Chapter 11 - A threat on the horizon

It felt like his whole entire world was caving in around him.

All Kai ever wanted to do was make a difference in the world, to be someone that people looked upon in absolute awe and wonder. He wanted to be a hero, wanted to be the hero. It had taken such a long time for him to finally do something about the predicament that not only he was in, but the rest of the world as well. A task that could only be undertaken by the Golden Master. Now, all of his hopes and desires were crushed into dust, blowing away in a stale wind. "H-Him?" the blacksmith found himself saying, his muscles quivering from the pure shock of the information. "The kid is the Golden Master?"

He's just a child. A former slave no less, he screamed in his head, trying to calm himself down. It was not working. The skin on his hands was warm and he crossed his arms over his chest in attempt to hide this from everyone else. He did not want them to see him acting like a child. You're just a small boy, afraid you won't be able to keep those around you safe, echoed Sensei's words in his mind. Without even dwelling on what the others would think about him now, Kai stormed away from the group and down a nearby hallway. He needed to get away again. To try and cool off before he was confronted.

After many twists and turns, Kai found the hall where he and the others had first arrived. Without hesitating, he pushed the large heavy doors open and ran out towards the beach. He didn't want to go back. What was the point? To listen to an old man's crazy words and to follow a child into battle against the Serpentine? It would be suicide. And he wouldn't be part of it.

By the time Kai reached the ship, he had slowed down to a pitiful, almost reluctant, walk. What would he do if he went back? There was nothing but imprisonment waiting for him there. And he wouldn't be able to save anyone if he was behind bars. He stopped, kicking the sand in front of him. Kai growled at the air, the rage inside his body creating a small aura of heat around him.

Nothing was fair. He had risked his life to get here. He had put his sister in danger. And all for what? All his hopes and dreams, everything had always circled around him being Ninjago's greatest hero. But now it was all gone. He was a nobody again.

Kai let himself fall against the sand, sighing in defeat. He knew he was acting like a child, but he couldn't care less. He began to mumble under his breath, trying to control the anger inside. "I deserve better than this. I could beat that kid any day..."

"It's not like I asked for this you know," Lloyd's voice came from behind him, sparking up Kai's rage all over again.

Inhaling deeply, Kai got to his feet and spun around. "You..." he started, letting the words hang in the air, mingling with the light, salty breeze that played off of the sea. "Why are you out here? I don't know if you noticed, but I left. That means I don't wanna be bothered right now." His light brown eyes blazed with a mixture of loathing and sadness. "Especially by you, Golden Master." When the phrase rolled off of his tongue, he felt yet another wave of frustration overwhelm him.

"I wasn't following you," Lloyd shook his head, running his shaking hands through his messy blonde hair. "I just needed to get out. I saw you here muttering to yourself and...look, I'm not too happy about me being the Golden Master either. Do you know how much responsibility that is? Everyone's life depends on me now. I don't want this. I just...wanted to be happy and safe and now...now this. I bet the others hate me too. I bet they're thinking, 'why him? Why the pathetic little kid? I could do better'. And they'd be right. I am a kid. I don't want this."

Lloyd paced back and forth as he talked, feeling his eyes stinging with tears. He felt small and helpless, and everyone around him was suddenly jealous and angry because destiny had chosen him as a hero. Lloyd looked back at Kai, opening and closing his mouth, trying to keep shouting about how unfair everything was. But words didn't come. He bit his lower lip, feeling the fear of what was to come overwhelm his body. He was just a slave again. A young kid chained down by destiny's cruel hands.

Hearing the tone of Lloyd's voice slowly chipped away the bubble of selfishness that had surrounded Kai. Lloyd sounded depressed and scared, two words that the blacksmith would have never placed with the Golden Master. Watching the young boy's face contort into a mask of anxiety was nerve wracking. "Y-You could be fine," Kai suddenly said, feeling his expression begin to soften. Who was he to be jealous of the kid? Lloyd seemed absolutely miserable about being who he was.

"Not alone I can't," Lloyd pointed out, looking down at Kai's eyes, pleading for his help. "I do want to help people. But I'm not strong. Not yet at least. I know we don't exactly know each other but...we've got to stick together right?"

Lloyd's last words sounded almost like a whimper. He clenched his fists, waiting for Kai's answer. Lloyd really didn't know this man, or the other three that had come along with him. But something had brought them together. And for the first time in his short life, Lloyd finally had the chance to build a bond of friendship with someone other than his reflection. The opportunity was too precious to let go.

The very air around the two newly acquainted individuals seemed to still as Kai unintentionally held his breath. Lloyd was begging for support, both with his voice and his facial expressions. Now was the opportunity to show someone, to show the boy in front of him, that he could be the hero he always wanted to be. Of course, this was not the way Kai had imagined it, but sometimes perceptions were much different from twisted reality. He could still be a hero, by showing the former slave that there would be others that would help him through this journey. Sure, Sensei Wu had inadvertently crushed his personal dreams right before his very eyes, but doors always closed for a reason. Destiny had specific plans for all of them. Kai finally sucked in a deep breath. Destiny may not have chosen him to be the Golden Master, but he was still a vital part to the solution for oppression, otherwise Sensei Wu would not have been expecting him to come to the Temple of Light.

"Yeah," the brunet answered, training his light brown eyes on Lloyd. "We've got to stick together."

Lloyd smiled, his body instantly relaxing. "I know that if we-"

The small boy froze, his eyes glued to the horizon. Three dark shapes were approaching the island at an impossible speed. Soon, they were close enough to be recognized. Lloyd stepped back, his heartbeat quickening. He'd recognize Pythor's warships anywhere. Lloyd shook his head. They couldn't have found them. Not now. Not so soon.

Lloyd knew that each of the ships would hold up to a hundred Serpentine warriors. Lloyd also knew that he knew absolutely nothing about self-defense. Sure, Sensei Wu had worked on his reflexes, but he had never given Lloyd a chance to use his skills in an actual fight. For the second time that day, Lloyd had the urge to vomit.

"What's up?" Kai asked, genuinely concerned about the sudden change in Lloyd's posture. He seemed extremely tense, his limbs appearing stiff as he shakily took a single step backwards. It looked like the young, blonde boy had just seen a ghost. "Look, I said I'm going to help you and I know that the people I've been traveling with would be more than willing to make the same agreement. There's no need to worry about it right now." Despite this, Kai could still see that Lloyd was transfixed on something else, his face growing paler by the second. Becoming more frustrated, the blacksmith shifted his weight onto his right foot and pivoted his body around with the left. When his own gaze locked with the scene before him, he felt his heart skip a beat.

The first time he had ever been to the sea had been a week ago, when Zane had successfully sneaked them all onto the shipping vessel. However, Kai knew that the ships advancing toward them were not friendly. Just the sight of them shot a dagger of malice straight through the blacksmith's gut and he felt as if he were going to stagger backwards into Lloyd. Instantly, he rolled his right shoulder before unsheathing his sword from its holster. "I'm thinking those boats aren't full of nice people," he found himself saying idiotically. "I-I don't know if I want to stick around to see them make it to the shore." He could not handle something like this right now. Still hungry and slightly fatigued from the trip to the island, Kai stepped back slowly until he was even with the Golden Master. "What are we supposed to do?"

Lloyd shook his head, he'd been about to ask Kai the same question. "We get the others?"

The blacksmith nodded, heading back into the temple seemed far more promising than staying out on the beach to wait for the ships to arrive. Lloyd and Kai ran inside, their footsteps alerting the others of their presence. Jay stepped out of one of the rooms, his hair standing up on end, and a fascinated smirk on his childish face.

"We're over here guys. You won't believe what I just-" Jay's words froze in his throat as he recognized the expression in the blacksmith's face. Fear. Jay felt as if a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped upon his body. If Kai, who was always glowing with bravery and confidence, looked as shaken as he did, Jay wasn't sure he wanted to know what had occurred. "Is something...wrong?"

His voice wavered as he tried to answer the puppeteer's question. "Ships are coming here, to the island. I don't know what they are, but I don't think it's a good sign at all." This temple was supposed to be one of isolation. That was what Zane had told them. It was what Kai remembered from the stories as well. Glancing down, the blacksmith noticed that the grip he had on his sword was intense, his knuckles practically alabaster against the toughened leather of the hilt. "We have to do something though. I-I don't know how much time we'll have before the ships get here." This was insane. They had just arrived and suddenly ominous ships were materializing on the horizon? Perhaps destiny was more spiteful than he ever could have imagined.

"It's the Serpentine," Lloyd chimed in, feeling his body shake slightly from the adrenaline coursing through his veins. This immediately caught the attention of the two people surrounding him. He watched the auburn haired man swallow hard and glance around the room nervously. "I've seen these ships before and they can carry a lot of warriors. We won't be able to fight them all off."

"Serpentine?" Sensei Wu stepped out into the hall, followed by Zane and Cole. The old man's face was lit up by a mischievous smile. "Oh, I think they will be perfect training for you all."

"Training!?" Cole, Jay, and Kai hissed, their eyes growing wide with disbelief.