Chen's Island

"Wake up, little girl."

Kigaru mumbled, stirring in her sleep. Her eyes opened slightly, squinting in the brightly-lit room. Bedsheets? Pillows? A Serpentine? What was going on? What sort of dream was this? Where was she, and why?

"Where am I," Kigaru yawned. "How'd I get here?"

"You were knocked out in battle, and I carried you here," the Serpentine sighed as he set a tray of food down.

"Battle? What battle," Kigaru asked. "I don't recall a battle."

"I assure you, there was a battle," the Serpentine nodded. "And I assure you, you were a brave fighter. But alas, I had to rescue you from your demise."

"Who are you again?"

"Pythor," the Serpentine sighed.

"Ah, I remember you. You're the bad snake who choked me, and the one Lloyd told me to capture."

"Your memory is sharper than I thought. Perhaps a result of the mind element?"

"The mind what?"

"The element of mind. It allows you to look into the minds of others, and discern their thoughts, or to recall things no one else remembers."

"What makes you think I have that power?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't have more than one elemental power. Nobody does, except Lloyd."

"I thought so too, but I have learned that the contrary is true. You, my dear, are gifted."

"How gifted? If I do have other powers, a big if, then how come I can't use them now?"

"You lack training."

"Which I would have got with Lloyd. Except that you are holding us all hostages for no reason."

"For no reason? That's harsh."

"Don't be surprised. All you've wanted is to settle the score with the ninja, to where you come out on top."

"How cruel," Pythor hissed. "I wouldn't harm a hair of their heads."

"That's reassuring," Kigaru quipped, rolling her eyes.

"Please, don't be sarcastic," Pythor retorted. "If I so much as touch a hair of their head, the entire ninja force will be upon me at once. And that I cannot risk, not yet anyway."

"For an enemy of the ninja, you're quite the gentleman," Kigaru remarked.

"Is that a compliment or an insult?"

"Depends."

"Depends on what? My history?"

"Depends on if you poisoned my breakfast or not. Wait, why did you bring me breakfast? And why am I in a bed fit for a king instead of a cage?"

"You are my guest, aren't you?"

"More like a prisoner who can't leave the room."

"I didn't say that. You're free to wander about the premises if you like."

"That sounds stupid. I mean, I am the enemy. You don't just let your enemies wander about your base. They might learn your secrets."

"Of course not. But you are not an enemy, in my opinion."

"What are you talking about?! Of course, I'm an enemy! I fought you, didn't I?"

"Yes, but I don't count that as fighting," Pythor chuckled. "It is Lloyd and the ninja I despise, after all they made me go through. You, on the other hand, have no history with me. Therefore, you are not an enemy, yet."

"Hmmm, that is true," Kigaru nodded. "We technically don't know each other."

"Right," Pythor smiled. "As Master Wu would say, 'the best way to defeat an enemy is to make them your friend'."

"We're not friends," Kigaru interrupted.

"No, we're not," Pythor smiled. "But that can change."

"You'd have to convince me first. I don't make friends unless I can trust them. And I'm not sure whether I can rely on you. After all, you are a snake."

"May I change your mind?"

"Try if you want. It won't make a difference."

"I beg to differ. But come, let's walk. I must show you something that might change your mind about me, and the ninja in general."

"Can I eat first," Kigaru asked. "I'm famished, and I don't think well on an empty stomach."

"Fine with me," Pythor nodded, putting the platter of food on Kigaru's bed. "Once you finish, the wardrobe there is full of clothes, mostly stuff I scrounged up from the wreckage of Ninjago City. Choose whatever you like. I'll be back in an hour for our walk."

As soon as Pythor exited Kigaru's room, Kigaru started eating the breakfast presented before her. And it was the best meal she had ever had. Roasted frog. Half-poached eggs. Herbs. Chicken, juicy yet tender, easy to pull apart and eat. She cleaned the plate, and even devoured the greenish snake tongue dessert put to the side.

Then she jumped out of bed and strolled to the wardrobe. Sure enough, there were a bunch of Ninjago clothes, hanged neatly on racks or folded underneath on a shelf. She scrolled through the options. Every line of city fashion, from Sons of Garmadon gangster to royal garb, was there, waiting to be tried on.

By the end of the hour, she was dressed, having opted to wear a style like Lloyd's civilian clothes. Then she glanced at the bookshelf of books and papers in the far corner. Most of the titles were dull or in foreign tongues, but one book, called Darkjago, caught her fancy. She pulled it off the shelf, then plopped down and started to read.

"Ninjago. A land shrouded in mystery, yet graced with numerous remnants of what once was, innumerable memories of what is, and several signs of what is to come. Much history this land, and its sister realms, has, yet the story is found wanting, found…incomplete. Records are incomplete, or more fittingly, omitted from mentioning.

"The ninja, those valiant defenders, claim they've completed the story, that the tales they've told are the only facts to know. But they lie. They are shady, deceptive manipulators of the narrative, diverting the spotlight only to their heroics and virtue. But Darkjago states otherwise. There is more to Ninjago than this ninja deception; much more, in fact, that they conveniently omit to share. But their secret will not be secret for long…."

Kigaru paused. Was it true? Were the ninjas really covering up the past? No, it couldn't be. After all, all the villains were publicly known to the people, and they witnessed the heroics of the ninjas numerous times.

"Kigaru," Pythor shouted.

Kigaru jumped, dropping the book from her lap.

"My apologies if I startled you," Pythor sighed, picking up the book. "But I have yelled for you at least five times now."

"Oh dear, I must have zoned out," Kigaru sighed, standing up.

"What were you reading," Pythor asked.

"Some book called Darkjago," Kigaru sighed.

"Ah yes, that one," Pythor nodded. "The only book of its kind. No other book records Ninjago's past and present like it, and it hasn't been published yet."

"Then how is it a book," Kigaru questioned.

"That I will explain, after our walk."