Chapter Text
With the total destruction of the Overlord, a wave of pure, glowing light spread across Ninjago City.
It was a blinding, celestial energy that washed over the scarred landscape.
In every dark corner of the metropolis, the violet crystals instantly lost their remaining energy, dulling into a pale, hollow, translucent glass.
They began to crack violently, split by the force of the light, and collapsed, falling into thousands of harmless, glittering pieces onto the grey asphalt.
Outside the laboratory door, the heavy footsteps of the crystal creatures and monsters ground to an abrupt halt. Their glowing eyes ebbed and died, and their fragile bodies dissolved into plain dust, scattering in the wind seconds before they could break Zane's protective ice.
Inside and outside of Borg Tower, the suffocating crystallization started to recede.
The citizens, resistance fighters, and the Ninjas who had been trapped beneath the corruption were now freed, safe and sound.
The heavy gates of the building swung open, and everyone began running out onto the avenue, unable to believe that the nightmare Ninjago had been experiencing over the last few days was finally over.
As friends, families, and companions reunited, the rubble-filled avenue transformed into an overwhelming celebration of relief and tears.
Nya, her face still wet from the heavy tension of the battle, fell into the arms of Jay. He held her tightly, kissing her face with immense relief and lifting her off her feet, genuinely smiling and laughing with her joyful expression.
A bit further away, Kai and Cole hugged each other with all their strength, slapping each other's backs.
"We did it, buddy!"
"Indeed we did!"
"I don't wanna see anything purple for a long, long time!"
Skylor came running from the tower, locking into Kai's embrace.
At the same time, Queen Vania joined the soldiers of Shintaro who were loudly celebrating their victory. As soon as they saw their queen, they lifted her up, shouting:
"Glory to Shintaro! Glory to Queen Vania!" multiple times.
Even Ultra Violet and Killow stepped out of their damaged mechs, looking at their hands in disbelief, before hugging each other in a strange sense of peace and companionship. Fugi-Dove then covered them both with his large bird wings.
Everyone in the city, allies and former enemies alike, united in warm embraces, weeping with gratitude that they had survived. That all this terrifying mess was over. That true peace was established.
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Suddenly, the clearing sky flashed with a brilliant, glowing golden hue.
Everyone turned their heads and stood completely shocked, watching Lloyd descend from the clouds, riding a magnificent golden elemental dragon in pure amazement.
The Ninjas and their friends immediately ran toward the landing creature, surrounding it in a massive crowd.
As soon as he stepped down from the dragon's back, they began bombarding him with questions—everyone shouting at once, wanting to know how it all happened, how he had defeated the Overlord this time, how he had unlocked such power—and, as Jay specifically blurted out, "Where the hell did that titanic golden dragon come from?! And, more importantly, can I ride it?!"
Lloyd, having lost his Oni form and returned to his fragile human state, looked completely exhausted. He took a few steps forward, holding his hands up to calm the crowd down.
"Whoa, whoa, guys, wait..." he whispered, his voice cut short.
He was incredibly tired, but his face carried a smile of genuine happiness.
The voice of Cyrus Borg echoed from behind all too soon.
"Lloyd... you need to see this."
He was coming down the outer steps of his tower, holding a lifeless body in his arms, while Pixal assisted him with his wheelchair.
The crowd went dead silent.
Lloyd brushed aside the Ninjas standing in front of him. His smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, dreading sensation.
"No... it can't be...," he whispered, muttering the words to convince himself, pleading with his own mind, refusing to accept the heartbreaking truth.
Without losing a second, he rushed toward them, his boots thudding against the pavement just as Borg and Pixal reached the final steps.
With trembling hands, Cyrus Borg handed Misako's body over to him.
Lloyd looked down at the lifeless face of his mother and felt the heavy weight of her unmoving body. He collapsed to his knees right there on the gravel.
Two large tears rolled down his cheeks simultaneously, dripping onto her grey hair.
Pixal stared down at the asphalt, her green digital eyes darkening from grief.
"I lost Zane, too... He sacrificed himself to buy us time. His power source... it just gave out."
At the sound of the news, the entire team froze.
The joy of victory died instantly, replaced by a suffocating grief.
Nya let out a soft gasp, and Jay immediately pulled her closer, his own eyes filling with tears.
Kai and Cole ran to Pixal, throwing their arms around her metallic frame, trying to comfort her through the great, unimaginable loss.
At the same time, Lloyd stood completely devastated, holding his mother while the words about Zane echoed in his head.
He realized just now that Zane had truly died just to buy him enough time to obtain the full power of his Oni form.
He had lost a brother, again. And who was at fault for all this? His crushing sense of responsibility had already answered the question. Who else could it be? He was the leader. He should have been faster. Responsible.
"We... can't rebuild him? We have the technology... no?" Lloyd asked, his voice cracking as he looked up desperately.
"I might try... but the damage to his memory core and his elemental matrix is severe. Even with all my technology, it will be very difficult and highly unlikely."
Lloyd heard Borg's grim assessment, yet a last, tiny flicker in the back of his mind told him there may still be hope. He refused to give up on Zane. Not after everything they've gone through. They were a team. They were Ninjas. And Ninjas never give up. Never.
Skylor, watching the heart-wrenching scene of the team gathered around Pixal, raised her head towards the main entrance of the Tower.
"Hey... look who is over there," she whispered softly, pointing to the top of the cement steps.
Out of the heavy gates of Borg Tower, an exhausted Harumi walked out slowly, her gaze pinned strictly to the cement steps, too ashamed to look at the people she had terrorized.
"Rumi!"
Harumi lifted her eyes at the sound of the voice.
When her gaze crossed with Lloyd's, all her previous exhaustion, fear and awkwardness vanished.
He was all she needed.
Without a single second thought, she ran down the steps with what little strength she had left, ignoring the glares of the crowd, towards the only person who could fill the emptiness in her heart.
Lloyd, seeing her approach, carefully handed his mother's body back to Dr. Borg.
Before he could even fully stand up on his feet, Harumi threw herself onto him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, and burst into uncontrollable sobs against his chest.
"You won! And you are still here... You've done it! You actually did it!" she cried inconsolably, holding him so tight that her knuckles turned white, her tears soaking his green uniform.
The Green Ninja, feeling her warmth, her frantic heartbeat, and her absolute sincerity after so many years of bitter hostility, let his guard down completely. He brought his hand to her back, wrapping his arms around her waist.
He began to rub her back gently, trying to soothe her.
"Yes... yes... I'm here. And you are safe, too. It's over, Harumi, it's over for good..." Lloyd said softly, his voice a sedative whisper.
Harumi backed off slightly, tears of joy and sorrow mixing in her eyes as she looked at his face. She tried to brush them away with the back of her hand.
Cyrus Borg wheeled himself a bit closer, the gears in his chair whirring quietly, his voice emotional.
"I hate to interrupt, Lloyd. It's just that..." Borg said sadly, looking down at Misako's lifeless form with deep respect, "the last thing she said before she passed away was that she was incredibly proud of you. She knew you would win, Lloyd. She was certain of it. Your mother never doubted you for a second. I know you two had a complicated history, but... that's it."
Lloyd felt a fresh tear burn his cheek again, the pain of the loss hitting him anew.
He turned his head away from the body and looked Harumi deep in the eyes, the girl in front of him who had lost her own parents, the girl who knew the agonizing emptiness of being an orphan, and who, in this rough moment, completely understood his pain.
She locked her tearful eyes with his. The hatred was long gone; only grief remained.
"Now..." Lloyd started, his voice cracked and unsteady as he tried to ease the crushing tension between them. Forcing a faint, fragile smile despite the harsh moment, he added, "We are siblings in this, right?"
Harumi didn't answer with words. Instead, she threw herself into his arms once again, clinging to him like a lifeline in a stormy sea.
In the ruins of Ninjago City, surrounded by shattered lives and fallen buildings, two orphan children hugged each other, signaling a new, fragile era of peace. The traumatized princess and the only descendant of the First Spinjitzu Master, the creator of this realm, who had fought each other multiple times in blind hatred—driven by their haunted past and leaving an indelible mark on the bloody history of Ninjago—had at the end found redemption and forgiveness in each other's scars.
Each discovered what their hearts had truly sought: a place to belong, and someone who fully understood their darkness. A family, and a family. A real family.
Like this, they were ready to face the future together.
Amidst their friends and allies.
For whatever time would bring to them.