Chapter 1: Prologue

It was a cold day in January. A multi-terrain jeep rumbled in the snowy forests of Ninjago. The driver happened to be a strong-looking middle-aged man, with many scars and burns plastered all over himself from working at the Four Weapons blacksmith shop so much. In the passenger seat, there sat a little boy, who couldn't be much older than ten. He had short, spiky brown hair (though it looked more of a black tone from soot and ash since he liked working in the shop so much; especially by the flames) and unlike his father, the only scars visible were on his face: two notches right under his left eye, and one above his eye, cutting halfway into his eyebrow. How he got the scar was quite a story.

They had driven for twenty minutes in silence.

Finally, the boy tugged on his father's sleeve. "Daddy, where are we going?" he asked.

The father sighed. "To a place only I've ever been to. A place that I know from visiting so much. Ash, it's time I told you a few secrets." Ash was the boy's nickname due to his appearance.

"Tell me, daddy," Ash said with concern.

"All right, this is serious, so maybe I should not have called you by your nickname."

"Is it really that serious-"

"Kai," the blacksmith said sternly, keeping his eyes on the road. Kai was his true name. "Let me make this straightforward. You…"

He paused.

"…have an uncle."

Kai was silent for a moment.

"But daddy, you always told me you and momma were the only family we have!"

"I lied, son. I have three brothers. We are going to see the youngest one. I am the oldest of the four. My youngest brother lives in the snow, where he can focus more. He is a tinkerer, and a great mind. He has a son. Exactly the same age as you."

"Really?" Kai was getting excited.

But then his mood slowly changed. "But why can't Nya come see him?"

"She is too young to know," the smithy said. "Don't worry, your mother is there. And we are almost here." The blacksmith chuckled at his own joke as the two saw a large hollow tree in the distance. And the jeep started to approach it.

In that willow tree, the tinkerer raced around in a hurry. He tried his best to make the house look neat and organized. He didn't want to create a horrible impression on his brother, who would be coming in less than ten minutes, after a long time.

In all the fuss, another ten-year old walked in. He had whitish flat-top hair and had pristine, smooth skin.

"Father, what is all the fuss?" he asked.

"Zane, do you mind helping me tidy up the living room, please?"

But for the first time ever, the little robot looked adamant. Dr. Tinkerer Julien normally told him why things had to be done. But this time, the work came with no explanation, which Zane felt he needed before he could start.

"Father, please tell me why?"

"Not now, Zane Julien," Dr. Julien said sternly. "If we have time, I will tell you."

Zane Julien. That must mean Father is being serious. He's never been this serious to me before. Zane was a well-behaved child. What had gone wrong now? He began helping his father.

Thanks to Zane's quick work, they still had five minutes before they arrive. "I'm sorry about today. It's just that it's a very important day and I want to make it special. That's why I wanted to work first before explaining. Zane, do you remember me telling you about me being your only family?"

"I believe so," Zane said.

"Well, I'm not."

Zane gasped.

"Father you… you lied to me. I always thought you were an honest man."

"Everyone has their own secrets they have to keep. And lying is an effective yet ineffective way of doing it. I have three brothers, me being the youngest. The oldest brother is visiting us today; in fact, they will be here in less than five minutes. You will know more when he comes."

Dr. Julien kneeled down to Zane.

"I have something else to tell you too. My brother has a child exactly your age. He is coming too. I want you to be as nice to him as you can. I know you've never had a playmate before. But as it goes for everyone, remember…"

"…don't tell anyone you're a robot. I know father, I know."

"Good boy!" he said, wrapping Zane in a tight hug. "They will be here in exactly one minute two seconds, maybe longer. Zane, please go wear some nice clothes."

"Yes, Father."

Mr. Smith parked the jeep by the little hollow tree, and he and Kai stepped out of it. Mr. Smith suddenly grabbed Kai by the shoulders and looked at him, trying to be calm.

"Now remember Kai, you must be a good guest to my brother and his son. He may not understand things like your other friends do, back in Ignacia. Understand?"

"Yes, Dad."

"And remember, if he asks about the scar, don't tell him how you got it. I feel a little guilty for saying this, but we don't know if we can trust him yet. He has his secrets, and you have yours. Got it?"

"Yes, Dad."

Mr. Smith suddenly brightened. "C'mon Ash, don't be so dull! Is that how you greet one of your friends?"

Kai smiled a little. "No daddy," he said.

"C'mon, let's go." Mr. Smith walked right in front of the little wooden door, and Kai stood a few steps- actually more than a few steps- away from him. Out of shyness. Will he like me? Kai thought.

With rancor, Mr. Smith knocked on the door with two smart raps. A moment's pause, and then the door opened to reveal Tinkerer Julien.

Another pause. Then…

"Julien, is it really you?" Mr. Smith asked.

"Yes, oh yes it is, brother!" Dr. Julien cried. They both hugged each other, as if they had returned from a long journey. "You have changed so much…"

"Same to you."

"Hold on one moment… Zane, come meet your uncle!"

Zane obediently walked towards the door, yet with caution and shyness.

"C'mon, don't be shy!" Dr. Julien said, gently pulling him to the door. Zane tightly squeezed his hand as he looked at Mr. Smith. "This is Zane," Dr. Julien said. "My son."

"H-hello," he stuttered. "How do you do?"

"How polite!" Mr. Smith said. "I am pleased to introduce my son, Kai." Kai nervously walker beside his father.

"Hi," he said gently.

"Well hello to you too, my friend!" Dr. Julien said. "Now, why don't you two meet each other? Go on Zane, he won't bite."

"I know," Zane said. "He is not an animal."

Kai smiled. "Yeah, but I am pretty wild sometimes. Anyway, you already know I am Kai. You're Zane. What's up?"

"The ceiling," Zane replied plainly.

"I guess you could say that!" Kai said, smiling.

"Oh my goodness, you both are still standing in the snow. Come in!" Dr. Julien suddenly said, ushering the two inside. "I'll start a fire. Zane, maybe you could show Kai your toys while you're at it." Mr. Smith and Kai stepped in, and Dr. Julien closed the door.

"My room is this way," Zane said. Kai followed him through a small corridor. Kai could feel it sloping downwards. This led to a single doorway. Zane opened the door.

"My room," Zane said.

It was the neatest room Kai had ever seen, at least for someone his age. The desk was neatly in the corner, a wardrobe stood some feet away from it, and a four-poster bed stood on the other side. That was all that was there. Unless Kai counted the many posters of medieval Asia and the Elemental Samurai from a popular TV and comic book series plastered all over the room.

"Wow, your room is really neat!" Kai said. "It looks nothing like mine- it's a pigsty. Not literally a pigsty, but still."

"Thank you," Zane said.

"And I like the color of your room. Baby blue."

"I do not think this blue is for babies," Zane said. "It is calming to my mind. It is cool and serene."

"This shade is definitely not for babies," Kai agreed. Suddenly he noticed what was on the many posters. "You like the Elemental Samurai too?" He asked in excitement.

"Of course!" Zane said happily. "They intrigue and amuse me. My favorite is the Frosty Samurai. His ice powers are amazing, and he's a smart samurai."

"Really? Frosty is my second favorite! But Fiery Samurai has got to be the best. His attacks are so cool, and he's so caring for everyone."

"Fiery is a good samurai. As well as Earthly Samurai and Striking Samurai. And the Power Samurai," Zane added.

"You have the full collection of the minifigures too?" Kai noticed, looking at the wall full of them. "You've probably watched every episode of them!"

"I... don't have cable TV. I mean, my father has made one, but we never used even the TV itself. I get the comic books delivered every week." Zane motioned to the bookshelf, which was sure enough, filled with Elemental Samurai comic books.

"You're a true fan," Kai said. "Hey I know, wanna play a game?"

"A game?" Zane asked with a confused look on his face.

"I haven't seen you in what, fifteen or so years? How has it been?" Dr. Julien asked.

"Well, the Four Weapons haven't changed too much. The only thing that has, though, is the sign. One day, Wu gave me a map of where four elemental weapons were hidden. Said Garmadon had turned evil, so he needed to hide it. I had to put it under the sign since Kai would go ballistic about it."

"Kai sure has the aura of your uncle in him," Julien observed. "Fiery and impatient. Among other traits. They were the medieval warriors. In fact, I think that's what the Elemental Samurai were made after. Zane absolutely loves them. Just like my uncle. If you know what I mean, of course."

"Is that true? Kai loves them as well!"

"Ah, the good old days when Wu and Garmadon were still with us. It's a shame we were shunned from the family though. For not inheriting powers." Julien said.

"We were definitely the unlucky ones. I'm just happy we have twice the brain of Garmadon's."

"He definitely was the blunt one. Wu was the philosophical one. He'd throw quotes left and right, even while eating dinner. I miss them. But at least I can see you at last, brother!"

"At last," Mr. Smith said.

They talked some more.

Finally, Mr. Smith thought it was the right time to leave. "Well, as you know, this visit was a little unplanned. Let's set a date we can meet each other again."

"I DO have a falcon I need to finish making. I must say, it's one of the best I've ever made so far. I'm thinking it could be Zane's pet. Since I'm quite allergic to fur, if you haven't noticed. It'll be done by next Friday, no problem."

"I'm making a more current design of armor. It's supposed to be lightweight. Actually, I'm nearly done with it, so it will be done by next Wednesday. So how about you come to our house? If you don't mind the sweltering heat, that is."

"Not at all, not at all!" Dr. Julien exclaimed. "I must get my Vitamin C. Or D, I can't remember. And it's good to be in new environments."

"But what about Zane? Surely he is used to the cold!" Mr. Smith said.

"If Kai could adapt to our weather, He can adapt to Ignacia too."

"Point noted. Will Saturday work for you?"

"Certainly! Speaking of Kai, let's go check on the children now."

The two men left the living room and walked over to Zane's room. The door was closed, and unlike the quiet atmosphere of Zane's room, Julien could hear...

...laughter.

He opened the door- first just a crack, then a little more so both brothers could peek in. There they saw Kai and Zane playing a game with Zane's mini figures. They seemed to be very into it.

"Final duel- Fiery Samurai vs. Frosty Samurai! Who will win this battle?" Kai said.

"FIGHT!" both boys yelled.

"Frosty Samurai uses the Blizzard attack! Fiery Samurai now has 45/50 HP," Zane chortled.

"Oh yeah? Fiery Samurai uses Forest Fire! Frosty Samurai has 45/50 HP," Kai replied.

"Frosty Samurai gets a defense upgrade!"

"Fiery Samurai gets an attack upgrade!"

This went back and forth, and back and forth. "Let's not disturb them now, shall we?" Smith whispered. "They're quite immersed."

"Ah, yes," Julien replied. They continued watching the boys. Five minutes went by, and then both Samurai had only 5 HP.

"Sudden victory!" Kai cried. He spread out four cards, with white background. "Winning card is the winner."

"3… 2… 1… DRAW!" Zane declared. Both of them swiped a card from the middle.

Kai flipped his over. It said Loser.

"Aw man…" he said sportively.

Zane flipped over his card.

It said WINNER!

"I win," Zane said.

"Congrats, Zane!" Kai said. "I won the first one, so it looks like we're even."

"Thank you," Zane replied.

Suddenly, both brothers stepped into the room. "Time to go," Mr. Smith said.

"Aw man, already?" Kai asked.

"But we were already having much fun!" Zane finished.

"Zane, I'll tell you something. We're going to go to Kai's house next Saturday so he can show you his toys. How does that sound?"

"That sounds wonderful!" Zane exclaimed.

"Awesome," Kai agreed.

"C'mon Kai. We must go now," Mr. Smith said.

So Kai and Zane cleaned up his room. They both held their father's hands and walked to the front door.

"I'll see you later," Kai said. "It's been nice playing with you."

"Same to you," Zane said.

With the final goodbyes for the week said by both families, Kai and Mr. Smith hopped into the Jeep and sped off towards Ignacia.