Moonsable chuckled.
"Get up, both of you." She barked.
"Hey-"
"I wouldn't move if I were you, fire ninja," Moonsable commanded.
Kai froze. "Unless of course, you want them to make it out of this unscathed."
Kai turned to Lloyd.
Lloyd looked at him, through narrowed, pained eyes.
"Which one of you is the water ninja again?"
Nya turned to her. "That-that would be me."
Moonsable smiled.
"Excellent," She said. "My master wishes to have counsel with you."
Nya narrowed her gaze.
"Also," She began, drifting towards Nya. "don't try any of your water tricks."
She forced Pixel and Lloyd to their feet.
Moonsable shoved the two forward with the tip of her sword.
Lloyd hopping on one foot.
He grunted, shutting his eyes.
"My master isn't a very big fan of...water...You know?"
Nya narrowed her gaze.
"Who is your master?" Nya blurt out.
"Take a wild guess."
Nya stared.
"N-no way!" Jay began. "Nya killed her!"
"Ah, ah-ha." Moonsable began, wagging a finger. "Trapped her, she didn't kill her."
Slowly, Moonsable reached into her small pouch, pulling out a shard.
Nya's eyes widened.
"Is-is that a-"
"Shard of the realm crystal? Yes." Moonsable chuckled. "I managed to swipe one when that foolish child brought me back here about...let's say...when those Oni attacked?"
Nya raised an eyebrow.
With that, Moonsable put her hand forward, light pouring from the tip of the shard.
A small portal appeared in front of Nya.
Nya narrowed her gaze.
"Now hurry dear," Moonsable said. "My master runs on a very tight schedule."
Nya whipped around, throwing a water bullet at the ghost.
Moonsable dodged it, grabbed Lloyd's hand and stuck it in the pudding.
Lloyd let a shrill scream before she pulled it out.
Lloyd clattered to the floor, clutching it with his other hand.
"You see what happens when you disobey?" Moonsable asked.
Pixel loomed over him.
"Why you-"
"I will do it again," Moonsable said. "Now. Go."
Nya lowered her hands to her side.
"Nya!" Kai called out as she slowly began to step towards the portal.
"Nya! Wait a second!" Jay cried.
A pair of arms wrapped around Jay as he tried to run forward.
Instead, Kai shot forward, tripping over his shoelaces in the process.
He reached a hand out.
And yet, Nya stepped through.
And Kai's face hit the floor.
He looked up, hearing laughter.
"Don't worry, you'll see her again," Moonsable said. "She..probably won't be alive but...you'll definitely see her," She paused. "The preeminent does not take kindly to souls who challenge her."
Kai let out a frustrated cry and ran forward, attempting to grab the ghost.
His hand and body phased through her.
His eyes widened.
Moonsable smiled, as her body disappears into smoke.
Kai fell onto the floor.
He turned around.
He then screamed, punching at the floor.
"Fuck! Fuck, fucking-"
"Kai! Calm down!" Cole began.
"My sister was just taken, I-I can't calm down!" Kai yelled. "I bet that Morro fuck was involved in this! He planned this all along!"
Lloyd slowly turned to Kai.
"n-no...I...I don't think he did…" He mustered out. "Some...something..bad...is happening and...and I...think it...has too...do with….him..but...he.."
With that, Lloyd went limp in Pixel's arms.
"Lloyd? Lloyd!" Pixel cried.
"He's in shock! Bring him to the medical bay, quickly!" Zane cried, as Cole grabbed Lloyd and picked him up.
With that the four ran down the hallway.
Kai bit his lower lip.
Shaking slightly, he stood up.
Jay slowly stepped towards him.
"Kai-"
"Fuck. Off."
"Kai, seriously-"
"I said fuck off!"
Jay flinched, and with that, he ran down the hall and past him.
Kai flinched as he heard a door slam in the distance.
Kai looked at the floor.
The black pudding was gone.
He swallowed hard, feeling tears form in his eyes.
He became a ninja to protect and save his sister.
He had promised to protect Lloyd.
And yet again, he failed.
(_)
Agosi slowly crept past the office, and out the door.
Alec watched as they came over to a garage.
"Erm-"
His eyes widened as Agosi took out a pair of keys.
"Y-your bike-"
"Yeah, I fixed it," Agosi said. "Surprise."
"That was fast."
"Well yeah," Agosi said. "The only thing that was broken was the back tire, the fender, and the headlight."
"But...it looked completely broken when we crashed..!"
The two hopped on the bike.
"Dude," Agosi began, some slight nervousness in his voice. "Do you know how many times I've crashed this baby?"
Alec was silent.
The bike whirred to life, as the two drove out of the parking garage and down the street.
(_)
Caspian could hear his parents arguing in the other room in Portuguese.
Caspian was sitting in the living room, curled up in various blankets, and still cold.
Caspian had fought off the urge to start thinking about stixx again.
About Agosi.
The preeminent.
All of it.
Slowly, he pulled out his phone, and scrolled through the various news-
He paused.
He opened the video.
"As of right now," The reporter began. "The ninja have filed a missing person case."
Caspian's eyes widened.
On the corner of the screen, was a picture of the water ninja.
She was smiling as a medal was being put on her neck.
You could tell that the picture was zoomed in on.
"Early this morning, the water ninja disappeared," The reporter said. "If you have seen her, please contact the ninja at this number."
A number showed up on the corner of the screen.
Caspian took a screenshot.
He flinched, hearing banging on the back door.
Slowly, he got up, and walked towards it-
He paused, seeing Agosi and Alec standing there.
"H-hey-" Agosi paused. "Holy crap, what happened-?"
Caspian didn't reply, and then turned to Alec.
Alec looked at him.
"H-how did you…" Caspian began.
"I-I pulled him out of a toilet at school!" Agosi cried.
Caspian blinked.
"A-a toilet? But-but he was taking a bath the last time I saw him!" Caspian paused. "B-but the water was..black and.."
He trailed off.
"Alec...did you...happen to see...a woman..or something?"
Alec looked up.
"N-no." He said. "I...it was too dark."
Caspian paused.
"Dark?"
"I-I got pulled underwater by...by some...thing and-"
"What are you doing here."
The three boys turned.
"Mrs. Sousa-" Agosi began.
"Not you Agosi, him." Lygia gestured to Alec.
Alec stared. "I-what did I do?"
"You-you-"
"Caspian." Another voice said.
The group turned, spying Mystake in the doorway.
"Agosi," Mystake paused. "Alec, you three must come with me."
Lygia stared.
"Wait a damn-"
"No, Lygia." Mystake said. "Boys, come."
Nobody moved at first.
However, the first person to shuffle over was Alec, which was expected.
Agosi looked around.
He sighed.
"If what I think is gonna happen is gonna happen," He ran his fingers through his hair and walked over. "It sure beats Saturday school."
Agosi turned back, spying Caspian.
Caspian took a deep breath, letting the blanket drop to the floor.
"Cas-"
"I'll be fine, Mãe." Caspian responded.
With a nod, Mystake spun around, leaving the room.
The three boys behind her.
(_)
The group sat on the floor, the sound of rainwater filling the space.
"U-um…" Caspian began. "We aren't going to do anything...too..dangerous..right?"
Mystake smiled.
"No," with that, she tore the mattress off the floor.
On the floor, were crushed tea leaves.
Alec raised an eyebrow.
"You're going to do something extremely dangerous."
"Foda."
Agosi hit Caspian in the side.
Alec raised an eyebrow.
Mystake grabbed a fistful of the leaves.
"These, are protective-a-tea."
Alec stared.
"Why...were those under my mattress?"
Mystake's face softened.
"I pity you Alec," She muttered. "You were at peace for once in your life, and this idiot had to wake you up."
Mystake turned to Agosi.
Agosi blinked.
"H-how the hell did you-"
"I'm not an idiot Agosi," She turned to Caspian. "And you too Caspian, you were with him."
Caspian didn't say anything.
"I didn't think anything of it when Agosi reeked of death," She paused. "But Caspian? No."
She turned to Alec.
"And then he showed up."
Alec raised an eyebrow.
Mystake sighed.
"Alec, I'm sure you remember the stone pillar you were trapped in, correct?"
(_)
Kai paced outside of the medical bay.
He heard Zane and Pixel speaking.
And a few, muffled, groans from Lloyd within the room.
He heard a door click open, spying Cole coming out of Jay's room.
"Hey-" Kai began.
Cole turned.
"Uh-is..is he...doing okay?"
Cole was silent for a moment.
"No...he...he's crying, Kai."
Kai blinked.
"I-I'm not sure why he-he won't tell me," Cole said. "But-he keeps muttering things under his breath."
Kai raised an eyebrow.
"What..kind..of things..?"
"I..its gibberish-"
"What is he muttering under his breath." He said, more fire behind it.
Cole exhaled.
"He..keeps talking about how 'it's happening again'..he's..probably talking about how...erm.." Cole fidgeted. "I fell..or..something. I mean...you know how Jay gets when one of us gets hurt or captured."
Kai turned to the door.
He then turned to Cole.
"Cole," Kai said. "Tell Wu I'm going out."
Cole stared.
And then it hit him, as Kai grabbed a sword from the wall.
"Y-you can't be serious! Kai!" Cole cried, running down the hall. "If you bring him here, all hell will break loose."
Kai narrowed his gaze.
"I know."