Rise of the Overlord

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I just want to say thank you to LanzVeses for commenting on the last chapter! It gave me the inspiration I needed to work on this section. So thank you, and I hope that you enjoy the Garsako.

Comments are greatly appreciated!

Jay awoke with a soft groan, refusing to open his eyes to get those last few fleeting moments of sleep. He buried his face in the crook of his elbow and turned onto his side, he felt the soft blades of grass tickling his cheek in the cool breeze.

"Jay... Jay, it's time to wake up," a voice echoed in his mind.

Five more minutes, he thought, nuzzling into the fabric of his gi.

"Jay, your teammates are waking up," the voice said. "You must wake up as well."

Ugh, fine, he grumbled. He sat up and yawned, stretching his arms behind his head as he finally opened his eyes. Where was he? Oh, right, the mountain peak. He yawned again and looked over at Cole and Zane, who were also waking up. Cole's hair wild and windblown, looking more like a black bird's nest rather than his hair. Zane, well, Zane looked the same.

"Wait, where's Shard, Wisp, and Rocky?" Cole asked, looking around.

"We are here with you," the voice in Jay's head said.

The three-ninja jumped in surprise, their eyes wide in shock. "You're in our heads?!" Jay cried, gripping his auburn hair.

"Do not be alarmed,"  Wisp said. "We have merged our spirits to become stronger."

"How will this help us?" Cole asked.

"We will be able to see your strengths and weaknesses in training from a new point of view, we will be able to help you unlock your Elemental Core, and we will help to strengthen your abilities. Just as Flame does for Kai, we shall be your guides."

"Is...is this permanent?" Zane asked.

"Do you see everything we do?!" Jay cried. "What about when we have to change? Or shower? Or use the bathroom?!"

"We will give you privacy,"  Wisp responded. "We respect your boundaries and personal needs. And as for being permanent, we shall remain unified until the day you wish to sever our bond. It will not affect your elemental abilities or spirits, we are merely here to aid in your training."

Jay nodded in relief, "Oh, okay good."

"You three should head back to the Temple, your sensei's and friends are probably wondering about you."

Jay, Cole, and Zane looked at one another, then nodded in agreement. As the trio made their way down the steep mountainside, the Lightning Ninja kept glancing at the other two. They had a strange aura around them, a sense of new energy and power flowed from them. Did he have that aura, or was it just Cole and Zane?

Maybe he just imagined it. It had been an interesting few days since he woke up at the Spirit Coves; learning that he, Cole, and Zane had been corrupted by the Overlord, Lloyd had been captured, tortured, beaten, and presumed dead by Kai, and that Kai, the reckless hothead, had somehow mastered a new power, found Lloyd and saved the trio. Then he learned that Ultra Dragon was actually the original four Elemental Masters, Lord Garmadon was now good, and that there was a Temple of Darkness in Ninjago.

"You okay there, Jay?" Cole asked, holding his hand out to him.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, just thinking," he said, taking the outstretched hand. Cole helped him maneuver through the rocky base until they reached the solid ground of the Temple courtyard. Jay thanked him for the help as they walked into the main room, where the Instrument of Destruction hung from the ceiling. The massive charcoal black bell hung in the center of the room, giving off an oppressive aura that made the teenagers shiver.