Chapter 1: The Way of the Ninja
Wu stood amid the burned out ruins of the Monastery of Spinjitsu. He had taken his time to climb to the pinnacle. Once upon a time he may have attacked the climb, but no longer.
No longer would he see his students.
No longer would he see his nephew.
No longer would he see… Misako.
He could get no closer to his maker than here and here is where they would be re-united in the spiritual home he was created to.
'Father…'
He slowly sank to one knee then lowered himself to sit cross-legged. He had felt this coming on for years. Ever since his fate was propelled to a closer tomorrow. The Masters of Time should never have been created. Time itself should never have been given the chance to be a malleable, changeable force. It should have been the one constant in this world of magic and fable.
'I should not be here now. If it weren't for the Time Blades I would have at least another 80 years… It wasn't just the incident when Acronix returned, but the first battle for time when a time punch grazed him, his years had been slipping away slowly. If I could live my allotted time then I would lose Misako and I don't think I could bear to see her go. It is better this way. I am ready'
'I AM READY' he shouted into the eternity of night 'whenever you're ready…' he added sarcastically.
He made camp. There was still enough shelter from parts of the monastery's structure and he used this to make a comfortable place to bed down.
He attempted sleep with Misako and Lloyd in his thoughts and wondered when his end would come… and it would come.
A green light flashed across his closed eyes. He felt his mind draw apart from his body 'was this it?… No, no, it was something else'. He opened his eyes. The monastery was bathed in a sharp green light. A figure stood still across the courtyard, green tendrils of smoke billowed over its body and snaked across the floor. The figure's shape was familiar, the armour… the acidic eyes. They snapped open and the apparition disappeared 'A vision. Why now? Now of all times? I am here in my final resting place, waiting for peace and now I have a vision'
The sun was rising behind clouds stretched thin across the sky. He had slept a full night already, though he was sure he had only just closed his eyes. Normally he couldn't sleep at all, but even though he was surrounded by devastation he felt relaxed and at peace in his home, though the vision disturbed his calm. He surveyed his surroundings seeing only the glory of the monastery of his youth. He knelt in the gateway and prised a fire-blackened piece from the great lintel that had collapsed.
'Old friend' he said and motioned a small bow to the great shimmering dragon that materialised before him 'I cannot fly with you, I am too week. I can sustain you long enough for you to alert my students. Take this so they will understand where I am' He placed a burnt fragment of wood in the dragons jaws and it rose into the air. Wu closed his eyes and willed the dragon to its destination.