The Gold Ninja (A Lego Ninjago fanfic) //Permanent Hiatus//

Chapter Nine

(Brielle)

Dawn was gone. She had just faded before our very eyes, almost causing me to get hit by a shadow. I had reached the temple entrance unscathed. Unfortunately, the Shades were doing damage on the guys, despite their attempts with their elemental blades. It seemed as if they could harm us, but we, as physical beings, couldn't harm them. This was definitely going to be tough.

Suddenly, though, Kai spoke up from his red gi.

"Guys, I think I know how to hurt them!" he cried, panting.

"Well, telling us would be useful!" snapped Jay.

"Back when we were trying to get the Sword of Fire, Garmadon was still a shadow in this realm himself. Sensei Wu knew how to fight him, though. He used his shadow to counter Garmadon's," explained Kai.

"That would be helpful," Zane began, "but there is no sun today. Clouds are blocking it, so we do not have any shadows."

"I can help with that," I suggested from my spot in the cave.

Misako was about to ask how when I unleashed by full potential and flew into the sky, high enough that wind could blow the clouds away. After taking out my fans I maneuvered them in a way that Nya taught me, generating a huge gust of wind. I did it several more times before the clouds gave way to the blinding sun. Shadows had formed behind those below, to their relief, and they began to fight, shadow to Shade.

(Dawn)

I had successfully made it to the temple's entrance, still transparent. Now, how to I turn back? I wondered. Before, I had just willed myself to be invisible, although it definitely had something to do with manipulating the light. Perhaps I could turn opaque again by just wanting to.

Turn normal back to normal c'mon c'mon c'mon, I chanted in my head. Scrunching up my eyes really tight, I just really wanted to be visible. I also tried to feel coming into the plain of sight, limb by limb, fading into existence.

When I opened my eyes again, I beamed to find that it had worked.

Misako took notice of me and winked before using her shadow to sock a Shade in its ugly face. Brielle flew in beside me, still glowing silver and emanating her own breeze before setting down on the floor and returning to normal.

"What... what was that?" I asked her, referring to how she just was; pure energy and power leaking from every pore.

"It's what the ninja call our 'full potential.' You have to unlock it by doing something that defines who you are. All of us have it, and you probably will too in no time!" Brielle explained as the rest of the ninja arrived in the temple.

I looked around at the inside of the place. The foyer was grand, with obsidian looking floors and staircases that wound themselves all through the mountainside and deeper into its recesses. Wall sconces with purple flames lit the room to the point where the whole place had an eerie purple glow. I wondered how anyone could see in this place clearly. Perhaps shades could see in the dark; it would make sense.

"Where to next?" Cole asked Misako.

She squinted at a scroll. "I'm not sure," she said, peering in the dimness, "I can hardly read this in here.

"Here, I'll light things up," Kai cut in. He engulfed his hand in a bright orange flame that licked his fingertips and got dangerously close to the fragile paper in Misako's arms.

"No! You'll burn us all to the ground!" Misako shrieked, clutching her scroll to her chest. "Here, Dawn," she turned to me, "I'm sure you can light the way easily."

They all turned to me, and I felt my face redden under my golden hood. I wanted to disappear again, but reminded myself that I had to stay visible.

"Uh, I don't have any training..." I reminded.

"Nonsense. This can be your first lesson," Misako soothed, her voice oddly chipper.

I sighed deeply. "Okay, here goes," I mumbled.

Concentrating, I tried to replicate what Kai had done with his hand, lighting it up so easily. Had he just summoned the fire from inside of him? Turned the energy around him into fire? Or was it a chemical thing?

Despite my over analyzing, I decided to just wing it. I tried to get some light from the core of my body and move it toward my hand, attempting to feel it flowing through my veins and let it all happen. When I opened my eyes, nothing had happened.

"It's fine, Dawn, no one is going to get it on their first try," Zane comforted, his voice calm.

My cheeks warmed when he put a soothing hand on mine, and then I realized that it wasn't just my face that was heating up. My whole body felt like it was in front of a fireplace; warm but in a cozy way.

Lloyd gasped, and Jay exclaimed, "that's sick!"

Misako only smiled.

Confused only until I looked at my body, I nearly cheered. Instead of getting a ball of light or something to form in my palm, my whole body was glowing. A golden lining coated me, lighting up everything around me within a few feet.

"Thank you, Dawn. Now I can see this map that Arnold from the Museum drew up for me..." Misako said graciously.

I distantly wondered who Arnold was, but my thoughts were interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.

"Well, well," it said, "what do we have here?"

(Ravenna)

Father and the Shade (who's name was General Nox) had briefed me on the situation. There were a gang of ninja after me, trying to take me away and use me as a weapon for their cause; defeating the Shadows. Even I knew in my heart that that just wouldn't do. Who would want to kill the Shades? They seemed like a wonderful race.

Now they took me on a quick tour of the temple, showing me the beautiful mountain caverns and the center of the structure which essentially was a portal to the Shadow realm, a gaping vortex of black and violet. There were pools of glittering dark matter and rooms made completely of black diamonds. The place was grand, and, being the king's daughter, it was all mine.

Our last stop was the entrance to the temple.

We were walking in the hallway when Father said that he heard something, and I nodded in agreement. Quietly, the two of us and Nox crept into the foyer, exiting on the center staircase that looked out on the entire entrance and a little ways outside. However, there were figures on the floor.

"Well, well," Father greeted, "what do we have here?"

The group was startled and whipped around in our direction. Five were male; each wearing a different color; red, blue, green, black, and white, respectively. Three were female, one wearing gold that was glowing, another silver, and the third an elderly woman whom I knew much too well.

"Mother," I sneered.

The old bat's eyes were full of regret as she looked into mine. They should be. All she did for me was stick me in boarding schools and send me money from time to time. It was like I never even had a mother at all. But father dear had always been so kind to me, when he was around.

Misako Garmadon parted her lips and shut them again. The boy in green looked at me, his eyes both intrigued and fleeting at the same time. He looked so familiar, for some reason.

He spoke up, addressing Misako, and I instantly knew why. With a voice full of sorrow, he announced, "Mom, we're too late."

Mom.