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The trouble with Ling started in the middle of a lesson. Krux was having breakfast with Maya when he overheard loud crying, followed by Nya walking into the kitchen with her bowl and informing them, "Ling's being stupid."

"Don't say that," Maya said, taking the empty bowl and standing up to put it in the sink. "What did your father do now?"

Nya, now eight years old, shrugged. "He was reading a story," she said, and walked back out. Maya sighed and followed her.

By the time Krux finished his food, the crying had progressed into screaming. Krux shook his head and went to see what the matter was.

Nya waved at him as he entered. In the center of the room, Ray and Maya crouched on either side of Ling, trying to comfort her to no avail. "Don't worry, Ling," Ray said. "The evil emperor was defeated, okay? There's a happy ending."

"No!" Ling screamed. "They were mean to him!"

Maya frowned. "They were mean to who?"

"The old emperor! Kai!"

Ray and Maya looked at each other helplessly. Krux cleared his throat. "Sorry for intruding," he said, raising his voice just enough to be heard over Ling's wails. "Were you teaching them about Emperor Kai?"

"Yes," Ray said.

"The one who overthrew the previous emperor in a bloody battle and attempted to conquer all of Ninjago under one rule?"

"Yes, that Emperor Kai." Ray shook his head. "And for some reason my daughter is sympathizing with him."

"You see?" Nya said. "She's being stupid."

"I'm not stupid!" Ling shouted. "You're stupid!"

"That's enough, Ling," Maya said. "Come on, let's go to your room. Krux, can you watch Nya for a little while?"

Krux nodded. "Alright." To Nya, he said, "How about we go into the courtyard?"

Outside, Nya went straight to a large bush that Wu had allowed to grow by the walls. "This is a secret," she informed Krux. "Don't tell Mommy and Daddy."

"I won't," Krux said, knowing full well that Maya and Ray already knew about their children's secret base. "Don't get bugs in your hair."

Nya scrunched up her face. "I'm not scared of bugs!" she protested.

"No, but I've seen you scratching your head." Krux cracked a smile. "If you get lice, you'll have to cut all that hair off."

"Whatever." Nya ducked down and crawled into a small hollow underneath the bush's branches. "You can come in."

Krux cracked a smile. "I wouldn't fit, even if I wanted to."

"Yeah, 'cause you're a grown-up." Nya peeked out from between the branches with a grin. "This is kids only!"

"Then why did you invite me?"

Her face fell. "Because I gotta tell you a secret," she said.

"Ah." Krux sat down next to her. "I'll keep quiet."

Nya looked down and scooted backwards, deeper into the bush. "I wanna leave," she whispered.

"Leave?" Krux realized this was far more serious than he initially thought. "You know that's dangerous, right?"

"Yeah, 'cause we're twins." Nya hugged her knees to her chest. "But that's why I gotta. I know, even though Mommy skips all the chapters about how twins are evil and stuff."

Krux frowned. "You've been doing reading on your own, haven't you?"

"I'm not supposed to…"

"I'm not angry at you." He sighed. "But you're not evil, alright? Just because there were disasters in the past that were associated with the birth of twins–"

"But it is true!"

Krux blinked. "What?"

Nya wiped her nose, smearing dirt on her face. "The book said that the storm twins brought a typhoon to Ninjago," she said, "and wind an' water aren't supposed to be here, and I have water powers 'cause Mommy said so, and–"

"Slow down. Where did you read this?"

Nya sniffed. "Do you promise not to tell?"

"I promise, Nya, I just want to know where this came from." Krux lowered his voice. "I never read anything about storm twins, and I've never heard of a wind element before. What book did you read?"

Nya drew lines in the ground with her finger. "It was about the ocean," she said. "Um, there were monsters in it."

"You read a book about sea monsters?"

"A big one. She had babies, and the babies were twins, and then they used wind and water to flood, um, everything."

Krux had no idea what she was talking about. He would have to ask Wu about it later, and maybe encourage him to keep Nya out of the library. "Listen," he said, "you know I'm a twin too, right?"

Nya nodded.

"And you know I'm a good person, right?"

She nodded again.

"So are you," Krux said firmly. "You, your sister, and myself have been here for years, and nothing bad has happened. I don't expect it ever will."

Nya buried her face in her knees.

"I know, Nya," Krux said, "It's hard, but you have to stay here, where we'll all be safe. Okay?"

She looked up with tears in her eyes. "You won't tell anyone, right?"

"Of course not," Krux said.

Nya nodded. "Thanks, Krux."

---

After Maya and Ray called them back in, Krux waited until Ray took the twins to the kitchen for lunch before informing Maya, "I think Nya's been sneaking into the library."

Maya groaned and covered her face. "Of course she is," she said. "Ling's been helping her, too. I thought I put a stop to it… what did she tell you?"

"She thinks she's evil for being a twin," Krux said. "She also said something about storm twins, a sea monster, and an element of wind."

"Oh, Nya…" Maya sighed. "I'll let Wu know, but the library already has a lock on it, I don't know what else he can do…" She shook her head. "Wind, though… that's unusual."

"How so?"

Maya hummed. "My mother, the previous Master of Water, told me a story about an element of wind. She said the bloodline had died out during the rule of the previous emperor, and the emperor now is determined not to let it happen again."

"That's…" Krux frowned. "But he was about to end yours and Ray's bloodlines back then."

"What?"

"The execution, remember?"

"Of course I remember," Maya snapped. She collected herself a moment later. "Sorry," she said. "I'm just surprised you didn't know."

"Know what?"

"If you kill an elemental master as a baby, the power stays with the parent. The emperor would have not only killed our children, but forced us to have others that would likely be taken from us."

Krux couldn't disguise the horror on his face. "That's disgusting," was all he could say. "I am more grateful than ever for my interruption."

Maya looked away. "I as well," she said. "More than you know."

Silence fell between them. Krux decided to change the subject. "Do you know where Wu went?" he asked. "He left before I woke up. Did he say anything to you?"

"To Ray, yes," Maya said. "Just that he got a message that required an urgent response. Presumably he went directly to the mailman."

"And he's been gone this long?"

"He would've said if something was wrong." Maya paused. "Wouldn't he?"

Krux couldn't answer. They had been living with him for years, and Krux thought he knew the man well, but Wu still managed to surprise him. "Hopefully he'll be back soon," was all he said.

He put together his own lunch in the kitchen and took it outside to eat. The mountain air was pleasant this time of year. Krux closed his eyes and breathed deep, allowing himself to relax.

His thoughts drifted to Nya's story. Krux was no stranger to the stories of twins bringing doom, but the storm twins were new to him. None of his teachings had said anything about twins from elemental masters; for all he knew, Ling and Nya had been the first.

Krux caught himself. Ling and Nya were the second that he knew of. The first had been, of course, Acronix and himself.

Before he could dwell on that, he heard commotion from outside the gate.

He got to his feet. "Who's there?" he called out.

"Krux?"

He tensed. That was Garmadon's voice. "Yes?" he said. "Why are you–"

"Get down here! Wu's hurt!"

Krux ran to the gate.

Garmadon was half-dragging Wu up the stairs–Krux's heart leapt into his throat when he saw the state his host was in. Wu's face was horrifically pale, his eyes staring blankly into space, and he was barely moving his legs to take each step. One hand clutched his side, where his clothes were torn and bloody. Krux ran down the steps to support Wu on his other side, and he and Garmadon managed to carry him the rest of the way.

"What happened?" Krux asked when they reached the courtyard.

"Serpentine," Garmadon spat. "Don't ask me what he was doing in their territory, but it nearly cost him his life!"

Wu mumbled something unintelligible. Garmadon glared at him. "If not for Master Chen, you would be dead," he said. "Think of that next time you do something this foolish!"

Ray and Maya saw them coming. Halfway to the monastery doors, Maya rushed out to meet them. "Ray has the kids," she said. "What can I do to help?"

Garmadon instructed her where the medical supplies were, and by the time they got Wu inside, Maya had clean bandages ready and was boiling water for the healing tea. "We need to sew this wound," Garmadon said. "Do any of you have experience with that?"

Maya looked at Krux, who shook his head.

"Fine. I'll do it myself."

The three of them moved quickly to get Wu out of his ruined clothes and clean the wound as best they could. Midway through Garmadon stitching the wound, Wu came into full consciousness with a gasp.

"Aspheera!" he cried.

Garmadon didn't falter. "What about Aspheera?" he said, his voice cold.

"She was–" Wu grimaced as Garmadon made another stitch. "–she had something for me, I was supposed… I was supposed to…"

"I was unaware you were in contact with her."

"She's my oldest friend, Aspheera, Aspheera, I had to–"

Garmadon pulled the needle harder than he needed to. Wu cried out in pain.

"The only fate Aspheera had for you was your doom," Garmadon said.

Krux held his tongue and left to wash Wu's bloody clothes.

---

Garmadon sat with his brother all night as Wu faded in and out of consciousness. Krux sat with him, if only to keep him company. Wu would wake up only to babble incoherently about Aspheera; eventually, Garmadon ignored him.

"He'll be fine," Garmadon said after Wu quieted once more. "I cannot say the same for Aspheera."

"Was she there?" Krux asked.

"No, lucky for her." Garmadon grit his teeth. "She must have told Wu to meet with her and set an ambush instead. Damn her, if I had known Wu still spoke to her, I would have…"

He trailed off. Krux frowned and watched Wu's chest rise and fall with his breaths.

"Did you know anything about this?" Garmadon asked.

"No," Krux said. "Wu left before I woke up. He told no one where he was going, or that he was meeting with Aspheera."

He pressed harder. "Did you know her?"

Krux paused for a moment to gauge how effective a lie would be. He chose the truth. "He took me to see her once," he said, "but it was years ago. I was under the impression that it was their first meeting in a long time."

Garmadon exhaled through his teeth. "Damn," he said. "Damn it, damn her. The serpentine have been threatening war for years and Wu thinks he's good enough friends with one to just–" He shook his head. "Damn him. He almost lost me my brother."

"Is this it, then?" Krux said. "War?"

Wu began mumbling again. Garmadon reached to him and put a hand on his forehead. "He's feverish," he said. "The emperor will have to hear about this."

Krux furrowed his brow. "Garmadon."

"For God's sake, Krux, what do you think?" he snapped. "By attacking an elemental master, the serpentine have decided for us!"

Wu's eyes opened, though whether he heard their conversation was anyone's guess. "Garmadon," he said. "Brother, you have to…"

He didn't finish. Garmadon sighed. "What I have to do is take care of your sorry self," he said. "As soon as you're lucid, we're going to the emperor."

"It was important," Wu said. "She was…"

"I swear, brother, if you speak that serpent's name one more time I'm going to tell them you succumbed to your injuries so I can kill you myself."

Was this normal behavior? Krux couldn't imagine saying such things to his own brother, but then again, he couldn't imagine his own brother, either.

Krux's breath caught. If Acronix had been brought to the serpentine as a baby, what would happen when they went to war?

Wu fell unconscious again, and Garmadon didn't speak, leaving Krux's mind to wander.

Krux's parents had met in battle, his mother as the Master of Time, and his father as a general in the emperor's army–but that was not a war. There had been no wars in his lifetime, not since his parents were children. He struggled to picture the devastation a war would bring. How many people would die, human and serpentine?

What side would a human raised by serpentine be on? Krux felt a pang of nausea at the thought of his twin being his enemy. Would he be loyal to his nature, or his nurture–or would he be met with suspicion from both sides, forced to live as an outcast?

"You're occupied," Garmadon said. "Where are your thoughts, Master of Time?"

Krux took a deep breath. "Long ago," he said, "you said the master you trained under could help me."

"Ah." Garmadon glanced at Wu. "I said that, yes."

"Did you say anything to him?"

"I said that a friend of mine was looking for a man with half the elemental powers of time. Chen was curious, but had no interest in investigating further." Garmadon frowned. "He did correctly identify you as the one who asked, though I did not mention you by name."

"And you trust him," Krux said.

"Master Chen has no reason to inform the emperor of your location, nor did I tell him."

Krux looked away. "So he knew nothing?"

"Not quite."

He snapped back to face him.

The wind howled. Stray breezes crept their way into the monastery, and the lamp shuddered, casting flickering shadows across Garmadon's face. "Master Chen believes the emperor was present at your birth," he said. "He would have known all along if you were a twin. In addition, he would know if it was childbirth that killed your mother… or something else."

Krux's jaw dropped. "Something else," he echoed. "What… what could…"

For a moment, he thought he saw Garmadon's eyes flash red. "Master Chen has suspicions that the emperor is not what he seems," he said. "I don't know enough about your birth to theorize, and I doubt you do, either–but had your mother survived, you would have been killed, and the elemental of time would have stayed with her. You and your twin owe your lives to her death."

The room spun. War with the serpentine, his mother's death–Krux would not have stayed upright, had he been standing. As it were, he gripped the arms of his chair and tried to steady his spiraling thoughts.

To stop the execution, Ray had announced to the emperor that Krux, the executioner, was a twin. He said it was the second child who had killed Equinox, and Krux had assumed it was the ordeal of bearing twins. Dying in childbirth was not uncommon.

His thoughts spun out of control.

He thought of his mother, seen only in paintings, clutching two faceless newborns to her chest. These are my children, she said. Acronix and Krux. He thought of how Maya and Ray had raised their twins in secret, and wondered–could he have grown up with his brother? Equinox loved them both enough to name.

He thought of the emperor, looking just as aged as he was at the execution, though Krux knew he would have been decades younger. Kill the newborns, and the elemental power returns to their parent. That was what Krux had been asked to do, after all. Maya would have watched her children die and been forced to have another to continue her bloodline.

"Krux."

Maya was willing to die for her children.

"Krux," Garmadon repeated.

Had his mother felt the same?

Garmadon snapped his fingers in front of Krux's face. Krux jerked back and nearly fell off the chair.

"You want to find your twin?" Garmadon said. "When Wu recovers, I will take you to Master Chen. Perhaps you can convince him to help you."

Krux shook his head. "My twin may have been given to the serpentine," he said, his voice shaking. "How will I find him when we're at war?"

"I don't have the answers," he said, "but Master Chen will."

He could barely breathe. Wordlessly, Krux stood up and forced his legs to carry him to bed.