"Sky, why's your hand on fire?" Lyra eyed her sister nervously. "Doesn't that hurt?"

The two children were in the Palace Arena. Skylor had just returned from her Ninjago City visit and had burst through the doors--making Lyra spill her cereal everywhere--telling Lyra she had something to show her.

"It's my Elemental Power!" Skylor's eyes shone in the flames' reflection, though the fire was extinguished a moment later. "Dad says I can absorb the power of others. He was surprised I got it because Mom found out she had it when she was two, and I'm waaaaay older than that!"

Whoa, an Elemental Power? Like the ones in the stories Dad tells us? That's so cool!

"Yeah, you're already five! I wish I could have a power like that." Lyra's pink lips fell into a frown, then she grinned. "Maybe I'll get one when I turn five! And it'll be much cooler than yours! Something like..."

She paused because she really wasn't sure what was cooler than having control over whichever element you wished. 

"Like magic?" Skylor suggested.

"Yeah, like magic!" Lyra cheered. "And then I can let you use it, too, and we can rule the world! Just like Daddy does!"

Skylor rolled her brown eyes at that. "You know he doesn't actually rule the world, right? He's just the king of our island."

Lyra sat on the violet couch in her sister's room, frowning. "No, he told me he's the king of the world! He saved it from...from..."

"From nothing! Those are just bedtime stories! Father's really here because the evil Elemental Masters exiled him! Because he liked the snake people's side!" Skylor scoffed at her sister's ignorance. "Of course, I wouldn't expect a three-year-old to understand."

"I am three-and-a-half!" Lyra whined. "That's basically five!"

Just then, someone dressed in deep purple and red robes pushed the huge double doors open. His long, dark cloak flowed around his knees. He strode toward the two girls, a smile playing at the edges of his mouth.

"Uncle Clouse!" Skylor and Lyra cheered, hugging their dad's friend. "You're back!"

"Why, hello, little ones," Clouse said. "Skylor, I heard you managed not only to find an Elemental Master of Fire, but also temporarily used his powers, all whilst helping out in your father's restaurant. We're very proud."

Skylor blushed. "Thank you, Uncle."

"Uncle Clouse, can you teach me a new magic trick?" Lyra asked, trying to take the attention off her sister. "Look, I can already do the last one you showed me!"

She stretched out her hand, aiming at the window across the room. "Kablooey!"

Nothing happened. The window stubbornly stayed in one piece. It didn't even crack.

Clouse sighed. "I told you already that you aren't able to use magic. It won't work for someone with your blood."

"What does that mean?" Skylor put a hand on her hip. "That's not fair!"

Lyra felt tears come to her eyes. Her childish emotions were getting the best of her. "It isn't fair at all! My sister gets her special power and you get yours and I get NOTHING!" 

The tears fell. Lyra felt them streak down her cheek before slipping off her chin and falling onto her shirt. She poked her tongue out of her mouth and tasted them. They were as salty as ever.

"Quit acting like a baby," Clouse commanded, frowning at her. "No wonder you're powerless, with temper tantrums happening every three seconds."

Skylor, meanwhile, was staring at her shirt. "Lyra...?"

"What?" Lyra followed her sister's gaze.

Where the tears had fallen, her lilac shirt was stained a deep green.

Wait a second... she thought. Tears aren't supposed to be green!

Clouse's dark eyes widened, and his mouth trembled. He glanced around as if to make sure no one was watching them. "I will go get your father immediately. Stay here."

"Wait!" Lyra cried, but he'd already whisked out of the room and shut the door behind him. "Am I--am I in trouble?"

Skylor's eyes lit up. "Maybe it's magic! Maybe he was wrong, and you really can use it!"

If only it were that simple.

~*~ 

"Skylor, my dear daughter! For what may I owe you this pleasure?" Chen grinned at the redhead. He then looked behind her. His smile fell a fraction as he noted the girl behind her. "Oh, hi, Lyra."

He stood up from his golden throne, looking majestic in his royal robes. His dark red hair was down, falling to his shoulders. From an artist's point of view, Lyra could tell it made his already-flushed cheeks too red, as if he were drunk or something. Not that she'd ever tell him that.

"Father," Skylor began, taking her sister's hand and pulling her up beside her, "we were wondering why I can only take one part of Lyra's powers at a time. Just a few minutes ago, we wanted to dance together, but when I took her hand, all I got was an urge to go draw something! And yesterday, when I wanted to paint the sunset, all I did after absorbing her power was write about it! I thought I was supposed to be able to use all of the power I take, not only a small bit."

Chen waved a gloved hand in dismissal. "That is simply because the element of Art is not that powerful. Your element, Amber, ignores most of Lyra's power because it just isn't strong enough to be recognized."

Lyra pursed her lips and stared at the gilded floor. It wasn't like this was her first time hearing something like that, but it still stung to know her sister was so strong that she could only take a tiny bit of Lyra's power because of how weak it was. It wasn't like Lyra could control what element she got! If she could, she'd change her power in an instant. Being slightly better-than-average at things like dancing, acting, and singing wasn't very helpful in the long run. She'd much rather do something like control the wind or water.

When she was younger, she'd desperately and foolishly hoped she could become a sorceress. Then she could be Clouse's apprentice, and would eventually earn her father's appreciation. No matter how hard she tried, though, she didn't have a single speck of magic in her blood. 

"Come, now," Clouse, who'd been hiding behind Chen's throne, said. "It is time for training."

Lyra went to follow her sister, but Chen held up a hand. "Ah, ah, ah, Lyra. This is only for Skylor. Why don't you go practice your ballet with the Kabuki?

With that, he walked out of the room, leaving the ginger-haired 10-year-old alone with her thoughts.

~*~

"Time for the final question," Clouse said. "What are the main seven forms of Art? This is worth seven points, one point for each form."

Lyra twirled and leapt faster to the music, just barely hearing Clouse. Her dance studio was merely a blur. She knew she had to answer before her routine came to an end. If she didn't, she'd have to restart, not to mention the punishment her father would give her. "Music, Painting, Dancing, Literature, Performing, Architecture, and Sculpture."

She finished speaking just as the song came to a halt, and she held her final pose for a second before bowing. Her blue eyes glistened, knowing she'd gotten every question right.

Father will certainly be proud of me.

"100%, as expected," was all Clouse said before walking out the door.

Or not.

Everything was fine, though, because Skylor was grinning at Lyra from the rickety wooden chair in the corner of the room. "That was awesome."

Lyra sat down on the hardwood floor, dizzy. She took her bun out, letting her long, stained hair fall. She looked around before speaking, taking in the mirror wall, the ballet bar, and the purple door. "It was tiring, and Uncle Clouse didn't even care that I did it perfectly," she muttered. "Not that I should've expected anything else."

Skylor sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. Lyra subconsciously leaned closer, absorbing her sister's warmth. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm very proud of you. That looked difficult, yet you completed the entire routine with ease while answering Clouse's questions."

"I know, I know, I'm perfect." Lyra grinned at Skylor. "Thanks, though. I really appreciate it."

"Hey, that's what sisters are for." The redhead shrugged. "Now, come on, they just fired three workers for having a three-way makeout session while working, so we get to fill in at the restaurant by the NGTV tower until they can find someone to replace them."

"Wait, did Bailey, Seline, and Elyse finally realize they were totally in love with each other?" 

Skylor nodded. "It only took three years and seven exes."

"First Spinjitzu Master, some people are so oblivious." Lyra shook her head. "I'm not surprised they were fired for kissing each other instead of, you know, doing their job, but I'm happy they're together. Plus, we get to escape for a bit, and that's always a bonus."

Even though Lyra wasn't allowed to wander around the streets of Ninjago City, she loved looking out the windows and just seeing people. On the island, there were always the same thirty people around. However, the city had hundreds of different people each day. It was mildly overwhelming but so interesting. All of those people had separate lives, separate jobs, separate families, separate experiences. Lyra loved thinking about all the different possibilities for what their customers' home lives were like.

"What are you waiting for?" Skylor suddenly stood up. "Let's go!"

Lyra laughed and ran after her sister. "Shotgun!"

What do you think?

Word count: 1.6k 

It took me like a whole hour and a half to write this because it's currently 3am and I keep on writing the wrong words or getting distracted by random noises outside

QOTD: Do you guys prefer long chapters (6k+ words), medium chapters (around 2-5k words), or short chapters (anything below 2k words)?

A: I personally prefer both reading and writing long chapters. This prologue is an exception because I always make my prologues shorter than the normal chapters

Please do comment and vote because, once again, it helps with motivation and motivation=writing often

Remember to drink water, eat food, and get an appropriate amount of sleep for your age please<3

~Aspen