Hey!

This set of stories is a lot like After the War, which contained some minor stories to set up DARKNESS IN CHIMA. This works very much the same way, but it will be on a bit of a bigger scale. The Tusk will include a few more stories than After the War's three.

I try to avoid disclaimers where possible as they are sort of, by definition, minor spoilers; however, I did want to say that the stories in this set will contain some pretty heavy religious themes, and that will be a feature of all stories going forward. I'm not going to 'apologize' for that, but I understand it's not everyone's cup of tea; even if that's the case, I hope you'll stick around to see how these themes inform the growth of the characters going forward!

I should also mention: if this is the first you've heard of DARKNESS IN CHIMA, you should go read that before this! It's a crossover between Ninjago and Legends of Chima, and as such it's in the crossover section of the site, so you might have missed it.

Here's the order of stories so far:

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS

After the War

DARKNESS IN CHIMA

The Tusk

That's all I've got to say… Enjoy!

The Tusk

Story 1: Existential Revelations

St. Joseph Catholic Parish; Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Earth
Thursday July 11, 2019…

On a sweltering summer day, a long figure walked the streets of downtown Tuscaloosa in west-central Alabama. The heat was oppressive; most stayed inside, but Mack shouldered it.

Since the resolution of the crisis in Chima, changes had begun to take shape among the ninja.

Mack was set to begin a new job as the organist at Resurrection Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa in a couple of weeks, and rest of the ninja would follow in moving to the new city. There was an excitement as they prepared for this new adventure, but for the Green Ninja, there was also a sense of anxiety.

Ever since he could remember, Mack had struggled with spiritual questions. Raised in an evangelical Christian home, he was taught that the Bible was the be-all and end-all for any questions he might have. The problem: the Bible is difficult to interpret, and no one seemed to ever have a coherent answer to his questions.

His teachers could not agree on principles such as the mystery of the Lord's Supper, assurance of salvation, or the role of authority in the Church. The lack of a coherent theology was absolutely maddening.

For the last few years, Mack was content to leave those questions alone. But recently, with everything he had been through, the questions came back in full force.

So, the Green Ninja explored them on his own. He went to every church he could find and went away empty-handed every time. Every church he could find… except for one.

His evangelical teachers had always warned him against going anywhere near the Catholic Church, but it was the only one he had not explored. He decided he would investigate, and if he came away with nothing again, he was prepared to admit that Christianity was not a viable option for him.

But he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

The Ninja Residence
Ninjago

As Mack walked the streets of Tuscaloosa deep in thought, Cole lounged in the living room at the ninja house on the outskirts of Ninjago City. He almost slipped into a nap when the doorbell rang.

Cole groaned and stood up, going to the door. He opened it to reveal a woman with blonde hair in a gray pantsuit holding a file folder.

The woman only seemed slightly surprised when the ghostly earth ninja opened the door.

"Hello," she said, "I'm Sarah Carter, attorney at law. You're… Cole, right?"

Cole smiled. With all the publicity Lloyd, it was good to be recognized. "That's me. What can I do for you?"

"Actually, I'm here to see Jay. Is he here?"

"Sure," Cole replied. "Come on in—I'll grab him."

Sarah came in as Cole yelled unnecessarily loud: "Jay! There's a lawyer here to see you!"

A moment later, Jay came down the stairs into the living room and saw Cole and the lawyer waiting. "Jeez, Cole, you don't have to be so dang loud. Did you say a lawyer? Whose?"

Sarah pulled a white envelope out of the folder. "My instructions are to make sure you read this letter before I talk to you and show you the contents of this folder."

He took the letter, and Sarah added, "You might want to sit down."

"Okay…" Jay raised an eyebrow. He sat down on the couch but hesitated to open the letter.

Cole thought he understood—Jay was sometimes funny about his reactions to things. Even opening gifts in front of people made him uncomfortable.

"Say, Ms. Carter," Cole said, "can I pour you a cup of tea? In the kitchen?"

Sarah looked at Jay and then back at Cole, then she nodded and followed Cole to the kitchen as Jay opened the white envelope.

While Cole was pouring a cup of tea, Sarah spoke up. "You might want to make three of those…"

Cole frowned. "Three?"

"Yeah," Sarah replied, "for me, you, and Jay. We're all gonna need it after he reads that letter."

"Ah," Cole nodded. "Well, it'll be two—ghosts can't touch water."

Sarah cocked her head. "Really? Why is that?"

"No idea. What's in that letter?"

Sarah hesitated. "It's really not up to me to say."

Jay sat on the couch, the letter trembling slightly in his hands as he finished reading. His eyes scanned the last few lines one more time, as if trying to absorb their meaning fully.

Cole and Sarah re-entered the room, Cole carrying two cups of tea and handing one to Jay as Sarah took a seat.

"I knew it," Jay said quietly, setting the letter down on the coffee table.

Cole frowned, sitting beside him. "Knew what?"

Jay passed him the letter. Cole skimmed it quickly, his brow furrowing as he read. When he finished, he turned to Jay, his usually steady demeanor replaced by a look of shock.

"I'm adopted," Jay said simply, his voice barely above a whisper.

St. Joseph Catholic Parish
Earth

The chapel was silent except for the faint hum of the air conditioning, which provided a small reprieve from the oppressive heat outside. Mack knelt in the pews, his eyes fixed on the ornate monstrance atop the altar. The golden vessel housed the Most Blessed Sacrament, radiating a quiet yet profound presence.

For weeks, Mack had struggled with his faith. The endless contradictions, the lack of coherence—it had all left him disillusioned. But as he knelt before the altar, gazing between the Eucharistic Host and the crucifix on the wall, something stirred within him. It wasn't an elemental power, not the familiar hum of his connection to the elemental energy fields. This was different.

Peace. Understanding. Love.

Mack felt it wash over him like a gentle wave, filling the cracks that had formed in his heart over the years. He knew, in an instant, that he was in the presence of Jesus. The truth was undeniable, and from that truth, everything else began to make sense.

Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as he whispered a silent prayer. In that chapel, beneath the gaze of the Most Holy Eucharist, Mack came to accept everything the Catholic Church taught.

For the first time, his questions were answered—not by words, but by the profound coherence of the Truth he now understood.

The Ninja Residence
Ninjago

Jay sat slumped on the couch, the letter still lying on the table. Cole sat beside him, one hand rubbing small circles on Jay's back in a comforting gesture.

"So, let me get this straight," Cole said slowly. "Cliff Gordon, one of the most famous actors in the world, is your father; and after his wife—your mother—was killed in a car accident, he gave you up for adoption. And now he's passed away, and his lawyer came here to break the news."

Jay nodded, his expression distant. "Yep. That sums it up."

"Wow." Cole leaned back, his hand falling to his lap. "Are you okay with all this?"

Jay shrugged. "I don't know. Ask me again when the shock wears off."

Sarah, who had been quietly observing, leaned forward. "Jay, your father—"

"If you're here to represent him, do me a favor…" Jay interrupted, his tone sharp but not angry. "Call me the name he gave me."

Sarah nodded, her expression softening. "Alright, Marcus. Your father entrusted me with making sure you understand that he didn't give you up just so he could get famous. He gave you up because he felt he couldn't take care of you. Before he made it big, he had almost no money and a substance abuse problem. By the time he made a career for himself and got clean, you already had a life with another family."

Jay was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I understand. I've had a good life—a good family. I suppose… he did take care of me, in some sense."

Sarah smiled gently. "And he wanted to continue to do so—to take care of you and your team. He followed your exploits these past couple of years and was very proud of you."

Jay looked up, his brow furrowing. "How did he know who I was?"

"He said you look just like your mother," Sarah replied. "And to answer your next question… he never reached out to you because he never knew what he could say if he did. He came down with colon cancer last year—he wrote that letter the day he was diagnosed."

The room fell silent. Finally, Sarah spoke again. "If it's alright, I'd like to go over your father's will."

Mack returned to the house in Ninjago as the evening light streamed through the windows. He stepped into the living room to find Jay sitting on the couch, Nya beside him with an arm around his shoulders. Cole leaned against the back of the couch, his expression calm but watchful.

"Everything okay?" Mack asked, his voice steady but laced with concern.

Jay nodded, though his smile was faint. "Yeah. Can we get the team together? We need to talk about a few things."

Mack nodded. "Sure thing. I'll head back to Earth and grab Pete and Kasey. Everybody else is here in Ninjago—Cole, can you make the calls?"

"Got it," Cole said, then paused, narrowing his eyes at Mack. "Hey—are you alright? You look a little rattled."

Mack hesitated, then shook his head. "I'm fine. Let's talk about it when we're all together."

Later, the team gathered in the living room. Jay stood at the center, his hands clasped in front of him.

"So," he began, his voice steady despite the weight of his words. "Cliff Gordon was my father. He gave me up for adoption after my mom died because he thought he couldn't take care of me. And now, he's left me his entire estate."

The room fell silent as the team absorbed the news.

Jay took a deep breath. "I've been thinking about that idea we floated before—moving to Tuscaloosa. I want to use the estate to make it happen. It's time we had a fresh start."

The team exchanged glances before nodding in agreement.

Cole broke the silence. "Do you still want to be called 'Jay,' or would you rather—"

"My name is Jay," he said firmly, cutting him off. "That's who I am."

And that was all Jay said on the matter.

After a moment, Cole turned to Mack. "So, Mack… what happened with you on Earth?"

Mack hesitated, then looked up with a small smile. "Well… I think I need to become Catholic."