A strike of bright blue lightning lit up the dark early evening. The shaft of blue light struck a barren hill near a mine to the west of Ninjago. Where the lightning had struck, two figures now stood. Jay bent over, putting his hands on his knees, panting. Lighting travel could be extremely draining, especially with two people. His head ached but he felt as energised as always. Nya stood beside him, squinting into the darkness, rubbing her shoulders. Thunder rumbled overhead, and lightning flashed in the distance. In a clearing ahead of them a tall watch tower stood. Large machines lay scattered around a massive archway set into the side of a large rocky mountain. The diggers and trucks lay dormant while lights beamed from the tower, illuminating the grounds. Jay and Nya stood there observing the site. Jay snuck a glance at Nya. There was a strong wind blowing, her robes billowing and ballooning in the air, taught against the left side of her body. When the headache had faded Jay and Nya ran quietly down a hill towards the large mine.
"You'll need to sneak past the miners and enter the mine. We can't risk alerting any of Morro's spies," Zane's voice spoke quietly in Jay's earpiece. In the dark of the storm, Jay carefully entered the area around the mine. He followed Nya, ducking from shadow to shadow, moving quicker and quicker towards the opening in the mine. As they got closer, Jay could hear a group of miners gathered outside, crowded around a small fire. They were eating and drinking, their voices filling the air. Jay and Nya entered the dark mine, and their voices faded in the distance.
"Well that was easy," Jay breathed through his mask with a small smile. Nya didn't respond as they walked deeper and deeper into the mine. She obviously wasn't in a good mood today. Jay thought. Old mine cart tracks snaked beside them. Lanterns hung at regular intervals in the rock wall, casting an orange glow over them. Their soft footsteps echoed in the silence.
"In about twenty meters the tunnel will branch off and large cracks will appear on the walls. Take the first one on your left. It's small but you should be fine. Once you get in, we'll lose connection. You can still use your earpieces for communication between the two of you. Just remember— all you need to do is go in, switch out the necklaces and get out of there. Everything should be fine,"
"Any signs of Morro?" Nya asked, her soft voice filled with tension.
"Nope. You're all set. No reason to worry," came Lloyd's voice. Nya didn't respond. They continued walking in the tunnel, their footsteps echoing in the silence.
Soon Jay and Nya saw a crack in the rock tunnel to their right. It was just large enough to fit a person. It was impossible to see what lay ahead. Without a word, Nya slipped into the gap, her slender frame fitting effortlessly. Jay couldn't help but admire the graceful way she entered. With a quick intake of breath, Jay stepped in, the rock wall brushing against the aeroblade strapped against his back.
The darkness consumed them, and Jay quickly willed lightning to form in his hands. The electric arcs branching between his fingers flickered and moved, casting a blue glow around the two ninjas. As they walked, Jay snuck glances at Nya. She walked briskly, her eyes darting around, her hands clenched at her sides.
"Oh, calm down Nya," Jay said. The energetic Nya he knew had disappeared today. "What's up with you today?"
"Nothing," was her brisk reply. She took a deep shuddering breath, unclenching her hands. "I'm calm. Everything's fine," she said.
"You sure? You know you can talk to me, right?" Jay asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
"Really. I'm fine. Let's just… focus on the mission, alright? Make sure we get this done," she paused, lost in thought. Then she said, "Before it's too late."
"Yeah okay," Jay said. If he pushed her more she might start yelling. After a minute or two of walking, Nya suddenly gasped a shuddering breath. She stumbled in her path slumping into the rock wall. "Nya!" Jay exclaimed, grabbing her before she sank to the ground. She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, pale orbs in the dull lighting. "Nya!" Jay exclaimed again, shaking her. Why was he so helpless? Then Nya suddenly came too, shuddering and panting, rubbing her shoulders. "You alright? What was that?!"
"I'm fine, I'm fine," she said, pushing away from Jay, hugging her arms. "Let's just keep moving, okay?"
"No. Nya. Tell me what's going on!" Jay said, raising his voice. What wasn't she telling him?!
"Nothing, okay?! It was just a panic attack or something!" She yelled. "Let's just hurry up!" She turned and jogged down the dark tunnel. Jay scrambled to follow her, reaching his hand into the air to light up the tunnel. "Aah-" he gasped as he stretched his arm up too high, his knuckles hitting the hard rock. He quickly looked at his hand, noting the graze on his left-hand knuckle. Forget it. He told himself. Then he ran to catch up to Nya.
"Nya- stop." He said, grabbing her shoulder and gently swinging her around to face him. He pulled off his mask, looking into her bright, frantic eyes as she pulled off her mask too. "Please, tell me. What's up? You can trust me," Jay said, gently grabbing her arm.
"What- what if there's something wrong with me Jay?" She asked quietly. "What if I'm turning evil, or I'm possessed."
"What? You're not! We know what possession looks like!"
"Weird things are happening to me, Jay. I don't know what but- but I feel like I'm turning evil or something," She took a deep breath. "I don't think you should trust me," she said.
"What?" Jay repeated. "Where's all this coming from?"
"I- I've just been feeling things. Seeing things. Thinking things. Ever since… ever since Morro came back," She said.
Jay furrowed his brows. "We'll go back and ask Master Wu. I can't believe you haven't told us!"
"No- we need to finish the mission. I think Morro's coming."
Jay opened his mouth. There was no way Morro could travel so far so fast. But he thought better. If Nya was seeing things maybe she was right. "Okay then. But afterwards, we'll see what's going on with you, okay?"
"Thank you, Jay," she said. She reached around him, hugging him tightly. Jay put the hand without the lightning behind her back, feeling her body rise and fall with her breaths as she hugged Jay tightly. Then as suddenly as it had started it stopped. She stepped backwards as if she had done something wrong, averting her eyes and pulling on her mask again.
They ran along the tunnel until they saw a faint blue light ahead, illuminating the dark rocks around the exit. Jay and Nya paused as they reached the exit. Jay drew his aeroplane as he stepped through the exit into the bright blue light. It took him a moment to adjust to the suddenly bright environment. His lightning dulled in comparison to the bright blue rocks that shimmered on the sides of a large cavern. The lights glittered and shone, reflecting off each other. Jay mindlessly put his aero blade away as he looked up, up, up. Stalactites hung from the top of the cavern, tipped with more glowing blue rocks illuminating the jet-black rocks down to the ground. In the centre of the huge space was a pedestal, where a blood-red pendant with a long chain curled around it lay on the rock.
"Woah," Nya's soft voice echoed as she revolved on the spot, taking in the grand space. Including their tunnel entrance, there were two others, both leading into dark tunnels. Carefully, Jay walked towards the pedestal. There may be a final test for all they know. But as Jay examined it there seemed to be nothing suspicious. One of the Adornments of Arcios just sat there, ready for the taking of those who had completed its tests. With a burst of speed, Jay swiped the long chain off the rock. Nothing happened. He let out a breath he hadn't even noticed he'd been keeping.
"You want it?" He asked. Holding up the long chain as the multi-faceted pendant swung, casting shafts of light around the room.
"No, I'm alright," Nya replied, rubbing her shoulders as her eyes darted nervously around the room. "You put it on," she said quickly as she threw off her mask and grabbed the thin chain around her neck. As Jay put the real necklace on and stuffed the pendant down his robes, Nya drew the long chain out from beneath her robes, now holding an identical fake in her hands. When the pendant hit his chest and the chain rested around his neck Jay suddenly felt a sudden surge of energy. The graze on his knuckle suddenly faded, the small stinging stopped and there wasn't a trace of the injury. He felt so strong all of a sudden. Like he could sprint through the entire training course at the monastery, or lighting travel a hundred times without resting. It felt brilliant! But he was snapped out of his sudden burst when he saw Nya had suddenly stilled, the necklace still dangling from her hands. Her hair blew in the wind. She started shaking, her eyes locked onto the entrance they had come through. Wait. Where was the wind coming from? Then a low chuckle echoed from the tunnel. Jay pulled his mask down, obscuring the chain around his neck. It was then that Morro stepped into the cavern.