It all started with a prophecy.

Orphan, Wannabee, Runaway, Joker,

Four as one, once alone,

One was hidden, an emerald in the elements, Ice, Fire, Earth, Lightning,

A Temporary replacement, until He proved himself

All in greatness, but one rose above, defeated the odds,

And the Green Ninja saved them all.

Zane, that's all he knew, his name.

A blacksmith, Kai, he would be the greatest!

No one had to know, he was just Cole.

He had to get away, he, Jay, had to be himself.

An old man lay in a cot, metallic walls on all sides, all unfamiliar surroundings. Some unknown instinct told him the stairs were the exit, as there wasn't anywhere else. Snow, so much snow, Zane couldn't see anything, so he missed the golden robot scanning the surrounding storm, along with the moving 'trees' around him. Zane remembered this, anything before was a blur, so he usually blocked the memories, what was the use, he'd rather think he had lived in the monastery his whole life, his instincts screamed at him there was something missing, but Zane couldn't comprehend what it could be. Amnesia is common with orphans with traumatic experiences, he assumed it was the same with him. After all, what else could it possibly be?

The sword had come out wrong, again! Kai had tried so hard, but no matter what he did, it ended with the same result, impossibly bent swords, or they were too weak to do anything other than decorate, that is. Nya said it took patience, but he disliked waiting, who could wait that long for a simple sword. He was supposed to be a legendary warrior, and blacksmith, all rolled into one, he didn't have time to sit around making an average sword, his perfect weapons should be made quickly, efficiently, and, most importantly, legendary. He had to craft his own though, and even Nya was better than him, and she was a girl! Oh, Kai cringed, she'd smack him if she heard that.

Cole had finally done it, he told his dad he went to college, as if! College and music must be the most boring, dull, unexciting, mundane thing ever! So what if he had lied about school, and caring, it's not as if his old man would ever need to know, he could pretend he was some bigshot in, Cole didn't even know where his dad hadn't been, but he'd find out, and say he was there. Meanwhile, he could find his purpose while his dad went off on his career, Cole would not be a copy!

Parents were embarrassing, he had to get away, it was shameful. They didn't even get any of his jokes, the most important part of him! Didn't know what he would do, didn't know where he would go, he guessed he would find a girl who understood his jokes, a bunch of friends he would joke with, become something awesome, somewhere where he could be himself. He loved engineering, electricity, the works, but he just plain didn't like his parents, they were everything he wasn't. Like water and lightning, it wasn't that shocking, well actually, it kind of was. Jay had to give out a laugh, he definitely had the skill, the humour, everything, it was just his parents, after he left, all would be good. Jay had to admit, his jokes were awesome, intentional or not.

Zane bowed at the dummy, it was only respectful, after all, to bow to your opponent before sparring. Sensei Wu watched, sipping his tea, with two sugar cubes, just how he liked it. As he leaned down, bowing, he heard a sudden ringing in his ears, and a fresh pain in his head, guess dummies didn't follow the common sparring rules then.. Sensei gave out a laugh, it was kind of cracky, like there was an impact with a wall, Zane found he didn't mind, his Sensei's laugh was nice, it not only showed he could laugh, but it also told a story. One of the cracks in his chuckle was one too many hits with heartbreak, another was lingering sadness, and longing. Zane wished he knew what Sensei Wu was laughing about though, he hadn't done anything wrong, had he?

Kai fished out the sword, he had maybe, forgotten about it, and gotten distracted by his father's masterpieces. He felt as though he should have remembered though, it made him kind of upset, he wasn't anywhere near Nya, who wasn't anywhere near father's skill level once was, he felt hopeless, in that one moment, and he didn't like the feeling. Kai promised himself that he would never be so down, it was unbecoming of a proud warrior, they never gave up, it wasn't in their nature, and Kai vowed he would be the same, now, if only he could be more like his father… No! No more giving up and reminiscing, Kai would be amazing, remembered, and looked up to, there was no way he would allow himself to be anything less! Leaving the comfort of the shop and forge bundled together, entering the frigid, cool air. Looking around, he spotted several other houses and shops, and further away, there were farmlands, with workers planting and harvesting, a sort of weird mixture, his village was great like that, very important, as there was no dry season, so they planted and harvested all year long, and could afford breaks, instead of being on tight deadlines like the villages on the other side of Ninjago City, their village was special, and Kai silently shouted out in his mind, I will be the greatest of them all!

The village was nice, and Cole silently analyzed all that was before him, there was a blacksmith, Four Weapons Blacksmith Shop if he read right, several small huts near the edge, farmlands all around, and more small shops, and slightly more modern houses the closer to the center the village, not much more modern though, Ninjago City had obviously passed them in terms of technology. Cole decided he would take a brisk walk through, not long enough to stay the night, as it was only just barely noon, he would stay just long enough to get supplies, check out the Four Weapons Blacksmith Shop, it looked cool, and he couldn't help but wonder, did they only sell four different kinds of weapons, or was it something else, the name had to have some sort of meaning, even if it wasn't a sentimental name. Anyways, Cole would pass through the village, get supplies, check out the blacksmith shop, and head over to the next village, hopefully before nightfall. He had the thought that he could try his limits, physical, of course, no way would he do, with a shiver, he thought of music.

Jay had no idea what to do next, he knew he wanted something to do with electricity, it was the only thing he and his parents had agreed on, if only slightly, while they wanted to have all the old stuff, he wanted to tinker with new things, discover them, become something more than himself, have a legacy, he just needed a way to get there, to show his stuff, kind of like lightning, though Jay would never be a one-shot pony. Yup, Jay definitely still had it. He guessed he could attempt to get a job, you know, getting used to technology that wasn't in a dump, that would be nice. Jay kept that thought in mind as he walked down the old, dusty road, yes, he would get a job, learn the standards of today, not of years ago, that would be his first step. Now, where to get the job, Jay thought he had an idea for it, if he got a mostly isolated job, where not many would see him tinker or be affected by it, he could learn what was required with the newer technology, and hopefully go beyond those standards, he would shoot up in fame faster than lightning. Jay gave a small laugh while his foot took him where he needed to go, if he didn't have someone to tell these to soon, he would go insane. No, scratch that, he would go insane and ballistic. Though it might be smart to avoid using so lightning jokes, they would get old fast, though they were fun, and he was obsessed with them.