Final chapter of this book (and the first one with a different POV). Thanks everyone for reading, voting, and for leaving some nice and encouraging comments 😘. I hope you've enjoyed this little tale.

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Epilogue (2028)

""Slow down, Nya." I call after my little girl. "I don't want you to lose your way in this mist."

But listening to others and following rules has never been her strength, so my six-year old daughter keeps running up the hill, her long red hair a rather messy ponytail swinging wildly from side to side.

I sigh as I try to keep up with her. She's so much like her aunt, my younger sister that Nya was named after – and the girl who mysteriously disappeared on the Day of the Departed ten years ago.

All that was left of her was a short note left on her bed 'I love you Kai and I am sorry but I have to do this.' Of course, the police took this as a suicide note, but even to this day I still refuse to accept this idea.

After the police had closed the case way too fast, only me and her three closest friends kept looking for her. And we found out that, a few weeks before she disappeared, she withdrew quite a large sum from her college fund, so I like to believe that she used the money to start a new life somewhere else.

Although I wouldn't understand why anyone would actually want to leave this place. Ignacia offers so much, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. It's a beautiful old town, one of the richest communities in all of Ninjago, and a popular tourist attraction.

Especially at this time of the year, people from all over the country visit Ignacia for our famous Day of the Departed celebrations.

Which also means I've been incredibly busy for the past few weeks as our famous Smiths' Aeroblades are a must-have accessory on this holiday.

Sure, there are some cheap plastic copies available, but most people, including the majority of the tourists, want the 'real thing', and are willing to pay for it. Although they had officially retired a few years ago, I even had to ask my parents to help me out. Luckily, they both enjoy working at the forge once in a while, and they still live at the Four Weapons anyway.

Although I now run the family business, me and my family have a house in the city. My wife is the manager of a successful noodle house, and I just don't want her having to drive home in the dark whenever she has to work late - like tonight. It just doesn't feel safe.

Speaking about my wife... while the four of us were looking into my sister's disappearance, I became really good friends with Zane, Pixal, and Skylor. And over time, me and Skylor became more than just friends. We've been married for seven years now, with two wonderful children.

Our little boy was very tired to come with us though, after we'd spent the afternoon at the fun fair, enjoying a delicious treat at 'Antonia's Cupcakes' (one of the oldest bakeries in Ignacia - and undoubtedly the best), and then watching the famous play about the blacksmith's daughter and the carpenter who saved our town from the evil ghosts.

My daughter loves this tale, especially as she shares her name with the heroine.

And while it may sound unbelievable, it is actually true.

The young couple got married shortly afterwards and they took over his father's business. In collaboration with the inventor Cyrus Borg, they came up with many appliances that were way ahead of their time. To this day, Walker Industries is one of the most successful businesses and biggest employers in the area.

Of course, the Duke insisted on rewarding them for their actions and, at their request, he set up a public school for boys and girls, and made two of his former advisors, Sensei Yang and Sensei Wu, the head teachers. To this day, the Nya Walker School is considered to be one of the best institutions in Ninjago, and my little girl loves going there - well, on most days at least.

The couple's own daughter was one of the school's most famous students; she became the first female surgeon in Ninjago, and she continued to work in her profession even after she got married to the next Duke of Ignacia.

And they've always kept a good working and personal relationship with our family.

I should probably mention that my ancestor also took part in this battle, and it was his weapons that were used to defeat the ghosts.

Which is how the Four Weapons then became the official blacksmith to the Duke of Ignacia, and the Aeroblade was even added to his coat of arms.

And, as mentioned before, the town holds a huge celebration each year, in memory of this event.

And in our family, we also have a special tradition for the Day of the Departed: we climb up Haunted Hill, a small elevation outside the town, to light a sky lantern in honour of our ancestors.

But for some reason, I haven't done it in years. I know that I used to love doing this when I was a child, so I really don't know why I stopped about fifteen years ago. As did mum and dad. It was only Nya who had kept the family tradition alive (and she didn't know that I knew about this). Until she disappeared, that is.

But when I told my daughter about this – they were talking about Day of the Departed traditions at school – she insisted we'd do it together this year. So, here we are.

Haunted Hill is normally a beautiful spot with a great view over the town, but today, it is all covered in a thick fog.

While I shiver, Nya is way too excited to feel cold or even the slightest bit uncomfortable. I take off my backpack and put it on the soft mossy ground, then I remove a bright red paper lantern and a lighter from it.

I am just about to unfold it when I hear voices coming through the mist. Strange. I think. I've never known there was a path on the other side of the hill. But then, I haven't been here in a long time.

"Eddy, JJ, slow down." A strangely familiar female voice calls. "And Amy, you're staying with us."

"We don't want you to lose your way in this mist." A cheery male voice adds. Sounds like they're having the same 'problem' of overexcited children.

The woman laughs. "Although that's not always a bad thing."

"No, losing my way here was the best thing that's ever happened to me." The man agrees.

"And to me. You know it hasn't been this foggy up here since that night ten years ago." She remarks. "Do you think..."

As they keep talking, two boys, maybe two or three years older than my daughter, come running up the hill. They have curly brown hair and electric blue eyes, which are mischievously glistening in the darkness.

"Let's hide." The laugh and turn to me. "Don't tell mum and dad, okay?" The request before they hide behind a large rock.

Not much later, the rest of the family arrives. At first, I only make out their shapes through the mist – it looks like a man who is carrying something and a woman holding a smaller figure at her hand. As they come closer, I notice that they must be about my age, in their late twenties or maybe early thirties. The man has auburn hair and the same blue eyes as the two boys, a little boy is half asleep on his shoulder. And the woman...

I blink. No, this can't be true. Or is it?

"Nya?" I gasp.

"Yes, dad?" My little girl replies, as the woman breaks out in a huge smile.

"Kai." She exclaims as she lets go off the girl's hand to wrap me in a tight hug.

"I've been wanting to do that for the last ten years." She sniffs burying her face in my chest.

Me too.

"Wha- what are you doing here?" I question as we eventually break apart. "And where have you been?"

She smiles. "It's a long story, but unfortunately, we don't have that much time." She takes a book from her bag and hands it to me. "For the last nine years, I've brought this up here with me, hoping I'd get a chance to give it to you."

I immediately recognise the book. "Your old diary?" The one she's always threatened me not to read.

Nya nods. "It will explain everything. But I guess I should introduce you to my family now."

She proudly puts her arm around the man's waist. "This is my husband, Jay. And this is Kai, my brother."

"Nice to meet you, Jay." As we shake hands, I recall having heard that name before. "You're the boy Nya brought to that party, right? Skylor has mentioned the name."

"Skylor, huh?" Nya smirks as her gaze falls on my daughter's bright red hair.

"Yes." I smile. "Skylor Smith, my wife. Unfortunately, she couldn't join us as she is working tonight. But this is our daughter, Nya. She's six."

"It's lovely to meet you, Nya." My sister crouches down to smile at her niece. "My name is Nya too. I'm your auntie, that's your uncle Jay, and this is your cousin Amy." She points at the back-haired girl. "She's seven, so I'm sure you're going to be great friends."

She gets up and looks around. "And the twins, Edward and Jay Jr, must be hiding somewhere around here; they will be nine at Christmas and are a pair of troublemakers." I silently nod and secretly point at the rock.

"Thanks." Nya mouths and affectionately ruffles the small boy's chestnut hair. "And this sleepy little man is three-year old Kai."

"Sky and I have a boy of the same age." I tell her. "But Ray was too tired to come up here, so mum and dad are watching him."

"M-Mum and Dad?" Nya's eyes are welling with tears as she leans against her husband. Jay supportively wraps his arm around her.

"Are you alright, mummy?" Amy asks worriedly.

"I'm fine, sweetie." My sister reassures her daughter. "It's just that I... I haven't seen your grandparents in a long, long time."

"No, we saw granny and grandpa just this morning." The girl insists.

"Yes, we saw daddy's parents. But not mine." Nya explains.

"I have more g'andparents?" Amy asks excitedly, looking at her parents with her big brown puppy eyes. "Can we see them? Pleeeaaase?"

"They're staying at our place tonight, it's not far." I tell them. "And it's right next to the restaurant, I'm sure Sky would love to see you too."

Nya turns to her husband. "C-can we?" She asks in a shaky voice.

Jay gives her a loving smile. "Nya, my love, are you seriously asking me for permission to go visit your parents that you haven't seen in like fifteen years?" He gently tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Fifteen? I wonder.

As my sister happily hugs him, Jay looks a bit anxious about the prospect of meeting his in-laws for the first time, but for some reason I am sure that it's gonna be fine.

"But we first gotta light the lantern." My Nya insists. She's been looking forward to it all week.

"Boys, come here, else you're gonna miss the lighting of the latern." My sister calls, and my older nephews reappear from their hiding place.

"You're no fun." The pout.

"We don't have time to play hide and seek tonight." Their mother tells them. "Because we are going to meet some wonderful people after this." She playfully nudges her husband. "And we want to get some cotton candy from the fun fair, don't we?"

Jay's eyes light up. "Yeah, the children are gonna love it."

"Especially the big kid." Nya smirks.

I've missed her so much, but I can see that she is happy.

"So, who's turn is it this year?" Jay asks his children.

"Mine. Mine." Amy excitedly bounces up and down as the boys cross their arms and huff in disappointment.

I can't help but chuckle at the display, this scene is just so familiar...

"We have a lantern as well, and Nya has never done this before. Maybe you two could help us?" I suggest.

I give my sister a side hug as we watch the two lanterns rise up into the sky.

"Where have you been, sis?" I mumble, her diary safely stored away in my backpack.

"The question is not where, Kai." Nya smiles at me. "But when."