His head throbbed as if he'd been hit with a rock. He had been thrown against one several times, so that would make sense. He tried to open his eyes to see the ceiling above him. He tried to sit up, his arms shaking under his weight as everything returned to him.
His mother attacked him. She could've killed him but didn't. Or, at least, she hadn't yet.
Cole groaned, his hand reaching up to check the cut on his cheek. His fingers met a soft fabric, most likely gauze. He frowned, seeing his arms wrapped in bandages as well. He continued looking, finding his once shredded clothing was replaced with a fresh set of pyjamas. A sheet covered his lower half. He could feel the throbbing in his leg, remembering how his mother; no, he couldn't keep calling her that.
Lilly. Her name was Lilly. Not his mother.
Lilly had plunged a dagger into his leg, just below his knee. He pulled the sheets back and his pant leg up to see the damage.
Yet it was also bandaged. He could see dark spots on the surface, telling him it had been bleeding for a while, adding to his headache.
Either way, he needed to get out of there. Wherever he ended up after coming through the portal, his friends were there too. Somewhere. Hopefully, they were doing better than him.
Cole turned, sliding his legs over the edge of the bed. His entire body screamed in pain at the movement, making Cole wince as he pushed through. With his feet on the floor, he tried to stand.
At first, he couldn't even find the strength to push himself up. So he shifted up the bed towards a small nightside table near the head of the bed. He pulled it over so it was closer to him. He braced himself on it before pulling himself to his feet.
The pain in his leg was amplified as he stood, wincing as he tried to breathe through it. He gave himself a moment before pushing the table away.
"It's ok, Cole. You can do this. You've dealt with worse," he coaxed himself. "Mind you, you always had the others helping you, but that doesn't mean you can't do it."
Cole managed a couple of steps, urging himself to get to the bars of the cell—just five steps.
Five.
He could hear a voice in the distance.
Four.
Someone was calling his name. As if cheering him on.
Three.
They were getting louder. Closer to him.
Two.
He knew that voice. They sounded worried.
One.
Footsteps echoed around him as he fell against the bars of the cell. He landed on his knees, a soft cry escaping his lips from the pain. He looked up as someone called to him.
Relief flooded over him as Vania came into his view, running to him.
"Cole, are you ok?" her voice matched her frantic eyes as they scanned him. "What happened to you?"
"Lilly," Cole muttered. "She attacked me. Called me a threat since I'm not her kid."
"Your mom attacked you?" Vania gasped.
"She's not my mom," Cole uttered. "She's your Cole's mom, remember."
"That shouldn't matter," Vania frowned.
"It did to her," Cole muttered under his breath.
"Either way, we need to get you out of here," Vania quickly stood, looking around. "Surely, if we tell my dad, he'll help us."
Vania ran over to a shelving unit across the room, searching through it for the keys.
"How do you know Lilly didn't get to him first?" Cole asked.
"Because she hasn't been seen all day," Vania replied, searching through a box before putting it back on the shelf. "She's still down here somewhere."
"Then you should leave," Cole urged.
"And leave you here, not happening."
"Vania, she might not have even left the key here. She could have it with her."
"Then you can just use your powers, right?" Vania asked, turning to Cole.
"This place is filled with vengestone; my powers don't work here."
"Then I'll find something to break you out," Vania concluded. "There's got to be a crowbar or something around here."
"Even if you could break the bars and get me out, I can hardly walk," Cole pleaded. "We'd be easily caught, and I don't want to see you hurt."
"But you are already hurt!" Vania retorted. "We need to get help."
"You need to get help," Cole corrected. "Go get your dad. Tell him I'm hurt, and you can't find my mom."
"But he'll know I came down here, and I'm not supposed to do that."
"Then tell him you were worried since I never returned and you wanted to check in on me."
"I guess," Vania sighed, uncertain.
"Please, Vania," Cole pleaded. "I don't see there being any other option right now."
Vania huffed, muttering something to herself before sighing in defeat. "Fine, but please just try to rest for now. I'll be back as fast as I can, ok?"
"That's the plan," Cole smiled.
He watched Vania ran off in the way she came. He waited until he couldn't hear her footsteps to lay back on the floor. He stared at the ceiling, hoping Vania could get his needed help.
And hopefully soon.
~~~~~
"Why are we wasting our time getting food?" Kai groaned from the back seat of Garmadon's car. "If Cole's mom is as dangerous as you said she is, we need to get Cole out of there now."
"Patience, Kai," Garmadon hummed. "It's one thing to face your enemy; it's another to know what you're facing."
"He's right, Kai," Nya chimed in. "We need a plan if we want to save Cole. Otherwise, none of us would get out of there."
"Might as well just leave him at that point," Jay laughed nervously, trying to lift the mood. He went silent as Kai gave him a death glare.
Lloyd was staring out the passenger side window, deep in thought. The conversation with his father left an ebbing fear building inside him. If Cole's mother was really this dangerous, would they be able to stop her? Is this something they should even be trying to do? Or would it be safer to wait until they get pulled back into their realm? Cole would be safe, but could he hold out until then? It could be days or weeks until they get pulled back, so it was hard to say.
They parked in front of a familiar restaurant, causing Kai's eyes to light up.
"Mr. Chen's noodle house?" he grinned, racing to unfasten his seatbelt.
"What got him so excited?" Garmadon asked.
"It's not what, it's who." Nya laughed. "Skylor Chen is someone Kai has a huge crush on back home."
Garmadon laughed, "Well, he's in for a bit of a surprise."
"Oh?"
"You'll see."
They walked into the restaurant, looking around. It looked practically identical to the one back home, with minor changes. A familiar face walked up to them, a smile on her face.
"Hello. Welcome to Mr. Chen's Noodle House. I'm Skylor. I'll be showing you to your table."
No one could stop Kai from turning the flirt on as he approached her.
"Hey! Skylor. You're looking as beautiful as always~."
"Thanks," Skylor replied with a deadpan expression.
"Kai, focus on why we're here." Lloyd scoffed. "Sorry, Skylor, he can be a bit thick-headed."
"Honestly, I'm kinda used to it," Skylor shrugged, sorting through the hostess stand. She stood up with a small section of menus. "Follow me to your table."
Garmadon walked beside the young waitress. He kept his voice hushed as he spoke, "Is your father here?"
"He was out for a meeting but should be back shortly," Skylor replied, matching his tone. "Is it serious?"
He nodded. "Let me know when he arrives, alright?"
Skylor nodded as they arrived at the table. She allowed the group to take their seats before passing out the menus.
"So, shall we start with drinks?"
"I think just water for the moment."
"I wanted juice-" Jay huffed
"Just for now," Garmadon assured. "We might not be here for long."
After that, no one said a word as Skylor quietly slipped away to get them water. Jay peeked into the menu, looking through the pages at the options.
"We're here to talk, Jay. Remember?" Lloyd looked at him. "It doesn't matter what we're drinking."
"But why here, exactly?"
"I know someone here who has information on Lilly. He's not here but will be in a little while. Until then, it's just us." Garmadon explained.
"So, what do we do while we wait?" Jay asked. "Can we get food? I'm starving."
"Isn't Cole always the one complaining he's hungry?" Lloyd teased.
"Yeah, well, it's been hours since breakfast," Jay frowned. "We didn't have lunch, so I want something to eat."
"Fair enough," Lloyd sighed.
"You all pick out something quick," Garmadon interjected. "I'll pay for it, but we are on a time crunch."
The teens nodded, quickly scanning through the menus.
"There is an appetizer tray," Nya suggested. "Plenty of food for all of us to share, and I bet it would be pretty quick."
"Sounds good to me," Lloyd nodded, seeing Jay nodding as well.
Nya looked over to her brother with a frown, "Kai? Opinions?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Kai brushed her off.
He wasn't looking at the menu but rather at his phone. Lloyd peered over his shoulder to see what he was doing. The chat screen showed a long stream of unread messages to Cole. Lloyd sighed, looking up at the two opposite them. He mouthed 'Cole' to them, and they sighed. They'd been having quiet conversations about how Kai was taking it. The red ninja had been texting their friend endlessly, hoping he would answer.
Everyone knew he wouldn't.
"Well, why don't you guys talk about your world since this one is so different," Garmadon asked, hoping to change the topic.
"Oh! There's a lot different!" Jay rambled, "The serpentine invaded. A dark magical force plummeted the world in darkness, so our friend had to blow himself up; a cult leader turned his army into anacondrai, and the only way to defeat him was for you to die-"
Lloyd glared at him as Nya slapped a hand over his mouth. Kai shook his head, not surprised at the others. He set his phone on the table, and a soft smile appeared.
"And this is why I normally have duct tape on me," Kai grinned, leaning on the table as he smirked at Jay.
Garmadon chuckled softly. These teens were so different from the ones he knew, yet they were simultaneously different. Especially Kai. He could tell Kai cared about Cole and saw the same thing in his Kai, only for Jay. Except there was something more here that he couldn't quite figure out.
"You kids are something else."
"Alright, I have some water for you guys," Skylor approached them, handing out the glasses of water to each of them. "Are we wanting to get something to eat?"
"I think they decided on just doing an appetizer tray," Garmadon replied.
Skylor nodded, disappearing back to the kitchen.
"Anyway." Lloyd cleared his throat. "We really should be strategizing. Just in case your friend doesn't show up."
"Right." Garmadon nodded. He wasn't looking forward to this conversation "Lilly is smart, fast. We can't lose sight of her because that's how she'll gain the upper hand. At least, that's how our previous battles always went."
"Smart and fast. That sure sounds like Cole," Nya commented.
"Well, once we get there, surely Cole will be able to help," Jay noted. "He'll have been with her for a while, so maybe he'll know a weak spot or something?"
"Knowing Lilly, we'd have to hope that she doesn't see Cole as a threat," Garmadon said. "If she does, then we may already be too late."
"What do you mean "too late"?" Lloyd questioned, concern crossing his face. "She wouldn't hurt him, would she?"
"I'm not sure, but it is quite possible."
"Then why are we still here?" Kai jumped up, his feet on the bench of the booth they sat at.
"Because if we barge in without a plan, we could all end up dead!" Garmadon snapped. "Now, sit back down before you make a scene."
Kai glared and reluctantly sat back down.
"So, who are we waiting for?" Lloyd asked.
"Someone who trained with the elemental masters when we were younger," Garmadon replied. "He wasn't an elemental master but a powerful warrior. He knows Lilly better than anyone else. At least, up until she disappeared."
"You keep talking like you haven't seen her in years," Kai frowned.
"Because I haven't," Garmadon sighed. "Most of us haven't heard from her since she ran off."
"She just left?" Nya frowned. "No warning or anything?"
"Nothing," Garmadon sighed. "Few people know where she even went. Lilly just dropped off the face of the planet."
"Are my ears deceiving me? Or did I hear someone say her name?"
All the ninjas tensed and stood up, reaching for where their weapons usually resided. Chen frowned, holding a platter of food for the group. He turned to Garmadon, questioning the welcome.
"Ah! Chen, my old friend, so glad you could make it!" Garmadon stood, moving to embrace Chen.
"Good to see you," Chen smiled, returning the hug. "But I have to ask, what's up with them?"
Garmadon sighed, knowing Chen was referring to the ninja at the table. All four of them were on edge, ready to attack at a moment's notice.
"Look, kids, I'm assuming you may have had a bad experience with Chen in your realm, but this isn't your Chen," Garmadon lectured. "Now, sit back down, breathe, and stop threatening him."
All four sat down, still on edge, as Garmadon joined them at the table. The ninja kept Chen in their view, ready to strike if he proved to be a threat. Chen set the platter down before pulling a chair to join them at the booth.
"If you want to rescue your friend, you best sit down and behave," Garmadon scolded. "Chen is here to help."
"How are you so sure? How do you know he's not helping Lilly bring us into a trap?" Kai accused.
"Kai, I assure you I do not wish to harm you," Chen assured, hoping to ease the boy's nerves.
Kai glared at Chen, glancing at Garmadon before sighing in defeat.
"Fine, I'll listen," Kai grumbled. "But that doesn't mean I trust you."
Chen shrugged, "fine by me."
Chen looked around, noting the nervous energy on the teens' faces around him. He watched Jay's attention shift to the platter of food. Chen reached out, grabbed a couple of fries and popped them in his mouth. Jay watched, then started eating after presuming it was safe to eat.
"So, what's Lilly done this time?" Chen turned back to Garmadon.
"Well, to sum it up, they," Garmadon motioned to the teens, "aren't from this world. Rather, a similar parallel world."
Chen nodded, listening.
"One of their friends, Cole, is Lilly's son. We are worried he may be in danger, especially if Lilly figures out that he isn't her Cole."
"I see," Chen nodded. "Well, what information can I offer you then?"
"We need to know what we're up against," Lloyd said. "We've never met Lilly; without knowing Cole's situation, we could easily be outmatched."
"Indeed you could," Chen frowned. "Lilly was one of the strongest fighters in the alliance. Of course, we weren't needed after the Serpentine War, so she started looking elsewhere for adventure."
"Like where?" Nya asked.
"Anywhere she could. First, it was small quests from villagers and farmers, but it quickly turned to fight clubs, side hustles, and even vigilante work. She stopped caring if it was legal or not. From what I know, her husband did not know what she was doing."
"Didn't anyone try to stop her?" Lloyd asked. "Surely she was putting more than herself in danger doing that."
"Many people tried, but no one could get anywhere," Chen replied. "I kept in touch with her up until about fifteen years ago. She grabbed Cole from school and left. I haven't heard much from her since."
"So she just disappeared?" Jay asked.
"In a way, yes," Chen replied. "I had contact for a few months after her leaving, but when I told her she should reconsider everything and return, she stopped replying to my letters."
"Wu and I received a letter when she departed, so I know where she might be. But it's been a long time; she may not even be there." Garmadon sighed.
"I highly doubt she's left," Chen replied. "It's not like she's got anywhere else to go."
"What about her skills? Her fighting?" Kai asked. "You said she's a skilled warrior."
"She was," Chen replied. "She was capable of taking anyone down but Wu and Garmadon. She even bested the other masters on many occasions."
"But would she be weaker without her powers?" Jay asked. "I mean, all of us are."
"I doubt it," Chen sighed. "She was strong, even without her powers. Now that Cole's older, she'd be more used to fighting without her powers. Plus, the vengestone mines up there weaken any elemental power anyways."
"Vengestone mines?" Nya asked. "Does that mean?"
"Is he in the Ivory City?" Lloyd asked.
"If he's with Lilly, then yes," Chen replied.
All four ninjas groaned, their heads hitting the table.
Although, no one could tell if they were annoyed that it was such a far distance or if it were that they'd be dealing with Lilly and Vangelis.
Vania searched for her father everywhere. The throne room, the dining room, his bedroom, the library; everywhere with no luck. She was beginning to worry that Lilly would get to him first. She ran into the ballroom, and he was there.
With Lilly.
"Dad, dad," she called, running over.
"Vania, now is not the time," Vangelis scolded.
"But it's important-"
"Vania, enough!"
Vania froze mid-stride. She looked between the adults; her father's stern, disapproving look and Lilly's subtle smirk.
"Tell me, what were you doing down in the mines?" Vangelis frowned.
"What?" Vania stepped back.
"Answer."
"I wasn't-"
"I know you were," Vangelis snapped. "Lilly has been telling me about how you came down to watch the training session, distracted Cole and got him hurt. You are lucky he isn't seriously injured."
"But that's not what happened!" Vania cried.
"Then what happened!"
Vania glanced at Lilly, seeing her challenging Vania.
"I went down because Cole wasn't feeling himself when we got back from town," Vania pleaded. "He wanted me to check on him. She has him locked in a cell. She hurt him. She did it."
"How dare you accuse me of hurting my son," Lilly cried, offended.
"I've had enough of this," Vangelis scolded. "Vania, to your room. I don't want to see you out of there for the rest of the week."
"But dad-"
"Now!"
Vania turned, running out of the room. Tears welled in her eyes as she ran towards her room. She slammed the door behind her, sinking to the floor.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
Vania looked up through her tears, seeing a maid standing before her. The young lady held out a tissue for her, which Vania took.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Vania hiccuped.
"What happened?"
Vania looked away, sighing.
"Lilly hurt Cole, framed me for it, and turned my dad against me."
"Really?"
Vania nodded. She started thinking. There had to be something she could do. She had to help Cole, even if her father wouldn't help. But she needed to find someone else to help. The guards wouldn't listen to her, so she needed outside help.
But who? She didn't know anyone outside of the Kingdom. Cole did. But she knew no one.
Yet, Cole wasn't from this realm. She knew that. And he had his team in this realm, meaning if she could get in contact with them, they would be able to help.
"-so if there is anything I can do," the maid had been talking this whole time.
"Yes, you can do something," Vania hummed, quickly standing up.
She grabbed the maid's hand, pulling her over to the bed.
"Lie down, cover yourself and pretend to be sleeping," Vania explained. "If my dad comes in, he'll think it's just me, and leave me alone."
"Are you sure about this, your highness?"
"Very," Vania replied. "And if he catches you, just tell him I made you do it."
The maid nodded, lying down and allowing Vania to pull the covers over her. She ran out onto the balcony outside her room.
She would always sneak out to see Cole late at night. They liked to hang out, but their parents never wanted them to. So she'd sneak around, meaning she knew how to get around the palace without her father or his guards seeing her.
In the corner of the balcony was a small plant stand, which she kept a rope inside. She tied it to the railing, hanging it over the side and propelling down the side of the building. She landed in the bushes below her room. She ran along the side wall, only stopping when she reached the hidden servant entrance. She ducked inside, running through the narrow hallways. She passed a few servants, who ducked into other passageways to let her through. She ran halfway across the palace before stopping where the tunnel ended.
A false door stood between her and Cole's bedroom on the other side. She pushed the door open, scanning the room. Once she found she was alone, she slipped out, closing the door behind her. She ran over to the bedroom door, peaking up and down the hallways before running to the room across the hall.
Lilly's room.
She leaned against the door, listening for anyone inside before quietly opening the door. She looked around inside, seeing no one around. With one final glance up and down the hallway, she slipping inside.
She ran over to Lilly's desk, hoping to find something to help.
She started looking through the desk, trying to find something that Cole talked about.
He had talked about being from another realm, or dimension, or something like that. He talked about his team, how he got her, everything. He'd even mentioned a master.
A name she knew Lilly had mentioned in the stories of the serpentine wars.
Master Wu.
She dug through the drawers in Lilly's desk, looking, searching for anything to help her. But she couldn't find anything. There wasn't anything here. She turned and searched through the entire room. The dresser, the bookshelf, nightstand, closet, even for anything under the bed.
When she was about to give up, she noticed something about the desk.
She walked back over, looking at the side opposite the drawers, where a small notch was embedded in the panel. Almost as if it was a handle.
She pulled on it, and the panel popped off, revealing a small space filled with papers and a journal.
She pulled them out, looking them over.
Most of the papers were letters to Lilly. Most of them from someone named Chen, who seemed to be a friend of Lilly's. A couple were from someone named Garmadon. There were two letters that had clearly been torn, and the pieces thrown in there, but she didn't have time to piece them together.
But there was one letter with Wu's name on it.
Lilly,
I know your upset, but we can make this work. I'm sorry you can see what you want was wrong, and you realize this before Cole gets hurt.
You are welcome back at any point, and no one will hold this against you.
Please, call me if you need me.
~Wu
And there was a phone number written underneath, but the paper was damaged. She could make out the first 6 numbers, but not the last four.
But she could work with this. She just needed a phone book, and she could match it. She gathered up everything else, shoving it back in before closing the hidden compartment. She grabbed the letter and darted out of the room. She ran back into Cole's room and back into the servant tunnels. She ran towards the library, straight to the phone book. She pulled it off the shelf, flipping the book open on the nearby table and scanning through it. She just had to find the right name and number.
The first three numbers matched Central Ninjago. And the next three matched outer region.
And there were only three options. Two had names that she didn't recognize, and then one titled "The Monestary of Spinjitzu."
She scribbled down the last four digits of that number before running over to the phone. She dialed in the numbers, then listened as the phone started to ring. She waited, holding her breath with each ring. After a moment, she started to worry something was wrong as no one was answering.
Then the line connected.
"Hello?" an elderly man's voice spoke on the other end.
"Hi, is this Master Wu?" Vania asked.
"Yes, who is this?"
"My name is Princess Vania from the Ivory City, and I need your help," Vania pleaded.
"Vania? What can I do for you, your highness?"
"It's my friend Cole. Well, not my friend, it's a version of him from another world, but that doesn't matter. He's in trouble and I need your help to-"
"Did you say Cole? Like, Cole Brookstone?"
"Yes, that's him."
"His friends are looking for him, you said he's hurt?" Wu asked.
"Yes, you need to come help him," Vania pleaded.
"We will, but I need something from you," Wu replied.
"Anything."
"Can you send us a carriage or some sort of transportation? We have no way to get to you."
"Of course! I'll have it sent first thing this morning. It'll be there by tomorrow."
"Alright, I'll see you when we arrive."
"Thank you," Vania sighed in relief as she hung up the phone.
She turned, freezing as she saw her father standing behind her.
"Who was that?" Vangelis frowned.
"No one," Vania replied, looking away.
"Vania," Vangelis warned. "You aren't in trouble."
Vania stayed quiet, refusing to look up.
"Was that Sensei Wu?"
She gasped, looking up to see her father wasn't angry.
"How did you know?"
"I was going to call him anyways," Vangelis replied. "I knew something wasn't right. I looked into it a bit more, and I think I figured it out. I'll have them get a carriage ready for the morning, but I think it's time you tell me what's really happening. And don't spare any details."