Kai needs more than a little convincing to come near the dragon, much less climb onto its back. Nya has to coax him, watching as he slowly inches closer.

She can hardly believe it. There is a dragon here. And they're going to ride it.

That's the plan, anyway. After explaining what she remembers from the stories, Nya offered her half-baked idea to Kai. His best shot at winning is riding the dragon to the Underworld—even he knows it. It's just a matter of doing it.

Their new companion seems eager to retrieve the Sword. He lowers, offering his riding services.

Weeks of boredom-induced gymnastics practice has improved Nya's agility. She makes a quick job of scrambling up the dragon's side and swinging her legs over.

Nya has never ridden a horse before, but she imagines it might feel something like this. Just—less scaly.

The dragon's body shifts underneath her, muscles rippling across its back. Nya just focuses on breathing. In and out—can't go wrong.

"Put one foot there," Nya coaches, reaching down for her brother's hand. "You got it."

She helps pull him up, barely containing a grin as his legs flounder momentarily in midair. He steadies himself quickly, though, and settles in front of her.

The dragon lifts its head and Kai goes rigid.

"Relax," laughs Nya. "He's not gonna hurt us."

Kai tosses her a glance. "Don't be so sure."

But there's an animated sort of thrill in his eyes, a spark of youthful earnestness. Nya hasn't seen that look in a while.

She stretches a hand down to pat the dragon's side. It's hot, but not so hot that it burns. Just warm enough to be comforting.

"You're both heaters," Nya mumbles jealously.

"Let's just hope it doesn't cook us."

"Yeah, yeah."

"What now?" Kai asks, fidgeting. "We need a way out if we're gonna find the others."

Oh, that's right. Nya forgot that Kai spent the past two weeks doing who-knows-what with a bunch of strangers. She feels another stab of jealousy, this time aimed at her brother's new friends.

"Your . . . team?" she asks.

"Yeah. Man, we have a lot of catching up to do."

Nya swallows, staring at her brother's back. For the first time, she registers what he's wearing. It's some fancy superhero outfit, with a weapons belt and everything. She frowns. That's gonna take some getting used to.

Running a hand along the dragon's scaly spine, Nya says, "Okay, Flame, show us the way out."

Kai turns around to stare. "Don't tell me you named it."

"We have to call him something—"

"Once you name it, you get attached to it—"

"Shut up, he likes it."

The dragon snorts in reply, rising up to his full height. "Flame" glances around the empty cavern, then takes a thumping step forward. Nya laughs, new to this sensation.

A low rumbling begins, somewhere deep within the temple. That's when the siblings jump, startled by a voice coming from outside.

"Ugh, great," it says. "The one place no mortal can cross over."

Kai gasps happily—his friends must be out there. Clearly this is an opportunity for a very cinematic entrance, and Kai simply cannot resist it.

"We might not be able to cross over—" he starts, but the phrase is cut short by another booming roar.

Kai and Nya cover their ears as the columns resume their shaking and the roar echoes around them. The wall in front of them develops a thin fissure running through the middle.

Then, with a resounding groan, the temple wall splits right open. Slowly, the two halves part to reveal the murky light of dawn.

Nya spots three little silhouettes on the steps outside.

"—but a dragon can!" Kai finishes breathlessly.

The three silhouettes come into focus as human beings. Their outfits are just like Kai's, but in black, blue, and white. At the sight of the dragon, the one in black gives a girlish scream and dives around the corner.

Strangers. Nya's never good at handling strangers. They make her anxious and she tends to ramble—which is exactly what she does next.

"Our father used to tell us stories about the dragons," she says. "That they were mystical creatures that belonged to both worlds and ferried between them."

No one asked, Nya. Shut up, Nya.

Kai, oblivious to such deprecation, slides off the dragon's back, eager to reunite.

The black ninja chuckles hysterically. "Are you insane?"

Kai waves him off. "Once he realized we were trying to protect the Sword of Fire, he actually became quite a softie." Flame nuzzles Kai playfully and Kai laughs. "Knock it off."

Nya laughs too, knowing that just a few minutes ago, Kai was terrified. He must be warming up to it (pun intended). Or maybe he just doesn't wanna look like a scaredy cat in front of his friends.

Guys do have the tendency to act tough in front of other guys. Kai's ego can never afford a hit.

Nya's eye catches the blue ninja, who seems to be speaking to her. She can't understand him, though. Sounds like there's something funky going on with his throat.

The white ninja intervenes. "He cannot talk, but he wants to know if you like blue." His voice has the hint of an accent, clipped and smooth.

Nya looks back to the blue ninja, and in that moment, something strange happens. She can only describe it as a burst of romanticized fantasy—her imagination running wild.

She's overwhelmed with a wave of affection, as though she and this blue boy have known each other for a very long time. It's like—coming home to see an old friend. An old friend who . . . was always meant to be something more.

It's the weirdest thing—just the wisp of a feeling. Nya observes him more closely.

He's really kind of cute. Chestnut brown waves and blue eyes—very blue eyes. They're the color of the ocean—or, the color Nya's always imagined the ocean to be.

"It's my favorite color," Nya finally replies, a bit dazed.

She catches the blue ninja's victorious reaction as she slides down from Flame's back. It's almost obnoxiously adorable.

Kai shoots his teammate a glare, shaking his head subtlety. Nya wants to laugh, but a new sinking feeling is making a home in Nya's stomach.

These guys are ninja. Kai's team.

They're gonna take the dragon down to the Underworld and—do whatever ninja are supposed to do, she assumes. Save the world, stop the bad guys. It's all still a little over her head.

And that would all be fine, except . . .

She won't be coming along. Nya knows it. Part of her wants to ask anyway, just in case her puppy dog eyes still work on Kai, now that he's a super duper hero or whatever. But—Nya can sense that he's changed.

There's a new maturity in his expression, chiseled and set firmly in the dark brown of his eyes. He has a purpose now. And Nya doesn't.

She'll be sitting this one out.

Right on cue, Kai turns to her. "Nya . . ."

"This is goodbye, isn't it?" She tries to keep the forlorn note out of her voice, but she just got her brother back. And now they're splitting up again?

Kai only nods. It is a small comfort that his expression is somewhat apologetic.

"Come back to me in one piece, okay?" Nya manages. "I don't wanna have to run the store on my own."

"I promise I won't be gone for long."

"I'll keep a candle lit outside our shop until you return."

However long it takes—which, hopefully, is no longer than a few days. The house gets too quiet when Kai's not around, and Nya just spent an appalling amount of time without him.

On the bright side, at least she'll have some space to process the past couple of weeks.

The blue and white ninja approach Flame with only a hint of hesitation before clambering onto his back and perching there.

The black ninja peeks out from his hiding spot.

"You guys go on ahead," he says. "There's not enough room for all of us on that—thing."

Ruffled at the term, Flame angles his head at Cole. Kai just laughs.

"You're right, Cole. But I got a way to fix that."

oOo

Nya insists she'd be fine walking home—she's fairly certain they're in the Forest of Tranquility, and she knows her geography. But Kai says he'd feel much better if he dropped her off. So Nya ends up squashed between her brother and his three teammates as they take off for Four Weapons.

When Flame lifts off, everyone gives a shout. Clearly none of them are experienced dragon riders, which is somewhat gratifying.

The black ninja—Cole—is the loudest of them all.

Theoretically, Nya shouldn't look down. That's always what people say—once you look down, the height messes with your head. But those people probably never rode a fire dragon.

"WOOOOOO!"

"Geez, Nya, my eardrums—"

It's a relatively short flight—too short for Nya's taste. Flame doesn't try any fancy tricks, not with this many people on his back. Nya's fine with that, though. The dipping and swooping sensations are enough to get her stomach in her throat.

As they touch down in Ignacia, Nya resists the urge to collapse in a puddle of relief. She's waited weeks to get back here. The things she would do for a shower.

Flame thumps down in their yard, jostling the riders. Reluctantly, Nya climbs off.

She hears Cole mumbling, "This is where you live?" in a tone that does not imply admiration. Nya ignores him.

"We'll be back soon," Kai promises again, reaching down to squeeze her hand. "Keep the door locked, okay? And don't go wandering off."

"Roger that."

He leans in a little, as if conspiring. "These guys have no idea—they're in for the ride of their lives."

Kai winks and Nya catches his meaning.

"Go easy on 'em," she chuckles.

"Scouts honor." He makes a big show of crossing his fingers.

"You were never a Scout."

"Exactly."

Nya pulls away, shaking her head. With a final wave from her brother, Flame lifts off into the air, disappearing through the clouds.

"Be careful," Nya says to the wind.

oOo

It's early December, but there's no snow. Really, it's not even that cold yet. The trees have lost most of their leaves; piles of dry foliage lay in scattered patches around the yard.

Nya stands outside a moment longer, feeling the breeze. She breathes in deeply. The air has that fresh, earthy scent, and there's an electric quality to it.

It's going to rain.

Mulling over this, Nya's gaze wanders to the lower valley, where Walter's property is. It looks small and abandoned.

Wincing, Nya turns away. Time to go inside.

The first few hours alone are manageable. Nya drifts throughout the house, tidying things up and clearing away dust that's accumulated over the weeks. Clearly Kai's been spending his time elsewhere.

The forge is eerily cold, so Nya lights a small fire in it. Just to achieve some semblance of normalcy.

Her eyes sweep over the walls.

Several years of work are hanging up there. Most of it is Nya's craftsmanship, but Kai has some impressive pieces on display as well. Their smithing styles are different in most aspects, and Kai usually spent more time accidentally setting things on fire than doing actual work, but . . .

She really misses it.

Nya breathes a sigh, feeling the existential crisis creeping in.

She has no idea how long Kai will be gone, but whenever he gets back—things are going to change. He's a ninja now. He has ninja friends. How's he gonna run the shop and be Wu's student at the same time?

Well. Nya already knows the answer to that question. She'd like to assume Kai would want to keep their family business going, but—

She knows him better than that. It's not that he doesn't care, Kai just has the tendency to shoulder every responsibility he comes across. Even the really heavy ones. Especially those ones.

He calls it his irresistible charm.

Nya calls it a hero complex.

She doesn't know a lot about ninja. Walter never showed her any books about them. Just samurai. And speaking of which . . .

Newly motivated, Nya pushes off the counter she's leaning on and dives for Kai's anvil nestled in the back of the room. Turn it juuuust right, and—

A panel on the wall swings around to reveal a hidden storage compartment, full of assorted weapons and tools that Kai knows nothing about. They're all crafted in gleaming silver, the material Nya likes best.

She used her dad's designs to make these. The pride of that alone is enough to fulfill her.

But what's even better is that Kai is absolutely clueless.

Smiling slightly, Nya closes the panel and heads to her room for the first time in weeks.

Her handmade lights have fallen off one side of her window, so Nya climbs atop her bedside table to fix them. The furniture wobbles precariously as she teeters on one foot, reaching for the dangling strand. Right as she gets it to stay put, something snaps—

With a yelp and a crash, Nya tips backward and tumbles to the floor, tangled in a string of blue lights.

For a breathless moment, she lies there in shock. Various levels of pain spring to her attention and she winces. If Kai were home, he'd be down here already, making a huge deal out of everything.

Nya could probably use this as a chance to have that big, inevitable breakdown she's been meaning to allow herself. But when she expects a sob to jump out, a laugh does instead.

There follows a fit of giddy hysterics. Nya laughs and laughs, clutching her middle. It's just—it's so hard to take herself seriously.

She's been to the Underworld. She stared the Lord of Darkness in the face. Almost got boiled alive in a pit of actual lava. Rode a fire dragon.

And now here she is, sprawled on her bedroom floor, acting like a fall from two-and-a-half feet is a big deal.

Gosh. What a life.

She lets herself wind down, finally wriggling out of the lights. Nya eyes the table's shattered leg and briefly considers fixing it, just to pass the time. But her fleeting window of motivation has vanished.

Next, she eyes the bed. It is far more enticing, so she crashes into it. Her whole body aches.

Restlessness is quick to find her. It surfaces in a nagging, twitching sort of energy under her skin. She can't shake it. She feels spiders crawling up her arms and legs. She hears skeletons clunking through echoey passageways. She feels red-hot fire centimeters from her flesh—

Nya bolts upright, breathing in and out like her air supply could diminish any minute.

The darkness of the Underworld has yet to filter out of her system. That's why she has every candle lit. That's why the fire is burning in the forge. That's why she has a hand plastered over her chest, feeling each breath come in and out.

Stupid Underworld, Stupid Lord freaking Garmadon—

She didn't even know creatures like that existed, not until she was being chased down a staircase by a demonic skeleton creature. It's the sort of nonsense you read about in stories, not actually witness. It's the stuff Liam used to watch on Myth Crushers.

None of it should be real.

Kai shouldn't be risking his life right now, gallivanting around that hellhole. None of this would've happened if she'd just been paying attention when the Skulkin attacked.

If only she'd anticipated what was behind her, if she'd just turned around a second sooner—

Then maybe she and Kai would be together right now, getting the shop ready for another day, teasing each other and cooking breakfast or—

Ugh.

Nya feels like she's mere days away from being replaced. Maybe it's an irrational fear, but still.

It's not that she's distrustful of strangers, not in the way Kai is. She's just having a hard time processing this particular situation. Seems like someone took her world and merged it with fantasy all of the sudden.

Her brother—her hot-headed, woefully uncoordinated but well-meaning brother—trained to be a ninja. He has a suit now, fancy weapons, and a team. He rides dragons—which are real, apparently.

Nya wants to hope that things will somehow turn out okay. Maybe they won't change too much. But Nya is nothing if not logical.

This ninja business looks like a full-time gig. Kai's going to leave Ignacia, she knows it.

And she can either stay here all alone or follow her brother.

Both options are equally objectionable.

Dawn has broken, and the world comes fully alive with the rays of morning. Nya hardly slept last night, but the thought of trying is not promising. Instead, she rolls out of bed to get some work done.

First, Nya makes good on her promise and carefully sets one of their candles on the living room windowsill. The tiny flame flickers cheerfully.

Next, she goes back to her room and yanks the closet door open. She's greeted by a heaping mound of scrap metal, half-finished robot appendages, and a toolbox.

All that's gonna have to be moved anyway, so she starts on the task. As she suspected, it's grueling. Two weeks in the Underworld has improved her agility, but not necessarily her arm strength. Digging all the handcrafted parts out is a workout on its own.

She dumps everything in the middle of her floor, stepping back to analyze it. Definitely a work in progress.

But that's good, isn't it? It'll keep her busy while she waits for Kai to get back—which, hopefully, is soon.

Nya already has some new ideas, ways to improve the mech's design. It'd be helpful to have some mechanical guides, she knows those books must be lying around somewhere . . .

Twenty minutes later, Nya settles down on the floor to finally put in some work on her suit.

It's slow going, and the lighting is only subpar, but she manages to finish an entire leg, plus part of the cockpit. Another one of her parents' old records spins in the background, urging her on.

Focusing on the project serves as an excellent distraction. For a while, Nya almost forgets her brother could be in mortal peril right this second.

But—y'know. It's not like she can just . . . set that little detail aside.

She burns the whole day away, and soon the sun is setting again. Nya probably would've kept working, but her stomach growls in protest.

Oh . . . right.

She hasn't eaten a proper meal in—quite a long time. Nya shuffles into the kitchen, where she munches on an apple.

Standing here, alone, in the dark . . . it's too spooky. Her stomach's empty, the house is empty. If only her brain were empty of the memories.

Along with separation anxiety comes that cursed dread. The fear of change. The metaphorical piano swinging over her head. The big question . . .

What happens next?

This house is her life. Where she feels safe and happy and comfortable. Who's to say what lies out there in the rest of Ninjago?

Nya used to dream about exploring the world. Traveling all over and seeing new places, trying new foods. Having experiences. But now she's had an experience. A terrible one.

Now, all she wants is her mundane, blacksmithing life, complete with its financial troubles, leaky roof, and long trips to town.

She'd thought nothing would change for a long time. She thought there'd be more time, period.

Finally, the exhaustion descends upon Nya. She should probably make an effort to sleep. At least there's a nice, spider-free bed here. And blankets. She doesn't have to shiver all night.

She's halfway into her bed when Nya realizes she's been wearing the same outfit for two weeks.

"Eugh!"

Gingerly, she undresses, peeling the ruined clothes off and trying to ignore that suspicious scorch mark on the front of her shirt (she hadn't been that close to the lava, had she?).

Then she jumps in the shower. After weeks underground, hot water is a blessed sensation. Dirt and grime pool around her feet, trickling down into the drain.

It's a lot of dirt. Nya grimaces.

At last, Nya collapses in bed, outfitted in one of Kai's old sweatsuits. Some of the tension has left her body.

In passing, she notices the pile of tools still on the floor. She'll have to clean that up before Kai gets home . . . probably tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow.

Nya closes her eyes. Opens them again. Blinks at the ceiling. Rolls onto her side.

Rolls onto her stomach. Winces at what feels like bruised ribs, then rolls onto her back again.

A half hour later, Nya's still lying there, wide awake. Every time she dares to close her eyes, the Underworld makes a reappearance.

Giving up, Nya leaps out of bed and snatches her lights off the ground. It's outrageously dark in here, but she manages to get the decorations hung again. With a click, she turns them on.

Once the room is bathed in a faded, calming blue, Nya feels a little more at ease. The worst of the darkness scurries away.

She gives sleep a second chance and is successful this time.

oOo

Morning arrives in the form of a knock on the front door. Nya barely hears it, buried under the covers as she is, but the second knock gets her attention.

That could be Kai!

Nya tumbles out of bed. She hadn't combed her hair last night, and the baggy outfit is a little frumpy-looking, but it's either her brother outside or an oblivious customer. Nobody to impress.

Rays of early sunlight peek through the living room curtains, bright and cheerful. It's the unspoken promise of a better day. A clean slate.

Nya reaches the door and throws it open.

There's a boy outside, but he's not her brother.

He's an admittedly cute boy. Tousled strawberry blond hair and a lean frame, wide eyes fixed on Nya.

Then it hits her

"Aiden?"

He nods, staring. Nya is suddenly very aware of how ragged she looks right now, hair in disarray and drowning in Kai's pajamas.

They both clear their throats uncomfortably.

"Hey," says Aiden at last.

"Hey."

"How, uh . . . how've you been?"

Nya blinks, picturing dark caverns and oppressive tunnels crawling with spindly arachnids and red-eyed skeleton monsters, the echoes of her despair filling the endless oblivion, a pool of deadly, boiling lava—

"I've been—good."

Aiden rambles right along. "Sorry if this is a bad time. I know it's, like, really early, but—I dunno. I just wanted to—well, I thought I would—uh."

Nya frowns. "What?"

Aiden exhales a full-body sigh. "I just, uh . . . I wanted to tell you the cat's doing really well."

"Allie," says Nya automatically.

"Allie?"

"Yeah. 'Cause we found her in an alley."

Aiden breathes a laugh, easing a fraction of the tension. Then his expression changes.

"This—might sound really stupid, but . . . would you wanna maybe hang out? Sometime? Like, maybe next week?"

It's barely dawn and Nya has to process this. Her gears turn, working hard.

Is he asking her on a date? No—that's ridiculous. But "hanging out" definitely implies a friendship, at the very least. Right? He's asking to be friends, sort of. And he's—really cute. Does that make it a kind-of-date? Maybe?

Oh.

OH.

Nya sees the look Aiden's giving her and she knows. Boys are never subtle about that kind of thing.

But immediately following the quick burst of excitement is a sinking dread. Her brother is a ninja now.

She's not even guaranteed to live here next week, let alone have the means to "hang out" with someone in Ignacia. For all Nya knows, she'll be on the other end of the continent, hopelessly bored while Kai does ninja stuff with his new ninja friends—

"I would love to," Nya starts. "But . . . I'm sorta moving."

Aiden lowers a brow. "Moving where?"

Sheepishly, Nya scratches the back of her neck. "I . . . don't actually know."

Aiden frowns and Nya rushes to clarify before he thinks she's just making up excuses.

"Look, it's all really complicated, but my brother—he has a new job now. And I don't think we're staying here. He hasn't given me all the details yet, but—it's a lot."

For a long moment, Aiden doesn't seem convinced. But Nya's regret must be written all over her face. She feels the guilt spreading inside her already, the dark promise of homesickness and the threat of uncertain changes.

Aiden sees it, too. "Wow," he says. "That . . . sucks. Does Mr. Pine know?"

Nya almost asks who he's talking about, but a past reality abruptly whisks her memory away. Walter.

A crushing weight lands on both shoulders, pressing her lower. Doesn't Aiden know what happened?

"Walter—" Nya breathes, eyes on the grass. "He's, uh . . . he's dead."

The telltale crack in her voice makes it too obvious that she's barely holding it together. Not that Aiden seems all too concerned about that. He's not looking at her with the expected shock or pity or even grief. His hazel eyes are narrowed in confusion.

That's okay, Nya thinks. Everyone processes loss in different ways—

"No, he's not."

A beat of silence.

Nya shakes her head. "Yes, he is. I was there. I—those skeletons were in his house, he—"

"Nya." Aiden looks at her very carefully. "Walter's not dead."

Truthfully, it's been the craziest month ever. After living so happily in her sheltered bubble, Nya thought being dragged to the Underworld was as mind-boggling as things could get.

But here she is, a mess of bedhead and eye bags, faltering in the doorway.

Aiden's waiting for her reaction.

Hmm . . . reaction . . .

She should probably have one of those.

But—Nya believed Walter to be dead for—she can't even remember how long. The past few weeks felt like years. It's been a grim knowledge hiding in the back of her mind for a while now.

Not that she was anywhere close to getting over it, but she had other things to worry about, like—y'know survival. The idea of Walter's absence just took a backseat.

And now that Aiden's telling her something different . . .

"After those creatures raided his house, Walter went to stay with some guys in town. He's doing fine. Still scared to come back, but fine."

Nya's world tips on its axis and she stumbles. Her knees hit the dirt, Aiden's shoes right next to her. He crouches down.

"Hey—are you okay?"

Nya looks at him very closely—he's not lying. She can tell.

Shakily, Nya nods, pushing herself up. Her thoughts are spinning. She's struck with the overwhelming urge to get far, far away from this moment.

Taking a breath, Nya plants her hands on Aiden's shoulders. He blinks, affronted.

"I know none of this makes sense, but I thought Walter was dead, and this has been the craziest few weeks of my life and there's a lot going on right now—I just need some time to think."

"O—okay—"

"I'll meet you at the market, okay? Is the market okay? I'll meet you, uh . . . what day is it?"

Growing steadily more concerned, Aiden says, "Friday."

"Perfect, I'll meet you tomorrow, okay? Tomorrow at the market. Bright and early. I promise."

And with that, Nya darts away and dives into the safety of the house. The door slams shut behind her.

There's no way Walter is—

But he could—

Nya wishes she could speed down to the market right now and harass everyone until they tell her the truth, until they show her where Walter's hiding. If he's actually alive.

Aching for a distraction, Nya winds up in the shower again. More dirt washes off into the tub basin—looks like the Underworld's grime really lingers.

As Nya relishes in the water rushing over her skin, she wills her focus to fixate on something else. Something tangible. Something probable.

She changes into clean clothes, relieved to feel at least marginally like a real person again.

An hour flies by. Nya opens up all the windows, letting sunlight pour in. She has to beat thoughts of Walter away with a broom—it's not logical to worry about that right now. It's out of her control. She should be focusing on her brother and his hopefully safe return.

Nya leans against the front window, watching the candle's little flame quiver in the soft breeze.

It's been a full 24 hours by now. Some anxiety creeps in, offering pessimistic opinions.

It's chilling, really, to imagine what would happen if Kai just . . . didn't come back. Too scary. Too early in the morning.

Just as she's dozing off, propped on the windowsill, a faint roar cuts through the air and startles her into full consciousness.

Nya straightens, searching the sky. She doesn't see anything yet, but—she definitely heard a dragon, she knows the sound by now. She's not crazy, she—

There they are.

Four little dots on the horizon, drawing near as they ride the wind. At first, Nya almost mistakes them for birds. But then the enormous wings and snouts come into focus and Nya shoves off the windowsill with a gasp.

The ugly, black clouds that've been hanging around suddenly disappear. A distant cheer rises from the villagers down in the valley. Nya feels raw joy leap in her chest and the four multicolored dragons (four, holy FSM—) touch down with a collective thump.

Nya's out the door like a bullet.

"Kai!"

She crashes into him and his arms wrap around her gratefully. When she pulls back, they don't have to say anything. His team won. She can see it dancing in his eyes.

"Hey, my turn!" calls an unfamiliar voice, and Nya turns just in time to be hugged by a very emphatic blue ninja. She just laughs, a little overwhelmed.

Citizens come running up the road like migrating gazelles, cheering and gossiping amongst themselves. Nya glances around, hoping against hope that one of those faces is Walter's.

No luck. She shoves the thought aside.

"I'm so happy you're back," Nya breathes, meaning it. For half a second, it feels like things are finally going back to normal.

Unfortunately, her brother has a different approach.

"For now, but it's not over. Lord Garmadon will return."

Nya deflates, wincing at the ensuing whispers. The black ninja—Cole, she remembers—steps forward.

"And we'll be ready for him."

The other three urge him on, clanking their weapons together in a boyish victory circle. But when the weapons touch, there's a blinding pop! of light and power, knocking everyone to the ground.

Everyone sits up, testing the air. Nya groans.

"Okay, we gotta remember to not do that again," says Kai, rubbing his forehead.

"Good idea," says Cole.

The blue ninja adds, "Yeah, we'll stick to high-fives instead."

"Agreed," chimes the white ninja. They all laugh. He frowns quizzically. "Was that a joke?"

The chaos and clamoring turns into a buzzing frenzy, and Nya steps back. Too much, too many people. She's tired and her joints ache and she's hungry.

But Kai's friends seem nice. Maybe this won't be so bad. They deserve a chance, right? This could be the start of some incredible adventure.

Right?

Well. Even if Nya's not jubilant about rearranging her entire life for these people, they make Kai happy.

And that smile on her brother's face is worth it.