=Red scales and black skies= [Under rewrite]

-2- The temple -2-

Cole woke up alone in the tent, the smell of food lingering in the air. He climbed out, stretching his limbs after sleeping on the hard ground.

"Look who finally awoke from his slumber!" Kai said, smirking at how sleepy the black ninja looked.

"Oh shush, i needed some sleep back after comforting you, Mr. I-need-cuddles-for-my-mental-breakdown." Cole snapped back. "Whaaaaat? We never cuddled." The fire ninja denied, crossing his arms.

"Wh-!? We had a bonding moment! I cradled you in my arms!" The other boy exclaimed, his voice breaking multiple times in one sentence. "Nope! Don't remember, didn't happen!" Kai protested.

"If you two could stop bickering like a married couple, and ate the food i cooked, that would be great!" Lloyd joked.

"I wouldn't call asking Kai to warm up the hotdogs Jay packed, cooking but alright Greenie" Nya snickered. This caused the rest of the team to bust out laughing, the green ninja burying his head in his hands in embarassement.

After the ninja ate their breakfast, and packed up their camp, they set off once again. The treck trough the jungle was long and tiring, but eventually a temple came into view. It was built upon a hill overlooking the seemingly endless treetops. Thick vines crawled their ways up the crumbling walls, moss covering the ancient stone. The marble details on the outside have long ago dirtied up and cracked, the carved runes barely visible.

Our heroes stood in front of the giant doors, thinking of a way in. "I could just break it down, considering how old it is." Cole suggested, lighting up the magma scars on his arms as a demonstration.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Zane spoke up. "Opening the door with brute force could easily lead to the temple itself collapsing."

"There has to be a way to get in." Kai hummed, running his hand along the carvings in the door. The patterns lit up at the fire ninja's touch, making him gasp in surprise. The red glow quickly spread trough the stone, the doors opening with a loud creak.

"Well, that was easy!" Jay commented as the ninja began walking down the dusty hallway. Kai used his fire to light the way, as it was pitch black othervise. The golden details reflected the flames as the ninja walked along, ancient pictures depicting gods, creatures, and battles. The path branched off into two, forcing the team to separate for efficiency. Zane, Jay and Lloyd went one way, Kai, Cole and Nya the other.

The red ninja was leading the trio, his hand raised in front of him, a small fire dancing in his palm. "I don't trust this place.." Nya hummed, glancing around. "Me neither. It gives me the heebie-jeebies" Cole agreed. A cold breeze sent shivers down the three ninjas spines.

"Tűz.."

Kai came to a halt, raising his hand to signal the others to stop too. "Did you guys hear that?" The fire master whispered.

"Hear what?" Nya asked, raising her trident in a defensive way. "Whispering" Her brother replied. "I didn't hear anything. Must have been the wind." Cole said. Kai hesitated for a moment before straightening himself. "Yeah.. Probably that.."

Meanwhile in another part of the temple, Zane, Jay and Lloyd reached a chamber, lit torches lining the walls. The camber was empty, except from a few dusty pots and broken shelves.

"It's impressive how these torches are still burning" Zane remarked, unlocking one of the light sources from the wall.

The metal handle of the torch had simple engravings running along it, and the top had a blazing red crystal, supporting the flame.

"These crystals are what fuel the fire of the torches. Interesting." The nindroid hummed, scanning the crystal. "They seem to be quite ancient. Let's take some back to the Monastery, maybe Sensei knows something about them. "

All of a sudden, a loud rumble shook the temple, dust and small rocks falling from the ceiling. "What was that?!" Zane exclaimed after steadying himself. "I don't know, but it didn't sound very nice." Jay replied, his hand traveling down to the dagger attached to his belt.

"I say we check it out. The others might be in danger! Come on!" Lloyd said, already taking off running. Zane followed after him, but Jay hesitated for a moment. "Great! Of course! Let's check out the scary sound, what's the worst that can happen!" He huffed before running after his companions.

Hello! I'm back from the dead! For real this time! The last few months have been a struggle, and i had a MASSIVE writers block, but I'm through the worst of it! This chapter is kinda rushed, and I'm not very happy with it, but it's better than nothing. Sorry for the wait, i love you my dear readers, and i hope you all have an amazing day/night! <3333