Nalia is doing great, besides being a little sleepy. :3
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*The ninjas and Nalia arrive on a tour to the Temple.*
"Welcome to Yang's Haunted Temple, the historical landmark and former home of Sensei Yang, the notorious sensei without a pupil, infamous for creating the lost martial art of Airjitzu. Unfortunately, we can't take our tour groups inside, for rumors say anyone trapped inside its walls at sunrise, will be turned into a ghost permanently. But, if you listen closely, maybe we'll be able to hear the Ghost of Sensei Yang himself looking for his lost pupils." Patty the tour guide told the tourists while walking by the temple.
"I HOPE IT'S NOT A RUMOR, FOR IT IS OUR ONLY HOPE!" Zane yelled out loud.
Patty and the other tourists turned to look over at Zane, slightly annoyed and confused by his yelling.
"Ah, sorry about my loud friend. He's a little hard of hearing." Cole explained.
Nalia gave a long yawn, while wearing her sunglasses and a new hat the ninjas had gotten her. Since she didn't want to keep walking around wearing what she saw as a stolen beanie.
"Sorry for my sister, she didn't get much sleep on the way here." Kai jumped in when Patty seemed only more annoyed that someone was bored on the tour.
"Known for his un-" Patty clears her throat. "Usual teaching methods..."
"I thought you said you fixed him?" said Kai to Jay while trying to keep Nalia awake by giving her a mango to eat.
"At least he's no longer talking backwards. I guess my tinkering got his volume level stuck, hehe." Jay explained, giving an awake laugh.
"AT LEAST YOU CAN UNDERSTAND ME NOW!" Zane yelled to his friends.
Nalia quickly finished eating her mango but still kept on yawning. "I hate this so much."
"... Dating back, ahem, to the Edo Period..." Patty proceeded to keep explaining.
"Well, from now on, only speak if you have something really important to say." Cole told Zane as their group took the back end of the tour.
"Who put you in charge?" Kai asked.
"Lia, we understand that you are tired. But please don't fall asleep in the middle of this tour." Jay whispered to Nalia.
Nalia tried rubbing the sleep out of her eyes when looking over at Jay. "I'm trying."
"I did. After you guys mucked it up, it's my turn to be in charge. And, like me, I like my plans simple. We sneak in, learn Airjitzu from the Ghost of Sensei Yang, then get out before sunup." Cole told him.
"Since Morro already knows Airjitzu, we just have to hope he hasn't figured out the next clue." said Kai, giving a glance over at Nalia. "And that we can get a head start before him."
"Well, the sun is setting, which means we should head back to the bus. Wouldn't want anyone to turn into a Ghost." Patty giggles and began leading the tourists back to the bus.
*Later at night, Cole and Jay try to open the windows, but Zane and Kai just open the door.*
"Oh, uh, okay." said Cole, the ninjas went on inside. The door closes and locks by itself without them noticing.
*The ninjas and Nalia enter a room in the Temple.*
"Oh." Cole sees a Spykor in front of him. "Argh!"
"Relax. If this place is truly haunted, we just need to wait until he shows himself." Kai told him.
"Uh, he should've been here by now." said Jay.
Nalia glanced around the room, checking out some of the pictures on the walls. "Looking at pictures at night is creepy."
"You heard the tour guide, if we're not out by sunup, we'll be Ghosts." said Cole feeling uneasy.
"You didn't buy into that malarkey, did you?" Kai questioned.
"Hey, I don't wanna be a Ghost. Who wants to be a Ghost? Why didn't anyone warn us this place would get so creepy after dark?" said Cole infrustration.
"I have to agree with Cole, well with this place being creepy at dark." said Nalia with a yawn.
"Uh, remind me again why we agreed to put the guy afraid of Ghosts in charge?" Jay asked, but wasn't expecting an answer.
"Lia, I don't think this is the best place to fall asleep in." said Cole when catching her from almost falling to the floor asleep.
Nalia let out a long and almost dragon-like yawn, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Sorry, I really am trying to stay awake."
Kai and Jay looked at each other, not sure if it was a good idea to bring her here while being all sleepy.
"LISTEN TO THIS!" Zane yelled, showing Jay a book he found.
"Argh! Allow me." Jay takes the book. "Ahem. Whoa. It says here though many believed Sensei Yang's unusually strict teachings drove his pupils away, others admit to never seeing any of them leave the temple grounds, suggesting a more sinister plot. Hah! How awesome is that?"
"Not awesome. Not even a little." said Cole while making sure Nalia wasn't falling asleep on the floor.
"Don't believe everything you read." said Kai.
"Yang was hard on his pupils for a reason, for in his words 'As iron sharpens iron, Sensei sharpens student.' " Jay kept on reading.
"Hmm. I wonder what he means by that." said Kai when suddenly they watch as a grandfather clock starts moaning.
"It's him. He's in the clock!" said Cole getting all scared.
Nalia looked at the clock and raised an eyebrow, not feeling scared one bit.
"You're the leader. Check it out." said Jay pushing him forward.
Cole opens the door and the Falcon flies out. "Aah!" Zane plays the groaning sound on the Falcon and everyone, except Nalia, laughs at him. "A prank? Really?"
"Heh, we were just trying to help you relax." said Kai calming down from his laughing.
"Yeah, heh. You should have heard yourself scream!" said Jay chuckling.
"That wasn't a nice prank." said Nalia, not finding it funny.
Zane plays a recording of Cole screaming and everyone, except Nalia, laughs again. But stops when they hear a thudding sound.
"Ah. Another prank? Real funny. Didn't anyone teach you to quit while you're ahead?" Cole opens a door and leaves.
"Uh, was that you?" Kai asked Jay.
"Not me." Jay answered.
"ME EITHER!" Zane yelled.
"Or me, I would never pull a prank like that... I'm not even sure I can pull a prank now that I think about it." said Nalia and began pondering if she actually could or not.
Everyone suddenly realizes something is wrong. "Cole, wait!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Very scary." Cole approaches a door with its handles moving. "As if I believe in Ghosts."
Nalia slowly began hiding behind the others, not liking how creepy this was becoming. But at least she wasn't feeling all that sleepy right now.
"I swear, Cole. We didn't do that." said Kai.
"Let's go back to the study!" said Jay urging him to come back.
"IT WASN'T US!" Zane yelled simultaneously.
"P-please Cole, something isn't right here." said Nalia.
"Okay, I have to admit, this is pretty good. How'd you get the handles to move all by itself? Is Nya behind there?" Cole asked when reaching towards the handles.
"Don't open that door!" shouted Jay.
They scream while Cole opens it, but nothing happens.
"Well, that was anticlimactic. Sensei Yang's dojo. This is where he must've trained his pupils." said Kai.
"Or got rid of them." said Jay gulping.
"Knock it off, guys. If that wasn't you behind the rattling door, who was it?" Cole asked, now confused about who it could be.
"The Ghost of Sensei Yang." said everyone except Cole.
"As iron sharpens iron, Sensei sharpens student." said Yang, his voice echoing in the room.
"It's the Ghost of Sensei Yang!" shouted everyone.
"Uh guys, what does he mean by "sharpen?" " Jay sees the swords on the wall start moving.
"I don't wanna stay and find out!" shouted Nalia.
"Let's not hang around to find out!" shouted Cole.
"Let's get out of here!" shouted Kai to everyone.
They run away screaming as bats chase them.
"Uh, does this mean he doesn't want to teach us Airjitzu?" Jay asked.
"Forget Airjitzu, where's the window?" said Kai.
"This way!" shouted Cole seeing a window, they panicky try to open it, but it's locked.
Even Nalia tried using some of her strength to force the window open, but it still wouldn't budge.
"Gah, we're caged in like animals!" shouted Jay while hearing Yang's laughs echoing through the temple.
"You can't be fu-mango serious! I'm getting really tired of being locked up!" Nalia growled in annoyance.
"Argh! Let's try the front door!" said Cole in frustration.
"But that's downstairs, and in case you haven't paid any attention, there's flying weapons trying to slice and dice us!" shouted Kai.
"THERE'S A DUMBWAITER!" Zane points behind Jay.
"Hey, watch who you're calling—oh, a dumbwaiter! That can take us down." The ninja go in the dumbwaiter. "You said there'd be enough room for all five of us in here."
"MY CALCULATIONS ARE ALWAYS CORRECT!" Zane yelled confidently.
"Ow, my ear. Well, turn on a light or something, because I can't see a thing." said Cole.
Zane illuminates the dumbwaiter and they see Yang.
"As iron sharpens iron..." The ninjas quickly run away. "As iron sharpens iron, Sensei sharpens student!"
*The ninjas opens the front door, but almost falls down the Ethereal Divide.*
"What is it? What's down there? Oh, wait, don't tell me! I don't wanna know!" shouted Jay in a panic.
"WE APPEAR TO BE TRAPPED WITHIN SOME KIND OF INTER-DIMENSIONAL ETHEREAL REALM!" Zane yelled.
"Oh, I told you not to tell me, Zane! Knowing that just makes things worse!" shouted Jay as he was shaking him.
*The ninjas get pulled back inside, and Yang laughs to himself. Nalia however ends up getting separated from the others.*
"Guys?" Nalia carefully walked down a hallway, trying to find the others.
The silence around Nalia was eerie and making her grow more anxious as time went by.
"Where did they go?" Nalia opened a door to a room, but it was empty and no signs of life.
Nalia kept searching for the others, but in each room she looked in she didn't find anyone. Growing more anxious and not knowing what to do in a place completely unknown to her.
"P-please, mister... Sensei Yang. We don't want any trouble, just... would you please tell me where my friends are?" Nalia stuttered nervously, not liking being all alone.
Even when asking, it kept being silent, and no answer was given to her question.
Nalia grabbed at her scarf, growing scared by the complete silence when she suddenly heard voices.
"Guys!" Nalia rush to where the sound came from, when she opened the door with a relieved smile only to then let out a horrific scream at what she saw.
When Nalia entered the room, she was horrified to see the ninjas laying crushed under a huge rock, blood spattered everywhere. Just like when she lost Morro.
"N-n-no..." Nalia stubbed over her feet, her face turning pale at the sight.
Nalia tried to get back up on her shaking legs, tears forming in her eyes when she walked over to what she could see of the ninjas' bodies. She tried reaching out a hand but hesitated.
"Not again...if-if I had just been faster. Searched a little longer, then they might not have..." Nalia felt like curling in on herself, unable to do anything when she suddenly heard voices in a different room.
Nalia shaking walked towards the room right next to this one, and opened it.
What Nalia saw in that next room, were the last straw for her. Everyone she cared about, laying dead on the floor with Morro standing over Lloyd's dead body with a sword covered in blood.
Nalia fell to the floor, all zoned out and unable to hear anything or even notice Morro walking towards her with his sword.
"I told you Lia, if you wanted your friends alive you should have stayed out of the way and joined me instead. But you clearly wasn't listening like always. Your stubbornness and care for others is the outcome for their deaths." Morro told her in a nonchalant tone, giving a small shrug. "You should have stayed in your cave, your only safe place."
"..." Nalia very quiet, too quiet that it was becoming very eerie.
"What, the cat got your tongue sis?" Morro asked standing over her with a smug grin.
Nalia slowly looked up at Morro, her eyes glowing golden as her hands had changed into dragon-like hands. "You took this too far, Sensei Yang."
Not seeing the elemental aura around Morro, she figured out that the death of her friends had been nothing but tricks. Trying to use her worst fears against her, but it seemed to have backfired after finding out the truth.
Nalia got up on her feet, a golden symbol around her stomach turned to dust as she raised a clawed dragon hand and slashed it right through the air. Creating something of a rift.
"Mark my word, if you weren't a ghost already..." Nalia gave him a deadly glare like she would with Pythor. "... I would kill your myself in a heartbeat." She entered the rift of space and was gone.
*The ninjas manage to tie themselves together with a rope.*
"All right, no matter what happens, no one can run away. We're in this together. Minus Lia." said Cole.
"Ha, ha! Ain't no thang but a Sensei Yang. Let's find him and get that Airjitzu." said Jay confident.
"Just so we're not surprised, Zane, Jay, what sort of things are you afraid of?" Kai asked them.
"Nalia!" shouted Jay.
"Jay, I know she can be scary with her bites and strength. But I don't think she is someone you should be afraid of." said Kai with a deadpanned look.
"No, look it's Nalia!" Jay pointed in front of them.
Nalia had ended up in a random room, not sure where she was or how she even did what she did earlier. But the sound of the ninjas voices caught her attention.
She nervously opened the door, taking a deep breath. When she saw the ninjas, actually alive Nalia ran over and pulled them all into a tight hug. "You alright!"
"Nalia, what happened? We tried looking for you but couldn't find you anywhere." said Cole asked.
Nalia didn't speak a word, tears running down her face as she cried while hugging them. Her hands having turned back to normal without anyone having noticed anything.
"Shhh, shhh it's alright Lia. We are here." said Kai, trying to comfort her.
"Yeah, so everything is gonna be alright now." said Jay trying to reassure her while also tying her to the rope too.
"AH! I THINK I KNOW WHAT I'M AFRAID OF." Zane yelled, gaining the others. attention. "MORRO!" Everyone, except Nalia, screams.
"Of all the times to have to fight him again." Cole said in annoyance.
"Ugh, and he already knows Airjitzu and Nalia can't fight him. We don't stand a chance." said Jay frustrated.
"Wait a minute. If we're all afraid of Morro, except Lia, this must be the next test. And how are we supposed to save Lloyd if we don't even have the courage to face him?" said Kai looking at the others.
"He's right. Let's get him." Everyone runs after him, but are slowed down due to being tied together. "We weren't fast enough."
"There he is!" shouted Kai.
"All right. Let's step together. Three. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three." said Cole as they run in sync until Kai stops at a set of stairs.
Jay accidentally hits Zane. "Ow!"
"He went up to the attic." Kai pointed out.
"Ah. Attics. Definitely near the top of the list of things I'm afraid of." said Jay nervously.
"Then let's go. I'm tired of this shit." Nalia growled in annoyance.
"Did Nalia just swear?" Cole asked.
"She must be really pissed off, if she isn't using the word mango when annoyed." said Kai.
They go up and see Morro. "He's just standing there. What do we do?" Jay asked, looking at the others.
"I don't know. But go face him, Jay." said Kai shoving him forward.
"Ugh! You face him!" said Jay trying to shove Kai.
"We'll all face him." Cole told them.
As they approach him, Morro disappears, startling them. The ninjas jump back and they see Yang.
"As iron sharpens iron, sensei sharpens student. You have passed the test." said Yang.
Nalia simply growled with her eyes narrowed at him, not pleased with him at all.
"Huh? Then you'll teach us how to do Airjitzu?" Kai asked.
Yang shows them a scroll. "Only those who see things through will reap the benefit of the reward." He gives Cole the scroll. Then turns to Nalia. "Unlike your friends, who decided to see things through, you instead try to avoid your own obstacle."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Nalia growled with her rage only growing.
"That soft heart of yours, will only be holding you back to do what you must. Limiting yourself from ever growing to what you wanna be." said Yang standing in front of her. "Open your eyes, and take in what you need to learn. Otherwise what I tested you on, will happen."
Nalia didn't say a word, though still pissed off at Sensei Yang. She did listen to what he was telling her.
"Uh guys. Why is it I can see through my hand?" Jay asked nervously.
Yang laughs. "Now you will join my students." Several ghosts rise up behind him.
"He's not just their mentor, he's their captor." said Cole taking a step back.
"The new dawn's upon us. Get out before the clock's last chime, if you can." Yang told them.
Everyone screams but falls down the stairs.
"WHY DID WE TIE OURSELVES TOGETHER?" Zane yelled to the others.
"There's no time to complain, we just have to move! One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three." Cole told everyone.
"The door! Hurry!" shouted Kai.
Cole drops the scroll. "Uh-oh! Ahh! The scroll!" He unties himself and runs back to retrieve it, while the other ninjas and Nalia get out in time.
"Ah. My hand. I can see my hand. We made it!" said Kai with relief.
Jay holds up Cole's end of the rope. "Ah. But where's Cole?"
Nalia's eyes widened in horror when seeing Cole wasn't with them. "Oh, no..."
"Don't worry, I got the scroll!" Everyone gasps. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" Cole asked a little confused.
"You didn't make it out in time." said Jay.
"Oh, Cole..." Nalia said with concern.
"Yeah, Cole, you're a... a..." Kai struggled saying the word.
Cole gasps in horror. "I'm a... ghost!"
Yang laughs as the ninjas and Nalia comfort Cole.