The Silent Man's Whisper [ninjago]

27 | frightened

"True power comes from within," Wu said, his footsteps detected by Nya's ears as he slowly walked around her in a circle. "It is never truly gone, only lost. One has to seek mental clarity in order to find it again."

Nya inhaled deeply, held her breath for a longer moment, and then exhaled slowly through her lips. Her eyes were closed but she could still feel Wu's presence behind her, next to her, in front of her, all at the same time. Her crisscrossed legs were starting to cramp up which she tried not to pay any attention to.

She used her other senses to pass the time. The hardwood of the Bounty's interior was uncomfortable to be sitting on for a prolonged period of time, and the thin carpet draped over it didn't help. The scent of kimchi filled her nostrils and she knew that Jay was making dinner since that was his favorite meal, all day, any day. He was also the only one liking the Korean cuisine.

"Your powers are not permanently gone, Nya. They are inaccessible but still inside of you." Wu stood up straight in front of her sitting form and gripped his staff tightly. "Place your hand in front of you and activate them, your powers."

Nya extended her right arm and opened her palm. She thought about relaxation, about a bed of flowers, roses, tulips, lilies, about calming walks on the beach at night and a candlelit dinner with the love of her life.

A smile graced her lips when she felt a jolt stir inside of her, starting from her heart and going straight to her fingertips. She opened her eyes, expecting to see a bubble of water hovering above her hand like she had seen countless times in her past, but there was nothing. Her hand was dry. There was nothing in the air but a lonely fly flying past her face with an annoying buzz.

She pursed her lips in frustration but managed to keep the words on the tip of her tongue to herself. Nya was already angry at herself, she didn't need Master Wu to be angry at her as well.

"It is fine," he assured, but Nya could sense the hint of a lie in his tone.

It was not fine. They both knew that.

With six villains on the loose, the ninja needed all the support and help they could get. While having Nya herself back was great, her not possessing her powers was a huge setback for the team. Six working powers were better than five.

"Take a break, Nya. We will try again later."

Nya stood up and felt her cramping legs crack back into place. Without saying a word to her master, she walked out of his quarters and headed for her own room, her face still and expressionless.

Once she opened the door, she was glad nobody was inside. Jay was out making dinner, meaning he had already changed and wouldn't have to come back to their shared bedroom. Nya looked at the time on her nightstand before lying down. She still had about fifteen minutes to herself to think about everything that had happened within the few days the ninja had been reunited.

Between breaking her family out of Krypterium and discovering their next big threat, Nya forgot what it was like to just exist for the sake of existing. Her whole life was before her but her earthly responsibilities brought her down and restricted her from living the life she had always wanted to live.

She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down.

Jay's voice came from the loudspeaker from the upper corner of the bedroom, telling everyone inside the Bounty from various loudspeakers that dinner would be ready in five minutes.

Nya got out of bed and changed into more comfortable clothes. Then she walked out of the bedroom and made her way to the dining room.

While passing the bathroom, she heard painful grunts and groans coming from inside of it. She stopped. "Hello? Everything okay in there?"