Chapter 23- A path of wishes

Nadakhan observed the people of Ninjago, his body shrouded in invisibility, a power he had granted himself through the many wishes he'd managed to accumulate. He listened with amusement as they prepared to band together, planning to take over the mansion with their own hands, and overthrow Nadakhan himself.

It was very difficult not to laugh in mockery of their efforts.

They could, of course, try to fight. But Nadakhan held Wu's navy in his grasp, and he wondered how many of the islanders would truly be willing to harm those that once defended them. The people would hesitate to cause harm, while the brainwashed soldiers would not.

The people of the island would destroy one another, and all the while, Nadakhan would grow stronger.

In an instant, Nadakhan moved away from the pitiful people, and back towards the mansion. He'd grown quite accustomed to the place now, and it would be a bit sad to part from it. But once Nadakhan had made Dilara his wife, he had no intention of staying in Ninjago. The world was large, and the Djinn wanted every bit of it under his thumb.

"You're back,"

Nadakhan turned, pleased to see Dilara behind him. There was a twinge of something unnatural glowing in her eyes, a persistent green glow entwined along her irises. "Yes. The little people who still have a will of their own think they'll stop us. Overthrow me, and take back their island."

"You could stop them," Dilara said, stepping forward. "One wish is all it would take."

"True," Nadakhan shrugged. "But let them try. It'll be all the more satisfying to see them as I snatch victory away from their reach."

"They have stopped you before, you know." Dilara pointed out. "What makes you think this time will be different? You shouldn't risk so much, for nothing."

"I know it will be different, my love." The Djinn smiled sweetly. "I have learned how humans work. I know exactly what to do. I told you what I did, how easily they all yielded to my will. Compared to me, they are nothing."

"But why take the risk?"

"Because," The Djinn's voice was a low growl, and for a moment, his eyes flashed with bitterness. He quickly subdued the powerful feelings, knowing Dilara had nothing to do with the fire burning within him, and she did not deserve to be harmed by it. "Because, my dear, I need this. Their pain. . . After what I've been through, I deserve to see them suffer."

Dilara shook her head slowly, reaching for the Djinn's hand. "Let it go. This desire for revenge will be your undoing. We are together again, why do you insist on reaching for more?"

"I'm sorry Dilara," Nadakhan stated, his voice firm. "I will not change my mind. But truly, you shouldn't worry. It will be alright."

With a sigh, Dilara admitted defeat. But she knew that the path Nadakhan followed would hold nothing but misery.

Jay's sleep was nothing more than a mesh of nightmares.

He gave up on sleep far too early, with the sun still hiding beneath the horizon. The day ahead filled him with nerves, the uncertainty of everything making him shudder with nerves. They'd made a plan last night. Well, not much a plan but. . . it was something to go on, all the same.

Kai and Zane would stick together, heading towards the mansion, and marching through the front gates along with the townspeople. Hopefully they would get inside. Hopefully Wu's soldiers would be overwhelmed by the people. And then, if it all went right, Zane would battle the Djinn. If Zane was unable to defeat him, Kai would be his back up.

Jay's part would be less complicated, but still fairly dangerous, through his point of view. He would sneak into the mansion, alongside Lloyd. Since the kid knew the grounds better than anyone, getting inside wouldn't be much of a problem. Plus, the battle at the front gate would divert most of the guards away from them.

Hopefully.

Once inside, Jay and Lloyd would search for Nya, and get her our safely, per Kai's request. Although Jay was sure Nya would despise the idea of being steered away from the fighting, he was glad that his part of the plan involved more stealth than actual confrontation.

If everything went right, Nya would be back to them, the wishes would be reversed, and Nadakhan would be once again permanently trapped within the teapot by the end of the day.

Which sounded like a good ending. Except, it wasn't. There was still Cole.

"Couldn't sleep huh?"

Jay jolted, turning to see Kai walk up beside him. "Yeah. . ."

"Me either. Not really." Kai turned towards the beach, and they both watched the sun begin to rise. The sight felt out of place. It didn't match up with the feeling of doom hanging over the island of Ninjago. "It's still hard to believe this is happening."

Instead of responding, Jay settled for a small nod.

"I'm surprised you don't have much to say. Kind of weird."

"Sorry,"' Jay forced a laugh. "There's just. . . "

"It's Cole isn't it? You want to make a wish for him, don't you?"

"Maybe?"

"I can understand that. But I don't think you should. I mean, I didn't spend as much time with the guy as you did, but I doubt he would want you to wish him back into existence. I mean, do we really want to start this thing all over again?" Kai placed a hand of Jay's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm really sorry Jay. But don't make a choice you'll regret."

"I get it, I get it."

"And. . . Sorry I gave you such a hard time before. You're pretty alright."

"Really?"

"Definitely." Kai said, offering up a warm smile. "I'll look forward to getting to know you better once this is all over."

"Well. . . Same here." Jay smiled back. "We're bonded for life after this. So you will most certainly get to know me better."

They turned again towards the sunrise. The twisting nerves of what was to come remained, but there was now a sliver of hope alongside it. Whatever might happen, they all had each other's backs. Jay took comfort in knowing he wasn't alone, and Kai allowed himself to relax, knowing he would have someone to rely on.

Nadakhan stepped out of the mansion, feeling excitement at the prospect of the battle to come.

He could see the villagers, coming up from the town. Nadakhan's own soldiers stood by the gates, waiting patiently for the fight to begin. And one by one, everyone who stood against Nadakhan would fall. And he would be here to witness it all.

Then after this, he would need to hurry and proceed with the marriage. He'd spent most of his wishes today already, as he brought his former crew back together. He only had two more wishes to use, and although he had confidence in Wu's soldiers, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. The sooner he had unlimited power, the better it would be.

The battle began, but it was not nearly as satisfying as Nadakhan had imagined.

The soldiers had skill, but their movements were monotonous. The only thing that fueled them to fight was Nadakhan's power. They weren't aware of what might be lost or what might be gained.

The people of Ninjago, on the other hand, had passion. They fought back relentlessly, even going so far as to push the soldiers back, gaining entrance to the mansion's grounds. But they couldn't succeed, could they?

Two figures broke apart from the fight. They pushed on past the soldiers, dodging their attention as they went. Their sole focus seemed to be Nadakhan himself.

One of them carried a sword, stolen from one of Wu's soldiers, and the other had nothing more than a fierce look burning in his eyes. Nadakhan was tempted to wait for them to come closer, tempted to strike them down by his own hand. Maybe then, he would feel the satisfaction he sought after.

But Dilara's warnings stuck to him, and he couldn't bring himself to risk more than he already had. Soon, he would have an endless amount of wishes. And then, then he would destroy everything he needed to, in order to fill the strange void in his chest.

For now, however, what he needed was a way to keep the people of Ninjago away from the wedding, and the private feast that would follow.

"I wish for a ferocious creature to defend these grounds until its dying breath," Nadakhan said to himself, drawing upon his own power. He took a couple of steps back, moving back inside the mansion. "And I wish for a thick wall of thorns, to surround this place, until there is no way left to enter."

As his wishes began to materialize, The Djinn slammed the doors to the mansion shut.

Once Lloyd woke up, the day felt as if it rushed forward, roughly pushing him towards the ultimate conclusion of the troubles his father had started.

One second he was within Jay's house, only half awake, trying to gulp down a bit of food while collecting his thoughts from sleep. And now, he found himself leading Jay forward, using the knowledge he'd accumulated of the mansion.

"And here it is." Lloyd pointed forward, at a small, silver gate. Vines were wrapped around the metal, as the wildlife threated to overpower the entrance altogether. "Pretty sure everyone's forgotten about it."

"Yeah, looks that way." Jay stepped forward, pushing his weight against the gate. When it wouldn't budge, he stepped back. "The stupid plants are holding it shut."

"Good thing I have this then," Lloyd smirked, pulling out the small dagger they'd found in Kai's shop. With swift movements, he cut away the vines that had kept the door closed. "Whoa. This thing is sharp."

"No kidding," Jay said, stepping inside the mansion's grounds. "I don't know how I feel about letting you keep that."

Lloyd shrugged, lodging it back against his belt. "C'mon let's just go. We can sneak in through the kitchens."

"As long as we don't run into the Djinn ourselves." Jay shuddered.

"Let's hope not."

Once inside, the mansion itself, Jay stuck close to Lloyd. The kid moved quickly, and confidently, guiding Jay through a maze of small halls. "Where are we, exactly?"

"The people that work here usually take these halls, instead of the big fancy ones. I don't think the Djinn would have thought of guarding these. They should take us to the second floor, and hopefully Nya will be in one of the rooms there." Lloyd said, as he trotted up a small set of stairs. "I think we'll be alright. I don't hear anyone out there. Kai and Zane must be fighting already."

Jay nodded, too winded to speak. He hoped the others were alright.

"Here," Lloyd stopped in front of a wooden door. He stooped down to the keyhole, peeking through to make sure the hall on the other side was empty. "Doesn't look like anyone's there. You ready?"

"Guess so."

Without further hestitation, Lloyd pushed the door open. They stepped into a large hall, their steps echoing loudly, making Jay flinch at each step. "Now what?"

"Well now we look. Nya's gotta be here somewhere." Lloyd ran forward, peeking into each room as he went.

"Lloyd wait." Jay hissed. Someone was bound to hear them, if Lloyd didn't act with more caution. "You're too loud."

"The faster we find her the better, right?" Lloyd shrugged, turning back to face Jay. "Besides-. . . Oh! Nya!"

At the kid's words, Jay whirled around, fast enough to nearly lose his balance. Nya stood before them, wearing long white gown. Although it suited Nya's figure, it stilled seemed out of place, Jay couldn't imagine her ever slipping into a dress such as that willingly. And yet, the woman before him didn't seem uncomfortable in the lavish clothes. "Nya?"

Nya smiled, but the gesture was cold and mocking. Jay's heart jolted in fear. Something wasn't right.

"And what are you two doing here?" Nya stepped forward, and Jay found himself stepping back.

"We're here to get you out." Lloyd spoke up, but his voice was soft, unsure.

"I don't want to go anywhere, actually." She took another step forward. "And my name is Dilara.."

Jay and Lloyd exchanged confused glances. When Jay turned back towards Nya, Dilara?, he was surprised to find she stood no more than a foot away. At this distance, he could see a bizarre green glow emanating from her eyes. "Dilara?"

"That's right. Nadakhan was kind enough to wish my memories back into my mind. I'm afraid there's nothing left of the girl you're looking for."

"I don't understand. Nya you-" Jay's words were cut short, as Dilara swung a punch forward, striking his eye directly. Jay tumbled backwards, crashing against Lloyd. "Whoa! Ouch. That hurt."

Dilara smiled, swinging a strong kick against Jay's stomach. Her dress prevented her from putting all of her force into it, but the attack was strong enough. Jay felt the breath forced out of his lungs, and black dots began to erase the world around him.

"No. . . I . . ." Jay's words were heavy, as his body lost control of itself and fell back. He heard Lloyd's voice shout something, but he couldn't make sense of it.

As the darkness continued to grow, the last thing Jay saw was Dilara's glowing eyes.