"I dunno Cole... I'm still gonna go on a walk I just... need to clear my head don't worry I'll be back soon and we can talk about all this alright?" He said and slowly he walked out of the courtyard leaving his best friend behind.
First master he loved Cole, it pained him so much to see that look on his face. All that worry for him and the reasurring words made from pure kindness but he just couldn't take it right now. He had too many things going on without all of his feelings for Cole being in the mix.
He just- he felt so tired. He wasn't even walking so much as he was dragging his feet across the ground.
He felt so tired and so sick all the time and it just wasn't stopping. His only saving grace that took him out from bed rest was when that thunderstorm swept through but that was months ago...
Okay he was just gonna say it.
Jay felt, dead.
He felt dead on the inside and his physical state wasn't much better.
It was like he was being hollowed out, dying from the inside. His heart felt heavy in his chest and there was always a small strained tugging he could feel, like something was waiting for him to finally leave his body.
The pain wasn't leaving though, this wasn't just some migraine or muscle strain that he could throw Advil at.
He was dying and he could feel it happening to him.
He could feel his own slow painful death as if he was already dragging his corpse behind him waiting until he found a nice spot to leave it.
And first master he wanted to tell Cole so bad he wanted to tell Nya or anybody on the team but he doesn't even know how he would begin. Would they even believe him?
What? Was he just supposed to walk up and say "oh hey by the way I can feel my life force being drained out of me like I'm connected to a bunch of threads that are slowly being snapped one by one and I don't know why or how much time I have left just thought you'd want to know!" Yeah right.
He was the jokester he panics and overreacts all the time to keep the team calm they'd believe that the overlord was coming back before they believed he was dying.
And yet, he was. And he could feel it in his very bones as all of his systems were slowly shutting down. His lightning had been the first thing to go. Or maybe his lightning leaving was the cause of this slow death? He doesn't know anymore.
At some point he just stopped feeling like lightning. He didn't feel excited or energetic anymore just lethargic. Then that's when he noticed he couldn't make his own lightning anymore. Normally he didn't need a source all the time he could make his own but when he tried it wasn't working. Then he lost his hold on electricity. Electricity was more of a default as far as he knew. It wasn't lightning but it also kinda was at the same time? Ugh whatever not like it mattered anymore he couldn't use it. Now it was like a straw had broken in him. His powers had just left if he concentrated he could make a few sparks but that was about it. And once again he didn't understand why.
He froze.
Everything seemed to suddenly hit him.
He was dying.
Jay was actually dying.
He told Cole that his powers were gone and he didn't think anyone could help him now but it all seemed to pile onto him suddenly. Like with all the cut strings of his life a weight they had been supporting finally been dropped on him.
He was going to die, he was going to die and there wasn't anyone to help him. He wasn't getting out of this one he couldn't cheat death this time like he had so many times before. He was going to die and leave behind all of his friends all of his family. He was going to leave behind his mom, his dad, Nya, Lloyd, Zane, Pixal, Kai, and- and Cole.
His story, his life it was all coming to and end. His grand finale was drawing closer the ropes had been untied and the curtains were beginning to close. Set in motion, unable to be taken back once they were released.
It was all going to be over, so many things he hadn't done that he would never get a chance to do.
First master Cole, he was never going to be able to tell Cole he liked him. He wasn't even going to have much time left with him much less the rest of his life. And he couldn't tell Cole now! Jay was just going to have to die with it. It wasn't fair to Cole to tell him just a little bit before he knew he would die.
No matter how much better it would make him feel before his death Cole would have to live on knowing it and Jay couldn't do that to him. Especially not if he was going to die in almost the same way Cole's mom did. Cole was already going to have to see both his mom and Jay die slow deaths he couldn't stack his own feelings onto that pile of hurt.
So this would be his legacy, it was all over for him at 19, his time as the master of lightning the blue ninja all just titles, soon to be passed down onto the next.
What cruel irony. He's outlived all of his friends twice. Now he was the only one dying. He shouldn't be as surprised as he is.
After all you can only run for so long before everything finally catches up.
He sighs looking up at muted grey skies. He should probably head back to the monastery if he can't tell Cole he might as well vent to Nya.
Wait a minute...
Where was he?
He looked around him apparently he'd been a little too lost in thought because now he was just lost in general.
Hey who could blame him, thinking about the fact that you're slowly and painfully dying can distract a guy.
One way or another Jay had no idea where he was. There were rock spires all around him so obviously he wasn't in the city or by the monastery.
The sky here was a dismal grey kinda like his eyes last time he checked. Master he looked like a mess last he checked. More like one of the criminals at the cryptarium prison then the guy that helped put them there.
Well if he was gonna be lost either way he might as well keep going. His feet harshly brushed the ground as he walked dragging as he moved. Then his foot caught something and he flew face first into the ground.
"Great, first I'm dying and now I'm tripping over thin air, what's next my corpse is gonna be used for some evil plan?" He muttered in frustration.
He turned to see that it wasn't actually thin air he tripped over.
"Fulgurite? But this stuff isn't in Ninjago City. It has to be made by sand and lightning which means I must be-"
First master he must really be dying if it was that easy for someone to sneak up on him because next thing he knows is that there's a sharp pain to the back of his head and suddenly everything was rippling away.
With fuzzy vision he saw two boots step in front of him and he could feel himself being lifted up before everything faded into the background and his eyes gently closed.
