Legends of Ninjago Book 2: Rise of the Serpentine

Chapter 4: What is the Green Ninja?

The monastery was on high alert for several days after the attack and everyone seemed to be standing on pins and needles as they waited for the Prince of Darkness to make his move. Wu had sent Keaton out to investigate in the South, but she had yet to return, leaving the air feeling far too still and quite. Meanwhile, the boys' training continued.
    Amidst the fantastical weapons and element training which they received daily, they were also subject to regular academic subjects such as mathematics, history, and english & grammar. Zane always thought that this was primarily done for Kai and Jay's benefit, seeing as how they did not finish school, but while in the classroom he found himself learning all sorts of things which he previously did not know.
    On one such day, after Cole had been released from the infirmary, they were all sitting together in a small room with Sensei Wu who was going over ancient Ninjagian history.
    "But what many do not know is the existence of an ancient race known as the Serpentine who ruled over the Suiden, Taiyo, and Masshiro provinces from the year 85 to 1190," Wu was saying. "Half man, half snake, they came from five tribes: the Hypnobrai, the Fangpyres, the Constrictai, the Venomari, and the Anacondrai. However, following the defeat of the Anacondrai near the end of the second century, they were overthrown by humanity, sealed away in ancient tombs, and died out. You can see a great deal of Serpentine influence in these old tapestries and paintings dating back to..."
    Interesting as this was, though, the legends of snake-people were fairly common in Ninjago and when Wu moved on to the third century it became harder to find any real interest in what he was saying. Zane attempted to be diligent in all of his duties, but his mind was still very much distracted. When they had all returned from their mission to the Underworld, he finally had a chance to talk to Sensei Wu.
    He had come to his study late one evening and sat down in front of his desk.
    "I suppose it's been unfair of me to make you wait this long for one answer," Wu had said, putting down his tea cup and looking up at his pupil. He sighed lightly before continuing. "Your father was a good man. I knew him as Dr. Julien. He was a scientist and an engineer, looking for a simpler life, which he found with his son."
    Zane looked down at his hands resting on his knees and tried to remember any such moments as his Sensei had described, but his farthest reaching memory was of him waking up in Sakana village all those years ago.
    "I don't remember," he said, swallowing hard. Then he looked up suddenly. "Were we happy?"
    "Yes," Wu replied. "At least as far as I could tell."
    "And... what about my mother?" Zane asked. He could feel his chest tighten with dread, and Wu didn't answer for a few seconds.
    "I'm afraid I never knew her," he said. "She wasn't with you then."
    Zane looked down again. She was either dead or divorced, living somewhere out there, but there was way of knowing.
    "And you don't know what... happened to us?" He continued.
    "I'm afraid not. I lost track of you for several years and no one has seen or heard from Dr. Julien for about as long." Wu seemed reluctant to share this knowledge, probably because he knew that it might upset Zane, but the young man kept his composer, thanked his Sensei, and left the room quietly. The moment he was alone, however, he let a large gasp of air escape his lungs and his body felt so weak that he needed to lean against a wall. After all this time he finally had an answer... so why did it make him feel so... sad?
    Now here he was, four months later, sitting in history class at the monastery mulling over this information. It wasn't much to go on, which was probably why it bothered Zane so much. His first clue to his past and it only gave him more questions! Of course the most logical thing to do would be to find his old home and search for any more clues that might tell him more, but that would—
    "And thus concludes today's lesson," Wu was saying. That was the signal to get up and go to the next training session or class. The other boys were quick to leave, but Zane trailed behind them at a small distance, not feeling in the mood to talk to anyone.
    "Zane!"
    Zane snapped his head up and saw Kai, Cole, and Jay looking back at him, staring.
    "What, are you on another planet or something?" Kai asked.
    "No," said Zane, a little more than confused.
    "We asked if you wanted to play Fist to Face 2 with us later," Jay explained. "Bet you can't beat my high-score!"
    "Oh, please. A five-year-old with a broken hand could beat that score," Kai said with a grin.
    "Um, thank you, but no," said Zane, just as Jay was ready to turn on Kai, and he went back to his walk.
    "All right, suit yourself," Cole sighed as he, Kai, and Jay left in the opposite direction.
     The other boys typically used their time after classes to play mindless video games on Jay's E-Boi which he had snuck into the monastery--Zane wasn't even sure if Sensei Wu knew of its existence--but Zane didn't really understand video games all that much, so he was generally left out.
    Sunlight from outside a pair of doors caught Zane's eye and he opened them to reveal a warm autumn sun shining down on him. Pleased with the weather, he stepped out and closed the doors behind him, then walked slowly through one of the many courtyards enjoying the last rays of sun they'd be getting before winter set in.
     He looked up at the sky, dotted with clouds, and continued to think about his parents and where he might have come from when suddenly he spotted something moving on the roof. He looked over and saw a small black bird—a falcon—sitting on the highest point of the dark shingles overhead. It appeared almost as if the creature was looking at him, but a moment later the bird was flying away.
    In any case, if Zane was to actually investigate the disappearance of his father, he'd need to take a brief leave of absence, and that wouldn't do. He had to keep focused on his training for now, especially with Lloyd Garmadon out there doing who knows what. He was silently envious of Kai in that his parents were prisoners of war and needed to be found as soon as possible, with people like Wu actively searching for them. Meanwhile Dr. Julien was a case that could be easily handed over to the police and would likely not bear any fruit. If he wanted to really look into it, he would need to wait until after the war was officially over and his training was a little farther along.
    All this thinking of parents was making Zane more than a little homesick. Then, out of nowhere, his nose caught the scent of dinner being prepared in the kitchens a short distance away. Perhaps he could make himself a little dessert to cheer himself up.