Onyx and the Possession

Ghost Story

Wu hissed through his teeth as Morro appeared in the distance, riding an elemental dragon. Onyx's jaw tightened as she recognized it as Lloyd's, though now its colour had darkened, and the eyes were dead and empty.

"Take positions!" He ordered. "Ah, I give you this much: That ninja never quits," Cole spat as the ninja dashed onto the deck, drawing their weapons. "Port side!" Zane shouted as Morro reached the ship. "The cannons!" Cole realized, pointing at Jay, who immediately dashed to the cannons and fired one at Morro, who spun into a barrel roll, dodging the projectile.

Jay's head spun to Wu as he dodged a blast of wind. "Aah! Let me get this straight. You're just telling us now that you had another pupil before us, and now his cursed spirit has possessed Lloyd, all so that he can take your staff?" He cried. "You owe us an explanation!" Onyx snapped, shuddering as Morro's eyes narrowed at her. "Morro won't stop until he gets what he's after. There's a secret message engraved on it. All these years, I had no idea," Wu said. Jay gave a shaky laugh. "Of course. Ha, just another day in Ninjago," he said.

"If this is as fast as the Bounty goes, I think we're in for some serious trouble!" Cole shouted suddenly as Morro leapt from his dragon and landed on deck, a deranged smirk twisting across his face, marring Lloyd's soft features. Onyx gritted her teeth. She didn't want to fight either of them, but it didn't seem like she had a choice. Wu hissed through his teeth. "I need ink and parchment to make an imprint to see what's on the staff," he said, just loud enough to be heard over the roaring wind.

"Kai and I will take you to our quarters while Jay, Onyx, and Cole will keep him busy," Zane volunteered. "Oh, that's honorable of you to nominate us," Cole snapped. "Yeah, we didn't fare so hot last time. Why is it you get off with the easy task?" Jay whined. Zane grinned. "Because I'm the intelligent one," he said. Onyx raised an eyebrow at him. It was rare he let his veiled arrogance slip out.

"Onyx, you come too," Wu ordered. Onyx glanced back at Jay and Cole, who waved her on. Onyx could feel Wu's eyes boring into her as she led them below deck. He knows.

They ran through the hallway, heading to Wu's quarters, where he always kept a jar of ink on his desk. Before they could reach it, however, alarms began to blare, and the ship rolled violently to the side, throwing them all against the wall. Onyx yelped as she barely managed to dodge the contents of the broom closet spilling out into the hallway. As she got to her feet, Morro suddenly appeared, leaping down through a crack in the beams. "Our quarters aren't much further. Onyx, get Sensei to his quarters! Kai and I will hold him back," Zane ordered. Onyx nodded and grabbed Wu's wrist, taking off down the hallway with him.

As they moved, Wu spoke quietly. "Valsecchi," he said. Onyx nearly stopped running at the surname. She hadn't heard it in a long time. "What?" She said, unable to formulate a different response. "Valsecchi. You're Onyx Valsecchi. You're the little sister that Morro would tell me about. The one he was looking for," he said. It wasn't a question, and Onyx knew it. She flung open the door to Wu's quarters and began to go through his desk, searching for the ink as Wu snagged the parchment. "It doesn't matter anymore," she spat through gritted teeth. And yet she couldn't help but feel a tiny quiver of joy knowing that he had looked for her.

Wu frowned as she finally located the ink. "Remember that it doesn't affect who you are to the others," he said. Onyx scoffed as Wu took the ink pot and attempted to rub it on the staff, only succeeding in making a mess. "I'm sure they'll think that when he tries to kill us," she spat, snatching the ink well and flinging it against the wall, where it exploded into black spatters. They didn't have time to make the message nice and pretty.

Wu immediately dropped the subject and rolled the staff through it, picking up enough ink to show the message. He carefully moved the staff across the wall, making symbols appear. Onyx tapped her foot, desperately wanting to go back and assist Kai and Zane but knowing that she was most useful as the last line of defense. She cast a glance at the symbols that had appeared. A circle surrounded by gales, a sword, and a skull. Onyx's grip tightened around her katana as he spun to her. "Let's go," he said.