Back to the Beginning - A Ninjago Lavashipping Fanfiction [COMPLETED]

Chapter 12

Zane

Zane and Cole both recited the prophecy the next morning. Their teammates thought desperately for answers, but only a few things seemed reasonable to connect.
"Ok so I'm guessing 'she' is my mom." Cole said as he ducked underneath a branch.
"Mhm, and I am assuming the days will count down every time we dream of this prophecy." Zane added.
"But it still doesn't make sense, 'A brother perishes and stops it all'. I mean it could be any of us, biologically or not." Lloyd, using his sword, cut a leaf off a banana tree in frustration.
"Yeah, and 'One that returns and is not destined to be, shall finally fall and forever rest in peace'," Nya put air quotes around the two lines in the prophecy. "I'm guessing it's a villain, but who? I don't think it's Garmadon, he's locked in Kryptarium Prison with literally a dark abyss surrounding him."
"And like twenty vault doors after that." Lloyd mumbled.
"The only other person I can think of would be Morro." Jay added.
"Yes, but he decided to change his ways on Day of the Departed remember?" Kai corrected rolling his eyes.
"Oh, right.
"I wonder who the person that was left astray could be..." Lloyd asked himself, not loud enough for anyone else to hear.
Zane thought long and hard, but even his brain couldn't think of any logical ideas.
"Why don't we put this off until later, prophecies are very cryptic and difficult to decipher. I doubt even Pixal and I combined cannot solve it in a day."
"You are correct. We will only understand when destiny and time decide to interfere." Pixal articulated.
They walked the rest of the way in silence. Zane felt uneasy about the prophecy. Some lines could mean double meanings, which meant his hypothesis could go either way. He felt stressed about telling his brothers and sisters what he thought it meant. What if he was wrong? What if something fatal happened because of his judgement? He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
Scanning the area, his navigation sensors indicated they have reached their destination.
"Sensei. We are here."
A giant temple-like structure loomed in front of the group. Dark green vines grew wildly on the mossy, cracked stone, and plants protruded from the small holes in the walls. The once grand wooden doors of the structure were now cracked and old, withered down by the rain and harsh weather conditions.
"Wow. I never knew the special leaves grew in a shrine-temple-house-thing." Jay commented with a look of confusion on his face.
Misako giggled.
"It is indeed a shrine, but the history goes further back, the days of the First Spinjitsu Master."
"What's the shrine for?" Lloyd asked his mother.
"Long ago, an elemental master had the power to bring people back from the dead. He was sent on a mission to explore the Dark Island, but died and never returned. The First Spinjitsu Master went to find him, and once he was uncovered, he built a shrine to honor his bravery and loyalty to him. His body was dissolved into minerals to feed the earth, sprouting the sacred Departed Leaf. Once he was dead, there were no other children to inherit his power, so it became a forgotten element."
"Woah. That's, cool... I guess. I mean the part where his body dissolves if kinda gross." Nya smacked Jay's arm.
"Show some respect!"
He laughed nervously.
"But we must beware. My father always had a way with traps and deadly tombs." Sensei Wu warned as he stroked his beard.
"Any chance you have a riddle to help us this time?" Cole asked hopefully.
"I am afraid not. Not much is written about this shrine." Misako shook her head.
"That's alright! Power of positive thinking! We have a walking computer with us!" Jay hoped to rise the mood, slapping a hand in Zane's shoulder.
"Two walking computers this time." Kai smiled at Pixal.
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's get my mom back!" Ethan threw a fist in the air. The others followed, a new confidence filling the air.
Cole opened the doors with his earth punch, given they haven't been touched in a while. A loud creak echoed down the descending staircases and the sound of their footsteps bounced off the walls, along with water drops dripping from stalactites.
Drip, drop. Drip, drop.
Once they reached the bottom, the cave widened in different passageways, forming a twisting and turning labyrinth. The pride slowly decreased among the group.
"I sense there is a fork in the road." Zane's eyes glowed in the darkness.
"Many forks in the road." Kai corrected half to himself.
Lloyd stepped in front of the group to issue orders. "I think I'd be best if we stay together."
Nya huffed and crossed her arms. "No way. In a maze there's many ways of finding exits, so I think it'll be best if we split up."
"But this labyrinth isn't a maze. The difficult part is the illusions and tricks inside the twists and turns of the hallways." Misako educated. Nya still didn't look convinced.
"I don't get it. What's the difference?"
"A maze is a puzzle with many different ways of getting to an exit, some dead ends and others an entrance. A labyrinth is rather a one way passage that leads to the center." Zane, using his internal dictionary explained.
"Oh. I guess I just get the two mixed up."
The ninja continued down the path. Sometimes the scenery would change; one moment they would be in a sewer tunnel, the next a temple, then the next an underground jail cell. Zane noticed some cells dropped in temperature, while others were warmer. Lloyd insisted they spilt up in pairs of two this time, just to explore the confusing tunnels until they found an exit. Pixal went with Zane, Jay with Nya, Sensei Wu went with Misako, and Kai and Cole. Ethan decided to give them alone time, noticing the two were fond of each other, so he went with Lloyd. The two boys blushed furiously, but Zane could sense they were quite happy they could be alone together on the brink of danger and unknown.
Pixal and Zane walked down a hallway with jail cells on either side. Chains swayed in the breeze, but Pixal found that was quite interesting since there was no breeze.
"Maybe it is an illusion, to try and trick those who see it?" Zane thought and questioned at the same time. Pixal slipped her hand in his.
"I hope you're assumption is correct."
The hallway came to a stop. A thick, stainless steel door with a lock stood in front of them. Zane froze the lock and Pixal used her swords to cut it open. The dim light from the torches filtered in the dark room, and the temperature seemed the coldest. Grabbing a torch on the wall, the duo headed in and searched the darkness. There seemed to be no door to another room. Zane touched the cold, concrete walls and brought the torch up to it. Red stains dripped from the walls where the chains were, now laying unoccupied and cold.
"Don't you think it is strange we haven't come across a skeleton, and the cells and chains are left empty?" Pixal asked as she walked over to Zane.
"Affirmative. It is quite odd."
They continued to search the room in silence. Pixal gasped and her torch fell to the ground. Zane ran over to the nindroid and put his hands over his mouth. In the corner was a pile of bones, human bones, skeletons stacked one on top of another.
"Why are they in one place?" Zane questioned.
Just then, the steel door closed with a slam. Zane grabbed Pixal's wrist and ran to the door. He kicked and slammed, but the door didn't give away.
"It's locked!"
"Clearly! But what could've done it? There are no other life forms except..." Pixal trailed off when she turned around, face to face with a... bear? It was huge, its head touching the ceiling, and the hide was midnight black, smoke curling off the ends.
It roared and swiped at the two nindriods, but their instincts saved them from its razor sharp claws. Zane dove to the right and took his shirikens from his back, accurately throwing the flying stars at its head. The steel blades passed right through, like it was made of dust.
The bear growled, shedding its blood-stained teeth and disappeared in the shadows. Zane ran over to Pixal who drew her swords, fear present in her glowing green eyes. He protectively put his arms around her.
"Why didn't your shirikens work against it?" she asked.
"I don't know. But we must get out-"
He was suddenly tackled to the hard floor, the snarling bear holding his shoulders down and somehow appearing behind him.
"Zane!"
He stunned the bear for a second by using his element, and wiggled out of its grasp as it put its claws to its eyes. Roaring in agony, the bear trampled off into the shadows. Pixal stood back to back with Zane, eyeing their surroundings. Roars and claws against concrete sounded from the shadows. The world seemed to be spinning around and around.
"Can it... travel by shadow?"
"It seems like it." Zane responded.
Then it stopped. And eerie silence washed over their ears. If Zane had a heart, he was sure he could hear it bumping against his chest.
Then a roar boomed above them. Looking up, they saw the shadow bear lunging at them, mouth open and claws outstretched.
"Dive!" Zane screamed and they both rolled out of the way. He shot another blast of ice to its feet, but it broke away and turned on Pixal. She was cornered against the wall as the bear approached her. She whimpered and stayed still, tears starting to fall on her cheeks.
"Ninjago!" Zane used his Spinjitsu and turned the bear's attention towards him. He jumped on its back and it thrashed wildly, trying to pry him off.
"Zane don't!"
With a final blow, the beast threw Zane off its neck and he landed with a thud. It roared in his face, claws pinned against his chest. Before it could finish Zane off, Pixal thrusted her sword down on its neck, and it dissipated into golden dust.
"Zane! Are you alright?"
"Pixal, you saved my life!"
She helped him up as he leaned on her shoulder.
"I cannot loose you. You are too important to me."
Zane blushed. He intertwined his fingers in Pixal's.
"Thank you."
She smiled. They walked to the door and it opened with a creak.
"Do you think it was an illusion?" Pixal asked Zane once they left the dark room.
"Most likely, but your blade was able to destroy it. What is it made out of?"
She drew the sword from her back. It's handle was wrapped in dyed blue and yellow leather, while the blade stretched three feet long, almost shiny enough to reflect one's reflection.
"I believe titanium."
Zane took the blade from her hands and examined it.
"Perhaps the illusions can only perish once titanium touches it," he walked over to a brick wall. "may I?"
She nodded reluctantly. Zane struck the wall and it disappeared, one after another, until his teammates came in view, and mossy concrete walls were left surrounding them. A wooden door stood in the middle of the labyrinth, a Chinese character for dead, "死" (sǐ) etched in the wood.
Lloyd came running once he spotted Zane. "Zane? What happened?"
"The labyrinth was an illusion. Once it is struck with titanium, it will dissipate." Zane explained.
"Weird."
"Guys!" Kai's voice rang throughout the room. "Something's happening to Cole."
The others ran over to the earth ninja who was crumpled on the floor, shivering and shaking. He whimpered something about bringing her to the top of the tallest mountain and falling.
Sensei Wu gently placed his hand on Cole's shoulder. The black ninja looked into his wise eyes with burning, purple flames, but they soon subdued to tears. Wu didn't flinch at the flames burning in his eyes, instead he embraced Cole in a hug, his student sobbing on his shoulder before the fear melted away into soft snores.

Yay got it done before Tuesday!