"Why does 'a voice that sings' have to be a specific person?" I asked Father as he drove us to the library. "That description is pretty vague. Unless the prophecy says more than what you've given us."

     Father didn't say anything right away, but his jaw did twitch at the accusation. "I will give you this. The prophecy does say 'to defeat the darkness you must have three things: a key, a sacrifice, and a voice that sings.' It's as vague as you said."

     "Why can't we know the exact wording again? Knowing it will help us help you figure out the three things quicker."

     Father gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white from pressure. "There is a reason we have only told you about it now, a reason other than we didn't want to pressure you. The darkness probably has ears everywhere. If they figure out the prophecy, then they could potentially find the three things first and prevent us from getting them. Then, we'd really be in trouble."

     "Does the rest of the prophecy clue you into their location?"

     "It does not. But it does describe the timeline of events, like how the great flash signals the coming of the darkness. I need to keep those details vague enough so he can't learn them."

     "He?"

     "It doesn't matter who the darkness is right now. It will just place even more pressure on your shoulders."

     I felt the temperature shift with my own irritation. "You said you've been preparing us to fight this darkness since we were little. So, we shouldn't be scared of what to face. You can tell us. We're not children any longer."

     "I know, Shade," Father leaned back in his seat as he pulled the car into the library's raised parking lot. The Central Library of Ninjago was the biggest and oldest library in the city. It had been updated to look like a house you would imagine movie stars to live in, with glass planes and white ridges that jutted out to stop the sun from heating all of the exposed windows. The parking lot was surrounded by a wide expanse of carefully attended grassy beds that featured many different wildflowers. It was probably a lot warmer outside, since the sun was barely hindered by a few cirrus clouds. It was also harder for me to detect temperature changes when there was more air to work with. Inside the interior of Father's car, however, it was easy to pick up every slight shift.

     "It's true, your Mother and I have known about this for a long time. We wanted to protect you from this fate, as crucial as it is. We've been trying our hardest to prepare you for it, so that when it came it wouldn't be so scary. But we still had to take precautions to make sure the darkness wouldn't figure everything out."

     "If you knew that you needed these three things so long ago, then why only start looking for them now?" I unbuckled my seat belt, zipping up the jacket I had brought.

     "We didn't know we'd need the three things. We only received the prophecy a few days ago, not long before the great flash in the sky," Father pulled a navy blue hoodie out of the back, slipping it over his head.

     "But you just said—"

     "Shade, I know what I'm doing. I've been on these adventures before, remember?" Father's eyes said more than his words. I closed my mouth, ignoring the chill in the air.

     Father gave me a small smile of gratitude, then pulled a brown shaggy wig on over his trademark blonde hair. "Your mother and I went on a little adventure like this once." His eyes became distant with the memory. "We had to go to different libraries, but every time we went into one, I was swarmed by fans."

     His smile was heartbreakingly sweet. Father and Mother had a very strong bond, one I had never seen replicated in other families. I often wondered if any of my 'girlfriends' would have that bond with me. It was always the same. There was never a connection. It was always just shallow longing to have their name in the most well-known group ever.

     "Were you trying to figure out a prophecy then as well?" I asked as we got out of the car.

     The trance snapped, making him pause to process my words. "Huh? Oh, no, it wasn't like that."

     He hurried towards the building, leaving me standing in confusion. It wasn't often Mother and Father would skip around parts of their past, but this seemed to be one of those moments. I often wondered if there was more to their story than what we were told.

    How did you and Dad meet?

     I pulled my hood over my head, and raced after my disguised father.

     Oh, sweetie, it wasn't a grandiose moment. He came across me in one of his adventures, and we fell in love. There wasn't much more to it than that.

>(<>)<

Key, sacrifice, voice that sings.

     I typed the words into a computer as Father chatted with a librarian. We were currently in the library's computer lab with access to the top information in Ninjago. Father and the librarian were discussing the vague details while I dived into important artifacts.

     The internet had many matches for 'key'.

     Key-makers: the one and only key shop.

     Famous Keys Throughout the Ages.

     The Life of Lila Key: Famous Musician and Actress.

     I clicked on the website about famous keys. I assumed that was what the prophecy wanted us to look for, but that would mean we'd probably need the key to unlock something. I absentmindedly scrolled past several old artifacts, not paying attention to the giant five-foot key statues found in some older temples. If we needed a key to unlock something, then what could it possibly be? Some weapon to take out the enemy? A hidden cave that held the secrets of the past? A vault filled with treasure?

     Maybe we didn't need a literal key at all, but some well-known actress to fight for us.

     The Brass Key of Old Ninjago.

     I paused my quick scrolling to read the description. This key was considerably smaller than the rest, only about a foot wide. The author of this article didn't seem to know much about it, other than it was found recently during a voyage to the outskirts of Ninjago Island. I copied the title of the key and started a new search.

     Meanwhile, the librarian was going on about Lila Key.

     "She was a great singer. Great friends with Cliff Gordon, you know, the guy who played Fritz Donegan in those movies... they were called Starbringer or something... anyway, she actually did a few musical numbers for them."

     "Starfarer," Father corrected the man, "and that is quite interesting. Is Miss Key still alive?"

     "Is Lila Key still alive?" the librarian scoffed. "Of course, she's only in her fifties. Plenty of singing left to do."

     "Then we'll have to pay her a visit."

     I skimmed through another article on the Brass Key of Old Ninjago. Apparently, even though it had only been found recently, archeologists had dated it back during the times of the First Spinjitzu Master. The goal right now was for several teams of archeologists to take the key to different ancient temples to see if it could unlock anything. Since the vault under Borg Industries was the safest place to store ancient treasures, the Brass Key was currently locked away there. Which meant if it did end up being important, then we could retrieve it whenever we wished. PIXAL had control over the vault, and she'd be more than willing to do whatever it took to help our cause.

     I searched up a few other semi-important looking keys; I even listened to one of Lila Key's music videos for my dad. She wasn't half bad. Father and I left the library about an hour after we showed up, with a reasonable package of information. Father phoned Lila's agent while I drove home.

     Ninjago City was a truly beautiful place, it was hard to believe it was once in ruins because of countless enemies. Now, a darkness was going to come and threaten it again. The only way for me to keep the city and its people safe was to fight off the darkness. A darkness my parents knew the identity of. A darkness they probably had a past with. There were a lot of things about this prophecy that didn't make sense to me, but I had to follow their judgement if I wanted to make sure everyone would be safe in the near future.

     "Our three things are probably in the city already," I told Mother that night as she prepared dinner. "We have nothing to worry about."

     "I'm with Shade on this one," Father said from behind me before Mother could add in. "It's probable we already have the three things, so we should wait here and focus on training until he comes to us."

     Mother stirred her pot of broth carefully, "The villains don't normally come to you until they feel like they have enough power to wipe you out."

     "We don't know where he is, much less where to seek him out now. If we wait until he comes to us, we'll have the three things in the city. Besides, waiting gives the kids more time to train," Father laid utensils out on the dark tablecloth, his tone suggesting he was discussing something unimportant like sports.

     Mother considered his point, moving on to dump vegetables into her broth. Plink. Plink. Plunk.

     "You're risking the citizens' safety with this plan."

     "It's a risk I'm willing to take. Hopefully they can take out the darkness quickly enough so that no one gets hurt," Father's voice was lower now, like he was trying to trudge through painful memories.

     "We both know it's never that easy."

     I felt like I was invading some sort of private conversation with the way they were silently communicating through glances and facial expressions. Yet, whatever they were doing seemed to work because both of them started to nod before heading back to their getting-dinner-ready duties.

     "So..." I carefully said. "What's the consensus?"

     "We'll stay here and train until further notice. If the darkness pushes us forward, then we'll take steps accordingly," Mother replied, her tone taking one the same one Father's had, like this was an unimportant decision not worth worrying about.

     I watched Mother prepare the dinner bowls, my mouth in a thin line. The sound of adventuring out was attractive, but Father was right. We had been trained for years to fight off this darkness. We would finish whoever it was off quickly, especially since the city probably already had the three things. There would be barely a fight to come.

     A fight to end quickly so we could go on with our normal life.

     And for some reason, that sounded like the least enticing thing in the universe.

Find the stupid prophecy.

     That was my goal. That was my purpose. Nothing else mattered. I had to find the prophecy before the moon turned new, which was in a few days. Then the mysterious voice would train me to be the most powerful elemental master ever. No one would dare mock me again. I would not be less than my brothers. I would be more than they could ever be.

     Father and Shade were currently out in the city, trying to find leads on the 'three things' they'd need to complete the prophecy. Mother was out in the yard with Morro as they practiced their sword skills. I was in the house alone, with a good fifteen minutes to myself before Morro got fed up with the heat.

     I crept into my parent's room, looking around for anything out of the ordinary. Everything looked normal: unmade beds, folded clothes waiting on top of the dresser to be put away, and a few decorative items that had been dusted to perfection. I immediately started unpacking the dresser to see if they had hidden anything under the clothes inside.

     There were a few interesting items under the various hoodies, sweatpants, and kimonos, but nothing worth getting excited over. Mother had a set of hairpins and a couple fancy looking daggers, and Father had armor I assumed belonged to his old ninja suits. As interesting as it was, it didn't help me in finding the prophecy. I quickly slid the folded tunics back into the drawers and moved to look under the beds.

     Nothing except the cat, who wasn't sure what I was doing. He lazily blinked at me and went back to sleep.

     I heard no doors sliding open, so I ventured into the closet. I had never looked inside their closet before; it had never crossed my mind as something to be curious about. I saw it was filled with ninja gis.

     The gis were relics of their past adventures. I shouldn't have thought anything of it, but the gis were obviously my father's. I didn't see ninja suits that belonged to my mother. A few storage boxes littered the closet's floor, labeled as shoeboxes or boxes that held little trinkets that my parents held dear. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing to lead me to the prophecy.

     I made my way into the bathroom as quietly as I could, even though there was no one in the house to hear me besides the cat, who had made up his mind that he was going to see what I was doing. He rubbed up against my leg, mewing for attention. I gave his long grey fur a quick pat before testing the mirrors for secret compartments.

     Still nothing—except my now hungry-for-attention cat.

     I checked the cabinets next to the sink, but they had nothing but common toiletries. Nothing hidden, nothing useful for my quest.

     "Mrrrweow," the cat protested as I pushed him aside to knock on the walls, lest there be a secret compartment somewhere.

     Still nothing but my insanely annoying cat who was now trying to knead on my socks.

     I turned off the light and went back to the closet of memories, wondering if I had missed anything. This closet was devoted to preserving the adventures my parents held dear. If some new adventure came along, wouldn't they put it in there?

     "Montgomery! Get off the boxes!" I whisper-hissed at the cat, who was attempting to climb up the back of the closet to the top shelf. He didn't listen and ended up knocking a stack of shoes over. I cringed at the noise, waiting to hear someone start yelling at me. But the house was silent, empty; Morro and Mother were still outside.

     I rummaged through the gis to retrieve Monte, only to find him sitting in a little compartment behind the clothes. The door to this opening the wall had swung open, I assume from it not being closed properly. The door was the same color as the wall; no one would be able to find it if it weren't open. Even though stuffy gis were hugging my ears, I smiled at the cat who had unknowingly helped me find what I was looking for.

     I ran back to my room to find a flashlight, then returned as quickly as possible. Inside the compartment there was a safe and an intricate box. I plucked the box out (the safe probably had boring money in it) and gently pried it open. It had to be my best shot; why else would my parents hide it with a safe?

     I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but the box's contents were certainly disappointing. Inside there was an envelope with my mother's name written on it in intricate letters. There were also a bunch of envelopes addressed from the other Ninja to Father, bound with a rubber band. Again, several possessions of my father and barely any belonging to Mother. It was as if she wasn't very important on his ninja adventures.

     But Mother had always told us it was Father's ninja adventures that brought them together. So, she must have gone on them with him. However, if that was the case, then why was there no evidence that she had?

     There were two scrolls filling up the rest of the small box's space. They looked ancient, so I carefully unrolled the first one. The words were written with more flair, showcasing the writer's dedication to perfecting his writing style. I nearly dropped the scroll in surprise when I read what it said. I quickly unraveled the next one to read the next part.

     The prophecy.

     And what of the son of Oni and Light?

     There was a chosen one. A son of Oni and Light. My parents had been training my brothers for years to be the key to defeating the darkness. They conveniently forgot to mention that the prophecy stated that one son would accomplish this.

     Two brothers.

     One potential son.

     That was why they had pushed my training aside when it came to my brothers. That was why I was always going to be lesser. That was why they didn't find a way to give me elemental powers. It was because I wasn't a boy. I wasn't the 'son' from the prophecy. I seethed, building my pent-up desire to find the speaker of the voice. He didn't care if I was a girl with weak, if not non-existent, powers. He said he would make me the chosen one.

     I took the scrolls to my room, copied what they said onto a separate sheet of paper, then returned them, and the box, to the hidden compartment. By then, Monte had figured out I wasn't going to give him anything, so he returned to his sleeping spot. I quickly made sure everything was back in place, then left the room just as Morro walked in the back door.

     He gave me an odd look, but didn't say anything. I gave him a false smile, then not-so-discreetly fled to my room to reread the prophecy's exact words over and over. The moon was not yet new, but I had accomplished my mission. I would give the prophecy to the voice, and then I'd show them all what a chosen one really was.

>(<>)<

I have your prophecy.

     I stepped forward into the empty meadow, gently setting the full prophecy inside of the shelf mushrooms that lined the biggest tree. Even the mushrooms' color had faded as they tried to feed on the dead atmosphere. I backed up in the dirt, holding out my hands to feel the evening's breezes. It wasn't fully night yet; I didn't want to be caught by the spirit. He'd probably nag me to death about what I was doing.

     The wind whispered the same word as always. I tried to feel for something to grab onto, but it was as elusive as it was annoying. How could I ever manipulate something I couldn't touch?

     You have not failed me, Ver.

     I surveyed the meadow, but no one was there. The voice had to belong to one of two people. The spirit hadn't spoken directly into my mind in forever, so it had to be the other voice.

     I brought you your prophecy, I replied, now teach me how to control the wind.

     I cannot teach you here.

     I clenched my fists. Then you lied to me.

     Ver, I never promised to teach you how to control the wind. I promised you would become the Chosen One.

     I don't care about the stupid prophec—

     Yes, you do. I can see the hurt in your heart. I can see how much it affects you, watching your brothers train and grow to become heroes your parents never expected you to be. You know why; you've read the prophecy. Son of Oni and Light. And you are a girl. The powerless daughter. They don't expect you to be the hero, but I can change that.

    "You listen here," I hissed to the air. "I did not come here to be reminded of my failures. I did not come to be mentally abused—" I wiped a hand across my eyes, refusing to let any tears fall, "—I get enough of that already. If all you want to do is remind me of how lesser I am, then I'll take the prophecy and leave."

     You do not understand the prophecy, do you?

     "There is a darkness. Time's Overlord. He'll be defeated by Oni and Light's son. It's simple."

     Simple indeed. Now, how was Ninjago created?

     "Long before time had a name, the First Spinjitzu Master used the four golden weapons of Spinjitzu to create Ninjago," I recited, remembering the bedtime stories Father used to tell us before we went to bed.

     Do you know of the battle with the Overlord?

     "It was a tied battle; neither side could vanquish the other. So, the Overlord created an army of indestructible warriors to drive the First Spinjitzu Master back. In return, the First Spinjitzu Master split the island of Ninjago in two, resulting in this island and the Dark Island. The Overlord would remain on the Dark Island for a few thousand years until my father defeated him in the ultimate final battle of Good and Evil."

     A ripple went through my mind, like the voice was shuddering at my words.

     Your father never truly defeated the Overlord, because he is the manifestation of all the darkness in Ninjago. As you just said, neither the Overlord nor the First Spinjitzu Master could defeat one another because they were both essential parts of...?

     "The balance?" We were reaching a category of history I never liked to pay attention to. I'd much rather hear about heroes fighting villains than the fabric of our universe.

     Correct, it is the balance that keeps our world going. It is the balance that our world thrives on. This prophecy has told you that the darkness will be defeated. But it also spoke of an Overlord. The Overlord.

     "The Overlord is the darkness," I said, slowly realizing what type of threat my parents were preparing my brothers for. "The one from the stories."

     Yes, and not only is the Overlord the darkness in the prophecy, but as I said before, he is also the manifestation of all the darkness in Ninjago. This prophecy is signaling his defeat. It is signaling the end of all the darkness in Ninjago.

     "I'm not sure what you're trying to tell me."

     If the prophecy is allowed to be carried through, then this world will be removed of darkness. That will put it on an imbalance.

     I could tell he was getting frustrated with me, but I was failing to grasp his point. Yes, the prophecy wanted to destroy the darkness. "Isn't an imbalance of light a good thing?"

     He bristled in my head. Do you know what happened to the Realm of Djinnjago when its dark counterpart was destroyed?

     "No?"

    The Realm was destroyed. It fell apart because there was no balance. If your brothers are allowed to destroy the Overlord, they will put this realm on an imbalance. Do you see now what I'm trying to tell you?

     It took a second, but when it clicked, I wanted to unhear everything. Take me back to a world of oblivion.

     "They're going to destroy Ninjago," I whispered. "They're going to destroy everything."

     They will unless we stop them.

     I looked back at the letter I had placed in the mushrooms. "Do you think my parents know this?"

     Of course, they do. They've known about this ever since before you were born. They've been preparing your brothers for this for years. Do you really think they're blindly following instructions without giving a second thought to what it really means? I told you before, there are a lot of things your parents have been hiding from you.

     "If I tell them what they're doing, do you think they'll stop?"

     They've been going ahead with this plan for years, Ver, years. Nothing is going to make them stop now.

     "Then... then... then how can I stop them? I can't control the wind; I won't be able to best any of them in battle—"

     Come to me, and I can show you how to vanquish their efforts. I can show you how to be a Chosen One.

     I hesitated. This person wanted to work against my family. Sure, it was for a good cause, but it would require leaving them all behind. It wasn't like I didn't have a heart; leaving my family seemed about as fun as having a thorn shoved in my foot. They provided for me, even if they did think I was crazy.

     Your silence signals your indecision. Let me make you an offer. When the moon turns new, I will send one of my followers to pick up the prophecy. You can meet him here in the meadow and he will take you to me. If you do not wish to help me and choose to aid your parents in their quest instead, then I will respect that choice. You can even spill all the contents of our little meetings, if you please.

     "How do you plan on helping me stop them?" I whispered into the empty meadow, which was getting darker with each passing minute. My parents would be wondering where I was soon.

     I will train you to master the wind. That I can promise. I cannot train you here, but where I am, the wind flourishes. I have been working towards stopping this prophecy for a long time, so I have followers ready to defend my cause.

     "Who are you?" I asked finally, seeing the spirit's outline start to appear in front of me.

     Should you choose to come to me, I will tell you who I am. I cannot trust you yet, Ver.

     "I understand," I said, hearing the rasping in my head quiet as the voice faded away. I glared at the spirit, who was surely about to go off on me, but he only shook his head and stepped aside.

     He knew he couldn't stop me in whatever I chose. Right now, however, I was too conflicted to have a steady mind. My only hope was that the future would guide me in the right direction. Because if I chose to follow the voice, then everything could change drastically. Whether it would be a good or bad change was up to the future to know.