Part 4: Elzmara

Chapter 15: Falling

Ninjago Date: January 10th 2043

Elzmara Date : May 10th 2001

Frost…

I flickered open my eyes and gasped as I stared at a bright blue sky.

"No! I-I overslept!" I shouted as I stood. I blinked twice and felt lighter than normal. I gasped as I reached for my swords. They were missing.

"Frost Bite! Guilty Blade! Where are they?" I frantically searched but I couldn't find them. I snarled. "Wu must've stolen them!" I snarled and started running back to the town. I gasped and stared at the horizon. The landscape had changed, and now the statue and I were on a mushroom-like cliff. The drop must've been at least a couple hundred feet.

I blinked twice in amazement.

"Looking for these, nephew?"

I gasped and turned. Uncle Zane stood behind me, my blades in his hands. Zane was missing his angel wings and halo. I smiled as I saw him and walked to him, taking my swords.

"It seems I can only show myself in your dreams. I cannot explain why…" He said as he looked up to the statue.

"Maybe it is because I am in Elzmara." Zane nodded. I frowned. "Hey… didn't mom say she could only see you in your dreams?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"…It is just a hunch… but… what if mom never died…?" Zane's eyes flashed and stared into mine, a feeling of seriousness in them. I frowned.

Was that a tint of… red in his eyes?

"I think that the cliff mom fell from… was just a portal to enter Elzmara…" I said as I glanced to the sunset. Zane seemed to smirk, and then he laughed. But it wasn't his laugh. It was sinister.

"Uncle Zane?" I said with concern as I took a few steps away from him.

"Thanks, 'nephew'." He said with a nasty sneer.

"U-Uncle?" I asked shakily as I continued to step back.

The sky turned from bright and sunny, to evil and black. The grass changed to a color similar to blood. I gasped and held my swords in my hands. Zane stepped towards me, taking slow yet sure steps. His body shimmered and black mist rose from his feet up, slowly revealing Guilt. I gasped and shook my head. He laughed as I reached the edge of the cliff, making a few crumbs of soil to fall down the drop. I looked down and suddenly felt queasy, so I returned my gaze to Guilt's ruby eyes.

"Why…? How…?" I whispered as I stared. Guilt held a hang out in front of him, and Guilt Blade vanished from my hand with a burst of black mist. It reappeared in his hand, and he pointed its tip, lightly tapping my chin with the cold black tip.

"I will answer your questions, only because I honestly feel you should not have been absorbed in all of this." Guilt said with a demonic yet Zane-like voice.

"First, How. I have trailed you ever since your tenth birthday. Kept an eye on you." He said with a smirk.

My eyes trailed to Guilty Blade. I gasped and widened my eyes. "You mean…?"

He laughed. "Yes, young Frost. I change into your beloved sword. Have you not noticed how it gets weak when I am around?"

I swallowed, returning my gaze to Guilt's eyes.

"Now, for Why. I wanted to know how Asuna could still live in Zane's mind when she fell from that horrid cliff. I kept you alive just so you could figure it out. I knew how smart you were, and I knew you would pick the lock eventually."

"So…" I clenched my fists. "You were taking the form of my uncle this whole time… I never really saw him…" Guilt smirked, revealing his white, razor sharp teeth. "So… that was you singing on the cliff… not my uncle…"

Guilt frowned. "Cliff? What are you talking about?"

I gasped, realizing that was Zane.

The real Zane has wings and a halo! That is why I saw him leave footprints in the snow! It was Guilt!

"Wings… and a halo?"

I gasped as I realized Guilt heard my thoughts. I noticed his shoulders move up then down as he shrugged.

"No matter." He snarled. "I will kill you now, so there truly is no reason to worry about what you know."

He poked my throat with the tip of the sharp blade, and snapped his fingers. A sudden force pried my hand open.

"No!" I shouted as Frost Bite fell down the cliff. It flipped and eventually struck a rock that out branched nearly half way down. Guilt laughed and held up Guilty Blade. A bolt of black lightning struck the black blade, and energy crackled as it trailed in the blade. He smirked and pointed the very tip to my chest. I closed my eyes and looked down to it.

"Farewell… I apologize that you were sucked into this mess." Guilt said. I felt the surge of energy gather at the tip.

I felt the energy blast into my chest. I gasped for air as I flew back, and down towards the ground. I faintly opened my eyes and looked up. I saw Guilt laugh and slowly disappear in mist. I looked to my chest and noticed it looked like my chest had been seared by pure fire. It certainly felt like it.

I looked to my left as I passed Frost Bite. I blinked twice as everything flashed through my mind.

Training with dad, a few arguments with mom, getting Frost Bite, then getting Guilty Blade, saving Milla, the first fight I had with Guilt, the abduction of my parents, meeting Carly, Milla's disappearance, meeting Julien, the prophecies, meeting Wu and the Elzmarians.

I… am sorry everyone… Please… forgive me for my foolishness. This is my fault… I fell for Guilt's tricks…

There was no one to save me. I couldn't save myself. I was finished, as was Ninjago.

No. It is not over. The prophecy… said when all hope was lost… but how do I transform?

I closed my eyes and sighed, entering total peace within myself. I felt my chest grow hot and looked at it in awe. It was healed, and looked as though the blast never hit me. I blinked twice and saw my feet glow, and slowly my whole body followed. I blinked twice as a feeling of strange coldness swelled within me. I couldn't help but shiver, and chatter my teeth. The sense of cold seemed to crawl through me, and slowly gathered and centered at my shoulder blades, and my lower back. I closed my eyes, letting out a breath that crystallized. The frigid feeling slowly built up, then I felt the cold shoot from my back. But it didn't hurt.

I gasped and shivered. I flashed open my eyes, and clenched my fists. I smirked and glanced to my back.

Two large wings exited from my shoulder blades, longer than my arm. The other two at the bottom I could touch the tips with my fingers. They seemed to be clear, and see-through, the outlines resembled frost on a window. They had snowflake designs on them, and shined like the northern lights. I gasped at them, and some how managed to flap. I laughed and flapped faster as I neared the ground. With a grunt I came to a stop inches from the soft soil. I blinked twice and laughed again, shooting up with a sudden burst of speed. I twirled and ripped Frost Bite from the rock, gaining speed and flying straight towards the cliff once more. I heard Guilt's shout of annoyance before he jumped from the cliff and shot towards me. I frowned and readied my sword. He held up Guilty Blade with a snarl.

A loud and fierce clang rang out as our blades collided. I glared into his blood-red eyes, and he at mine. I felt sweat drip from my head and down towards the ground. I grunted as I tried to beat his strength. Guilt growled and narrowed his eyes.

I smelt his breath. It smelt like death.

"Vanilla?" I questioned with a faint smirk. Guilt laughed and pushed harder.

"And you take mints?" He frowned.

I blinked twice.

What the-? What am I doing!? I shouldn't be conversing with him like I did with dad during training!

I shook my head and nearly lost my grip as our swords ground against each other, slowly losing their strength. With a snarl, I took the opportunity to put my right hand on Guilty Blades handle. I gave a battle-cry as I grasped it from Guilt, and tossed the dark entity to the ground below, a smile on my face. I shook my head as Guilt turned to dust before he contacted the ground, disappearing from my mind. I flew back up to the cliff and landed softly. I gazed at my wings and smiled.

One step closer.