Monastery of Spinjitzu
No One's POV
In a room deep within the Monastery, a boy lay sleeping. He'd been wrapped from nearly head to toe in bandages, and his fractured arms had been elevated. His ruined coat had been lovingly washed to restore it to its former glory, and was laid beside him on a chair. His beloved bey and even more beloved puppets had been positioned on a nearby table so they would be the first thing he saw when he woke up. Two cards were propped between his puppets. One looked like it had been dunked in a bucket of glitter while the other was slightly cleaner; both had GET WELL SOON written on their surfaces.

At the boy's beside were his rattled parents, who had not slept a wink since they'd entered his room three days ago. They'd been contacted by his teacher and had been sent methods of transportation to his location. The father had been to the Monastery before and welcomed the nostalgia. The mother had not and was wary of their new surroundings. Regardless of their trains of thought, they had were of one mind when it came to one thing: Their son. They had taken shifts each night to ensure one of them was always awake or at least in the room to watch his chest as he slept.

To make sure it never stilled completely.

Friends of the boy came and went, checking on his condition and changing his wrappings if need be. Sometimes they stayed for extended periods of time, but his parents always shooed them away in the end. They claimed that their son needed silence in order to recover from his Double Awakening and previous excursions.

But everyone in the Monastery knew the true reason. They simply wanted their son to themselves for a while.

But the boy didn't see any of it. His eyes were closed to the outside world for three days. Behind his eyelids was only darkness, though metal worked through the shadows. It slid silkily through his soul, curled around his limbs, shaping him. It filled his senses, sharpening them, opening his eyes to a whole other world. It spun its web within his body, with his heart becoming its heart. No one else could see its progress, but deep down he knew.

It was shaping him anew.

Only when it was done did it allow him to open his eyes. Only when it was done did it allow him to move. Only when it was done did it allow him to breathe normally again. Only when it was done did it allow him to renter the normal world.

It would never be normal for him, though. He was Ken Midori. A ventriloquist. A blader. A student.

A Master of Metal.

—————

Ken's POV
PIXAL said that resting was a part of the adjusting process, but I didn't remember doing any spiritual adjusting. All I remembered was falling asleep while kneeling, then I was waking up in a different position. My entire body felt stiff and thick, though not solid like my Metal Form. Gravity let me know that I was laying on something flat and soft, and that my head was propped up on something equally comfortable. My arms felt as light as feathers - probably because they were in elevated slings. A dull ache throbbed through each of my limbs, though it wasn't a persistent pain. More like feeling sore after a good long nap.

When I took in the room I was in, the first thing I noticed was that it was daytime, judging by the light shining through a nearby window. The second thing I noticed was Keru, Besu and Kerbeus propped up on a dresser directly in front of my bed. It seemed like so long had passed since I had seen them; my eyes actually watered when I saw them. If that wasn't enough, there were two GET WELL SOON cards stationed between them. One looked like it had been done entirely in glitter glue while the other looked like it was at least done by teenagers.

I wondered who had made them - and how long I had been asleep for someone to make a card that wished for my wellbeing.

My instinct was to pull out my phone, or find some form of time-telling device. When I tried to turn my head to look for one, though, a burst of soreness shot through my neck. I gritted my teeth but a groan still made its way through my mouth. Someone else gasped in the room. "Oh my God - Ken!"

I gasped too - I KNEW that voice. It was a voice that, not too long ago, I was sure I would never hear again. It took me a few seconds longer than normal, but I was able to turn my head enough to find the source of the voice. "Mom?"

There she was next to the snoring form of my dad, bags under her magenta eyes and tears lining their edges. Her dark green hair was ruffled and her usual attire of a pink dress shirt and black pants were wrinkled, but she'd never looked more beautiful in my eyes. Even my dad, even though he currently had a mile-long line of drool hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

Mom quickly woke up Dad and together they crowded around my bed. "How do you feel?" Dad asked, placing his hand on my shoulder while Mom placed her hand on my forehead. "Any pain?"

I gave my body a quick eval. "Sore... dizzy... thirsty..." My stomach grumbled. LOUDLY. "And hungry."

"That's good," Dad told me, smiling that warm smile of his. "That means you're readjusting to the real world."

"Your father has been spouting nonsense like that since your teacher called us," Mom claimed; her tone was sweet but her eyes shot daggers at the man across from her. "For the past three days, he was all like 'oh, our son's coma is a part of the adjusting process; oh, his condition shouldn't change as long as he sleeps; OH, three days of silence is normal - HEALTHY, even!'"

Dad remained smiling, but his eyes narrowed at his wife. "First of all, I don't sound like that," He told her simply. "And second of all-" He gestured to me, to my general existence. "I wasn't WRONG, was I?"

"Our son's arms are in slings," Mom shot back, pointing a rigid finger at my bound limbs. "And his doctor is a literal COMPUTER. So you can't blame me for being doubtful, can you?"

They got into antics like this all the time, so all I had to do to contribute was sit back and laugh. But then my ears caught on something my mom had said. "W-wait," I spoke up weakly, dragging their attention back to me. "I-I've been asleep for THREE DAYS? It's TUESDAY?"

My parents' faces immediately calmed. "Yes," Dad answered. "You must've use up a lot of energy to Awaken both your Element and Dragon Form."

"B-but..." My mind whirled with the possibility of all the volunteer puppet shows my parents probably had to cancel in order to take care of me. How many gigs did we have booked over the weekend? Four? Six? What about yesterday and today? "T-the shows... the kids..."

"We called the hospitals to explain to them that we had a 'family emergency'," Mom told me, placing a calming hand on my other shoulder. "They understood, especially when we told them it was about you; they said we can simply reschedule. One hospital even got the kids to make that adorable Get Well Soon card for you!" She pointed to the card that looked like it was drowning in glitter.

"Oh... that was nice of them," I relented, settling back into my pillow. My eyes automatically went to the cleaner card next to the hospital card. "What about that one?"

"One of your friends made it and had the others sign it," Dad explained. "They were all pretty worried about you - they've been coming in and out the entire time you've been in here! We've actually debated asking PIXAL for a padlock for the door."

I gulped, imagining the madness that would ensue. "Yeah, that wouldn't go over easy."

Looking over at the cards, I wondered what my two concerned parties had written in them. By instinct, I reached out for Kerbeus's metallic presence and had it separate itself into its three layers. Its top two layers sandwiched the hospital card while its bottom layer scooted the one from my friends over until one was directly on top of the other. With both cards secure between the layers, my fingers twitched slightly as I willed Kerbeus over to me. It left a trail of glitter in its wake, shining gold in the sunlight, making it look like a magical object.

It wasn't until the edges of the cards were practically touching my nose that I realized my parents were still in the room. I glanced cautiously at both of them. "You're... not gonna say anything?" I asked slowly.

My dad smirked. "In case you forgot, son, I was a Master of Metal too," He reminded me smugly, laying a hand on his chest in pride.

"And I've known about the capabilities of the Element of Metal for a while," My mom revealed. "Your father asked me out on our first date by giving me a silver rose that he made himself. IN FRONT OF ME." She shot my dad another glare.

I stared at him in question, to which he threw up his palms. "Hey, she said the gesture was sweet - she loved it!" He claimed defensively.

"Yeah, after you had to revive me with SMELLING SALTS," Mom continued, crossing her arms. "Seriously - I thought the man in front of me was some kind of creepy wizard!" She sighed and turned back to me. "Anyways, he told me everything afterwards. I thought it was weird, but I looked past all that and went out with him." It was only then that her gaze turned to one of affection. "And it turned out to be the best date of my life."

A faint blushed appeared on my dad's cheeks and he laughed softly. "You look past everything about me, don't you?" He asked his wife softly.

"Of course," She confirmed, leaning forwards and narrowing her eyes slightly. "If I didn't, we wouldn't be married."

"Ain't that the truth?" Dad asked rhetorically, copying her stance.

They stared at each other for about five seconds before I started to feel awkward beneath them. "Um... can one of you help me open these?" I asked tentatively, making Kerbeus move up and down in the air. I gently shook my arms in their slings for emphasis. "I don't think I'm supposed to be using my arms."

My parents got a hold of themselves and my mom carefully removed the hospital card from Kerbeus. When she opened it, a cloud of sparkles drifted onto my comforter. I was probably gonna need to clean my bey later, but not now. I had a card to read.

We hope you feel better soon, Ken! It read in large, shaky letters. And we can't wait to see you again! Sending love from all of us here!

The card was drenched in sparkles and I could see messy fingerprints around the edges, but the hard work and dedication that went into making it was clear. I was touched that they cared so much about me, and tears pricked my eyes again. "We have the best audience," I told my parents with a thick voice.

"We really do," My mom agreed. She made to close the card. "Ready for the next one?"

This card was from my friends, though it was still far from professional. It looked like each of them had scribbled an entry wishing for my health, along with caricatures of their authors that Cuza must have added. Statements like hope you don't sleep too long and you BETTER have a good story ready by the time you're awake and I can't wait to go flying and element-bending with you! "I'm pretty sure Valt wrote that last one," I informed my parents.

"You have some really good friends, Ken," Mom told me quietly. When I glanced at her, the tears were back. "I'm so proud of you."

I managed a timid smile, but I knew it was true. I really did have the greatest friends in the world.

With the cards done and read, my mom stepped back from my bed. "Okay - you said you were hungry, right?" When I nodded, she turned to the door. "I'll go raid the kitchen to see if there's anything you can eat."

"I'll join you - I'm a little hungry myself," Dad said, moving to join her.

But questions were still swirling around my brain. "Actually, Dad," I spoke up, stopping him in his tracks. "Can you... stay a little longer? There's a few things I want to ask you."

My parents both paused and shot each other a look I couldn't decipher, then my mom nodded and politely bowed out of the room. Soon it was just me and my dad, who suddenly looked awkward standing next to my bed. He moved to sit in the chair he'd been snoozing in before speaking up. "So... you wanted to ask me something?"

I started to nod, but stopped. What did I want to ask him about? The Element of Metal? The Dragon Form? The strange things I did in the Pizzaplex basement that I seemed to do by instinct? I had so many questions, yet I had no idea where to begin.

The real question, I guess, was how many could he actually answer?

Instead of starting with a question, I started with a description. "I felt it, Dad. I felt the Element's power. It's so strong... so loud. It felt like a beast inside my chest."

My dad nodded, a faraway look in his eyes. "I know the feeling," He told me wistfully.

He knew - he understood. A good start. I sat up a little straighter, doing my best not to move my arms. "It felt like I could do anything, like I had no limitations. It felt amazing at the time, but now, looking back..." I looked back at that moment, imagining that rush of strength and sense of invincibility. It was like I was not human but machine; I wasn't made of flesh and blood but iron and steel. I shuddered. "That strength terrified me."

Dad nodded again. "It'll do that to you."

My eyes met his desperately. My eyes, his eyes. My power, once his power. The metal in my veins, once in his veins. "How do you control something like that?" I asked him in a hushed tone.

Dad met my gaze steadily before glancing away. "It's hard sometimes, especially if you're surrounded by metal. You can feel tempted to use it for the simplest things. But it's important to remember this one thing." When he met my eyes again, his eyes were as steely as the metal in my chest. "YOU are its Master. YOU are in charge, not the Element. Your will always wins out."

He sat back in his chair, though his gaze didn't soften. "Like I said, it's not easy, but you'll learn to control it eventually," He continued. "And don't worry - you have me, PIXAL, and that entire army of friends of yours to help you out. You won't be alone in this." A gentle smile warmed his face. "I can't speak for the others, but I will help you out any way I can. Your mother will too, to the best of her knowledge." He gave me a conspiratorial wink.

Ever since I was little, I'd always looked up to my dad. He'd taught me how to hold a puppet, how to make different voices and throw them, and had comforted me when we had to move... a lot. He and my mom were always there for me during life's ups and downs. It was good to know that nothing would change, despite this very VERY big change.

More comfortable, I told him about what I had done in the Pizzaplex basement. How I'd transformed from boy to machine to beast, and the damage I'd dealt throughout my transformations. The whole time, he listened to me with rapt attention, nodding along and appearing sympathetic for my sake. When I told him about the odd symbol I'd carved into William's forehead, he looked confused. "A circle with a slash through it? And the creep died soon afterwards?" He asked, curling his finger under his chin. "That's... a new one for me. You might want to ask PIXAL about it."

I was a little worried when he said that, because that meant that there were limits to what I could ask him. When I got to the part about seeing the dead kids' memories, however, he thankfully had an answer. "Memories can leave a mark, especially if they're made with strong emotions like anger, fear, or sadness. Masters of Metal can sometimes see memories when they touch items of metal. And from what you've told me..." He grimaced. "Those were DEFINITELY strong emotions."

"Have you ever seen memories?" I asked him, genuinely curious.

An almost embarrassed smile spread across his face. "Memories can also leave a mark if they're done in repetition. When I had the Element, I picked up a metal spoon and accidentally found out that your grandfather liked to use it to sing along with the radio." His finger lifted to sheepishly scratch his cheek. "Yeah... Dad sure was quirky. Every time the radio came on after that, I half expected him to grab the nearest spoon and just go at it." He chuckled awkwardly.

After that surprising reveal (and a little too much TMI), we talked for a little while longer before Mom came back. She carried into the room a tray of steamy soup with a cup of water, along with instructions from PIXAL not to move my arms until she came to check them later. Mom stuck straws into both the bowl and the cup before making sure it was secure on my lap and backing away. I sipped the soup cautiously, but was pleasantly surprised to find it was a reasonable temperature that didn't singe my mouth. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I tasted the soup - it and the water were gone in a flash.

My full belly made me lethargic, so I settled back into my pillows and took a quick nap. When I woke up once more, the Sun was already setting outside my window.

And PIXAL had taken my parents place at my bedside. "Hello, Ken," She told me with a silver smile. "Did you sleep well?"

Her sudden replacement caught me off guard so soon after my nap, but I quickly recovered. "I slept well, thank you," I told her, straightening under the comforter. "I did what you said and tried not to move my arms very much."

"That's good." She got up, sending her kimono swishing across the floor, and walked over to check under my bandages. After some poking and prodding, she made a sound of approval. "It looks like they're nearly healed, too. I gave you some healing tea to help with the process, so you should be able to have full use of them by the end of the day. You'll be able to move around on your own tomorrow."

"Great," I said in relief, testing the hung limbs. No more mind-bending pain, though they were still a little sore. "These slings were starting to get itchy."

PIXAL nodded and continued standing. "So your father tells me that you carved a symbol last night?" She asked. "And that you don't know what it means?"

I noticed that she didn't add exactly WHAT I had carved the symbol into. Did Dad not tell her? "Yeah, it was... a circle made with one hand and a slash through it made with the other hand."

PIXAL nodded again, though she looked grim. "That symbol you carved is called a Sendoff Mark," She told me in a low voice.

She sounded so serious when she said it, but I still didn't know what it meant. I tilted my head at her. "What's a... Sendoff Mark?"

PIXAL didn't answer right away, choosing instead to rummage through the bedside table. As she looked for her wayward object, she explained, "Sendoff Marks were used in the very early days of Ninjago by preachers and doctors. They could either be seen as a blessing or a curse, depending on who they were used on and which Mark was used."

Blessing or curse. That didn't sound promising. "What exactly were they supposed to do?"

"They were meant to be used on those who were fatally wounded or sick, or already deceased," PIXAL continued, still searching through the drawer. "Doing so would ensure that person's deliverance to one Realm or the other."

"One Realm or the other?" I repeated. Realization began to dawn and my eyes widened. "Wait... you don't mean..."

PIXAL glanced at me, her bright green eyes solemn. "I'm afraid I do," She said in all seriousness. She turned her attention back to the drawer and seemed to find what she had been looking for. Her hand lifted up to show me: a blank piece of paper. Her other hand lifted to the paper and something shot out of her pointer finger: a stick of graphite.

"Here, we have a simple circle," She detailed, doing so on the paper with her finger. Somehow her circle looked even more perfect than the one I'd done. "You'll notice that it appears open, promising, perfect - or rather, the promise OF perfection." She tapped the circle with her metal knuckle. "Those who were blessed with this Mark would automatically pass over into the Realm of the Departed. It was typically made with the dominant hand and was bestowed upon the hard working members of society.

"However, if someone were to slash a line through the circle..." She did so with her finger, making a line that was dark at one end and fading at the other. "The Mark becomes a curse and the person automatically passes over to... the OTHER Realm."

My entire body went cold. "The Cursed Realm," I whispered fearfully.

PIXAL nodded; I imagined the solemn toll of a bell ringing out with the movement. "The slash represents perfection ruined, or the promise of perfection taken away. It was typically made with the non-dominant hand, further symbolizing chaos, and was bestowed upon those with unsavory qualities. Criminals of the most disgraceful crimes were usually dealt this sentence."

Her chrome fingers folded the paper into equal quarters before neatly slipping it back into the drawer, continuing to explain, "Official use of the Sendoff Marks hasn't been utilized in several millennia. The Marks have the power to send one who hasn't passed on into the Realms, and even more criminals started using the Marks on their victims. In response, Ninjago residents started to leave the fates of the deceased in the hands of the Realms. Most mentions of the Sendoff Marks were collected and destroyed to ensure such heinous acts would never be committed again." She finally turned to face me fully with her hands behind her back. "The only way I know of this is because of the late Master Wu; he has some of the few surviving scrolls on this subject."

"Good ol' Master Wu..." I agreed weakly, leaning heavily back into my pillows. My mind was racing at this new bit of information, though something still didn't add up. "But... how did I know about the Sendoff Mark?"

"Not all of the Elemental Bloodlines are documented," PIXAL said in answer. "Perhaps one or some of your ancestors delivered a Mark sometime in their lifetime." She spread her hands as if to indicate a vast amount of something. "The memories of previous Masters are locked in the Elements. As you continue to grow into your power, more of your ancestors' memories will become available to you - you may even discover the ancestor this information came from."

Some of her previous words joined with her present statement: Ancestors' memories from over a millennia ago. My family tree goes back that far. "And the Sendoff Marks haven't been used until I brought them back," I said guiltily, hanging my head.

"Oh, don't be too hard on yourself," PIXAL told me, sounding a little too lenient for the situation. "From what I've seen, William Afton truly deserved it."

It was a beat before her words properly registered. "WHAT?" I exclaimed, whipping my head back up to her. "Y-you know about William? I don't think I've even told my dad his name!"

PIXAL's shiny lips stretched into an even wider smile. "I do know about him, thanks to those new friends of yours," She told me proudly. "Their ocular devices were recording the entire night, and they were all too happy to make their files accessible to me once they rebooted. Some files were glitchy, but it was nothing my cleanup system couldn't fix. We were able to get the full scoop beforehand, so you won't have to put together a story for the others."

"Okay good..." I said in relief, though I was slightly disappointed. I love telling stories. "How are the others?"

"They're keeping up with their training, though they're worried about you," PIXAL informed me. "They practically jumped for joy when your mother came to the kitchen and told them you were awake - it broke their hearts when she told them to continue staying out of your room."

It broke my own heart hearing that, but I didn't blame Mom. After sleeping for three days straight, I probably wouldn't be able to handle all of them coming into my room at once. "What about the animatronics? Are they adjusting?"

"They're worried for you like the others, but they seem to be adjusting quite nicely," PIXAL informed me. "They were truly a mess when we found them, you see, so I took the liberty of cleaning them up, fixing their shells, and giving them a few upgrades."

"Upgrades?" I repeated, curious. "What kinds of upgrades?"

PIXAL gave me a mysterious smirk. "I'll let you see for yourself when you're able to walk tomorrow," She told me. When I pouted, she made a peace offering: "They've been joined by two of their previous friends, though."

"Previous friends...?" I questioned before it hit me and my eyes widened even more. "You mean Foxy and Bonnie? They're back... and they're okay?"

PIXAL nodded, her own eyes sparkling joyfully. "They are!"

"But... how?"

PIXAL sighed. "It wasn't easy, considering that there was nearly a hundred endos to search through," She explained in a strained voice. "My first method to find them involved running a system check on all of their programming to see if I could find any of Foxy or Bonnie's original code. Chica, however, had a more... CREATIVE method of finding them."

"Creative how?" Knowing Chica, "creative" could mean a lot of things.

"Well, she started to sing a song..." PIXAL explained slowly, looking confused about it even now. "How did it go again?" She looked up as she recalled the song and tapped out the tempo with her fingers: "I've got a record player that was made in 2014; dyed my hair blue, it came a seasick sort of green; I like vintage dresses when they fall just below my knees; I pretend I scraped them climbing in the trees."

I replayed the tune in my head until its melody clicked. "Record Player by AJR and Daisy the Great?" I confirmed.

"Correct," PIXAL commended me with a nod. "Chica sang the first verse and then Freddy joined in with its repeat. By that point, I had already done away with the high stigma sensitivity on the endos, so they were all gathered in front of the animatronics." She had started to pace, enraptured in her own story. "When they got to the third repetition, one of the endos stepped forward and started moving its mouth. The poor things can't even talk without a central system, isn't that sad?

"Anyway, that endo joined in with the first two, and when they got to the fourth repetition, another endo stepped forward. Chica and Freddy stopped after that and pointed to the first endo. That's Bonnie they said before pointing to the second endo. That's Foxy."

"That WAS creative," I replied, agreeing with her earlier statement. "But did they ever explain HOW it would reveal Foxy and Bonnie?"

"Yes, something about it being a song they would sing all the time back at the Pizzaplex," PIXAL told me with a vague wave of her hand. "It seemed like it was something only those four would do, because the other two, Monty and Roxy, showed no knowledge of the song."

I nodded in understanding. "Makes sense, since Chica, Freddy, Bonnie, and Foxy were the original animatronic band," I said thoughtfully. "They go way back - they probably do a lot of things no one else would understand. So what happened after that?"

"Well, I scanned their systems and discovered that their original programming was still there, they were just buried under layers and layers of encryptions to the point that they couldn't speak like they used to. After bringing their programming to light, I used some of our tech in the basement to recreate their original shells. I also used it to give that 'Moon' persona of Sun's to give him a new endo."

I perked up when she said that. "Moony and Sunny are separate now?" I inquired.

"Yes," PIXAL confirmed, looking annoyed though not at me. "It was more of a safety precaution than anything - Boa accidentally turned off the lights in the kitchen when Sun was in there, and the poor boy was nearly jumped. It seemed safer to transfer him into his own body in order to avoid surprises like that.

"Now we have an orange bear, a white chicken, a gray wolf, a green alligator, a purple bunny, a red fox, a small spider, a big spider, a sun persona, a moon persona, nearly a hundred blank endos, and still twenty teenage boys running around the Monastery." She paused to sigh and lay a hand on her forehead dramatically. "As if this place wasn't full enough."

I had to laugh at her exasperation, then proceeded with my questions: "Are the others getting along with them?"

PIXAL made her face into an imitation of tiredness. "Yes, frighteningly so. Valt and Honcho raid the kitchen with Chica at any hour of day, and Monty and Xander won't stop getting into arm wrestling matches - to be honest, it's pretty tied. Orochi and Kit are getting music lessons from Freddy, whilst Fubuki and Foxy refuse to cease their 'Pirates' game. Lui keeps arguing with Roxy over the smallest things, and Bonnie teamed up with Cuza in asking me to add a bowling alley." She snuck a concerned glance at the door. "And I don't even KNOW where Jin and Free are at the moment."

This time I laughed long and hard. It felt like so long had passed since I'd had a good laugh, and my friends' antics had just what the doctor ordered. I could almost feel my other injuries healing under my bursting guffaws. "Y-yeah... that sounds... about right," I admitted between outbursts.

PIXAL gave me a wounded look, but I could see the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I'm SO happy that my pain is bringing you joy," She told me sarcastically, though even her tone threatened to break through with sunshine.

After I calmed down, I ran through what PIXAL had told me. Everything seemed to be in order, but someone was missing from the lineup. "What about Vanessa?"

With that one name, PIXAL's good mood completely disappeared from her face, leaving in its place a cold, merciless mask. "She suffered some brain damage, so we have her hooked up to a blood thinner," She informed me, having lost all traces of mirth. "But don't worry - the files we gathered from the animatronics also revealed her crimes, and I can assure you that as soon as she is healthy, we will deliver her to the nearest prison."

"NO!" The protest was out of my mouth before I knew what I was doing; I just went along with it. "Please - don't throw her in prison!"

PIXAL blinked at me; she probably hadn't expected this reaction from me. Her brow drew together as she proceeded to tell me in a low tone, "I don't think you understand exactly how numerous and severe that woman's actions were, Ken. I have her down for kidnapping, illegal weapon possession, possession with intent to kill, stealing and tampering with private property, not to mention SEVERAL accounts of murder. I mean-" She threw her arms out in exasperation. "We're talking a good 50 years to life with this!"

"Those crimes weren't her fault, though!" I replied firmly. PIXAL was acting just the animatronics had - how could she not understand? "She was being mind-controlled! You must have seen that in the files!"

"Regardless if she was being controlled or not," PIXAL told me too evenly. "It was still her body that performed those deeds. With William gone, someone has to take responsibility for the sins of the Pizzaplex."

"Then take it up with the Pizzaplex higher ups, or whoever hired her, or introduced William's virus to her, SOMEBODY!" I exclaimed, straining against my slings. "JUST NOT VANESSA!"

"Ken, be careful with your arms - they're not healed yet!" PIXAL scolded me, rushing forward to reposition my slings. I was still ticked, but I reluctantly allowed her to baby me. When she was satisfied, she stepped back and stared at me intensely. "I really don't understand, Ken. After what that woman did to you, after kidnapping you and having you run for your life ALL NIGHT... why do you choose mercy? She could be imprisoned and this whole thing would be put behind us!"

I stared back at her, trying to match her intensity. I knew it wasn't a trick question - she legitimately wanted to know why I didn't want anything bad to happen to Vanessa. It was one of her pop quizzes, testing my values. There was no definite answer.

Let's just hope my answer is the right one.

"Because when the night started, I was just a scared little kid that had no idea what was going on," I revealed slowly, taking the time to detail my decision. "My first plan was to keep running until I found the exit or something found me first. Then a kind animatronic took pity on me and helped me to think smarter, think quicker. He didn't have to, but he did anyway." That animatronic's glowing eyes appeared in my mind's eye even now, and I took a deep breath. "If it wasn't for him, I'd have been dead before dawn ever came. I will repay his kindness in any way I can. Especially if it means showing that same generosity to others." I took another breath before playing my trump card: "Because as a Master of Metal, that's MY will to fight!"

PIXAL's widened as her jaw dropped and she stared at me, not saying a word. For a few seconds, or minutes, or hours, we just stared at each other, letting my words ring in the silence. I was beginning to think she was going to scold me even more, but then she seemed to soften. Her gaze drifted down to the floor almost shamefully, and she released a sigh of her own before speaking:

"Very well. I cannot argue with a Master's will. I will release the charges and inform the others so they know of the situation. BUT-" She held up a chrome finger in warning. "This does not mean that Vanessa is automatically free from prison. She first has to prove that she can recover both physically and mentally from the effects of being mind-controlled. If I find that she is a danger to both herself and others, I WILL turn her over to the nearest prison system. My students' safety and that of the public is my top priority." Her green eyes were back on me, full force. "Do I make myself clear?"

I remembered trembling under her fierce gaze as a student; that seemed like decades ago. I met her gaze squarely and nodded. "Of course, PIXAL."

My Nindroid teacher nodded definitively before glancing at my arms yet again. "Continue resting," She instructed me. "I'll let your parents know to remove your arms from the slings come midnight; they should be completely healed by that point." With all she came in to do said and done, she headed towards the door and slid it back.

Before she exited my room, though, she paused and looked back at me. "Ken... you Awakened your Element. Things will only get more complicated from here on out," She explained, somewhat softly in comparison to her earlier strictness. "I want you to know that you will not be alone in this. We will help you however we can." With that, she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

I wasn't tired yet. My limbs were still elevated and I was still on bed rest, so all I could really do was turn to stare at the window. During the time we had been talking, the Sun had completely slipped below the horizon, leaving only a lonely lantern on my bedside table to light my room. The window shade, which had looked like a lantern in on itself earlier, now looked bleak and plain. I suddenly got the urge to get up and open the window shade, if only to gaze out onto the world beyond.

The world that had changed forever, at least for me.

I smiled to myself and turned so that I was facing the ceiling. I can't wait to get started.

—————

6407 words.

Ken is awake!

The entire animatronic family is back together!

And Vanessa isn't going to jail!

How will the story change from here?