Lost

6

Kai POV

I rolled over in bed after Nya left, her playful smirk still fresh in my mind. She'd said it was just a prank—nothing serious, just something to get under the others' skin. It was typical Nya, always one step ahead of everyone else, pulling the strings of some elaborate joke while keeping that cool, collected look on her face. I'd gotten used to it over the years, trusting that she'd always handle things in her own way.

I should've paid more attention. But I didn't.

Instead, I sank back into the pillow, letting sleep take over again. Nya deserved to have some fun, after everything she'd been through. A year trapped as the ocean, and now she finally had the chance to breathe again. She needed this—needed the freedom to just... be herself. And I figured this prank was her way of grabbing a little piece of that.

The morning passed like any other. I woke up again, greeted by the usual chaos of the monastery. Lloyd was already eating breakfast, Jay was fiddling with some gadget, and Zane was running diagnostics on the new equipment he'd installed. It felt normal. Calm, even. None of us had really thought to check on Nya—why would we? She always found her way back, no matter where she went.

But after an hour, I noticed Zane scanning the area, his focus sharper than usual. I raised an eyebrow, brushing off the growing worry that tugged at me.

"Hey, Zane, what's up? Looking for something?" I asked casually, pouring myself a cup of coffee.

Zane didn't look up. "I'm scanning for Nya. She hasn't been seen since this morning."

I chuckled, waving it off. "Oh she'll probably be back soon."

Zane's face didn't change, but I saw his fingers twitch, his processor working overtime. "It's been longer than expected, Kai. I am unable to detect her energy signature in the immediate vicinity."

I frowned, glancing at the clock. Two hours had passed already. Okay, a little long, but not out of the ordinary. She was probably hiding somewhere, laughing at how we were all running around like headless chickens.

Jay started pacing back and forth, his usual fidgety self cranked up to max levels. "What if she's in the city? I mean, she's been cooped up here since she got back. She's probably exploring Ninjago again. But still... two hours..."

I could hear the worry in his voice, but I tried to shake it off. "Relax, Jay. It's Nya we're talking about. She's not helpless. She's probably laughing at us right now."

By the third hour, the tension in the monastery had doubled. Zane had gone into full scan mode, sweeping the entire monastery grounds and extending his search into Ninjago City. Jay and Lloyd kept tossing ideas around about where she could be, mentioning every possible hideout or favorite spot she used to visit. They even checked the Samurai X cave—twice.

Nothing.

My stomach started twisting itself into knots, a sense of dread creeping in. I didn't want to admit it, not to them and definitely not to myself, but something felt off. Nya's pranks were clever, but she always left clues—little hints that would give her away eventually. But this time, there was nothing. No trail, no sign. Just... nothing.

By the time the fourth hour rolled around, I could see the worry etched onto everyone's faces. Jay's pacing had turned into full-blown panic. "We've checked everywhere! I can't find her anywhere! What if something happened? What if she—"

I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to steady him, but my voice was weaker than I'd like. "Jay, calm down. She's fine. She has to be fine."

But my own confidence was slipping. The knots in my stomach tightened as I stared out the window, looking toward the city we'd searched over and over again. Something wasn't right.