Kai feels the shift. The energies of the land shift, as though a clock has struck an hour. The burst of energy that ripples outward is overwhelming, as kai is taken to his knees, his bones becoming brittle for a moment, as though aged decades in the matter of nothing, before returning to normal. As he stands, the phantom ache remains, as he gazes to the clouds, covering whatever had just occurred, before returning inside the museum, as a portrait catches his eye.
"Nya. Did you see this?" He asks, his sister walking over, eyeing the painting.
"What is it?" She asks.
"It looks like a portrait of our parents. Before they…" He trails off. "I still wonder what really happened for everything to have gone the way it did."
"GUYS! LOOK WHAT I FOUND!" Cole's voice takes their attention, as the ninja meet with him. He gazes at an old artwork, depicting a battle. "It's Wu and Garmadon." He gestures to two figures.
"Pixal, analyse." Zane orders gently.
"Facial contour mapping indicates that this scene takes place 40 years ago, right after the Serpentine war." She explains.
"But Ninjago was in relative peace. Who would they be fighting?" Cole asks, with no answer to be given.
"Refreshing time!" Dr. Saunders exclaims, bringing a tray holding cups of juice. "Hot sweaty work deserves cold drink!" As they all drink, Lloyd asks about the painting. "Oh, this? Nothing. Minor skirmish. Nothing of historical significance. That is why i don't hang it in main gallery."
"Doesn't look insignificant to me. It's huge." Jay argues.
"It's all myth." Saunders reiterates.
"Myth or not, who are these men that Master's Wu and Garmadon are fighting?" Zane asks. "I have no data on them."
"There is a legend." Saunders sighs audibly. "Twin Brothers called the Hands of Time. They could allegedly manipulate itself. Speed it up, slow it down. All sorts of things. Ridiculous right? That is why it's a myth."
"Did they have specific names?" Nya asks.
"The legend gave them the names of Krux and Acronix." Saunders gestures to each respectively. As the clock strikes six, the ninja all rush out. As they open the doors, the find themselves back on the bounty, confused as the anomaly alarms blare.
"What was that?" Lloyd asks.
"I don't think that painting was of insignificant history. Whatever happened to those twins back then, just had an effect on the now." Kai notes. He goes and deactivates the alarm, taking note on where the anomaly originated from. "That's not a good sign."
"What? What's not a good sign?" Jay asks.
"The displacement originated from the Monastery. Wu advised me this morning that he had some unfinished business to attend to there." Kai explains. "It definitely sounded out of character for Wu, but I'm not one to interrupt personal matters. Problem is, it's no longer a personal thing. We were all affected by whatever Wu is dealing with."
"Setting course." Nya assures, heading to the helm. Kai looks out the window with a frown. Time was a fickle thing, and something that the Null harnessed itself, along with space. The energy burst he felt earlier, however, was beyond anything Vex had warned him off. That was concerning.
As they arrive, a single figure stands. Jay immediately uses the anchor to get down, and after a short conversation, takes out his nun-chucks. Kai, noticing this first, leaps off the edge of the ship, landing with a small shockwave, his curse flaring out power as he eyes the figure.
"Acronix, I presume." He greets roughly.
"So you have heard of me?" Acronix asks with curiosity.
"No. Not more than a painting that we were told held no historical significance. Think I am gonna kill that doctor when we're finished here." Kai admits. "Where's Wu?"
"Oh, just hanging by a branch." Acronix answers with a chuckle, before disappearing, and reappearing behind Kai, who dodges without effort.
"You're attack is weak. You don't use the full power of that weapon, for you do not understand how to." Kai mocks, blocking a charged strike, which has no effect on the Ninja of Fire.
"Well, then I suppose I need to work a little harder!" Acronix leaps, as the power in the blade increases beyond Kai's ability to stop, as he draws his katana, which erodes after hitting the Time Blade. Kai uses his hands, signaling for Jay to return to the Bounty, and search for Wu.
Kai then takes his saber from his pocket dimension, igniting it's blade. As he strikes the Time Blade, however, it leaves no effect, the plasma and pure energy failing to cut through. Kai then jumps back, keeping Acronix focused on him.
"I'm intrigued." Kai admits. "There's not many metals, or materials, magically enhanced or not, that can withstand this blade."
"You'll have to thank two Master Smiths for that. Not even I understand hoe they were made." Acronix laughs, his words causing Kai to stiffen for a moment.
"Ray and Maya." Kai concludes grimly.
"Ah, so you know them?" Acronix asks, a crazed glint in his eyes.
"No. They disappeared, leaving their two children, aged five and three, to fend for themselves." Kai retorts, the pain of the fact, even if they had no choice, burning him as his fire could not. Kai strikes again, testing the waters with Acronix, who laughs maniacally as they duel, before roles are switched, and Kai is forced on the defensive, as every minute or so, a strike more powerful than the rest sends arcs of temporal energy into his weapon, the insides slowly fading and wearing as each strike releases energy.
"Kai!" Nya shouts form the Bounty, where Wu is shown to be back aboard.
"It was interesting to meet you, Acronix. But I must take my leave." Kai bids farewell, as his Airjutzu takes him back onto the Bounty, as they raise the anchor and depart. As the Ninja check up on Wu, they all glare lightly at him.
"You've got some explaining to do, Sensei." Cole crosses his arms, as Wu sighs.
"Yes. I suppose I do." He affirms. "But first, let us get back home." With that, the ninja wait, as they journey to Yang's Temple.
"To answer your questions, I will have to start at the end. It was 40 years ago, shortly after the Serpentine Wars, when I was a much younger man. As you know, we fought valiantly, but our enemies were stronger, and our powers alone, not enough.
"It was the discovery of the Snake Charmers flutes, that allowed us to finally defeat the Anacondrai. Their leaders were banished, and peace was returned to Ninjago. Each of the Elemental Masters were key, including the Masters of Time." Wu explains.
"Wait, so you're telling us, that that guy at the monastery is an actual Elemental Master?!" Cole exclaims in disbelief.
"No. Krux and Acronix were the Elemental Masters of Time." Wu sips his tea. "After helping us win our hard fought peace, they betrayed me, Garmadon, and the others. The so called Hands of Time felt that they controlled the most powerful Element, therefor entitling them to rule all of Ninjago."
"What did you do?" Nya asks.
"We had to stop them. And it would take all of us. Garmadon, myself, and every Elemental Master." Wu admits.
"Even our parents." Kai states knowingly.
"Of course. Kai, Nya, your mother and father were great fighters. But it appeared that even they met their match. Acronix was a skilled warrior, one of the best I had ever seen. But it was his power to control the forward movement of time, by sending himself forward, he was always ahead of the action, as if he had super speed. However, a slow progression can be just as dangerous. Different power, but equally effective.
"One Master of Time was bad enough. But like the hands on a clock, there were two. Krux's power was the opposite of his brother's. He could reverse time, giving himself a massive advantage in combat. Know your opponent's next move is, know how to counter it. He could even control time to the point of halting it. Of course, he didn't halt himself.
"We knew we had to prepare. Fearing that next time, we would not be so lucky."
"You say the Hands of Time were unbeatable, yet you beat them. How?" Lloyd asks.
"How you often win a battle. By taking their weapons." Wu answers.
"But their weapon was time." Zane notes.
"Indeed." Wu affirms. "Our only hope were four blades, hastily forged by Chrono-Steel. The Time Blades. Garmadon and I both wielded them, and together, we defeated the twins, and as they launched their Elemental attacks, the Chrono-Steel absorbed their powers. This metal, is the only kind that can absorb Elemental powers, as they did. Stripped of their powers, Krux and Acronix were just two ordinary men. Easily subdued.
"But the ability to control time is too great for anyone to possess. Garmadon and I knew that the Time Blades themselves were a threat that had to be eliminated, forever. We created a temporal vortex to displace the blades in time, where they would be lost to the ages. But Acronix and Krux refused to admit defeat. They broke free, and entered the Vortex."
"So, what happened to them?" Cole asks.
"Krux disappeared into time itself. And I knew Acronix was going to return yesterday. So I waited. He was the remaining loose end. And now, he is no more." Wu finishes.
"You mean, permanently?" Lloyd questions.
"Never my intent, but it was his fate, the one he chose." Wu comforts.
"How did you know he was coming? You knew precisely when he would be spat out." Kai asks, but Wu is fast asleep, and Misako turns to the ninja.
"No more questions for today. He needs rest." She orders, as the ninja depart.
"Well, with nothing else to do, we might as well unpack everything and settle in." Lloyd admits.
"You go on ahead. I need to check something." Kai dismisses, heading out the door and summoning Ash to take him back to the Blacksmith Shop. As he searches around, he finds a small crack in the floor, light emitting from below. He takes a sword and carves a hole, revealing a basement that neither he, nor Nya had known about. He moves to go down, when a burst of energy from Cole is unleashed. He glances up before tracking the origins of the surge, jumping on Ash as she takes him into Ninjago City, where the ninja are facing down a creature.
"Where have you been?" Nya asks.
"Treasure Hunting." Kai retorts. "What did I miss?"
"See that?" She points at the armoured creature. "Serpentine. What you don't see? He's made up of hundreds of tiny ones." The creature in question just laughs, before walking inside the building.
"If I had to guess, someone wants to kidnap Cyrus again." Kai deadpans. As they enter the store, two more of the snake warriors appear. As they fight, nothing seems to effect them, or stop them from reforming. As Zane takes Cyrus away from the battle, the ninja keep the warriors busy. As they are driven outside, Jay and Nya begin to combine their powers, using water the force the snakes to disperse, and Jay's lightning to keep them away from the armour.
With the battle won, they go to find Zane, where he lays on the floor, severely damaged and out of commission. Cyrus is nowhere to be seen. With nothing else to do, they bring Zane back to the Temple, where Kai disappears, taking a helmet with him.
As Kai once more returns to the Blacksmith Shop, he begins to inspect the Helm closely, finding the makers mark. He recognizes it instantly.
"What did you get yourself caught up in, dad?" Kai wonders aloud, looking back to the photo of his parents. He leaves the helmet there, as he rides Ash to the museum, where he finds Dr. Saunders, and, unsurprisingly to his theories, Borg's energy signature. "Saunders. I came to ask you a few things."
"In the flesh! What questions you have?" His eccentric attitude and voice somewhat grating to Kai.
"I know you were good friends with my parents. Can you tell me what they were like?" Kai asks, but in his mind, Vex's words rang through.
"They'd do anything for you Kai. Even if it meant following an evil person to ensure your safety."
"Oh, as much as I spent time with them, they seemed off. Almost as though they had plan for something devious. I spent time with them because I am polite, and was curious." The lie is clear as day, and Kai chuckles.
"You know." His voice darkens. "I had a feeling you'd say that, Krux."
"Oh? Then why…" Saunders trails off as he processes what Kai said. "I see." The facade drops, as Krux turns to face Kai. "How did you figure it out?"
"You left clues. The art depicting your greatest loss, your greatest pain, was the biggest one." Kai admits. "The one that truly lead me here, however, was how close you were to my parents, yet you never attempted to help care for me or my sister when they disappeared. As though out of spite. Not to mention, I will admit I'm impressed that you fooled Wu."
"I see." Krux ponders. "I suppose it's a good thing the truth will die with you."
"We'll see." Kai shrugs, even as the armoured snakes begin to surround him. The moment they touch him, however, they turn to dust, the armour dropping to the ground. "I should warn you though. I'm somewhat cursed." His smile seems to show fangs, where there are none.
"I suppose it is fitting, the child of traitors being cursed." At Krux's words, Kai stops smiling, making Krux laugh. "What's the matter? Do my words hurt you?"
"No." Kai disperses into particles, before reappearing before Krux. "I just find the words of a manipulator rather irritating." His punch sends the old man into the golden sarcophagus, and as a hidden doorway opens, it blocks it as it falls, the lid opening to reveal Cyrus. "Huh, was wondering where he stuffed you." His joke is ruined, however, as a powered punch from the Time Blade launches the sarcophagus, and Cyrus, away from the hidden door, where Acronix walks through, joining his brother.
"Like I said before. The truth will die with you." Krux reiterates, as the two fight against Kai, who holds his own for a time, until he is kicked into a wall, as Acronix stalks towards him, Time Blade powered up. Nya's arrival saves his life, as her water jet knocks Acronix away, the Blade falling from his grasp, as siblings fight twins, with Nya taking Krux, and Kai taking Acronix. As they switch over time and again, Kai gives his sister a hand, propelling her at Krux, her kick sending him into the sarcophagus, the lid closing on him.
"Seems we have the upper hand." Nya notes, but her words are fruitless, as Acronix takes the Blade, and sends himself, his brother, and Cyrus, elsewhere, with the activation of the weapon, securing their escape.
"Rule one of fighting: Never jinx it." Kai sighs, hugging his sister. "Good news is, though, that I think I know what happened to our parents." Nya looks up in hope. "Their signature is on the helmet we took from those warriors. Krux likely used us as leverage to make them work for him."
"But, that was years ago!" Nya exclaims.
"Which means he's planned this for a long time." Kai affirms.
As everyone else trains, Kai meditates, communing with Vex. As the landscape shifts to his mind, Kai watches as a gateway opens, Vex walking out.
"I assume you learned the truth." He states.
"You always knew. You hinted at it, but you never told me. Why?" Kai asks.
"Because, no matter when I would tell you, you would rush in headfirst and get yourself killed. When it comes to blood relations, you abandon all patience and planning. I was surprised you held yourself back when Nya was taken." Vex admits. "But I feel as though even now, you would do exactly what I just described."
"You're not wrong." Kai affirms with a sigh. "But I also might not. I only ask for you to show me how their signatures felt. I need to know how to find them, rather than just let everything take its course. Just this once."
"Just this once." Vex repeats, bringing a sphere of energy into view, it's coils, it's threads, each in a specific place, each singing a specific tune. Once Kai memorizes it, he nods, and Vex makes the sphere change, forming a different feel, as Kai memorizes it as well. "They won't be exact. It has been 19 years, after all." He warns, walking back through the gateway.
With Vex gone, Kai focuses once more, feeling throughout Ninjago, following each thread, each sphere, layer by layer, coil by coil. He finds them deep below Ninjago, muffled, hidden, by the layers of earth, the concrete, the human structures, but they are there. Weary, fearful, but alive.