His eyes flew open, seeing nothing but white around him. He gasped, trying to catch his breath as something was smothering him. His body trembled with shivering, and he felt ice cold. Where was he? What happened?
Then it all came rushing back to him. His run through the mountains, him being cornered on the mountaintop, his fall off the cliff-wait.
Zane sat up, clutching his injured side. Snow fell off of him in chunks. Looking up, he saw the cliff he had fallen off of above him. Then he looked at his hands.
He survived the fall!
Zane looked at the terrain around him. It had begun to slope downwards. The storm had lightened up, so he could see another mountain up ahead.
He began to get up but stopped as pain wracked his whole body. He groaned as he lay back down. He did a system check of himself. Some internal components were broken and damaged by the fall. He grimaced as his side burned.
Zane looked around for Bansha and Ghoultar, but couldn't see them. But he didn't think for a second he lost them again. Not after what happened. He had to keep going.
Zane tried getting up again, but his pain was so bad he couldn't stand up. His strength and energy levels were about to give out. But he couldn't let that stop him. Not if he ever wanted to see Ninjago again. He had to keep going. Not only for himself but for his family and friends, who were counting on him to hold out. He had to do it for Ninjago since he was one of their protectors.
Rolling over, Zane began crawling on his elbows and knees through the snow and blowing wind. His injuries screamed in protest, but he didn't stop.
"I will make it back, even if it means going inch by inch..." Zane muttered to himself as he dragged himself through the mountains.
...
The storm had gotten stronger as Zane continued to crawl through the rocky mountains. The wind blew in his face as he reached forward to grab onto something to pull himself forwards. His hands dug into the ground as he pushed on. His whole body still ached in pain, and his wounds were still bleeding.
Zane tried with all his might to pull forwards, but his limbs gave out. Zane tried his best to move, but he had no strength or energy left. He felt like his entire body was made of rock, heavy and impossible to move.
Zane sighed. It would only be a matter of time until the ghosts found him now. And if they didn't get to him first, the howling storms of the mountains would.
This was the end of the line for him. He failed his family. He failed his friends. He failed Ninjago. He would die out here alone, and no one would find him.
Zane watched in despair as the white snow around him began to fade to black as his strength and energy levels hit 0%.
But as he started to slip away, his sixth sense picked up the feeling that he wasn't alone. Was it the ghosts?
Then, from the white of the storm, a shadow appeared. Zane thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Who or what was out here with him.
The shadow became bigger as it came closer. He also heard large heavy footsteps crunching through the snow.
As it came closer still, Zane shut his eyes. If it was a threat, he could play dead until it left.
Crunch-crunch, crunch-crunch, crunch-crunch.
Zane's heartbeat sped up in fear. It sounded like a very large animal making its way through the snow.
Crunch-crunch, crunch-crunch, crunch-crunch.
The footsteps came to a stop next to him. He heard a loud breath and felt something staring down at him.
Slowly Zane looked up, amazed, confused, and slightly frightened by what he saw.
There in front of him to see a hooved animal with a black coat, glowing purple eyes, and a mane and tail of violet flame. It wore a bridle and a saddle. Zane recognized it as a horse. There were none actually in Ninjago, but he saw their pictures in scrolls and books, although he had never seen one like this before.
And on its back sat a person in a gray gi and a ninja mask over his face. He was equipped with a multitude of weapons and held the strange horse's reins in his hands. Zane gasped. Was it possibly an elemental master?
"W-Who are you?" Zane asked in awe.
"I would ask you the same question." A man's voice said from behind the mask.
"I am...Zane." he struggled to say. "Elemental master of ice, white ninja, and a protector of Ninjago. And you?"
The grey ninja waved a hand. "That's not important." He said. "That does not matter anymore."
Zane wondered what he meant, but he was snapped from his thinking when his sixth sense alerted him to turn around. He looked over his shoulder and saw two green figures coming toward them.
Zane's heart jumped. The ghosts! They had found him!
Zane tried scrambling up, but fell.
The grey ninja raised an eyebrow. "What troubles you?"
Unable to form words, Zane pointed at the slope where the ghosts were. The grey ninja saw them and his eyes went wide.
"We need to get you out of here!" He said.
Leaning in the horse's saddle, he grabbed Zane by the arm and lifted him from the ground and onto the saddle behind him.
"Hold on tight!" The grey ninja told the ice ninja. Zane wrapped his arms around his waist.
"Where are we going?!" He asked. He felt the horse begin to move underneath him.
"As far as I can take you!" The other responded, calling over the wind.
Could Zane trust this man with his life? He hadn't even told him his name. Where had he come from? And where exactly would he take him?
Zane turned and saw the ghosts were closing in.
He may not know this man, but right now it was his only means of escaping. He had to trust him if he wanted any chance of making it back.
The horse broke into a gallop and the three of them were off. Zane clung to the man as he bounced in the saddle, sending shooting pains through his side. The snow flew past them as the horse ran along.
Even though the horse was fast, so were the ghosts. Zane could still see them, even after they had been riding for quite some time.
...
The wind had stopped howling, and the clouds had broken to reveal a sky full of stars. A full moon shone, washing the snow-covered mountains in a silver glow. The two ninja were still riding along at a slow gallop.
It had been quiet for some time. Zane broke the silence.
"I couldn't help but notice your clothing. Are you an elemental master?" He asked.
"Yes." The grey ninja replied. "I possess the element of dark fire."
The man held out his hand and Zane watched in amazement as a purple flame sprouted from his palm.
Dark fire? He had never heard of such an element. He thought he knew all the elemental masters and their powers.
How come Sensei Wu hadn't told them about this? Did he even know? Or was there a reason if he was keeping it a secret?
"Who did you inherent your power from?" Zane asked.
"I did not."
"Then how?"
"That is a story I cannot tell today."
Zane wondered what he meant. The master of dark fire looked up at the sky, for what reason Zane didn't know, but the grey ninja's serious expression was replaced by one of wonder. He let his hand slowly fall back to its position on the reins.
"Well isn't that the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He said. Zane looked up to the sky as well, and what he saw left him at loss for words.
What Zane saw in the sky was unlike anything he'd ever seen in Ninjago. Wisps of lilac, red, and green moved across the sky. The light cast onto the sparkling snow, making it look like it was lightly colored as well. The lilac was light, soft, and gentle. The red was a fiery spurt of light. And green. Zane saw the color, and it stirred something in is mind.
Zane racked his memory chip, trying to remember what the green reminded him of. He dug deep, when it finally came to him, hitting him like a stun to the chest.
P.I.X.A.L…