Querencia

S1 E7: Bound For Madness*

[M/n], who couldn't be left alone for fear of his concussion worsening overnight, was meditating in Wu's room, working to keep his rage in check. Across from him, Wu was pensively observing an old, well-cared for, katana. 

So far, the wound on his shoulder and the one on his waist had begun to heal well, his busted leg was put into a makeshift brace Nya and Jay had made, and the cuts on his temple and heel were scabbed over, leaving the open wound on his skull the most worrying wound. Since it was still a worry, he had been banned from any strenuous labor, rest being a crucial part of his recovery. Zane had decided that he would be allowed to do small things - walking around for longer periods and reading. 

Finally [M/n] broke free of his meditation, reaching up to gently rub at his head to stave off the headache. He silently watched his Sensei, taking in the melancholy atmosphere only for it to be broken by the incoming stampede. 

"Well, every morning I do five hundred pushups."

"Five hundred? Ha! Try a thousand!" 

"Thousand and one, read it and weep!" 

"Read it? How? You are telling–"

"What this? Amateur hour? Sounds like my warm-up," Cole laughed. "Sensei, what does our True Potential look like if–" He shut up, quickly taking in [M/n]'s glare and Wu's melancholy nature with the katana in his hands. "Uhh, I–"

Zane pushed himself to the front, "Our apologies, Sensei. We've interrupted you."

"Do not apologize. My mind has been elsewhere since Lloyd was . . ."

"Kidnapped," [M/n] filled in sharply. His eyes narrowed. 

"Yes, correct. How can I help you?" 

"Sensei, what if we've done enough training? What if we've reached our True Potential? What if we're ready?" Cole questioned, eagerly gathering around the man. Jay nearly tripped over the cane resting at [M/n]'s side, quickly getting his feet beneath him.

Wu chuckled, "You might be in peak physical condition, but you've yet to find your inner potential, your inner peace. In each of you there are obstacles that hold you back, keep you from reaching your True Potential. Only when you conquer that obstacle will you unlock your True Potential. Only then will we have a fighting chance to stop the Serpentine from releasing the Great Devourer."

"There's more to the Great Devourer, isn't there, Sensei?" Zane asked.

"That would be correct. I, too, have obstacles within my own heart. Let me tell you a story, one you have not heard before. Sit." The four settled in a half circle around their Sensei, [M/n] staying where he was. "Long ago, when I was just a young boy, Garmadon was more than just my elder brother. He was my best friend, and I, his. All our-"

"Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah! Wait a minute! Brothers, I get, but best friends? Really? You were best friends with the 'King of Cruelty', the 'Doer of Destruction', the 'Captain of Chaos'?" Jay demanded. [M/n] leaned forward, cane in hand, and smacked Jay with it - not harshly, just heavy enough to make him yelp. 

"Garmadon was a man. Once."

Wu chuckled, "Please, no interruptions. [M/n] is correct, he was a man before he became what he is today. He was not always wicked or cruel. As a young boy, he was my protector, my closest friend and confidant. It was the day I lost this Katana that things changed. We were sparing together, and when he knocked it from my hands it flew over the Monastery walls. I knew my father would be angry, so I refused to leave to retrieve it in the hopes that it would go unnoticed. Garmadon . . . Garmadon retrieved it for me. Though not before trying to convince me to do it myself. He was the one that told me 'Do not put off what can be done today'."