Jay couldn't remember leaving the tomb. One minute he was there, one minute he was gone, picked up on a gust of wind and flying into the distance.

He didn't know how he'd gotten out. Perhaps another tunnel, as secret and single use as the one he'd used to enter. He didn't care whatever it was.

All he knew at that moment, was that there was one place he needed to go.

There were many uncertainties that were taking over his life. Some weren't fixable, some were painfully permanent, some were outside of his possible understanding, but others, he could work on.

His parents. Ed and Edna.

They may be able to clear up at least one of them.

He pondered as he flew, the dreadful image of a blank slate staring back at him plaguing his thoughts.

What could it mean?

Cole saw nothing when he looked in way back when, but that was largely because of his ghost status at the time. He could indeed become invisible in the future, and the lack of reflection was most likely a reflection of his technical lack of life.

Jay didn't have a reason like that to blame. He was perfectly alive, a human in every way, never anything more or less.

The only reason he could logically link to what he saw was... a lack of future.

An imminent death that was coming for him, and coming for him quickly at that. Maybe within the week, maybe a month, maybe a couple. There was no way of knowing.

It was a very sudden set of information to deal with, made all the worse by Jay's already tender mental state.

The edges of the familiar junkyard came into view, and Jay began to execute a wide downward spiral that would hopefully place him right outside the entrance, ready to walk inside and find his parents. Maybe get some closure, or answers, or anything reassuring at this point. Even a simple hug would do.

His feet hit the sandy ground and he almost lost balance, however regained it without much trouble.

It was the middle of the night, prime time for battering winds and a chill to the bone that wouldn't leave, no matter how quickly Jay rushed to the entrance.

Then, all of a sudden, another realisation hit him.

Ed and Edna would most likely be asleep.

He knew that they ultimately wouldn't mind if he woke them up - especially considering his dire situation - though he still felt guilty even thinking about it.

But he couldn't wait outside all night either.

Jay carried on forward, the caravan that his parents abided in coming into view. It seemed that the piles of trash had grown larger recently... or perhaps it was simply a trick of the night, shadows looming far higher than they would during sunlight.

He stopped a few metres in front of it, panting and gasping for air. Jay hadn't realised how breathless he was.

He stood and stared, wondering what the best way to pull his parents from their slumber would be. Light? Noise? Gently going inside and shaking them awake?

None of those would go well. It was creepy enough that he would turn up so late in the night, and it would be made even worse if they didn't immediately know it was him.

He stared at the windows of the small structure, and the delicately patterned curtains drawn to a close on the inside of them.

It seemed that fate temporarily shined on him, however, as the caravan door suddenly flew open, revealing a furious Ed, holding a crowbar.

"I don't know who you are, but you had better get off our property right this instant!"

Jay was too shocked to retort, and numbly stood there, staring.

"... you heard me! Buzz off! I'll have you know that my son is the blue ninja!"

Edna poked her head out as well, holding a flashlight. She shined it directly at their supposed trespasser, and as Jay closed his eyes at the sudden light, he heard two surprised gasps.

"... J... Jay!"

Edna lowered her flashlight and ran out to him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"... are you alright sweetie? Why are you here so late? Did something go wrong?"

She moved her hands to his face and cupped his cheeks affectionately, watching as his mildly confused expression morphed into one of desperation.

"... oh... Ma... I... I-I don't know what to do..."

Edna took his hand and lead him inside, where Ed gave him a tight hug and a pat on the back.

The kettle was put on to boil, and Edna lit a few candles around the space for lighting. It gave Jay a wave of intense nostalgia.

They had always been short of money, ever since he could remember. At any instance that power could be saved, it would be, so electric lights were a big no-no. Candles were his main source of light at night for most of his childhood, and they always made him think of those... much simpler times.

"... I imagine something serious has happened..." Edna trailed off, sitting down and taking his hands in her own.

Jay opened his mouth to speak, yet... nothing would come out. It was frustrating that often, when speech was needed most, it refused to exit his vocal chords.

"It's alright Jay, take your time."

He sighed deeply and filled his lungs with new air, then was able to force something out.

"... I... I'm... I'm sorry for waking you up..."

"Aw Jay, we were already awake to be honest! Neither of us could sleep, perhaps it was fate, because otherwise we wouldn't have noticed you arrive!"

Jay flinched at 'fate'. A word that was so usually harmless, used in casual jest, passive conversation, though now effected him much more deeply than it should have.

"... are your friends ok?" Ed asked. Jay nodded.

"Mmh hmm. They're ok. Well... I... yeah. They're fine."

He had considered telling them about his argument between himself and Cole, though decided not to. It still stung, which made sense since not even 12 hours had passed since it. It was a fresh wound, but the happenings in the tomb were far fresher and painfully raw.

"... this... might not make much sense but... you've heard of the First Spinjitzu Master, right?"

"Yes, you've mentioned him quite a few times. What about him?"

"Well... he has a tomb... and... it's not an ordinary tomb. It's a set of caves, full of traps, generally quite dangerous."

He looked up at his parents to see if they were following, and all he met were two understanding smiles.

"I think we all know that Ninjago has been though a lot weirder than that."

He chuckled at his dad's comment, then fell back into a neutral face.

"... that's not the weird part. Deep, in the furthermost part of the caves, there are sheets of crystals, almost like mirrors, and... well, when you look in them... you see your future."

They were much more quiet at that.

"... I... well, that certainly is strange but, still not unbelievable." Edna replied.

They seemed to catch on to what was going on after that.

"... oh... Jay, did you see something bad in yours?"

All he could muster was a shrug.

"... I... I went there alone... just to see if what I'd seen before was still there and..."

He felt cold, and he felt shaky. So emotionless and blank yet complex at the same time.

"... nothing. I... I didn't see anything. No reflection. Nothing."

The other two were quiet for a short while, trying to gather the sense from it all. A way to justify Jay's apparent vision, in a brighter way than all other thoughts suggested.

"... p... perhaps it doesn't mean much?" Edna suggested. Jay shook his head.

"... we all know what it must mean, Ma. You don't need to try and make me feel better about it."

A sudden and unexplained gust of wind slapped against the side of the caravan, though it prevailed, only creaking for a few seconds, then settling down once more.

Jay rubbed his eyes, expecting to find moisture and tears, instead finding nothing at all.

"... I... I guess I came because I didn't know what... to do. I've had so many questions but... I've forgotten them all."

"... It's alright Jay. Take your time." Ed reassured.

He wracked his brains, skimming over all the happenings from the last few days. Not Cole... not the caves...

... that was it. Cliff Gordon.

"... I know who my birth father is."

Ed and Edna let out two very auditable gasps.

"... really?! Who?!"

"... have you heard of Cliff Gordon?"

"... isn't he some big shot actor?"

"... yeah. It's him."

Edna cooed, a happy, yet melancholy smile touching her lips.

"I'm happy for you sweetheart, what's he like? He'd better be treating you well!"

Jay patted her shoulder.

"Ma... he's dead. That's how I found out. My inheritance from him."

Her happy face crumpled.

"... oh... I'm sorry Jay..."

"It's alright. I'm not as sad as I thought I would be, I never met him after all. He, did leave me a message though, which I want to ask about."

"... what did he say?"

"... maybe he was just bluffing to make himself look better, maybe he had a messy perception of things, but... in the message for me, he made it overwhelmingly clear that, well, he wanted me. He didn't say what stopped him from raising me... but, he definitely wanted me. I know you've told me how you found me before but... was there anything else you could tell me?" Jay explained.

They were awkwardly quiet.

"... it's been eating away at me since I read his letter. Anything at all that you could tell me, any details, anything. I'd appreciate it."

Ed and Edna exchanged a worried glance, and Jay felt a heaviness in his chest, as if something was deeply wrong. His parents had never been good at hiding their guilt, for as long as he could remember, he could always tell when they felt remorse by their expressions alone.

"... Ma... Pa... what haven't you told me?"

Edna reaches out and caressed the back of Jay's hand, holding it between her own. He could feel her shaking.

"... Jay, sweetheart... t... there may have been a few things that we... uhm... left out..."

"... we didn't want to tell you, because we thought it would bring more harm than good, son..." Ed continued.

"Please tell me!" Jay blurted out, beginning to feel exceptionally nervous.

They'd told him that he was left for them as a baby, clearly a purposeful act, meant for them to find. What could they possibly have left out?

"... I... oh Jay! All it will do is hurt you!"

"Ma, please... I need to know..."

She stroked his cheek, then looked back to Ed, who shuffled closer to them.

"... Son... we... we didn't find you outside the gates... we... we found you..."

He took a moment to regain composure, and he rubbed his eyes, trying to keep as calm as possible.

Jay could feel his subconscious going haywire, wanting desperately to know what they were suggesting. It couldn't be, that bad, could it?

They were his parents, who raised him. They cared about him and he cared about them, no matter what they were going to say... it wouldn't matter, would it?

Though... life hadn't proven itself to be especially kind of late. Nothing had gone even slightly in the right direction for him in a while now. Spirits were low, and his expectation of good things was barely existent. Bad luck followed him everywhere, along with ill fate and a constant creeping sense of dread that he couldn't shake off.

He looked from his mum to his dad and back again, begging them for answers without having to say a single word.

Ed opened his mouth a few times, then swallowed nervously, before pushing out a string of words that chilled Jay to the bone.

"... we... we found you in a bag."