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The bar hadn't opened yet. Krux lingered near it, staring at the short, stout building, then turned away. He didn't want to burden Mel.

If not a burden, what was he? Krux found a spot to sit near the marketplace and watched the villagers buy and trade. He couldn't stay with Wu. He wouldn't stay with Mel. Where else was left?

His lunch must be sitting half-made in the monastery's kitchen. Krux reluctantly spent his money on a small meal and went to the road. With one last glance at the mountain, he started walking.

---

He couldn't know for certain where Wu had been attacked, but he remembered, years ago, where the two of them had met with Aspheera. He went in that direction, praying his memory would lead him true.

It didn't take long before he was lost in the woods.

Krux swore under his breath and kept walking, flinching at every twig that snapped under his foot. He was in serpentine territory for certain, and he doubted they would take kindly to his presence this close to a war between their species.

He saw no landmarks he recognized. He must have passed the same rotting log a dozen times. Krux wandered aimlessly until someone struck him from behind.

He stumbled forward with a shout. His hands lit up with red temporal energy only for another blow to knock him down before  he could turn around. He fell face-first in the dirt, his head spinning, and rolled over to defend himself against his assailant, who was notably human.

"Master of Time," the man said, his voice hoarse. "What are you doing in serpentine territory?"

Krux blinked. The man had dark, stringy hair tied back in a ponytail, and deep bags under his eyes. He wasn't any elemental master Krux knew of, but there was a strange energy to him that he couldn't place.

"Being attacked, apparently," he responded. "Who are you?"

The man narrowed his eyes. "I speak for Master Chen," he said. "You may call me Clouse. Why are you here?"

"Master Chen?" Krux said. "What business does he have in serpentine territory?"

Clouse's hand lit up with purple fire; Krux recognized it as a learned spell, as opposed to an innate element. "You are in no position to be asking questions, Master of Time," he said. "I will not ask again: why are you here?"

Krux thought fast. "As it were, I was interested in talking to Master Chen," he said. "I'm sure if you allowed me to meet with him, we could get this sorted out."

Clouse snorted. "You think you can simply request an audience with him?" he said. "What makes you think you have that sort of authority?"

"I don't," said Krux, "but you do, correct? You said you speak for him."

Neither of them spoke for a long moment. A tree root pressed into Krux's back. He kept his expression neutral and waited.

"Very well," Clouse said. "If only for my amusement."

---

Master Chen's base was a collection of tents set up around a hastily-constructed wooden hut. Krux allowed Clouse to lead him to the center, keeping an eye on the people milling about. To his surprise, he saw humans and serpentine both; if he recalled correctly, the purple scales meant they were anacondrai.

He kept his head up and his back straight, carrying himself with all the dignity he could muster. He caught an anacondrai shooting him a dirty look, but didn't have time to glare back before they reached the hut.

Clouse knocked on the door and entered without waiting for a response. He dragged Krux in by the wrists and brought him down hard on his knees.

"Master Chen," Clouse said, "someone is here to…"

He trailed off. Krux raised his eyes and examined the figure sitting in front of them.

Master Chen was asleep. Krux could see his chest rise and fall as he snored, propping his head up with one arm. Though Chen was dressed like an emperor, wearing an elaborate red robe decorated with gold, he did not look like one. His red hair was in disarray and a line of drool ran down his chin. Krux couldn't repress a snort.

Clouse smacked the back of his head. "Show some respect," he hissed. "This man has more power than you could dream of."

"Really?" said Krux.

Chen snapped awake. "Huh?" he mumbled. "Clouse? What's th'…"

Clouse cleared his throat. "Master Chen," he said, raising his voice, "you have a visitor."

Chen rubbed his eyes and blinked. "Oh," he said, then seemed to come to his senses. "Oh! What a delight! A surprise, too!"

"I can see that," Krux said. Clouse hit him again.

"Oh, none of that, none of that!" Chen stood up and wiped his mouth. "Stand up, stand up! Welcome, Master of Time!"

Krux got to his feet, rubbing the back of his head. Master Chen beamed at him and held out the same hand he wiped his mouth with. "I'm so sorry for Clouse's rudeness," he said as Krux reluctantly returned the handshake. "He'll grow on you, ha! Like a fungus!"

He could feel Clouse glaring at him from behind. "I'm sure of it," said Krux. "It's… an honor to meet you, Master Chen. I've heard of you from Garmadon."

"And I of you!" Chen said brightly. "Searching for your twin, huh?"

Krux tensed, but Chen laughed. "Oh, don't worry, I don't care about all those superstitions. Just stories! They mean nothing!"

"These stories have separated me from my twin for over thirty-five years," Krux said. "Pardon me if I'm suspicious."

"You are pardoned. Ha!" Chen finally dropped his hand. "Unfortunately, as I'm sure Garmadon told you, I don't know where your twin is. Such a shame, really. I would love to have both elements of time here."

"He did mention that, yes." Krux struggled for words, acutely aware of Clouse in the room with them. "Though… he said you might be able to help me."

"Hm? How so?"

He glanced at Clouse, standing stiff and straight behind them. Chen followed his gaze. "Oh, don't worry about him," he said. "Clouse doesn't like anyone, but he'll follow my every command. He won't tell anyone your secrets as long as I don't want him to."

"And do you want him to?" Krux asked.

"Of course not! I know the value of secrets, Krux. You can trust me with yours."

He didn't know that, Krux thought, but what else could he do? He couldn't go back to Wu's monastery, and he certainly couldn't go back to the capital.

Krux took a deep breath.

---

"Interesting," Chen said. Midway through Krux's explanation, he got back in his chair to listen with a mildly bored expression. "You think your brother is with the serpentine, do you?"

"That was what my friend told me, yes," Krux said, careful not to mention Aspheera's name. He hadn't forgotten that Wu had been attacked by anacondrai, just like the ones in Chen's camp. "Apparently, serpentine are known to take in human twins."

"Well, your friend was right about that! We even have a pair here, twin humans raised by serpentine!"

Krux's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes, yes." Chen hummed to himself. "Though they were turned early on. Most humans die if they aren't."

"What?"

"You know, turned? Bitten by fangpyre?" Chen raised an eyebrow. "You must know this. Fangpyre have the ability to turn humans into serpentine. Your brother might very well not be human anymore!"

Krux couldn't speak. He hadn't considered that to be a possibility. He shook his head and managed to find words. "I don't care what species he is," he said. "He's still my brother."

"How cute!" Chen said. "Then let's make a deal."

"What?"

Chen clasped his hands together and leaned forward. "You want my help, don't you? A war against the serpentine would be very bad, with you on one side and your brother on the other!" He grinned. "Luckily for you, I'm playing the middle! My allies can help you find your twin."

Krux frowned. "And what do you want in exchange?"

"Eh, I'll figure that out later. Let's just say you owe me a favor."

Krux mulled it over. While he wasn't looking forward to what Master Chen had in mind, he had no other connection to the serpentine–especially now that Aspheera was unavailable. Besides, if he played his cards right, he could find out who attacked her and Wu while searching for his brother.

"Very well," he said. "I'll owe you a favor."

"Good, good!" Chen gestured to Clouse, standing stiff and straight behind Krux. "Clouse, dearie, get Krux set up with a bed and some food. Unless you have other lodgings?"

Krux shrugged. "I'm fine with staying here."

"Nowhere else to go, huh? I'll remember that!" Chen laughed. "I'll be seeing you, Master of Time!"

Clouse put a hand on Krux's shoulder. "Follow me," he said.

---

To his surprise, not only was Krux not the only human in Chen's group, but he wasn't even the only elemental master. Krux stopped with his food next to a bench where an older man sat with an anacondrai. "Master of Earth?" he said.

The man laughed. "You must be thinking of my daughter," he said. "I haven't been the Master of Earth for decades. What of yourself, Krux? Still the Master of Time?"

Krux nodded. "I apologize, I don't recall your name."

"Ryou." He patted the bench beside him. "Sit with us, Krux. Arcturus and I were discussing the future."

Krux glanced at the anacondrai, who met his gaze and nodded. "Thank you," said Krux, and he sat down next to Ryou. "The future," he echoed. "It feels very uncertain these days."

"Ssso it does," the serpentine said. "After all the hard work we did to prevent a war, it ushers itself in."

"I'm surprised to see you," said Ryou. "The last I heard, Krux, you disobeyed the emperor and spared the twin children of Fire and Water." He took a sip of his drink. "Some say it was them who brought the war upon us."

Krux bristled, but Arcturus shook his head. "Nonsense," he said. "Utter nonsense. The seeds of war were sown decades ago. No twins could cause it, and no murder would have stopped it."

"Murder is a strong word."

Arcturus snorted. "Murder of children, no less!"

Ryou laughed and held up his hands. "I won't argue. Though, if humans didn't have these superstitions, you would not have your daughter."

Krux saw his opening. "You have a human daughter?" he said to Arcturus. "Or, ah, a turned one…?"

"Human," said Arcturus. "Though not for lack of trying, ha! I had to watch her like a hawk around her fangpyre friends, she would try to bribe them into biting her." He flashed his fangs in what Krux assumed was a smile. "I don't blame her. It is difficult for a child, to grow up so different."

"I can imagine," said Krux. "She was a twin?"

"What human among serpentine isn't?" Ryou said. "There's a handful of twins in this camp, I believe."

"Not many," said Arcturus. "Only Aura and the two who were turned, for now."

Krux frowned. After Ryou's comments, he wasn't about to mention his own twin in front of him, but if Arcturus had a human child, maybe he would know what happened to Acronix.

Ryou spoke before he could decide on his next words. "With any luck, this war will be over without much drama," he said. "Lilly says she can take care of herself, but I worry about her. She's not the Master of Earth anymore, either, now that she's had a child."

"You're a grandfather?" Arcturus said. "You didn't mention that."

"Well, I haven't seen the child. Don't even know if I have a granddaughter or a grandson." Ryou smiled sadly. "We've had some… disagreements."

"But you're doing this for her," Arcturus said. "She will see that, eventually."

"Just like Aura will, hm?"

Arcturus hissed softly and didn't answer.

Ryou laughed. "We've been talking too much," he said. "What brings you here, Krux?"

Krux thought about his answer. "I promised Master Chen a favor," he said. "That, and I have no reason to fight a war against the serpentine."

"Not many humans would say that," Arcturus said, "no matter how true it is. Like your twins, serpentine are blamed for all the ills of the world."

Ryou raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps if you didn't take in so many twins–"

"I would not trade Aura for anything."

"Your daughter is Aura?" Krux said. "How old is she?"

"Oh, nearly forty." At Krux's surprised expression, Arcturus hissed in amusement. "Did you think she was younger? Aura tells me I speak of her as if she's a child. It is one of our disagreements. I'm sure she'd be happy to tell you herself."

"Is she here?"

"Yes, but not currently. She is on a mission for Chen." Arcturus shook his head. "She won't even tell me what they're having her do. I trust her judgement, but I cannot say the same for Chen and his second in command."

"You'd say that in his camp?" Ryou said. "It's by Master Chen's grace that you're here at all!"

"Oh, Chen knows what I think of him. He'd have the war drag on for decades if it suited him."

"What does suit Master Chen?" Krux asked. "He has told me frustratingly little."

"Ah," Ryou said. "That's simple enough. He wants to stop the war."

"Really," said Krux. To Arcturus, he said, "you don't believe him?"

"Oh, I believe him," Arcturus said. "Chen has been trading with the serpentine tribes for years and years. I don't trust him, but I have no doubts that this war is causing more trouble for him than whatever else he could get out of it."

"Especially since there's no guarantee which side will win," Ryou said. "Oh, sure, the emperor boasts of the human army, but we all know they're just boasts, especially with so many elemental masters unaccounted for."

Krux frowned. "Unaccounted for?"

"Did you think it was just you? No, not only are the Masters of Fire and Water in hiding, but the Master of Metal vanished, the Master of Ice died without passing down his element, and the Master of Lightning did pass down her element, but no one knows where the child is." Ryou sighed. "Add that to those who are still training their heirs, my daughter included, and there's only a handful of elemental masters left to fight."

"I don't have much faith in the serpentine armies, either," Arcturus said. "The tribes are only pushed together out of desperation. As soon as the human threat is gone, they'll fight among themselves and eat each other alive."

"Perhaps literally," Ryou said. "I've heard your legends of the Great Devourer."

Arcturus whipped his head around and dropped his voice to a hiss. "Do not speak that name."

Krux shivered at the serpentine's chilling glare, even though it wasn't directed at him. Ryou smiled. "Ah, my mistake," he said. "I'll be more careful."

Arcturus stood up, balancing himself on a long tail. "I believe I'm done," he said, and slithered away without another word.

Ryou's expression soured. "I have to hear him call human beliefs nonsense all day," he muttered, "but I can't mention serpentine legends without him becoming so offended he can no longer bear to look at me. Ha!"

"What is the Great Devourer?" Krux asked. "I haven't heard that before."

"Oh, just a myth. A snake so hungry it could consume all of Ninjago." Ryou shook his head. "None of the other serpentine react like Arcturus does, though. I admit, I take advantage of that, sometimes."

"Is that wise? You're supposed to be allies."

"Oh, I'll do what I must to stop the war and keep my family safe, but it's not as if we have to be friends." He cracked a smile. "You'd do well to remember that, Master of Time."

"Excuse me?"

Ryou stood up. "A word of advice," he said. "Never trust a snake."

He walked away. Krux stared at him as he left, then remembered the food on his plate, still untouched. It had gone cold.