Hello again :) I always feel as if I talk to much in these, but I actually have news this time, so hopefully I'm not too boring. Production of the sequel has already started *party streamers* and I'm hoping to give a sneak peek sometime soon, mostly because of a new OC I want to introduce. It'd be really great to have some feedback given that she is... a departure from Ash, but hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I'm enjoying writing it :)

Now to the actual chapter that is (hopefully) better than I originally wrote it.

Please R&R!

- Fell_and_ Fallen -

The wind whistles in the darkness as I raise the glow of my flames to light the clearing. Whim has attacked me relentlessly from a different direction each session, and I'm starting to wonder if I'll be able to take him even with this newfound resolve of mine. Thinking about being there for Lloyd, being powerful enough to face whatever's coming is one thing, but now that I'm standing on soggy ground looking for my hidden ancestor, I'm starting to feel a little less gung-ho.

Something explodes behind me, and I just duck out of the way as a cannon of water spirals out of nowhere, streaking through the darkness just above my head as I scramble to get out of the way. Ten seconds in and I'm already soaked. This isn't boding well.

The column of water rockets toward the edge of the clearing, stopping just inches from the tree line, and begins to circle back. I get to my feet, my hair dripping droplets of water into my face as I take a deep, warm breath. Spitfire whirrs on my wrist in an attempt to drive away the chill of the water, and gives me a confident dragon smile that stands in stark contrast to the knot in my stomach.

The water is making its way back toward me, spear-headed like an aquatic lance that has always pierced my consciousness and shoved me out of my meditation. Spitfire hums again, and I somehow manage to swallow the lump in my throat.

"Okay," I mutter to the much more confident dragon. "Here goes."

I raise my arms and Spitfire roars a wild scream, facing the water without a drop of fear as I clench my eyes shut and meet the oncoming tidal wave.

My fire meets Whim's water with a screech of steam and burning grass that quickly fills the air. Water streams around my shield, clutching around my flames with long fingers that struggle to quench the raging fire. My arms convulse under their tremendous power, and I can feel my shoulders wrench like I'm holding up a collapsing building, but this time I don't give up. My power twists and rolls within me, struggling to fill hands as I shove everything I have behind my fire. Spitfire lets out a determined snarl as I take one step forward, then another.

Whim's dragon appears, her sapphire eyes narrowed as she glares down at me and Spitfire. Spitfire leaps into the flames, snapping at the other dragon's face with tiny fangs of fire that nearly disappear into the might of the water dragon's scales. The two of them spiral into the air above me, Spitfire dwarfed by Whim's monolithic dragon. They snap and snarl at each other's throats, biting at the other's face. A burst of heat broils from my center and I feed it to the fire that's begun to spread.

The flames blaze brighter, changing color as the air scorches with heat. The sky turns gray with smoke and I can feel the weight on my arms begin to lessen. White flames turn every drop of the water that threatened to crush me into curls of steam, spiraling into the air before disappearing, useless. In a matter of seconds, Whim's dragon lets out a final, tremulous scream before also fading into nothing. Cobalt eyes vanish into the gray, and it's over. Spitfire returns to my arm in a tired swirl, curling around my wrist as I collapse to my knees.

"You did well."

My chest heaves for air as Whim approaches me through the fog, his outline blurred by the haze. I manage an exhausted smile.

"I did it," I cough as I try to regain my breath. "I finally beat you."

He chuckles softly, a faint sound deep in his chest. "Yes, you did. This time."

He raises a calloused hand, twitching his fingers almost imperceptibly as he gives me a smile that's all too familiar. The steam that swirls around us suddenly solidifies, molding together into distinguishable drops of water that hang for a second like tiny, suspended stars before he clenches his hand and they stream together back into the empty pond. He chuckles again at my stricken face as he pushes his sleeves up to reveal a very healthy (and rather peeved) silver-blue dragon.

"You-" I struggle to shut my gaping jaw. "You've been going easy on me this whole time?"

"Perhaps a little," he shrugs. "But you won this round fairly. You trust your familiar now."

"Yeah," I get to my feet a little shakily. Spitfire hums slowly, his nostrils flaring with exhausted smoke as I brush myself off of dead grass and ash. "Lloyd reunited with his mother and freed up a part of himself. Apparently his clogged up emotions helped me become a better fighter."

"Not just a better fighter," Whim says as he folds his arms behind his back. "But a better ruler. The two of you are directly connected. Affect one, affect the other. It is this shared connection to the first Spinjitsu Master that will allow the two of you to receive your final power and save the world. Your synchronization holds the key to unlocking the power that hasn't existed since the dawn of time. As such, you will continue to change and grow just as he does, until the two of you are directly united both in body and in mind."

I blink. "So you're saying Lloyd and I are… going to be fused together?"

Whim chuckles. "Not in the sense you are thinking. The two of you represent the contract that was forged centuries ago, when the First Spinjitsu Master faced the Overlord and his Stone Army. Once you and Lloyd have overcome the obstacles you each will face, you will stand ready to fulfill the contract Stella made, and bring light to the world we were meant to protect. It is your destiny as the last dragon, and his as the next Spinjitsu Master."

"I know I'm this 'mystical last dragon' and all, but what you're telling me…" I shake my head. "It sounds awfully final. What happens when I save the world? To my power? To our family? If I'm the last- what does that even mean?"

Something shifts on my arm, and I realize with a blink that Whim's put his hand on my shoulder. His blue eyes soften on mine as his other hand reaches to fix a few falling strands of hair and he gives me a warm, fatherly smile.

"There is still time, Ash, time for you to come to terms with your destiny," he says softly. "You have just reached the first step of achieving your power, and it wouldn't do to dwell on a future that is still a ways away."

"I know that," I shake my head. "It's just…"

"You're afraid, and rightfully so. You face a destiny unfathomable to any of us," he shifts his face to meet my eyes. "But I can assure you that we will bring you through it alright. Your friends, your father, us. You will be alright, Ash. I promise you."

Spitfire tightens on my wrist, a warm coil that reminds me of the gold on the other, of my promises, of my friends. My stomach seems permanently knotted with tension, like a rubber band stretched nearly to its breaking point. I'm not even sure why I'm afraid, whether it's for my friends, myself, or just the world in general. This power I'm supposed to receive, this connection I have to Lloyd, the idea of saving the world from an unimaginable evil- it's laughable just how ridiculous it all sounds, but all I feel is a coal of dread settle directly into the pit of my stomach.

Whim's grip shifts on my shoulder again, and I realize I've closed my eyes. I open them and meet my ancestor's gaze, the man who had faced a ridiculous evil himself not so long ago. I haven't heard the full story of his involvement with Sensei and Lord Garmadon, but if it hadn't have been for him doing what needed to be done all those years ago, there might not have been a Ninjago to fear for now. Whatever lies in the future- if fulfilling this ridiculous destiny means my grandchildren, or my friends' grandchildren live lives without being terrified of the nameless monsters on the horizon, then…

I take a deep breath and meet Whim's blue eyes with my own red, a constant reflection of our power and our connection. "So what do I do next?

He smiles, a wistful expression that overtakes his face as he lets me go and takes a step back, leaving me feeling a little colder than I was expecting.

"Now that you finally trust in yourself, you must learn to unleash your power," he says. "You may not be able to use your power to the extent that I can, but you certainly have an advantage over our enemies."

He takes a step back toward the pond, where my reflection has made a reappearance- the me that isn't me, or at least the me I haven't become yet. The coal in my stomach twists, and I struggle to extinguish it.

"You use your fire as a weapon, Ash, the way a warrior would," Whim continues, pulling me from my reverie. "But it is much more than that. You are the Queen of Fire. This element is completely under your control, it is an extension of yourself, just as your familiar is. Now that you know your power, you must learn to use it as a true Queen and Dragon. You will learn to defeat me with sheer force of fire and will, just as you defeated that Stone Warrior."

I blink. "How did you-"

"Your consciousness betrays some things, especially those that are on your mind," he answers. "Don't worry, I haven't been digging through your memories, just thoughts that may appear during our sessions. What you did against that indestructible enemy is what we will try to tap into, what will give you strength and resolve as you and Lloyd continue your journey."

He faces me with a soft chuckle. "I hope you don't mind starting later. I was entirely willing to start now, but Stella insisted she see you once you reached this stage."

I laugh at the idea of tiny Stella facing down Whim's tall, imposing form. Even in her adult state, she must be dwarfed by his sheer height alone. "I'm surprised she hasn't been here this whole time," I say. "She seemed so excited when I started training with you."

"I asked her not to," Whim grimaces. "I was afraid she might interfere."

"With what?"

The old king lets out a sigh, his shape flickering just a second as he does so. "When I failed my first few test against Oberon, she stepped in to help me. I haven't heard the end of it since, and given how long we've been around, I would hate to subject you to the same torment."

I blink. "Wow. I didn't think our family was big on picking on each other. I thought you were all, well… serious."

Whim chuckles. "A few thousand years with our ancestors and you'll realize it's like any other family. Stella is the only one with any control over the others, and that is only because she was the first. As such, I can't keep her away from our sessions any longer."

He shakes his head. "But we will worry about that the next time we meet. I've kept you here long enough, and I wouldn't want you to forget about your friends. Or sleep."

I laugh. "Thanks for looking out for me, Whim."

He chuckles. "Someone has to. Especially amongst our family. Now go to bed, you've had a long day and I'm sure you won't want to miss Zane's fettuccine alfredo."

I blink. "How do you know-?"

Whim gives me a final knowing smile before he disappears and my consciousness finally slips.