Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 62: Return of the Sight

Jay brightened when the nurse announced the arrival of the rest of the team, and sat up straighter in his bed when Wu, Lloyd, and Zane walked in. All smiled in apparent relief at the sight of their friend awake and no longer looking white as a ghost. Lloyd visibly relaxed and smiled. "Hi, Jay."

"Hi, guys," Jay grinned and chuckled. "Wow. I don't think I've ever been the center of attention like this before!"

"None of us have ever been sick like this before," Zane responded seriously. "Jay, you were very close to dy—"

"A-hem." Nya shot Zane a look. She sat beside Jay on the bed.

Zane looked at Nya uneasily. "Oh. Um. I'm sorry— I mean—"

Thankfully, Matilda chose that moment to make her appearance, provoking an introduction between Jay and the witch. Matilda was gruff and to-the-point as always, and Jay seemed interested by this queer character. "So you're the witch," he said.

"So you're the Lightning Ninja," she retorted.

"Got any magic spell to make me heal super-fast?" he quipped.

She snorted, "Some things are better off healing by themselves."

Jay might have responded if he had not realized some members of his group of friends were missing. His gaze drifted curiously to the door. "Where're Cole and Kai?"

His answer was a long, awkward silence. Zane and Lloyd shared an uneasy glance, and Matilda tightened her lips. Wu sighed. "Kai, along with Skylor, are still missing. From what we've heard from a friend, they could be trapped in different realms. We have no idea where they are."

Beside him, Nya laid a hand on Jay's shoulder. "But they were released from the Dark Sleep, too—at least, we think so. They're probably all right, just really confused and trying to find a way to get back home."

"Oh..." Jay took several moments to process this bit of news. At length he asked, "Where's Cole?"

Lloyd, Nya, and Zane glanced down at the floor. Matilda's gaze was unidentifiable, but she looked away. Wu gave Jay a sad smile, but said nothing. The silence wore on for a few seconds more, and Jay felt his stomach sinking.

Something's wrong. Where's Cole?

"Where's Cole?" he repeated. He turned to Nya, wordlessly demanding her to look at him in the eyes. "What happened to him?"

As if she had heard his unspoken plea, she raised her head and gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile, though the reassuring bit failed rather pathetically. "He's OK. He's out in the hall. I'll get him." She stood up and brushed past Lloyd and Zane to get to the door. At the threshold, though, she paused and glanced back at Jay. "Just—be gentle with him." With that, she left.

Be gentle with him? Jay frowned. What in all of Ninjago was going on? If Cole was alive, not captured by the Moon Tribe or trapped in the Dark Sleep, then why was everyone acting all weird? Lloyd was staring down at the floor, suddenly finding his shoes quite fascinating. Zane looked at Jay uneasily.

Wu seemed to sympathize with Jay's bewilderment. "It will be clear soon, Jay," he said. "Don't worry."

Nya opened the door, looking behind her—with Cole close behind.

Jay's head reeled at the sight of his best friend. He couldn't suppress a low gasp, the only noise he made that expressed his shock. He stared at the linen bandages wrapped around Cole's head and over his eyes, and the bloody stains that were brown with age. Cole was supporting himself on some sort of cane, walking carefully. Nya stepped away to give him room. The support cane wasn't the only thing he supported himself on, although Jay barely took note of the girl his age helping Cole. Between the stranger and Nya, he looked strangely pale and small—not like the Cole he knew at all.