Ninjago: Samurai I

Chapter 17: The Time Reversal Wish

Sinking to the bottom the canal was slow for the young samurai. During his sinking, he was unaware that he slowly ungripped the Sword of Sanctuary, that started sinking to the bottom, faster than him. He could slowly feel himself losing the last breath of air he had, but he didn't care. "I have failed."* Those were the words he had in his thoughts. He failed everyone. His sister, his parents, his friends, and the Elemental Masters, both current and present. Now, all he had, was the watery grave that he was sinking to, which he soon closed his eyes, so that he wouldn't feel himself hit the bottom.

"Come on, son."* Cliff could remember his father's words.

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Several Months Earlier

Cliff was lying on his bed, grey t-shirt and black athletic pants on, it had been two days since he was brought home from the hospital. The old woman's words still in his head. "How long are we gonna keep this up?" His father's voice was heard on the other side of the locked door. They had another argument about Cliff wanting to become a Ninja. "You're a year away, and then, you get to be one."

"No." Cliff replied.

"Well, can I at least tell you something about your mother?"

"What?"

"She wanted to be a hero, but Master Wu wouldn't let her, so she took matters into her own hands, and became a samurai."

Hearing it, Cliff stood up, unlocked the door and opened it. "A samurai?""

Cliff, once you're old enough, you can be what you like. Remember what that old lady said to you?"

"Everyone is a hero, no matter who they are."

"That's the spirit, son. No matter who you are, you will always be a hero, don't let that ever doubt you." Cliff soon smiled.

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Present

As he was still slowly sank, Cliff remembered what his father and the old woman he saved told him. "I am a hero." He told himself. "And nothing can stop me. Not Acronix, not Nadakhan, no one!" He suddenly felt himself rising from the ocean.

Civilians were running away as Acronix walked along the street, hoping to find someone worthy of making the wish. As he searched, he notices a very young girl getting accidentally nudged to the ground by a middle aged man. "Mommy!" She yelled before she started crying.

Reminded of his daughter, whom he killed along with the other Elemental Masters, upon seeing the little girl, Acronix walked over to her, and helps her up. The girl looked at Acronix, who frowned. "Go." He simply told her in a firm and polite tone, and the girl immediately ran away. Choosing not to stop his objective of finding someone worthy, Acronix sees a young man, who was holding a camera and taking photos, and slowly went over to him. Just as he was about to grab him, a torrent of water suddenly splashed up before lowering, causing Acronix to turn and see someone in the air, glowing light blue, eyes closed, arms spread out, and eyes closed. He gasped at noticing who it was. "Walker."

The man with the camera started taking photos as Cliff opened his eyes and looked down at the man who killed everyone he knew, and those he didn't, but knew they were Elemental Masters. "My name is Clifton Edward Walker." He said aloud. "Samurai I and Elemental Master of Water. You took away the people I care about, now I will take away what you care about!" He soon held his arms out to him, creating a tidal wave behind him, rising high over him. The man with the camera quickly took off as the wave came at Acronix, who couldn't move out of fear before it immediately engulfed him. The wave moved across the street until it hits a building just behind Acronix, which he hits as the wave got bigger, until it started to slowly go down the streets. As the wave started flowing down the streets, Cliff had stopped firing the wave and was lowering down before returning to normal, exhausted from unlocking his True Potential. Once the water had gone down to his feet, Cliff slowly walked over to the building, glaring at the motionless Acronix, who laid face down.

Upon coming up to him, the young samurai, and now Master of Water, moved a foot forward to nudge the Master of Time to turn him around, but gasped at the sight. His eyes were closed, clothes completely wet, and was no longer moving. Cliff Walker has killed a man. The civilians came out of their hiding spots to see the samurai standing over the body of the man that released Nadakhan the Djinn before one young man started clapping his hands, followed by others, and soon there was cheering for his victory, but Cliff wasn't in the mood of celebrating. "Alright, Clifton!" Someone called out.

"Three cheers for Samurai I!" Another person called out. But before they could the three cheers, the young and only Elemental Master suddenly sprinted away, leaving the crowd bewildered.

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Running as fast as he could with no sense of direction and removing his armour the whole way, Cliff found himself at the steps to Borg Tower. The place where he made his debut as a hero, the place that held the Teapot of Tyrahn, and the place that Joan died.

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Speechlessly heading inside, Cliff came down into the vault, coming across his sister's body. She was still lying there, blood pool all over her body, and her hood laying nearby. Kneeling in the middle of the pool of blood, the only Elemental Master remaining wrapped his arms around her and started to cry. "Joan, Don, CJ, Max, Gabby, mom, dad, I'm sorry." He said as he moved his head closer to Joan's chest while Nadakhan appears behind him in a puff of orange smog. Before he could open his mouth, gold specks started to appear around Cliff. "I wish that I had the chance to save you."

"Your wish, is yours to keep." Nadakhan said, shocking Cliff, who had inadvertently made his second wish, and turned to Nadakhan as he gets out his pocket watch and holds it up to show Cliff that the clock was winding backwards.

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Time started rewinding from the past two hours that Cliff had a giant vendetta against Acronix, up until it started again. Cliff unknowingly found himself back in the vault of Borg Tower, along with his sister and the other Ninja, looking around for Acronix, who had disappeared. The past two hours had been erased from their minds, but Cliff suddenly started remembering those two hours. Acronix killing Joan with the Sword of Sanctuary, Minnie revealing she had inherited her father's Slow part of the Power of Time, Acronix releasing Nadakhan from the teapot, wishing the Elemental Masters away, their fighting that resulted in the teapot's destruction and the Masters' death, his first wish for Nadakhan to disobey Acronix, unlocking his True Potential and killing Acronix, kneeling down at his sister's body, and inadvertently made his second wish to turn back time. Acronix holds his hand out, immediately disappearing as the others look around just as the Blue Ninja was getting up and Acronix appears behind her, moving the Sword of Sanctuary back. Samurai I, remembering everything, quickly ran over to her, not warning her this time. Before the Master of Time could make his move, the Blue Ninja felt herself being pushed aside, onto the ground, as the sound of metal piercing metal was heard. She turns around to see Samurai I, holding the blade of the Sword of Sanctuary by his hands, while the tip of it had pierced his armour, and went into his chest, barely passing the ribs while the teapot laid next to her. "Cliff!" She yelled.

Acronix was shocked by the action as the young samurai hissed while trying to control the pain that the inflicted stab wound was giving off. "Not. This. Time." He simply said, one word at a time.

"What?" Acronix was shocked at the sentence.

With great force, Samurai I forced the blade out of him, pushing the whole sword at him, striking him in the chest with the end of the hilt, knocking him back, and lost grip of the sword, which the samurai waved it up, letting go for it to spin before immediately fall down, but he catches the handle with his hands, at the same time, Acronix quickly picked up the teapot. "Guess you were right. 'Time is mightier than the sword.'"

"So, you used it before."

The Ninja were confused as Samurai I just shook his head while clutching his wound that slowly started to bleed. "And I know all of your next moves."

"Even this?" He holds out his left hand, firing a Stop beam."Look out!" The Green Ninja yelled as they immediately duck down. When they stand up, they see Acronix heading for the elevator. "Come on!" They rush after the Master of Time to see him as the elevator door closes.

"Gumdrops!" The Black Ninja said.

Samurai I quickly pressed his communicator. "Minnie, he's coming your way." He said.

"On it." Minnie replied through the communicator as the elevator came back down.