Wednesday
After school, they ninja all headed for the monastery. When they entered, they saw Master Wu standing there, holding his bamboo staff.
"Hello, students. I have news for you."
They all glanced at each other in confusion. Even Lloyd had no idea what he was talking about.
"I have decided that you are all ready," Wu told them.
"Uh, ready for what?" Kai asked.
"To help Lloyd with the oni and hybrid attacks," Wu replied.
"Wait, really?"
"Yes. You have all learned quite quickly, faster than I had anticipated."
"Yes!" Kai cheered, along with Nya.
"A-are you sure?" Jay stuttered nervously.
"Yes. Today, I have one more thing to teach you. It may take a while to master, but I have confidence that you will all learn quickly," Wu told them. "You all are aware of Lloyd's power, I assume?"
They all exchanged glances, confused and excited.
"Yeah. Uh, how does he do that, anyway?" Kai asked.
"It is elemental power. His is called energy. The rest of you also have elemental powers."
"Wait, I can shoot stuff out of my hands?!" Jay yelped, staring down at said hands like he thought stuff would start shooting out of them there and then.
"Yes. Your power is lightning, and you are quick and agile like your element." Wu looked at Kai. "Kai, your element is fire. You are hot-tempered like your element, but are quick and swift in battle."
"Yeah, fire!" Kai cheered.
"Nya, your power is water. You can adapt quickly in battle, like your element. Zane, your power is ice. You are smooth in battle like your element, and as solid as ice. Um… literally." Wu turned to Cole. "Cole, your power is earth. You are unmovable, like the ground we stand on.
"You all posses ancient powers, powers which were gifted to your ancestors by a dragon named Firstbourne—the original Firstbourne. She passed down her powers to a few close friends of hers, and then those powers were passed down through generation to generation, and now to you.
"You must never use your power for evil, or for revenge. It is only to be used for the protection of others, or yourselves, if need be. Do you all understand?"
They all glanced at each other again, thinking.
Zane had wanted revenge on the Emperor, but he now knew that he would not be able to use his power to do it. He would have to find another way…
Cole wanted revenge on all of the half breeds. He wasn't sure what he was agreeing to, but… something had called him here in the first place. When he had first met Wu, he had known that this was what he was meant to do. Cole mentally battled with himself, trying to decide what to do.
Simultaneously, they all nodded.
"Good," Master Wu said.
"When do we start?" Kai asked eagerly. "Will I really be able to shoot fire out of my hands?"
Wu smiled. "Yes. I will train you all individually. Who would like to go first?"
"Ooh, me, me!" Kai begged, raising his hand.
Wu nodded. "Alright. Come with me. The rest of you will spar for now. Lloyd is in charge."
They all nodded, and then Kai followed Wu inside.
When Kai had volunteered to go first, he hadn't expected that that meant that they would be meditating. They had been sitting here, doing nothing, for fifteen minutes now.
"Ugh, how much longer?" Kai groaned. "Why are we even doing this?! You're supposed to teach me how to shoot fire out of my hands!"
"You first have to learn patience. It will allow you to keep the fire under control. If fire is out of control, it can be very… catastrophic."
Kai groaned again. "Ugh…"
After twenty more minutes, Wu finally said that they could stop. Kai happily sprang up, heading back outside.
"Who is next?" Wu asked, once they entered the courtyard.
"I'll go next," Cole volunteered.
Wu nodded, and then he and Cole exited the monastery, heading down the mountain.
"What?! How come he doesn't have to meditate?!" Kai whined.
They all shrugged unhelpfully.
"So, all you did was meditate?" Nya asked.
Kai groaned. "Yup…"
"Well, that sounds dull…"
"It was… Master Wu said that I had to learn patience."
Nya snorted, laughing. "Well, that doesn't surprise me!"
Kai huffed, crossing his arms.
Cole followed Master Wu down the mountain, and then onto another path that soon led through rocky territory. A few shrubs grew there, but otherwise the place was barren. The place was on the side of the beginning of another mountain, near the base. Looking back, Cole could still see the treeline and the mountain that held the monastery.
"Uh, Master Wu?"
"Yes?"
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see. Have patience. Don't make me make you meditate, too, like Kai."
Cole raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't say anything else.
Soon, they entered a gorge with a stream trickling through it. Both sides rose up steeply, and Cole was even more curious about where they were going. A few minutes later, they entered a cave. Cole looked around in awe. He could hear water dripping further down. The walls of the cave were pretty smooth, made of rock, and so was the ground. A part of the stream that ran through the gorge trickled in, flowing down through the cave.
They continued down the cave, and it quickly became too dark to see.
They walked for about an hour, going further and further down into the cave. Cole didn't understand it, but it was like he could almost feel where they were going, and he could sense turns and other tunnels ahead. Soon, he sensed a big cavern coming up. A few minutes later a cavern did indeed appear, and in the middle of it was semi-large pond. It looked very deep. Above the pond, on the cave ceiling, some light leaked through, sending rays of light down onto the pond and making it appear to glow.
Wu stopped, turning around.
"So… what are we doing?" Cole asked.
"Do you feel anything?"
Cole looked at him in confusion. "Uh… what do you mean?"
"Do you feel the earth around us?"
Cole felt a little surprised, but then nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Good." Wu smiled. "Now, let's see how long it takes you to be able to move anything."
"Uh… what?"
About forty minutes later, Cole was getting frustrated. Wu wanted him to move this rock with his hands, without touching it—with his mind. He had thought that perhaps the old man was crazy before, when he had first met him, but now… this seemed to confirm his suspicions. Growling in frustration, he thrust his hands out again, trying to mentally tell the rock to move, but still, nothing happened.
"Ugh," Cole groaned. "Master Wu, this isn't working."
Wu sat a few yards away, watching. "Don't force it. It'll move. Be patient."
"I've been trying for almost an hour now! I've been patient, but it still won't move!"
Wu stood up, walking over to him. "Can you still feel the earth around you?"
"Yes…" Cole grumbled.
"Hmm…" Wu had sensed an increase of distress from Cole, and he was starting to become fidgety. Cole outwardly appeared to just be frustrated because the rock wouldn't move, but Wu thought that it was something else.
Cole shook his head, then tried again. "Ugh, it just won't move!" He looked at Wu. "Are you sure I have 'elemental power'?"
"Yes, I am positive. Your mother had the power of earth before you."
Cole narrowed his eyes at him. "Yeah? You knew my mother?"
Wu nodded. "She, a few others, my brother, and I, all fought in the Serpentine Wars together. I had helped her with her power as well. In fact, in this very cave."
Cole looked around, eyes wide, and then he shook his head in disbelief. "She was a ninja?"
"Yes."
Cole pondered that, still uneasy. There was something about this place… He glanced at Wu, wondering if he could trust him. He sighed. "It's just… I can feel her presence here. I know it sounds weird, but I can…"
Wu nodded thoughtfully. "You probably have never been this far below ground before. Your mother's presence probably closely resembled the earth."
Cole gave him a confused look. "That makes no sense."
"Think about it. It will."
"Okay…"
"Now, back to training! We mustn't waste time!"
Cole groaned, but tried again.
A couple hours later, Cole and Wu returned. Kai, Jay, Zane, Nya, and Lloyd had all been sparring, as instructed. They all stopped when Cole and Wu walked in.
"I'm sorry, students, but that will be all for today," Wu said.
"Wait, so when are you going to teach the rest of us how to use our elemental power?" Nya asked.
"Tomorrow. I'm sorry, I lost track of the time…"
Nya sighed in disappointment. "Okay…"
They all headed home, Cole still pondering what Wu had said. Something was off about him, Cole knew it. He didn't know what it was, but… he would figure it out. Somehow, Wu had known about Cole's mother, and had apparently fought beside her in the Serpentine Wars. And somehow, his mother had had elemental power without him ever knowing about it!
Thinking about his mother suddenly made him remember that fateful day…
Cole sat in the living room, sketching in his favorite notebook. His parents were attempting to cook. Both of them weren't very good at it. His mom always tried to follow a recipe, because she was bad at cooking and she knew it. Although, even following a recipe didn't ensure that whatever she made tasted good. Sometimes she burned it, other times she measured wrong, etc. His dad never followed a recipe, saying that cooking was an art, and that you should never copy another person's art. His 'food' was worse than his mom's.
Now, remembering that, Cole suddenly wondered if their cooking had somehow broken his taste buds, because he liked literally every type of food. Cole even tried cooking every once in a while, and to him it tasted great. His father was not so thrilled… Although, Cole mentally huffed, his dad's food tasted gross, and so Cole really wasn't sure who's tasted better.
Cole was dragged back to the memory, and he winced, knowing what came next, but it seemed that his brain had a mind of its own.
Suddenly, a siren went off, blaring loudly. Cole leaped to his feet in alarm, and his parents both immediately stopped arguing over how much salt they should put in the spaghetti.
"Again?" his mother asked.
"Head to the cellar!" Lou ordered.
Lilly, Cole's mother, turned to Lou with a defiant look. "No! I won't hide while half breeds and Oni attack our city!"
"Lilly—" Lou tried to protest, but she was already heading out the door. Cole watched in alarm as his dad made to go after her, then stopped. He looked at Cole. "Head to the cellar. I'm going after her."
"Wha—" Cole tried to ask, and then Lou was gone, too. Cole shook his head in bewilderment, then glared at the door. He followed his father out.
Outside, Cole gasped in alarm. The attack was happening right outside their home. The attackers were half breeds, and Cole saw his mother grab a stone from the ground and hurl it at one of them. She hit it spot on, and the half breed collapsed.
"Lilly, get inside!" Lou hollered.
Lilly ignored him, throwing another stone. Now she had the half breeds' attention. Simultaneously, they all charged at her.
Cole's eyes widened in alarm, seeing that they all had sharp swords. His mother didn't stand a chance.
Lilly stood her ground, determined not to back down, and then tossed some more rocks. She hit two, but there were still five more. They leaped at her as one, and Lilly swiftly took a step back. However, one of the half breeds managed to cut her in the arm.
"Lilly!" Lou shouted again, sounding desperate.
Lilly glanced back at them. "Go inside, both of you!"
Lou looked back, seeing Cole. "Cole, go inside!"
Cole didn't hear him, watching as his mother turned back to the battle.
Lou hurried over to Cole, about to shove him inside, when Lilly suddenly gasped, collapsing. Blood pooled from a stab wound on her chest.
"Mom!" Cole gasped.
Lilly stood back up though, a grim determination in her eyes. Somehow, she managed to snatch a sword from one of the half breeds, and then used it to stab one of them. About five minutes later, the half breeds were all dead, and Lilly collapsed, also dead.
The people living in the other houses had come out, watching the whole thing.
Lou hurried over to Lilly, and Cole followed him in a daze. Seeing her laying there, lifeless… he almost couldn't believe it.
The other corpses caught his eye—the dead half breeds. They had done this. They had murdered his mother. She was dead, because of them.
From that day forward, he had despised half breeds with a vengeance. Later, it had been said that if Lilly hadn't fought them, than their whole neighborhood would have been murdered as well. The Ninjago City Army would have arrived too late. She had drawn all of the half breeds to her, so that they didn't hurt anyone else.
Cole didn't really care. He just wished that his mother would have hid in the cellar, like a sane person. Then none of that would have happened.
Remembering what Wu had said about her being a ninja, though… he supposed that it didn't surprise him as much now, of why she had done what she did. She was meant to protect others, just as he was now meant to do the same.
It didn't make him hate the half breeds any less, though.