Jay woke up on the floor, blankets surrounding him. Darkness still consumed the room, and coldness through the cracks on the floorboard from which he had fallen asleep. He shivered, and wrapped the blanket closer around him.

Medium-temperature breaths heated his ears slightly, and Jay turned to his right, and gasped.

Wu didn't have any extra beds, so everybody had slept on the floor, cramped into the small extra room. So on his right was Nya, breathing softly in his ear, her eyes closed and a blanket around her strong pale arms.

Jay felt he had to turn away, but it was too hard. Her thin cheeks give a sort of volume to her face, and her jet black hair flow behind her sleeping body.

Without control, Jay touches a strand of hair then tucks it behind her ear, and he smiles. And he hoped that one day, when they were older perhaps, he could wake up next to her every time he awoke. It was a silly fantasy, he knew, but everytime he looked at her, it didn't seem silly at all.

"What are you doing?"

Jay looked to his left, and saw the arched-eyebrowed Kai looking back at him. "Nothing," Jay lied, but he knew that Kai saw through him like glass.

Kai said nothing, as he turned over and closed his eyes again. Jay sighed, and did the same. Another day has begun, and Jay could tell that it wasn't going to be a great one.

The first meal of the day was filling, and the five were surprisingly satisfied. Wu must have kept more berries than one can count in the cupboard, and pancake mix waiting to be used along with it.

"Thank you, Mr. Wu," Zane said politely, as always. "That was..."

As if on cue, Cole let out a big burp, then plastered a silly smile on his face through the chastising look on his brother's. "Cole!" Jay scolded. "Manners."

But Wu was laughing. "No, that's alright. I'm glad when a guest enjoys my food."

To the five, Wu seemed to be in a much less crabby mood than when they had first arrived the night before. They couldn't decide why; maybe because he trusted them a bit more, or maybe a new day had started, and Wu had gotten a good rest.

"Now." Wu said, and in such a way it made the children's heads snap up. "I believe that it's the time to give you five some answers. I can see it in your eyes, that it's what you desire most. Is that right?"

The five nodded their heads, and then were led to the cloth couch. Jay pulled Cole onto his lap, much to his protest, but decided not to squirm.

Wu placed his old and frail body in a matching cloth chair in front of them, and leaned forward, as if to ensure the group could hear his story. Nya could see, even from the distance from him, that his sagging grey eyes held more memories and more hurt than anyone she'd ever seen. They had mystery behind them as well, but was trapped, as if he was afraid to let out his own answers.

.:

It started about six Nights ago, when the Moon was bright, and the woods were dark and empty.

This had been my first Night. I was a young boy, like you four, and inexperienced in surviving the deadly time. But so was my brother, Garmadon.

We had been left behind also. We were alone, and afraid. Not to mention, ignorant to the world outside of Day. Trouble sought us out every time we turned our backs, so every minute, we looked over our shoulders to make sure we weren't being followed.

But with my brother, it seemed possible to survive Night, because we each never left the other's side. Our father had taught us defense over the years, and so we used it to combat the mysterious forces in the trees.

They had fur along their faces, and dark black eyes, with long talons the length of a knife, and sharper than a man's most mightiest sword. They had the strength of six men. They were called the Tura Tribe.

The Tribe is constructed strongly and fiercely, and has lived for many years, for the master of them all was too strong and intimidating to be hurt. He is called the Overlord.

Overlord is a powerful ruler, and never to be tampered with. Garmadon and I never found a way to defeat him, but we tried with all of our might.

We brought down many members of his Tribe, and it angered the Overlord. He fought back, even more fiercely than we did, and we were knocked to the ground. We had been defeated.

Overlord walked toward us menacingly, fear filling our bodies to the brim. Then he knelt down next to my brother, and he whispered something I will hear for the rest of my days.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

And he didn't.

For instead of hurting him, Overlord placed a finger on my brother's forehead for not even a second.

From that spot, a purplish dark color spawned and spread across my brother's face, and along his body. His eyes turned a lighter shade, and the light inside of him began to burn out.

I shouted, "What have you done?!"

He replied, "I am turning him into one of us. I can't have you escaping, and telling others of us. And it's obvious that you two are stronger together. Isn't that right, boy?"

I turned to Garmadon, tears in my eyes from all of the fear clouding every part of me. But my brother looked up at me with dry eyes, and so I stopped.

"Brother," he said weakly. "Wait for me. Promise you'll wait for me."

Overlord waved a hand over Garmadon's violet eyes, and it turned completely black. I screamed.

My brother spoke again, but this time, it was no longer him. "Seize him." Garmadon said, for he was now co-ruler of the Tura Tribe, and he will be for the rest of his days.

I ran, faster than ever before, until I reached the river. The Tribe was merely feet away from me, swinging and jumping from tree to tree, attempting to capture me, and perhaps give me the same fate as my brother.

Without hesitating, I jumped into the cold river, and then I swam the current to the rapids. From there, I fashioned a boat, and I left the island of Ninjago, which no longer held happy memories, for it had taken my brother Garmadon.

Eventually, I used a sapphire gem I had found under a rock in a deep cave I had explored during Day, and used it to lead me the way to my family, for sapphires are enchanted to catch any natural light and lead you to anywhere you think in your mind.

I did arrive on the Dark Island, but without my brother, it was no longer worth it. Life was dull without my brother.

And so, for every Night to come, I stayed on Ninjago, waiting for my brother to return. I keep my brother's wish, and I still wait for him.

Everybody's heart pounded in their ears as Wu finished his tale. Questions had been answered, and now that they knew the answers, disbelief was great in their hearts.

It was especially Cole with a swarm of feelings. He now knew what species the woman he had been captured by was, and now knew what they had done to this old man, and to a brother they never knew the Hermit had.

Wu got up slowly, leaving his guests to absorb the twists just revealed.