CHAPTER ONE
ESCAPE THE NIGHT

IN A LAND OF MYTH AND A TIME OF MAGIC

DARKNESS. It was not just the name of the island, but of Avashiro's entire existence. From what felt like the beginning of his life to the present, he had been cloaked in darkness, never able to move or explore his surroundings. It would have been a peaceful existence if his father had allowed him to sleep, but that was not the case. For an unknown number of years, he had been locked in the shadows, the darkness surrounding him, unable to sleep — trapped and awake, aware of the time passing in the same way one was aware that the clock on the classroom wall ticked slower on a Friday.

Agonizing. That was the only he could describe it.

But for the briefest moment, after so many years trapped in his father's prison, his father's concentration had slipped, and Avashiro had stepped into the light.

It was . . . very underwhelming.

Seriously, this is what he had been looking forward to?

Hot sun, dry air, deafening silence surrounding him on all sides . . . not to mention the headache that came with being blinded by such light. Sand getting underneath his nails as he closed his fist around it, amazed that he was feeling anything at all. The clothes he'd created for himself as a child were still on him, amazingly having shaped themselves to fit his older body (he supposed he could thank Dark Matter for being so easily shaped). The silence being broken by the sound of birds calling out to each other, and then the waves crashing against the shore. The sound of his own breathing finally reaching his ears, something he hadn't heard since he had been running through the forest to find his dad, some . . . how many years ago? Long enough for his senses to be overwhelmed when he got out of his prison. Everything felt like too much.

And yet he wouldn't trade it for another unknown number of years in darkness.

Eventually, he mustered enough strength to push himself up. Instinctively, he pressed his index and middle finger to his throat and was relieved to feel his heartbeat drumming underneath his fingers. He looked up at the sky as he lowered his arm, amazed as the bright blue that reflected the ocean, which . . . seemed to be only so far, Avashiro mused. With a grunt, he got to his feet and stumbled, quickly wrapping his arms around the closest tree to hold himself up. The sand found its way between his toes. His eyes traveled from the ground to the space in front of him as he breathed in ocean-centered air.

A man.

A man he didn't recognize.

Avashiro squinted at him through the trees. His body was pitch black, and his face was outlined with white markings, his teeth visible even from more than fifty feet away. His eyes — which looked directly into Avashiro's, equally as shocked — were a bright, vibrant red that Avashiro had never seen before. On top of his head, he more a silver helmet with a bone on it, a silver that matched his chest plate. And of course, that was even the strangest thing about him! No, how could Avashiro forget to mention the four arms? Was this what a regular human looked like, or did this guy just get the short end of the stick?

Wait. Backtrack. He was staring right at Avashiro. There was no time to duck into the plants or drop the ground. There was no way Avashiro could pass as a tree, either. And that was a very bad thing — even without seeing him, Avashiro knew his father was in the area. If he knew that Avashiro had escaped . . .

Don't see me. Don't say anything, Avashiro begged silently, eyes wide.

"You! Boy!" the man called out, raising his sword at Avashiro. Avashiro groaned as a hiss filled his ears, his father's wrath heard inside his head. Avashiro ducked into the plants, but it was no use — as if he had closed his eyes willingly, he found himself in darkness once more.

Avashiro wanted to scream. He wanted to hit something, throw himself to the ground and have a tantrum. He wanted to cripple his father like he had done so many years ago, the very act that had landed him in the prison of darkness in this first place. But he couldn't move. He couldn't hear. He couldn't see. He wasn't sure if he had a heartbeat, or if he would ever feel the sand in his hands or between his toes again. There was simply . . . nothing. A brief moment of freedom, ruined by a strange looking man and a father who hated Avashiro's very existence.

He almost wanted to cry.

How long had he been out? How long had he finally been able to see, only to have it all ripped away from him? Could his father feel his grief, his frustration and anger? Could The Overlord feel his son's hatred, burning hot and bright, even if Avashiro couldn't feel anything at all? Could The Overlord feel his own fear about his son over his own selfishness? Could his father feel at all, and was Avashiro ever going to feel again?

He was alone.

He would always be alone.

( BIRTHRIGHT — LEGACY OF THE GREEN NINJA )

Cold. He was cold.

The last time he'd felt the night breeze on his skin . . . his nose had turned red. His skin had felt hot to the touch, even as he shivered. It was no different now — save for the rising light in the distance, the wind felt just as chilly, his skin just as hot. Around him, he could hear people — plural — walking around, speaking to each other in a language he didn't understand. He almost didn't want to get up — it felt like he was dreaming. He'd never had a dream before, at least not one that he could remember. But as it slowly dawned on him that this wasn't a dream, his heart began to race, so fast that he could hear it.

Getting used to the senses he had previously lost didn't take as much time as it did last time. How long ago had that been? He'd been prepared for another countless years in darkness, but it felt like only . . . whatever the word was, it felt like less time had passed than he was expecting. He saw up slowly, eyes raising toward the sky to see that it was in fact not night, but early dawn, with the stars still visible in the orange and soft blue sky. Instead of sand, he found himself sitting behind a few plants in the dirty. He held his hands in front of him, feeling the power radiating from his palms.

"DIG!" a voice boomed out. Startled, Avashiro jumped, eyes dropping to spot the person who had yelled so violently. His heart stuttered at the sight — a Stone Warrior. Not only that, but the general, Kozu. Avashiro had never met a Stone Warrior, as they'd been locked away long before he was born, but his father had talked about them during his rants, when he thought Avashiro couldn't hear him. A dark fear settled in his heart as Kozu looked around, and Avashiro quickly ducked his head so as to not be spotted. How long had he been locked away for? Did he travel back in time?

No. He could see the man from before, over there with his father and the general.

All of their backs were turned to him as Kozu yelled at the rest of the Stone Army, who were travelling down . . . somewhere. If Avashiro closed his eyes, he could feel the object of their attention calling out to him — Dark Matter, the very same stuff he was made with. So that meant the rest of the island was back, too — no longer a small blip, easily missable, but a large mass of land that paralleled Ninjago after being split by the First Spinjitzu Master, his father's worst enemy. Of course. His father's plan was falling into place.

Avashiro stayed down as his eyes searched for an escape. If he traveled through the trees, he could probably get by without alerting anyone. The problem was, with so many Stone Warriors, he doubted he'd be able to avoid running into one of them.

But what did he have to lose?

He looked back one final time to make sure he wasn't being watched. Confident that Kozu, his father, and the man hadn't seen him, he took off through the trees, his bare feet stepping on rocks and sticks as he went. He ducked under a fallen tree and continued running, far away from whatever camp his father and the man had created. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop as he made his way through the thick forest that separated him from the ocean — he waited for a warrior to call out, or for his father to realize he was absent and lock him away again. It was strange that he'd allowed Avashiro to escape once — twice? Was this on purpose, a game of taunt, or was his father losing focus?

The light cut in and out between the tall trees, lighting his path for only seconds before leaving him in a faded darkness again. One tree branch left a scratch along his face, not deep enough to draw blood, but certainly enough to irritate him. He could barely hear his own breathing, desperate pants for air as his lungs tried to catch up with his older body, over the sound of his blood rushing in his ears, a tidal wave the proved there was life in his veins. His feet felt like they were bleeding, too, but he couldn't be sure. It was almost a relief when he felt the soft sand again instead of the rocky ground of the forest.

He broke through the final line of trees and stopped, putting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. The air felt cold as it entered his lungs, chilling his throat and it dried it out. He swallowed, standing up straighter. His eyes traveled along the coast, taking in the sight of the ocean and the rocks springing out of it, which were part of the island. The water looked dark, cold, and uninviting, but it was his best chance to get away — to be free. The sky was begining to change from a soft blue and bright orange to a more bright, scenic blue, the color it had had the last time he was free, and the years before that in which he was able to walk around.

Avashiro paused as something else caught his eye. If he looked past one of the trees, he could see a docked ship. A large, primarily red and gold ship, with the head of a dragon on one end and what looked like a small building on the other end. The sail was red and white and looked like the wings of a dragon, attached to a large wooden brown pole. A hole looked like it had been carved into the hull as a makeshift entrance, two tree trucks perched in front of it, though there was no indication that the entrance had been finished. Avashiro stared at it in confusion — this was the same place he had been in before, when he'd saw the four-armed man, was it not? The ship hadn't been there before.

Which meant it was still occupied.

Avashiro cautiously approached it. He wondered who could have been on it. Was this the ship that the Stone Army had used to come to the Dark Island? Or did it belong to someone else entirely? He doubted anyone could be more intimidating than his father and the Stone Army, but he didn't exactly want to take any bets.

As if on cue, five people existed the ship, laughing. He assumed they were men based on their builds, but he could have been wrong, as their faces were completely covered, save for their eyes, by masks. Fives colors for five men — blue, white, black, green, red. The one in black was taller than the others by at least three inches on the one in white, while the one in blue was the shortest, at least four inches shorter than the one in green, who was two inches shorter than the one in red, who was only an each below the one in white. Microscopic differences, really, but one that Avashiro couldn't help but notice, considering that was all he had to go one, besides their eyes, which he couldn't even see from so far away.

They were human. Properly human.

They looked like him.

He stepped toward them, then thought better of it as he realized they might see him as the enemy, and he'd have no time to explain otherwise. Or, worse, they might be on his father's side after all, minions he'd never heard about. But it was too late — the one in white turned and looked directly at him, seemingly sensing his presence. He stopped and pointed at Avashiro. The bottom of his mask moved, but Avashiro couldn't hear what he said, though it was obvious that he was pointing him out to the others, as they other four turned to look at what the one in white was seeing.

For a moment, Avashiro and the five men simply stared at each other in stunned silence.

Then the men in red got into a fighting stance.

Avashiro exhaled loudly. "Fuck," he muttered, putting his hands out in front of him.

The man in red rushed at him. Avashiro let his power wrap around the man and then threw him in a random direction — toward the ship. The other men watched him fly above their heads, their expressions blocked by their masks. A moment later, he landed in the sand and shouted something out, confirming that he was alive. Good. Avashiro only needed to hurt them. Killing was out of the question.

The rest of the men turned to him, now a little hesitant.

The one in black said something that was muffled to Avashiro's ears, but a second later the four began to run at him. Avashiro tried to focus his energy, but only the one in green and the one in black went flying. He threw out his arm to defend himself from the one in blue, then ducked at the one in white took a swing at him. He sent them both flying away, but fell to the ground when the one in red appeared behind him and pushed him.

Avashiro rolled onto his back and threw his arms up in front of him, sending the red man into the water. He scrambled to his feet, the sand sticking to his shirt, and saw the one in blue rushing at him again. He groaned, moving his hand so the man flew across the beach and landed in the sand, but he didn't go too far before the green man appeared on Avashiro's right and pulled his arm down, breaking the connection and letting the man in blue drop too soon. Avashiro went to punch him, but the man grabbed his fist in mid-air, holding it steady. They stared at each other silently. The man didn't look cold behind the eyes — just protective. Avashiro could only imagine what his own expression looked like.

Whatever it was, the one in green seemed to respond. He let go of Avashiro and took a step back, raising his hands in surrender. Avashiro stared at him, about to ask who he was, but he was tackled by the one in white and the one in black at the same time. He yelled out something that even he didn't understand, using his power to push them off of him. He was beginning to feel tired — the last time he'd used this ability . . . he didn't even know how long ago that was. And now he was here, using it left and right. Exhaustion was beginning to tug at his arms and eyes.

"Guys, stop it!" the green one shouted at the others, but it was no use as the one in red appeared again, soaking wet from his time in the ocean. He yelled as he charged at Avashiro, tackling him to the ground Avashiro struggled, willing his power to come back, but with his head pushed into the sand, he found it difficult to breath, much less use his skill to save himself. Was this how he was going to die? So close to freedom?

The one in green tackled the one in red, pushing him off Avashiro. He got to his feet shakily and made a run for the water before freezing as a chill ran down his spine. He turned toward the trees, ignoring that the men — only the ones in blue, black, red, and white, it seemed, as the green one was standing back, still shouting at them to stop — were getting into formation again. Avashiro listened, and he heard it in the distance. The men began to run at him again.

"STOP," Avashiro shouted. Surprised, the men stopped in their tracks, though he hadn't done anything to cause it. The one in red glared at him and took a step forward, and this time Avashiro did do something to cause him to pause. "Shut up, can't you hear them?" he asked. The others, save for the red one, turned toward the trees. In the distance, the language of the Stone Warriors could be heard as they approached, probably having heard the noise while on patrol. The team turned back around; Avashiro glared at them. "Hide." When they didn't move, he repeated, "Hide. Now, or they'll find you!" He let go of the red one as a show of good faith.

The team ran for their partially hidden ship. Avashiro looked at the trees, wondering what he was going to do. He couldn't just hide in the ocean — if he came up for air and they were still on the beach, he would be spotted. The trees were too far. They were getting closer. Maybe—

He felt a hand wrap around his arm. He tried to pull away, but the person — the green man — kept a strong grip. "Come on," he said, pulling Avashiro in the direction of the ship. "Hide with us."

"What?" Avashiro demanded, not believing his own ears.

"Lloyd, what are you doing?" the red man demanded as they approached the ship.

"Just trust me," Lloyd ordered, which Avashiro thought was a bold move for someone who wasn't even the second tallest person on the team.

They all crowded into the hull of the ship, where the entrance was. Avashiro counted four more people — two older men (one with glasses, one with a long beard and a wooden staff), an older woman, a girl who looked around his age, or maybe just a bit younger. The four looked from him to Lloyd, all of them having questions, but were silenced by the arrival of the Stone Warriors. Luckily, it wasn't the general, but two of the simpler ones, the expendable ones. Avashiro pressed himself against the wall as they began to look around, willing himself to melt into the shadows. He felt a pull, but ignored it as he watched the soldiers wander around, and the feeling disappeared.

"Forgive my question," one of the older men, the one with glasses, said, "but may I ask who you are?" His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, almost drowned out by the ocean. Avashiro frowned at him anyway — who knew how well the Warriors could hear? The man could give them away! But after seeing that the Stone Warriors were clearly none the wiser, Avashiro figured it was safe so long as he spoke at the same volume.

". . . Avashiro," he said.

"How do you say that?" the blue man asked, almost mocking, only to get elbowed by the younger girl. "Ow! What? I'm just asking!" The others shushed him.

"Ah-va-shiro," Avashiro pronounced.

". . . Yeah, I'm just going to call you Shiro," the blue man muttered.

"What? No, don't give him a nickname," the one in black hissed, staring at Avashiro suspiciously. Avashiro rolled his eyes.

"How did you get on the island?" the older woman spoke up. "We didn't think anyone could get here. Did you come from Ninjago?"

"I was made here," Avashiro told her, looking at the Stone Warriors, who were beginning to get closer to the ship, but still hadn't noticed it. "My father used Dark Matter."

"Dark Matter? Made here?" the one in black asked, sounding confused.

"Don't you mean born?" the one in red added.

"No. I was made. My father made me," Avashiro explained, wondering what they weren't understanding.

"Like Dr. Julien made Zane?" the one in blue suggested. Avashiro squinted at him, wondering what he meant. "Are you a robot too?"

"Father?" the older man, the one with the long white beard, finally questioned. He stroked his beard in thought. "Father. Is your father The—"

One of the Stone Warriors shouted something out. They all looked out to the beach, but the soldiers were heading away from them. When they were completely gone, the strangers all turned to look at Avashiro, who suddenly wished he'd just let himself get captured by his father's minions. He swallowed thickly, standing up straighter. If it came down to hurting these people, he would do it — he just didn't want to kill them. He wouldn't. Even if their questions were annoying.

"I'm Lloyd," Lloyd introduced, holding out his hand. Avashiro raised his eyebrows, staring at the gesture in confusion. After a moment, Lloyd lowered his hand, looking sheepish. "Right. I guess if you've been here your whole life, you don't know social norms."

"Lloyd," the older woman chastised, "That's rude."

"Heh, sorry, Mom," Lloyd said, chuckling.

Lloyd's mom smiled at Avashiro reassuringly. "I'm Misako, Lloyd's mother. This is Sensei Wu," she motioned to the man with the long beard, who still stared at Avashiro as if he was from another world, "and Dr. Julien." The man with the glasses shared her comforting smile, but Avashiro didn't feel comforted at all. In fact, he felt even more on edge — he and some of this strange team had just attacked each other minutes ago, and now they were on a first time basis? Why were they being so kind?

"I'm Nya," the younger girl added. "This is Jay," she pointed to the blue man, "Cole," the one in black, "Zane," the one in white, who nodded in greeting, so unlike his colder, distant brothers, "and my brother, Kai," the one in red. Kai removed his mask and scowled at Avashiro, who glared back, returning the same fire Kai was giving him. The rest of the team followed suit in removing their masks, and Avashiro quickly realized they weren't brothers — at least not by blood. "Not to repeat what Cole said, but what do you mean you were made here? We didn't even know there was land outside of Ninjago until a few days ago!" she exclaimed.

"It's . . . complicated?" Avashiro tried. "I'm—"

"The Overlord's son?" Wu finally guessed. A thick tension settled over the room. "Am I correct?"

". . . He made me," Avashiro confirmed, "but he's hardly a father. I'm hardly a son. I'm . . . a creation, I guess."

A silence fell over the room, everyone sharing looks. Finally, Jay said, "Wow. Who would have thought The Overlord had game."

Avashiro squinted at him, not quite a glare of annoyance, but not entirely devoid of irritation. ". . . Game?"

Cole sighed in exasperation. "He means, who is your mom?"

"Oh. Um, I don't . . . have one?" Avashiro sighed. "When I say that I was made, I mean he literally created me from this thing called Dark Matter." He frowned. "Or, well, he didn't mean to make me. He was trying to make a body for himself. He failed. I arrived. Simple."

"It really isn't," Kai muttered, but Avashiro elected to ignore him.

Avashiro checked once again that the coast was clear. "Listen, I have no ill intent against your team. I just want to get out of here before my father realizes I'm gone," he admitted, turning to look at them. "You just startled me. The only other human I've seen was the four-armed one, and he—"

"You saw my dad?" Lloyd asked, surprised. Avashiro looked him up and down, puzzled. He then looked at Misako.

"Did he get all of your genes?" he questioned. Misako smiled, amused.

"Garmadon was once human," she told him. "It's a long story."

Avashiro nodded as he filed the name away for later, looking back at Lloyd. "If we're thinking of the same man . . . yes, I suppose I did see your father." He looked between the team. "May I leave now?" He knew he didn't need to ask permission. If anyone tried to stop him, he could throw them aside. But they'd begun to be polite. He figured it was worth being the same, at least so he didn't have to hurt anyone.

"Just a moment," Wu said, stopping Avashiro from leaving. "I'm interested in hearing the rest of your story, if you'll allow me to." Even though the words were careful, polite, Avashiro sensed he didn't have much of a choice. He nodded. "Good. Come with me."

"Alone?" Kai demanded.

"Sensei," Zane finally spoke, "is that really the best idea?"

"What if he hurts you?" Cole added.

"Yeah, we can't protect you if—" Jay began.

"Enough!" Wu ordered, only slightly raising his voice. The boys became quiet, a sign that they respected him. "You four will hide the rest of the ship. Lloyd, go with Dr. Julien, Misako, and Nya. Begin a search of the island with the scanner for the Temple. I will talk to Avashiro alone." Grumbling, the four boys walked out of the ship, Kai keeping his glare on Avashiro until he was out of sight.

Lloyd sighed, giving Avashiro a sympathetic look. "Sorry about them," he said. Avashiro's distant expression faltered for a moment, surprised that Lloyd was being so nice. He watched Lloyd follow Misako and Dr. Julien out of the boat before turning to Wu, who motioned for him to follow him to the rest of the ship.

They stood on top of the deck for a few moments, Wu allowing Avashiro to look around. The world looked so different from above the ground of a ship — the water looked even less inviting than it had before, but now he could see more of the island's separated rocks. In the distance, the sky and ocean became fuzzy and began to blend together. Wu began walking up some stairs, so Avashiro quickly followed not wanting to be left behind. He heard the team below, beginning to hide the ship. He didn't need to turn around to know that Kai was glaring at him once again, a symbol of annoyance — or hatred.

He found himself in a small room with only a table, two long seats, and a large rectangle compartment pressed against one wall. He looked at it in confusion, than turned to look at Wu, who slid the door closed behind them. Wu followed his gaze. "It's a refrigerator," he said helpfully. "It's used to keep food and drinks cold so they don't go bad." Avashiro nodded. Wu motioned for him to take a seat, so he did, watching as Wu sat across from him. The older man put his wooden staff on the table between them, which Avashiro took as a sign of trust, something he didn't understand. He didn't trust Wu. Wu had no reason to trust him.

"You're The Overlord's son," Wu stated. Avashiro nodded. "Curious. How so?"

Avashiro sighed, tired of having to explain it. At least it seemed like Wu would understand, or at least not interrupt until he was done speaking. "There's this substance on the island called Dark Matter," he began. "When the rest of the island disappeared, so did the Dark Matter. Years ago, I don't know how long, my father found one last puddle of it. He wanted to build himself a body. He was tired of waiting for Destiny to let him win. So he waited. He gathered more strength. And then he used the Dark Matter to build me."

"But you weren't planned," Wu realized. "In creating a body, he created a life."

Avashiro nodded. "His greatest regret. Building a body used all of his strength. When he woke up, I was there. I had waited beside him for so long, wanting to know my father. And instead of explaining things to me, he became furious that he had failed. He left me to my own devices, hoping I would die of something natural, like falling or drowning or starving. But my powers helped me survive. That, and the knowlege I was born with. I survived for many years, hoping I would be able to please him. But after so long, I got tired. I tried to hurt him." Avashiro held his hands out in front of him. "He locked me in a prison of darkness, inside his own mind. I couldn't speak, sleep, see, feel . . . it was nothing. It was like I had been erased from existence."

Wu glanced down at Avashiro's hands. "What powers do you hold?" he asked.

Avashiro shrugged. "I . . . I don't know. I can . . . move things. And I can hurt people, but I don't like hurting them," he added. "I just have to focus on my power wrapping around someone, and I can move them, or hold them in place. With my father, I was . . . I was able to burn him on the inside," he tried to explain. "I was angry. He wouldn't stop yelling. And then he locked me away. I think he was scared." He sighed. "Same with things, in a way. I can move them. But I can't hurt something that isn't alive. I can move them, like your Ninja or a rock, but if I tried to burn the rock the same way I did with my father, it wouldn't work."

"So your powers over bodies wouldn't work on a Stone Warrior," Wu guessed.

Avashiro nodded. "Correct. Maybe. They aren't alive, but they're awake, in a way. It's complicated."

"Those sound like Telekinesis and Biokinesis," Wu told him. At Avashiro's look of confusion, he added, "Telekinesis is when you can move things like objects. Biokinesis is when you can manipulate people's bodies. But I assume both require focus, and taking on an army by yourself will prove difficult if we sent you back onto the island alone." He studied Avashiro. "Is that all you can do?" Avashiro nodded.

"As far as I know, yes."

Wu nodded. "How did you escape?"

"The first time . . . I'm sure it wasn't that long ago. It was when Garmadon first arrived on the island." He shrugged. "I just woke up in the sand. When Garmadon saw me and pointed me out, my father locked me away again. The second time, this time, was only . . . a few, er. . . ." He searched his brain for the word.

"Hours," Wu helpfully supplied.

Avashiro nodded. "Hours," he repeated, the word strange on his tongue. "I escaped a few hours ago. I . . . think? Time is so strange in the darkness. This time I was surrounded by the Stone Warriors, my father's army, my father, and Garmadon. It's strange that no one saw me, but I escaped. I was planning on leaving the island, somehow, but ran into those boys." He frowned. "I didn't want to fight them. I just wanted to leave. They attacked me first."

"That, I can believe," Wu sighed, surprising Avashiro, who thought he would be defensive about his boys. "The Ninja can be very . . . aggressive, especially if stressed. I hope you'll forgive them. It isn't easy to come to a new land and be surrounded by enemies. Sometimes the innocent can be caught in the crossfire, even when we don't mean to hurt them."

"Ninja?" Avashiro asked. "Is that what they are?" Wu nodded. Thought Avashiro had no idea what a ninja was, he could guess that only some of the people he'd met on the ship wore that title. "What about the rest of you?"

"I am their Sensei and Lloyd's uncle," Wu told him. "Garmadon is my brother and Lloyd's father. Misako is Lloyd's mother, and she's also a historian and trying to help us prevent Lloyd's destiny. Dr. Julien is Zane's father, in a way — Zane is a robot, but Dr. Julien built him and raised him," he explained. Avashiro followed along, nodding even though he was unsure what a robot was. He supposed he could take a guess. "Nya is Kai's sister, as she said, but she's also a builder and a Samurai, a skilled fighter. As for the Ninja, Kai is an Elemental Master of fire, Zane of ice, Jay of lightning, and Cole of earth."

"And that's why they wear those bright colors," Avashiro guessed. He remembered the elements. His father spoke bitterly of them.

"Yes. Each color responds with their own element. Kai wears red for fire, Cole—"

"What about Lloyd? You didn't say what he's the master of," Avashiro cut in, realizing that Wu had completely skipped over his own nephew.

Wu sighed, and Avashiro didn't know if it was from annoyance at his interruption or reluctance to tell him what Lloyd was the ninja of. "Right. Well, Lloyd is the Green Ninja, destined to defeat the dark lord," he explained. "He has control over the others' powers as well as his own, though he's still training. The final battle is coming soon, but wear're hoping to stop it before he has to end the war."

"The dark lord," Avashiro repeated, ignoring the part about Lloyd's powers and the final battle. ". . . My father?"

"His father," Wu corrected. ". . . But if Garmadon and your father are working together, I suppose he'll also have to defeat The Overlord as well." Wu watched Avashiro's expression for any sign of anger at the reveal. He was surprised when Avashiro relaxed. "You aren't upset? Worried?" Wu questioned, an idea coming to mind.

"My father locked me away and tried to throw away the key," Avashiro said bitterly. "If you were looking for tears over the possibility of his death, you won't get any."

"Interesting," Wu mused. After a moment, he stood. "Come. The Ninja and I must discuss something dire. And I have a request to ask of you."

Wu took his staff and headed out. With not much choice and curious as to what he was getting himself into, Avashiro followed after him.