"Guys, somethings wrong."

"What are you talkin' about?" Plundar questioned. "The worst is behind us."

"No, it's literally behind us. I can feel it," I insisted.

"Cole sealed off the cave, remember?" Vania answered.

"I'm being serious. I can feel the earth shaking. It's coming after us."

"Stop being such a downer," Vania shot back.

"Fine." I shut myself up, but continued to sense the tremors in the ground.

Not long later, I could swear I felt it warm up in the cave. The vibrations were becoming stronger.

"It's getting worse."

"What are you talking about?" Cole asked.

"Don't you feel it? That monster is coming back. I can feel the heat of the lava. Don't you sense the earth shaking?"

"Now that you mention it, it does seem warmer than a few minutes ago," Fungus began.

Cole stopped and pressed his hands to the ground, "She's right."

"Well, then, let's pick up the pace," Plundar remarked, and began jogging. No sooner had we picked up speed, than the tunnel started to glow with orange light.

"It is behind us!" Cole yelled.

We tore through the tunnels, anxious to put distance between ourselves and the monster. The monster grew closer and closer until it was close enough to launch lava balls at us again.

"I thought we lost this thing!" Plundar cried.

"Plundar think wrong," Korgran returned.

"No more thinking, just run!" Cole screamed.

We barreled through the caves, searching for something, anything, to help our situation. We stumbled upon two mine carts on a track.

Without hesitation, Cole stated, "Everyone, into the carts."

Vania, Wu, Plundar, and I hopped into the front cart with Fungus and Adam in the one behind.

"Are you sure these still work?" Vania protested.

"I am forced to agree with the princess," Wu added, "this looks rather old."

"Trust me, it'll work. Korgran, gimmie a hand!" Cole shouted. Korgran and Cole pushed the carts to a breaker and jumped in themselves, Cole in the front and Korgran in the back.

"Time to go, all aboard!" Plundar called out over the shrieks of the creature as it hurdled towards us. Cole kicked at the breaker, sending the carts flying down the tracks with all of us screaming.

We flew down the tracks, taking corners almost too fast.

"I told you it would work! Whoo! Now that's what I call a good idea!" Cole exclaimed in triumph. I had to admit, it was almost fun tearing through the mines at break-neck speeds. The tracks bumped up and down, throwing us all around the carts.

"We're going too fast!" Vania shrieked.

"Hold on!" Wu yelled.

The tracks took a deep dive before launching back up again almost immediately as we entered another cavern filled with lava. As we swung around a sharp turn, the cart began to roll off the track.

"On the other side! Quick!" Cole shouted. We quickly shifted to the opposite side of the cart, throwing it back onto the track.

"What kind of person would build a track like this?" Cole wailed.

"I think I'm going to be sick!" Fungus shouted.

The cart slowed down slightly as we ascended another hill.

"Whew. That was close," Cole began.

"If we're going up, that means-" I started.

"Down!" Korgran cut in as the cart plunged downwards again.

"Uh-oh!" Cole shouted as we rocketed down the track and around another curve.

"What, uh-oh?" Vania asked.

Cole pointed towards boards blocking off the next section of track. "Sh-" I began to curse.

We bust through the boards, slowing down ever so slightly as we shot through a cavern filled with boxes of mined vengestone before smashing through another set of boards. The cart crashed as it reached the end of the track, sending us flying. Fungus landed on Plundar and I landed on top of Cole. I quickly rolled off of him, face heating in embarrassment.

"See?" Cole spoke as he sat up, "Another good idea."

"Is everyone alright?" Wu asked.

I stood and brushed myself off, "I'm fine."

"Korgran head hurt," Korgran moaned, holding his head.

"My whole body hurts," Plundar began, but Fungus shoved his head down as he braced himself up.

"Where are we?"

I glanced around the grotto we had landed in. Directly in front of us, were two massive doors engraved in what appeared to be the Old Tongue. Surrounding us on the walls of the cave were hollows in the rock that seemed as though they once held torches.

"Oh my gosh," I breathed.

"Cole, what is it?" Wu questioned, walking up beside him.

"I don't know. I have a strange feeling about this place," he answered.

The earth around us began to tremble. All around us, the indents in the rock lit, the surrounding rock glowing the same orange that the trail of light that Cole summoned did.

Cautiously, I walked up the small staircase to the double doors in front of us, lightly running my hands over the engravings. Wu followed me up, studying the writing intently.

"What is it?" Cole probed, ascending the stairs next to me.

"It is the Old Tongue," Wu explained. "The language in which my oldest scrolls are written."

"What does it say?" Fungus inquired.

"There's something about... the heart of the mountain? 'Let pass through here, into this refuge and sanctuary, only those who are one with the Earth.' Hm, I wonder," he mused, turning again to Cole.

"What means that?" Korgran piped up.

"'The Heart of the Mountain' is the name of the legendary temple of the Masters of Earth. Some believe it was hidden in the mountains of Shintaro, but it has never been found."

"Oh, I know this story!" Vania spoke up excitedly, "It's in one of my books: Famous Places I Will Find Before Anyone Else, by Clutch Powers." I rolled my eyes at the second mention of the "adventurer."

"What's inside?" Plundar began, just as excited as Vania. "Treasure? Loot?"

"Something even more precious," Wu went on.

"Gemstones!" I pinched the bridge of my nose, shaking my head. This guy.

"The teachings of the Spinjitzu Burst," Wu announced.

"The what?" Fungus questioned.

"It's a powerful force. Only an Elemental Master surrounded by his element can achieve it, it's mentioned in some of the earliest teachings of Spinjitzu," Wu went on before turning to Cole. "Your mother sought to learn the Burst... but she never did."

"There's so much I never knew about her," Cole spoke mournfully.

It saddened me to see him like this, but I held my tongue. Shifting my attention, I noticed Plundar hopping up the stairs before inspecting the doors and jamming at them with lock-picks that came from who-knows-where.

"How do you open it?" he grunted, pushing at the door.

"Korgran, a little help," Fungus offered, and Korgran threw himself at the door, running at it at full speed. I stifled a laugh as he stumbled backwards at the impact of solid rock.

"If the legend is true," Wu continued, "the doors will open only for those who are one with the Earth. An Earth Elemental."

I grabbed Korgran's arms and braced him as he stood up, "It would be nice to tell Korgran before," he lamented.

Cole hesitantly walked up to the door, placing his hand on it lightly before glancing back at Wu. Wu nodded, and Cole lit his hands and pressed them into the door. The door glowed from his power, running across the engravings all along it, and when the whole door was lit, it burst open into a temple rimmed with huge statues of what I assumed were past Masters of Earth. A gasp flew up from the group as we cautiously walked inside.

"Such beauty," Fungus exclaimed as we gazed around the cavern, taking in the splendor of it all.

"We are looking upon something that few have ever seen," Wu voiced.

We walked to the center of the cavern where the statues surrounded a platform. The floor was engraved with a mural of sorts, but it was hard to make out what exactly it was from the dust and dirt coating it. Cole stopped with a gasp as the statue in the center seemed to catch his eye.

"What is it?" I whispered, stepping up beside him.

"Cole's mother-" Wu began.

"Lilly," I breathed. I observed as Cole knelt in front of the statue, before lighting his hands and touching a plaque on the base of it. It glowed before shooting the light all the way up the statue, illuminating details etched into the rock. Torches around the grotto lit one by one as the glow swept to them. I gasped in awe at the beauty of this place.

"Look. Look at this!" Fungus caught everyone's attention from a corner of the cavern. He pointed to a huge stone mech standing in the corner.

"What is it?" Korgran asked as Wu and Vania made their way to the mech.

"A mech. But unlike any mech I've ever seen," Wu spoke, examining the mech.

I tuned out the conversation and swiveled towards Cole, who was still kneeling in front of the statue. I wanted to know more, but I hung back, giving Cole space.

He turned to me, "Do you wanna read it?" he asked. I nodded, and walked up beside him.

"This statue was carved with love and gratitude by Geckle and Munce craftsmen," he read.

"Geckle and Munce?" I echoed.

"Those were the creatures in the mine," he explained.

"Cole," Cole shifted to the center of the cavern at Wu's voice. The mural on the floor began to glow, illuminating from the center out the images carved into the stone. It appeared to tell a story, of Lilly no doubt, learning the Spinjitzu Burst to defeat a dragon. The two of us descended the stairs towards the rest of the group.

"I guess she did learn how to do it," Cole mused, studying the mural closely.

"What's that lighting shining out of her?" Vania questioned.

"Elemental energy. Power. The power of the Earth itself," Wu explained.

"Cole! You have to try it!" Vania exclaimed excitedly, placing her hand on his shoulder as he stood up. My guts twisted as I watched them together, an unexpected reaction.

"Me? I- I- I can't. I don't know how," he excused.

"You're a Master of Earth Cole," I spoke up, surprising myself, "it's in your blood."

"If you could learn the Spinjitzu Burst, you could use it against my father and free all those poor creatures working in the mines," Vania squealed.

"We don't even know for sure if my mother could do the Burst. What if it was the Blades of Deliverance?" Cole dismissed.

"We don't have the Blades, Cole. The Burst is our only chance. You have to try," Wu instructed.

"Okay fine," Cole conceded, "But I'm not making any promises." He took a deep breath before continuing, "Okay. Let's get this Spinjitzu Burst started." He swung a few punches, "What do I do?"

"You're asking me?" Wu shrugged, "I don't know."

"You're the Master!" Cole shot back.

"I know nothing of this kind of Spinjitzu. This is known only to Earth Elementals. You must open your mind. You must discover the truth within."

Cole turned around and faced the statue, kneeling on the ground once again.

"Nothing is happening," Korgran whispered.

I elbowed him, "Shhh."

"Do you feel anything?" Wu pressed.

"Nothing," Cole exasperated.

"Still nothing is happening," Korgran spoke again.

"No kidding," Plundar answered.

I spun on both of them, "Seriously?"

"Do you guys' mind?" Cole asked, clearly frustrated. He lit his hands and twisted into Spinjitzu, before glancing at us, "That wasn't the Burst, was it?" He asked dejectedly.

"No," Wu answered bluntly.

He again turned away, dejected, "Come on, you stupid mountain! Do something. Do something!" He yelled before slamming his fists into the ground.

The entire cave trembled from the impact. "Was that me?" Cole asked hesitantly.

"Whatever is was shook the whole mountain!" Plundar spoke nervously.

"Sounds like thunder," Korgran voiced.

"I must look into this," Fungus stated, removing his hat and dropping some mushrooms and a hunk of moss inside.

"What's he doing?" Cole questioned.

"Fungus magic," Korgran replied frankly.

"He's making the pictures again," Plundar explained.

"It is not pictures!" Fungus protested, "It is far-sight. I have discovered a special concoction of lichen and moss which reveals things that are happening far away. Observe." Fungus chucked a piece of what I assumed was lichen into his hat which exploded with blue smoke. As the smoke cleared slightly, it revealed five figures in armored ninja gis running.

"The other ninja!" Cole and I exclaimed in unison.

"Where are they? What's happened to them?" Wu demanded.

"Quiet! Watch," Fungus commanded.

A dragon suddenly sprung up in the images in the smoke, chasing after the ninja.

"They're in trouble!" Plundar grieved.

"They fight dragon?" Korgran wondered aloud.

"It must be Greif-Bringer!" Declared Fungus.

"Greif-Bringer? The dragon from the picture with my mom?" Cole began. The dragon in the vision attacked the ninja with flames before the image vanished. "We have to do something. We have to help!" Cole cried.

"Against something so powerful, only the Spinjitzu Burst can prevail," Wu spoke.

"Well I can't do that!" Cole lamented, "Our friends are in trouble, and we're wasting time, stuck here in this - this useless temple! Agh!" Cole stomped off in a huff.

Wu shook his head and began to turn away, but I caught his attention, "Master Wu, I don't mean to be rude, but you're not really trying to help Cole right now."

"Excuse me?"

"You're throwing a pity party and Cole needs your help and support as master and mentor," I explained.

"Cole is no longer a student! You of all the people here know that he is an accomplished ninja and Elemental Master! He has not needed me in a long time," Wu expressed.

"That not what is looks like to me," I reasoned.

"Very well," With that, Wu followed Cole out of the temple. I trailed behind at a distance, listening to their conversation.

"On your feet Cole."

"What's the point?"

"We have work to do."

"I can't do it Master Wu. I'm not my mother! I can't do the Burst, so unless you know how-"

"I do not."

"Then we have to find some other way."

Wu sighed, "Celine is right."

"Celine?"

"I have neglected my duties. What has been the principle lesson of all my teachings? I'm waiting."

"Ninja never quit."

"Exactly. Ninja never quit. And from this moment on, neither do masters. They would never quit on us and we will never quit on them. Burst or not, we have a dragon to face!"

I jumped back from the door quickly as Master Wu and Cole re-enter the grotto.

"Everyone gather round," Cole commanded, "Master Wu has a plan."

I smiled in spite of myself, we were going to get out of this mountain and help the ninja if it was the last thing we did.