Hello everyone! Here's the new chapter! Sorry if it seems kinda short I kinda just got really excited to write one night so I just went ham ,but then in the morning I was like…..uh to be continued. Still tho I hope you guys enjoy this chapter ,but before we get to it I have some stuff to reply to.
Review Replies
GreenNinja429: Wow...this may sound kinda dramatic ,but I actually felt really really touched and honored by you telling me that. It really means alot to me that my writing is helping you in some way (however small it may or may not be). Honestly that's how I started out on this site as well. I took A LOT of inspiration from all kinds of writers on this site such as DietCokeisLife,Rideofthevalkyrjur, and Ninalb (anyone else reading this feel free to check out these amazing authors.) to name a few and those are just the authors I personally like (of course they're all in the Ninjago fandom cuz I be sheltered like that :P) so I guess what I'm trying to say is I know the feeling about being nervous to post your work, I honestly feel like posting anything on the internet requires a level of bravery since well the internet is of course forever. At the end of the day whatever you decide to do with your writing is always up to you. Still if you do actually want to share it, then don't be afraid to. As long you're not portraying a harmful message you should be good and in my opinion getting valid critique is an awesome way to improve.
Oof well that was long , sorry I went into an entire diatribe there :/ Still thank you so much for reviewing and if you ever do decide you want to make an account on here and share your writing, feel free to let me know I'd absolutely love to give you a follow.
Oh and SAME, I love wolves and mystery doors as well, I don't care if they're ever considered cliche XD
ItsYoGreenGirl : Lol when ur dog be having a vendetta against granola. Seriously tho that's such a cute story. One time my dog Ruby literally got me up around 2am because she needed to go to the bathroom. When I let her outside, something smelt kinda weird, and Ruby suddenly started barking really loud, well I look over to the side and low and behold there's a freaking skunk in my backyard. I was literally so shocked I almost wanted to just slam the door shut and run away. Thankfully tho, the skunk ran off and I managed to get Ruby back inside before she got herself sprayed.
Phetiamwantip: Awesome! Free feel to let me know your thoughts on this chapter as well if you feel like it.
Chapter 25
'So this is what's become of Ninjago City.' Koso internally monologued as his gaze wandered about from the many godlike towers burning their silhouettes into the skyline with their perpetually divine radiance, to the humble pavement he currently found himself strolling down.
Despite having already seen the city, the sorcerer still found it difficult to believe this was the same meek mining village it had once been.
'I suppose you were somewhat right brother..' Koso thought, as he wistfully recalled the many many tirades regarding Ninjago's glorious future his sibling could not stop spouting to save his life. Despite himself, the stone hearted ravenette couldn't help almost feeling a sense of fondness at the memory, before it was quickly brushed aside.
There was no point wasting time reliving the past, he had a flying ship to find.
ForgottenFamily
'Okay here goes nothing.'
Of all the possibilities Lloyd prepared himself for as he opened the door, he couldn't help feeling a little dumb for not expecting to be met with total darkness.
'Urgh duh Lloyd.' The blonde internally scolded himself. How could he be this dense? 'Oh well no use moping about it now.' The green ninja supposed, as he watched Jasper disappear into the pitch black recesses of the unlighted room.
Not wanting to go back for a candle and risk waking Morro (and remembering that he wasn't adorning any vengestone at the moment ) Lloyd decided to light a very small energy sphere in his right palm. The green light instantly illuminated his surroundings, finally revealing the room to scrutiny.
The sight Lloyd was now met with was….surprising, to say the least and not in some grandiose way either. The room as it turned out was just a humble bedroom with nothing ,but a neatly made bed sitting in the corner to act as decoration, even the walls were completely bare save for one faded dent in the wall that could have been caused by anything.
'Why did Jasper want to come in here so bad?' Lloyd wondered, arching an eyebrow as he watched the wolf act surprisingly reserved as he wandered about the room, doing little more than sniffing a crooked floorboard here and there. After a few minutes of fruitless inspection, the blonde almost considered going back to sleep, when suddenly Jasper seemed very interested in something under the bed.
Feeling more than a little curious, Lloyd impulsively tiptoed over to kneel at the canine's side.
Unperturbed by the green ninja's presence, Jasper continued his ministrations until finally he seemed to grab ahold of something. Leaning in close, the blonde almost gasped as he watched the wolf drag the mystery item out from under the bed.
Clenched between the canine's sharp jaws were two large, flat books neatly stacked atop one another with a strange sense of procession and care. Lloyd almost couldn't help being slightly impressed by the minor attention to detail.
Apparently sensing the energy master's interest, Jasper quickly let go of the items before backing up, allowing Lloyd the space needed to just open one of the large books.
Not knowing which one to look at first -neither had any words on their worn covers- Lloyd settled for the one on top. The edges were torn, and the large black cover was beyond faded with so much dust accumulated on its surface the blonde actually had to blow on it before quickly regretting doing so when his sinuses instantly started to flare up in pain causing him to cough so hard he almost believed he might accidentally hack up a lung.
After recovering only a mere century later Lloyd refocused on the book, gently sliding a hand underneath the cover before quietly opening it.
It didn't surprise the blonde to find that the pages inside just as decrepit as the cover, however what did take him by surprise was the bold black lettering on the front page tha read;
Property of Koso.
WARNING : Do NOT open unless a trained sorcerer. These spells are on the advanced level and not meant for beginners.
'Wait..this...this is a spell book?! Koso's spell book?!'
Despite his best efforts, Lloyd couldn't resist smirking. Maybe this wasn't exactly what he was hoping to find ,but it was still something-something that could potentially be useful in the future.
The energy master was about to turn to the next page ,but before he could even grasp the page he suddenly felt Jasper nudging his arm. Turning to look at the canine, the blonde watched as Jasper pawed at the other book with an almost desperate whine escaping him.
In spite of feeling more than a little confused Lloyd decided to comply with the wolf's silent request- if for no other reason then to simply get him to calm down and be quiet- and reach for the other book. Who knows maybe there was something even more useful in this one!
After taking a moment to switch out his hands -his right was getting tired of holding the energy sphere- the blonde carefully repeated his earlier process of gently flipping the cover open. Unlike Koso's spell book, this book had a much brighter blue cover, with not nearly as much dust, even it's edges were less frayed.
Upon opening it, Lloyd saw that the contents were vastly different as well, so much so he had to fight the urge gasp in sheer astonishment.
On the very first page, was a wide scale portrait of a woman Lloyd had never seen before. The painting itself was incredibly detailed, with every aspect of the female's appearance on full display. Her short hair appeared to be a dark chestnut brown and her eyes a bright hazel green. The rest of her body was shielded under the cover of a red kimono with a orange and yellow flower pattern adorning it.
'Wait, could this be Koso's wife ..uh..Te..Tera?' The blonde wondered as he slowly looked over to the adjacent page. On it was another portrait ,but this one was of three people. The first and tallest person was clearly a younger version of Koso, as evidenced by his rounder and more youthful features. The sorcerer wore a red and black battle garb with his hair pulled back into a ponytail so tight not a single hair looked out of place, beside him stood the same woman from the other portrait, her appearance was mostly the same only in this painting she was wearing a plain light blue kimono with bright pink lotuses decorating her hair like a crown and finally in between them stood what appeared to be a young girl wearing a purple kimono with a white flower pattern spanning out over just about every inch of the garment. Her long raven hair was pulled into a neat bun atop her small head with it's own pink lotus pinned in to match Tera's. The only part of her hair allowed free were her two bright green side bangs…..Wait!
'That...that hair! She...no that's...is she?...Could she be?'
Morro's mother?….
Lloyd could hardly think as he continued to stare at the picture. They all looked so happy despite they're blank expressions. The blonde almost couldn't help recalling a vague memory from the past in which he had asked his father why it seemed every old painting never had anyone smiling in them. He could still remember the amused smile his dad had awarded his query with, as he explained that back then paintings could take up to hours to complete so holding a smile for that long was nigh on impossible.
The blonde soon became so lost in his thoughts he almost didn't realize, Jasper was once again trying to get his attention.
"What the f**k is going on?!"
Stricken with panic, Lloyd hastily slammed both books shut once more before looking over his shoulder to see Morro quizzically staring at him from the doorway.
"What the- How did….When did this get here?!" The wind master tiredly demanded as he sluggishly stepped into the room.
Unable to do more than act on impulse, the blonde whirled trying to produce a suitable explanation "Well uh...see...I..Jasper he...he uh kinda showed me this door that just happened to appear in the wall and so I thought I'd check it out ,but eh there's wasn't actually anything important in here. All I found were these old books about uh...farming." Lloyd lied (not even fully sure why he was), gesturing to his findings on the floor, hoping to Departed Realm that his obvious nervousness wasn't giving him away.
"Uh huh...okay, so whatever it is you really found, just...don't get me involved okay." Morro responded now sounding strangely casual about finding a secret room and then subsequently being lied to. "Also, I just figured I'd let you know, Koso left. Said we're locked in the house today."
"What?!"
"Did you not see the note on the door?" The wind master asked, as he raised his arm to show off a small piece of parchment paper. Upon rising to his feet (after gathering the two large books into his arms) and stumbling towards the former ghost, Lloyd saw that yes, Koso had in fact left them alone in the middle of the night.
Sighing at his own obliviousness, Lloyd couldn't help ,but mentally berate himself as he started to stare back down at his feet.
'Way to go, green ninja.'
ForgottenFamily
"How are you feeling now?" Misako's voice could have lulled a frightened child to slumber with how it sounded so soft to Wu's aged ears.
"Better." Came the old man's curt reply. "I may not be a young man, but you needn't worry. I'll be back to my spry usual self within a few days."
"Well that's certainly good to hear." Misako happily sighed as her eyes wandered over to the window. Wu recognized that distant look instantly; the look of a parent grieving their missing child. The sensei loathed to imagine what the poor mother was going through. Someone might imagine that she should simply get used to having her loved ones pulled away from her, with how often it seems to happen, but Wu knew from experience that that was in the most simple of terms; impossible. To get used to losing the ones you care about would be the equivalent of getting used to being torn limb from limb.
"You look tired." The old man quietly commented, hoping his directness did not border too far into the territory of rudeness. "Perhaps you should get some rest. I appreciate all you fretting over me, but I can handle myself. You deserve a break, Misako."
If he were being honest (and very rare was he not), Wu expected some kind of resistance from the old woman ,however his expectations were defied, when Misako simply nodded in agreement ,before muttering a quick goodbye and exiting the room, with the door close behind her. She must have been even more exhausted than he originally thought.
After Misako's hasty egress, the old man was left alone once more with nothing ,but his thoughts to entertain him.
'Perhaps I should be resting as well.' Wu reasoned as he went to turn off his bedside lamp. However before his wrinkled hand could tug the cord down, he suddenly heard a voice.
"Sorry ,to have to disturb you like this ,but I wouldn't count on going to sleep just yet."
ForgottenFamily
Koso could have laughed at how ridiculous his grand entrance was, just appearing out of the shadows like a villain from one of the old story books he once read to Elizabeth before bed; how cliche.
His nephew's shock was obvious despite the old man's vain efforts to keep up a stoic facade. "Hello, to whom do I owe the honor?"
Quirking an eyebrow in mock confusion, Koso couldn't resist crossing his arms as he leaned against the nearest wall."Straight to the niceties I see, aren't you going to yell for help?"
"I'm afraid I don't see the point." Wu answered, his inflection nothing ,but a frank sense of honesty. "Someone as smart yourself wouldn't risk coming here without a guaranteed chance of going undetected. Am I mistaken?"
'Hmph, Lucky guess.' The sorcerer quickly assumed, refusing to utter a phrase trite as 'He's good.'
"So, now I believe the question is for what reason have you come here?" Wu inquired as he reached out to his bedside table, where his bright blue teapot innocently sat waiting for it's next use.
Despite himself, the ravenette couldn't help mentally rolling his eyes as he impatiently waited for the old man to hurry up and finish pouring his tea . 'Now I know he is definitely your son, brother.'
"Oh my apologies, did you want a cup?" Wu effortlessly asked, apparently sensing Koso's agitation.
Unable to combat the incredibly tempting urge to snarl in disgust, the teal eyed man almost instantly replied with a resounding. "No."
The reason as to why the rest of his family seemed to possess such an obsessive addiction to tea would forever be lost to Koso. He personally found the stuff incredibly revolting, having even once told his brother he would rather drink straight from the river of eternal sadness before digesting that stomach churning substance ever again.
Ignoring the rejected offer, Wu was quick to rebound back to his earlier query. "Sorry to have to repeat myself ,but I believe I asked you why you came here?"
Powerless to his own snide sense of humor (that he did in fact possess despite what common belief may wager) Koso couldn't resist pulling out the wanted poster he stumbled across earlier while roaming the streets. "Well other than to let you know you've completely butchered my likeness," The teal eyed man sarcastically mocked, as he gestured to the drawing currently depicting him as a massive towering shadow with bright green eyes comically large enough to make any masterfully crafted caricature red faced with shame. "I'm actually here to ask you for your….well let's call it advice."
The way Wu's eyes subtly widened as he contemplated Koso's request, almost could have gone undetected had the sedge hat wearing man not been so perceptive. "Advice?"
"Yes, I believe that's what I just said." Koso shrewdly retorted. "If you're confused, let me explain, see I happen to be suffering from the minute plight of having to teach a very troublesome duo of brats how to summon a certain element." The sorcerer made sure to maintain eye contact so as not to further confuse the old man. "And well, as shocking as it may sound I'm having some slight difficulties in this endeavor so, I was hoping that maybe there might exist some useful information in that feeble old brain of yours that could be of aid?"
Despite Wu's eyebrow creasing in skepticism, Koso could sense the aging man's understanding even before he spoke. "You're hoping I can tell you how to train my nephew? Is this why you kidnapped him..if so then….why? Lloyd is already fully capable of wielding his element."
Helpless to the alluring temptation, Koso couldn't stop himself from sighing once more. "You know for a wise old master you can be quite slow." The teal eyed man snidely remarked, ignoring his juxtaposition. "Since you haven't figured it out yet I'll spell it out for you, your nephew is in the possession of another element and it is my responsibility to teach it to him."
"If you'll pardon me asking, why is it your responsibility?"
"Let's just say I have the experience."
"So then….it was your element?" Wu inquired startlingly fast, almost making the ravenette feel as if he was suffering from whiplash.
"Well, to put it in lammense terms, yes." The teal eyed man bluntly replied.
"Who are you then? I have not heard of another elemental wielder related to our family line aside from my father."
As Koso stared down the inquisitive gaze of his nephew he hoped to the departed realm, that the old geezer wasn't able to see the way his features tightened at the mention of his brother.
"Well, your father was very talented at keeping secrets ,but of course I'm sure you're already well aware of that." The teal eyed man explained with a less than subtle undertone of bitterness as he was once again reminded of the night Morro tried to run away.
Wu didn't exactly seem satisfied with the answer ,but he seemed to realize that's all he was going to get out of Koso on the matter.
"Very well, may I ask one more question though, before I give you the advice you crave?"
"Certainly. I may not look it ,but I'm a very patient man." Koso casually replied, unable to tell if the old man believed him or not.
"What have you done with my nephew?"
"He is perfectly fine, completely unharmed I assure you." The teal eyed man answered without a moment's hesitation.
"How am I to believe you?" Wu instantly shot back, his inflection causing Koso to once again sigh in annoyance.
After pondering a suitable answer for all of one second, Koso quickly supplied, "I suppose I could give you my word. Once again I may not look it, but I'm also a very honest man as well- well at least more honest than my b-your father." The ravenette quickly finished, cursing himself for his Freudian slip.
Much to his gratitude though, the old man didn't seem to notice. "So then that is all you're willing to give, your word?"
'Well that and a very long letter.' Koso wanted to say ,but decided to instead hold his tongue and simply nod in reply. If he showed the old man the letter now, they would once again get off track.
Wu breathed a long low sigh in response, as if resigning himself to a hanging. "Very well then, however I should warn you, when my ninja and I find Lloyd, if there is as so much as a hair out of place on his head-"
"Yes,yes, you'll d**n me to the seven circles of the underworld or something like that right? As I said before you needn't worry, the little brat is in perfect health as of the moment."
Once again the old man took a moment to sigh in reply, before speaking again. "So….what exact advice were you interested in hearing about?"
"Well first off, I want to know how you get them to not want to kill you."
Oh Koso don't you know that's what family is for?! Also so Lloyd's got Koso's old spell book ( I wonder if he'll get into some trouble jk of course he will) and his family uh-painting album? I don't know I just had this sort a weird idea that like back then in Ninjago since cameras weren't really a thing yet people just used art as a way to capture certain important moments in their lives. Idk. Anyway once again I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to let me know what you thought in a review. As I've said before criticism is always welcome here! K Bye for now!