Ninjago:Rising

CHAPTER FIVE

Cole had always felt a connection to the earth. It sounded cliché, he knew, but there was something grounding about it—something solid and unchanging. Maybe that's why he'd always been drawn to rocks and dirt, to climbing and hiking. It was like the earth spoke to him, called to him. Today, though, that connection felt different. Stronger. More... alive.

He was at his usual spot, a quiet clearing in the woods behind his house. It was a place he came to think, to clear his head. He spent hours here, lifting rocks and hauling logs, building up his strength. His dad used to call it "Cole's Gym." He said it built character, but Cole just liked the way it made him feel—powerful, like he could take on anything. Today, though, he wasn't feeling so sure.

Ever since the explosion at the reactor, something had been off. It was like there was this energy inside him, this pressure that he couldn't release. He tried ignoring it, chalking it up to nerves or stress, but it kept building, like a storm gathering strength.

He took a deep breath, trying to shake off the feeling. "Alright, Cole," he muttered to himself. "Focus. Just lift. Get your mind off it."

He grabbed a large boulder, one he'd been eyeing for weeks but hadn't dared to try lifting yet. It was huge, at least twice his weight, and covered in moss. He bent his knees, planted his feet firmly on the ground, and wrapped his arms around it. He took another deep breath and heaved, pulling with all his might.

For a moment, nothing happened. The boulder felt like it was glued to the ground, immovable. But then, something shifted. It was like a wave of energy surged through him, radiating out from his core and into his arms, his legs. He felt the ground beneath him tremble, and the boulder began to lift, slowly at first, then more easily, like it was floating in his hands.

"What the...?" he gasped, nearly dropping the boulder in shock. He set it down carefully, his heart racing. That wasn't normal. He knew his own strength, and that was definitely not normal.

He took a step back, looking down at his hands. They were shaking, and he could still feel that strange energy coursing through him, like he was connected to the ground in a way he'd never been before. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on the feeling, to understand it.

As he concentrated, he felt something shift beneath him. The earth seemed to respond to his thoughts, the ground rippling and moving like water. He opened his eyes in shock, and sure enough, the ground was moving, the soil rising and falling as if it were alive.

"No way," he whispered, taking a step back. The movement stopped immediately, the ground settling back into place. He stared, his mind racing. Was this real? Could he really control the earth?

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Okay, Cole," he muttered. "Focus. If this is real, you need to figure out how to control it."

He closed his eyes again, focusing on the connection he felt to the ground. Slowly, he imagined the earth rising beneath his feet, lifting him up. At first, nothing happened, but then he felt that same surge of energy, and the ground began to rise, lifting him off his feet.

He opened his eyes in shock, looking down to see a small mound of earth lifting him up. He was actually floating, standing on a pillar of dirt and rock that he'd somehow created. He grinned, excitement bubbling up inside him. This was incredible!

He willed the earth to lower him back down, and it obeyed, the mound sinking back into the ground until he was standing on solid earth again. He laughed, a mix of relief and excitement flooding through him. "This is insane," he said aloud, looking around as if expecting someone to jump out and tell him it was all a joke.

But it wasn't a joke. It was real. He had powers—earth powers. He could control the ground, shape it, move it. The possibilities were endless.

He spent the next hour experimenting, testing his limits. He found that he could create small mounds and pits, move rocks with a thought, even cause small tremors in the ground. The more he practiced, the more he understood how it worked. It was like the earth was an extension of his body, responding to his thoughts and emotions.