Ninjago: Yin and Yang

The Monk

Ari had spent most of the day walking along the coast. It was away from the dry heat of the desert, and much less tiring. After no luck of finding the tomb, she had decided to embark and walk along the dunes, no matter how hot or tired she got.

Ari dug out her canteen from her bag, trying to drink any last moisture left inside the empty metal container. She sighed, putting it back into her bag. She looked around her. In front of her, there was a rather tall dune. Maybe if she stood on top of it she could see the tomb.

Ari crawled her way to the top, the hot sand burning her palms. She clenched her teeth, trying to ignore it. Sweat trickled down her neck to her back. The sun burning her skin through her clothes. She was almost to the summit.

The top of the dune crested, and Ari pulled her body to see over the top, letting the rest of her body collapse. She took a moment to take in her surroundings. There it was. Just a couple of dunes away, the tomb rested. Ari let out a joyfully cry, sitting up quickly and finding herself tumble backwards down the sand.

She lay at the bottom of the dune, laughing with exhaustion and relief. The sky above her turning a pretty shade of pink. Little pinpricks of starlight poked through the atmosphere. Ari placed her hands on her stomach, breathing deeply. She was almost there.

Ari couldn't help but run her way through the sand as it slipped below her trying to pull her down. She didn't care. The tomb was in sight, it was so close she could almost touch it. She quickly crawled her way up the mountain of sand it was placed on, her energy returning to her.

Her hands grabbing the rocks to pull herself up. She faced the entrance of the cave. The world around her dark as night took over. Ari looked around a moment, finding an old stick on the ground near the rocks. She picked it up, it could be useful as a torch.

Ari concentrated, her eyes fixed on the top of the stick. She closed them slowly and breathed in and out. She could feel the energy flowing through her. Her lips curled into a smile. She took a deep inhale, and with the exhale, a loud band ricochet through the desert. She opened her eyes to find the top of the stick on fire. Ari let out a small victory woop, ignoring the lightheaded feeling that came with using her powers.

She entered the mouth of the cave, leaving the outside world. Looking down, she saw a pile of old bones pushed into the wall. Ari's face twisted in disgust. Moss and stalactites hung from the ceiling. From deep within the cave, she could hear every so often, a drop of water falling from the ceiling, along with the crackle of a fire. She couldn't help but feel slightly excited.

As she walked deeper into the cave, she could see the light of the fire bouncing off of the cave walls. She could hear someone shuffling around. Ari's heartbeat quicken.

"Hello?" Ari called out, her voice echoing slightly.

The shuffling ceased. Ari's heart pounded in her ears.

"Anyone?" She looked around. "My name is Ari Pamidala, I think I was called here."

Nothing. Ari bit the inside of her cheek. She looked back to see that the fire had been put out. She rocked nervously.

Woosh. Ari let out a scream and ducked just in enough time. A ball of white-hot fire came inches to burning her face off. Ari covered her face with her arms, it still felt hot on her cheek.

She could feel someone looking at her. She raised her arms, opening her eyes. Her torch was now in the man's hands, lighting his face. Ari's eyes widened.

"Kai?"

Ari had only seen a couple pictures of him when he was way younger. Even now, she could barely recognize him. His brown had streaks of grey, and slight wrinkles on his forehead, and near his eyes and nose. A scar indented into his left eye. He wore a dark brown cloak that covered robes that reminded Ari of the pictures of Wu, the master of creation. His face wore a frown.