16
Ronin had set up a pawn shop a few streets away from the performing arts center, and Cole couldn't help but shake his head. Personally, he didn't feel like there were enough unscrupulous people in this area to keep a pawn shop running…but then again he knew if he were to say as much to Ronin the thief would be sure to point out that he was buying something from a pawn shop.
He entered the shop hesitantly, and a little bell rang out. He looked around at the different items on the shelf, gaze lingering on the different bracelets and bands piled in one corner. He had spoken with Keyda that morning and she had warned against buying any kind of arm band; apparently it had meaning in Oni Culture…some connection to the hierarchy. She claimed that it would raise suspicion if a slave was seen wearing an arm band. A ring, on the other hand, was a lot more subtle and didn't really carry any meaning.
"Well well well, look who it is,"
Ronin's voice cut into Cole's thoughts and he glanced up at the thief, who was leaning comfortably on the counter at the front of the store.
"You come to buy something or just say hello? If the latter, you might as well leave; I never was one for small talk…"
"Do you carry any vengestone?" Cole asked, cutting him off. Ronin raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Vengestone?" The thief scratched his beard as he turned to rummage through a few different boxes. "Anything in particular?"
"A ring," Cole said, and Ronin chuckled to himself. He found a small box shoved back behind a bunch of others. He pulled it out and sifted through the contents before pulling something out. He squinted at it, and placed it on the table.
"Something like that?"
Cole frowned at the extravagant ring; it was laid with multiple precious stones and carved with different designs. He shook his head.
"No…nothing that fancy…don't you have anything really simple? That wouldn't catch anyone's eye…."
Ronin laughed outright at that.
"She doesn't do fancy, huh?" He asked, rummaging in the box again.
"She?" Cole asked, not quite following. Ronin pulled another ring out of the box, studying it.
"Well, you're a braver man than me…proposing with vengestone…seems like something she would find offensive…"
Cole flushed, color rising rapidly up his neck as he finally caught on to what Ronin was insinuating.
"Na…No. This isn't for…I'm not…" he fumbled over his words and Ronin just shook his head at the flustered youth.
"Sure, well, if it's simple you're looking for, try this on for size." he held out the ring, raising an eyebrow. "Would you like a matching one for yourself? I'd have to order out, but…"
Cole snatched the ring out of his hand, glaring.
"I'm not proposing… and even if I was I certainly wouldn't be coming here to buy the ring…"
"Now, you say that like you don't find this store to be a quality establishment," Ronin said dryly as Cole ignored him, turning his attention to the ring. It was small and simple; it looked like it would fit Cole's pinkie, so he hoped that it would at least fit one of Hershel's slender fingers.
"This is fine." he finally said. "How much do you want for it?"
"Depends on how much you need it, I guess…"
Cole gave the thief a withering look and Ronin finally shrugged.
"500 should about cover it."
Cole looked up in disbelief.
"500?! For this tiny thing?! That's ridiculous!"
Ronin shrugged again. "Hey, most engagement rings cost…"
Cole slammed his fist on the counter. "For the last time, it's not an engagement ring!"
"Then what on earth do you need it for?" Ronin asked, tone curious as his eyes flashed. Cole huffed angrily and tossed the ring back on the counter.
"None of your business. 500 is too high a price for me; you can keep your ring." He turned to go and Ronin held up a hand.
"Alright, hold it Mr. Cold feet…"
Cole stopped, but it was mainly just to turn to say something snarky in return. Ronin didn't give him the chance though.
"I suppose I could part with the ring for 300…but only because not many people are after vengestone these days."
Cole hesitated. It was still a lot…far more than he thought he would have to pay. It wasn't like he got much of a paycheck in the Oni realm. But he thought of little Hershel struggling against the uncontrollable power within him and finally sighed. Vengestone was hard to come by.
"I can't pay it all right now," he finally admitted, and Ronin shook his head.
"You can't pay up, you don't get to leave with the merchandise. Rules are rules."
Cole fished out the cash he had brought, laying it on the table.
"200…it's all I got."
Ronin looked down at the pile, thinking.
"I suppose I could just take the rest out of your old man's paycheck next time we do a show…"
"Ronin…" Cole accused in disgust, but the thief held up his hand.
"No, I'm sure he would be more than happy to help pay for it, when he hears that you're getting engaged…."
"I am NOT getting engaged!" Cole shouted, and Ronin stepped back as Cole's arms flashed. "And don't you dare tell my Dad that…"
"Easy kid, geez…" Ronin said. He paused for a second as he studied the Master of Earth, and Cole could almost hear the wheels in his head turning. "How bout this…I take your 200 now, and next time you come from the Oni realm you have to bring me something from there."
"Like what?" Cole asked. Ronin shrugged.
"Dirt, jewels, dragon bones…it doesn't really matter. People will be interested enough that it's from the first realm. I'll even pay you a fair commission if you bring extra…"
Cole raised a skeptical eyebrow, but he had to admit it was probably the best deal he was going to get today. He sighed and finally accepted Ronin's outstretched hand. After the handshake Ronin handed him the ring and then scooped his money off the table. Cole went to leave and Ronin called out after him as he left.
"When you are finally ready to tie the knot, be sure to come by and check out…"
The door slammed closed, knocking the little bell of its hook. Ronin shook his head as it clattered across the floor.
"Kids these days…"
Keyda sat on the couch with her arms crossed as she looked at the rest of the group through narrowed eyes. She was regretting her decision to stay behind; surely looking for a vengestone ring would be better than waiting for the interrogation that was no doubt coming.
Jay, Nya, Skylor, Kai, and Lloyd sat opposite, not really sure what to say to the obviously displeased Oni. Zane and P.I.X.A.L had left that morning to do more research on the scroll and Garmadon was giving Keyda a wide berth.
"So…." Jay said, eager to get started. Keyda's unamused expression slid over to him. "How is it, ruling the whole Oni realm? Are there a lot of perks?"
Keyda was dying to tell him some of the 'perks' they had had to deal with over the last few weeks, but she figured that was a bad route to take. She knew that Cole wanted her to get along…so she sighed inwardly and tried to be sociable.
"I guess."
The ninja blinked and looked at each other. Finally, Skylor started laughing.
"Are you generally this uptight, or is it just us?"
Keyda flushed, glaring at the redhead.
"Nah…she was basically like this the whole time we were in the first realm…" Kai explained, and Keyda opened her mouth in defense.
"How dare you…"
"You were!" Jay agreed. "I mean…you either have a murderous resting face or…"
Keyda stood abruptly.
"Those were some of the worst days of my life!" she pointed out bitterly. Lloyd looked uncomfortable with the fighting and stood as well, trying to get the conversation back to a place of safety.
"They're just being dumb…"he said, and Kai and Jay both looked at him indignantly. "Just their way of breaking the ice…I guess. The thing is we just wanted to get to know you better…"
"Why?" Keyda asked. This whole "getting to know her" idea seemed ludicrous to her. Either you knew her or you didn't…end of story.
"You're definitely the only Oni I've ever met." Nya pointed out. "I guess we're just curious…"
"Maybe it would be better if you could ask us questions?" Lloyd asked, and Keyda huffed. She looked at the blonde, his expression making it clear that he was really trying to make this work out, and she finally sighed and sat back down. Lloyd looked relieved.
They had another few awkward minutes as Keyda tried to think of something…anything…to talk about.
"Was Cole really a ghost?" she finally blurted out, and everyone looked at her in surprise. She flushed at their stares, and tried to explain herself. "He says he was…but I'm pretty sure he's just been making stuff up…"
"Well…I can't vouch for everything Cole might be telling you…but that part actually is true," Jay offered, and she frowned.
"But…that doesn't make any sense. How in the ancient's way does someone just "become" a ghost? And how did he get turned back? He mentioned some rift, but half the time I'm just totally lost…"
The others laughed as they tried to explain in more depth how exactly that had all gone down. They continually interrupted each other to clarify details, and Lloyd and Skylor were often asking as many clarifying questions as Keyda. Soon their conversation drifted to other topics and Keyda found herself answering questions about the Oni realm as well.
"Well, look at this,"
Everyone turned to see Cole smiling in the doorway.
"Everybody getting along…to be honest, I half expected to come home to a fight…"
"Where's the trust?" Jay called out as Keyda stood and went over to slug him on the arm.
"You have no faith in me…I'm a very friendly person, you know,"
"Oh, yeah, I know…" Cole said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and gave him a quick kiss before walking out of the room. He glanced over at the surprised expressions on his friends and shrugged before following her out. There was silence for a minute, and as usual, Jay broke it.
"Well…I think it's safe to say Keyda knows what kissing is now…"
"It's so small…"
Keyda took the ring out of Cole's hand to take a closer look. It looked like any other metal ring. She slipped into onto one of her fingers and tried to power up both hands. Nothing happened.
"I still don't understand how that works…" she murmured, and Cole gave her a little smile.
"Me neither, to be honest….but I've had more than my share of run-ins with vengestone to know it works." Cole said. Keyda continued to look down at the ring, thinking.
"I don't suppose you could get me one of these?" she asked, only slightly joking. Cole gave a start.
"What…a ring?…or…when you say…" he seemed flustered and she looked up to give him an odd look .
"Something vengestone…" she clarified, not sure what he was being so weird about.
He seemed a little relieved, but then he frowned as what she said sunk in.
"Why?"
She didn't answer right away, looking at the little ring. She finally shrugged.
"It's…it's not always easy to control the powers…I guess it'd just be nice to…"
"What? Block them?" Cole asked, taking her hand. "Keyda, your powers are part of you…don't just cut them off…"
"But we got this for Hershel…for him and his powers," she pointed out a little bitterly. Cole smiled softly.
"Yeah, because he needs to be able to hide them; if his powers are discovered, he'd have more against him than ever. But everyone already knows about yours. You just have to learn how to control them…"
"But what if I can't?!" She said suddenly, looking up at him. "What if that isn't something I'll ever learn how to do?"
He smoothed some hair out of her face. "You've already gotten a lot better than you were, Keyds…with a little more practice…"
"Yeah." Keyda's sharp tone cut him off as she pulled the ring off. "Yeah I guess you're right." She handed him the ring back and turned to go, but he grabbed her arm.
"Hey." He raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
She looked at him and finally shrugged.
"Lots of things...lots of things are going on! And it's just getting harder for me to really know how to curb what's in me, how to keep it under control…"
"We'll figure it out," he promised, and she sighed.
"I know…I know." She swallowed and decided to change the subject. "Now are we going to actually get on with our vacation, or do you have some more errands to run?"
"Nope…no more errands. Where do you want to go?"
She thought a moment.
"Well, there is one place…"
"You're sure you want to climb it?" he asked, as Keyda stared up at the seemingly unending expanse of rock.
"Why did you climb this thing again?" she asked, and he laughed.
"I guess just to prove to myself I could. But honestly Keyda, if you want to see the view we could just take the dragon…"
"No," she said firmly, heading over to the mountain's base. "If you could do it,I can…we Oni are climbing all over rock formations by the time we can walk."
"I see…" Cole sounded amused as he watched Keyda begin her climb. "I'm just not sure we will have time to do it all today…"
"Well, not if you are going to take your sweet time getting started!" she called down to him, and he just shook his head and started climbing. It wasn't long before he was ahead of her, and she blew hair out of her face in frustration. They climbed in silence for a while, with Keyda paying extra close attention to where she placed each hand and foot. She was used to the dry, coarse grips on the rock formations back home. The rock here was cold and slippery, and her hands were going numb as she climbed.
"We don't have to go all the way up…" Cole called out from above her. "There's a ledge in a little bit…"
Keyda's arms were shaking, but stopping now felt like admitting defeat. She shivered as a cold breeze passed and she wished she had taken Cole's advice and brought her new coat.
"Alright…but just because…"
Her left foot slipped suddenly and she gasped in the middle of her sentence, scrambling as her numb hands proved unable to support the sudden change in weight. Cole looked down and watched in horror as she seemed to slip off the mountain side.
"Keyda!"
Panic and adrenaline raced through her system as she suddenly found herself in free-fall. She lashed out with her arms. She was aware of aura pouring off her, but the panic made her mind foggy and she couldn't seem to process what was…
She felt something wrap around her waist and her decent screeched to a sudden halt. She gasped and shook, her mind slowly clearing of fog. Cole was clinging to her, and she realized that the dragon was beneath them. She was suddenly aware that half of the shaking was actually coming from him, not her.
"I'm ok…" she finally said, throat dry, and he exhaled shakily.
"I shouldn't have let you climb without ropes…" he said quietly, and she tried to calm down enough to look affronted.
"I don't need ropes…"
"Keyds you nearly fell to your death!" he said angrily, and she blinked at his tone.
"Ok…" she said softly. "Maybe I could have used ropes…"
The Dragon flew them up to the top of the mountain, and Keyda looked around at the small space.
"This is where you met Wu?" she asked. "And…he was old?" She couldn't imagine the ancient Dragon Master climbing the whole of this monstrosity. Cole nodded.
"He was sitting over there…sipping tea."
"Tea? How on earth did he get tea up…"
"I have no idea," Cole replied with his little side smile. The adrenaline from the earlier scare finally seemed to be wearing off. Keyda turned and looked out off the edge of the mountain.
"I was expecting more of a view, to be honest…but there are clouds in the way; we can't see anything…"
"You get high enough, that happens." Cole admitted. He shivered slightly in the cold. "So…anything else you want to see while we're up here? The gift shop, maybe?"
She gave him a withering look; good to see his humor was still intact after she scared him so badly.
"Very funny." she said. She looked up at the cloudy sky and picked out the position of the sun. Her heart sank; a few more hours and they would have to head back. The thought of jumping right back into all the responsibility made her feel empty.
"Ready to head back?" Cole asked, and she looked over at him. He caught her expression and laughed softly. "I…just meant back to the floating temple. It's pretty cold up here…"
"Alright." she said. She wished she had picked something better to spend their final hours on, but she had been curious to see the place where Cole claimed 'it all began.' "Let's go."
17
The lights were all off as they approached the temple, and Keyda frowned.
"It's not that late…where is everyone?"
Cole frowned but didn't answer. His elemental dragon dissolved as they reached the grounds, and they landed softly on the grass by the koi pond. Keyda headed towards the temple, wondering where the heck everyone was. It was strange…
She pushed open the heavy doors with Cole on her tail. The halls were dark, and she couldn't hear anyone anywhere.
"Seriously…" she started as they made their way into the dining room. "Where…"
The room was suddenly filled with light and noise. Seemingly out of nowhere, everyone was suddenly there, yelling "Surprise!"
Her hands immediately lit up and she was about to start firing when Cole embraced her from behind, forcing her arms down.
"Calm down….it's ok Keyds …" he murmured while everyone's cheer sort of died down at her reaction. She blinked as the fight-or-flight mechanism within her faded and she was able to see the situation for what it was. Or at least…try to figure out what the heck this situation was.
Colorful strips were hung, and some big banner hung in the background with something written on it…though she didn't know what it said. Large colorful orbs seemed to be floating in midair, and Zane was holding some kind of colorful food item, with flaming candles stuck in it.
"Cole…" she finally started. "What in ancient's name is going on…"
Cole chuckled sheepishly, finally confident that he could release her.
"I…might have told everyone that today was your birthday…" he said, and she looked at him, incredulous.
"What?! Why?"
"Is…it not your birthday?" Jay asked, and she looked over at him. Cole cleared his throat.
"Well…Oni don't really celebrate birthdays…or keep track of them. But I just wanted Keyda to have the experience, you know?"
"Well, I'm down for any excuse to eat some of Zane's famous chocolate cake…" Lloyd pointed out, and everyone laughed. Keyda felt uncomfortable now that she was aware that all this fanfare was for her, apparently. Cole was going to get an earful later…
"So that is what cake is supposed to look like," she commented, watching Zane put the cake on the table while P.I.X.A.L brought over a stack of plates.
"Yup…just wait, this is gonna change your life…" Cole said, gently pulling her over to the table. She noticed that Zane had a knife for cutting it, but he wasn't doing anything with it. In fact, everyone was still staring at her.
"Why aren't you distributing it?" she asked, and Zane just smiled.
"We are waiting for you to blow out the candles…" he explained, and she frowned as she looked back over at the cake.
"Why?"
"Because…" Zane began, but she was already going in to blow them out, realizing she would rather just get this whole ordeal over with than listen to the explanation.
"Wait!" Jay yelled, and she gave a start, looking up at the blue ninja in annoyance.
"What?!"
"You have to make a wish!"
She shook her head. These Ninjago people…they had the weirdest traditions.
"I wish you guys hadn't done any of this..." she said seriously, but Cole just laughed next to her.
"Nah, Keyds…more like a hope for the future. You think of something you want in the future and then you blow out the candles so it will come true,"
She looked over at him, eyebrow raised.
"That makes no sense. What are the candles gonna do about my hopes for the future? They're just candles…"
"Oh, for goodness sakes, just blow them out so we can eat!" Kai yelled and Keyda rolled her eyes and blew out the candles stuffed in the cake. Everyone gave a cheer and Zane pulled the cake over to him so he could start cutting and distributing. Everyone's attention finally seemed to be on something other than her, and Keyda narrowed her eyes at Cole, whose arm was around her shoulders.
"I'm never gonna forgive you for this, Idiot…" she murmured in mock-seriousness. He raised an eyebrow.
"Mmmmm…try the cake, and then see how you feel…"
Zane handed her a piece with a fork embedded in it. It certainly looked a lot more edible than whatever Cole had made back in the first realm. Everyone was talking, but they were watching out of the corners of their eyes to see how she'd react. She ate a bite, not sure what to expect, and blinked in surprise. She wasn't really sure what to call the flavor…but it was ridiculously strong. It was extremely sweet, like the syrup they made out of fruit back in her realm, but without any of the fruity aftertaste.
"What on earth is this made of?" she finally asked, looking over at Cole.
"Mainly sugar!" Jay called out from across the room and everyone laughed. Cole was helping himself to his own slice of cake and seemed to be enjoying it immensely.
"Do you like it?" he asked, and she hesitated. She took another bite to decide and shuddered slightly. He laughed. "Is that a no, then?"
"It's good…" she tried, frowning at the cake. "It's just…really strong. I don't think I can eat much of it…"
He nodded his understanding; there was hardly anything sugary in the Oni realm; having this much at once was no doubt overpowering.
"Cole, I was wondering if I could talk to you…"
It was Zane, and Cole nodded and shoved the last bite of cake into his mouth. Keyda went to follow him when someone tapped her shoulder and she turned to see the blonde kid smiling at her. She had an internal battle about whether to ignore him and follow Cole out anyways or…
"So, you guys are probably leaving soon, right?" he asked, and she sighed internally. He had said something, which meant she couldn't really leave without being rude.
"I guess." she said; it was true. Heavy Metal had been angry enough that they were leaving, she didn't want to imagine the lecture she'd get if they stayed longer than she had originally said. The kid looked almost disappointed.
"That's too bad…I was hoping to get to know you a little better, you know, while you were here…"
"Why?"
He laughed. "While everyone else was running around the first realm, I was stuck here. I guess I just would have liked to learn more about it, especially since I've never been there…"
Her expression darkened slightly.
"I don't recommend visiting," she said, and his smile faded a little as he looked at her, puzzled.
"No? Why not?"
A hundred different memories seemed to flicker in her mind and she shook her head to clear it.
"It's just…not like here. It's not beautiful…people aren't going to go out of the way to make you feel welcome…they're more likely to threaten you if anything…"
"Did they do that to Cole, when he moved there?"
She didn't answer right away, and Lloyd smiled softly.
"Hey, as bad as it sounds, we're all used to it."
She looked up at him in surprise, and he chuckled at her expression. "You might think that life is all sunshine and roses here in Ninjago, but trust me, bad things happen."
"Like all those times people attacked it," she clarified, and he shrugged.
"Well, yeah, obviously that. But I mean, take anyone in this room…"
He turned to look at all his friends, laughing and talking.
"Zane didn't even know who he was for a while…he assumed he was human, like everyone else…just to find out one day that he was…"
"A metal person?" Keyda finished, and Lloyd smirked.
"Yeah, a Nindroid. I wasn't with the team when that happened, but apparently it was quite the shock. He eventually found the man who built him—his father—but he was old. He passed away not long after their reunion."
Keyda frowned as she thought about the metal man, who always seemed so logically grounded and unfazed.
"Kai and Nya grew up without their parents, and Cole spent years running away, battling with a rocky relationship with his father…"
"Cole?" she interrupted. "But…but they seem to care about each other…"
Lloyd laughed. "They do, but I guess they had a strained relationship for a long time."
She let that sink in and she finally turned to him.
"What about you?"
He blinked in surprise. "Me?"
"Anything hard happen in your life?"
He laughed again, but this time it sounded more bitter.
"Where to start…" he murmured, and it almost sounded like he was talking to himself. She shifted her position to look at him more fully, intrigued. It was clear that this kid was the youngest in the group…what kinds of things had he already gone through?
"I…grew up in less than ideal circumstances." he finally said. "I mean, my parents were alive… but they were kinda MIA. I just lived at this boarding school, getting picked on by the other kids there. I decided that I wanted to be evil, like my dad, and got in trouble doing petty stuff."
"Your Dad is evil, then?" she asked, glancing over at where Garmadon was sort of observing from a corner of the room, nursing a cup of punch while he discussed something with Nya.
"No…not anymore…well, it's kind of like he never was, except for this snake bite…and I guess the Oni part of himself…"
She raised an eyebrow at that last comment and he chuckled nervously.
"It's kind of a long story." he admitted, and she glanced at the doorway Cole had gone through. He still hadn't returned and she looked back at the blonde.
"Well, looks like I have the time…"
"Zane…this is incredible!"
Cole compared the old Oni scroll to the one that Zane and P.I.X.A.L had created. The top of the nindroids' scroll was just a character-to-character comparison for the kanji; a key that could be used for translation. Below that was the translation of the first few lines of the Oni scroll. He looked up at the Nindroid.
"How did you guys do all of this in two days?"
"We found some credible sources." Zane explained. "The cave where the third mask was found proved to be a good source of information; there was some writing further down…"
"That's incredible," Cole murmured, turning back to the scrolls. Zane cleared his throat.
"It is more than likely not a perfect exchange between the kanjis…but it should be close enough to get the meaning of the ancient text across."
Cole looked at the scrolls a few minutes longer before finally rolling them both up, giving Zane a grateful smile.
"Thanks again for doing this, Zane…this will really help."
"No problem." Zane replied, though he paused, thinking. "Why is it you wanted the translation?"
Cole sighed as he put the two scrolls in his bag.
"I mean, I know basically nothing about the first realm, and since I'm living there from now on, I figured…"
"From now on?" Zane frowned slightly. "So…your stay is more permanent in nature…"
Cole huffed. "Well…um…maybe? I don't know Zane!" He fingered the small vengestone ring in his pocket. "For now, I'm there. That's all I know."
"It is ok if you do not have everything figured out." Zane said with a smile. "Just take it one day at a time…"
"Yeah…" Cole said, shouldering his bag. "What about you, Zane? Do you know what the future holds for you and Pix?"
Zane blinked in surprise.
"Um….."
Cole laughed, slapping him on the back.
"I'm just kidding Zane; like you said, let's just take this one day at a time."
The party broke down as Cole and Zane came back into the room. Cole was carrying his packed bag, and Keyda's heart sunk as she realized it was time to be heading back. She turned back to Lloyd, who had only made it through a bit of his own life story. She had underestimated the kid; from what she heard, he had had it rough. She made a note to be a little less harsh on the blonde.
"We need to go," she explained, and he nodded his understanding.
"Well, don't be strangers. It's been nice to see you both."
After a few preliminary goodbyes, she went upstairs and quickly collected her stuff. She fingered the coat, trying to decide if she wanted to bring it. She certainly didn't need it in the first realm, but she couldn't bring herself to leave it either. She stuffed it in her bag and headed back downstairs. Everyone had moved outside, and Cole was talking to Garmadon. She frowned as she drew nearer.
"…and my brother can't help, I hope you know you can always…"
"Yeah, thanks Garmadon." Cole replied with a smile. Keyda hung back, looking at Garmadon with a wary look. He finished his conversation and turned to her and frowned at her expression. Cole also turned around to Keyda, smiling sadly.
"Ready?" he asked. She tore her eyes off of the former villain and looked at her Idiot.
"I guess so." she replied. After a few more goodbyes, Cole formed his dragon to take them somewhere private.
"Wait!" Nya called, and Cole and Keyda looked over at her as she continued. "Can't you do your little teleport thing here? So we can see how it's done?"
"It would be interesting to analyze the process." Zane admitted, and Cole looked at Keyda. She felt uncomfortable at the thought of transporting with everyone watching. What if she couldn't do it?
"C'mon…." Kai prompted, and she finally sighed.
"Fine."
Cole dissolved the dragon and they landed on the gravel beneath them.
"Are you sure?" he asked, and she rolled her eyes in response. At least her irritation at all these nosy outsiders would help spur on her powers.
The aural storm whipped up, and everyone took a step backwards. Keyda closed her eyes, and found that it was easy to stir up emotions about the first realm. But unlike her memories of the roof of the floating temple, these emotions were incredibly bitter and the storm became fierce quickly. She embraced Cole tightly, picturing the fortress. It was so vivid; with all the memories of the place where she had suffered for so many years, of course it would be.
There was a flash, and the ninja took another step back as the storm quickly began to dissipate in the now empty courtyard.
"Well…that was cool." Jay commented. "Cool…and freaky."
"The patterns of Oni travel mirror that of Dragon realm travel," Zane mused, sorting through the data he had collected. "It's identical, but opposite…"
"I wonder when they'll make the trip back?" Skylor asked aloud. Everyone fell silent, not sure what they could or should expect as far as future visits.
"Well…" Nya finally pointed out. "At least they came."
"Yeah." Lloyd agreed as he stood next to his father. "At least they came."
18
The wind rushed past and Cole tried to enjoy the mild weather of the day, despite the fact that his jerk of a bodyguard was seated on the dragon behind him.
"Where have you been?" Dorhn pressed, and the Master of Earth rolled his eyes.
"I told you, Dorhn…I was with Keyda for the last few days. We didn't need your services."
"Outsider, I will not ask agai…"
The Dragon took a sudden sharp turn before going straight into a dive. Dorhn's words were lost as he yelled out and barely managed to hold on. Cole smirked; he could feel Dorhn's glare on the back of his head.
"Like I always say….these dragons have a mind of their own, don't they?" Cole said without turning around. He heard Dorhn grumble something, but he didn't bother asking him to repeat it.
They approached the village and the Guardian swooped down for a landing.
"What are we doing back here?" Dorhn asked angrily, but Cole just shrugged.
"Gotta drop some stuff off…you're free to wait on the dragon,"
"Not a chance, outsider."
Cole walked towards the white-marked tent and pushed the flap open. The tent appeared vacant, and Cole frowned. He opened his mouth to call out, but Phos's voice cut in.
"Spare me your yelling, if you would."
Cole closed his mouth, smirking as the Healer continued.
"Come on around back."
It was a command and Cole shook his head as he walked in with Dorhn following close behind. Cole pushed his way past the flap that separated the front of the tent with the back. He had never been in the back, and was surprised to find it roomier than he expected with a few sleeping mats, some basins, a work counter, and herbs hanging from the ceiling to dry out. Phos was pulling dried leaves and bunches off a string, binding them with white thread. Cole glanced over at the small, empty bed mats.
"Where…"
"Chores." Phos answered, and Cole nodded. It was probably for the best that the two kids weren't around with Dorhn here…he wasn't sure if Phos had planned for them to be gone or if it was a coincidence. Though, as he looked at the glint in the Healer's eye he decided there were probably few coincidences where Phos was concerned.
The Healer turned to Dorhn and pointed at a steaming kettle of tea.
"Help yourself…just made it fresh. As for you," he fixed Cole with a stern look. "Get over here and make yourself useful."
Cole smiled and walked over, letting Phos boss him around about how to bundle the herbs. They waited for Dorhn to finish his tea and settle into an armchair. It wasn't long before they could hear him snoring, and Cole shook his head.
"One of these days, he's gonna catch on…"
"I'm willing to bet it's some of the best sleep he gets all week." Phos retorted, unconcerned. He looked up at Cole, his beady eyes glinting. "You bring me back my scroll, boy?"
Cole nodded and pulled the two scrolls out of his pocket. Phos took them, looking at the newer scroll with curiosity. He opened it and skimmed the writing quickly before looking back up at Cole.
"What is this?"
Cole laughed. "I had some friends of mine make it so I can read your scrolls…but in a way that I can understand…"
Phos took the other scroll, as if to go put it away. He scratched his chin as he glanced back at the newer one.
"You can read it, huh?"
"Well…that's the idea, at least." Cole said, tying off the bundle he was working on. Phos wandered around to the front to put the scroll back, and Cole's mind began to wander as he worked. He hadn't heard Phos come back in, but he was suddenly aware of the Healer right next to him, sniffing loudly. He jumped, and turned to glare at the ancient Oni.
"Phos…seriously…you've got to stop smelling me. It's creeping me out."
The Healer just chuckled unapologetically.
"Ah…smell. It's the most underestimated of the senses…but there's a lot you can learn from it."
Cole tied off the last bundle and turned.
"Like…?"
Phos leaned in close and inhaled deeply, and Cole leaned away.
"I can smell your element within you." Another sniff, and the Healer pulled back with a thoughtful look. "And a touch of fear. What are you so afraid of, boy?"
Cole stared at him blankly for a few moments.
"Are you serious?"
Phos cocked his head.
"What do you mean?"
"You can smell fear?" Cole repeated with obvious skepticism. "Like…a dog, or something?"
"What on earth is a dog?" Phos asked, suddenly irritated. "Our senses are rarely used at their full potential…but they can tell us so, so much, boy." He gathered the many bundles off the counter and carried them to another shelving system, where he began stuffing them into cubbies with no apparent pattern. "Shazier could draw many conclusions just by looking at someone long enough." He chuckled suddenly. "Most found it unnerving…"
Cole had a flash back to his talk with the Baron in his office, remembering the way the Oni seemed to stare into his soul. He shuddered at the memory.
"K…I get it, senses are important." Cole folded his arms. "But I'd still appreciate if you stopped using yours on me..."
The Oni rolled his eyes, as if he thought Cole was being dramatic. Just then, Syn pushed her way into a small entrance by the bedmats. She stopped when she saw Cole, and Hershel had to push past her to get into the tent.
"You can't just stop in the…"
He trailed off when he caught sight of the Elemental Master, but then Hershel smiled softly.
"You're ok," he finally said, and Cole smiled back as he saw how much better Hershel was looking.
"Sure am, Hersh," he said with a smirk. He glanced over at his sleeping guard. "Dorhn's bark is worse than his bite, at any rate…"
Hershel glanced at Dorhn as well, though he didn't look so convinced. Cole knelt down.
"Hey, I brought you something…." he said, fishing the ring out of his pocket. Phos turned and narrowed his eyes as Cole handed it to the teen. Hershel took the ring and looked at it in confusion.
"Oh…um…what is it?"
"It's called vengestone." Cole explained with a smile. "It's like this special rock that can block powers, if you're wearing it…"
The ring was suddenly snatched out of the teen's hand, and Phos turned on Cole with an angry flash in his eyes.
"Why would you bring this here?!" he spat. "This…atrocity…"
"It's not for you," Cole said sternly, voice rising. "I brought it for Hershel; it's just an extra safety measure, since…"
"He is fully capable of controlling himself…he doesn't need this!" Phos shook the ring at the ninja in disgust. Cole narrowed his eyes.
"Phos…I got the ring for Hershel. Give it back."
The Healer frowned at Cole's soft but determined tone, and glanced back at the teen. Hershel looked incredibly uncomfortable; he had shrunk away from the two arguing men. Phos finally sighed and put the ring back in the boy's unsure hand.
"He doesn't need it, you stubborn oaf…but we'll keep it." The Healer's eyes glinted. "Perhaps it could come in handy later…."
Cole relaxed as Hershel once again closed his hand around the small ring.
"Thanks," the boy murmured, and Phos rolled his eyes and turned back to Cole.
"Your bodyguard's still got a good 20 minutes…why don't you get started reading those scrolls, boy. Make yourself useful."
Cole blinked at the sudden change of topic.
"Useful? Can you not read them?"
Phos got a strange look on his face.
"Of course I can. But you're only going to learn if you read them yourself. Now get to work."
Keyda leaned back in her chair in her office, rubbing her eyes. Heavy Metal hadn't given her a moment's rest starting the second they got back, and she had spent most of the day getting briefed on some situation or another. The other Oni leaders were really coming down hard about the lack of transportation; it took some of them days just to walk to the fortress and back. Keyda didn't mind this too much…as far as she was concerned, longer trips hopefully meant that the leaders would come less often and she wouldn't have to sit and listen to them complain all the time.
For the last hour or so she had been going through paperwork, but even knowing Oni shorthand it took her awhile to really decipher it all. She wished Cole would show up, but she knew that he probably had a full day himself with his trip to Phos's and the check-ins with the other villages. Her mind wandered to the strange Healer in his symbolled tent.
Come back sometime with that Idiot of yours and I could teach ya…if you like…
She lit one of her fists and watched the purple tendrils curl lazily around her fingers. Control it? How would a kooky old healer teach her anything? She still wasn't sure she even trusted the guy.
But she couldn't control it on her own…and apart from getting ahold of vengestone she was afraid it was only going to get worse. She shuddered remembering how she had lost control once again, this time in Ninjago. She kicked herself mentally that Zane had witnessed it…though she was hopeful that he really hadn't talked to Cole about it. She was pretty sure that if he had the Idiot would have given her an earful by now.
A knock sounded at the door and she sat forward, light fading from her fist.
"Yes?"
The door pushed open and Heavy Metal came in. He took in her disappointed look and shook his head.
"Sorry…Cole hasn't gotten back yet," he said dryly, interpreting her expression for what it was. She just sighed.
"I read through this stuff….most of it…"
Heavy Metal raised an eyebrow and she sighed again.
"Ok…I made it through a few pages. It's insane how many problems that can arise in just a few days…"
He smiled briefly, almost smugly, and she glared at him.
"Oh, don't even start. I'm not sorry for taking a vacation." She stood and stretched. "How about we go over the rest of this tomorrow? And after that I'm going out…"
"Again?" Heavy Metal asked.
"Just to the Healer's…there's something I've been meaning to do," she said. He just shook his head and sighed.
"You can't keep…"
"It's something I have to do," she said firmly. She glanced down at her hands. "It's…about control."
He exhaled slowly, studying her. She folded her arms, making it clear that her decision was made and she wasn't going to apologize for it. She tended to give him that look a lot and he finally just shook his head.
"You've got a meeting in the late afternoon…don't miss it."
She rolled her eyes but nodded her consent, and he turned to go. Before leaving, however, he turned back to her and raised an eyebrow.
"Good luck tomorrow."
Cole hesitated outside the tent and glanced over at Keyda.
"You're sure you want to do this?" he asked, and she frowned.
"I need to be able to control them, Cole…I need to feel like they aren't controlling me anymore."
He nodded his understanding, though he still looked unsure.
"It's just Phos can get kinda…weird sometimes. And he's pretty brash…" he trailed off as she narrowed her eyes.
"Don't worry, I am aware."
He smirked and she walked past him, pushing into the tent. For once Phos was easy to spot in his tent, and he turned with a wry look.
"Ah…look who decided to accept my offer…"
She rolled her eyes.
"I'm here because you claimed to be able to help me control my powers… you had better not have been lying…"
"Don't bother talking if it's only to doubt me," Phos snapped back. "If you really want to learn about your powers…and how to control them…you will follow my directions exactly."
She glowered at him, but he didn't seem to notice as he dug in various boxes and pulled out seemingly random odds and ends.
"By the way, Phos…" Cole said, jumping in. "I know firsthand that you don't do anything without a price. What…"
"A few hours of menial labor from you ought to be enough, eh Idiot?"
Cole blinked in surprise at the name while Phos chuckled to himself.
"You know, I do like that name….I think I'll use it…"
"Please don't," Cole replied, in a tone that was more commanding than requesting.
Phos just shook his head and faced the irritated looking Oni.
"You ready, then?"
She glanced at the small collection in his hands and sighed.
"Is this really going to work, or…"
"It all depends on you," Phos retorted, heading over to the table to clear it off. "Young Hershel found himself to be a willing subject and his control has made leaps and bounds…"
"Hershel? Well, he's got vengestone to help him," Keyda pointed out, though a little worm of something gnawed within her. Was the young boy really more in control than she was at this point?
Phos wrinkled his nose in disgust at the mention of vengestone.
"He doesn't need that awful stuff…and neither do you. Now come sit on the table."
She looked at him blankly.
"What? Why?"
"If you want me to teach you, you have to listen to what I say. Are you willing to do that?!" Phos snapped, clearly becoming more irritated. She rolled her eyes and walked over to the table. She sat rigidly, not really liking the way the old Healer was muttering over the items he had. Cole hovered nearby for support, not sure what Phos was planning on doing…but he did hope that it helped. He didn't want Keyda to have to have those nightmare storms anymore.
"Relax. You're as stiff as a corpse," Phos tutted, and Keyda and Cole exchanged a worried glance. Phos rolled his eyes.
"I aint gonna hurt you. We'll start with the basics," he scratched his head as he eyed her. "What, exactly, is the power inside of you?"
Keyda stared at him a moment, trying to figure out if he was testing her with stupid questions.
"Pure Hatred," she finally replied, and he scoffed.
"Oh….and Dragons wield the power of Love and Creation?" he asked patronizingly. She frowned.
"Yes."
"NO!" Phos snapped, his sudden shout making both her and Cole jump. He shook his head as if he was disgusted. "That's the black and white perspective everything's been boiled down to now, huh? Hate verus love…Destruction versus Creation…this ignorance has been going on for years and there's been nothing…"
"How would you describe it, then?" Cole interjected, and Phos blew stringy hair out of his eyes. He sat on a stool, scratching his chin.
"You got to think more abstractly about all of this…stop giving everything labels of good and evil. Power ain't good and evil…at least, not where Dragon and Oni are in question," he trailed off, looking like he was lost in some thought. "At least, it didn't used to be." He fingered the objects in his hand, holding what looked to be a small white crystal up to the light, examining it as he continued.
"Power is energy…that's all it is. It doesn't derive from a place of good and evil…though different kinds come from different places. Here in this realm we got two races that balance each other out. If it was just good and evil, then one side would have to be all good and the other all evil for the balance to work. Obviously you have both experienced that that isn't the case." He put the crystal down, choosing another similar one out of the pile. "The true secret is that it isn't a balance between good and evil or love and hate or even creation and destruction. It's a balance between power of the physical realm and power of the soul."
"Ok…you lost me there, Phos." Cole admitted, and the Healer rolled his eyes.
"Use your brain, then! Think about what you know about Dragon power…about your own power. Elements…things from the physical world. Yes, dragon power 'creates' these physical things, it's based in the ancient powers of the elements. Over time it's been labelled as the creative power, which in some regards is true as it can be used to create physical things. Earth, Water, Fire...you get the idea. As far as Pure Dragon Elements go—the ones that go into creating pure Dragon Power—they are derived from the physical realm."
Cole flexed his fists inadvertently, thinking about the elemental power that somehow rested within him. Phos turned his attention to Keyda, who had been taking everything in with a guarded curiousity.
"Then there's the Oni side of things. The power within us is not physical; rather, it's almost like a void of the physical. Hence it destroys…but to label it merely as "Hatred" or "Destruction" would be ignorant. It comes from deep within us; it is a power of the soul. It is tied to the chaos of our emotions, which is why you feel it flow so freely when you are angry, or upset, or feeling other passionate emotions. If the power was merely Hatred you would only get to use it when you were Hateful, wouldn't you?"
He had an irritated and patronizing tone that made Keyda annoyed, but she had to admit his explanation did seem to better describe her feelings than just "Hatred" or "Destruction."
Phos licked his lips. "It is exceptionally rare that the two powers are ever combined. Such a combination is powerful…powerful enough to create an entire child many centuries ago…"
"The First Spinjitzu Master," Cole realized, and Phos fixed him with an unreadable expression.
"In our records he was only ever referred to as the Child…but yes, I suppose it is the same person." He shook his head, getting back to the point as he looked at Keyda sternly. "So you see, your first problem is that you need to at least be labelling your power correctly. As long as you believe it is merely Hatred or Destruction you will feel powerless to stop it when it feeds off of emotions other than Hatred…"
Keyda bristled at his tone; he was talking to her like she was an ignorant child.
"The Baron told me our true power was the power of Pure Hatred," she argued. "He said that we had lost the ability for decades but…"
"Shazier knew more of our history than the average Oni, but he was a far cry from being an expert," Phos snapped back. "Hatred is an extremely strong emotion. Because of that many Oni thought that was what our power derived from. But our power is just energy, taken from the soul; any strong emotion can summon it…"
"But it's through Hatred that mine and Hershel's powers were unlocked!"
"Yes, because it was strong enough to crack through the apathy! Apathy is the opposite of feeling…any feeling, not just Hatred. And it is true that you cannot feel Hatred without first experiencing affection, but that doesn't mean that Hatred is the only emotion that can break through the block." He scratched his chin again. "What was Hershel feeling when he came to know his powers? Was it extreme amounts of hatred? Or was it grief?"
Keyda didn't answer right away and Phos continued.
"When was the first time you had that spark of power? Was it an overwhelming amount of Hatred, or was it the loss of someone you cared about? And had you felt hope before the crushing despair?"
Keyda shook her head, confused.
"I don't know…. ugh" she grabbed her head to stave off the headache that was forming. "All of this stuff…how does any of it even help me know how to control my power?!"
She felt Cole put a comforting hand on her shoulder as she glared at the Healer. She knew that this was a bad idea…why did she talk herself into doing this?
"Because now you know that it isn't Hatred you've got to control, girl…it's all your emotions. Fear, grief, anger, love…"
"Yeah, you've made it sound much more manageable," she said bitterly. He raised an eyebrow.
"Well, a little slave boy is learning how to do it…perhaps the sovereign woman can pick up a few things. What it really comes down to is using your senses…and using your head."
Keyda still felt pretty lost, but Phos had turned his attention back to the crystals in his hand.
"Lie down." he ordered, not even looking up at her. She blinked.
"What…"
"On the table." Here he looked up to give her a stern look. "Go on….do you want to learn how to control your emotions or not?"
She eyed him cautiously. Phos rolled his eyes.
"Hershel!"
The small slave popped his head through the entryway to the back.
"Yes, Master Healer?"
"Go on and tell her royal highness that this procedure aint gonna kill her…"
Hershel blinked and then glanced over at Keyda. He cleared his throat.
"I was nervous the first time too…but it doesn't even hurt…"
"Gee…" Keyda muttered, unconvinced. But Hershel did look sincere and she had come all this way to actually fix the problem…
She moved until she was lying fully across the table, feeling foolish. Cole came and stood by her head and gave her a smile, but she could tell he was just as unsure about all this as she was.
Phos began lying crystals on her body, and she watched warily. When they had all been laid out, he closed his eyes and muttered something and his fists began to glow. She swallowed hard.
"Wait…."
Her hesitation was cut off as power shot from his hands into the clear stones. It leapt from stone to stone and they started floating, like a purple outline of herself. She realized with panic that she couldn't move.
"What are you doing?! Why can't I move!?"
Her own Aura was rising as she panicked, mingling with the crystals and purple web hovering right above her. If anything, she suddenly felt the magical binding tighten.
"Phos, what are you…" Cole started, voice full of concern and anger.
"Shut up boy, this really doesn't concern you." Phos snapped, turning to Keyda with a raised eyebrow. "You're only making it worse…calm down for goodness sakes…"
"Why can't I…"
"YES, I have cut off your motor ability, well spotted," the Healer interrupted dryly. "Now perhaps you can take a moment to look at the situation inside of you with more senses than just movement."
Keyda glared at him, clenching her jaw, and he rolled his eyes.
"The panic inside is coming out as power…did you realize that? Did you realize that you are reacting to the situation rather than deciding to act? Think about it, Keyda…use your brain and think!"
"Let me go!" she demanded angrily, mentally straining against her magical bonds. "I'm done! Let me go!"
"Not until you learn how to control…"
"Phos, that's enough, let her out of that." Cole's tone was determined and angry, and Phos turned to look at him with narrowed eyes as the ninja continued.
"We're done for today…"
Phos jabbed him with a gnarled finger.
"Not till I say we are…"
Keyda screamed out as she fought the immobility in her limbs. They continued to lie at her side, seemingly relaxed, but internally she could feel the emotions raging.
"We're done!" Cole said again, and reached for the stones hovering over Keyda, as if to try and pull them out. Phos's arm lashed out suddenly, grabbing a fist-full of orange powder from a nearby bowl before throwing it in Cole's face. The Master of Earth stumbled backwards, coughing and choking on the strange powder. Suddenly his expression went slack and he collapsed.
"What did you do?!" Keyda screamed as she watched Cole go down. Aura poured out of her, and aural winds began picking up in the small space, teasing paper and small items from their places in the room.
"The Idiot's fine, girl…he's just sleeping." Phos snapped back. "It was obvious that he was only going to interfere…"
"Let me go! NOW!" Keyda screamed, the winds picking up. Phos glared at her.
"You're still just reacting! Foolish girl! Can't you see that you've given your emotions the control? You want to know why you can't control them?! It's because you aren't even trying!"
"YOU have NO idea what I've been through!" she yelled back, struggling to breathe. He jeered at her.
"What? Pain? Heartbreak? Goodness me, have you felt emotions in your short life?! Perish the thought…."
"How DARE you!"
"If you can't even control your reactions while you're awake, then how can you ever expect to control them in your sleep?"
"STOP…I'm not listening to you anymore, I'm…"
"You were never listening to me! You have yet to see situations for what they really are!" He was yelling now too, and the aural winds whipping around them. He walked over to where Cole was on the floor. "This boy…he's your trigger. He's the quickest way to your emotional reaction…the quickest way to you losing control. You want to know why Shazier targeted him? Why others targeted him? Because they knew this…they knew that it was through him they could control you! If you give Hatred and Anger all the space in yourself, then there's little room for much else!"
"Stay away from him!" she yelled, and Phos sneered.
"You've got so far to go before you'll be able to control anything….you're an infant," he muttered as he slowly pulled out an ivory handled knife. He held it over Cole's form and the storm became stronger as Keyda raged on the table, unable to move and unable to destroy the Healer. He shook his head again.
"YOU ARE STILL JUST REACTING!" He roared. "Use your brain girl! If I wanted to kill him…if I wanted him dead…I've had ample opportunities to end him. Would I really kill him right in front of you, the person who could try to have me executed just for this threat alone? I'm doing it for the reaction…I'm literally doing this…" he put the knife next to Cole's neck, "…just to show you that you aren't thinking; that you see something bad happening and you react with a full aural storm for crying out loud! As long as you act like this, people are going to continue to be able to manipulate you! You've got to stop reacting…Keyda, take back the control!"
She screamed in fury, and the crystals themselves were humming and glowing bright red...and some were flickering in darker shades. Phos shook his head, deflating.
"You aren't listening...you foolish girl…"
He said a word she couldn't understand and held up one hand. It flashed once and suddenly the purple net-like spell was broken and the crystals tumbled down and bounced off of her and onto the floor. The aural storm around them all but evaporated, along with the rest of the aura that had been caught in the net. Keyda was finally free to move again, but she was suddenly aware of how exhausted she was; she could barely shift position even with the spell broken.
She breathed heavily, finally feeling like she could get a deep breath, and glared at the Healer with tired eyes. He stood erect and unapologetic.
"Listen, girl…listen and watch your way through any given situation, and then decide what you're going to do about it. As long as your emotions are allowed free control, you will never be in that position."
Keyda didn't answer; she was still breathing deeply as she pushed herself back into sitting position with shaky arms.
"He'll be awake before the next hour is up." Phos said as he began to walk away, his tone becoming almost apathetic as he gestured to the form on the floor. His eyes flashed suddenly and he turned to look at her again.
"Internally, you think that your reaction is helping him…a way to protect him. But if you really wanted to keep him safe then you would do everything you could to master you powers and control your emotions."
"What are you talking about?" she finally muttered. Phos shook his head.
"I think it's time you asked him how he got that burn on his arm…"
Her eyes widened at the implication, but Phos had already disappeared out the door heading to who knows where, the flap blowing slightly in the wind as Keyda stared down at Cole.
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