Announcer voice: Today, on Way of the Dragon: Jinlong must make a decision, one that will shape the outcome of her entire race.
Jinlong voice: Chapter 25: Dragonheart
Jinlong was floating.
There was not darkness, nor was there light. There was not sound, nor was there silence. There was simply nothing- never in her life had Jin imagined such nothingness. It was all-consuming, somehow both unsettling and comforting at the same time. The dragon herself had no physical form, she noted absently. Her thoughts were foggy, her emotions were dulled; Jinlong was not afraid, but she was aware that under normal circumstances, she'd be terrified.
As she floated there, unafraid and unfeeling, two visions appeared in front of her, their sharp clarity cutting through Jin's haze. One showed a young dragon with shining white scales lying on its side in a boat. There was an unsightly wound on its chest that wept with infection, and the beast's breaths were heaving and labored. A beautiful woman with black hair that shone like the stars sat by its side, while a girl with ginger hair cleaned the wound.
The other vision was of a girl with golden hair and freckles, tied back-to-back with another, tough-looking teenage female. The girl's golden hair was stained crimson, and Jin saw that her head was cracked open. The other girl's mouth was moving- she was talking to her injured friend.
"That's me," Jinlong whispered. "They're both me."
"You are correct, Gold Dragon."
Turning slowly, Jin saw a massive, coiled dragon behind her, its scales a deep green, its mane glistening silver, its eyes a knowing and kind blue.
"Who are you?"
"I am the Dragon Spirit. I watch over the dragons, guide them, govern them, and bring their souls to the Departed Realm when they pass."
Jinlong blinked. "So I've died, then?"
"No," The Dragon Spirit rumbled. "Not quite. But you've done something irreparable; you've separated your human and dragon sides, and fatally injured them both."
Memories, like a gentle wave, washed over the gold dragon. The Oni attacking, her brave father, Dalong being dead. She remembered charging at them, getting impaled, and her father rescuing her as the Changing Dragons fled from Huan. She recalled, albeit vaguely, the weeks spent island-hopping, searching for the mainland, her injury worsening. She remembered her people landing on the mainland's shore.
"I...what am I supposed to do? Both of my families need me."
"I'm afraid you must choose, Gold Dragon. No longer can you tarry between worlds. You must decide: will you be a dragon in Kigana, or a human in Ninjago?"
Though she had no body, it felt as if Jin's chest was being crushed, the breath driven from her shocked lungs. "But- but I am both. I am a Changing Dragon, I cannot be only one!"
The Dragon Spirit's wise eyes were deep with sorrow. "The time of the Changing Dragon is ending, Gold Dragon. Their ways will fade, their lines will end. Their time has come."
"But…"
"You must choose. Shall you live as one of the last of your kind, or fight for something new: the Way of the Ninja?"
"I…" Jin squeezed her eyes shut, images flashing through her consciousness. Images of her childhood, her family, the ninja. Images of all she'd done, how much she'd grown in the past months, of all the things she'd yet to accomplish, both as dragon and as girl. She opened her eyes and held her chin high, determination building in her. Then, as the stupidest and bravest thing she'd done, she said, "No. I will not."
The Dragon Spirit raised its head, staring at her, smoke curling up from its nose. "'No'? Gold Dragon, do you know to whom you speak? I am the Dragon Spirit; I am the ruler of your kind!"
"Then surely you'll understand," Jin, smooth confidence in her words. "I cannot abandon my family and I cannot let my people die out. I will fight for them. I will fight!"
"You may choose to go to Kigana and fight for your people there, Gold Dragon, but know that your efforts will be in vain. Or you could go to Ninjago and fight for the light there, where you could happily live out the rest of your days."
"I will do neither."
Eyes narrowing, the Dragon Spirit rose, circling around Jin, its face stopping inches in front of her.
"Your insolence grows tiresome," It growled, but Jinlong did not flinch. "Do you wish for both of your bodies to die? Perhaps you'd like it if I flung your soul to the Cursed Realm; would you?"
"I will return to Ninjago," She spoke slowly, deliberately, eyes locked onto the Dragon Spirit's. "I will go to Kigana, and I will bring my people back to Ninjago with me. We will survive, and we will aid the ninja and defeat the Overlord. I will not leave either of my families."
The Dragon Spirit stared at her. She stared back. Neither blinked, neither moved, neither yielded. Never in her life and Jinlong been more afraid, but she refused to show any hint of fear, though she was certain the Dragon Spirit could sense it, anyway.
Her willpower swelled, her heart surged, and Jinlong knew the words she spoke next would determine her fate, the fate of her entire race, and the fate of things yet unseen. Whispering, her strength in her words, her power in their infliction, "I will." It was a promise, to herself and to the Dragon Spirit, to her people and her families, to her future and to her past.
"You will." The Dragon Spirit looked at her and almost grinned. "My, my, Gold Dragon. How much you've grown. I will grant you an item, to aid in your quest. Do not despair, Jinlong, for you are Gold."
You are gold.
Announcer voice: Next time, on Way of the Dragon: The Final Battle is at hand, but the ninja are hopelessly outnumbered! What will Jin be able to do? Find out tomorrow!