Ghost Story ► Ninjago [REWRITING]

Epilogue

   *No POV*

     A few hours after the battle, the Ninja returned to the tea shop one last time to not only take back the Bounty, but to also bring a few specific tea leaves from there with them—Borg insisted. Ronin had also said his goodbyes.

     "Don't worry," he had said to them with a mischievous grin before going his own way. "This won't be the last you see of me."

     Everyone was outside—majority of them, at least.

     Kai looked around for a few moments before turning to Nya, as she was closest to him. "Hey, have you seen Scarlett?"

     "She was with her brother on board last I saw. Why?"

     "No reason... just wanted to ask her something, is all. I'll catch her later."

     Inside the ship, Scarlett and Red walked down the long hall, side by side, toward one of the smaller training rooms way below deck—it was barely used anymore.

     "You seem to be okay now," she pointed out.

     He nodded, no longer limpy. At this point, they were far enough that even if the others were on board, they wouldn't hear the conversation that took place between them.

     "During the battle, Sensei told me not to overexert myself when using my magic... is there something wrong with me?"

     She frowned. "Of course there's something wrong with you. You're becoming more reckless by the day, not taking care of yourself."

     Red shook his head at her. "That is not what I mean. Perhaps I did go too far in that fight—but one should not lose blood over simple exhaustion."

     Now she looked up at him with sudden concern. "What are you talking about?"

     "At the point of what I assume was overuse... I felt as if somebody had stabbed a knife through my chest and was slowly twisting it... or something like that, at least. My body refused to function, Scarlett—I could not even walk without assistance. I coughed out blood."

     Both serious and confused, he looked down at her. "Does this happen when any of you excessively use your elemental powers?"

     "No... no, it doesn't." Scarlett's eyes widened as she instinctively grabbed his arm. "What else did Sensei say to you?"

     "Nothing else besides what I already said—simply to not overexert myself. We did have more crucial issues at the time, after all."

     "Does anything else hurt? Are you sure you're feeling completely alright?"

     "Scarlett, I promise you I am alright now."

     But by now she wasn't having it. Her mind drifted to solutions that were far out of reach. "Red, you don't think that Anacondrai tattoo Chen forced on you has anything to do with this?"

     He only blinked a few times. "But that tattoo was removed from my back and Skylor's after the generals banished Chen's army. If that was the case, would she not feel effects too? She appeared perfectly well when speaking with Ronin."

     "Skylor doesn't have her elemental powers back yet... and your magic is clearly playing games with you right now." She frowned, slipping off his jacket. "Let me see your back. If I'm wrong, then that's great news, right?"

     Red let out a small sigh before pulling his shirt off and over his head, turning around so he was facing the wall. "Zane did say that PIXAL sensed an unknown force in my body... whatever that means. Do you see anything?"

     Scarlett carefully examined his back, but found nothing except plain skin and muscle—not a single tattoo in sight. "No..." After getting on her toes and peeking over his shoulders, she gave up. "Sorry, I guess I overreacted... but an unknown force? That's not something to just brush off, you know. Plus, Zane and PIXAL are rarely ever wrong."

     "I understand." He nodded, turning back around and preparing to put his shirt back on. "I will ask Sensei about it. Though there is no guarantee he knows the answer..."

     As soon as the front of his body faced her, Scarlett's eyes widened. Her expression grew alarmed and she stopped him. "Red. Red, look."

     "What is it?"

     She was staring directly at his chest. Right in the area of his heart were what appeared to be thin scars in the form of uneven bolts sprouting. Instead of being a normal color, they were an extremely dim purple.

     Red lowered his head slowly and cautiously to look at the marks on his body. "Scarlett..."

     "What... is this?" she asked, gently placing her hand on the scar. This made him flinch—no matter how soft her touch, it stung. "What's... happening to you?"

     "I do not know..." he replied, his lips slightly curving downward into a frown. "Truly, I do not know."

     The faint sound of the others were then heard as they climbed onto the Bounty.

     "I'm starved! Zane, you cooking tonight?"

     "But of course. This is a time for celebration, after all."

     "Yes!"

     A slight wind blew in the direction of the siblings, making them both whip their heads to the side. But they were quick to wonder how a wind could have even entered the room without any windows nearby.

     "It cannot be Morro," Red mumbled, looking back toward his sister. "Was he not...?"

     "Yes, he was." Scarlett looked at his chest once again, finding the scars spreading just an inch more on him. The dim purple began to glow softly. "Red..."

     They stared at each other, and for a long moment, silence hung between them. Then Scarlett spoke, her voice lowering to a whisper—almost as if she was afraid anyone else but him would hear.

     "Something bad is going to happen... isn't it?"