Lloyd POV

The whip lashed fiercely next to me as I dodged it.  Ash pulls it back towards her and she bolts towards me.  I dodge her punch and I take her arm in my left hand, the back of her collar in my right, and I flip her onto her back.

She lands with a grunt and I put my sword to her throat. She sighs and puts her hands up in surrender. I draw back my sword. She sits up and I offer her a hand, only for her to grab it and twist my arm. As she twists my arm, she sweeps her leg under mine and I fall to the ground. She attempts to seize my weapon but I kick her in the stomach and I backwards summersault into a standing position. She wants to play dirty? Well, two can play at that game.

She sends her whip towards me again but this time I dodge and grab it in a tight hold. I jerk her forward and she flips over onto the other side of me, landing hard on the sand. She quickly gets up only to realize she let go of her whip and it is now in my possession. I wave it in front of her tauntingly. She's out. "Looks like you're out, Ash." I smugly say to her, handing back her whip.

"Yeah," she says. "For now." She winks at me and retreats to the rocks where Splenda stands, watching our fights commence. I follow not too far behind Ash and I reach the rocks to find Splenda watching me approach.

"Well done Lloyd." She praises.

"Thank you Splenda." I take my seat next to Ash and watch my sister fight against Haru. Katelyn is quickly pulling out her arrows and sending them towards Haru, who is dodging them. Katelyn occasionally pulls out her knife that is strapped to the side of her pants and goes in close range for him. He swings his kwando at her and she back hand springs out of the way. She begins using her arrows again and Haru stays at a far distance from her.

"Why doesn't he just go for her bow? Or pop up behind her to steal her arrows or something?" Ash asks as she watches Haru dodge another arrow.

"He's trying to have her run out of arrows so he can get in close range. It's actually a pretty smart battle strategy." I say back to her.

"It is. It's a good tactic to have your enemy run out of supplies so you have the upper hand." Splenda says, still standing tall with her hands behind her back. Katelyn reaches over her shoulder to find that she's run out of arrows. Seeing her quiver empty, Haru lunges for her and sweeps under her leg. She drops to the sand with a grunt. Haru bends over in a crouched position so he's right over her, giving her a teasing look. Katelyn takes out her knife and attempts to redeem herself but Haru kicks it out of her hand and stabs his kwando in the sand next to her head. She kicks him off of her and she takes his kwando in her hands, pointing it at the defeated redhead.

"Hold on, you don't have your weapon! So that means I won!" Haru says to her.

"Are you sure about that?" She says in return as she pulls out her folded up bow that she hid when she hit the ground.

He laughs as she comes over to lend him a hand. He grabs her hand and she pulls him up. "Well played Katie, well played." He helps to gather up her arrows and they join us at the rocks.

Splenda congratulates Katie and I on our victories. After an few more hours of combat training we move on to our next training session, stealth and tracking. She takes us deep into the forest where we are put into two teams.  One team will hide somewhere in the forest and try as hard as they can to sneak around the other team while the other team searches for them and attempts to track them down.  If someone from the other team finds you, you must fight each other.  The goal is to make it back to where you began without being followed or found. Some would say it's a game, and in a way I guess it could be, but it isn't in this case.

I'm teamed up with Haru and we go into the forest to hide first.  I try to avoid climbing in the trees because Katie would know I was there in a instant.  Haru and I decide to duck into the bushes and camouflage ourselves into our surroundings.  It's not long before we hear a pair of footsteps coming our way.

We lay perfectly still, barely breathing, as the girls come close to where we are positioned. At one point I think they see us but they then turn away from us and into the opposite direction.  When they're out of sight, we quietly sigh a relief and we get up to walk the way they had come from.  Haru and I begin to make our way back to Splenda when I hear rustling from a bush not very far from me.  I stop in my tracks and head into the direction. The noise is coming from across a clearing. I assume it's just an animal but I then begin to hear noises that no animal could make. I draw my sword. It's probably just Katie or Ash. I think.  Boy was I wrong.

A figure pops out from the bush and darts towards me.  The lean figure looks to be made out of pure shadow, it's pupiless yellow eyes staring into mine.  I block it's attack and push it away from me with my sword.  I look around me and more shadow people jump down from the trees to surround me. It's the Overlord's shadow army, or more commonly known as the shadow assassins.

"Haru!" I shout while blocking multiple attacks at once.  I kick some of them to the ground and fight off the others that are still standing.  There are about 15 of these assassins.

It's clear that they have the upper hand, so I decide to go into my dragon form. I close my eyes and a bright white light glows around me and not a second later, large wings appear on my back and a tail appears on my lower back. The arms of my wings are a forest green color and the skin between them is a golden color. My tail is also forest green with golden underbelly scales, like my wings, and I have long golden fur that grows on the tip of my tail.

The shadow assassins look at me and then resume to battle me. I swing my tail at them and they get knocked over and into trees. The others run for me but I flap my wings and get lifted into the air. I then flap my wings together to send a massive force of wind, knocking and blowing more back. I dive for a group of them and I swing at them with my sword, slicing them in half. I land, thinking I've dealt with them, when I look back and see that the slices I made in them molded back together using more shadows. What the...

My thoughts are interrupted as a black chain wraps around my neck and pulls me back. I gasp for air and tug at the chain that's choking me but it comes to no avail. I look around for anyone that could be by. I've gotten separated from Haru. I manage to free myself before the rest can jump on top of me, but I manage to use my wings to knock them back.

"HARU! KATIE! ANYONE!?" I scream this time and one of the assassins plant a punch to my face, dazing me just enough for six of them to tackle me to the ground.  I kick and punch them from the floor and they disappear into a black and purple mist.  What the heck?

The 9 assassins that are left take their chance to lunge at me all at once.  I try to draw my sword but I realize I don't have it, it's way off to the side.  Everything goes into slow motion.  I stick my hand out in front of me to protect myself in any way I possibly can.  I hear my name being called by three different voices but I can barely hear them.  A green glow appears from my hand and the assassins who once stood inches from my outstretched hand, ready to finish me off, we're blasted back by a green beam so powerful, it disintegrated all of the figures into mist.  It went right through the base of a tree, causing the large tree to timber.

After the glow disappears, I open my eyes and lift my head to see the destruction in front of me.  I made an entire tree, one that had probably been standing there for 100 years, timber in a matter of seconds.

I look to the side of me to see three people staring at me in awe, confusion, and fright.  "Lloyd..." Katelyn says. What the hell just happened?

"I see it finally happened." A voice came from behind me. I turn around to see Splenda.

"S-Splenda.." I stutter. "I-I'm sorry I..."

She walks up to me and places a hand on my shoulder. "There is no reason to be sorry, son. You have every right to be scared or confused. There is something I haven't told any of you, but I am afraid I cannot help you very much with it." She offers her hand and I take it, standing up.

"W-what are you talking about?" I ask her. I want to know what is going on with me. What just happened? How did it happen? WHY did it happen?

"Come children. I shall explain everything to you in my home." She says, walking away. I look at the others and they look back at me, just as lost as I am. I put my wings and tail away and follow her closely. The rest trail behind me as we trudge along the fallen leaves, sticks, and plants.

We walk through the village in silence. Not a single word was spoken until we all had entered Splenda's house and closed the door. Her house is very nice. It's a bit small, with clean hardwood floors, plain sandstone walls that were tinted the slightest shade of purple, nice furniture in the living room, and the kitchen is very roomy. Each room is candlelit and relies on the light from the windows during the daytime.

Splenda takes us to her fireplace in the living room and pushes on the stone tiles in a specific order. The fireplace then opens up and turns into a sort of elevator, waiting for us to step in.
Woah, this is cooler than our secret passageway. I think. Everyone in the village has some kind of secret passageway that leads into a windowless secret basement. It's just one the reasons of why our village is so mysterious. It also helps to hide from the Overlord's armies.

We step into the elevator and we head down into the basement. When we arrive we are met with an even nicer living space. It is a decently sized room with actual painted walls, lamps, a communication system sitting on top of a desk, and a very nice bedroom. The communication system is used for contacting people all the way across the island! Really cool considering the only way to contact anyone on the island is by letter or by word. She seats us down on some black couches in the center  of the room and she sits across from us.

"I find it very ironic that earlier today I mentioned that you four were more special than I led you on to believe, and then the very thing that makes you so special suddenly appears a few hours later." She laughs to herself, trying to lighten up the mood, but we are all to confused to feel any other way at the moment. She clears her throat. "Okay, there is something you all don't know about me. I have this... power."

"Power?" I ask. What kind of power?"

"I... have the power to see someone's destiny."

We all become even more confused. "See someone's destiny?" Haru asks, not believing a word. "What's that suppose to mean?"

"It means when I look at someone for a specific period of time, I see what destiny has in store for them. I know if that person has greatness in store for them, or if something bad will happen to that person."

"Soooo, you can see into the future?" Haru says.

"Technically, yes. But, destiny isn't the same as seeing into the future. I can't see their future exactly, but I can see who that person will become."

"I think she's lost it." Katelyn whispers into my ear.

"Here's an example: Lloyd and Katelyn, when I first saw you two as babies, I got a glimpse at your destinies. A vision, if you will. I will not spoil it, because that information getting out before you figure it out yourself could damage your futures, but I saw you as a handsome young man and you as a beautiful young woman. You two were fulfilling your destinies in that vision, and I saw it all in a matter of seconds. When I saw all of you, I saw your destinies, and I knew you would be the ones to stop the Overload."

"Wait, so you didn't choose us because we were orphans, you chose us because you knew we were destined to defeat the Overlord?" Ash asks her.  She nods.

"But none of this is explaining that green light that came from me!" I say more desperately then I anticipated.

"I'm getting to that. You see, the power I possess, is what you'd call an element."

"What? Elements come from science. Not, being a fortune teller like you." Haru interrupts.

"I get that you're frustrated, Haru, but if you continue to interrupt me you will never hear the end of my story." Splenda looks at Haru and he slumps back into the couch in defeat.
"Anyway, to put it in short, I am the elemental master of foreseeing destiny,"  We stay quiet. We've heard tales of these so-called elemental masters, but we never considered them to be real. We thought they were simply just stories.

"And you all are also elemental masters. Haru, master of shapeshifting. Ashley, master of healing. Katelyn, master of dark energy and telekinesis. And Lloyd, master of elements."  Silence continues to fill the room. If someone were to drop a pin in the room above us, we would all surly hear it.

"So... that green light... that came from my hand... was my... element?"

"Yes, yes it was." Splenda says.

"Wait, you said Lloyd was the master of elements. What elements?" Ashley steps in.

"Lloyd's power is mysterious. He somehow possess the power to wield multiple elements. Not just one like you or two like Katelyn. Honestly, I've never even heard of someone with more than one element, but, here you two are.  I don't know what types of elements you hold, Lloyd, but that green light was one of them."

"Is... this what you wanted to tell us before? On the beach?" Katelyn asks.

"I wasn't sure if I should tell you. I didn't know if you were ready, but it looks like destiny thought you were."

"Wait, you said I was telekinesis?" Katie asks Splenda.  Splenda nods.  "I don't think telekinesis is an element..."

"It technically is." I jump in.  "Telekinesis is the ability to move, manipulate, shape, and control anything like objects, liquids, substances, and any matter.  Telekinesis is the root ability of each elemental ability."

"How do you know so much about this?" Haru asks me. 

"I have my sources." Is all I tell him.

We all stay silent for another minute when Ash breaks it suddenly, "So, what do we do now?"

Splenda scratches her cheek and closes her eyes. She opens them after a minute. "I will need to contact an old friend of mine. I cannot help you to get engaged with your powers, I am simply a teacher of martial arts. But, this friend, is someone who trains elemental masters."

We all look at each other and with no further explanation, are dismissed to go home. When we exit her house, the sky is painted with streaks of orange, pink, purple, and red. Haru and Ash walk hand in hand on their way to their homes, while Katie and I trudge silently along the gravel path. As we pass each house and come further and further to reaching the market the sky already begins to fade into a navy blue with thousands of stars dancing along the deep blue sky.

The sun has almost set by the time we reach our home. We silently slip off our cloths and into our pajamas and we then head into our separate rooms to go to bed. I'm half way climbed into bed when I hear a knock at my doorframe. I turn my head to see Katie. I motion for her to sit on the bed with me and she does exactly that.

We sit in more silence until she finally picks up her voice, making us both jump considering how silent we've been for the past hour and a half. "Why us?"

I avoid her gaze. "I... don't know. I mean..." I trail off.

"In all the stories we've heard about elemental masters... most of them say that the powers run in their family..."

I look at her.

"Do you think... these powers..." she looks at her hands. "Do you think... they run in our family too?"

I look her in the eyes. We've never talked about our birth family before. It's never been a topic for us. Sure, we've wondered about them, but we never really talked about them.  "There... is a chance." I say. "But maybe..."

"Maybe that's why they didn't want us." She finishes my sentence. "Maybe they knew we had these powers, and no one else in our family had powers, and they got freaked out, and that's why they threw us into the ocean. Maybe the villagers were right, we are cursed." Her voice breaks and tears flood her eyes. I rarely ever see Katelyn cry. Tonight must have really frustrated her.

I quickly move to her and embrace her in my arms. She cries onto my shoulder and I rub her back. "It's okay..." I tell her. "I don't know why they threw us away, and I don't think we ever will. But maybe they didn't actually throw us away! Maybe there was an accident, and as a result of it we somehow ended up here." After a while, she seems to be convinced enough and pulls away from me to wipe her tears. She looks at me and see's my shirt soaked from her tears.

"I-I'm sorry... I got your shirt all wet..." she chokes.

I place a hand on her shoulder. "No, no Katie I don't care about the shirt. It's you I care about. You're my twin sister, and I would rather die than have it be anyone else."

She sniffs and nods her head. I take out my pendent from under my shirt and hold it out towards her. She sadly giggles and pulls hers out as well. We put the two together and look at the completed circle. ☯️

"You're my other half, Katie." I tell her reassuringly.

She sniffles. "And you're mine." We pull our pendents away and allow them to hang outside of our shirts. "Well, I'm going to bed now. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." I say in return.  I fall asleep and I wake the next morning to find I'm the first one up. I don't want to wake Katie up so I slip out of bed and go upstairs to prepare breakfast. She wakes up when I'm just about finished and groggily climbs the stairs and walks over to me.

"Morning dork." She says to me while yawning.

"Morning weirdo." I say back.

"Whatcha making?" She says, admiring my cooking.

"Rabbit stew." I say stirring the pot.

She yawns. "Again?"

"What can I say? The forest is full of them this time around."

"Uh, that's not true. It's fall, rabbits aren't really around in the fall."

"Well this time they are." I say as I shove a bowl in front of her. She takes it and shovels some stew into it. She then takes a spoonful into her mouth.

"Mmmm. Even though we have this all the time, I still love it when you cook it." She says after having a few bites.

"You see? You do like my cooking."

"Only when you don't burn it." She says while having another bite.

"I mean, I'm not very good at cooking. I just know how to make rabbit stew very well."

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if you gave someone food poisoning." She says with her mouth full.

"Hey!" I say back to her. "Well, next time I cook, I'll take you up on that offer. You can be my taste tester."

"Whatever bro." She says. "Save your poison for the obnoxious neighbors."

Wu POV

I sit cross-legged in the center of the room, meditating. Garmadon sits at the table placed up against the wall in the center of the room, reading Misako's scrolls.

"It's been a week since the meeting," My brother says suddenly. "We have one week.
until we leave for the Dark Island. What's the plan for when we get there?"

I stroke my beard and think.  "Perhaps it would be best to arrive on the first day and work on hiding the bounty.  Hiding the bounty will be our top priority, then we will scout the surrounding area to get to know the landscape."

"Hm.  A wise move brother."  He stands up and returns the scrolls to their container.  "What about the Overlord?  I have much faith in our students, but what if something were to go wrong?  I can't loose them like I lost the twins."

I look at Garmadon. I stand up and move over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.  "And you won't."

He sighs and nods.  "Only normally it would be three weeks until we will go visit the church graveyard." He sighs. "But with us going on this mission, I am certain we will not be able to do it on that day this year."

"You will have plenty of time before and after the mission to visit their graves. Do not fret, brother."

And with that, he be nods to me and exits the room.  He will never get over their deaths, and I don't blame him.  The loss of two of your children is greatly traumatizing.  I just hope he will one day be able to see the light in the darkness that clouds him.

Kai POV

"I don't like this. Not one bit." I say to my sister, who is working on a new vehicle in the workshop.

"You know we have to," Nya says while she works on the engine. She scratches her face which leaves a grease mark on her cheek. "It's for the good of Ninjago and the people on the Dark Island."

"How do we know those people aren't working for the Overlord? What if they're waiting for us to turn up so they can ambush us and kill us where we stand?"

She turns to me. "How do you know they will do that?"

"I'm just saying sis, this whole Dark Island thing is bad news."

"Do you think I want to go into battle with the most evil being in the whole realm? None of us do! But this is what we were trained to do. We're ninja for First Spinjitzu Master's sake!"

I look at her. "But you're my little sister, I don't want to loose you. You're all I have!"

She stops what she's doing and wipes her hands off with a towel. She comes over to me and stares me in the eyes. "Kai, you will never loose me. I'm tougher than I look." She says. I laugh and place my hands on her shoulders.

"I know sis."

Eventually, after Nya gets back to work, Jay walks in and he and Nya start to talk. I leave the room and head outside to take a walk. I walk down the mountain and along the road for a while until I reach a valley not too far from the mountain the monastery sits on. I go off the road and sit on a hill that overlooks miles of green grass and empty space. I sit there for a while, eyes closed, letting the wind blow through my hair. I try to collect my thoughts.

We have to go to an island that is home to the most evil person or... creature or whatever in Ninjago's history. This may be the most dangerous thing we've done so far. I guess I shouldn't be complaining, we're all in this together after all. But still... When I finally open my eyes, I see a person far in the distance, walking along the moors. It looks like... Sensei Garmadon?

He's too far away to have noticed me, and he has his back turned to me. I begin to walk towards him and I'm about 50 away from him when I suddenly see parts of him glow a white light. In a matter of seconds, the Sensei I've known for years, has large dragon wings and a dragon tail suddenly appear on him.

I freeze in my tracks.

The arms of his wings and the base of his tail are black and the skin on his wings and underbelly scales on his tail are dark purple. He has long black fur covering the tip of his tail.

I stare at him. He extends his wings in a stretch and flicks his tail around. He finally turns around and sees me. He freezes. We stare awkwardly at each other for what feels like an eternity when he suddenly speaks up, "Uhh," he says slowly in an effort to explain himself. "This isn't what it looks like?"