decided that it would be unsafe for Skylor to keep Melissa in the castle. He sent her to Shintaro on 'official business' so the public wouldn't find out, but she was never coming back for the long term.

Melissa wasn't supposed to tell PIXAL and Harumi what happened. They were 13 and 9, but she ended up telling them that she was leaving and it was Skylor's fault. PIXAL was logical and knew there was more to it, so she asked Skylor about it, and Skylor explained it to her. PIX wasn't mad at her at all. She was more disgusted at her own mom than anything.

Harumi, on the other hand, was only 9. She was always jealous of Skylor. Skylor was their dad's obvious favorite, the kingdom loved her, and she was going to be queen. Even though Harumi's mom never paid attention to her, she was still her mom. Hearing that the person she hated the most in the entire world got rid of her mom destroyed any chance of them having a relationship. It tore Skylor apart that her own sister hated her, but Harumi was strong minded. It would be hard to change her mind.

Harumi loved me though. Her and the master of energy were never apart (they're soulmates too, afterall), and since I took care of him a lot, I took care of her too. They were adorable. The whole romantic part of the soulmates thing hadn't kicked in, but the two of them never left each other's sides. They were best friends, always helping each other out. Both were like my little siblings.

However, nothing compared to when I got to meet my real sister. When you were born, I took the day off to visit you. You were so tiny. It was adorable. You had the softest little baby feet. When I saw you, I wanted to protect you. You literally were my baby sister. All of the guys wanted to come. They wanted to meet you and mom since none of them actually met her before, but I said no. I wanted to see you first. I was so ready to be the best big brother I could be.

Now, here's for the part that you were probably the most curious about. A couple of weeks later, PIXAL was murdered. The morning that everything happened, the five of us elemental masters went to check out a disturbance several hours from town that kept being reported. Nothing was there. It was a setup to take us away from the city. We didn't realize that at the time though, so we headed home.

We got back and were immediately attacked by townspeople. Just being confused, we found our way through the chaos back to the castle where the guards immediately started shooting at us.

'You don't deserve life after what you did!' they yelled at us. 'You burned her, electrocuted her, sucked all of the life out of her, froze her, and ripped her head off! You murdered Princess PIXAL!'

It was all news to us. We had no idea anything was wrong and didn't believe any of it. We all thought it was Chen playing a cruel trick. When their attacks got too heavy, we split up. I took the master of energy, and after seeing just how outraged everyone was, we realized it wasn't a joke. PIXAL was dead, and they actually thought we killed her.

I was terrified. Not only were people trying to murder us, but Harumi and Skylor could easily be the next targets of whatever maniac killed PIXAL. We had to find a way to get them and leave.

We snuck into the castle, and I told the master of energy to stay in the hiding spot I found him until I came back with Skylor. He agreed, and I went off to look for her. It was the last time I ever saw him. He...he was so scared. His little green eyes were full of tears, and I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't even help him after.

Skylor was nowhere to be found. I checked literally everywhere: her room, the dungeon, all of our secret spots, but I couldn't find her. Then, the guards found me, and they mercilessly tried to kill me. I wasn't allowed to use my powers in the castle, but I had to create a firewall to at least get some sort of lead.

I decided that I had to leave without her, for my safety and the master of energy's. However, when I went back to his hiding spot, all I found was some blood. The rage I felt in that moment was unmatched to anything I had ever felt before. Something inside me snapped. When I looked up and saw at least fifty guards, half with bow and arrows and half with swords, I lost it. I sent a wave of fire at them without even thinking. Even as they burned, they still tried to kill me. They screamed in pain as they shot arrows and thrusted their swords at me. Then, when more came, I knew I couldn't stop them without killing at least some of them. I had to flee.

I ran away from it all, and they sent people chasing after me for decades. Once I got the chance, I told myself I would turn back, but I never could. They tried to corner me, and each time I faced hundreds of men at a time, I could only scorch them and run.

By the time I finally lost them, it was too late. Skylor would have been dead by then. None of the guys would be there. All of the people who used to love me hated me. I found out that my own parents hated me, and I couldn't even see my baby sister. My whole life was gone.

To try to drown out the pain of losing everything, especially Skylor, I built the fire kingdom. With my own two hands, I constructed everything you saw. The work distracted me from the pain, but I still felt empty the whole time. At the end of the day, I always fell asleep and woke up alone. All I had was Theodore.

When everything was built, I was emptier than before. I put in all of that work, and I still had nothing, no one. There was all of this work and no one to show it to. That's when I had the idea to bring people to my kingdom. I found people who were living horrible lives, the people who were too poor to eat and lived on the streets, and I brought them to my kingdom. I gave them shelter, supplies, and a chance. It's all they needed. My kingdom did wonderful.

I was still heartbroken though. My kingdom was a huge success, but nothing could ever compare to what I had before. I still cried every night because Skylor wasn't with me. The hole left in my heart never closed. I was alone, and I got used to it, but then you came and I wasn't alone anymore. Now, here we are. That was a lot. Sorry if it was boring," he wraps up his story. I notice how he glossed over 600 years while hyperfocusing on 4 he had with his soulmate. He really hasn't moved on from her.

"Wow, that was a lot," I crack my fingers. "Skylor sounds wonderful. I'm sorry that you lost her."

"She was. I really wish you could've met her."

"Why did you always refer to your friends as 'the master of ice' and 'the master of energy' when you could just use their names?" I ask out of curiosity.

"Well, we made a pact that if anything bad ever happened, we wouldn't call each other by our actual names in an attempt to keep each other safe. We don't want other people knowing who we are," he explains.

"Yeah, but you're bringing me right to one. I feel like that's more significant than telling me their names," I point out a flaw in his reasoning. When I tell him that, realization dawns across his face.

"Dang, you're right. I'll just refer to them by name now. But now it's your turn. Give me your life story, baby sis."

"Mine is nowhere as exciting. I grew up with Mom and Dad of course. I lived in town when I was aging, but once I stopped, I stayed home and helped them around there cause they didn't want people knowing that I was an elemental master.

For my 160th birthday, they let me go out and explore the world. Before I left, they told me a secret. They had convinced me my whole life that I was an only child but just as I was leaving, they decided to tell me about you, saying that you were too dangerous to see. The only reason they even told me was because they didn't want me telling anyone about my powers due to the association between our powers. They didn't want people harassing me.

So after that, I went off. My horse, Zippy, and I traveled for a bit before we reached a town. The first thing we looked for was a place to stay. I was used to people being nice, but everyone was so rude. No one let me stay at their inn without a steep price increase because I was a woman alone. Their prices nearly made me sleep on the street."

"I can't tell if this is about to get really good or really bad," Kai admits. I laugh a bit.

"Well, I was sitting on the street, and this man comes up to me. He looked around my 'age', and even though I didn't have a lot of experience with guys, I could tell he was different. How he looked, how he carried himself, how kind he was to me, it made me feel a sort of way that I'd never felt before. He offered me a place to stay, and I took it in a heartbeat..."

"You said yes to spending the night at his house without knowing his name? Men can be absolute perverts, Nya. This guy easily could've had bad intentions," Kai questions in shock.

"I knew his name. It was Jay," I reply. Kai chuckles, and I raise an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing, you can keep going."

"Anyways, we set up an arrangement where I could stay at his house cause he wanted company..."

"He was your sugar daddy?"

"No, he was not my sugar daddy. I looked for a job, so I could pay him back - with money - even though he insisted I didn't need to. He was the absolute sweetest. Anyways, I got a job, but it was with this really pervy guy named Mr. Blake. Jay really wanted me to quit, but I didn't want to be dependent on him, so I wanted to keep the only job I could find.

One day, it was really bad. Mr. Blake went really pervy, and I felt gross. Then, I had to walk home in the rain. I broke down. Jay found me and comforted me, but then when he heard what Mr. Blake did, he lost his mind. He decided to walk the back to town, in a lightning storm may I add, to chew him out. I followed him because I didn't want him to go out in those conditions. He didn't seem phased by them at all. I ended up getting hit by lightning..."

"Ouch, I know firsthand that that sucks."

"... and I passed out. When I woke up, I was wrapped up in a bundle of blankets in front of the fire. He had carried me home and made sure I was warm. He...he was so relieved when I woke up. Then, he asked me to show him my tattoo. I did, and he showed me his matching one. We were soulmates. I kissed him then, and it was amazing. I was so happy to have him.

We spent the next 3 years madly in love. When I came home from work, I helped him with his projects. We would laugh and joke together before falling asleep on the couch or in our room. We had our ups and downs, arguments like other couples had, but it just helped make us normal. We didn't always have to be perfect, and I appreciated it.

One of my favorite things that we did was go on picnics during my lunch break. Jay somehow scared Mr. Blake into submission (I to this day have no idea how he did it) and would take me on picnic dates during my lunch. It was so sweet, and while I'm not one for overly fluffy/romantic things, it hit me in a soft spot. He always packed my favorite foods and found the most beautiful spot next to a river. I always looked forward to it.

He proposed to me in the spot where we met. I was surprised, but I was beyond glad. He was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with afterall. I said yes, and we were more than ready to get married. He was the one I wanted.

I didn't tell him that I was the master of water. I wanted to, but I kept getting scared. Jay would have understood, but there was always a fear that he would leave, and I just couldn't confront that. I finally built up the courage, but I was a day too late.

It was two weeks from our wedding, and when I got home, ready to tell Jay that I was the master of water, someone else was sitting with him. One of his old friends needed his help for an errand. He was desperate, so there was no way Jay could've said no. We spent one last night together, and I let him leave without telling him about my powers.

He didn't come back when he was supposed to, so I got worried. They assured me that nothing would happen to them, but I still worried. Then, I got a letter, and everything broke inside of me.

Jay and his friend had been killed trying to get to the Sea of Sands. On their journey, they were killed by the master of lightning and the master of ice..."

"There's no way," Kai interrupts the story, not believing it.

"Excuse me?"

"The nerd duo wouldn't kill a bug, let alone kill people. They're the only ones out of the five of us with clean hands. I think something got lost in translation cause my Jay and Zane definitely didn't kill your Jay and his buddy," he informs me. The duo of names makes my heart stop.

"Your Jay and Zane?"

"Yeah, the master of lightning and the master of ice. I laughed earlier cause your soulmate had the same name as the guy we're going to see."

My heart starts to race as my chest tightens. There's no way.

It would all make sense: the power source for his inventions, the random lightning storm, how he scared Mr. Blake, the fact that in hindsight, he aged as little as I did. There's no way though. He wouldn't have left if that was the case.

"Kai, by any chance was your Jay about 5'10" with freckles, auburn hair, and blue eyes? Did he enjoy inventing?"

"Uuh, yeah. How do you know that?" his confirmation freezes my heart.

"His mom and dad, Ed and Edna, died a long time ago because they weren't elementals. He ran away from his hometown because of a murder, the murder of PIXAL. He had to leave all of his friends behind, you guys. The smart one was Zane. The stubborn one was you. The young leader was the master of energy. Then Cole, his best friend, was the master of earth. It all makes so much sense..." I verbalize, tugging at my hair. All of the mysteries that he left all fit together like a puzzle within seconds. I can't believe I was so blind to it all. It was right there in front of me.

My eyes fill with tears as the truth of the situation hits me. "Kai, by any chance did Jay's tattoo look like this?" I pull up the sleeve of my shirt to reveal the tattoo on my left shoulder, the lightning and the raincloud.

Kai is immediately taken aback, his eyes widening. Even before he says anything, I know the answer. "Holy shit. Our Jays are the same Jay."

The confirmation makes the tears pour out of my eyes like a waterfall. My body starts to shake at it all. My entire being starts to hurt, to ache. He led me on. He let me think that he died before leaving with clean hands. This man who I thought I failed for the past 600 plus years failed me. He abandoned me.

"I....If he didn't... didn't die, w-why would he abandon me?" I break down in front of my brother. I can't hold it back. My hands find their way over my face. As tears start to cascade down my face, dripping down to my lap.

When the seat falls next to me and my brother's arms wrap themselves around me, I fall apart even more. I'm not an emotional person, but this shakes me to my core. Jay is the one person that was supposed to stay with me through any situation. If my own soulmate left me, what does that say?

"Shh, shh," he pulls me into his chest. One of his hands cups my left shoulder, gently holding onto me. My body wracks with pain even as I'm being held. "He must've had a reason. Remember how he came to me? He was heartbroken."

I can't comprehend his words. Nothing would have been able to pull me from Jay. There is no good reason for him to have left. I don't care what drove him to make that decision. There was no reason that he needed to leave.

Dread flows through my veins as realization hits me. I'm going to have to look in his eyes after he's left me hurting for so long. I need to ask him for help even after he refused to stay with me.

The man I longed for for so long is now the man I'm terrified to face. This is going to be an absolute nightmare.

A/N: Yeah... we're not going to Hidden this one up. It's toootaaaally unrealistic that Kai nor Nya would catch on eventually, so now this is dramatic.

Thoughts or ideas?

Hey Llorumi stans...next chapter is for you

This chapter was 5,600 words and took sooooo long to edit oml. I swear it was ready last Saturday, and I just finished editing today. 

I hope you all enjoyed. Don't forget to comment (the ultimate motivator to get an author writing), vote, and share it with people you think would enjoy it. Thank you!