Ninjago - Heart of Stone

Epilogue

Mystake stared out the window at the rain, watching it lash and run across the glass panes in streams. Her wall had been sufficiently repaired from the damage dealt by the Grundle, and she'd watched through her looking glass as Lexi defeated Overlord. It had been clever, making the deal and cheating him, albeit risky— she had to have known that toying with darkness always came with a hefty price. Her father had learned that the hard way, and she was still suffering the after effects.

"Why won't you look at me, old woman?" The childish voice behind her drew Mystake out of her reverie, and she turned to face the pair of icy blue eyes that glared up at her. This child had arrived only minutes ago, cloaked in a rain-slicked jacket and demanding she be given Tomorrow's Tea. Mystake had her reservations about handing such a precious thing off to someone so young, but the girl clearly knew what she wanted, even if she didn't know how quickly she would regret it. Mystake was a trader, not a mentor— it wasn't her job to advise those who came to her shop. They all came seeking a solution to a problem, and if she created more problems, she got more business.

Mystake held the tea in her hands, the pot smooth and warm against her skin. The little girl was staring at it pointedly, one hand held out to accept it. "Give it to me," she snapped, as Mystake continued to stand, unmoving.

"Feisty," Mystake remarked cheerfully, eliciting a scowl from the child. "Bossy." She stepped forwards and bent down low, holding the pot out for the girl to take. She snatched it from her hands greedily, but hesitated as she held it up to her nose to sniff.

Her nose wrinkled in dissatisfaction. "It has no smell," she said. She narrowed her eyes. "This is just water, old woman!"

Mystake chuckled. "Not quite," she said. "Tomorrow's Tea has no smell, and no taste. But it will change you."

The girl frowned. "You promise I'll be as old as the ninja?"

Mystake nodded, tracing a cross over her heart. "I swear it."

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the little girl flinched. Mystake watched her do so, eyeing her quizzically. "Afraid of storms?" She asked conversationally.

"Don't like them," the girl mumbled, fidgeting with the pot in her hands. "Will it hurt? When I change?"

Mystake smiled. "Not for long," she said. The girl gulped.

"Drink it quickly," Mystake said, "and I will tell you my price." The thunder rolled again, and the window panes rattled in the wind.

"I can't believe I trust you," the girl whispered, then she tilted the pot back and gulped it down.

Mystake stood back as the light began to swirl, watching as the girl writhed and jerked sporadically, her body swelling as she aged. Her white hair lengthened, her limbs stretched, and her face sharpened and softened at the same time. When the swirl of light faded, there stood before her a tall, beautiful young woman, with hair the colour of freshly fallen snow, and eyes that could pierce a man's heart as swiftly and as easily as if her gaze were a sword.

"It worked," she said softly, reaching out and steadying herself with the counter. Mystake nodded.

"And now, the price," she said eagerly. The woman's eyes narrowed.

"I'm warning you," she said, as Mystake drew closer, "I can fight— you're just an old woman, and I'm—"

"You're twenty-one," Mystake said coolly, "and if I were truly just an old woman, I wouldn't be handing out dangerous teas." She reached out a hand and ran her fingers through the woman's hair. "I need just one strand, child."

"Child?" The woman spluttered, though it was clear she was relieved at the apparent insignificance of the price. "Take it, old woman. I have plenty, it seems."

Mystake hummed to herself as she yanked a strand free. The woman winced, rubbing the spot on her scalp from which the hair had been torn. "Will that be all?" Mystake asked cordially. The woman pursed her lips, thinking.

"No." She folded her arms, titling her chin up. "Lexi Garmadon killed herself, but didn't die."
She narrowed her eyes, looking steadily into Mystake's empty gaze. "If anyone knows why, it's you."

Mystake chuckled. "You flatter me," she said, "I do know." She tucked the strand of hair into her pocket, ignoring the look of disgust on the woman's face. "Lexi Garmadon has a destiny, and it does not end with the Overlord. She will not die until the time it right."

"Until the time is right," the woman echoed softly. She glanced out the window, into the darkness and gloom, and she smiled. "Thank you, Mystake. That will be all." And with a turn of her heel, and the squeak of a door hinge, she had vanished into the stormy night.