WAR OF DARKNESS CHRONICLES
Book One: Changes
Part Four: Steps
Chapter IX: Lessons
Residence of the Ninja, Ninjago City; Ninjago
Friday April 27, 2018…
"Let us begin."
The Green Ninja stood in the larger of two sparring rings before Kai, Lloyd, Morro, Jay, Cole, Nya, and Zane who were sat cross-legged on pillows on the floor. Wu, Garmadon, and Misako stood in a corner of the training room watching.
"What is elemental power?" Mack asked. "How do we define it?"
"It's what we have inside of us that we use to control our elements," Lloyd answered.
"Yes… and no," Mack cryptically responded. "Let me offer another way of viewing it."
Mack went on to give his perspective:
"I don't like to think of my relationship with the elements in terms of me trying to control them. I have an intimate connection with each element, and these connections result in an energy inside me.
"To tap this energy, I reach out and prod the elements in a direction I'd like to move; then, the elements prod me back with their own intentions. Once we're in agreement, the elements and I move as one.
"The elements resisted me for a while, as I'm sure they have resisted—and will resist—you; but my connection with each element grew stronger over time, and the elements and I learned to read each other's intentions and respond accordingly.
"My will now flows so freely with the elemental energy around and inside me that I now use the Coosa River to practice moving water and Mount Cheaha to practice moving Earth."
"Coosa River?" Jay asked.
Cole raised his own question: "Mount Cheaha?"
"A river and mountain near my home on Earth," Mack confirmed. "The point is this: strengthen your connection with your element, and the energy inside you will be great enough to bend rivers, move mountains, and challenge our enemy."
Lloyd wanted to make sure he understood. "So," he said, "it's not about being stronger and taking hold of the elements to control them. It's about balance—growing together with the elemental energy around us."
"Exactly," Mack beamed. "And elemental power is the result of the balance between the wills of an elemental master and his or her element which allows the elemental master to expend the elemental energy inside himself or herself."
"Before," he continued, "in the case of Kai, Cole, Jay, and Zane; you drew your power from the Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu, and later from Lloyd himself. Our first lessons will focus on finding the energy within yourselves.
"Nya, Morro, and Lloyd: although you have already accomplished this, I think it will still be helpful for you to also take part in these lessons. You might loose some knots you didn't realize were slowing you down and become stronger from it."
"I'm all in," Nya nodded.
Morro and Lloyd voiced their agreement with "Me too" and "Let's do this," respectively.
"Good," Mack smiled. "Now that we're all on the same page, we will start with a series of one-on-one sessions. You will each have one of these per day. On Mondays and Wednesdays, we will focus on your physical connection with your elements. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we will focus on the mental side with meditation.
"And on Fridays," Mack smirked, "I hope you will include me in your sparring rotation."
"As long as you don't do the pillar of light thing again," Cole snickered. "It freaked Jay out."
"Not true!" Jay cried defensively. "But… yeah, maybe don't do that."
Mack chuckled. "Noted."
The ninja began to exit the sparring ring one at a time.
"I'll add Mack's name to the hat," Wu spoke up for the first time.
"The drawing will finally be even," Misako said. "No one will have to spar twice in a day now."
"What do you mean?" Mack asked.
"Before you came, there were seven of us," Kai explained. "So, it was either one of us would have to spar twice, or—"
"Or someone had to spar with Sensei Wu," Morro shuddered.
"Ah," Mack snickered. "I can see how that would be a problem."
"And, to think," Wu said, "I was taking it easy on them."
A few of the ninja grumbled that they couldn't even beat their sensei three-on-one.
"I know we usually draw names," Lloyd brought the discussion back to the matter at hand, "but right now some of us have elemental powers and some of us don't, so that might not be fair this time."
"You're right," Garmadon agreed. "How's this for today: Lloyd vs. Nya, Jay vs. Kai, Cole vs. Zane, and Mack vs. Morro?"
Each ninja exchanged a smirk with their opponent and nodded.
"Perfect," Wu beamed. "Let the matches begin."
Wu then clanged a small gong that he seemingly pulled out of nowhere.
Monday April 30, 2018…
It was decided that the one-on-one sessions would go in the order of the elemental cycle: Wind, Water, Earth, Fire, Ice, Lightning; and Lloyd would be the last session of each day.
Morro met Mack in the on the front lawn, where he was waiting with a large kite.
"Good morning, Morro," Mack greeted.
"'Morning. What's with the kite?"
"Sometimes it's helpful to go back to square one," Mack shrugged. "My parents got me a big kite like this one so I could practice connecting with the wind."
"When I was little, Sensei Wu caught me flying a kite without any string. That's how he discovered my power."
"I'm not surprised," Mack smiled. "There's some force around us that has a way of putting the right thing in your hands at the right time. Some call it destiny, some believe in a living deity that guides them."
Morro thought on this for a moment, "I don't know if I necessarily believe in a 'living deity,' as you put it, even though I don't entirely reject the idea. But I have to believe in destiny…
"I used to think destiny was cruel," Morro sighed. "Until I realized that my 'destiny' isn't my predetermined and unescapable fate. It's the result of the choices I make every day."
There was a moment of meaningful silence and understanding between the two.
"Well," Mack cleared his throat. "Shall we do some flying?"
The rest of the physical training sessions went in similar fashion. They were simple enough: all one had to do was follow Mack's instructions in exercises that strengthened one's physical connection to their element.
The mental training sessions, however, were significantly more of a challenge for all parties.
Tuesday May 1, 2018…
"Hello, Morro."
Mack had set up an impromptu meditation chamber in a spare bedroom. He sat on one of two pillows on the floor surrounded by candles in a circle all around, breaking at the door to allow a person to enter the room. The bed had been removed from the room as part of setting up the chamber.
"Hey," Morro entered and shut the door behind him. He then took his seat across from Mack.
"So, how exactly are these things going to go?" Morro asked.
"It will depend on each of you—what stands in the way of forming a deep connection with your element. But I sense you have recently moved past such an obstacle."
Morro sighed. "For a few months, I thought I'd never forgive myself for the things I'd done."
Mack nodded as Morro continued.
"Then it hit me. Sensei Wu and everyone else here helped me realize there's nothing I can do to earn forgiveness or family. Those things are only given in love."
"And that's when you stopped trying to earn their forgiveness," Mack ventured. "That's when you could start to heal."
"Yes. We could start to heal together."
"Hmm," Mack pondered. "Family is a tricky thing.
"My father didn't want me to come here, especially not knowing how long I could be gone. Ever since Garmadon began to train me three years ago, my father has feared that my destiny would greatly endanger me.
"When I told him I was going to another world to find allies and prepare for a war with an enemy I don't know how to defeat…"
"He knew he was right," Morro finished Mack's story.
Mack nodded. "I think one day he'll understand that I had no choice but to leave. That's what families do—we try to understand each other, even when we disagree or wrong each other."
Morro considered this and replied, "I've come to understand that in the past few months, and I've never felt closer to the Wind."
Monday May 14, 2018…
Kai was experiencing intense déjà vu, as all the other ninja seemed to have unlocked the secret to their powers, but Kai was still struggling.
"Why is it always me?" the red ninja huffed after trying and failing for the umpteenth time to manipulate the flames of a lit torch before him in the yard.
"What do you mean?" Mack asked.
"Zane, Cole, and Jay all found their true potential before I did," Kai ranted. "And now, they've all unlocked their inner power and here I am, again, the last one to figure it out."
Mack waved his hand over the torch, putting out the flame. He then put his hand on Kai's shoulder.
"Kai," he said, "you're thinking about this the wrong way. You don't need to 'figure it out,' you must clear your mind and let 'it' find you."
Kai rolled his eyes. "I still don't get it."
Mack took a few steps back from Kai. "The day before you met Sensei Wu, did you think you had the power to do Spinjitzu?"
"No," Kai replied. "I thought that was fairytale stuff."
"It was impossible in your mind, but today you can do Spinjitzu at the drop of a hat."
"Of course I can!" Kai puffed out his chest, whipping up a Spinjitzu tornado and relighting the torch.
Mack chuckled. "You have learned to do the 'impossible.'"
"Now," the Green Ninja summoned some water to wet his hand and douse the torch. "Do it again; light the torch."
"But," Kai gaped, exasperated, "you just put water on it!"
"I made it impossible, yes? You've done the impossible before, haven't you?"
"Uggghh," Kai groaned.
"Clear your mind of what you can and cannot do, find the fire inside you, bring forth that fire—let it fill you to the brim, evaporate the water…" Mack took several steps back. "And light the torch."
Kai sighed deeply, closed his eyes, held out a hand…
And lit the waterlogged torch.
Thursday May 17, 2018…
Lloyd walked into the "meditation chamber" with doubts on his mind. If the power within him—the power of the First Spinjitzu Master, no less—was not enough to challenge Rikayla, then what did Mack hope to accomplish with all this training?
Lloyd figured that Mack would probably sense his stress, and he was proven right when Mack said as much in as many words.
"I sense a great deal of stress, Lloyd," Mack said with a concerned tone. "Everything alright?"
"There's a thing or two I was hoping we could talk about," Lloyd responded.
"Sure, let's talk," Mack invited.
"I feel overwhelmed," Lloyd began, sitting on the pillow on the floor across from Mack.
"When I unlocked my grandfather's powers, I thought I had achieved the highest I ever could. But now we have an enemy whose power makes even the First Spinjitzu Master's power look insignificant, from what you and my father have been saying about her.
"So, I guess what I'm saying is, I'm worried that no amount of training or preparing will be enough to stand up to her."
Mack took a moment to form his response.
"Rikayla is immensely powerful. Our power cannot overwhelm hers, but through strengthening our connection with our inner elemental energies, we can equal her power and make it a fair fight.
"Even the thickest shadow will dissolve when exposed to the brightest light. You proved this by defeating the Overlord in his true form."
Lloyd nodded. "I see…"
"Trust me," Mack leaned in close. "I know we can defeat her together—only together."
"I trust you," Lloyd smiled. "And I believe you."
After around a minute of silence, Lloyd spoke again.
"I think…" he hesitated.
"Go on," Mack prodded gently.
Lloyd took a deep breath.
"I think you should take the mantle of leading this team. You know our enemy, and you know the steps to defeating her."
Mack did not respond; he only looked at the floor and pondered.
"So," Lloyd repeated, "I think you should be the one leading us."
"Lloyd," Mack sighed, "I am honored, but I think this is something that everyone should have a word in."
"They do," Lloyd replied quickly. "I've talked with everyone, including Morro, Uncle Wu, and my parents.
"You're already guiding us in the preparations for this war, and we want you to lead us in the war itself."
Mack closed his eyes and replied, "I will accept this request and take on this responsibility with the utmost humility and respect."
"Thank you, Mack," Lloyd smiled. "We believe in you."
"Believe in each other before you believe in me; as I said earlier, only together can we hope to win this war. But together, united, we will win it indeed."