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*On the roof of the Monastery.*
Nova had gone on to hide on the roof, since she knew Wu would come back with the good news. But after what happened earlier, she hesitated a bit on seeing the others again. Mostly Lloyd, since she was scared of what he would think.
"Why worry, when you can just leave them. Join me instead, like you were destined to, and we can rule over ninjago.~" said the voice.
"Christ on a stick, do you ever shut up, old man!" Nova growled at the voice annoyed, while grasping at her chest in pain.
"You trust those pathetic ninjas too much, mostly that fucking green ninja.~" The voice said annoyed.
Nova growled angrily at the voice, changing to her oni form. "If you had a fucking body right now, I'll kill you in a heartbeat."
"We both know in your state, you aren't capable of fighting anyone, you saw it or should I say felt it first hand. By forcing your powers to work, they gave you another crack.~" said the voice.
"Great, just fucking great, now the motherfucking Overlord is trying to act like my parent. Cut the bullshit, old man! I'm not joining you in taking over ninjago, not over my dead body!" Nova threw up her arms, annoyed.
"We can have that arranged, little shadow.~" said the Overlord.
Rolling her eyes, she changed back to her human form, when she heard Wu telling the others the news.
"Zane's alive!" said Wu.
"What?!" said Lloyd, surprised.
"Where?!" simultaneously asked Kai.
"How?!" simultaneously asked Jay.
"Quiet. All of you. Listen! I spoke to Aspheera at Kryptarium Prison. She didn't destroy Zane. She banished him to a distant realm." said Wu.
"Well, what are we waiting for?! We gotta go after him!" said Kai.
"Yeah!" Lloyd turned to Wu. "What realm?"
"The Never-Realm." said Wu.
"Huh?" said Kai.
"What?" said Lloyd.
"The Never-Realm?" Nya asked.
"I've never heard of it." said Cole.
"There are few who have." Wu turns away and hurries down the hallway, with the ninjas close behind.
"Wait! What's the Never-Realm?" Lloyd asked.
While the ninjas were talking and following Wu, Nova snuck into the room Wu had the small box and quickly replaced the small sack of tea with a fake one, before then sneaking out as she heard the others getting closer.
"According to legend, it is the most distant and remote of all realms. My father only spoke of it to me once..." Wu stops and the ninja bump into each other. "in warning." He continues walking. "He told me of all the realms of Creation, it was the one I should never visit. He told me it was a cold and dangerous place. He forbade it."
"Uh, "forbade" as in absolutely never, ever?" Jay asked.
"Why?" Kai asked.
"Yeah. What's wrong with it?" Cole asked.
"I don't know. He went there only once and said he nearly couldn't find his way home. He said it was unlike the other realms. He warned me that others would not be as fortunate." said Wu.
Wu walks into another room and the others follow.
"Well, that's just great. Creepy and vague." said Jay.
"I will use Aspheera's staff to find Zane. It banished him there. It will work for me too." Wu takes a small box out of a cabinet and opens it, revealing two small sacks. One of them containing Traveler's Tea. "Once I have found him, I will use the Traveler's Tea to bring us both home."
"You mean all sev-eight of us because we're going with you!" said Lloyd, but quickly thought that Nova might have known of this.
"Yeah!" said Cole.
"Absolutely not. I cannot allow it. What happened to him is my fault and mine alone. It is my responsibility." said Wu.
"Hey, no way!" said Kai.
"We're not sitting this one out!" said Cole.
"Zane's our brother!" said Jay.
"Enough!" Wu closes the box. "I will risk no other lives! My foolishness has already caused enough damage." He turns to the wall. "My decision is final."
Lloyd thinks for a moment. He smiles. "Okay. We understand, Master. But.. this feels a little rushed. Maybe you should just, you know, sleep on it. For a night. And come up with a game plan."
Wu turns back. "A game plan?"
"Yeah, you know, prepare. Think it all out." said Lloyd.
"Um. Yeah, yeah. Exactly! You're the one always telling us not to rush into stuff. Right?" said Jay.
Wu sets down the box. He sighs. "Very well. I will meditate on it."
Lloyd winks and smiles at the other ninja.
"By the way, where is Nova? I didn't see her with you." Wu questioned.
The ninjas look at each other nervously, not sure how to tell Wu that they kind of made her run away.
"Nova saw it as being her fault for not telling us about Zane, so she left to gather her thoughts. But I'm sure she will come back soon." said Lloyd.
"Yeah!"
"What he said!"
"We can always count on that!"
*Later at night.*
Lloyd sneaks into the room while Wu meditates. He drops down from the ceiling. He sprints past Wu and opens the box. He takes one of the sacs. He climbs onto the ceiling and onto the monastery's roof. He enters the room where the ninjas are in and closes the doors behind him. Lloyd opens the sack, taking out a sandwich.
"Ugh."
Lloyd scratches the back of his head. The latter tries sneaking back into the room where Wu is meditating.
"This should be fun." said Nova, leaning against a wall in the room the ninjas were in. Scarring them.
"Nova!?"
"Where did you come from?"
"How did you get in here?"
"When did you get here?"
Nova shrugged with a nervous smile, "A while."
"Nova look.... we umm are sorry about blaming you." said Kai.
"Yeah, we really are." said Jay.
"You probably already knew that he was alive, but couldn't tell us it. Right?" said Cole.
Nova rubbed the back of her neck, still feeling nervous after what happened. "It feels a bit like that time on the Dark Island when they attacked me." She thought to herself. "Yeah, sorry, I couldn't say anything."
Lloyd comes back to the ninja and spits out a feather.
Nova starts bursting out laughing, while pointing at Lloyd. "Ahahaha! That was so worth it!"
"Nova!?" said Lloyd, surprised to see her.
Nova, still giggling a bit, looked over at him with a small smile. "Catch!" She threw the sack towards him, that he easily caught.
"How?"
"When?"
"Where?"
"I replaced Wu's with a fake one, while you guys were busy talking about the Never-Realm. Now come on." said Nova, getting ready to leave, but Lloyd stops her by grabbing her hand.
"Nova, look, I'm really sorry for how we treated you." said Lloyd, giving her an apologetic look.
"It's fine, Lloyd, it was my own decision to not tell you guys anything. So don't try and pity me or feel sorry about it. I knew the risk of withholding information." said Nova, not looking at him as she pulled her hand free.
"Great. We have our return ticket. I wonder why Wu was so adamant about going alone. Sure, the Never-Realm sounds creepy, but how bad could it be?" Cole asked.
Lloyd let out a small sigh, knowing Nova's feelings had been hurt, but she was trying to hide it. "Beats me. Come on. Let's get the staff."
Nya puts her hand on a handprint scanner. The elevator starts descending. "What about the tracking device?"
"Right here." Pixal takes it out and hands it to Nya.
"What's it key to?" Nya asked.
"The mech. Assuming Zane is still with it, and it's within a 500-mile radius, you will see it on this display." Pixal explained.
"Master Wu's going to be pretty upset if he wakes up and finds us gone." said Jay.
"But he is upset." The elevator door opens. "He's not thinking rationally." said Lloyd.
"Yeah. He'll understand." said Cole.
"We are so doomed, or well you guys are." said Nova, stepping away from Jay.
Jay sees something and recoils. "Gah!"
The ninjas, except Nova, are all shocked to see Wu down in the hangar bay holding the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu, attached to Aspheera's staff.
"Master Wu!" said Kai, surprised.
Creation is flowing through Wu's body. The ninjas walk toward Wu.
"How'd you get down here? Y-you were just upstairs." said Lloyd.
"Give me the Traveler's Tea, Lloyd." said Wu.
"I can't do that. It's for your own good, master." said Lloyd.
"That is for me to judge. Give me the Traveler's Tea." said Wu.
"Damn, Master Wu has a tea problem." Nova whispered.
"Not helping." Jay whispered.
"Wasn't trying to." Nova whispered back.
"We stand a better chance at finding Zane and you know it. There are more of us, and we're younger, and stronger and—" Lloyd trying explaining.
"GIVE ME THE TEA!" shouted Wu.
Wu sends out a shock wave of Creation. He charges up.
"You're holding the Forbidden Scroll, master. Why don't you put it down?" said Lloyd.
"You disobey me?!" Wu questioned.
"I'm sorry, but...yes." said Lloyd.
"Oh shit, I've seen that short video so many times, of Wu getting all pissed off from this episode." Nova decided to use her grappling hooks on the ceiling and hang up there. "I'm not getting involved in this, not when I can't use my powers."
"Yah!" Wu runs at the ninjas and hits the ground with the staff, causing Cole and Kai to fall back. He tries hitting Lloyd, but the latter blocks the staff with his sword. Wu knocks Lloyd's sword out of his hand. He tries to hit Lloyd again but misses. Lloyd throws the tea at Kai and he catches it. Wu tries hitting him as well but misses. Wu knocks it out of his hand, and Kai kicks up into the air. Everyone runs after it. But Nova easily catches it while swinging around like Spider-man.
"I did not sign up to be the new Spider-man!" Nova screamed, swinging around trying to avoid Wu's attacks. She even had to use her double jump, and floating abilities to avoid him.
"Nova! Get down from there, and give me the tea!" shouted Wu.
Nova just kept screaming while swinging for her life, she at some point summoned her warfan to block what she could of his attacks. Until he got a hit on one of her grappling hooks, causing her to fall down from the ceiling but was quickly caught in Lloyd's arms. "By the First Spinjitzu Master, I thought I was done for."
"Don't think you are dying on me that easily." said Lloyd, putting her down. Before Wu knocks him and Nova to the ground. "Ahh!"
"Aaahh!" Nova, tried getting back up.
"Lloyd! Nova!" shouted Nya.
"It's the scroll, Master Wu! Don't you see what it—" said Lloyd.
"I will not risk anyone else's life! Now do as I command, and give me the Traveler's Tea!" said Wu.
"For fuck sakes. Take a god damn chill pill!" shouted Nova.
"Master, I'm really sorry about this, but you're not giving us any choice." Lloyd produces a shuriken behind his back. Jay stands by with a rope. Lloyd throws his shuriken, knocking the staff out of Wu's hand. "Get him!" Jay tosses the rope over Wu's head to Cole, and together, they wrap the rope around Wu.
Wu struggles, grunting. "Unh. Oh. The tea. The tea will not r—" Lloyd gags Wu. who stumbles backwards and sits down, angrily.
"Oh boy!" said Jay.
"Master gave us a run for our money, mostly my money." said Nova.
"Did we just tie up our own master?" Kai questioned.
"At least we know we're back in shape. Last time was just embarrassing." said Cole.
"We didn't have a choice. I'm sorry, Master Wu, but you're not thinking very clearly. Just like you were before Zane disappeared, and that's just making it worse." Lloyd picks up the staff and tosses to Pixal. "Pix, I need you to do the honors. Everyone else, on the Bounty."
"Please hurry. I do not wish to hold this any longer than necessary. It feels... strange." Everyone runs off to the Bounty except Lloyd.
"I'm really sorry about this, Master Wu. I hope one day you can forgive me." said Lloyd.
Wu muffled. "Don't do this. Don't do this! Don't do this."
"We'll be back with Zane. I promise." Lloyd runs off to join the others.
Lloyd runs into the Bounty and buckles up with the other ninjas.
"Lock and load!" said Cole.
"Pixal, do you copy?" Nya asked.
"I read you. Are you ready?" Pixal asked.
"Anyone having second thoughts? It's now or never." Lloyd looked at everyone.
"Next stop, the Never-Realm." said Jay.
"What are we waiting for?" said Cole.
"Let's get the show on the road." said Kai.
"Another adventure, let's go!" said Nova.
"We're ready." said Nya.
"Here we go." Pixal lifts the staff, then stops, recalling her nightmare.
Aspheera fires her magic. "Look out!" shouted past Lloyd.
Pixal holds the staff in the air, summoning all her concentration, and points it at the Land Bounty, casting them to the Never-Realm.
Wu muffled. "No! Please..." Pixal tosses the staff aside, casting a suspicious look.
*The Land Bounty spirals through the portal.*
"Ahh!" Everyone screamed.
"What's-what's happening?!" Jay asked.
"Whoa, whoa." Land Bounty tips upside down. "Whaaa!"
"Hold on, everyone!" shouted Lloyd.
"To what!?" shouted Nova, looking over at him.
"Anything!" shouted Lloyd.