Chapter 20-To Capture a Djinn
"Think there's anyone in the lighthouse?" Jay said, as the building finally loomed over them. The paint was faded, and the concrete cracked. The wood of the door was rotten in certain places.
"Why would there be?" Kai said. "I mean, look at it. It's falling apart."
"I'd live in it." Lloyd piped in. "It looks cool. Do you think we'll be able to see the whole island if we climb it?"
The kid squinted his eyes against the sun as he looked towards the top of the lighthouse. It seemed to touch the sky, standing over everything in an awe-inspiring manner. Jay followed his gaze, spotting a fleeting shadow passing by the large, dirtied windows. His heart jolted at the sudden appearance, but when he looked again, the figure was gone.
"Did anyone see that?" He said, looking at his group of friends, who all gave a shrug.
"It would be very fortunate if someone was residing inside. Perhaps they could provide us when proper food and rest."
"It's a shame we couldn't salvage anything." Kai said, looking back towards the ocean, where parts of the ship were still constantly washing up on shore. "I do agree we need rest and all. . . but I really can't wait to get Nya back."
"You and me both," Jay said. "But. . . we'll need a plan."
Kai nodded. "Yeah. . . But I really can't think of anything. I mean. . . Nadakhan's got full control of the island, right?"
"Yup." Lloyd nodded. "All of Wu's soldiers. And my dad's pirates. I wouldn't be surprised if the Djinn had the villagers as brain washed zombies ready to serve him too!"
"Ugh." Jay shivered. "Talking about this is just making my headache worse."
They stepped up beside the lighthouse. Lloyd jiggled the handle to the door. "It's locked."
"I doubt it." Kai said. "It's probably just stuck. Who knows when it was last opened?"
Kai tried the handle, finding that it was ,indeed, locked. He gave Lloyd an apologetic smile while the child replied with a smug look. "I'm sure we can force it open. Little help Zane?"
"Of course." Zane stepped forward.
The two stepped backwards in unison, ready to ram their shoulders against the weak wood. The moment they sprinted forward, however, the door swung open. Zane came to stop, but Kai was not so lucky. He stumbled forward, crashing against whoever had opened the way into the lighthouse.
With a confused mutter, Kai struggled to his feet, then looked down. Beneath him, an older man lay on the ground, his eyes shaken with surprise. Kai's eyes widened, and he quickly helped the man into a standing position. "Sorry! I'm so sorry. We thought, We thought this place was empty."
"You know, when I was young, we would knock on doors before deciding to break them open." The old man replied, but his voice was coated in laughter. "Oh don't worry about it too much. I'm sure this place does look fairly abandoned. But there's not much an old man can do on his-"
The man froze, his eyes locked onto Zane. The soldier cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable at the sudden attention. The old man stepped forward, his eyes shinning with emotion. "It's. . I thought it might have been. . . but I wasn't. . . I couldn't have . . . I never thought you would come!"
"Ex. . .Excuse me?" Zane found himself taking a small step backwards.
"Of course, you wouldn't remember." The man shook his head. "You weren't meant to after all! But I'm glad to see you found your place. A part of Wu's navy, no less! I couldn't be more proud. . . "
They all exchanged glances, not sure what to make of the frail man who stood before them. After seconds of what seemed to be the start of a long uncomfortable silence, Lloyd opted to speak up. "We were wondering if maybe we could rest here?"
"Oh?" The man tore his gaze away from Zane, and down to meet Lloyd.
"We're tired?" Lloyd said, then stretched his arms out, in order to emphasize the poor conditions his clothing was in. "We're dirty. We just wrecked or ship. Do you have a place for us to rest? Maybe some food."
"Oh! Of course. Yes. My apologies. Come on in! It's not much, but it is something. And I definitely have some food. Nothing fancy, but it'll have to do." The old man nodded to himself. "But we haven't introduced ourselves, have we? You can call me Julien. What may I call you?"
"I'm Kai," Kai said, talking fast, eager to step inside and rest. He wasn't sure he could trust the man, but his mind was heavy with exhaustion "That's Jay. The kid is Lloyd, and that's-"
"Zane of course," Julien smiled, nodding, more to himself than the others. Once again, the group of friends exchanged a look, wondering if staying with this seemingly crazed stranger was a good idea after all.
With a shrug, Lloyd stepped forward, and into the lighthouse. His eyes widened as he took in the room around him. Unlike the broken, dirty appearance of the outside, the room itself looked . . . Lloyd shook his head. There was simply no word to describe it.
Strange machines and tools were spread throughout, things that Lloyd had never seen in his life, and whose purpose he could only guess at. When Jay stepped in, he felt the same awe as the child, dozens and dozens of questions bubbling up in his mind.
Kai and Zane both studied everything with suspicion, Kai untrusting of the man and the situation, and Zane protective of Lloyd and his companions.
"Oh, don't mind the mess." Julien shut the door, then went inside the room, carelessly pushing objects aside, in his path to another door. "My room is just upstairs. I'll cook something up for us and we can. . . well, we can swap stories, yes?"
Once again, Julien's eyes swept towards Zane.
"Sounds good." Jay nodded, fear and nerves having left him, replaced instead by a strong curiosity.
They proceeded up the stairs, until they reached the top. The room here was far more normal compared to the one below. One simple bed, a low table, and a couple of boxes filled with fruits and vegetables.
"So what has brought you to this side of the island then?" The man walked around the room, picking up food as he went.
Lloyd, as usual was the first to respond, kneeling down before the table. "Shipwrecked, like I said. We were trying to get to town but there was a storm."
"Oh yes, I saw that, nasty looking thing it was." Julien shook his head. "The trip to the town isn't all that much, some hours at least, maybe a day if you run into difficulty."
"The sooner the better." Said Jay, as Julien plopped a bowl of food in front of him. It seemed to be a fruit salad, but there were bits of fish here and there. He eyed the food suspiciously, fearful of the taste. "We've got. . . something really important to do."
"Important?"
"We have to stop this power crazed Djinn before he takes over the whole world." Lloyd stated matter-o-factly. "And also he took one of our friends. So we need to rescue her too."
"Lloyd." Kai hissed, elbowing the child.
"What? I mean, what's the issue with him knowing? He lives here too. He'll find out sooner or later."
"Yeah but-" Kai shook his head. There was something about the man that just felt. . . off.
"Djinn?" Julien's eyes flashed with knowledge, and he joined the others around the table. "That's. . . Not good."
"You. . . You know about it, then?" Zane asked.
Julien nodded. "I. . . well, I've had my own encounter with it, years before. I attempted to hide it away but. . . I suppose everything is found at one point or another, isn't it?"
"So you've met the Djinn?" Jay asked. "And you're still here? As far as we've seen, anyone who even talks to the guy. . . bamm! Soul taken."
"The trick is knowing when to stop." Julien stated. "The more you wish, the worse the consequences."
"Yeah we figured." Kai said. " But then. . . what did you wish for?"
Once again, Nya was trapped.
True, her new prison was far, far larger than the small cell within Garmadon's ship. It was definitely more comfortable than Soto's chains.
But it was a prison nonetheless.
Using a simple array of words, the Djinn had confined her to the walls of the Admiral's mansion. It was luxurious, and worth exploring, but there was something suffocating that came with the knowledge that she had nowhere to go.
Even knowing her efforts were useless, Nya headed towards the main door, willing her mind and body to focus in moving forward. She moved down the stairs swiftly, following the now familiar halls. The door, the exit, was within sight now. Freedom so close, yet impossibly far.
The closer she got, the heavier her body felt. Soon, her legs stopped moving altogether, and she remained rooted to the spot. The Djinn's wish held her.
"Do you not tire of this, Dilara?"
Nya rolled her eyes, turning away from the door, and towards the Djinn. The moment her mind released the thought of escaping, the power that held her body down was released. "I told you my name is Nya. And no, I don't."
"You should rest up. When was the last time you slept?"
When had been the last time she'd slept? Sometime before they had been captured by Soto, but she couldn't quite pinpoint the moment. Although the exhaustion had begun to take a toll in her mind, she didn't feel comfortable enough to rest.
"Why do you insist on calling me that, anyway?" Nya said, moving past the Djinn and back up the stairs. The Djinn followed her closely.
"Because it is who you are. You and I were quite close in your past life."
"Past life?" Nya shook her head. "I'm not. . . I'm not whoever you're looking for."
"I grow impatient." Nadakhan muttered. "I hoped that you would remember me, if we spent enough time with one another. Your soul and mine belong together after all."
Nya didn't respond to this, choosing to simply scowl instead. Soul mates? Right. After all the strange occurrences that had suddenly blown into her life, Nya would believe almost anything. But the idea that she'd belonged to someone since the moment of her birth? The thought of being forever intertwined with another? Pass.
"But. . . There are other ways to bring your memories back, my Dilara."
Nya froze, adrenaline pumping her mind back into wakefulness. Not another wish.
"You know this, don't you?"
Of course she knew. She knew that the Djinn held all the power. Knew that with only one wish, she could be forced to be someone she was not.
"Wish whatever you want." Nya hissed. "Someone will stop you sooner or later. And trust me, when you're back inside that rusted teapot, I will personally make sure you never find a way out again."
"Ah, yes, there is an undeniable strength in your spirit." Nadakhan chuckled. "You may have different memories for now, Dilara, but you are the same as always."
Nya bit her lip, fearful of the wish to come, but determined to make her threat a reality the moment she got a chance.
"I wish for you to return to me, my dear Dilara."
Cole wasn't sure how long he'd been gone.
He remembered waking up, still within Jay's body. Looking around himself, realizing that they'd shipwrecked against Ninjago. No sign of anyone else, as far as he could see. He'd released control over Jay's mind, returning to his ghostly appearance.
And instantly, he'd begun to fade.
It had been a terrifying experience. He hadn't known why it was happening. He hadn't known if he would return, or if this was it, the end of it all.
But it hadn't been. He was back now. Still on the beach. Still a ghost.
Except now, things felt different. Maybe it had all been because he'd used far too much of his strength in guiding Jay to safety. Maybe he only had a limited amount of time in which he could remain as a ghost. Maybe being dunked into the ocean had taken its toll.
Either way, Cole was sinking.
It was a slow process, but he was definitely moving lower an lower into the beach, as if the world had suddenly transformed into quick sand. Cole moved quickly, relieved to see that he could at least still stand. But if he remained still for too long, the sinking would resume.
"Guess I'll just. . . have to keep moving then." Cole said to himself. He walked forward, following sets of footprints upon the sand. Eventually, he spotted an old lighthouse. A soft light came from the top, and shadows moved about. Shadows that belonged to his friends, he hoped.
Cole reached the lighthouse, stepping right through the locked door. He ignored the strange objects all around, focused instead on reaching the others. Traveling up the stairs wound up being a challenge, as the material that made up each step was thin enough for his foot to slip right through. All of his focus was taken up by the simple action of putting one foot in front of the other, and by the time he reached the top, Cole was exhausted once more.
He could feel the strange heaviness that had enveloped him before, the one that had caused him to disappear. Cole tried to push the feeling out of his mind as best as he could, forcing his mind on the scene before him. Everyone seemed to be safe, in addition to someone Cole didn't recognize.
"I wished. . . Well, I've always been interested in creating. Always known that man was capable of so much." The old man smiled, a far away look on his face. Cole noticed Jay nodding slowly, his eyes shinning, his ears absorbing every word. The ghost chuckled softly. "So I wished for a way to peek into other realities, so that I may see and learn about everything."
"Other realities?" Jay said. "What do you mean?"
"You know," The man shrugged. "Each choice we make creates a different reality. There are so many different versions of ourselves, our pasts, our futures."
Cole paced around, in order to keep himself from sinking back to the bottom of the lighthouse. He thought about the old man's words. Different realities. Yes. There was a reality in which Jay had wound up dead instead of him. He'd seen it all happen, then seen his wish reverse the consequence. But then, somewhere, there was a world in which he hadn't chosen to save Jay.
"And then what? You just got rid of the teapot?" Kai shook his head. "As far as we've seen, the Djinn always finds a way to ruin what you want. How come he let you off easy?"
"Easy? I got everything I wanted yes. . . But there is no one to share it with. If I brought my finds to the people here . . . Ah, I'm more than positive they would all be seen as witchcraft. I'm stuck here, living on my own."
"Why tell us then?" Lloyd said through a mouth full of food.
"Well you've seen the teapot. I know you'll believe the power the Djinn's wishes can have. Besides, you told me the truth. I believe it was only fair."
"So you don't know how to get rid of him?" Jay said.
"I'm afraid not. As I said, all I did was get rid of the teapot. But if he's found his way out. . ."
Silence spread throughout the room. Cole waited.
"I have an idea." Jay finally spoke up. "But it's. . . Well, no guarantee that it would work. I'd have to be close enough to the Djinn to make a wish."
"But wishes themselves are the problem." Zane pointed out.
"Well yeah, wishes that are. . . personal? Or wishes that aren't quite thought out. But if we plan this right, we can make it work. We get close enough to wish that the Djinn will fight one of us. Just swords, no magic tricks. But! The sword. . . we cover it in the poison. That. . ." Jay shut his eyes and swallowed, and for the first time, Cole wondered about Jay's feelings concerning Cole's sacrifice. " That way, we don't need to beat him, just. . . wound him. Then he'll be frozen up, or weakened, or whatever the poison is supposed to do."
"And once he's like that, we make our wishes!" Lloyd jumped up excitedly. "It'll work!"
"Yeah, if we can get past his hundreds of well trained soldiers." Kai said, although he couldn't help but begin to feel a bit hopeful. "But if we do get to that point. . . What do we wish for?"
"Wish Garmadon hadn't found the teapot?" Jay suggested.
"No," Zane shook his head. "That would cause us to lose all memory of this situation, as it would never have occurred. And sooner or later, someone else will find it."
"Wish for all the souls he took back!" Lloyd shouted.
"So we get everyone back. . . but the wishes people made would still be in effect. Who knows what bizarre wishes the Djinn has granted." Kai pointed out. "We need to get rid of the wishes."
"So wish. . . for him to undo the wishes. Not wish that people hadn't wished them in the first place, but wish that the things that people did wish, were taken away?" Jay made a face. "That sounds confusing. I mean, I get it. . . But. . . we'll have to word it right."
"No, no you can't." Cole shook his head, raising his voice. But of course, no one was able to hear him. They continued to speak, to form a plan, a plan that would ultimately have horrible consequences.
They could not undo the wishes.
"You can't undo the wishes, Jay." Cole's voice cracked, and he felt the exhaustion return, stronger now. He watched as the lower half of his body began to disappear.
He tried to focus. He had to let them know. Had to tell Jay that a wish was the only thing keeping him alive.
But Cole had no more strength. He was fading. And he didn't know if he would return in time to stop them.
He didn't even know if he could stop them.
"Jay I-"
In an instant, Cole vanished.