*The next night*

Nya's POV

Even from miles away, the giant wall of fire is visible. It shoots up hundreds of feet in the air, the orange and red flickering. However, it doesn't seem to be spreading. It stays in the same place. It's out of character for something that typically tries to consume everything it touches. That's how I know it's not just fire, but rather a wall. It's surrounding the fire kingdom.

It emits a light that I didn't even know was possible. It's as if the sun had a baby. However, one section is significantly dimmer than the others. As I get closer, I notice that that section of the wall isn't fire. Instead, it's stone that towers just as high. The wall conceals the entire kingdom, only a single spire peaks out of the top, probably to keep watch.

It baffles me that this, a giant wall of fire, has stayed out of the public's notice for centuries. I understand that Ninjago is huge, and this is in the middle of nowhere, but you'd assume that someone would hear about it and report it. The situation makes me feel as if spiders are crawling up my spine. However, I hold my head up high and approach with caution.

Surprisingly enough, I don't get any warmer as I near the wall. Fire emits heat, everyone knows that. Apparently, this wall doesn't. From 10 miles away to 10 feet away from this blazing fury, it feels the exact same. The chill of the night still creeps throughout my body.

As I approach the guards, I have my cloak black cloak tucked over my head and keep my body slightly hunched. I'm hoping to look old and decrepit in order to elicit sympathy from them. They're a lot more likely to let a weak, old woman in to see their leader than a member of the army that notoriously hates him.

"Show your proof of citizenship," a raspy voice speaks out from within a case of steel armor. His face is hidden, the getup looking like a knight from centuries ago. I guess my brother is a bit old fashioned.

"Oh silly me. I must've left it in my house," I alter my voice, so it's significantly more nasally.

"Show us your true form, trespasser. No old woman left the town today, or any time recently for that manner," a different guard raises his sword at me, pointing the sharpness at my chest. Etched into the blade are flames, cascading down to my parent's blacksmithing insignia on the hilt. My brother surely made that sword.

I sigh, standing up straight. "I came to see the fire king. I need his help," I decide to be honest. The guards respond to my honesty with a hyena cackle.

"No one comes 'to see the fire king'. He doesn't give his help to anyone either, let alone leave the kingdom. Now, be gone and don't come back," one of the guards mocks my request. The anger boils in my chest as I clench my fists.

"I'm his little sister. Let me in," I grit, narrowing my eyes. This causes an uproar of laughter amongst them.

"And I'm the master of energy. Get lost. You're clearly delusional," he shoos me off with his hand. "We aren't letting you in, and you surely aren't getting through any other way."

His words spark an idea in my head. Water beats fire in every scenario. If I were to give the fire wall a taste of its own medicine...

I take off in a sprint towards the edge of the wall. My black cloak falls behind me from the pure force of my movement, but I don't care enough to go back for it. My feet carry me up to the wall where I create a ball of water to cover my skin. Even if I can't feel the heat from outside of the wall, I'm sure the fire itself is enough to melt me into a puddle.

My guess is right. The second I touch the fire is the second I'm enveloped in an unbearable heat. The sweat oozes out of my body at a degree I didn't think was possible. My shield keeps me from getting burnt. I use the sweat to replenish it, and once I feel like I'm about to collapse from heatstroke, I finally emerge from the other side.

The kingdom is gorgeous. It's as if the kingdom hundreds of years ago was preserved in a time capsule. Grey blocks of stone pile atop each other, forming cute little houses with straw roofs. The grounds are made of dirt, no streets or roads. There's no technology anywhere, no lightbulbs, air conditioning, anything.

All of the lamps are lit with fire. Seeing as it's the middle of the night, I would expect some sort of light, but the flames themselves catch me off guard. None of them are covered, and even though there is a slight breeze, all of the flames are uniform. They all stand straight up, no flickering, and are all the same size. It's such a small detail, yet it shakes me to my core, just like the fire wall. I doubt he's trying, yet he can manipulate all of this fire. I can't even imagine what he could do if he was putting his full force to it.

Weighing my options, I decide to make my way to the castle. My only chance is to talk to him face to face. None of his guards will let me in, so I have to make my way in on my own. Plus, the guards saw me break the wall. They're surely looking for me.

The castle is grander than many of the things that I've ever seen. The spire I saw from the outside is bigger than I could ever imagine, spanning several stories tall. The same stone used to make the houses make the castle. The difference, however, is the red glow that separates all of the individual bricks. Magma flows between the cracks of the castle, giving a gentle glow amongst the kingdom.

My feet carry me with a mission towards the glowing structure in front of me. I can't move too fast or else I'll draw attention, but I also can't move too slow or else I'll be caught. I settle for the gentle medium, a brisk walk.

Staying in the elemental army for centuries, I've gained an awareness of my environment. Now, I can sense acute changes. The guard's clunky armor will definitely tip me off, so I'm not that anxious. I'm more focused on brainstorming how to get into the castle.

This kingdom has such a warm vibe to it, and not only because it's the fire kingdom. Everything seems so local, so friendly. It's like a sanctuary. I also just feel safe here. I can't explain it.

Soon enough, I can spot the gate of the castle. The gate is yet another wall of fire, but this time, a wall of guards stand in front of it. Their swords are brandished. They know I'm coming.

I squat behind a red rose bush, trying to think of a plan. I could take them all on, but I don't want to appear like a threat to the fire king. The same thing could be said about scaling the castle. I'm at a loss.

"Put your hands up and stand up. I have your heat signature. You can't escape," I'm ordered by a voice behind me. Initially, I think it's my dad talking to me, but this voice is slightly less deep and has more confidence in it. My breath catches in my throat as I follow his instructions. I stand up and lift my hands in the air. "I felt a disturbance in my wall and knew someone made their way through it. No one's done that before. I'm impressed. You must've been determined to get in."

"You could say that," my chest is pounding. My heartbeat is audible, and I can only hope he doesn't hear it.

"My guards said you wanted to see me. You have my attention," his voice is firm with authority. It's deja vu. He sounds just like my father.

"Can I turn around to face you?"

"Have we met before? Your voice...it sounds familiar," the first sign of hesitation slips.

"Once, I don't remember it though."

"What do you mean you don't remember it?"

"I was a baby. Mom and dad said that you held me in your arms," once my words pass my lips, I hear metal thud into the dirt.

"Nya? Is it really you?" his voice softens, and I take it as my turn to look at him. I turn my body and face my brother. He's the spitting image of our father, just with brown hair and a lack of facial hair. His nose looks just like mine, along with the shape of our eyes. He's noticeably taller than me, about 5'11" if I were to guess. His hand is over his mouth.

He's shirtless, revealing his tattoo. A large lion is sprawled on his left pectoral. It's just its head, mane big and flowing, with a crown resting atop it. It's one of the most detailed tattoos I've ever seen.

"It is, Kai," I use his first name to try to soften him up even more. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I surely wasn't expecting him to run towards me, tears streaming down his face before scooping me up into his arms. He holds onto me, a tight hug around my frame as he lifts me off the ground. His body shakes with sobs as his tears fall onto my shoulder.

There's a feeling of safety, of companionship, that I didn't expect to experience when I saw him. I've been so lonely for so long trying to find someone, any of them. Being in his arms, I feel at home. His emotions, genuine emotions, validate my adventure that I had to get here.

"You found me. You finally found me," he buries his head into my shoulder. He sniffles. "I hoped for so long that you'd come. I knew you didn't remember me, but I...I always hoped that one day you would."

He sets me down and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. My heart aches for him. He looks like a man, a strong warrior who won't take no from anyone, but all I'm seeing is a boy who wants his family.

"Have you been alone this whole time?" I make sure softness can be heard in my voice.

He nods before he breaks down crying again, pulling me into his chest. I hug him back. He's so broken. It makes my heart ache. My whole purpose for being here fades away as I try to comfort my brother. "Oh Kai."

"Come with me. We can keep talking inside," he sniffles, trying to hold back the tears. He grabs my hand, cupping it in his larger one, and I feel safe. All of the fears I had fly to the back of my mind, and only a feeling of protection is left. I have a big brother now, and I don't care what the people say. I can tell he won't hurt me.

---

My hair is damp as I sit by the fireplace, new clothes and a robe on. Kai let me shower in the palace, and he gave me some clothes to wear. I was wearing a thick layer of filth from my journey. The shower was a nice change from the dirt bath I got from sleeping on the ground every night.

The room is regal. There are two lush, red thrones sitting next to the fireplace made of pure gold. The walls are lined with it, the floorboards glimmering. The floor itself is made of marble. It's gorgeous. I'm in a sitting area off to the side of the room with equally fancy furniture.

However, the most noticeable item in the room is a giant painting atop the fireplace. It's of a girl with long, red hair pulled up in a ponytail. Several strands fall down in front of her face. Her eyes are amber, a mix of honey and golden. Her face is gorgeous, the slope of her nose perfect. Even though her chest is covered by her shirt, I can see a bit of her tattoo peeking out. She's his soulmate.

She was a princess, princess Skylor. I heard of her in the countless stories that I was told over time. The oldest of the three, Skylor was the heir to the throne and the only daughter of the king's first wife, Amber. She was a strong female role model in an era when females were just seen as accessories. She would have been the first woman to inherit the throne if everything didn't happen. Fate decided otherwise. That day, none of the girls returned to the castle, and Chen died years later as king, lonely and without any family.

"Oh little sister, I brought hot chocolate," his voice causes me to look back at the doorway. He's sporting a red robe nearly identical to the one I'm wearing. His hair is damp and slightly messy, appearing like he just got out of the shower too. He leisurely strolls across the room, holding two mugs in his hand. He grabs a rosy, velvet chair and moves it beside mine before taking a seat and handing me my drink.

"Thank you. I hope you didn't make it too hot with your fire powers and stuff," I watch the steam soar out of my mug.

"Whoops, if I were you I'd probably wait," he takes a sip of his cup where the hot chocolate is literally boiling. "This was always one of my favorite party tricks, eating and drinking insanely hot stuff. People always thought it was so cool."

"It looks wrong, like you shouldn't be able to," I admit. He lightly laughs. "What exactly are your powers anyways? Time distorted everything, so I don't know what to believe."

"Hmmm, I don't really know how to explain it. Master of fire is the simplest way to say it. I'm like a master of heat, but only on the warm end. I can add heat into the surroundings and manipulate the already existing heat if there's enough of it like fire. I can only remove it up to a certain degree. I recognize heat, which is how I can pick up on people's heat signatures and track them. I can also melt people from the inside out," he laughs at the end, taking a sip of his drink. For the first time since I've started talking to him, a bit of fear strikes through me. He can tell because he quickly adds,"I've never done that of course. I just could."

"There's so much fire around here staying in place. Is that all you?" I ask him out of curiosity.

"Yes and no. Back when all of my old teammates were together, we were experimenting with mixing our powers. The master of energy and I accidentally created this giant fire pet. He gave the fire the energy or lifeforce to start living, and the fire provides the energy to keep living. The fire wall is just Theodore in a different form. You should see him when he looks like a massive dog. It's adorable. I give him orders and he just executes," he informs me, blowing my mind. My eyes are wide.

"That's awesome!" I exclaim. He laughs a little bit before tilting his head.

"You look so much like Mom. It's weird," he comments, an awestruck expression on his face.

"Hey, you can only say so much Dad 2.0," I counter.

"It's weird, as if I'm seeing her again. I cared about them, even if I never went home to them," he tells me, letting out a sigh. Guilt is secreting from his words. "I wanted to, I tried to. You were about 1, and I went home. I was about to knock on the door when I heard them talking about me. I'd lost everything in my life. My best friends were gone. The love of my life was gone. The only thing I thought wouldn't be gone was my family.

They believed that I was a monster, that I killed the sister of the person I loved most in the entire world. They were talking about me like I was a disappointment to the family, like I wasn't a victim in the whole situation. I heard Dad say that it was their duty to turn me in if I ever showed up. They were going to do it to protect you from me because if I killed PIXAL, then I wouldn't have a problem killing you," he runs a hand through his hair. "So I left and never went back. They didn't want me, no one did. That's when I came here. I built this kingdom with my own blood, sweat, and tears. Every building in this town was built brick by brick from me. Then, I gradually got people to come and live here, and that's how I am where I am now."

"So you didn't kill PIXAL?" I verify.

"Of course I didn't. None of us did. We weren't even in town when it happened. We went out for an adventure early that morning and came back that night. She was killed during the day. They wouldn't believe us when we said we were framed though. 'They deserve the death sentence to get a taste of their own medicine,' they all said. Then, they ran us all out of town. The master of energy was 12 at the time. I can't imagine how traumatizing all of this was for him."

"I believe you," I inform him. I pick up my mug, blowing on it before taking a sip. "No one else does though."

"Trust me I know," he shakes his head, letting out a bitter laugh. "My kingdom doesn't even know about everything that happened. It's better that way." He takes a long pause, staring at his cup. "You could stay here, you know. We could be a family like we never were able to. It'd be nice."

His words make my heart melt yet break. He so desperately needs love, someone to be there for him. His loneliness is evident.

"I was actually hoping that you could help me with something," I bring up. He looks up from his cup, curious. I take that as my sign to keep going. "Out there, I'm a member of the elemental army. Unnatural elemental masters are popping up everywhere and..."

"You're a member of the elemental army?" he seems confused.

"Yeah I'm the elemental master of water."

"I know that. That's how you could get through the fire wall. I'm just wondering how you escaped the ambush. They thought they had everyone," his words perplex me.

"What do you mean ambush?"

"The elemental army was ambushed by the unnatural elementals. I have scouts watching over the unnaturals to make sure they don't get too close. They watched the naturals all get ambushed at camp and kidnapped. They got taken to a facility where they're being held as prisoners," his words are like daggers to my heart. Nausea rises up my throat, and I hold my stomach to not vomit.

"This is what I was worried about," tears prickle in my eyes, but I use my powers to hold them in. "I left them to come find you all. I just wanted to help. If I was there..."

"Shhh, don't finish that," he leans over and wraps his arms around me. I shrink into his embrace. Taking a few deep breaths in and out helps center me a little bit more. "What do you mean 'find you all?'"

"The war wasn't going our way. I knew it was only a matter of time before they overpowered us, so I left. I came to find all five of the elemental masters of creation because I knew you all would be the only ones able to help us. I left everyone on a whim, and now they're captured."

"So what do you want me to help you with exactly?" he takes a sip of his hot chocolate. "I'm all ears."

"I want you to help me fight them, the unnatural elementals and find out who is at the bottom of things," a hint of desperation slips through as I talk. I need him more than ever now to help free my friends and my boyfriend.

"I'd have to leave my kingdom," he sighs, running a hand through his hair,"but you're my family. I haven't fought in 600 years, and I've only been working out for fun in the years following. Even though I might not be the best help, I'll help you, so you can get your friends back," he says. I jump up, ecstatic and wrap my arms around him. However, I can't be truly happy seeing as the people I love could be being tortured as I'm here.

"Thank you!"

"Anything for you," I can hear the joy in his voice as he hugs me back. "Now, where are we going next?"

"Umm about that. I don't really know where anyone else is. You were my only lead," I admit.

He lets out a laugh. "That's what I assumed. We're quite hard to find. Even after all of these years, I only know where one of them is because he paid me a visit several centuries ago."

"You know where one is!" my excitement at this lead is hard to conceal.

"I have a map to his location. Tomorrow morning, we'll be on our way to Lightning City."

A/N Sorry for the latest update of all of the late updates. Things have been busy. I got a chapter out though so yaaaay.

How did you all feel about this chapter? Kai is here, and he's here to stay.

Also going to Jay next? I bet you guys didn't expect that one.

Any predictions?

Thank you all so much! You're the best