With this chapter, you may notice a small change in the writing style - just when I'd finally gotten used to writing 1st person POV in the past tense, I had to switch to using present tense (but still Nya's POV) 😉.

This chapter contains an OC. Lillian's name was a suggestion by BlackNblue_Dragon (but she actually didn't know what part she would play). And I need to apologise to Amy4Walker - when I gave you the spoiler about her, I didn't tell the full story 😉.

I most likely won't be able to post the next part tomorrow (probably the day after tomorrow) so I wish you all an early Happy Halloween 🎃 my friends!

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Chapter 5 (2018)

For the umpteenth - and the final – time on this evening, I go through my list of items, making sure I've packed everything, before I close my diary and also add it to my backpack. I can't risk anyone, not even Kai, finding out, should things go wrong tonight.

I sit down on my bed and cuddle my dragon plushie as I look around my room for what could well be the last time, taking in every little detail of the place that has been my home for the last five years.

The walls are covered with pictures of my friends, on the nightstand, however, there is only an empty frame now, whereas the photo of young Kai and I is safely stored between the pages of my diary.

I give the huge dragon another hug before I set it down on the duvet and place the note right in front of it.

It is time.

I get up, take my backpack and leave the room. In the hall, I briefly check my reflection in the mirror - I am again wearing my mother's old dress and my long hair is pulled back in a high ponytail – and slip into my brother's old leather jacket.

As Kai is now working as a blacksmith apprentice in Domu, I live on my own in our apartment. When I spoke to him on the phone earlier today, I told my brother I love him, but I still wish I could have seen him face to face and given him a proper hug.

I lock the door and hide the keys at the bottom of my bag. As I walk down the stairs, I have to force myself not to look back but instead focus at the task in front of me.

The sun is just starting to set down when I reach the foot of Haunted Hill. Again, I climb up the narrow path, shivering both from the cold and in anticipation, and it is also for both reasons that I accelerate my steps.

Just as I reach the top of the hill, I see a figure break through the mist from the other side.

"Nya?" I hear the familiar voice call out for me, he must have spotted me as well.

"Jay!" I shout back, and start running towards him.

He drops the bag he's carrying and does the same.

As soon as we reach each other, I jump into his arms and kiss him. Sure, we don't have any time to lose tonight, but this is anything but wasting time.

And he seems to feel the same, for he holds me close in his strong arms and passionately kisses me back.

When we break apart, I rest my head against his chest.

"I've missed you." I mumble, listening to his strong heartbeat.

"I've missed you too." He replies, his face buried in my hair. "I love you so much, Nya."

I tilt my head to smile at him. "I love you too." I say.

Jay must have guessed the question burning on my mind. "I've talked to my parents, and they understood." He tells me as he gently sets me down. "They were actually proud of me for not wanting to rush into anything I'd regret for the rest of my life. Turned out my dad did the same; he refused to get married - until he met my mum."

"Awww, they're so sweet." I reply.

      
"They are." He smiles fondly, not the slightest bit embarrassed. It makes me really happy to see how much Jay's relationship with his parents has improved since that night two years ago. "And they would love to see you, they're at the palace – well, not inside, of course. The Duke's ball is only for his family and guests, but to celebrate this special, there is also a concert at the courtyard for the people of Ignacia, with free drinks and snack and the opportunity to watch the eclipse and the fireworks from there. Oh, there's so much you have to see. Cole and Seliel had a little boy, they've made me his godfather – well, one of them."

"I'd really like all that too." I answer, sad that I have to dampen his enthusiasm. "But, it can't be tonight. We need to get going."

"What? Now?" Jay gives me a quizzical look. "But... what about the lantern?"

"Our ancestors will understand." I state. But if we don't act now, we'll be joining them in the Departed Realm rather sooner than later...

"Jay, listen." I lock my eyes with his. "Something is going to happen. Something really bad." I swallow. "Remember the ruins of the palace in my timeline?"

He nods. "Yeah, you've mentioned it burned down like 200 years ago." His eyes widen in realisation. "You mean...?"

I nod. "Yes. In this time, it's gonna be tonight. Unless we do something about it."

"We?" He questions. "H-how?"

"According to the official version, the fire broke out because of some fireworks gone wrong." I explain. "But there's a group of people, including some very respectable historians, who believe that it was actually caused by ghosts who had managed to escape from the Cursed Realm on the night of the Yin-Yang Eclipse. They were looking for the Realm Crystal to open a portal between the Cursed Realm and Ninjago. And this magical artefact is hidden inside the Duke's palace."

"And you believe this story too?"

"My family has always had a connection with the supernatural." I recall what Misako has told me during our first meeting. "The crazy – or maybe not so crazy – blacksmith is my ancestor, and I am certain that you and I, we have met for a reason. And this reason is not to make us miserable for the rest of our lives because we can't be together, but because we have a chance to stop these ghosts..."

Following our previous meeting, I've spent months contemplating my options. I could do nothing and just let things happen - definitely not an option. I could try to at least save Jay and convince him to spend the evening in my timeline. But that might be a bit tricky as he was so excited about the eclipse. And even if I succeeded, what then? Jay would lose his friends, his family, his home, his job. He wouldn't have anything left in his time, and he just doesn't belong in mine. Also, chances are, he would hate me for not telling him the truth. I've not fallen in love with a man who would save his own life at the expense of everybody else's.

Which has left me with only one option: to ignore everything I've ever learned about time travel.

Screw the Temporal Prime Directive. I mean it just can't be any more wrong to alter the past using my knowledge from the future than ghosts exploiting this special night to curse Ninjago, or at least try to. And Misako has agreed with me. All her life, she has studied the history of Ninjago, including the legends and prophecies associated with it. And ghosts from the Cursed Realm taking over our home has never been a part of any of them.

Yes, over the last year, I've been in contact with the friendly woman. She knows what I'm about to do, and she has encouraged me and even helped with my preparations.

Jay, on the other hand, still doesn't know all parts of the story. And I have to change that. "Because if we don't, the palace as well as parts of the city of Ignacia will be destroyed. And everyone inside the building will die."

"Everyone?" Jay's face pales and his eyes widen in realisation. "Including..."

"Yes, including Cole, his wife, their baby, your parents, your cousin, and-" I swallow as tears are pooling in my eyes. "-and you."

I can tell that my boyfriend is about to freak out, so I quickly wrap my arms around his shaking body and pull him into a comforting hug. "But I'm not gonna let this happen." I cry into his shirt. "I can't lose you."

"B-but how are we going to stop them?" Jay asks, his voice shaking but determined, as his tears are falling into my hair.

I slowly loosen my grip and pull away to look him in the eyes.

"Do you trust me?" I ask.

He gives me a little smile. "With my life." Which is exactly what is on the line here.

"First, we need to get some weapons. Can you take me to the blacksmith shop?" Of course, I will never forget the location of my parents' workshop, but this Ignacia is different to mine, and I don't want to lose my way in a street that just doesn't exist anymore in the future.

Jay opens his mouth to object, but he has promised to follow my lead, so he doesn't say anything. Instead he takes my hand and leads me down his side of Haunted Hill. But instead of heading right into the city, we turn left and leave Ignacia through the western town gate.

From the outside, the Four Weapons looks almost the same as it does in my time. It is a pretty traditional two-story building on top of a small hill. The only difference I can make out in the dark are the tiles on the roof which appear to be black, whereas the ones on our house were of a light brown colour. And the front entrance is closed, which has never happened at my childhood home. But through the window, we can see the lights are on in the main room.

We slowly approach the building and I take a deep breath as I raise my hand to knock on the wooden door.

I haven't visited the Four Weapons since Kai and I were forced to give it up. I've never wanted to see a stranger live and work at our home. But this blacksmith actually belongs here. I remind myself. And he is a member of my family. Or rather, I am a descendant of his.

I feel Jay giving my other hand a little squeeze, and I turn my head to smile at him as I knock.

Soft footsteps are approaching the door.

"The shop is closed now." A female voice informs us. "Please come back tomorrow."

"I am very sorry to disturb you at this time, but we really need to see Mr Smith please." I reply. "It is important. We need to purchase a couple of weapons. And tomorrow will be too late."

A few weeks ago, I took money out of my college fund and used it to buy some old gold coins. Misako has assured me that these are worth a lot in this time.

The woman unlocks the door and slides it to the side, just far enough to take a look at us.

And while we can't see much of her, I immediately know who she is. Her eyes are of same unusual shade of amber as my brother's. And our father's. And my grandmother's...

"Who is it, sweetheart?" A male voice asks from inside.

"Two kids." She answers. "They want to buy some weapons. I think the boy works at the palace. But I haven't seen the girl before."

"My name is Nya Smith." I say. "And I am your great-great-granddaughter." [I know it should be more generations - about 7 or 8 'great's – between them but I'm not gonna write them all...]

"Let her in." A third, again male, voice calls.

"That's Sensei Wu." Jay nervously whispers to me. "What's he doing here?"

The woman opens the door. I now see she is protectively holding a little bundle in her arms.

"Come inside." She says sharply. "Don't forget to wipe your feet."

As we enter the room, we see two men are sitting at the table.

One of them has his back turned to us, so the only distinct feature visible to us is his shaggy auburn hair. He is apparently doing something to the other's face.

Although I can consequently only see his right half, I recognise that person as an older man with bright white hair and a long white beard – I inwardly smile as I recall Jay's description of the Duke's astronomer.

We wait until the first man eventually pulls away from him and turns around. He is a lot younger than Sensei Wu, probably in his thirties, and he looks like he has neither slept nor shaved for a couple of days, telling by the stubble on his face and the dark ring under his left eye. Yes, only his left eye for a brown leather patch is covering the right one.

But it's not his appearance that has made Jay and I's jaws fall.

We can now see that the astronomer is badly injured. Wu has a deep purple bruise covering the left side of his face, and he is sporting a massive cut on his forehead. A bloody cloth as well as a bottle of alcohol are on the table in front of them, suggesting that the blacksmith was cleaning the wounds when Jay and I arrived.

"Sensei Wu?" My friend gasps. "What happened to you?"

"I failed." The elderly man says. But the he smiles at me. "But it doesn't matter, because you won't."

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused.

"Please, sit down." The other man gestures at the two empty chairs opposite them. "It's a long story."

As we take the offered seats, the woman also joins the two men on the other side of the table, sitting down between them.

"We should start by introducing each other." The old man begins. "I've already heard quite a bit about you, Nya."

Jay blushes but Wu continues undeterred.

"So, it is only fair that I will now tell you my story now. My name is Wu Garmadon, and I was born in Ignacia in 1968."

"So, you're from my time?" I conclude. "Are you by any chance related to Misako Garmadon?"

"Misako Garmadon..." Wu smiles. "That wasn't her name when I last saw her, but I am glad to hear that my brother did eventually manage to pop the question."

"How long have you lived here?" I want to know.

"A long time." Wu replies. "It was many, many years ago, in the night on the Day of the Departed that I lost my way on Haunted Hill, and I ended up in this time."

"When I was a child, my dad always told us stories about children who lost their way in the fog and never were found." I remarked.

He narrows his eyes. "I can clearly see that you're Ray and Maya's daughter, aren't you?"

I nod.

"The blacksmith's daughter." A little smile appears on his lips. "When I was young, Ray Smith was my best friend. But I wasn't a child when I got here, just a rather childish young man of twenty-two. And slightly intoxicated after some Day of the Departed celebrations..."

"Father." The woman gasps. Wait, if she's his daughter, that makes Wu my ancestor...

"Oh, it has been a while, my dear." He gently pats her hand. "I surely learned my lesson that night. For when I woke up the next morning, I found myself in this town. And, despite my rather piercing headache, I immediately understood that all those legends surrounding Haunted Hill and the Day of the Departed were true."

"And you couldn't get back to your own time." I stated.

"No, I couldn't." Wu agreed. "Of course, I went to look for a way home, but I soon realised that I would have to wait for another year. And I would have to do something during that time to make a living. Which wasn't difficult using my advanced knowledge from the 20th century. Even without spoiling the future, people considered me a wise person and came to me for advice."

"Is that why you didn't return?" I guessed.

"The longer I stayed here, the more I fell in love with this Ignacia – and with the kindest and most beautiful woman I've ever met." Wu replied. "Unfortunately, my dearest Heather is no longer with us, but she gave me the greatest gift I could have ever wished for – Lillian here is my daughter and Ronin is my son-in-law."

He looks me in the eyes. "But there was also a third reason. The same reason that you came here for tonight." He says. "While I was looking through old scrolls in the library, searching for a way home, I stumbled across a prophecy. It was about cursed souls from another Realm who will try to take over Ninjago – and a way to defeat them."

"But Misako said she's never come across anything like that." I interjected. It would have made my decision to alter the past a lot easier, had I known that all this was indeed part of a prophecy.

"Because my younger self accidentally destroyed it." Wu admitted. "So, I felt like it was my duty to stay and stop the attack. I befriended Ronin's father - who was so much like my old friend from my own time. It was him who designed and forged the Aeroblades that I had read about in the prophecy; and I was able to find a position at the palace to keep a close eye on the Duke."

"But then, why are you not there tonight?" Jay questions. "Why aren't you actually doing something to stop them? And what happened to you?"

"That is an excellent question, my friend." Wu answers. "Despite all my efforts, I was still missing one final piece in the puzzle. But I thought that, even if I couldn't stop the attack, I could still try to save the people. So, I went to talk to Sensei Yang, Cole's tutor and one of the Duke's most trusted advisors, only to find that he is the one behind all this. Not him directly, but he has been possessed by one of the ghosts. Of course, he claimed that I am insane and a traitor who wants to ruin the festivities, had me beaten up and thrown out of the palace. The guards have been instructed not to let me back in, at least not alive."

"So, there's nothing we can do?" Jay asks, upset.

"No. There's nothing I can do." Wu gives him an encouraging smile before he turns to me. "Because you are the final piece."

"Me?" I gasp as Jay looks at me with both admiration and fear.

"Indeed." The white-haired man laughs. "All these years, I've been trying to find a blacksmith's daughter who will break the curse, only to find it is my best friend's child."

"You've never told us about this." Lillian looks at her father. "I hope you weren't disappointed that Ronin and I had a boy."

"Of course not." Wu takes the sleeping baby from her. "How could anyone be disappointed about this little ray of sunshine?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Ray?"

"I got to choose the name for my first grandson." Wu smiles. "And I think it will going to be a rather popular name in this family. How is your father, by the way?"

Under the table, Jay takes my hand into his and gives it a little squeeze. I swallow. "My parents are dead." I reply.

Wu's face falls. "Th-they... no... h-how?"

"They were killed in a traffic accident five years ago." I explain.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." I can see tears glistening in his swollen eyes. "Are you... on your own?"

"I have an older brother, Kai. He's training to be a blacksmith."

"Keeping the family tradition alive, huh?" Ronin smirks.

"Y-yeah." I just can't tell him we had to sell the shop.

"I wish we could talk longer, but you need to go now." Wu looks at Jay and me.

Ronin gets up. "I'm getting the Aeroblades. Come with me, boy."

He presses a golden gong with our family's symbol to open a hidden trapdoor. As he and Jay disappear in the basement, I take the bag of gold coins from my backpack.

"Here." I hand it to Lillian.

She shakes her head. "I can't take your money, Nya."

But I insist. "Consider it an investment in the family business." I say.