"Over the planks, dodge the swords, here comes the dummy!" As Jay ran towards the last skeleton, the energy building beneath his skin became suddenly unbearable. He couldn't ignore it any longer, it demanded release. So when his feet left the ground and carried him into a spin, Jay didn't resist. He let his body and instincts take control.

Lightning. It started near his feet, swallowing up his body in a hazy mist of blue. What- what's happening? Even as the question formed on his lips, he already knew. I'm doing spinjitzu!

A skeleton popped into view, and he instinctively directed his spinjitzu tornado at it. This is so cool! And Cole said he'd be the first… ha!

"Jay! How did you do it?"

Aaand yep, there was that new kid, impulsive and demanding as always. Jay bowled into a third skeleton, attacking with his nun-chucks. He considered just not answering, but he knew that his teammates didn't need to lose out on account of the hot-head. And if Kai was going to be the fourth member of their team… well, he'd need to know too.

"I'm just going through the motions!" Wait, how do I stop this thing? He spun to a halt, immediately noticing the lack of extra energy. "Remember? The training course?"

"Hmm, over the planks... Dodge the swords... Here comes the dummy!" Kai repeated. He too went through the familiar motions of the obstacle course, a tad bit unsure, but gaining confidence.

Jay couldn't help but grin as the red ninja was enveloped in a fiery spinjitzu twister. "Just like that!" He tried to spinjitzu again, this time without the running start. It was a tad more difficult, but he found if he twisted his upper body, the rest of the motions flowed easily.

With spinjitzu on their side, the cavern was emptied in no time. Jay chased the last skeleton out, spinning to a stop. That was so awesome! He bounced from foot to foot, still high on adrenaline.

"Jay, get over here!"

Cole beckoned to him from across the cave. He was standing beside the blocked entrance, and Jay remembered why they were even in the caves to begin with. The Scythe of Quakes! He dashed over, taking his place beside Kai. As one, the four ninja pushed. The stone moved. The caves trembled. Dust settled. And there it was, bathed in a soft glow: the first Golden Weapon.

Cole scrambled up the stack of rocks and boulders, prying the scythe from the top. He wrapped it in burlap, tossing it down to Zane. He slid down the pile, reclaiming his weapon. "Hey, didn't Sensei Wu say there was a guardian or something?"

Jay thought back to his conversations with the Sensei. "Actually, yeah, he did."

"That's what he told me," Kai chimed in.

"As well as me."

"Well, where is he?" Cole scanned the area carefully, as if he was expecting a masked man with a sword to pop from the ground. It was making Jay anxious, to be honest.

"Would you stop that?' he asked. "The guardian-person must have died a long time ago, considering how old Sensei is."

"He's right," Kai agreed. "Nobody's been here for a long time. And I don't have time to sit around, waiting for some fictional guardian."

"We know," Jay deadpanned, Cole echoing him. "Your sister."

Kai rolled his eyes. "Let's get going."

The group left the cave, not knowing that their greatest power would become their greatest weakness.

Kai grunted, shifting his balance to keep from falling. "Can you reach them?"

"I believe so." Zane leaped up, snatched the shurikens, and instantly froze into a solid block.

Kai staggered under the sudden weight, nearly dropping the block of ice. Together, with the help of Cole and Jay, he lowered it to the ground.

"What do we do now?" Jay asked. He probed the block with his foot. "It's not like he's gonna thaw anytime soon."

"Uh, duh, fire spinjitzu?" Kai rubbed his hands together. "I'll have him out in no time."

"Not in here!" Cole hissed. "Think about it, Kai. The entire temple is made of ice!"

"A little spinjitzu wouldn't hurt it, either!" Kai argued, but the black ninja cut him off.

"Let's just get him back to the ship," he told them. "Then you can use your spinjitzu. Jay, you're with Kai. Take the sides near the back; I'll lead. On three!"

Kai hefted the ice onto his shoulder, finding it easier than he'd anticipated. He followed Cole's lead -and when did that first start?- and together, they set off. They'd almost made the entrance of the temple, and Kai's back was starting to ache, when frenzied laughter erupted from behind them.

"Skeletons!" Jay cried. "Kai, take over!" He dropped his side of the block, and Kai scrambled to correct the balance.

"Keep moving, Cole!"

The two ninja hauled their teammate down the icy stairs, away from the temple. Cole looked back, gauging the distance. "I think it should be fine now," he decided.

Kai took a step back, launching into a spinjitzu tornado. The signature reds and oranges of fire spinjitzu flashed as he wore away at the ice block. It was too hard to look down and keep focus, so he watched Cole's face. When his concentrated look melted away to concern, Kai backed off and spun to a stop.

"Zane, are you okay?" Jay appeared beside him, making Kai's heart jump. He'd thought he was a good ninja, but these three put him to shame! Well, at least in the sneaking part. Surely he was much better at fighting.

"He needs to get warmed up, now!" Cole's command woke Kai from his tangent. The other two were bracing the ice ninja on either side, and Kai realized the earth ninja was addressing him.

"I'll go have Sensei Wu start one!"

"Zane, can you get them with your shurikens?"

Cole stood off to the side, careful not to touch the walls. They were in the Floating Ruins, and he'd already seen what the crackling buildings had done to the skeletons. Electricity was everywhere, making his clothes and hair staticky, and he kept shocking himself on his own scythe.

The ice ninja threw, dislodging the nun-chucks from their hook on the wall. Jay caught the glowing weapon in his right hand... and threw in a backflip that almost electrocuted him. Cole facepalmed.

"Jay!" When the lightning ninja looked over to him innocently, Cole continued. "Don't get yourself killed!"

"Hey, relax! I had it all under control!"

Cole doubted that, but he knew arguing with Jay would get him nowhere. Instead, he turned to Zane. "Can you see Kai?"

"He's running to us now," the white ninja reported. "I sense that he bears bad news."

"Guys!" Kai appeared in the doorway, out of breath. "The skeletons are climbing the chain!"

"They are?" Jay shrieked. "And they must be close if you can see them! How the heck will we get down now?"

The lightning ninja launched into one of his complaints, so Cole tuned him out. Jay had a point though, how would they get out of the city? Running, not an option, climbing down, unlikely, flying- A thought popped into his head. Jay! Didn't he say he met Sensei Wu while testing out an invention for flight?

"Jay, can you create something to let us fly out of here?"

"Like my storm gliders!"

Cole had no idea what those were, but he nodded anyway. "Yeah, like that. Can you?"

"Ha, of course I can! Just give me a couple of minutes."

Jay got to work, tying ropes and connecting pieces of wood and cloth to create frames. He fastened pieces to his teammates' backs. "When you get near the ground, pull this rope to activate the wings!"

"Are you sure this is safe?" Zane, for once, looked uncertain. Cole agreed with him privately. The wobbly frames looked like they could snap in half if a stiff breeze blew in.

"Of course!" Jay was indignant. "What makes you think they aren't?"

"Oh, just the fact that you crashed into a billboard with them," Kai butted in.

"Well, it's use them or stay up here for the skeletons to get you. Now come on!"

He ran to the edge of the floating platform and jumped without a hint of hesitance. Cole heard him whooping on the way down.

"Kai, you go next. I'll follow, and Zane will bring up the lead."

The fire ninja leaped into action. He tightened his pack and stepped off the platform yelling. Now it was Cole's turn. He took a deep breath, felt for his cord, and jumped.

A feeling of nothingness, then gravity took over and Cole was sent speeding towards the ground. The wind whistled past, and he fought to stay in the position Jay had told them: slightly upright, but with the chest pointed down. The ground loomed up at him, and he jerked at his rope. There was a hissing, unfurling noise, and then the wind caught the cloth and he was carried back up.

Cole let himself breathe, glancing back towards the Ruins. Three down, one to go.

Kai reached for his sword, but his hand only grasped empty air. I must have left it back at the camp!

"Tick tock, little ninja," Garmadon taunted. "What's your decision?"

Kai didn't need to think that one through. He sprinted to the edge of the platform, yanked the sword from the rock, and spinjitzued over to Nya. He was halfway to his falling sister when his spinjitzu flew out of control.

It was too hot. Too strong. Kai tried to correct himself, but his motions had become sharp and exaggerated. His foot slammed into a rock, and he tripped and tumbled into the lava.

What's happening? This never happened before! What's going on! Kai waited for searing pain, but it never came. Am I dead? No, I can't be! He floundered in the lava, but his arms weren't responding correctly and his body was numb. Okay Kai, don't panic. You're not dead. He wiggled his arms again, and then his legs. The feeling was returning to them, and yet they still weren't moving properly. He needed air. He kicked out and pushed his way to the surface.

A high scream tore through the air, making Kai wince. Since when had his hearing been so sensitive? He opened his eyes, quickly finding his sister. Her mouth was open, it looked like she was ready to scream again.

Is it my hair? Oh my gosh, am I bald? Kai climbed onto the rocks- and froze. What. Are. Those. Claws. Shiny, golden claws, anchoring him to the rocks. And attached to those- Kai was going to be sick. Red wings, tipped in gold. He was- he was a-

"Dragon!"