Original - The 17th Realm (The Maniac Trilogy - Book 1)

17 - The Master of Wind

LILY'S POV

"You have water powers?!" Jay asked.

"No, it's wind. I used my wind powers to do the effects with the water."

"Wind... just like Morro!" Jay continued.

I furrowed my brows and slightly clenched my fists. "How do you know Morro?"

"He was one of my students, Lily." Wu said.

I looked at him in disbelief. "So it was you who took him away!"

"He was... chosen. I was driving him to find his true potential."

"You wanted him to be a ninja? What? Why? Because he had wind powers? Please, don't make me laugh. You could've at least taken me too."

"I thought you said you found him," Jay said, turning his head to Wu.

Found him? Oh, he found him, alright. He found Morro dead is what he did. I scoffed, grabbed my guitar and proceeded to leave.

"Lily, wait. I can explain everything..."

I turned around and put my guitar down. "I'm all ears."

"I was looking for young people with powers to unlock their true potential so that they can grow to protect Ninjago."

"So risk his life... Is that why he never came back? Is this the reason he's dead??" I snapped.

"I put him in a position to think that he will be the green ninja! The ninja who the four golden weapons of spinjitzu choose. We thought they would choose him but when they didn't... he became disappointed. He was angry with me and for a very good reason. I made him believe that he'd be the green ninja. After that he left and perished in the Caves of Despair..."

"Then we met him as a ghost. He was jealous of Lloyd being the green ninja and possessed him." Zane explained.

"He then was pulled into the water and died when he gave the realm crystal to Master Wu." Jay said.

My eyes started tearing up but I blinked the tears back. "You took away my brother... my best friend... I used to spend all the time with him until the day my parents told me he was sent off to a boarding school when, it turns out, he was actually living his life just down the road. He rarely came to visit and then we got the message that he died. The day after we got the message there was the fire and my entire life has been torn apart. Thanks a lot. And now if you don't mind, I will leave. The tea was nice, by the way."

I opened the gates to see a couple about to knock. I struggled to go past the woman because we kept going the same direction until she stopped and stared for a bit. I walked past.

"Lily?"

I turned back around. "How do you know my name?"

"Oh my god, you're alive!" She hugged me. I pulled away from the hug.

The woman looked extremely familiar... "Who are you?" I asked.

"It's me, auntie Maya and uncle Ray..."

"You were the other survivor of the fire!"

"Yes it was me!" They seemed excited to see me.

"Where were you after the fire?!" I shouted. Their faces went from excited straight to serious and guilty.

"It's a long story..."

"Long story? I'll tell you a long story. I was told to run. My parents told me to run so I took my two most valuable possessions and ran. I ran into an alleyway and stayed there the night and when I woke up I see a newspaper by my feet. Guess what the main headline was. 'Family if four perished in house fire' along with pictures of the victims and among them was me. Lower down it said 'one survivor' and there was a picture of you. So I went to the police, they tried contacting you but you wouldn't pick up! Neither of you picked up! You disappeared without a trace and left me all alone!"

I burst into tears and went to the lift.

"Lily!!"

I ignored them and took the lift to the bottom of the mountain. I walked back home and tried to take in all that I heard from everyone earlier... about Morro...

The next day I woke up, got changed and took my stuff and left. I was in a hurry because I overslept. I went to Chen's Noodle House to order a quick take away for breakfast and I just ate it as I waited for the taxi to take me to work on the other side of the city. I usually walk but I was already late. I got to work, grabbed a cup of coffee and went to my office. It was a very busy day.

Soon my working hours have ended. I went back home to get changed into less formal clothes and I went to the Monastery with Caleb. Skylor opened the gate and I apologised about what I said yesterday. I introduced her to my son, Caleb, and led us to the living room where Maya and Jay waited. PIXAL and Wu were taking care of the kids while Zane was taking care of Kai, who was in a coma for the week or so. I sat down and started explaining my story.

"Morro was just a year or two older than me. We were inseparable until the day he left the house to unlock his 'true potential' here. I lost my best friend that day. He came to visit us every three months but we grew further apart after every visit. He didn't speak much. I remember the first time he came to visit I hugged him and I was so excited to see him but he just pulled away and said hi. I asked if he wanted to play a game but he said he was busy. He was like a different person. 

A year or so later, when he visited us again he was acting himself again... he was happy and I actually played with him and talked with him as well and I was so glad that we got together again. He was so excited to see my sister, Emily for the first time as well because she was born a few days earlier. Three months later he never came... I waited another few weeks hoping one day he'd arrive but then we got the message he died.

The next night I couldn't sleep for some reason. I woke up on the middle of the night and saw a shadow walk past my window. I assumed that it was just a cat or just a tree waving around and went back to sleep. I woke up to a heavy smell of smoke. I took my teddy and this locket I got for my birthday before the last time I saw Morro" I showed them the locket and continued.

"I ran out of my room and on the left I saw Maya with my sister in her crib and on the other I saw my parents trapped in their room. They told me to run and said that we'll meet soon. I ran out of the house and down the street. When I looked back the house collapsed on itself. When the next day I went to the police to show that I'm alive they tried calling Maya and Ray but they didn't pick up the phone. 

They got me new clothes to wear, shoes and a jacket. I stayed at the police station a few nights so they could see if they could find you but you were nowhere to be seen. I was soon sent to an orphanage. I met this girl, who was my roommate who lost her parents to the attack of the great devourer a few years later. Her name was Harumi. She called herself the Quiet One but for someone who calls themselves that, she talked a lot but that might have just been me talking too little. We were best friends until she was adopted be the Emperor and Empress. I remember she asked them if she could take me with her but when they disagreed she ran up to me and we gave each other a huge hug before she left. 

I was moved to another boarding school that was for Outstanding students because I improved in everything while I was in the orphanage. I was bullied by this girl, Natalie, because I had no parents. She was really kind when she introduced me to the school but the problem was that she was my roommate. She kept pulling pranks on me and stuff but when I went to the headmaster about it he accused me of lying because she was his a-star student. One day Natalie really pissed me off and I threw her across the room with my wind powers. She got freaked out and said she would stop. She never spoke another word to me or about me again. After I graduated, I got the job as a therapist and met Cole and we got together and uh... we have a 3 month old son, Caleb who can somehow talk and walk already..."

All of their jaws dropped as a reaction to my story.

There you go, now you know everything you must know for now :)

TYSM FOR OVER 160 VIEWS BTW <333