Chapter 7 - Wu's Tale
"Well this rescue didn't turn out too well, did it?" Jay tried to laugh, fighting against the tense silence surrounding them. No one responded. Nya's eyes were closed, her head lay against her brother's shoulder. Kai simply stared ahead, his gaze burning with anger.
And the Admiral sat alone in the cell opposite of them, head down, his body looking smaller and more defenseless than what Jay was accustomed to.
"But at least we're still alive." Jay tried again, his strained effort at positivity growing weaker. "Maybe we can figure out a way out of this?"
No one seemed to take the bait. Everyone was exhausted, fighting their own battles within their head. Jay looked down, allowed the silence to win, if only for a moment. He wondered if Lloyd would be able to help them. The kid was smart and, most of all, he was extremely stubborn. If anyone had a chance at helping them, it would be him.
Jay opened his mouth to share the newfound idea, but it was Kai who spoke first. "So, I think it's about time we heard the story about my father. I'm tired of being in the dark about this mess."
Nya sat up, tilting her head up towards her brother. "What does our dad have anything to do with this?"
"If the Admiral is to be believed, father's the only reason we're here."
Nya turned towards the Admiral, waiting for him to speak. Slowly, Wu lifted his head. His eyes were darkened with worry, but he gave a small nod. "I owe you that much."
"Ten years ago, your father and I set out on a trip. . ."
"So you truly believe it's real then, Wu?" Ray said, as they slowly drifted away from Ninjago.
Wu held a small map in hand, one Misako had carefully drawn herself. He trusted every one of her words and ideas, as he always had. The moment Misako had flagged the Teapot of Tyrhan as a potential threat, Wu hadn't hesitated.
"I do." He finally responded, then headed towards the ship's wheel in order to set the course.
"Well that's quite the discovery then," Ray smiled. "Imagine all the things we could do with something like that. Wishing for anything? We could do so much for Ninjago."
"No, we aren't going to use it for wishes." Misako had made Wu promise not to wish. The teapot wasn't something she trusted, and she knew that wishes came with a price. "We don't know how it all works, and we shouldn't take unnecessary risks."
Ray chuckled. "You always play it safe. But alright, we'll do it your way. No wishes. Just find the teapot and come back."
The trip went smoothly, until the very last day. A storm reached the ship just as they had spotted the island. Winds tore the ship apart with force, lightning aiding the process by causing the masts to burst into bright flame. Both Ray and Wu tried to help as many sailors off the ship as they could, but now, Wu couldn't quite remember if anyone had made it to safety. Ultimately, he was flung overboard, and the raging ocean soon dragged him into unconsciousness.
"How long did you and our father know each other?" Kai piped in, trying to imagine what his father must have been like during the trip. He remembered the moment his father had sailed away, but his features and personality had begun to fade away with time. This sliver of Wu's memories made his heart ache and, by the looks of it, Nya felt the same way.
"I had known your father for quite a while," Wu smiled. "We grew up together and fought alongside each other in every war that kept Ninjago safe."
"And mom?" Nya asked.
"She was one of the best blacksmiths I ever had the pleasure of knowing," the Admiral responded. "She would be really proud of you, and your work."
Nya smiled.
When Wu came to, He was on the island. He had been laying upon the sand long enough for his clothes to dry, and when Wu tried to move, it was a while before his muscles responded. Once he finally managed to sit up, he looked around himself, but there was nothing. No wrecked parts of the ship, and no other survivors. He was alone.
Shelter and water were a priority. Worrying about the others and the teapot could wait until Wu had enough strength to be of use. So he forced his body to stand, using thoughts of Misako and Ray to keep himself moving forward.
Most of Wu's skin ached with sunburn. There was no real way to know how long he had been laying at the mercy of the sun's rays, but it had been long enough to be of consequence. Wu's skin had begun to blister in a couple of spots, and his body felt dehydrated and weak.
Ultimately, Wu stumbled upon a river. With hope once again fueling his steps, Wu followed it to a small lake. The area rested beneath the shade of a couple of palm trees, something quite lucky for his aching skin. The water helped, but by then Wu had grown feverish as he began to drift in and out of consciousness once again.
When Wu had finally recovered enough to think about the situation, He retrieved Misako's map from his flimsy pocket. It had been damaged, but the scribbles still gave him enough information. With it, and with luck, he would be able to find the teapot and use it to his advantage.
"Oh that sounds like a bad idea," Jay shook his head.
"What would you have done?" Kai turned towards him. "Actually, don't answer that and just be quiet."
"I don't know, maybe build a raft or something. Or a smoke signal?"
Kai rolled his eyes. Wu chuckled softly. "I assure you, Jay, wishing was a bad idea. But sometimes it's hard to walk away from temptation."
"So what did you wish for?" Nya said, attempting to prompt Wu back to the story.
"Something entirely different than what I had originally planned."
Wu did not find the teapot first.
When he finally stumbled upon the cave marked by Misako's map, Ray was already within. But he was not alone. The teapot was in his hand, and from it, smoke spilled upwards, eventually forming the shape of. . . something.
It almost resembled a man, aside from the odd shade of his skin, and the four arms extending at his sides. Ray seemed as mesmerized by the creature as Wu, but Ray recovered quickly.
"You. . . will grant my wishes?"
"Not all your wishes," the creature responded. "I am only allowed to grant you three. Although I think that should be more than enough."
"Yes," Ray nodded. Wu knew what Ray was about to do shouldn't be done, but hadn't he been seconds away from doing the same? Wu found himself being nothing more than a spectator. His body refused to move. Whether it was due to fear or the weakness in his body, Wu couldn't tell. "It will be."
"I don't know if I trust you enough to wish myself back home. . . besides, that would be pointless, wouldn't it?" Ray continued, and Wu frowned, finally noticing that Ray was not alright. He clutched his side, and from within his fingers, blood crawled through, along with another green liquid. Poison? "I'd be dead before I could do much. But. . . I don't want my children to wonder about me for the rest of their lives. I. . . I wish for them to have a way to find me."
The creature chuckled at this, but nodded his head. "Your wish is yours to keep."
"I. . ." Wu could see the thoughts in Ray's mind turning, as he struggled for the right words. But his mind was slipping, he should not wish more than he already had. Wu knew he had to stop him, but he did not. "I wish. . . If I. . . I wish to. . . I wish to see Maya, one last time."
"Very well. . . Your wish is yours to keep." The creature smiled. A knowing, mocking smile, and Wu instantly knew Ray should not have uttered that wish. "When you pass away, she will too. You can easily meet in the afterlife."
A small sound of surprise escaped Nya, and Kai's hands slowly tightened into fists. He shook his head. "So that's. . . That's why she . . ."
"What? No. . . No that's not what I. . . I didn't want that for her to. . .just. . . forget it, don't do it." Ray was shaking now, too weak to think of how to erase his wish. Either way, in the panic of it all, he wouldn't be able to make a good wish. He would hurt himself even more than he already had, or even end up hurting others again.
"You could simply wish it all away," the creature urged him, and Wu finally found the strength to move. "A couple of words. . . And it will all be gone."
"Ray!" Wu tried to reach him, tried to stop him. Ray's eyes spotted the shape of Wu's body, but it was too late. Ray had made his decision.
"I. . . wish for it all to go away."
The instant the words left him, his body began to fade, somehow being sucked into the teapot itself.
"Your wish. . . is yours to keep."
Once Ray was gone, the creature seemed to grow stronger, more real. On the other hand, the teapot seemed to grow dull, a weaker version of what it had been a couple of seconds ago. Wu couldn't remember the details of what Misako had told him about the creature and the teapot, but he knew whatever Ray's wish had done couldn't have been good.
"And who exactly are you?" With Ray gone, the creature turned its full attention onto Wu, his eyes glowing with anticipation. "I suppose you want to make wishes of your own, then?"
Wu knew that he shouldn't. Bringing back the lamp was all he needed to do.
"Of course you do." Slowly, the creature smiled. "Why else would you seek me out?"
When Wu still refused to speak, the creature continued. "I am Nadakhan. A very, very powerful Djinn. I could grant any wish you have."
"Yeah right." Jay shook his head. "After what he just did, he's trying to get you to wish? Talk about persistent."
"Luckily for him I didn't need much to be convinced." The Admiral shook his head. "I was foolish back then. Although my own best friend had been taken away before my eyes. . . I was still tempted to try. Ray had been weak when he had made his wishes. I was not. I thought, perhaps, I would be able to use my words correctly, to do what he had been unable to do."
Kai scowled, shaking his head.
"But now I see that I was wrong." Wu looked down. "I wound up creating far more damage than I could have thought possible."
"Surely you have something you wish to obtain. . . Doesn't everyone?"
Wu thought of Misako. He knew there was something between them. He knew he loved her, and he knew she'd grown to care for him, filling in the void Garmadon left each time he sailed away. But regardless of this, most of her heart still belonged to Garmadon. Wu didn't think his brother deserved her, not when he was always gone, never staying long enough to listen to all her stories, to learn how brilliant she was. Never staying long enough to let Misako know she was perfect.
And Wu knew all of it hurt her. He could see it, each time Garmadon sailed away. There had been. . . certain moments between himself and Misako, but she would always refuse to give up on Garmadon altogether. She always hoped he would return to stay, someday.
"There's . . . Someone I love."
"Ah." The Djinn shook his head. "You cannot wish for love."
"No. . . She. . . I know she loves me," Wu continued, "but there's someone else. . . And I. . . I wish he would no longer be between us."
As soon as the words were said, Wu regretted them. He did not want his brother to die, but Wu knew it was too late, and if he tried to fumble his way through other wishes, he would wind up like Ray.
"Your wish is yours to keep," Nadakhan laughed. "If you can find a way back to your island, your rival will no longer be an issue."
"But. . . you are still trapped here. Which makes it all pointless, does it not?" Nadakhan pointed out. "There isn't much food on this island. . . And there are dangerous creatures crawling throughout it. There is not much hope of you making it out. You could always use one more wish. . ."
Wu threw the teapot as far as he could manage, sending the Djinn reeling back along with it. After that, Wu never set foot in the cave again.
"How did you return?" Nya asked.
"Misako," Wu said. "She was with you, and your mother, when Ray wished. They watched the map grow onto your skin and knew something wasn't right. And when your mother suddenly passed away. . . She sent a ship out to find us."
"Seems like she did a lot for you. And I bet you haven't told her anything about your wish, have you?" Kai said, and Nya elbowed his side.
"I know I should have," Wu shook his head. "But I haven't. Not yet."
"But. . . Wait." Jay stood. "If this. . . Djinn thing. . . It's just a trick, right? You wish, it turns your wish on you, then you wish things away, and bam, that's the end of it. If it gets rid of Garmadon, we could go home, and Ninjago would be safer."
"Tell that to the kid that brought you here," Kai hissed. "You really think he'd agree to let his father disappear?"
"I . . ." Jay bit his lip, thinking of Lloyd and his extreme determination to find his father. Guilt twisted his stomach, and he slowly slumped back onto the floor of the cell. "Sorry."
"I don't want to cause my brother any more harm than I already have," Wu stated. "But there are other dangers as well. I studied everything Misako had found on the subject of the teapot and the Djinn within it."
"One cannot wish for love, death, or more wishes. One person can only be granted three wishes." He continued. "The problem with it all, is wishing things away. The moment one does this, their soul is tied to Nadakhan. The more souls he has, the more powerful he grows. Misako feared one day he would have enough souls to shatter the bond that holds him to the teapot. I do not know how many more souls he needs. Garmadon's soul could be the one to unleash him."
Kai looked at Wu, trying to piece each bit of information together. "What exactly is the problem with him being freed?"
"Aside from the fact that he's a scary almost all-powerful creature?" Jay asked, a question that Kai ignored.
"If Nadakhan were free, he would be able to use his own power for himself." Wu shook his head. "He knows his own power better than anyone, and he would have no doubt planned step by step what he would do once he was freed. Which is why we cannot allow it."
"If Garmadon frees him. . ." Kai reached for the spot where his sword used to be, before the black-haired pirate had taken it. "I'll destroy Nadakhan with my own hands."
"Pft, good luck with that," Jay muttered, then scooted away when Kai shot him a glare. "I'm just saying! If the man, Djinn, whatever is going to have wishes, I don't know how you're going to, you know, destroy him."
"Oh, I'll find a way. Trust me on that. Maybe I'll even use you to practice."
"Is there a way of defeating him?" Nya said, raising her voice to stop Jay from replying to her brother's comment. "In case we don't find a way to stop this?"
"Tiger Widow venom."
"Tiger what?" Jay frowned.
"On the island, where his teapot is hidden, that's where we can find the Tiger Widow. A giant spider, with venom powerful enough to kill a man in a matter of minutes," the Admiral explained. "It is powerful enough to weaken a Djinn, prevent him from moving for a certain amount of time. Once he is weakened, he could be wished back into the teapot."
"I don't even want to know how we would get venom from a giant spider," Jay shivered.
"If we don't want to find out, we should try to find a way out of here." Nya stood, moving close to the bars of the cell. She rattled the door, but the metal held strong, just as it had the past dozen times she'd attempted to escape. "Do you think you could still pick the lock open, Jay?"
"Not without the little metal pieces Lloyd gave me. And I dropped those when your brother and Cole were fighting."
"Which means they're still here somewhere," Nya said, her determined gaze searching the ground. The dim light made it hard to see, but with four pairs of eyes, someone was bound to spot their salvation. "And we're going to find them."