Chapter 1

"Stay on your feet!" A frantic voice whispered in my ear. "Don't stop running. Go, Jay! Go!"

"Wait!" I tried to say. The world around me was spinning slightly. "What''s going on? I-"

Something pushed on my back and my feet moved on their own. I was running away from the light into the darkness. The ground moved from underneath me. I hit it with a bang.

The light of the moon was too bright. I struggled to get to my feet. My heart threatened to leave my chest. I pushed myself from the ground.

I ran.

I was running for my life

Running away.

Running from…

Running from…

What? I stopped running for a second. What was going on?

"There he is!" A new voice shouted from above me. People were shouting and alarms were blaring in the distance. The world around me was blurred, but I forced my legs to move again. I was running.

Someone tackled me around the middle. My attacker pushed me to the ground yelling about escaping and family. The world around me spun frantically. My attacker and I rolled down a hill.

"Watch out!" A faint voice shouted. My atter let go of me, but I couldn't stop my descent. There was a loud splash and I was surrounded in cold water. There was no way to know which way was up. I tried to swim,but I hit the floor with a crunch.

I was running out of air. I struggled to breath. This was how I was going to die. After all I had been through in the prison this was how I was going out. I let out my supply of air and opened my eyes painfully underwater. I was facing the surface where three figures were looking down at me. One of them jumped into the water to get me. I didn't fight him.

Useless… Stupid…. Weak… Leader…. Prison… Failure… Escape…. Family…. I wasn't useless or weak. Words echoed around my head in familiar voices, but I couldn't place who had said them. I wanted these voices to stop their chanting. All at once they did.

I slowly became aware of my surroundings. As I tried to move, I became aware of the sharp throbbing in my chest and the burning in my head. My heart was on fire and I wished to go back to sleep.

"Jay?" I opened my eyes and regretted that decision instantly. The world was too bright. My vision was blurry for a few seconds before the world came sharply into focus. I sat up quickly and yelped at the pain in my chest. "Calm down. You're alright."

"What?" I asked to the open room. I turned my head to survey the room. "Kai?"

"Yeah, it's me." He responded faintly. Kai had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was messy. It looked as if he hadn't seen a bed or a good meal in a week. "Are you okay?"

"My chest is on fire." I said. Kai nodded and turned his face away from me. He looked towards the door. Suddenly, it seemed that he was afraid of me.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Kai asked. I nodded. He glanced at me. His expression was unreadable. "I'm going to go get the others."

He disappeared through the doorway. I focused on getting out of bed. The pain in my chest flared with every movement of my body. I sat on the edge of the bed with my arms wrapped around my body.

I had never seen this room in the monastery before. It was empty except for the bed and nightstand. The door creaked open and Cole and Zane entered the room. They both had wide smiles and Cole's booming laugh echoed around the room.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake." Zane said as he walked over to me.

"You sure had us scared, Motermouth." Cole intoned. "Glad to see you back."

"Uh," I was lost. Where had I gone? "I'm glad to be back?"

"Are you okay?" Zane asked. He was surveying my every move.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said trying to stand. I faltered, and both Zane and Cole made movements to catch me if I fell.

"Walking isn't an option right now." Cole said seriously.

"Take this." Zane said handing me a pill and a cup of water. "It'll make you feel better."

I took the pill and swallowed it. I moved to sit on the bed and handed the water back to Zane.

"Uh," I started wondering how to phrase the question. "How'd I get hurt?"

"Neither of us know." Cole said sharing a look with Zane. "You were hurt when you were in Garmodon's prison. I assume torture, but we were hoping that you could fill in the details."

"I was Garmodon's prisoner?" I asked in astonishment.

"Yes." Zane said stiffly. "You were captured in battle."

"How was I captured? For how long?" I questioned. "I thought Garmodon went into hiding."

"You were there for a couple months." Cole said with a blank face. His smile had faded.

"Months?" I breathed. I didn't remember any battle or being captured or anything. "How'd we get defeated by the Sulkin?"

There was silence in the room. Zane and Cole looked at each other with wide eyes.

"We were fighting the Serpentine." Zane explained. Those were the creatures from the myth, right?"

"The serpentine?" I asked in a panic. "They're real?"

"Jay! Will you stop fooling around?" Cole roared suddenly. I was taken aback. He seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Jay, please excuse us for a minute." Zane intoned. The pair of them left the room. The stood just outside the doorway hissing in low whispers. Why were they keeping secrets from me?

All three of them had been acting weird, and now that I thought about it they had changed. Cole's hair was longer, and both he and Kai had gained significant muscle. Zane looked the same as what i remembered him to look like. How had I not noticed these details?

The door opened and Cole and Zane entered. Cole's eyebrows were scrunched in confusion.

"Jay." He started. I cut him off.

"Cole." I said. He looked at me. I shrugged.

"Jay, we suspect that there's something wrong with your memory." Zane explained. "We were wondering what you last remembered."

"We just rescued Kai's sister." I paused. "Nya. We have been talking for a while. She seems really into me. I-"

"Jay," Cole said. "Move on."

"Heh, right." I said. "Garmodon escaped the underworld, and he's loose in Ninjago. Honestly, you guys should know all this. It only happened a few days ago."

"So, that proves it." Cole said. "Jay, what's the date today?"

"That's a funny question." I scoffed. "Apparently, I've been in a prison for a few months, so I wouldn't know."

"I'm serious, Jay." Cole said rolling his eyes. "What's the last date you remember?"

"It's around February 2nd." I said.

"What year is it?"

"It's 2011." I said. "This feels like an interrogation."

"How old are you?" Cole question. I sighed. These questions were getting us nowhere.

"I'm 15." I responded. "I'm the same age as you guys."

"Jay, it's April 11, 2012." Cole said coldly. "You are 16, and have a serious memory problem."

There was silence for a minuet before I broke out into laughter. I tried to stop laughing because it set my chest alight with pain.

"No, it isn't." I chuckled. "This is just a joke. You guys are so funny! Zane, I can't believe it. You've finally found your sense of humor."

"Jay, listen to me!" Cole snapped. "There's something wrong with you. You've forgotten the past 14 months. Haven't you noticed we're not in the monastery?"

"Where are we then?" I asked. I stopped laughing, but I was convinced that this was a cruel joke.

"We're on the Bounty." Cole responded.

"You're not serious. Are you?" I asked doubtfully. Cole nodded and Zane looked at me soberly. "This isn't possible. This has to be a joe. You're joking. Tell me you're joking!"

"I'm sorry, Jay. I-" I interrupted Zane.

"Where's Sensei Wu?" I asked. "I want to talk to him."

"He's not here." Cole said quietly. "Nya left for the city to investigate something, so she's not here either. We have to tell Kai."

"I'm not telling him." Zane said quickly.

"I can't do it." Cole responded. "You do it."

"I do not want to be blown up." Zane protested. They were fighting like children.

"He's less likely to blow up at you. He's still mad at me for," He paused and shot a look in my direction. "For you know what."

"Of course." Zane said. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "I'll go take care of it now."

"Why is Kai mad at you?" I asked as Zane closed the door behind him. "Why would he blow up Zane What's been happening? How was I captured by Garmodon? Why are you so buff?"

"What?" Cole asked giving a start at the last question. "I think we should wait until dinner to answer questions. I'll gladly give you the answer to the last one."

I laughed quietly, and he smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Cole asked. I tried moving around and was taken aback when I discovered that almost all the pain in my chest had disappeared.

"Good." I said surprised. "Almost as good as new."

"Great." Cole said. "You need to take one of those pills every day. You got a concussion and you bruised one of your ribs."

"Wow." I said. "Some fight that must have been, am i right?"

Cole didn't laugh, and my smile faded quickly. I moved to stand up. I was sick of sitting down. I stood upright for a few seconds before tripping. Cole caught me before I could hit the ground.

"Ahem." Kai said loudly. Cole dropped me and stepped back. I groaned from my place on the floor. "What a thing to walk into, Cole."

"I didn't do anything." Cole said defensively. "He fell."

"And so you dropped him again?" Kai demanded. I rolled onto my hands and knees and got to my feet again.

"I'm sorry." Cole said coldly. Kai ignored him and turned to me.

"How are you feeling now?" He asked.

"I can't walk very well yet." I said very confused. My stomach gave out a rumble. "Is dinner soon? I'm kinda hungry."

"Zane went to go make it." Kai offered. He stepped closer to me. Cole looked at the pair of us. Kai let out a small cough. "Maybe you should go help him, Cole."

"Yeah." Cole said. "I'll do that."

He walked towards the door, but when he passed Kai he stopped to whisper into his ear. Kai stiffened slightly, but nodded. Cold shut the door as he exited the room.

Kai stared blankly at me. He had probably changed the most out of all three of them. He had multiple scars all over his face and arms. He had a deep cut across his throat. It looked as if he had been held at knife point. He had gained muscles, and the shadows under his eyes stood out more then ever.

"I'm sorry to hear about your memory problem." Kai said.

"Is that what Cole whispered into your ear?" I asked abruptly. Kai hesitated slightly.

"He mentioned it." He said stiffly. "I… Uh..."
He seemed to be at a loss for words. I stood changing my weight between my feet trying to regain balance.

"You've changed." Kai said. "What did Garmodon do to you?"

"I don't know." I said coldly. "I don't remember."

"That's too bad." Kai said.

"I think Cole was counting on me to give him some information." I said. Kai's frown deepened.

"Yeah, well, dinner should be ready soon. Want me to walk you over there?" Kai asked. I nodded.

"I don't really trust my legs at the moment."I said.

"That's alright." Kai said moving to stand next to me. I put some of my weight against him and crossed the room slowly. He led me down the hall. Our progress was slow. "I missed you."

"Uh…" I was taken aback. "I missed you too I guess."

"It's been a long time." He said. "You were imprisoned for a few months."

"Kai, what's going on?" I asked. I stopped walking in order to see his face.

"I guess you really have forgotten." Kai said. "Sorry for the weirdness, Jay. It's been an emotional few months for all three of us."

"I can tell. You guys have changed so much." i said with a ghost of a smile.

"Not just us." Kai said. "You've probably changed the most out of all of us. It's hard to believe that you don't remember anything."

"I remember some things." I protested. Kai laughed.

"Sure you do." He said. "Let's just go to the dining room."

We continues to walk down the hall. The hallway was kind of chilly, and I pressed myself closer to Kai for his warmth.

"What are you doing?" Kai asked me.

"It's kind of cold." I responded. "I'm stealing your fire ninja heat."

Kai laughed, but didn't object. An amazing smell had filled the hallway, and it grew stronger as we walked.

Questions filled my head. Why was everyone so weird? The most normal one is Zane, and he's always been abnormal. Cole and Kai literally hate each other. They used to be friends, what happened?

We reached the dining room, and my eyes fell on the dinner table. It was covered in a few pots of steaming food. Kai helped my sit down on one side of the table before he went around to sit across from me.

"This looks amazing." Kai said as I breathed in the smell. "Thanks, Zane."

"Thank you." Zane returned with a smile. "Let's eat before it gets cold."

I nodded and served myself. I had never seen this kind of food before. It looked like mashed fruit and some blue jello thing. I hesitantly took a bite, and was surprised when it was delicious.

"What is this stuff, Zane?" I asked with my mouth full.

"It's called Kolids." Cole said. "We can't stop for supplies very often, so we grow our own food."

"Where do you have space to grow crops?" I asked in astonishment. "How big is this place?"

"It's pretty big." Kai said with a smile.

"Sorry to ruin the moment." Cole said. "But I told Jay that he could ask some questions."

"What would you like to know?" Zane asked. The three of them turned to face me. I shrugged.

"Just tell me everything." I said. I was excited to finally get some of my questioned answered.

"I'd guess we'd better start at the beginning." Cole said with a sigh. "Zane, you have the best memory. Would you do the honors?"

"But leave out the details." Kai added. "If you know what I mean. We don't need to be here all night. Just tell him about Garmodon."

"Certainly." Zane responded setting down his fork. "Jay, you remember defeating Lord Garmodon in the underworld. He had escaped into Ninjago, and all was peaceful. We waited for something to happen. Garmodon was out there, and we trained every day. We worked together to get to know each other and to learn to work as a team. After a few weeks of nonstop training, we gave up.

"We didn't take it seriously anymore. It seemed as though Garmodon had disappeared forever. Sensei Wu told us to keep training, but we neglected to listen. He was right. A few weeks later, Garmodon's son was spotted in a village with an army of Serpentine. We went to stop him, but we were out of practice. We only won out of sheer luck. Garmodon's son, Lloyd Garmodon, ran. He released more tribes of serpentine and eventually, they came to confront us.

"The battle that followed was something from a nightmare. We were all outnumbered. We faired well in the beginning, but when Lord Garmodon himself entered the battle, we knew we were done for. We tried to escape, but," Zane paused looking at Kai.

"You were captured." Kai put in. "The three of us only barely escaped with our lives."

"That's it." Cole said. "We don't know anything about when you were his prisoner."

"Oh." I said thinking. "Wait, if only that happened, then why are you guys acting so different?"

"That story is what happened with Garmodon. Pythor is out there." Cole said. "He's the current leader of the Serpentine army and he's looking for a way to release a monster into the world. We're trying to stop him."

"He's collecting Fangblades." Kai cut in. "He needs all four of them to unlock the monster."

"We've been growing stronger as well." Cole interrupted. "We need to unlock our full potential. That's our ultimate power."

"You and Zane have already unlocked yours." Kai said glaring daggers at Cole. "Cole and I still have to find it."

"I'm obviously really close to unlocking it." Cole boosted. He crossed his arms defiantly and Kai huffed with amusement.

"No, you're not." He responded. "I'm closer."

"I'm going to unlock it first." Cole said getting to his feet. I scooted away from him on the bench. Kai also stood matching his height. The temperature in the room seemed to rise. The floor under our feet shook.

"Stop it!" Zane yelled. Both Kai and Cole looked at him in surprise. Zane seemed to grow in anger. "Neither of you are going to unlock anything if you don't learn how to control your elements. May I remind you that Garmodon is still out there, and we need to fight him not fight ourselves."

"Whatever." Kai muttered. He turned and left the room in a huff. I heard a door slam in the hall.

"What's with him?" Cole asked angrily. "Everything I do makes him mad. I didn't even do anything. He's a prick."

He continued to mutter to himself as he started to clear the table. Zane walked towards me.

"Sorry you had to see that, Jay." He said to me. "It's different then you remember."

"Yeah, tell me about it." I said. "Do they always fight like that?"

"Sometimes." Zane said. "They faught a lot more after you had been captured. They have an explosive relationship."

"I can see that." I said. "What about their elements though? How'd they do that?"

"When someone with elemental powers loses control of their emotions, their elemental powers come out. They will learn to control this when they unlock their full potential."

"What is a full potential?" I asked. Zane paused.

"You unlock it when you get past the thing holding you back. It's when you become one with yourself." He said. "You unlocked it before you were captured, but you don't remember that."

"I know I don't remember that." I said. "Do I have to unlock it again?"

"I do not know." Zane said with a sigh. "It's nothing that we've come across before. This is new territory. You'll figure it out when you get to it."

"Well, that's informative." I grumbled before letting out a yawn.

"It is getting late. We should all be heading to bed." Zane said. I nodded. "Do you need help getting there?"

"I think I'll be okay." I said standing up slowly. The medicine was in full effect and I couldn't feel any pain at all. I nodded to Zane, and walked down the hall slowly. I entered my bedroom and closed the door behind me.

I had so many questions.

Hey, Guys! Thanks for reading. There was a coding error, but I reloaded it, so it should be fine now. Shout out to Nagasha for pointing this out to me!