Lyra woke up to a sore neck and an even worse back.

The sounds of snores startled her, and she jumped up in shock, looking around the room with eyes blurred with sleep.

The video game room, she realized.

She must've fallen asleep on the gargantuan, extremely comfy couch while the others were playing.

Speaking of the others, Nya had fallen asleep--and was still sleeping--on the other side of the couch. The snores were erupting from Cole, who was laying down on the floor with a spilled bucket of popcorn beside him. Kai and Jay were sprawled in armchairs, Nintendo Switch controllers still in hand. Zane was nowhere to be seen, which made sense.

"Shh," Lloyd murmured from a separate armchair. "They stayed up much later than either of us, and we have training today, so it's best to let them sleep as much as possible."

Lyra felt a shiver run up her spine at the sound of his raspy voice. With her brain still fogged up with sleep, she nodded. "Should we get out of here so your loud voice doesn't wake them up?"

"My loud voice?" Lloyd asked. "You're the one who jumped up like a kangaroo when you first woke up."

"In every other respect, I'm much quieter than you." Lyra softened her voice until she could barely hear it, even with her good ear. "See?"

Lloyd rolled his eyes and pretended to storm out of the room. Lyra followed him, trying not to giggle.

When they were safely out of hearing range, they stopped in the middle of the hall.

Lyra blinked the sleep out of her eyes, rubbing them for good measure. She took a good look at Lloyd, with his wrinkled green T-shirt and messy blonde hair that managed to be cute even when she could tell he put no effort into his appearance.

"So...Froot Loops?" he offered. When Lyra's eyes brightened, all thoughts of sleep forgotten, he grinned and grabbed her hand, dragging her to the kitchen.

This time, Lyra was the one to climb up and grab the box of cereal. Before she could get the milk, though, Lloyd snatched it out of her hands, a spark of challenge in his eye.

"Um, excuse me," Lyra jumped off the counter and crossed her arms. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Eating?" Lloyd suggested innocently, the spark in his eyes still there. "There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

"There is when you're stealing my food to do so," Lyra informed him. She held a hand out. "If you give it back, I won't have to resort to...unethical retrieval measures."

"Such as?"

"Such as blinding you, punching you in the gut, then running away with your whole Froot Loop supply."

Lloyd merely shook his head at her. "That's too violent for this early in the morning. How about I make you a bowl of cereal, add a bit of fruit salad to the mix, and we call it even?"

Lyra pretended to think about his offer. "Hmm...fine. Just lemme go get changed first." She gestured to her wrinkled indigo hoodie.

Lloyd nodded and waved her off, much to Lyra's amusement. She turned and exited the kitchen, walking down multiple hallways--and going in a full circle once or twice--until she found the laundry room.

Seriously, this ship feels bigger than the palace.

She grabbed her clothes from the dryer and put them in a spare laundry bin Lloyd had pointed out to her previously.

As she made her way toward her room, she caught a whiff of a familiar scent. She inhaled, trying to find the source.

To her surprise, it was emitting from her purple pile of laundry.

As Lyra breathed it in, she was reminded of her little, not-so-secret-anymore area in the eastern side of the forest. It had the permanent reminder of spring, even though it was currently late summer.

It smelled of life, of energy. It reminded Lyra of Lloyd, which made sense because she'd not only used the same detergent as him but also the same dryer sheets.

She didn't mind, of course. In fact, she highly enjoyed the scent. The only problem was she also enjoyed the smell her clothes normally had--lavender and jasmine. Lyra probably liked Lloyd's fragrance better, but she wanted to be original, and stealing his exact aroma was anything but.

Lyra paused a few steps past her door. She backed up, flushed with embarrassment as she realized she'd passed it.

She quickly went inside, brushed her hair, and changed into a white crop top, a sky blue zip-up sweater (that was unzipped), and lavender leggings. She didn't often wear white, because she didn't want to spill on it, but that crop top in particular was her favourite, so some sacrifices had to be made. Plus, she could probably use her powers to cover any stains.

Probably. Lyra still didn't know how her powers were supposed to work. She planned to talk to Sensei Wu about it soon. And about whatever prophecy there was. And about how her mother came into play. And the Second Spinjitzu Master--Kartara.

This shit is too complicated, she decided as she picked up her discarded dagger sheath and buckled it on.

When she returned to the kitchen, Lloyd had disappeared. She went through the door to the dining room and found him waiting with two bowls of cereal and two bowls of fruit salad.

"You're the best," she gushed, sitting next to him and picking up a spoon. "I'm so hungry it's not even funny."

Lloyd nodded, though he was strangely silent. Lyra peeked at him through the corner of her eye. He was staring off into space, a weird look on his face. It reminded her of the emotion she still couldn't discern. His cheeks were a light pink, hiding his faint freckles.

"Hey, you okay?"

Lloyd's head whipped to her in an odd, startled movement. "Yeah, sorry. I'm just...tired."

"Tired as in you need sleep or tired as in life's been too much?" Lyra asked.

Is that overstepping? she wondered. I feel like asking him that might be.

She didn't know how "sharing emotions" was supposed to work. At the island, she'd just bottle her feelings up until she couldn't anymore, then would write all about them for hours on end. When she was done, she'd burn the papers so no one would know. It helped her quite a bit.

That being said, that particular coping mechanism involved only her. Lyra wasn't sure when the right times to tell others how she was feeling were.

Lloyd made a long face. "Both?"

"I feel you." Lyra finished her fruit salad and promptly laid on the floor. "Wait, that's not what I'm supposed to say. Um...shit, sorry." Lyra tried to think of how to nicely phrase her next question, but her mind had gone blank. "How do you feel about your dad...being gone?"

That's the worst fucking way to ever describe that, Lyra, she admonished.

Despite the heavy topic, Lloyd faintly smiled as she stumbled over her words. He frowned again before he answered, though. "I...I don't know."

"That's fair." Lyra nodded. "That's completely fair."

The two of them sat in silence for a bit, neither of them wanting to bother the other one with any extra information on their puzzling emotions.

"So...there's a prophecy about you," Lloyd murmured.

"Yep," Lyra popped her p. "Just what I needed, especially when I know next to nothing about my powers. Like, what even is Art? How strong is it?"

"I can tell you as much as I know," a voice spoke from the doorway.

Lyra and Lloyd turned to see Master Wu at the front of the dining room. Misako was right behind him. Each of them were carrying armfuls of scrolls.

Lyra identified that Wu was the one who spoke, so she stood up and turned to face him. "How much do you know?"

"And why have you never told me any of this?" Lloyd added, standing up with her.

Wu sighed wearily. "It is a long, old tale. Only a bit younger than time itself, in fact. And I do not know all of it, so take everything I say with a grain of salt."

"If you come with us to the scroll room, we'll explain," Misako offered.

The teenagers followed Misako and Wu to a small room at the end of the vessel. It contained rows and rows of scrolls and old books, each one clearly labelled on the shelf underneath them with titles such as "Elemental Theory #5: Ninjago's Energy Source", "The Complete History of the Temple of Light", and "Unicorns: Mythical or Magical?".

Wu and Misako sat in the only chairs in the room. Lyra and Lloyd sat beside each other, Lloyd's legs criss-crossing and Lyra having one leg pointing out and one held up to her chest by her arms.

"My brother knew much more about this than I," Wu murmured.

Lyra didn't miss how Lloyd shrunk at the mention of his father. She clasped her hand around his reassuringly and sent him a smile.

Neither of them mentioned how her hand was shaking.

"But we still know a fair amount," Misako added. "And the rest we can guess. There were quite a few mentions of the tenth Master of Art in the prophecies about the ninja."

"I'm the tenth one?" Lyra asked.

"How come I've never heard about any of them?" Lloyd questioned.

"Oh, but you have, son," Misako said. "The first Master of Art was Kartara, the Second Spinjitzu Master. Lyra, I believe you've never heard of her, correct?"

"First time was when Garmadon mentioned her in passing," Lyra answered.

Lloyd's hand wrapped a bit tighter around hers.

"Then let us explain her history, too," Wu said. "She is your relative. To properly explain her story, we must go back to shortly after the creation of our world, where the First Spinjitzu Master defeated the Overlord. Upon achieving this, he realized he should have a companion in his life. One to cherish, one to love. He tried to create someone, but he failed. In fact, all he received was a small, unassuming, wooden flute. He didn't know what it was, and eventually he tucked it into his bag and set off on a quest to create a lover for him. 
"After a few days of harsh travel conditions, he fell ill. It was as if the world that he created had turned against him. It started to fall in on itself as he got more and more sick. After nine long days of illness, Khalik knew he was going to die. He had only one day left to live. With his destruction, Ninjago would fall, too.
"But then, on the tenth day, as he prepared to die, he heard the most beautiful sound to ever exist coming from his bag. He took the flute, which he'd forgotten about, out. The second he raised it to his lips, something he did out of instinct, a woman appeared in front of him. She was the kindest, most elegant, most ethereal thing Khalik's eyes had fallen upon. The sound that had played from the flute earlier had stopped, but he didn't care about that anymore. He gazed up into the woman's eyes and knew she was the companion he was searching for. She used her mystical powers to hold Ninjago up until he, whose health had started to return upon seeing her, could fix the world. He learned that her name was Kartara. He wanted to know everything about her. She was the best creature in existence, the living embodiment of passion, of interest, of creation, of love. He named her the Second Spinjitzu Master and fully planned to marry her one day."

Lyra nodded along, taking in the information. She paused as she realized something. "Wait...if they married each other, and Lloyd's the grandson of the First--of Khalik, and I'm related to Kartara..."

Are we related? Lyra's eyes widened. Lloyd's hand went slack in hers.

Before she could panic, though, Misako sent her a warm smile. "You are not related to Khalik, or Lloyd, by extension. Do not worry."

Lyra wondered how Misako knew that she was worrying about that. It must be a mom thing.

"As I was saying," Wu continued, "Khalik fully intended for Kartara to become his Yang. He loved her with all of his heart. The only problem was...she didn't feel the same way. She'd fallen in love with a woman he created not long after he regained his health. The Elemental Master of the Mind, in fact. Her name was Elyse. Khalik, although heartbroken, was never a dictator. He respected her decision to be with the woman she loved. The issue with that was how she lived a life as long as a mortal's. As I'm sure you're aware, Elemental Masters have lifespans that can stretch for hundreds of years. Kartara, however, was killed by the Elemental Master of Chaos."

"Why would anyone wanna kill her?" Lloyd frowned. "She sounds awesome."

"No one ever found out why," Misako admitted. "The most common theory is that it was jealousy. Khalik and Elyse killed the Master of Chaos before they could even try to defend themself. Anyways, she died when she was 101 years old, leaving her wife heartbroken. Khalik, who had since moved on from her, was indescribably sad. His companion--not lover, but his best friend--was gone, and he had no one."

Lyra shuddered at the thought of being alone like that. She'd always had someone in her life. Skylor, Jalin, and Sakura had been there since birth. Lyra couldn't imagine what would happen to her if something harmed those three. Or Lloyd. Or the ninja.

Lloyd, seeing her reaction, gripped her hand tighter. She sent him a soft smile, then returned her attention to Wu and Misako.

"This was when he created my brother and I," Wu continued. "He, alongside Elyse, who'd become like a sister to him, raised us and taught us all about Kartara. Sadly, many of the things I learned about her have been forgotten because of my age.

"A few months after Kartara's death, Elyse was impregnated. This confused everyone, as she was...unadulterated. She knew what had happened, though. She told us that her baby would inherit a singular aspect of Kartara's power. This aspect was Music. The second that baby Aria was brought into the world, Elyse knew her life's purpose was over and she could die a happy woman. Aria became Garmadon's dear friend. She was a musician. Her child, a Master of Mind that Garmadon promised to protect, later had a baby. This baby, Fei, was another Master of Art. This time, her main aspect of Kartara's power was Dance. The cycle continued on to Ivy, Master of Architecture. Then Kavi. She was Master of Literature. Then there was Iris, Master of Painting. Then there was Royal, Master of Sculpture. After her, there came Stella, Master of Performing."

Lyra's head was spinning with all the names and Elements that Wu was saying. She had no idea how she was supposed to remember all of them.

 "She died when she was only 43, because of the Serpentine War. The strange thing about her was she wasn't related to Kartara at all. The remaining descendants of Kartara had become corrupted, and the Element of Art had to find a different family to be join with, so as to save the world without risking the family using the power for bad. Stella's daughter was..." Misako paused. "Well, her daughter was Lila."

Lyra put a hand to her mouth. "As in..."

"Your mother," Misako said softly.

"She was the Elemental Master of Martial Arts," Wu said. "She was also the Master of Amber."

"But Martial Arts isn't an Art!" Lyra frowned.

She wasn't quite sure what was happening anymore. Her brain was being overloaded with so much information, she could barely keep up.

"No, that's just what Clouse and Chen led you to believe," Misako reminded her.

"Lila helped us win the Serpentine War by finding Kartara's flutes and using them to control the Serpentine. She lived to be at least 38, then Master Chen told her they were meant to be together so the Element of Art would be in his bloodline again, thus 'purifying' the family. She was fooled by his tricks, and set off for his island shortly after he was exiled there. We never saw her again," Wu murmured. "Garmadon was distraught. It was what sent him over the edge and allowed the evil in his blood to slowly start to take over. He felt he had failed to take care of Aria's descendants once again."

"The more I learn about my father, the more I wonder if he even felt human emotions or not," Lyra spat. "He...Mom..."

She didn't know how to word her feelings of rage, of anger, of sadness, but everyone understood. They might not get how her stomach felt sick and how the edges of her vision had blurred at how overwhelming everything was, but they understood.

Lloyd squeezed her hand. "What about the prophecy?"

Right, because that's a thing, too, Lyra remembered. 

Misako cleared her throat. "There are...there are many prophecies. Unfortunately, all of them but one have been either lost to time or are missing crucial details."

"And what about the one that survived?" Lyra asked. "Can I hear it?"

Misako nodded. "It's about the Masters of Art. It goes like this:
"One shall create,
Two and Three shall rejoice,
Four shall destroy.
Five shall envision while Six and Seven copy with precision,
Eight shall lie as Nine tries to survive.
Ten, the final one, shall spiral as she repeats the cycle."

"Spiral and cycle?" Lyra questioned. "Those don't even rhyme."

You're getting off track, she reminded herself.

Lloyd let out a startled bark of laughter. "You're not wrong."

Misako smiled her kind smile. "You aren't. But, as for the meaning of the prophecy, we believe it is about the main aspects of Art each Elemental Master had."

"Create for Kartara?" Lyra guessed.

Wu nodded. "Rejoice for Aria, Master of Music, and Fei, Master of Dance. Destroy was what Ivy did, though she always built from the ruins of her destruction. She was the Elemental Master of Architecture. Then Kavi, Master of Literature, envisioned. Iris, Master of Painting, and Royal, Master of Sculpture, copied their surroundings and the people around with precision. Stella 'lied' with her Performing Element, as most of theatre is about telling tales. Lila tried to survive with her Martial Arts Element, and she did very good. She was very brave."

"So spiral is Lyra?" Lloyd confirmed. "Which Art form is that? Dance again?"

"It's the Art of Spinjitzu," Misako explained. "Not much is known about it. My husband was...is more knowledgeable on this than we are. And we assume 'repeat the cycle' means that Lyra's descendants will be Masters of Art and will go through the prophecy again."

"What do you mean not much is known about it?" Lyra frowned. "Isn't Sensei Wu, like, an expert on teaching Spinjitzu? Also, is Spinjitzu not just a part of the Martial Arts aspect?"

"Spinjitzu is completely different thing from Martial Arts," Wu lectured. "Why this is, I don't know. I was never an expert on the story behind Spinjitzu. I just know how to unlock it within Elemental Masters--and wielders of magic."

At the last sentence, Lyra was thrown into a flashback of something Clouse had always told her back when she was younger and obsessed with becoming a sorceress. "Is there a reason why I'm unable to perform magic? I mean, I was able to understand the spellbook just fine, but I could never cast any spells when I tried as a kid."

"That is something I am unable to explain. You aren't ready for the answer," Wu said.

How cryptic.

Lyra turned to Lloyd. "Is he always like this?"

Lloyd nodded. "You get used to it eventually."

Lyra sighed. Wu and Misako chuckled at her reaction.

"Wait, how old are you, Misako?" Lyra asked. "If Sensei Garmadon is, like, five thousand years old or something. He's only like that because of his extended lifespan, though, and you aren't an Elemental Master, right? So...are you only, like, sixty?"

Oh, shoot, I just asked a woman how old she is. Whoopsies.

"I am around the same age as Garmadon, actually," Misako said. "Though I appreciate you thinking I'm so young. I was gifted immortality by Khalik when I saved Garmadon, Aria, and Wu from being eaten by the Great Devourer when we were all around twenty years old. He said it'd be a good idea for them to keep me close. We were all close friends--other than Aria, because she joined so many of our mortal friends up in the sky, may she rest in peace--until shortly after the Serpentine War. That's when Garmadon and I got married."

"Okay." Lyra sighed in relief. "Good. No offense, but if you were only, like, twenty when you two got married, while Garmadon was thousands of years old, I'd be concerned."

Wu chuckled again. "As you should be. I'm glad to know you have some common sense. It will be helpful later on."

Lyra flushed. "Thank you."

"So, if the prophecy was all we had to talk about, are we done now?" Lloyd questioned. "It's time to start training soon."

"Actually, son, that is another thing we wanted to talk to you two about," Misako explained. She sat a little straighter in her wooden chair and turned to face Lyra. "What do you think about training with the ninja, dear?"

Lyra's eyes widened. I get to train with them? All of them? Really? 

Wu must've mistook her expression for hesitance, because he quickly added, "You do not need to if you don't wish to. The training would not only help you learn from the ninja, but help the ninja learn from you, because, as Lloyd informed me, you and your sister do have basic combat knowledge. I believe it is a different style of fighting, howev--"

"Of course I want to!" Lyra interjected. Her blue eyes lit up. "Do you think I'll gain access to more aspects of Art? Because..." she suddenly realized she'd interrupted the old man. "Oh, shoot, sorry."

Lloyd grinned at her. His eyes were sparkling every bit as much as Lyra's, if not more. "Don't worry, we always interrupt him, too. It's just a thing we do."

Wu shook his head and sighed. "Anyways, Lyra, I believe your training should start with just you and Lloyd, as your powers are very similar. They are both part of the inner fabric of the universe. Art and Energy make up every living thing. Art is the passion, the drive that keeps us going, while Energy is the reason we are physically able to keep going. Together, they are harmony and melody, blending in perfect balance with each other. If you two are able to combine your Elements, great things could happen."

"Like what?" Lloyd stood up, then grabbed Lyra's hand and pulled her up, too.

"I do not know," the sensei admitted, getting out of his chair with the help of his wooden staff. "That is one reason we must get your father back. He knows the answers to all questions about the Element of Art."

Lyra nodded. "Plus, he's a human being who deserves to be with us."

"Yeah," Lloyd agreed. His eyes were still sparkling, even though they were talking about his father.

"Let us get to the deck, so we may explain as much as we know about ways Lyra may train," Misako suggested.

"I agree," Wu said.

Word count: 3.8k

Sorry I haven't updated in like two weeks I was busy lol

QOTD: What's your favourite article of clothing you own?

A: I have a soft, sky-blue zip-up hoodie just like the one I described earlier in the chapter and I am absolutely in love with it. It's so comfy

Oh btw I was too lazy to go over the grammar or spellcheck this chapter more than once so if there are any typos please let me know

Please do comment and vote because, once again, it helps with motivation and motivation=writing often

Remember to drink water, eat food, and get an appropriate amount of sleep for your age please<3

~Aspen