The Splinter in the Blind man's eye (español)

Capítulo 1 (inglés)

There is a man in Ninjago. He lives in an abandoned temple

near the peak of the highest mountain. It stubbornly clings to the mountain's steep snow-clad sides. The wailing winds pummel the time-worn rafters in a continuous battle between the cold, the wind, age, and gravity. Yet still, people go to see him. The journey up the mountain is tough and dangerous. How many lives the climb has claimed thus far, one can only guess. If you encounter one of the visitors by the foot of the mountain, they won't return your greeting. You may notice a determination (or is it desperation...) in their eyes as they stare into the mist that hides the summit. These people call him the lone hermit in the temple - THE WISHMASTER, though he goes by many names as his tales are passed from one wanderer to the next. Those who are brave and foolish enough to make the climb only do so when all hope is lost. Drifting through the inns and taverns scattered below the mountain are tall tales and whispers about those who have returned. About how they have changed. About how these lost souls seem to have returned filled with hope and an all-new purpose. But these survivors never once speak about the Wishmaster upon their return home. No one shares the stories of their trials and tribulations faced while up there in the wailing winds. But one thing is for certain: they have changed. Is it worth risking your life for this journey? I would never dare to brave the mountain myself, but I have no doubt it is worth the ascent. If you have nothing to lose, nothing is a very small wager if you can gain everything."

Or so the legend goes. There's no telling just how many times this fabled ghost story has been passed on from one estranged wanderer to the next. But the look in the kind old lady's eyes who has just passed on the tale once more suggests this tale is one she likes to tell. The distant yet excited gaze in her eyes tells me that she desires to make the climb just as much as the next desperate fool yet knows she wouldn't make it far. I can't help but feel just a little sorry for her. We all carry deep and sincere desires that given the chance to make a reality, one would jump straight in at the mere thought. For me, those desires are far more complex and convoluted than those of the average bystander. My life has never quite known the definition of the world 'normal', but I suppose destiny has slightly grander plans for you when you're the grandson of Ninjago's very creator.

I'll never forget the day it all changed, and I was set on a whole new path in life. The day I stormed Jamanakal Village with nothing but empty threats and ancient folk-lore to strike fear into the residents, demanding candy of all things. The day my now-brothers and teammates hung me up at the mercy of the townsfolk and experienced public humiliation like I never thought possible. We sure have come a long way since then... well, most of us at least. I suppose Jay will always be the same jokester at heart. How-or why they came around on me and gave me a second chance is beyond me, especially at the rate I was going. Sometimes I think about where I'd be in life right now had I never opened that first Serpentine tomb. Would I have still gone on to become the legendary Green Ninja? Would the Final Battle have still taken place as foretold on the walls of the Temple of Light? Would Ninjago City still be standing at all? The possibilities are endless, though I do not like to plague my thoughts with a reality I will never know, especially when I need to keep myself grounded in both reality and the present now more than ever before.

I look around and find myself completely out of my comfort zone. Inns and taverns have never been an ideal setting. it always feels as if someone has it out for you in places like this. Though I also wouldn't call physical embodiments of entire realms comfort zones either, and at this point, I honestly can't pick which is worse. It's strange. Technically I have been here before, or at very least in this part of Ninjago. Yet my memories of it are incredibly faint, to the point of not being memories at all, rather flashes and glimpses of a time long forgotten. Though one could argue that you shouldn't expect much else with a separate, vengeful entity steering your body around as they see fit. I remember very little of Morro's possession, and honestly, I count that as a blessing. Last thing I need haunting my memories right now is the damage and pain done to my friends and family. all at my own hands. I've never had ample time to sit down and reflect on these experiences, always moving from one fight right to the next. I barely had time to properly mourn the loss of my own father before voyaging out to the Dark Island in search of my mother. Yet I can't help but shake this feeling that I'm missing something in-between, though Jay and Nya are somehow always there to assure me that I'm simply overthinking things. I should probably follow up on that when I get home.

The others know that I'm here, yet don't know why. This journey is one I need to see through on my own, and I know the others well enough by now that there was only one way I could come here alone. I don't necessarily feel good about being indirect with my intentions, but sometimes they can be a little too overprotective. Especially Kai. Sometimes I feel like this wouldn't be the case if I weren't the youngest on the team, even though, by a technicality. P.I.X.A.L. is the youngest by a good decade or so. Yet I'm not so sure the others take the aging of a Nindroid so literally, and perhaps I shouldn't either. Regardless, I had to throw the others well and truly off my scent for this one. Not even Master Wu knows what I'm truly pursuing, and if he does have even the slightest suspicion, he chose not to confront me about it. As far as they know, I'm simply taking some time off the team to deal with the horrific resurrection of my now demon-like father, the revelation that I myself am part Oni and the untimely-death of Harumi. Which, to be fair, isn't exactly a lie in itself. I have a lot to work through right now, and this ascent - while far from the wisest path forward - may be the only way to find what it is I'm looking for. For all I know, this supposed Wishmaster doesn't even exist, and my upcoming climb of Ninjago's tallest mountain will ultimately result in disappointment and desperation. Though after everything I've encountered over the years, from maniacal time travellers to criminal warlords to the embodiment of evil itself, I have no trouble believing in someone capable to granting wishes at this point. Though I swear we've encountered something along those lines before... I really need to consult Master Wu on that at some point, away from Jay and Nya this time I think

I finish my beverage and thank the bartender for both the drink and the story and prepare for my trek up the mountain. As I stand up from my stool, I equip my backpack and my green cloak, yet am instantly pulled back in by the barkeep. She shares one final piece of ominous advice with me... or maybe it's a warning? Maybe both? Whatever the case, I'm now starting to question i whether this journey is one even worth taking, especially on my own.

'Find no trust nor peace within the wishes of the Wishmaster. Or your only wish will be that you didn't turn back sooner..."