Lost Memories

Chapter 13 Who's there?!

??? POV

These people will know no kindness. Only this frozen life. If they survive to learn.

"There are intruders to your empire, my emperor. They came through a portal." My advisor tells me, he shows his looking glass to me, showing me the intruders with their mechanical weapon.

"Bring them to me."

Kai POV

Why is this place so FREAKING COLD!!?

First, we travel to a frickin Ice Age, then! We lose the land bounty due to where we landed; THEN! We lose the Traveler's Tea! Our only way Home!!

Not blaming Cole, it wasn't his fault.

And NOW! We're stuck IN the snow, walking who knows where and I don't even have my ELEMENT TO WARM US UP!!

Elemental withdrawal already makes it super cold, I'm pretty sure I'm going to get sick here, if I don't die of Hypothermia.

"You okay there Kai?" Nya asks

"Peachy" I'm lagging behind.

I feel something drop on my shoulders. Garmadon walks ahead of the rest, up the slope, only wearing a tank top now. Looking down to my shoulders, like everyone else is, I see his Gi top resting there.

I pull it fully on. "Thank you" The Gi helps.

"We should make our way to that forest over there." Garmadon points towards it, about half a mile out. "It'll provide a decent shelter while it hits night."

Harumi runs up beside him, talking to him for a second before he turns back towards me.

"You're welcome. We're heading there to let you rest."

"I don't need to rest. We can-"

"Ray can't-" he hesitates when he sees me and Nya involuntarily flinch.

"Ray had problems when temperatures a lot higher than this were present when he'd lose his element. We're not pushing your limits." His voice is softer, not overly but not commanding anymore.

It takes a few seconds of shock before Harumi huffs and pulls Nya and Jay forwards with her.

"Wanna know something? Lloyd's a cuddler."

"He IS??" Jay asks

"Mhm! I didn't know until he came into my room a week ago. He just walked in, claiming he was bored, and-"

Garmadon is walking beside me, slightly behind but in a way where I can still see where he is. Cole's listening to Jay and Harumi talk, but still close to me.

"You've been acting differently this past week right?"

"Yes. There is a story behind us three, but Morro and Harumi's are not mine to tell, and mine is not for now. Ask again when we're not saving my son and Zane."

Ok.

When we got to the trees, we walked another few seconds in before the others started setting up a camp. They're trying to keep me by the campsite, trying to keep me from doing much while they're scouring for food and branches.

I see something, bluish like how ice works, but.. wrong. Utilizing my sneaking skills, I break away from the group long enough to walk over to the thing. Except.. it's not a thing.

"Guys! Come look at this!"

"Kai! You're supposed to stay by-"

"Just, come here!"

"What are you doing- over.. First Master."

It's a body encased in Ice. They, He, looks like he's screaming, he's scared. And the ice. It's not normal. It's dark and black and just-.

"Look" Jay's pointing behind the person.

There are more. They're screaming or running but all scared and frozen in blocks of this.. This.. corrupt Ice.

Steps in snow sound in a direction ahead of us.

"Who's there?!" Cole calls out

There's-

Pixal POV

Morro isn't that bad to be around. Almost completely opposite to what the ninja said about him.

He tends to follow Sensei Wu if he's not busy. When he doesn't, he's reading scrolls or books. He's avoided talking or being around us without Harumi or Garmadon or without prompting.

It was weird the week that Lloyd and Zane were missing. He seemed to be heavily studying or researching something, but other than that it didn't seem like he was grieving their implied deaths. He had even once said that they weren't dead; and not in the denial way a person usually would.

It's been a few hours since the ninja left for the Never Realm. It's nearing the time we usually go to bed; before that I wanted to see how Morro was doing with the Monastery being empty.

I knocked on his door, but didn't get any response. After a few seconds of waiting, I opened the door to an empty room. I hadn't seen him in any of the other rooms or the courtyard, so this is starting to confuse me.

I do remember that he wasn't in here last night either. Does he not sleep? Or does he not like it?

I was making my way to sensei's room to ask him when I heard shuffling in one of the other rooms. This one is one of sensei's personal rooms. The ones he has prepared for someone but lain unused. I knock on this door.

"Morro?" He opens the door.

"Pixal, hey, need anything?"

"Pix is fine. No, I was just wondering how you are doing with the Monastery being so empty."

"Not my first time in an empty home." He's leaning against the doorframe, the room in plain view.

"Is this where you slept last night?"

"Hm? Oh no, you noticed that?"

"I tried to check on you"

"Oh.. well, this is actually my brother's room." He gestures to the room, allowing me to enter.

"You have siblings?" I walk to the middle of the room, it has a bit of a Sun theme.

"Yeah, two brothers, both older." The bed has a red blanket with dandelion yellow pillows, and the carpet was a Corona sun. There are small additions of purple and green in places.

"Why are you in here?" I sit on the bed, facing him. He hasn't moved yet.

"Miss him I guess. It's been a while since I last saw either of them. I was dead for a while."

"And they're not.. here?"

"Not really, no. I kinda wish you guys could've met them. I really think you would've bonded with Nix."

"Not the other one?"

"Nah, he's too much of an idiot to make friends. After a few weeks maybe, but right away I think Kai would try to throw him off the mountain, if Nya doesn't first."

"Were you in.. Nix's room last night?"

"Yeah." He looks down, smiling while lost in memories.

After a few moments I spoke up again.

"I'm going to get ready for bed, good night Morro."

"Good night, Pixa- Pix."

Walking out of the room, I make my way to Zane's. Morro seems to have the right idea of sleeping in another room rather than sleeping in my own.