- Art of Kira by Fishy on Amino -

Kira's eyes flicker open.

Her vision blurs in and out of focus like a broken camera, and a dull ache plagues her head. She groans, swearing she can feel a lump forming near the back of it.

Where am I?

As her vision adjusts, she observes she's in a cave of shimmering blue crystal—an eerily beautiful display of her element. She pushes forward, only to be yanked right back. It's then that she notices chains encircling her wrists, binding her to a crystal stalagmite. She huffs and tries to use her powers, only to have them snuffled out instantly. Whatever these chains are made of, they're blocking her power completely.

"Don't waste your strength." Clouse emerges from the shadows, leering at her with dark eyes. "Those restraints are forged from vengestone. Elemental powers are useless against them."

"Wh-what do you want from me?"

Clouse reaches into the pockets of his robes, pulling out a pile of shards—the shattered remains of a blue crystal. He lays the pieces at her feet. "Thanks to you and your meddling allies, the crystal in the Staff of Elements has been destroyed," he hisses. "However...you are able to remedy that."

"Explain."

"These caves are full of Blue Crystal, which has the ability to absorb elemental powers. It was how the Staff of Elements contained the power of the other Masters."

Kira blinks, remembering the strange energy she'd sensed in the staff's crystal before. So that explains it.

"You," Clouse's eyes bore into hers, "are the master of crystal. Therefore, you're going to restore the staff's crystal, and all the power it once held."

"And if I don't?"

She flinches away as the sorcerer leans in close, his breath unpleasantly hot on her skin. "If you ever want to see your beloved Green Ninja or anyone you care for again, you will do as you're told, girl."

Kira says nothing as she tears her gaze away.

"If you will not help," Clouse says, lip curling, "perhaps you should go back to sleep. I'm sure you're very tired..."

Like a sinister lullaby, his words lull Kira into exhaustion. It occurs to her that he's probably using a spell on her, but all thoughts leave her brain as she passes back out. The sorcerer huffs and stalks away down a nearby tunnel.

"She refused," he reports as he emerges into he and Chen's hideout. A few cultists who'd escaped capture wait with him.

"Ugh, this is so frustrating!" Chen whines, sounding very much like a child. "Teenage girls are so difficult. I'm glad I don't have a daughter."

Clouse rolls his eyes. "Indeed."

"Hmph. I thought that girl was the weakest of the Ninja, but she's stubborn as a mule! If we want this to work, we'll need to break her somehow."

"Don't fret, Master. Right now she is weak, both physically and mentally. Such a state makes one...easy to manipulate."

"Stop sounding so cryptic and cut to the chase. Have you something in mind?"

Clouse's face twists into a wicked grin. "I have just the solution."

——————————

The Elemental Masters all cheer as they watch Chen's blimp crash to the ground.

"Good work, everyone! Sink the ferry next," orders Jay. "No one's getting off this island."

Apollo smirks. "Leave that to me." They open a portal underneath the boat, teleporting it below the surface of the water. More cheers and applause fill the air and Melody smiles as the vessel rapidly sinks, never to sail again. Nearby, Rain, Taylor, and Razhai stand guard by the tied-up cultists.

"Nooo, not the boat..." one of them groans. Rain snarls at him and he falls silent.

Jay and Ivan emerge from the palace, chatting with one another as they head down the steps. They meet the Ninja and Garmadon by the foot of the stairs. "We checked the palace and the sleeping quarters, but we didn't see anyone," Ivan reports. He looks to Lloyd, violet eyes glimmering with sympathy. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," the blonde forces a smile. "You did all you could." Ivan nods, giving Jay a final grin before jogging off to join Ray, Samuel, and Katlain.

"Don't worry. We'll find her." Cole gives his little brother a soft look. "With no way off this island, it'll only be a matter of time."

"Well, I'm going to find her now." Lloyd sets his jaw, eyes narrowed. "I'm done sitting around."

"We'll all go," says Kai. "Nya's out in the jungle retrieving a few vehicles. If we meet up with her, we can use those to search the island."

"Then let us waste no time." Garmadon raises his voice, addressing the rest of the Masters. "Everyone else, stay here and guard the camp!"

"Aye aye, Sensei G!" Rose calls with a salute.

"I'll send all of you a mind message if anything happens," Lemon adds.

Garmadon and the Ninja nod and jog away, heading for the jungle. Their allies watch as they disappear into the trees.

——————————

T/W: Slightly/potentially disturbing imagery ahead.

Kira wakes again.

The cave is gone. She's trapped in some sort of void, a darkness that goes on for miles and miles on end.

"Kira!"

A familiar voice, wrought with desperation, screams her name. She spins around. Lloyd is there. His face is twisted in a grimace, eyes swimming with pain as his entire body trembles. He takes a shaky step toward her, looking worn and sickly, hardly more than a ninja-fied zombie. Kira's heart wrenches at the sight.

He's suffering.

She rushes toward her lover with tears in her eyes. "Lloyd, what's wrong? Talk to me."

He opens his mouth, only to collapse with a groan of pain, still shaking violently. Kira kneels beside him and cradles his head in her lap, gently stroking his sweaty hair. "Shh, it's okay. I'm here..."

He winces as two words leave his cracked lips.

"Help...me."

Kira gags, a sick feeling creeping through her stomach, as cracks appear along his skin. She stumbles back with a choked cry. Lloyd screams, a sound that rattles her bones, and reaches for her. Then, his body breaks like a piece of fine china, shattering into shards of blue crystal that scatter across the ground.

"NO!"

Kira collapses next to the pieces of what was once her lover, sobbing into her hands. As her eyes flutter shut, she feels it: the fragments of crystal, calling to her like little voices begging for help. The master of crystal concentrates. She reaches into the depths of her mind, centers herself, and exercises control. At her will, the shards start to recombine, rapidly forming a whole crystal again.

Then the darkness lifts.

Kira blinks, struggling to catch her breath. She's back in the cave, kneeling on the floor with the chains gone.

Before her is the crystal from the Staff, now fully-repaired and tingling with elemental energy.

"Beautifully done." Clouse appears, flanked by a wickedly-smiling Chen. Kira gasps and lunges for the crystal, but the sorcerer snatches it from her grasp. "It looks good as new."

"You!" she hisses. "You used your magic on me! You tricked me into fixing that thing, you made me see things, you—"

"Fault yourself for being so weak-minded." Clouse turns to Chen. "Shall I dispose of her, Master?"

"Bah! She's too weak to last on her own. Just leave her...after all, we have a ritual to attend to."

Kira's on her feet in an instant, sending a blast of elemental energy at her enemies. It strikes Clouse, who doesn't have time to look shocked before he's frozen in a block of crystal. Chen yelps, caught off guard, and Kira uses the distraction to turn and flee. Her head spins and her legs nearly give in, but she keeps going, tears streaking down her face.

Chen can now restore the Staff of Elements, meaning she has to warn her friends before it's too late.

Chen starts after her, growling, but she's already disappeared. He huffs and looks to Clouse, who's frozen completely solid—he's not quite sure how to fix that.

"Ah, forget him," he mutters to himself. "I'll just have my men read the spell. What truly matters..."

He picks up the crystal and places it back into the Staff, chuckling as it starts to glow once more.

"...is that power is back within my grasp."

——————————

The Ninja and Garmadon join Nya in the jungle, more than a little anxious.

"You're just in time, big bro," Nya says as she embraces Kai. "I managed to find a few different vehicles strewn across the jungle. I'm guessing you wanna find Kira, so take your pick."

Kai's eyes widen as he squeals like a little kid. "Ooh, dibs on the Condrai Crusher!"

"Jay and Zane, you take the mech and buggy," orders Garmadon. "Cole and I will take the Roto Jet. Lloyd, you've got your dragon. Nya, how fast will the D.B. Express go?"

"Fast enough!"

"Excellent. Let's get a move on!"

"NINJA-GO!" The cry echoes through the trees as the Ninja take off in their vehicles.

Zane drives dangerously fast in his buggy, nearly swerving off the path a few times and narrowly avoiding trees and rocks.

"Be careful," Pixal warns in his head. "At this speed, I cannot analyze approaching obstacles."

"There isn't any time!" he responds. "We have to—" He cuts off with a scream as the buggy crashes into a boulder, sending him flying out. He tumbles across the jungle floor, screaming again as he falls into a hole in the ground.

"Carry on without me!" he calls up to his friends.

"He'll be alright," says Kai. "We have to find Kira." He takes off, and the others follow.

Zane groans and shakes his head clear. He blinks, and suddenly he's no longer in a hole, but an icy cavern. He yelps as the ice dragon suddenly reappears, eyes glowing and menacing in the darkness. It roars and snaps its jaws at him, and he screams as it closes in.

Meanwhile, Kira flees through the jungle, having managed to escape the caves. She pants and flicks sweat from her brow, running as fast as she can toward the palace. A panicked cry reaches her ears and she stiffens, following the sound cautiously. It leads her to a hole in the ground; she looks down, spotting someone familiar cowering in the shadows.

"Zane?"

Carefully, Kira climbs down into the hole and moves to his side. "Zane? Can you hear me?"

"K-Kira?" His eyes grow wide and he attempts to shoo her away. "Get out of here! The dragon will devour you!"

"Huh? Zane...there's no dragon here. Whatever you're seeing, it's all in your head."

"N-no! It's going to consume my head!"

"Hey, listen to me." For the first time in months, she gives him a true hug, missing how cool his skin feels against hers. "I get that you're scared right now...I am, too. But we can't let that fear get the better of us. Ninja never quit, remember?"

"She is right, Zane," Pixal says in his head. "You must remember who you are. You are the White Ninja."

"N-no. You're both wrong. I am not the ninja you remember."

Pixal's and Kira's eyes bore into his, brown and green meeting blue. Their expressions ask the same thing: "Who are you, then?"

"I..."

Something within Zane sparks. He shuts his eyes, looks within, and finally sees the answer.

"I am the Titanium Ninja."

It feels right, so he says it again, louder and clearer this time. "I am the Titanium Ninja! And you," he reaches out and pets the dragon, who fades away at his touch, "are not here."

"Yes!" Pixal cheers. "Anxiety levels are going down." She pauses, brows furrowing. "But the elemental reactor levels are rising! Zane, the readings inside of you are through the roof!"

The Titanium Ninja only smiles. There's a blinding flash of light that makes Kira yelp and look away. When it clears, her eyes widen at the sight before her.

"So, um...since when could you do that?"

——————————

The other Ninja and Garmadon arrive back at the palace, empty-handed from their search. The rest of the Elementals wait for them, saddened to hear that there's been no luck.

As everyone regroups by the palace stairs, Garmadon suddenly stumbles and cries out in pain. As he falls to his knees, everyone sees it: the Anacondrai tattoo on his back is exposed and glowing.

"Dad? What's wrong?" Lloyd demands, looking panicked. "Your tattoo..."

"Something inside of me..." his father grits out. "Something is happening..."

He shrieks in pain as he's consumed in a flash of light. When it clears, everyone gasps. His flesh is no longer human but scaley and purple, and his legs are gone, replaced with a long, winding tail.

"The sspell," he rasps out. "The ssspell, it's completed. If everyone with the mark of the Anacondrai is affected, that meansss..."

Every pair of eyes snaps to the tied-up prisoners. To their horror, they've disappeared—and in their place is a pack of hissing, snarling Anacondrai warriors. Lloyd's stomach drops and he looks to his reptilian father with a whimper. "Don't worry," he assures him. "I'm always on your side."

"What're we standing around for?" Apollo shouts. "LET'S GET 'EM!"

They race forward with a battle cry, and the other Masters charge after them. Human clashes with serpent, but it's not long before the human side is overwhelmed.

"They're...too...strong..." Razhai grunts.

"They're too fast!" Katlain cries.

"And there are too many." Garmadon finishes. "Retreat! Get everyone to the palace!"

"RETREAT!" Melody shouts, using her power to amplify her voice.

The group makes a mad dash for the palace. The snake warriors slither after them, but the doors are slammed on them just in time. Jay thinks he's safe for about two seconds before he lays eyes on Garmadon.

"Snake among us!" he screams, snapping into a fighting stance.

"No, don't!" Lloyd steps between them. "It's my father."

"First it was four arms, then you became a dragon. Would you mind picking a body and sticking with it, please?"

"Could use a little help here!" Cole grunts from the doors. Everyone rushes to help him, fighting to keep them closed as the Anacondrai attempt to break in. It feels like they've been struggling for an eternity when the commotion suddenly grinds to a halt. The group stands there, unsure of where the enemy could've gone. Cole cautiously attempts to open the door.

"Don't! It could be a trick!" Jay hisses, making him stop. With the doors no longer an option, Lloyd spots a nearby ladder, which everyone uses to climb up onto the roof. They arrive just in time to watch a fleet of Blade-Copters—as well as the Ninja's vehicles from earlier—taking off.

A roto jet flies past them, revealing a snake-ified Chen in the cockpit. "Take care of the island! It's yoursss," he crows. "We'll be taking Ninjago now!"

Everyone screams and ducks for cover as he sends a blast of torpedos at them. Chen's cackling fills the air as he and his army fly away into the sunrise, heading for Ninjago.

"Well, this is just priceless," huffs Jay. "He took the Roto Jet, our vehicles, and all the Blade-Copters!"

"Wait." Ivan's eyes grow wide with horror. "Some of us have families in Ninjago..."

"And we had to destroy any other way off the island!" Jay frets. "Whose idea was that?"

Ray shoots him a pointed look.

"Oh...right. Mine."

"So then," Rose whispers, "what do we do now?"

Lloyd steps forward, squaring his shoulders. "I'll go alone."

"And take on his whole army?" Nya asks.

"I'm the only one with an elemental dragon. If we wait for the Bounty to come get us all, it'll be too late."

"Not anymore!" Calls a mechanical voice.

Everyone looks up to see Zane...flying on the back of a massive ice dragon. At his side, Kira smiles, riding one of her own. Hers has a long, snakelike body, silvery-blue scales, and crystals along its back and on its tail. It has no wings, and instead bounds through the air, almost as if running on the wind.

"Kira! Zane!" Lloyd cries. "You're both okay!"

"And you've got dragons!" Jay's eyes look ready to pop from their sockets. "Are you gonna explain that or what?"

"We faced our fears," the ice ninja says simply. "When we realized it wasn't something in front of us that held us back, but something inside us, we found a deeper power. A dragon power."

"He's right," Kira adds. "We all have this power inside of us. But you have to see that it's not the Anacondrai we're afraid of, it's our doubt. Divided, we failed. But together, we will succeed. So come on, give it a try!"

Lloyd is the first to oblige, flinging himself off the roof. "Energy!" he shouts as his dragon shimmers into view. He flies up to Kira and embraces her, which she returns tearfully.

"Lightning!" Jay cries next.

"Earth!"

"Fire!"

"Space!"

"Animals!"

"Light!"

"Fate!"

"Illusions!"

"Music!"

"Time!"

"Shadow!" Ray signs.

"Wind!"

"Mind!"

"Void!"

One by one, a new dragon appears, until a pack of the winged creatures are soaring through the air. They come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, creating a breathtaking rainbow of scales and wings that illuminate the sky.

"Coolest. Thing. EVER!" Taylor screams. She pumps her fist in the air with a huge smile on her face, and her dragon rumbles, as if agreeing.

"WOO-HOO!" Razhai throws her hands up as she zips past. Her dragon does a barrel roll in midair, causing her to whoop again.

Lemon and Katlain laugh as the wind rushes through their hair. Beside them, Rose gently strokes her dragon's scales, fascinated by how warm and smooth they are beneath her palm. Rain tosses her head back and howls from the back of her dragon, sending the triumphant sound floating through the air.

"Look at that!" Samuel laughs. "Now I have two pet reptiles!" Noodle remains tucked safely in their hood, looking very much content.

"The battle of our past has returned," Garmadon says as he flies with Lloyd. "But we will rise to meet that challenge.

"Chen brought us here so that only one would remain." Kai says. "Well...we are one."

Together, they soar across the sea, heading for their homeland to finish the fight.

- Dang, this book is already almost over. On a happier note, thank you all for 2K reads!! -