Chasing Shadows (Lego Ninjago)

Chapter 9: Be determined

The Ninja had been knocked unconscious by The Shadow Man's poisonous gases, they were now tied with their hands bind to one of the bars of the cage that they had been flung into, apart from Lloyd, his hands were still cuffed, just not attached to any bars of the cage.

They were slumped and slouched in random positions. This cage itself was a pure black, powerful mist, that hung 50meters over a pit of dark fire. Every 2minutes or so, the cage would be lowered roughly 70centimetres.

Kai was the first one to groan, blinking a couple of times before straightening his back and running a hand through his randomly spiked up hair, he stared a chain reaction. Jay sat up before looking around and punching Cole in the arm, who immediately woke up, Zane and Reanne both rubbed their eyes and straightened up.

"Hey, Lloyd! Get up!" Cole croaked, his voice rough from just gaining consciousness.

"Mmph..5minutes dad.."

"C'mon, wake up!" Jay slapped Lloyd in the face to get him to sit up.

"What..? Oh! Where are we?" He snapped into the real world.

"Quick update: we've been caught and are in a cage above a bubbling hole of mystical death" Kai informed simply "And Reanne is awake"

The Ninja all turned there faces to Reanne, whose knees were up to her chest, her chin was resting on her knees and her gaze fell on them all.

"Aha, hey, you can call me Rea, actually" She pulled a weak smile "Do you..remember?" She asked to no-one in particular.

"Remember, what?" Zane pondered, all the boys stared at Reanne in confusion.

"Just.." She sighed, a curl of her black hair fell from tucked behind her ear as she looked slightly down "I'll tell you later"'

"Wha-" Lloyd began, but the cage jolted down, causing them all to clench in their stomach.

The Shadow Mans silhouette appeared on the whole walls surface area to the side of them, with a low and haunting chuckle. His hand reached out from the wall a brushed the cage, so it rocked from left to right, with the Ninja still inside. Jay let out a 'yelp' but it wasn't too loud to be criticised. All their frightened eyes looked at The Shadow Man with hatred.

"I'm glad you are all here to witness my escape from this ghastly body" He waved his hand sideways as he spoke calmly "Which is the last thing you will ever witness"

"What do you want with us?!" Kai spat as he rose to his feet in the shaking cage.

"I want Ninjago, the City rightfully belongs to me!" It rose its voice.

"I don't know what it is..but that place has had a terrible run of luck" Cole murmured.

"You all have a reputation. If I get rid of you, then no-one will stop me! With the Protectors of Ninjago gone, and the precious Ultimate Spinjitzu Master dead..the people will loose hope and realise there is no escaping! Nothing will stop me this time! Not you. No-one!" The Shadow Man hallowed out.

"We will stop you!" Lloyd yelled and joined Kai on his feet.

"Pitiful Ninja. One in the White suit?" The Shadow Man meant Zane. Who stood up in mention of his name.

"My name is Zane. What do you want?" Zane narrowed his eyes.

"How long until you are burnt to a crisp if the cage moves at this constant speed?" He laughed, they could see his pearly fangs curl into a smirk.

Cole and Jay also climbed to their feet "We won't" They both said determinedly, The Shadow Man laughed and lowered his hand, causing the cage to plunge 20meters toward the pit.

Their stomachs flipped, and vomit felt like it had rose up from their throat. The Ninja of Darkness, who had been silent, stood against one of the cage bars, her eyebrows scrunched and mouth in a tight line.

"I won't let you get away with this" She spoke strong, looking directly at the Shadow and then the other Ninja "Let them go, they came for me..it's my fault they're here"

"Awh, how touching, I think I might cry"

The others were about to respond when the Shadow Minions appeared next to him.

"The mist is ready to be made, my Lord. Shall we proceed with the process?" One of the Minions asked, the Shadow Man nodded and transformed so he was on a different wall of the cave.

Everyone's trail of sight followed to find Kai's, Zane's, Cole's, Jay's and one of Reanne's Elemental Blades in a pyramid above a large glass chamber. The Shadow Man looked in the direction of Lloyd, who was fully glaring back.

Then, there was a fizzing from the Blades, and a burst of Lloyd's recreation plasma power sizzled through the weapons and into the chamber with The Shadow Man inside.

Within a second, the sparking power that Lloyd possessed was shot from the centre of where the Elemental Blades were touching, and into the glass, turned into a dark blue mist. Inside, The Shadow Man crackled and popped until he was no longer a shadow, but a black mystical person (just a lot taller than the average man) who looked like he was made of sand with no features at all apart from illuminous yellow eyes and bright white teeth inside a black mouth, slightly like the Cheshire Cat.

But he could still transport over the room like he could before, in which he did onto the wall he was on at the start of their conversation. He had grown to the height he was before, the surface area of the whole cave wall behind Reanne, and peering into the cage at the Ninja expect Reanne with a evil grin.

"Well, I see they truly did forget" He laughed.

The Purple Ninja lowered her head in sorrow, then raised it again, looking longingly at the boys "They've paid the price for too long"

"Then, you want to bring their memory back?" He asked what seemed like a rhetorical questions, none of the guys had any idea what he was going on about.

Lloyd step closer infront of The Ninja of Darkness "What's he talking about?" The Green Ninja's voice was hushed, and in Reanne's opinion, adorable.

"Come on, what'd you say, Reanne? You ready to make them remember?"