Hidden in Plain Sight

Prologue

Wu used his staff to pound on the door. He heard shuffling inside the trailer as he stepped back. The door creaked open revealing the face of someone who most definitely was not Libber.

"Oh, hello. If you want to dump anything or buy anything, you must talk to my husband. He's somewhere around the junkyard."

"I'm not here for junk," Wu said.

"Well, then how can I help you," she said, opening the door slightly wider, revealing a child, sitting with his back to Wu. He glanced over his shoulder. His electric blue eyes looked perpetually curious. Now that is Libber.

"I am a friend of the boy's mother," Wu said. The woman's eyes widened. She pushed Wu backward, and slipped out of the trail, closing the door behind her.

"The adoption is final," she said harshly, "We fostered him for two years with no one coming forward to claim him. He's ours. I have the paperwork to prove it-"

"You misunderstand," Wu said, "I'm not here on behalf of his mother."

"Then why are you here? He can't know there is another mother," she said, "Jay's such a sensitive boy."

"Libber's son is special. I believe he inherited a great gift from his biological mother. He is one of the most important people in all of Ninjago," Wu said.

"I could've told you that," she said, "But why are you here?"

"To meet him," Wu said, "I've been looking for him for some time." Wu hadn't seen Libber since she left the alliance to chase a futile romance.

He'd been trying to track down the next generation of Elemental Masters. At his age, he figured it was time to get over his previous mistakes and do something he put off for too long: train up pupils to keep his father's legacy alive. And considering the evil gathering on the horizon, he decided to start with the four Masters of the Elementals of Creation.

MLilly's son was easy to find. In fact, they'd already met. Although, Wu would've preferred to meet Cole somewhere else besides a funeral.

Ray's son was harder to track down since Ray and Maya disappeared. It was lucky for Wu that Kai and Nya stayed in Ignacia and didn't disappear with their parents.

The Master of Ice was still elusive since he wasn't looking for someone related to his old friend. Rather, he was looking for someone who was a worthy successor.

But at last, after much searching, he found Libber's child. Finding him in the middle of the Sea of Sand did not ease the worry Wu had regarding where Libber had gone. He hoped to see his old friend again.

"He cannot know about his heritage," the woman insisted, "Ed and I decided to never tell him. We raised him, he's ours."

"I promise to never tell him about his biological mother," Wu said, "But your son has great potential. All I want to do is help him unlock that potential."

The woman gazed at Wu skeptically.

"I'm Edna," she said.

"My name is Wu," he said, "Now, can I meet him?" Edna hesitantly grabbed the door knob.

"If you do anything to hurt my family, I have no problem whacking intruders with my broom," she said.

"Noted," Wu said. While under normal circumstances, any threat of violence from an untrained person wouldn't mean anything to Wu, he knew better than to mess with an angry mother. They tended to overpower the greatest of masters.

The door swung open. Libber's son was standing at the door. Upon seeing him closer, Wu could see how puffy his eyes were. His lips quivered, while he attempted to appear brave.