ninjago

"You're missing the Fire Master," Wu told the team. "He's chosen the darkness. You'll know him when you meet him."

In the Children of Garmadon's lair, Kai tightened his belt. He didn't need friends, only purpose. The leader tossed a card: Castle. Mask of the Dawn. Bring it, and you'll become a general. Kai nodded. Here, they called him Spark.

He moved like a ghost: traps, patrols—all behind him. The mask pulsed in his hands, but at that very moment the room was flooded with light. The ninja surrounded him. Kai rushed to the window, but the golden-haired boy blocked his way.

—Stop! Give me the mask!

Kai grinned and tore off his mask. Lloyd froze—it wasn't a villain standing before him, but a tired, scarred man. His eyes were blank.

“Who are you?” Lloyd breathed out.

Instead of an answer, fire burst from Kai's hand. "It's the Fire Master!" Zane shouted. Kai stepped back, but Lloyd rushed after him through the wall of fire. "You can be with us! Wu's looking for you!"

Kai paused for a moment, but smiled bitterly: "Your Wu seeks power, not me. No one has ever sought me." He leaped into the night. Lloyd stared into space and said: "We will find him. Not as a criminal. As someone who has lost his way."

Kai returned with the mask. The leader nodded contentedly: "You're a general now." But doubt burned within Kai. "The golden-haired one was there," he said. "He didn't know who I am." The leader bared his teeth: "You are the power. Make a choice." Kai looked at the sparks in his palm, remembering Lloyd's outstretched hand. He could believe. But why? To be betrayed again?

He clenched his fist: I have already made my choice.

A week passed. Lloyd lay awake, studying the archives. He found a case: a boy named Kai had survived a fire, lost his family, and disappeared. The Gift—uncontrollable fire. "There you are," Lloyd whispered. He knew: next time, he wouldn't let him escape. The darkness could be returned to light.

Kai stood on the roof, looking out over the city. Anger and melancholy warred within him. For the first time, someone looked at him as something other than a weapon. "You won't save me, Golden One," he said to the wind. But he knew he was lying. A flicker of hope still smoldered within him. He would return—not to give up, but to decide who he was: Spark or Kai. Darkness or light. For now, he stood and watched the city flicker with lights.