Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Nya has never been more excited than getting ready for this upcoming weekend; okay, maybe being reunited with her brother after he traveled to the Underworld, or finding her parents in Krux and Acronix’s hideout, or being reunited with her brother and team after they had been presumed dead due to the Stone Colossus destroying the Destiny’s Bounty. Maybe it was when she, Pixal, and Skylor went on their first date? Either way, she was absolutely excited for the getaway weekend she had been planning for the last month; a five day trip to the lower half of Ninjago on the Destiny’s Bounty with Skylor, Pixal, Lloyd, and Misako.

Master Garmadon decided to stay at the newly rebuild monastery with Kai and the others. He jokingly said that if the ninja didn’t have someone looking after them, the monastery would probably be destroyed by the time the group returned. As Nya looked over her bedspread, counting the folded shirts and shorts, swimsuits and garments, books and chargers, bath items and more, she heard a knock on her door.

“Hey sis, got everything packed?” Kai asked, leaning against the doorframe.

“I think so, I’ve doubled and triple checked everything. I’ve checked the mechanics of the Bounty, done tests on the computers and wires, checked my bank account, got the chargers-"

“It sounds like everything is under control,” Kai laughed. “Jay’s running tests on the Bounty and says that everything is ready to go.”

Nya gave a small sigh of relief, knowing it was helpful to have a second opinion on the state of the Bounty, especially after she, Jay, Pixal, and Zane rewired the entire console after the incident. She refused to think about that day. “Are you sure you’re going to be fine without us? I mean, the girls are the brains of the group.”

“Hey, Zane’s pretty smart!”

“Zane tried calling the police on Jay for jaywalking across the street.”

“Okay, so he didn’t have the braincell that day, but Cole is pretty smart too!”

“Cole tried to eat an entire triple chocolate cake by himself, got sick, and then continued to eat it!”

“All right, you got me there, but we have Master Garmadon keeping an eye on us.” Kai sat down on the bed and said, “It’s gonna be strange without you, Lloyd, and Pixal here, it might be way too quiet.”

“We’ll be back before you know it, I just hope nothing big happens while we’ve got the Bounty,” Nya said, wringing her hands as a knot of worry tightened in her stomach.

Kai reached out and held Nya’s hands, tight but gentle. “We’ll be okay, sis. Sure, we won’t have Samurai X, or the water samurai, or the master of amber, or even the green ninja, but I think we can handle whatever is thrown our way.”

A knock on the doorframe caught the siblings’ attention. Skylor poked her head into the room, bearing a bright grin, orange cami, and black shorts. “Hey Nya, are you almost done?”

“Just about,” Kai replied, smirking at his sister. “She just needs to put everything away before she quadruple checks her things.”

“Great, Pixal wants to head out in about five minutes to make sure we don’t run into any bad weather.” With a wave, Skylor disappeared around the corner, leaving the siblings to pack Nya’s suitcase. Eventually, they hurried through the rebuilt Monastery of Spinjitzu out to the courtyard where the other ninjas and masters were waiting. Jay was walking down the ramp leading from the deck of the Bounty after finishing a final round of inspections. The Lightning Ninja was covered in spots of oil and grease with his usual electric smile plastered on his face.

Zane was chatting with Pixal by the gate. Nya could hear them discussing calling each other while Jay joined Cole as he talked to Skylor, asking if she could bring them back some souvenirs from the beach. Master Garmadon, Sensei Misako, and Lloyd stood at the ready, the Master and Sensei were linked arm and arm as they overlooked their students.

Master Garmadon stomped his staff onto the cobblestone ground, the bang echoed across the white painted walls as the students fell silent. With a smile, he said, “The ninja and I wanted to wish all of you a safe journey to the Southeastern Isles. We hope that your trip is peaceful and that you return safe and sound.”

Nya, Pixal, Lloyd, and Skylor said their goodbyes to the ninjas, giving each one a tight hug before boarding the Bounty with their suitcases in hand. Misako gave her husband a soft departing kiss, murmuring one last I love you as they broke apart. Pixal climbed up to the high-tech bridge and set the coordinates to the Southeastern Isles; the engines and thrusters roared to life as those on deck held onto the railings, waving to the rest standing in the monastery courtyard. With a grin and the push of a lever, the Destiny’s Bounty soared through the sapphire skies and disappeared over the horizon.

Chapter Text

-Destiny’s Bounty-

Pixal stood tall and proud at the helm of the Destiny’s Bounty, her neon green eyes shone with excitement and joy, though there was a bit of hesitancy underneath the gleam. She was secretly worried about being so far away from the capital city, away from her mech and most of her weapons, and away from her father. She was going to desperately miss him, but he was the one to convince her to go with her girlfriends on this beach trip.

“Father,” Pixal murmured, standing beside Cyrus Borg as he typed in code into his computer. “Nya and Skylor have brought up an idea of a getaway, several days away from Ninjago City.”

“That sounds wonderful!” Cyrus chirped, pausing his frantic typing. The blue light of the screen lit up his tired features, reflecting the screen in the lenses of his glasses.

“It is, isn’t it? But, Father…” Pixal trailed off, her gaze falling to the floor.

Cyrus reached up and held her hands, giving her porcelain-like hands a squeeze. “What’s wrong, Pixal? What is troubling you?”

She took in a deep breath, “I want to go on this trip but I must admit I fear leaving you and Ninjago City unprotected. To be gone for days, hundreds of miles away, with only the Bounty as our means of travel? What if something happens to you and I am not here to help?”

Her father smiled, “My dear, you cannot live your life fearing for my safety. You must take time to relax, to enjoy time with your loved ones. Feel the sand, embrace the ocean, and have fun. And I am not helpless- I have upgraded the Security Droids not only around the tower but around the city and several villages nearby. Any sign of a disturbance will not only alert here but the police, and if necessary, the Ninja too. Also-“

“I know a thing or two about fighting.”

The usual feeling of her body tensing still overtook her. She and Cyrus turned towards the door, spotting Acronix holding a tray of teacups and a teapot. It had only been half of a year since Acronix appeared out of the time vortex; lost, confused, injured, searching for aid, and Pixal has yet to trust him. She programmed the security cameras to alert her of Acronix and Cyrus’s locations, in case the former Time Twin decided to attack or pull any tricks. So far, though, Acronix seemed to be determined to help Cyrus and Pixal and was rather excited to learn about technology now that his brother was no longer holding him back.

Where was Krux? No one knew, not even his brother. Acronix had explained that he woke up on the outskirts of Ninjago City with his head spinning, memories fogged, and in pain. All he could remember was Borg and the technology of the city.

“I know you do not trust me, Samurai, but I can protect Cyrus. You both have given me the life I’ve wanted, and I owe you for that,” Acronix said, setting the tray on the counter beside her. “I may never earn your trust, and I accept that, but I can protect and fight.”

“We will be fine, my dear,” Cyrus murmured, patting her hands. “Go enjoy yourself and take lots of pictures for me.”

“Pixal?” Skylor’s voice coaxed her out of her daze; the master of Amber leaned against the console with a concerned look on her face, her golden eyes watched her closely. “What’re you thinking about?”

“I was thinking about my father,” she replied, loosening her grip on the wheel. “I fear to leave him alone with Acronix. What if he is just biding his time, waiting for a moment of weakness, and then he’ll-“

Skylor placed a hand on Pixal’s shoulder, “Pix, he’s going to be okay. You can’t spend your life worrying about things outside of your control; if Cyrus says that he’s going to be okay, he’s going to be okay. We’re going on an adventure, a trip to a whole new part of Ninjago that we’ve never seen before; you shouldn’t spend it worrying about something that might not even happen.”

Pixal’s eyes flickered from the sapphire sea-like sky surrounding the Bounty over to Skylor and her grin. She took in a breath and removed one of her hands from the wheel, reaching around the master of Amber’s neck; with a quick tug, Skylor tumbled forward and felt Pixal’s cold lips on her’s. She wrapped her arms around the android’s waist and nuzzled her head under hers.

“If there is a disturbance or your dad calls you back to the city, I’m sure all of us would be more than happy to help you get back as soon as possible.”

Pixal smiled, “Thank you, Skylor.”

-Monastery of Spinjitzu-

Kai gripped his phone, glancing at it every few minutes before his gaze would return to Cole and Jay frantically smashing the buttons on the game controller. He couldn’t help but smile at Jay biting his lip in extreme concentration and Cole furrowing his eyebrows, his boyfriends were so cute when they play competitive games.

Jay cried out again as his character was thrown off of the screen, playfully shoving Cole’s arm but the earth ninja didn’t budge. The television counted down another round and the duo resumed their battle. Kai looked down at his phone screen again, perking at a ChitChat from Nya.

A selfie of Nya and Lloyd lit up his screen; Lloyd was weakly waving as his face was tinted a slight green while Nya was poking her tongue out with a peace sign. The caption read Someone got a little airsick :P, then a message popped up; we’re about 5 hours away, things are going pretty well. hope home is still intact.

Kai typed back: don’t worry, everything is fine back at base. He took a quick picture of Jay and Cole and sent it, receiving an okay hand in return. He sent a message hoping that Lloyd feels better soon just as Zane entered the family room. The ice ninja was once again wearing a pastel pink apron that the group had given him for the solstice; Zane had almost cried when he removed it from the tissue paper, thanking everyone by baking an array of his famous desserts immediately after.

“Dinner is ready, please pause your game so we may eat,” he said, smiling at Jay and Cole. The gamer pair scrambled off of their pillow seats, tumbling over one another as they scurried out of the room determined to get to dinner before one another. As Kai stood up, Zane asked, “Have you heard anything from the others yet?”

“Nya said that they’re about five hours away and that Lloyd got a little airsick, otherwise things appear to be going well.”

“That is great to hear, I do hope that they have a fun getaway. Perhaps, someday, we should do the same?”

“That would be amazing, Frosty. Any ideas?” Kai wrapped his arm around Zane’s waist as the pair wandered down the hallway, relishing the feeling of the cold aura under his hands.

“Perhaps a visit to the Birchwood Forest? I’ve heard it’s a marvelous vacation destination during the spring.”

Jay poked his head around the corner, giving Kai and Zane a playful glare, “Can you two hurry up? Cole is barely keeping it together in here!”

“Har har Zaptrap!” Cole called from inside. “I saw you eyeing the mashed potatoes!”

Kai and Zane stepped inside and sat down at the table; on the left were Jay and Kai, on the right were Cole and Zane with Master Garmadon at the head of the table.

The four ninja knelt their heads as Master Garmadon said, “We are here to say thank you to Zane for making a delicious looking meal, to our health and our home, and to send our wishes to our friends who are making a long journey. May they be safe and happy at the Southeastern Isles.”

Jay lunged for the mashed potatoes, slapping a large spoonful on his plate. Cole passed around the corn and rice as Zane handed around the slices of ham. Kai gratefully accepted several of the dishes and built his plate, his stomach growled loudly at the sight before him.

Within the sounds of clinking silverware on the plates, Zane said, “I need to take a trip to Ninjago City and Terra village tomorrow. I found a recipe that I am very excited to try and I need to pick up supplies for it.”

“What are you planning on making, Zane?” Garmadon asked.

“There was a recipe for miniature pies and empanadas; I need to pick up more flour, confectioner’s sugar, and pie filling.”

Jay’s eyes widened at the mention of pies, grinning from ear to ear. “Does that mean we can have apple pies?”

Zane nodded, “If that is what you want.”

Cole perked, “Could we visit the bakery on Bradley? Pincamena told me she has a new type of chocolate lava cake that I’ve been dying to try!”

Kai gave a snort. Of course, Cole would want to try a new chocolate cake, he swore that the earth ninja was friends with every baker across Ninjago.

“I’m sure Kai would take you there.”

Cole turned to him with the biggest puppy-dog eyes, sticking his trembling bottom lip out as he silently pleaded with the fire ninja. Kai laughed, “Of course I’d love to take you. How could I say no to those eyes.”

Cole pumped his fist victoriously, then returned to eating when Master Garmadon cleared his throat. After dinner, Kai, Jay, and Cole did the dishes while Zane and Master Garmadon had a quick meditation session in the courtyard. Eventually, the trio of dishwashers joined the pair outside as the sun set behind the horizon. Kai went back inside the monastery and returned a few minutes later carrying sleeping bags and pillows. Each ninja rolled out their sleeping bag beside one another and lay in contented peace.

Garmadon opened his eyes about a half-hour later and chuckled to himself; each ninja snored softly, lost in their dreams under the stars. He dimmed the lanterns circling the courtyard, picked up Kai and Jay’s phones to bring inside to charge, and stopped at the door. Garmadon looked over his shoulder and smiled, still wrapping his head around how lucky he was to have a happy life with his wife, his son, and seven amazing students.

Chapter Text

-the Southeastern Isles-

The Sun has yet to breach the horizon to the Northeast, yet the water surrounding Nya was the perfect temperature. With the ocean lapping at her waist, the master of water was in blissful heaven; she had always wanted to see the ocean in a time of peace and now she is living her dream. Nya wondered if this is how Kai felt when he visited the Fire Temple, or when Zane is in the Birchwood Forest, maybe when Jay flies the Bounty during a thunderstorm. She leaned her head back and gave a contented sigh, then perked when she heard someone approaching from behind.

Nya turned to where the Destiny’s Bounty lay on the beach and saw Lloyd approaching her with a soft look of trepidation. “Good morning, Lloyd!” she chirped, giving him a bright grin.

Lloyd returned with a weaker smile, “Hey Nya.” He hadn’t budged from the edge of the water lapping at his feet.

“Are you okay?”

Lloyd nodded, yet his eyes remained locked on the water below.

Nya stood up and held her hands out. “It’s okay, the ocean won’t hurt you. I’ll be right here.”

“What if I get carried out into deeper waters? What if I drown?!” Lloyd took a step back, his body trembled as he wrapped his arms around himself.

Nya took a step forward, keeping her hands outstretched and still. “I won’t let that happen; I mean, you’re with the master of water! How lucky can you get!”

He gave a faint chuckle as his shaking slowed a bit.

She took another step forward. “We won’t go in too deep, just to where I was. The deepest would be to your knees or your waist when sitting. Do you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you!” he cried. “It’s just…”

“You’ll be okay, I promise. We’re safe here; there are no enemies, there are no threats, it’s just us and the sunrise.”

Lloyd’s eyes glanced from the water surrounding Nya’s feet to her hands. Back and forth, back and forth, his thoughts raged like a thunderstorm in his mind as he struggled to push past his fear. His shuddering breath slowed, closing his eyes while he unfurled his hands from their iron-tight grip on his arms. Blindly, Lloyd reached out and held onto Nya’s hands tighter than anything before.

“You’re about two steps away from the water,” Nya coaxed. “Start with your right foot, feel the sand between your toes. Listen to the sound of the water, let the serenity flow through you. You are safe, there is no danger.”

Lloyd took a step forward.

“One step away; now with your left, there is no current where we are. There is no riptide, there are no creatures that can harm you. It’s just us. The water might feel a little cold but it’s nothing too bad.”

Lloyd stepped into the water, feeling his body tense from the sudden stimulant. A flash of a memory; roaring wind in his ears as his body stumbled backward, flailing wildly as his weightless weak body tumbled over a cliff. Four voices scream his name. An impact of ice-cold water overtaking him. He can’t breathe. He can’t think.

“Lloyd, you’re safe. You’re not there anymore. Focus on what you feel right now, not what you’re remembering.”

Lloyd was helpless, flailing his arms helplessly as he was swept away by the uncaring current. His head bobbed above and below the freezing water, gasping for any breath of air before disappearing under the surface again. Lloyd caught glimpses of red and greenish-black blobs rushing towards him before the water overtook him once again.

“Take another step, Lloyd. The water is warm, not icy. You’re above the waves, not below. You’re not in danger.”

A blur of red appeared above him as he sank below the waves, Lloyd felt strong arms wrap around his waist as he was yanked towards the surface. He breached the surface and was thrown onto solid ground, trembling and shaking from the cold. He was alive. He was back in his body. He was free.

“You’re here, Lloyd. You’ve made it to our spot. Open your eyes and look at where you are.”

Lloyd opened his eyes, feeling the warmth of the rising sun’s rays on his face. The waves lapped around his calves, his feet sunk an inch or two beneath the wet sand, yet he felt happy. He looked over at Nya who was beaming with pride, but then he realized that his grip on her hand was way too tight. With a rushed, embarrassed apology, he let go and nervously rubbed the nape of his neck.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“A little better,” he replied, breathing a sigh of relief.

With a contented nod, Nya sat back down in the water and closed her eyes, hearing Lloyd sit down beside her a minute later. Nya’s mind started to drift away, entering a peaceful tranquil state, but then she felt Lloyd’s head lay against her shoulder.

“What’s on your mind?” she asked.

A moment of silence passed. A soft intake of breath, shaky and unsure. “When we fought the Oni, I.. I keep having the same dream night after night. I feel cold, but it’s like an Autumn cold. There are green plains that stretch on forever, with golden flowers that reach up to my waist and islands that float in the sky. Then, there’s a golden dragon and a man- I can’t see his face and I can’t hear his voice, but… there’s something powerful about him. He leads me around the plains as the dragon watches us, and then he bows to me. I only feel confusion whenever he does so. He appears on his dragon and holds his hand out to me, asking me a question. Every time, I almost take his hand, but every time I turn him down. When I awake, I feel pain. My body aches, my head pounds, and I struggle to breathe. I panic, thinking that I was dying. I can’t talk, I can’t scream, I can’t move. I don’t know what to do.”

Nya asked, “Have you told anyone else about this?”

Lloyd shook his head, which shook Nya’s shoulder in the process.

“Lloyd, it’s been three months since the Oni attacked. You mean you’ve been dealing with this since then?”

He gave a weaker nod. “I wanted to tell someone about it when it first started, but we were so tired and had to rebuild, plus we already had to worry about Cole after his fall… it just, I guess I just wanted to push it down.”

“Lloyd, you can’t do that!” Nya turned and faced Lloyd. he was expecting a disappointed glare but instead was greeted with a soft, comforting gaze. “You can’t just push your emotions down and expect things to be okay in the end. If you are dealing with something like this, you can always talk to any of us! If you feel that you can’t handle things alone and that you don’t want to talk to us, we can always find you help. You’ve gone through some horrible shit, Lloyd. It’s okay that you might need help; I’m not gonna lie, we might all need a little help.”

“But, you seem so confident!”

“Confidence doesn’t mean everything is all right. I’ve seen Cole grow pale when he looks at the Bounty. Kai refuses to go on that haunted house ride at Mega Monster Amusement park, he jumps when he hears those ghosts say Boo. Zane still has nightmares about the Overlord. Jay and I… we remember things that no one else does.

“There was a djinn, he had the power to grant wishes but with every wish, he turned it against you. He captured and… he hurt Jay. He had a sword that could capture people’s souls…” Nya took in a shaky breath, clenching her fists underneath the waves. “He took you, Kai, Cole, Zane… and he wanted to marry me. I guess I looked identical to his dead lover, and-“ she glowered and spat, “if he married me, he would gain infinite wishes and rule over Ninjago. We tried to fight him off, but, let’s just say things didn’t end well. We were lucky in the end, but only by the slimmest of margins. If one thing went wrong, we wouldn’t have been here today.”

Nya took in a deep breath, feeling a weight lift off of her shoulders. She had been silent for too long, with only Jay to talk to about the djinn and sky-pirates. “It’s been three years since then, and I still feel the burning in my chest. Jay says that he still has phantom pains from his capture, especially in his eye.” She gave a smile and flopped back into the water, giving a momentarily relief-filled chuckle. “It feels so good to tell someone about that. But, I hope you know now that we’re all struggling with things; there’s no shame in asking for help.”

Lloyd turned and faced the horizon stretching before him, finally feeling a sense of peace in his heart. He wasn’t alone. He had his family, he had support, and he had love. Behind them, on the deck of the Bounty, Misako called out to the duo that breakfast was ready. With grinning faces, Nya and Lloyd raced out of the water towards the ship for a delicious meal.

-Ninjago City-

Cole’s grip on Kai’s hand tightened in excitement as they wandered through the streets of Ninjago City. With glowing, buzzing neon lights shining above them advertising numerous businesses and products, Kai both loved and hated the technologically advanced city. He loved how the city looked at night, the neon created a beautiful array of colors that lit up the sky, but the roaring cars (both hovering and traditional) and the ever-evolving tech confused and frustrated him. Kai hated new tech, but it wasn’t to the level that Krux had been; he learned to accept the changes while the former master of time had not.

Kai glanced up at Cole’s beaming face, his eyes shown with excitement and hunger as they grew closer to the desired bakery and pastry shop. He could hear murmurs of excitement from kids realizing that they were walking past two of the ninja, he would meet the kids’ gazes and give them a bright smile, causing them to gasp and grin back.

On every block, Kai could see the white security droids guarding the city. Their red eyes and gaze seemed to follow Kai and Cole’s every step; he found this to be very odd since, usually, the security droids would keep their eyes forward and head still, but they were locked onto the pair. Kai was about to ask Cole if he noticed but his words were ripped out of his throat when the earth ninja yanked him into a small business.

The smell of frosting, warm bread, butter, and sugar overwhelmed the fire ninja. His mouth started to water as Cole zipped up to the center display case, pressing his face against the glass. Kai slipped out his camera and took a quick Chitchat, making sure to save the pic before sending it to the group chat.

The bakery had several white victorian-like shelves with baby blue and white ceramic plates filled with numerous types of cookies; sugar, oatmeal, chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, frosted, double chocolate, and more. Other plates held piles of brownies of different types, and there was also an entire shelf dedicated to pies; cherry, blueberry, pumpkin, apple-cinnamon, blackberry, and others too. There were small tables with two to four chairs spread around the floor, each one was decorated with a small bouquet of rainbow flowers and silverware. The main display case held cakes of all sizes and shapes; from wedding cakes to small birthday cakes, from funfetti to vanilla and carrot cake to strawberry shortcake. In the center shelf of the case, locked on by Cole’s gaze, was the chocolate lava cake of his dreams. Though a lot smaller than Kai was expecting, the lava cake was decorated in a dollop of whipped cream and topped with a perfect looking strawberry. A small section of the cake had been cut open, revealing the melted hot fudge and caramel flowing out of the inside, pooling around the base of the plate.

A swinging double door opened as a young woman wearing a pink, blue, and white frilly apron stepped out; she had curled pink and black hair that seemed to defy gravity tied into a ponytail, a face covered in splatters of cake batter, rainbow sprinkles, and flour, and was wearing a fifty’s style dress. “Cole! Don’t you dare smudge my glass!” she cried, though the smile gave away her joking nature.

Cole quickly took a step back with his hands held up in surrender. “Sorry, Pincamena.” He turned and held a hand out, which Kai happily took. “Pink, this is my boyfriend, Kai. Kai, this is Pincamena, the best baker in all of Ninjago City!”

Kai held out a hand but was suddenly crushed in a surprisingly strong hug. Somehow, in the blink of an eye, Pincamena had sprinted around the display case and launched herself at him in a bear hug. She was nearly as strong as Cole, it felt, or maybe he was just that caught off guard.

Pincamena took a step back, still grinning, and said, “It's so nice to meet you! Cole tells me about you, Zane, and Jay all the time! Cole and I met many years ago when he helped save my brand new bakery from those nasty snakes y’know the ones that brought that really big snake that tried to eat all of the buildings well anyway he saved my bakery and I felt so grateful that I gave him a slice of cake and I guess he really liked it and kept coming back and-“

“Pink, breathe!” Cole laughed as she started to turn a light blue.

She took in a deep breath, the color returned to her face, and slowed down. “Sorry I just get so excited when I meet someone new! Anyway, I’m guessing that you’re here for the Super Yummy Double Choco Lava Cake?”

Cole could barely keep his excitement. Kai said, “He practically begged me to bring him here, nothing could keep him away. Mind if we have one for here?”

“Oh of course! Would you like one to go too?” she asked, returning to the other side of the display case.

Kai didn’t even have to turn to see Cole getting ready to give him another puppy-dog gaze. “We’d love to, thank you Pincamena.”

She rang up their total, giving a friends-and-family discount, and told them to take a seat anywhere. Cole found a pitcher of ice water and filled up two cups as Kai sat down at one of the couple’s tables. Cole returned, handed him his cup, and sat down with a happy smile.

Kai glanced out of the bay window and noticed, once again, the security droid across the street was locked onto the pair. He had a growing pit of worry in his stomach. “Hey, Cole? Have you noticed anything odd today?”

“It feels like there’s a little tension in the air, but I was thinking it’s the prolonged peace we’re in. Everyone is so used to being under attack that anything calm is… off. What have you noticed?”

“The security droids. It feels like they’re watching us and only us. Like that one across the street, I swear I can feel its gaze burning a hole in my back.”

“Have you checked in with Jay and Zane?”

“Not yet, I wanted to ask you first.”

Pincamena burst through the double doors once again, carrying a tray with an open plate and a white box with a pink bow on top. She set the plate down between Kai and Cole then the box next to them. “Enjoy! It was wonderful to see you again, Cole, and it was great to meet you, Kai!” With a wave, she disappeared into the back once more.

“She really is… something, isn’t she?”

Cole barked a laugh, then the pair dug into the most delicious cake they had ever had the pleasure of eating.

-Terra Village-

Zane and Jay wandered through the small village on the outskirts of Ninjago City. Jay carried their groceries bag in one hand as Zane went through their list once again, crossing off the items they had purchased at the stalls in the town. In Jay’s other hand, he was happily munching on a caramel apple he had bought while Zane was deciding between which type of apples he wanted to use.

As the pair made their way through the mostly empty streets, Zane noticed that a security droid, one of ten that were stationed in the town, was walking towards them. Its red eyes seemed to be locked on the duo, it’s head followed their every movement. Zane started searching for any out, fearing an attack from the droid; he noticed an open shop and nudged him inside, pushing him behind the counter. The shop was momentarily silent; Zane covered Jay’s mouth and held up a finger, warning for silence.

Heavy footsteps entered the store, a quiet beeping and robotic voice repeated Scanning filled the space. Jay’s wide eyes glanced at the ice ninja, but he remained silent. The footsteps grew closer to the counter; Zane could see the red eyes reflected in a mirror of the clothes shop. Why was it searching for them? His artificial heart pounded a mile a second, he could feel Jay’s pulse under his fingertips, matching his fear.

The pair scooted further underneath the counter, disappearing from any gaze. Thump, thump, thump. The droid stepped beside the counter, sending a ray of light to scan for their signatures. Jay started to tremble, desperate to make a noise of fear. Scanning, scanning, scanning- beep! The droid gave a disappointed beep, failing to find their signatures. It’s heavy footsteps faded out of the store as it resumed its route around the town. After a few minutes, Zane and Jay stumbled out from behind the counter and sprinted as fast as they could out of the town towards Ninjago City.

Zane struggled to pull out his phone with a shaking hand. He speed-dialed Cole and pleaded for him to answer. Ring… Ring… Ring...

“Hullo?” Cole answered, his voice muffled.

“Cole! Is Kai with you?” Zane cried, glancing over his shoulder. He swore he could see numerous red eyes watching them retreat from a distance.

“Yeah, we’re still at Pincamena’s. Is everything okay?”

“Meet us at Laughy’s in ten minutes. It’s urgent!”

“Okay, we’ll be there.”

***

Zane paced the empty karaoke floor as Jay stood by the doorway, keeping an eye on the sky for the other two ninjas. A pair of roars echoed, Zane sprinted to the doorway and watched as Cole and Kai’s elemental dragons landed in front of the bar. The fire and earth ninjas rushed inside, the doors slammed shut behind them the second they stepped inside.

“Something is wrong with the security droids!” Jay cried.

Kai and Cole exchanged a nervous glance. “I noticed they were watching us when we were walking, but they didn’t do anything.”

“One followed us into a shop and was scanning for us,” Zane said.

“Perhaps they’re malfunctioning?” Cole offered. “We should let Cyrus know about it.”

Jay gave a shuddering breath, “It was freaky, Cole. Like, really freaky! We could hear it walking towards us, scanning for us!”

“Are you hurt?” Kai asked, wrapping his arm around the Lightning ninja’s shoulders.

Jay shook his head, though he was still pale. With a sad murmur, he said, “I lost my caramel apple.”

“I’ll make you a new one when we get back to the monastery,” Cole promised, pressing a kiss against his cheek.

Jay gave a weak smile. Cole and Kai kissed Zane before they stepped back outside. Cole and Zane rode together on the elemental earth dragon while Kai and Jay rode on the fire dragon. As they flew over the city, hundreds of security droids followed their path across the sky.

Chapter Text

Lloyd sat on the shores of the beach, only about six inches into the water, as he watched Nya and Skylor try to surf on the waves. Misako was sitting on the deck of the Bounty with Pixal, both of whom were engrossed in a massive pile of books. Lloyd watched as Skylor tried to stand on her surfboard once again; her knees knocked and wobbled together as she cried out, her arms kept flailing from grabbing at the board to attempting to keep her balance.

“You’ve got this, Sky!” Nya cheered, only to be immediately engulfed in a splash from Skylor’s wake. A moment later, the master of amber toppled over and fell into the water with a cry.

The pair popped back to the surface, bubbling with laughter. Nya said something to Skylor who nodded and searched around for something. The master of water pointed near Lloyd and held out her hand, he watched as the surfboard shot across the water back to the pair. He had to admit, he was tempted to ask if they could teach him how to surf, but he did not want to go beyond the water reaching his chest.

As Nya climbed onto the surfboard, she glanced up and waved. “Hey, Lloyd!”

He waved at the pair and stood up, dusting off the wet sand that stuck to his swim trunks and went to grab his towel. As he wiped down his legs and stomach, Lloyd could hear Nya crying out before another loud splash and laughter echoed across the waves. Feeling a little overheated from the Sun, he wandered across the toasty sand and up the ramp onto the deck of the Destiny’s Bounty.

Misako looked up from her book and chirped, “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to stay in the shade for a little bit.”

Pixal’s eyes flashed a brief blue, she pursed her lips and said, “Your body temp is several degrees above normal. I recommend drinking a glass of ice water and putting a cold cloth around your neck.”

With a nod, Lloyd went below deck and jumped into the shower, relishing in the cold water cooling his temperature. After making sure there was no sand still stuck to him, he climbed out and put on a dry tank. Just before he stepped out of the bathroom, he noticed a sticky note stuck to the mirror.

I left a surprise for you on your bed, I hope you like it ~Mom

Curious, Lloyd hurried through the halls of the ship, his eyes locked on his door at the end of the hallway. He threw open the door, silently praying that it wasn’t another gi (he already had enough), but found what looked like a white paper bag with a silver bow on top.

“Definitely isn’t a new uniform,” he murmured, approaching the bed. With eager hands, Lloyd tore open the paper bag and froze when he caught a glimpse of the familiar neon print. “No way..” With his heart pounding and fluttering, he ripped off the remaining paper and stared in disbelief at the limited-edition comic of Starfarer, signed by Fritz Donngan’s actor Cliff Gordan.

In a daze, Lloyd wandered out of the room, back to the deck of the Bounty. Misako looked up from his book and smiled, placing the novel by her side.

“Do you like it?” she asked as a hint of nervousness crept into her voice.

“How did you get this?”

“Oh, well, Kai told me that you had once wanted this but it sold out rather quickly. I found a copy and searched for Cliff Gordon, asking if he could sign this for you. Is it okay?”

“Okay?” A massive grin grew on Lloyd’s face. “This is the best thing I could’ve gotten! Thank you, Mom!”

Misako breathed a sigh of relief, happy to know she found the right gift for her son. Lloyd sat down on the deck and immediately became immersed within his childhood favorite story.

-Later That Night-

Skylor carried a massive pile of palm leaves and branches towards their campfire. Lloyd and Nya were chatting and laughing as the crackling flames lit up their expressions. Pixal’s eyes stared deeply into the flickering flames and embers snapping under the heat. Misako was roasting a few marshmallows and prepping s’mores for the group. Skylor placed the palm leaves and branches on the sand beside their seats and gratefully accepted a roasted marshmallow.

The sun started to set far behind them, the shadows and cooling air struggled to engulf them yet the flickering flames kept it at bay. Pixal watched in amusement as Nya and Lloyd struggled to tame their sticky, stretching marshmallows. With a muffled, full mouth, Lloyd offered a bite which she politely declined. She glanced down at her BorgWatch and relaxed just a small bit.

“Everything okay, Pix?” Skylor asked.

“Oh, yes, I just received a message from Zane. He says: Hello Pixal; I am glad to hear that you are having a fun time at the beach. Jay and Cole wanted me to ask if you could pick them up a shell or a bottle of ocean water and sand. Yesterday, we went for quick trip through Terra and Ninjago City for supples while today was spent baking pies and pastries, with surprisingly little burning or mishaps. Cole, Jay, and Kai are cleaning the kitchen after they decided to have a ‘flour war’ as I put the pies out to cool.

“Master Garmadon says the monastery is a little too quiet with you and the others missing. Kai and Jay are determined to make up for the missing noise tomorrow, though I fear that it will not end well. Cole and I are planning on taking a trip to the Library of Domu tomorrow, I want to continue writing about the history of Ninjago but I need books about the realm crystal and Airjitzu.

“If you are with the others or reading this aloud to them; Lloyd, I hope you are enjoying a well-deserved break. Nya, do not forget to practice your water training (so reminds Master Garmadon). Skylor, Kai says hello. Misako; Master Garmadon misses you. Pixal; last but most definitely not least, I miss you and cannot wait to hear about your adventure. Signed- Zane.”

Skylor and Nya crooned and awed. Lloyd picked up another marshmallow and held it above the fire, panicking when it caught ablaze. Misako chuckled and stood up, “I’m going to head inside for a bit, don’t stay up too late and, Lloyd, don’t eat too many sweets.”

They wished her a goodnight and crowded together on the beach, falling into a peaceful lull. Each one decided to tell a favorite story from their adventures; from Nya saving the ninja as Samurai X in the Toxic Bogs, to Lloyd when he helped build Master Garmadon’s monastery, from Skylor and the first time she learned about her powers of amber, to Pixal and being accepted as the new Samurai X. There the group sat beneath the rising moon and shining stars, laughing and chatting the night away.

-Monastery of Spinjitzu; 1 AM-

The Monastery was quiet, silent as a mouse. Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane were tucked in bed, sleeping and snoring in their shared bedroom. Zane tossed and turned, gripping at the sheets and comforter as his face contorted in pain and discomfort. He ground his teeth, grunting and whining as his sixth sense rang out frantically. He jolted awake, covered in a cold sweat, his artificial heart pounded in fear.

Zane slid out of bed, but as his feet touched against the cold wooden floor a loud bang reverberated across the courtyard and through the monastery. The Ninja yelped; Jay flailed and fell face-first onto the floor, Cole grabbed his scythe that he kept by his beside and searched around blindly for the threat, Kai was tangled in his sheets, unable to escape. Zane slammed open the rice paper door and was immediately greeted by black, violet, and neon blue figures flooding the hallways.

Cole, Kai, and Jay raced down, weapons drawn, to hold back the tidal wave of enemies. Zane ran down the opposite side of the hallway and into the control room. Panels of buttons, levers, control screens, touch screens, dials and more lined the walls of the room. Zane could hear the sounds of Kai, Cole, and Jay shouting and yelling as weapons clashed and clanged, growing closer and closer to his room.

“Call the Bounty, call the Bounty, call the Bounty!” he murmured feverishly. He typed in the call number to the ship as the screen glowed to life, buzzing and humming like an old television screen. A red [REC] [LIVE] appeared at the top right corner of the screen. “Attention Bounty! Attention Bounty! We are under attack! I repeat, we are under attack!”

The door burst open. Kai, Jay, and Cole stumbled inside, still in combat against the trio-colored creatures. Yet, when Zane looked closer at the mob, he noticed that they seemed to look familiar. Way too familiar.

Master Garmadon gave a shout somewhere in the monastery. Zane turned back to the screen, “We need assistance! I repeat we need assistance!”

Laughter echoed through the room; a looming figure hidden in shadows appeared in the doorway. The creatures lunged for Kai, Cole, and Jay, rendering them helpless as Zane backed up against the console. The figure approached him, keeping out of the camera’s sight.

A distorted voice spoke, “Calling for help? That’s not part of the experiment.” The figure raised a hand, golden thread-like strings shot out of its fingertips and wrapped around Zane’s neck, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles. More strings appeared out of the figure’s other hand, tangled the other ninja in it’s golden web.

“Who… are… you…?” Zane choked out.

“That information is classified.”

Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane gave one final cry for help before becoming consumed by the darkness. The screen continued to blink [REC] [LIVE] throughout the night, reporting the transmission to the Destiny’s Bounty and it’s unsuspecting passengers.

Chapter Text

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Pixal awoke with a start, searching around for the beeping that had disturbed her sleep. The flashing of her charging watch on the nightstand caught her attention; she picked up and noticed the notification blinking at her. One New Message- Transmission from Monastery [REC] [LIVE]. Above her, she could hear the bridge’s alarm beeping, reporting the transmission.

Pixal rushed out of her bedroom to the bridge, finding the monitor relaying a live feed of the control room at the monastery. Confused, she approached the console and studied the images; weapons lay abandoned on the floor, blackened footprints stained the ground, yet there was no sound coming from the monitor. Her eyes flickered to the timestamp, paling at the [6:48:01] and growing time. Her hands typed frantically, ending the recording before rewinding to the beginning. Hours and hours rewound, yet the image seemed to remain unchanged. [0:03:52] the first sounds were heard, a sea of black, purple, and blue flooding the screen before the Ninja appeared.

Zane was by the monitor. Cole, Kai, and Jay were at the back of the room, armed with their weapons as they struggled against the swarm of black creatures.

[0:00:00]

Zane was alone in front of the monitor, dressed in his pajamas with his hair in disarray. His sapphire blue eyes were wide in panic and distress, his hands trembled as he cried out, “Attention Bounty! Attention Bounty! We are under attack! I repeat, we are under attack!” The door slammed open, loud shouting overtook the microphone as Kai, Cole, and Jay stumbled into the room.

A swarm of creatures seemingly made of a void-like material with purple spots and blue crystals stormed the room, lunging for the trio in the back while several broke off to take hold of Zane. As he struggled, he cried out, “We need assistance! I repeat, we need assistance!”

Laughter boomed above the noise, distorted and deep. As Zane was being restrained and backed up against the console, he turned to face the unknown figure with fury and fear.

“Calling for help? That’s not part of the experiment.”

Golden thread shot out from the side of the screen, wrapping around the joints and necks of the ninjas. Each struggled to breathe as it tightened and glowed in the darkness. Jay passed out first, falling limp before disappearing within the crowd of darkness. Kai fell second, his eyes flickering at the screen before he too disappeared. Cole was third, spitting a weak swear at the figure before he was lost. Zane, not having the need to breathe, struggled against the mob of black figures, giving out a final cry before he was overrun. The swarm stormed out of the room, leaving only silence and a partially destroyed room behind.

Pixal screamed.

***

Nya tumbled out of bed as a scream rocked the Bounty, fumbling for her bedside katana as the sleep faded from her head. Pounding footsteps stormed down the corridor as Lloyd and Skylor appeared in her doorway.

“Was that-“

“Not me, but-“

“If it wasn’t-“

The trio froze, each gasping and shouting in unison, “Pixal!” They sprinting to the bridge, tumbling and scrambling over one another in a blind panic. Nya was the first to scale the ladder, stumbling onto the floor. She looked up and saw Pixal wrapped in Misako’s arms as they knelt on the floor.

“What happened?” Skylor asked as she landed next to Nya.

“There was a transmission from the Monastery,” Misako said, giving them a worried glance. “Something happened. I haven’t been able to look.”

Lloyd, Skylor, and Nya glanced at the monitor and the frozen image of Zane staring at them. Lloyd hesitantly stepped forward, glanced at the pair, then pressed play.

Nya could only watch, yet all she could hear was Pixal’s frantic sobbing and Misako’s soft cooing. Her brother, her family, taken before her eyes. How could this happen? she silently panicked. We were gone for three days? Who are these enemies?

“We need to get back to the Monastery,” Lloyd said, his face stoic. “Nya, how fast can you get us back there?”

“Ten hours? Maybe less if the winds are on our side?” she replied, rushing to the main console and wheel.

“Skylor, can you help me try to identify whatever took our friends?”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Mom, can you take Pixal below deck?”

With a nod, Misako helped Pixal to her feet and led her below deck. Nya’s grip on the wheel tightened as the cries of her family echoed through her head. She had to find her family, she had to save them, she just had to know what happened to them.

Chapter Text

The Monastery was silent. Stiller than death as a light breeze pushed past the open gates, barely making the oak doors creak as the Destiny’s Bounty on the dock built into the mountainside. Lloyd, Nya, Pixal, Skylor, and Misako descended the ramp, each ready with weapons or their elemental powers in case of a surprise attack. Nya opened the gates to their widest points, the groans and creaks echoed across the stone walls. Piles of black charcoal-like dust swirled across the courtyard, golden flecks twinkled within the obsidian dust.

The group continued inward, Misako stayed with Pixal as she scanned the dust while Skylor, Lloyd, and Nya entered the broken housing. the floor was covered in a wave of black and gold footprints that had yet to be disturbed by the wind. Trailing through the dust were four pairs of parallel lines as if feet had been dragged through the hallways.

Nya felt sick.

She wandered towards the bedrooms and control room, the last place she saw her brother and family before those monsters- whatever they were- took them away. The black trail led towards the control room, though a small section broke into the boys’ bedroom, stepping a few feet in before turning around. In the control room, Cole’s scythe, Jay’s nunchucks, and Kai’s sword lay abandoned in the center of the room. The monitor had long since shut off.

Skylor’s voice called out from the opposite side of the Monastery, “Find anything, Nya?”

Nya sighed then replied, “No, only this black dust!”

“Can someone bring out a few glass cups and plastic wrap?” Misako called out.

Skylor and Nya hurried outside as Lloyd handed Pixal three glass cups. Pixal, wearing white latex gloves from the Bounty, carefully swept up large portions of the dust before covering the glasses in the wrap.

“My scans of this were incomplete, I have no record of what this could be,” she explained. “I wish to contact my father to see if his lab could determine what these samples are made of.”

Lloyd glanced over his shoulder, a dark look crossed his face. “The Monastery isn’t safe. We don’t know who or what took our family, or if they’ll come back for us. We’ll have to stay on the Destiny’s Bounty for the time being. Pix, call your father, tell him we need to use his lab and we’ll be there in about 20 minutes.”

Pixal stood up and pulled up the holographic video-feed, the sound of an automatic beeping pulsed to their fearful heartbeats. The screen flashed white, revealing Cyrus Borg and Acronix on the other side of the feed.

“Pixal, my dear! It’s so nice to see you-“ Cyrus’s smile fell, quickly replaced by a worried frown. “Is everything all right?”

“Father, something has happened,” Pixal replied, her eyes casting downward.

Lloyd placed a hand on her shoulder, “Cyrus, we need to use your lab. Someone took our family and-“

“All we have to go on is this weird powder,” Nya interjected, holding up one of the glasses.

“Can you help us?” Misako asked.

“We’ll do what we can. Come to the Tower, there'll be a landing pad waiting for you. Acronix, can you power up the machines?”

With a nod, Acronix disappeared from the screen; the feed soon ended with worried goodbye. After gathering as much of the dust as they could, the group hurried back onto the Bounty and flew off into the twilight sky, praying that Cyrus could help locate their missing family members.

-[UNKNOWN LOCATION]-

Cole’s eyes sluggishly opened, the world seemed to spin and rock underneath his limp body. What had happened to them, he couldn’t quite remember. Was it all a dream? The ice-cold chains around his wrists shot him to reality. The darkness, the shadow creatures storming down the hallway, Zane’s frantic call to the others on the opposite side of the country, then the golden threads and- nothing.

Cole’s eyes glanced down at the shackles around his wrists, noticing thin rope burns underneath the cuffs. Those golden threads had burned so badly yet they were only a few centimeters thick. It reminded him of something from long ago, but his mind was too fuzzy to latch onto the distant memory. Rolling his head to the side, he could see Kai and Jay laying on top of each other, both chained with the same pulsating shackles. Venge... Vengestone...?

A humming caught Cole’s fluctuating attention, he rolled his head to the other side and saw Zane chained and wired to a generator, overflowing his body with too much power to keep him down and out. Cole had to get to Zane, he had to get those wires out of his circuitry.

Cole struggled to his feet, dragging his body up the wall as the world around him continued to rock and sway beneath his feet. He took a step forward, feeling his knee buckle under his weight. He collapsed onto his side, grunting with a loud oof. He felt sick. What did they do to him?

Cole climbed back onto his knees, feeling nauseous and ill as the room seemed to grow and expand around him. “I’m comin’, Zane,” he slurred, reaching forward.

A door opened somewhere around him. The distorted voice hummed and approached him, picking Cole up by the back of his shirt. “Interesting. The dose was enough to keep your friends under but not enough for you. Perhaps I underestimated your immune system, master of Earth.”

“Fuck… you,” Cole grumbled, weakly swinging his bound arms at the pure white face that stared at him, black empty eyes seemed to gleam with excitement.

“Ooh, feisty, I’ll need to write that down too. We’re not at our destination just yet, so let’s get you back to bed.” The figure laid Cole next to Kai and Jay, then removed a syringe filled with a clear liquid. “10 milligrams should be enough for now, but I’ll have to post someone in case your friends wake up too.”

Cole felt a prick in his neck, and after a few minutes felt his eyes start to become heavier and drowsier. The last thing he saw before falling asleep once more was a black, purple, and blue figure standing at the edge of the room, watching them with unblinking eyes.

Chapter Text

The Destiny’s Bounty soared through the twilight skies, the hull glowed from the neon lights of the technologically enhanced capital city, the roar of the engines mixed with the rush of the railcars and vehicles far below. Nya flew the Bounty towards the center of the city to where Borg Tower soared into the sky, a landing pad was lit with bright white and blue lights, waiting for the flying ship and its inhabitants.

The Bounty gently lowered onto the landing pad hundreds of stories in the air, the rumble of the engines diminished as they landed with a soft thud. The very moment the ship touched the ground, Pixal leaped over the railing and sprinted inside the tower. Lloyd had barely moved an inch to get the ramp down before Pixal disappeared inside.

Lloyd glanced at Nya and Skylor and asked, “Did she grab the glasses?”

Skylor shook her head and picked up the wicker basket holding the samples. She, Nya, Misako, and Lloyd descended off of the Bounty and entered the Tower, finding Pixal embracing her father within his office.

“Father, I am so relieved to see that you are safe!” she cried with a grin on her face.

“As am I,” he replied, brushing her cheek with his thumb. He glanced over at the rest of the group approaching them, his expression becoming somber and worried. “It is nice to see you all again, though I wish it was on better circumstances. I’m heartbroken to hear about your family, but I’m sure we can find them.”

Skylor held up the basket, the glasses within clinked and chimed as they shifted around. “This is what we found at the monastery, we have no idea what it is or what it could be.”

Pixal’s gaze fell, “My identification was incomplete, I do not know what it could be either.”

Cyrus held his hand against her cheek, giving his daughter a warm smile, “It’s all right, that’s why I’m here! Acronix should be responding in a minute or so.” Just as he said that, his BorgWatch lit up, beeping about a new message. “Perfect timing! As we head to the basement, may I ask what had happened to your friends?”

The group filed into the elevator. As they descended the hundreds of stories, each person explained what happened; from the frantic message from Zane to the creatures and the figure, and the golden thread and dust.

“I have no idea what this could be or what these monsters are. My security droids have yet to detect any disturbances across Ninjago, but, perhaps, Pixal and I can search through the feed for any information. Did the Ninja go to any places outside of their home?”

“Zane said that they had stopped at Terra and Ninjago City for groceries, but he never told me about any trouble.”

Cyrus gave a soft hum as the elevator slowed to a stop, beeping in confirmation at its basement destination. Pixal helped wheel her father out of the elevator as the rest of the group followed behind; Acronix was hunched over a control panel, his hands flying and typing across the holographic screens and keyboards at a stunning speed.

Acronix turned and smiled, though his gaze seemed to soften when he saw Cyrus once again. “The machines are ready; I have programmed in all possible identifying features and outcomes!”

“Thank you for doing this, Acronix.” Cyrus turned and accepted one of the jars from Skylor’s basket, emptying the contents into the glass cylinder’s base. He closed the small door to the containment unit, nodding to the former Time Twin to begin the machine.

The cylinder hissed, releasing the trapped air from within, humming and beeping as a blue laser grid descended from the top of the four-foot-tall tube; once the grid reached the pile of dust, it slowed it’s descent and took its time scanning through the mysterious element. The group crowded around the control panel, staring intently at the screen.

An element would pop up on the screen, a picture to compare against the image of the dust, but with each new image, a red X would appear. A loading bar manifested at the top, loading at an unbelievably slow speed.

“This is going to take a while,” Cyrus said, wearily. “Perhaps it would be best to settle down for the night, we can continue this in the morning.”

With tired nods, both weary from the long journey and exhaustion from the loss of their family, the group took the long ride back to the Bounty and collapsed onto their beds, falling into a somber sleep instantly.

The next morning, the group awoke to a distress call from Jamanakai Village. The security droids were struggling to hold off attackers, but their feed was unable to identify the intruders. Pixal, once again, was the first one up, racing to the bridge to pilot the Bounty towards the mountainous village miles away. The Destiny’s Bounty roared to life, soaring over the sleepy capital city and early morning risers already on their way to work.

Pixal’s grip on the wheel refused to let up; was she anxious for the upcoming battle, for the results from the machine, or was it fear for her missing family? Perhaps an amalgamation of all three? Footsteps caught her attention, Pixal glanced over and saw Misako climbing up the ladder to the bridge, looking slightly weary.

“Good morning, Misako.”

Misako yawned and replied with a good morning of her own. She wandered back to the monitor and opened up the distress messages from the security droids. She remained silent for a moment or two, then asked, “Isn’t there usually a video feed from the droids?”

“Yes, but something is blocking the audio and video recordings. Once this is over, I would like to bring one of them back to the tower for an examination. Perhaps it is a malfunction or a disruption in the code that we are unaware of.”

Misako turned away from the monitor and approached the wheel. “Pixal, are you doing okay?”

“I am functioning perfectly.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Pixal’s gaze fell, struggling to find words to understand her internal turmoil. “I am… concerned, worried, and perhaps terrified. I fear that my father’s machines will not be able to detect the powder we found. I am worried about the battle, the security droids are usually able to withhold and detain the offenders, rarely do they call out for help. I am… terrified, I cannot stop thinking about our family and what happened. If we were still there if I was still there, would they have had a better chance? Would they still be around?”

Misako placed her hand on top of Pixal’s, murmuring, “It’s okay to feel worried, I know we all are. I can’t stop thinking about my husband, fearing for his and the other’s safety. I know Nya is scared for her brother, Lloyd and Skylor are worried about Cole and Jay, but we have to have faith. We’re going to find them, we’re going to get them back, and we’ll figure this out.”

The sounds of sleepy voices and muffled chatter could be heard from below deck, Misako said, “I’ll go make sure they have something to eat. How long until we’re at Jamanakai?”

“Approaching in approximately thirty minutes.”

Misako squeezed Pixal’s hand one last time, “It’ll be okay, Pix. We’re here for each other, and we’re here for you.” With a smile, she returned below deck, leaving Pixal alone with her thoughts.

A half-hour later, as predicted, the Bounty arrived at Jamanakai Village; yet, strangely, the village was quiet and surrounded by several old Hovercopters that had long since been retired. Pixal tucked the ship against the mountain, about fifty feet in the air. She, Lloyd, Nya, and Skylor were dressed in their armor, bundled up in warm clothes due to the height of the mountain, before descending down the rope ladder.

Lloyd was the first to approach the gateway to the village, holding up his pointer finger to silence their footsteps and breathing. He peeked around the gateway, paling at the sight before him.

Creatures, made of the black and purple void-like material and neon blue crystals shuffled around, holding and dragging carts of food, clothes, metal, and technology through the streets. But now, seeing the creatures in person, the team was able to understand what they truly were.

“Are those… Skulkin?” Lloyd murmured through his radio.

“I see nindroids,” Pixal said.

“There are serpentine too,” Skylor replied. “Vermillion, I think?”

“I detect Oni within the mix,” Pixal stated, her eyes scanning across the mob of creatures.

The Skulkin seemed as if half of their bones were melted, dripping the black and purple ooze onto the street behind them; half of their skulls were frozen in a melted, agonized expression, some had arms that were too long that dragged behind them or legs that were bent and curved.

The Nindroids were in slightly better shape, with nothing appeared melted, but instead, they had blue crystals forming the wires and endoskeletons, as well as jolting out between their joints, neck, spines, and their robotic eye. The nindroids walked stiffly, bending and moving as if there was no flexibility within their bodies.

The Vermillion were made of squirming ooze and flecks of the crystal, as well as the same crystalline structures forming parts of their bodies. Crystal covered some shoulders and necks, parts of their chests, the back of legs, or even half of their faces. Once again, the Vermillion’s faces were trapped in an agonized expression, as if they were frozen screaming yet no sounds escaped.

The Oni had the most crystal out of the four types of enemies and appeared to be the most intact. The Oni’s horns and claws appeared to be made out of the crystal, glowing and pulsing with each step. There were several bundles of crystals poking out from it’s shoulders and spine; purple ooze dripped like blood from their fangs and the tips of their claws, staining the ground beneath them.

“Where are the villagers?” Pixal whispered, glancing around at the stores and stalls.

“Perhaps they evacuated?” Lloyd replied. The four turned their attention to a man that had burst out of one of the stores, armed with a sword. He gave a guttural yell, swinging the blade at an Oni’s neck, but was halted when the Oni grabbed the sword. The creature turned to the man struggling against its grasp and reached out, grabbing him by his throat.

The man went limp as the color drained from his skin, replaced with a deathly gray tone instead of the darker complexion. The Oni set the man onto his feet and shoved him back towards the store where he burst out from. Lloyd and Nya paled.

“No, it… it can’t be!”

“That’s impossible!”

Nya and Lloyd exchanged a fearful look, “Dark matter?!”

Pixal said, “My research says that Dark Matter is only on the Dark Island; how is this possible?”

“We need to stop them! Don’t let them get away!” Lloyd raced into the street, swords drawn as the metal gleamed and glinted in the morning sunlight. Skylor, Nya, and Pixal raced after him. Skylor charged towards a section of Oni wheeling metal and food towards the Hovercopters. She removed her swords from the sheaths on her back and lunged at a creature, stabbing forward at the Oni’s heart.

The creature sidestepped, dropping the wheelbarrow with a loud clang, and revealed it’s sharpened claws. The Oni leaped at Skylor, swinging its hands at her chest and neck; she jumped backward, arching underneath the swing, then straightened her back. She stabbed the blade forward, cutting its shoulder, nicking its neck, and cracking one of the crystals jutting out from random points on it’s body. More of the purple ooze began to seep out from the cuts Skylor inflicted, yet it’s expression remained angry.

The Oni swiped at her face, but she retaliated by sweeping her leg underneath it’s, knocking it on it’s back with a deep grunt. Skylor held the sword above the Oni’s heart but noticed a glow and a strange pull coming from near her left hand. Her eyes flickered to one of the bundles of crystals, feeling the pull of her powers being tugged towards it. She had felt this before, long ago on her father’s island, the pain from the mimicked powers being torn from her body was still fresh in her mind.

As Skylor stabbed the sword through the Oni’s heart, she screamed, “Don’t touch the crystals!”

Nya immediately took a step back, her eyes wide with fright. Lloyd finished his swing, decapitating a vermillion warrior as it’s body dissolved in a puddle of dust, goop, and crystals. A nindroid lunged for Lloyd, catching him off guard; Lloyd’s sword stabbed the nindroid’s side, piercing all the way through its body, but Lloyd’s stray hand struck one of the crystals. A flash of light blinded the quartet as Lloyd flew backward, crashing into Nya and Pixal who were fighting back to back.

The group frantically blinked away the spots dancing before their eyes as the creatures fled from the village, loading their stolen items into their Hovercopters. By the time the group recovered, the village was silent, abandoned by both the creatures and the villagers that had escaped during the swarm. Only a few corrupted, silent, shuffling villagers wandering about, paying the quartet no mind.

Lloyd could barely stand, his head hung limp as his breathing was shallow and weak. Nya turned to Skylor as they dragged Lloyd to the Bounty and cried, “What was that? What happened?!”

“Those crystals are from my father’s island,” Skylor hurriedly explained. “I can’t believe I didn’t recognize them sooner, how could I have been so blind? It wasn’t until I felt the tug of my powers towards it that I remembered what it was.”

Pixal pressed a finger to her ear, connecting her earpiece to the Bounty’s radio, “Misako, please lower the gurney. Lloyd is unable to climb the ladder.”

“Is my son okay?” Misako cried, rushing around the deck as she attached the hooks to the side of the gurney. “What happened? I saw the copters disappear.”

“We’ll explain on board.”

The motors of the Bounty rumbled as the gurney descended from the skies. Lloyd was helped onto the medical bed, his eyes still glazed over with his breathing was still shallow and wheezing. Skylor, Nya, and Pixal raced up the ladder, keeping pace with Lloyd laying limp a few feet beside them. The women scrambled on deck, carrying Lloyd to the medical bay below deck. As he was placed gently on the bed, Misako turned to the women and asked them what happened.

The two samurai and ninja exchanged glances. Skylor stepped forward and began to explain…

Chapter Text

-[UNKNOWN LOCATION]-

Kai was the first to awaken, laying face down on a cement floor surrounded by the stirring forms of his boyfriends. With a groan, he lifted himself onto his elbows, blinking away the fuzziness clouding his mind and the sleep from his eyes, struggling to come to grip with his strange surroundings.

Kai lifted his head, scanning the area around him and his beau; the group of four were laying in the center of a circular arena, but there were no stands surrounding the area. With concrete floors, dirt and stone walls decorated with groups of glowing blue crystals lighting up the domed ceiling. In the wall in front of the group, Kai noticed a metal door with a red light glowing above it. The area around the ninja was empty, though he noticed circular covered holes surrounding the team, but no sign as to what lurked beneath.

“Note Two: Fire was the first of the group to wake up, he appears to be taking in his surroundings, though a bit sluggish from the drugs.” The figure’s distorted voice echoed around the arena. Kai lifted his head and saw a glass window about thirty feet in the air; within the glow of lights and lanterns, he could barely make out a silhouette of the figure staring them down. “Lightning appears to be waking second.”

Next to him, Kai could feel Jay stir and awaken next to him, murmuring about the ache in his lower back. Jay blinked and rubbed the sleep away from his eyes, nuzzling his head against Kai’s shoulder. “Kai, what happened?” he mumbled.

“I think we were kidnapped,” Kai whispered back, glaring at the silhouette staring down at them.

Zane and Cole woke next, the teens curled up against one another as their minds cleared from the fuzziness, slowly coming to the realization of their predicament and unknown location.

“Is… Is everyone okay?” Zane slurred.

“I think so?” Jay replied, struggling to get to his feet. Zane helped Cole to his feet as Kai and Jay leaned against one another.

The four ninja jumped when the figure spoke once more, “Note three: subjects appear to still be under effects of the drugs, but seem to be becoming clearheaded.”

“Who are you?!” Zane shouted, his face contorted in fury.

The figure responded, “That information shall be revealed at a later date. Today, you four shall duel against two of my factions, and then two shall be brought in for an examination or questioning. Of course, you shall be given food, water, beds, clothes, whatever you need to make your stay comfortable.”

“What would make us comfortable is for you to let us go!” Cole snapped.

Kai sneered, “I would be comfortable with you joining us in this arena so we can beat the living shit out of you!”

“Note four: Fire, Ice, and Earth appear to be aggressive. Keep distance for time being.” The figure leaned down and pressed a white button, an alarm echoed and blared around the arena as it said, “Wave One of Two: Skulkin warriors; amount: twenty-four.”

The circular holes surrounding the Ninja hissed and opened, steam poured out as massive cylinders arose from the ground. With heavy clanks, the five wide tubes settled into their positions as the Ninja shuffled into their ready stances. Standing back to back, fists ready as their elemental power flowed through their veins and pulsed between their fingers.

The doors opened with a hiss, more steam poured out as tri-colored skulkin warriors scrambled out; half-melted faces, limbs too long for their skeletal bodies, faces contorted in agony as raspy cries and wails erupted from their open jaws. Kai fired the first blast of fire, melting a skulkin warrior in a screaming pile of bubbling goo and crystals. Jay threw a bolt of lightning, striking through two of the skeletons’ chests. Cole stomped his foot as cement spikes shot up from the ground, impaling the warriors or shattering their spines into pieces. Zane took in a deep breathe, blowing out a strong gust of blizzard-like winds, freezing the five charging skulkins in place.

Kai fired a rapid blast at the remaining warriors, cringing at their horrific screaming as they melted and oozed. Jay sliced his arm down, slicing the warriors in half before they dissolved into ash. He felt a little sick. Cole and Zane took a step back, keeping a grip on Kai and Jay’s backs to make sure they’re safe.

“Note five: the battle was quick, no injuries from Fire, Lightning, Earth, and Ice. Warriors did not make it within ten feet of the elemental masters.”

Jay was shaking, keeping a tight grip on Kai’s hand. Kai returned it with a reassuring squeeze.

“Wave Two of Two: Vermillion warriors. Amount: twenty-four.”

Jay gave a soft snort. Kai, Cole, and Zane’s hearts involuntarily skipped at the gentle noise; even in the face of danger and their unknown situation, he still couldn’t take the name Vermillion seriously. The melted goop, the crushed remains, the frozen forms, and the piles of ash were quickly removed by trap doors underneath the cement floor. Five new cylinders erupted from the ground, once again filled with steam and the snarling figures of Vermillion aching for a fight.

The doors opened; the warriors slinked out, squirming and slithering within its body. Their faces were contorted in a frozen scream as pieces of the black and purple snakes dripped and splatted on the ground behind them. The warriors charged, spreading out around the group of ninjas.

Zane hissed, “Do not let them touch you.” He charged up the ice in his hands and slammed his hands, palm down, onto the ground. Several jagged paths of ice shot from his fingers, racing across the ground before shooting spikes of ice through the Vermillion’s chests.

Cole felt the cement bend to his will; he formed a sphere around the charging warriors, encasing them within, then slammed the walls back to the ground, crushing the warriors into a puddle of goo and shattered crystals.

Jay shot his hands towards the tubes from which the warriors came out of, he felt the electric charge be pulled to his hands, directing it to the charging Vermillion. The warriors started jolting around, contorting and squirming from the lightning flowing through the snakes making up the creatures.

Kai was ready for this to be over with. He felt the fire in his heart grow brighter and hotter, flowing through his veins before erupting from his mouth. Just as Zane did, he blew out a gust of fire and burned the Vermillion to a pile of ash and goo. He had to control his breathing, feeling the fire once again recede and cool down before he felt Zane’s hand on the back of his neck, spreading a little ice to cool him down.

“Note six: the battle was quick, Vermillion made it about a foot closer than Skulkin. No injuries identified from Fire, Lightning, Earth, or Ice. Fire and Ice can breathe their elements, though Fire needs aid in cooling his body temperature down. Lightning can manipulate electricity from surroundings or from his own body. Earth can manipulate cement from hands or feet.”

Cole held Jay’s hand, glancing at him from the corner of his eyes, “Are you okay?”

Jay gave a weak nod as the remains of the Vermillion were removed from the arena, leaving the four once again alone on the wide empty floor. The door across the arena gave a loud buzz; the red light changed to green as the double metal doors opened with a clang. Two rows, consisting of ten nindroids each, marched out of the hallway and surrounded the Ninja, aiming swords at their throats.

“Thank you for your participation in today’s testing,” the figure said. “You shall now be escorted to your rooms where your master is waiting. Food shall be delivered in an hour, water is readily available as well as facilities. If anything is needed, there will be a guard posted by your door.”

“How long are we going to be your test subjects?” Kai shouted.

“Only for a few days,” the figure replied, surprising the Ninja. “In a few hours, two of you shall be brought in, one at a time, for a round of questioning. Tomorrow, the last two rounds of testing against my factions shall occur, with the remaining two for questioning. After that, I shall alert you about what will occur next.” The light to the room the figure was in flickered off.

The four Ninja were escorted from the arena, allowing a chance to see where they were being held captive. Hallways seemingly carved from blackened earth, lit up by purple and golden torches and the occasional group of crystals pulsing as the group walked by. Zane noticed a yearning to touch the crystals, a pull from deep inside of him. He shook his head and continued through the hallways, passing closed doors, random warriors trudging past, even a room that hummed and roared, filling him with curiosity. Down the halls, down to the right, at the very far end lay a singular room guarded by a nindroid and an oni, each holding a spear. Cole paled at the sight of the crystalline Oni. The door was made of a black material speckled with glowing orange and yellow gemstones, Zane recognized it from their time in the First Realm. Vengestone. There was a small window in the top half of the door, in case they needed anything for their room.

The door opened with a whine, revealing several rooms interconnected; the main room consisted of five beds, each decorated with a thick blanket representing their colors. Red, blue, black, white, and a purple one. To the left, there was a room that was split in half; one held a toilet and a sink with several small hand-towels and a bar of soap. To the right, there was a shower and a small table filled with regular towels. Master Garmadon sat on his bed with his head in his hands, perking when the door opened. “Thank the First Spinjitzu Master, you’re safe!” he cried, embracing each ninja in a tight hug.

“Master, what happened to you?” Zane asked. as the door shut behind them.

“To be honest, I’m not quite sure,” he replied, sitting back down on his bed. “I woke up here and I tried getting those guards outside to talk to me but they wouldn’t acknowledge me. I heard the person who took us talk to the guards but they wouldn’t hear me. Are you all okay?”

“Yes, but we woke up in an arena. The stranger made us fight against these strange amalgamations of Vermillion warriors and Skulkins. They would take notes of the battle and our use of powers,” Zane explained as they sat down on their designated beds. “Two of us shall be taken by the stranger for questioning, though which two we don’t know.”

Not long later, Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane had scooted their beds together as their trays of food were delivered. They were expecting strange mush that was most likely drugged but instead received fruit, vegetables, and a small pile of sweets. Zane did a quick scan, nodding in confirmation that the food was untainted and safe to consume, and everyone dug in. An hour after that, five guards entered the room; one took the empty trays while the other four pointed silently at Kai and Jay. Reluctantly, the pair stood up and followed the guards down through the endless hallways. Kai was placed in a waiting room while Jay was placed in a room consisting of a table, a chair, and a small pink flower.

On one of the walls, there was a massive glass window that reflected Jay’s image; he knew it was a one way mirror. The stranger’s distorted voice spoke, “Good afternoon, Lightning. How was your lunch?”

“It was surprisingly good,” Jay replied with a shrug. “Not as good as Zane’s cooking, but then again nothing is as good as Zane’s cooking. One time he made the most delicious spaghetti! The noodles tasted buttery and the sauce was divine, filled with spices that made my head spin! The meatballs were cooked to perfection, slightly crispy on the outside but juicy on the inside.” He gave a longing sigh, resting his face against his hand as he became lost in the food-filled memory.

“Interesting. I am going to be asking you a series of questions, please answer honestly.” Jay nodded, snapping out of his daydream. “Question one: where were you born?”

“I am not sure,” he replied with another shrug. “I grew up in the Sea of Sands to my loving parents, they treated me like I was the world and they definitely were my world before I met the guys and girls. My parents taught me everything I needed to know about electronics, machinery, tinkering, driving, salvaging and scavenging-"

“Question two: when did you first discover your elemental power?”

“Oh, well, technically it was when we found the golden weapon at the Floating Ruins many years back, but Master Wu had called me the Master of Lightning when we first met Kai at the Monastery. I didn’t get to physically command lightning until Lloyd gave up his golden powers, though for a while our powers were connected to Lloyd and his stability of mind and body-"

“Question three: what does it feel like to perform Spinjitzu?”

“It feels exhilarating! It’s like the world is at your fingertips, that you can do anything with no repercussions or consequences. It feels like I’ve had several coffees blasted with espresso topped by the world’s best sugar high!”

“Question four: can you survive your element?”

Jay blinked in surprise, his eyes widening at the flashes of memories of his body being used as a lightning rod on the Bounty crashing through Primeval’s Eye, or on the boat sailing to the Tiger Widow’s Island. “Yes.”

The examination continued on for a few more questions before he was escorted back to the waiting room. Kai didn’t have a chance to check on Jay before he was taken to the room next door. He sat down at the chair and glared through the one-way mirror, his hands burned and itched from the fire gathering in his fingertips.

“Good afternoon, Fire,” the figure said.

“What do you want from us?!” Kai snapped.

“How was your lunch?”

“Tell me why you kidnapped us!”

“I am going to be asking you a series of questions, please answer honestly.”

“Fuck you! Why did you kidnap us?!”

“Question one: where were you born?”

“I’m not telling you anything! Why did you take us?!”

“Question two: when did you first discover your elemental power?”

“Answer me, damn it!”

“Question three: what does it feel like to perform Spinjitzu?”

“Answer me!” Kai roared.

“Question four: can you survive your element?”

Kai slammed his fists on the table, smoke curling from between his clenched fingers, tears watered in his eyes from a building frustration.

“Question five: what did it feel like when your sister discovered her elemental abilities?”

Kai felt a fireball grow and burn in the palm of his hand, he reared back and shot it at the glass; the fire briefly illuminated the room inside, sending fear through Kai’s body. He saw it. He saw the figure. Black eyes dripping with black liquid, a stark white face with a grin stretching from ear to ear, sharp teeth glistened from the firelight. Black and white salt and pepper hair, striped with highlights of gold and violet, stretching to the ground. A white lab coat, a black and blue shirt underneath. But those eyes, that grin, it was inhuman. Kai was escorted back to the room with Jay silent beside him. Kai knew they were in way over their heads.

Chapter Text

-[BORG TOWER]-
The Bounty landed with a heavy thud on it’s designated landing pad, powering down with a hum as the engines and turbines settled into their resting positions. The ramp was lowered as Nya and Misako carried Lloyd between them, wrapping their arms around his waist as his head still hung a little limp, though his breathing had returned to normal. Pixal opened the doors, waiting for the group to enter before joining them in Borg’s office.

The elevator gave a happy ding, opening with a clunk as Acronix aided Cyrus, rushing out to meet with the team. Beaming with excited energy, holding a small glass container with the specimen from the Monastery inside, Cyrus and Acronix tumbled their words over one another.

“We figured it out!”

“We know what this is!”

“It took a while-"

“-expanding the search results-"

“-But we have an answer!”

Pixal and Skylor exchanged a somber glance. “I’m afraid we know what the answer is too.”

Their smiles fell. “You knew it was Dark Matter?” Cyrus asked.

Skylor, Nya, and Pixal nodded as Lloyd was ushered into a nearby chair. Nya left to get him a glass of water as Pixal and Skylor took turns explaining their discovery, the realization of the dark matter, and Skylor’s realization of the Island Gemstones. Nya returned a moment later with a bottle of water, kneeling down beside Lloyd’s chair with a worried look on her face.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, handing him the drink.

Lloyd’s dull green eyes flickered over to her, giving her a weak smile. “Never been better,” he whispered, his voice raspy and shaky. With trembling hands, he brought the bottle to his lips and took a long drink, eventually coughing from drinking too much at once.

Nya looked up at Misako and asked, “I don’t get it! Why is Lloyd hurting so much?”

“I fear it could be anything,” she replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Perhaps the combination of the dark matter and the gemstones acted as a stronger pull to his powers. Maybe his element has become so connected to his body and spirit that even losing the smallest bit harms him.”

Skylor asked, “What are we going to do? If we touch those gems, we lose our powers! I know we can still fight but our powers are kind of a leg up against whoever this is.”

Nya grew stoic as an idea formed in her head. “We get help, and I have an idea or two on who to ask.” She glanced at Lloyd, fearing his reaction. “I was at the Ninjago Museum of History a few weeks ago and I saw Morro there. It was only for a few seconds, but I think he works there. I mean after the Day of the Departed, he could help us?”

“You really want to trust him?” Lloyd murmured, his eyes growing distant.

“I will never trust him,” Nya replied. “But we need all the help we can get.”

“Who else were you thinking?” Skylor asked.

Nya’s stomach sank. “You’re not going to like this one either, but Harumi is in Kryptarium. She’s a mastermind in planning and organizing large groups.”

“So two people who wanted me dead,” Lloyd grumbled, curling in on himself.

“We need help, Lloyd. Our family is missing, we’re going against Oni made of dark matter and crystals that can steal our elemental powers, and there’s no way we can take on that entire army and whoever is leading them on our own.”

Acronix cleared his throat, glancing at Pixal with nervousness in his eyes. “Perhaps I could help?”

Pixal pursed her lips in dissatisfaction. “You would like to help us?”

Acronix’s gaze fell, “I know you do not trust me, Pixal, but I want to prove that I can do good. I want to put my past behind me and show that I really do want to change. You may never trust me after… after what I did with Krux, but I will not stop trying to prove myself to you and Cyrus.”

Pixal fell silent, lowering her gaze to the floor; should she allow him to help? He seems honest and genuine about assisting, but what if it’s all a big scheme to strike when they have their back turned? He would’ve done that while she was gone. She turned to Nya and Skylor, silently asking for their opinion.

“We need all the help we can get,” Skylor said.

“It’s up to you, Pix,” Nya replied.

She gave a small jump when she felt a hand wrap around her’s, her father looked up at her with a gentle smile. “It’s okay, my dear,” Cyrus murmured. “Acronix wants to help. You can trust him.”

She closed her eyes, settling down her raging mind. Harumi- mastermind, excellent organizer, skilled more in mental manipulation rather than physical altercations. Acronix- hand-to-hand combatant, high endurance for battles, a great understanding of technology and history of Ninjago. Morro- skilled swordsman, quick on his feet, may still hold grudge against Ninja. That was not enough to take on the mysterious villain, they needed one more… or two.

“All right, Acronix. You may assist us,” she said, looking at the anxious former master of time. “If you take a single step in the wrong direction, you shall face immediate consequences.”

He nodded, though a pit of nerves still sat in his stomach. Acronix glanced at Cyrus, who gave him a comforting nod. “There is one thing you should know, though. When I fell out of the vortex, a time blade came out with me, the forward blade. As of this moment, it is locked up in a vault in Hiroshi’s Labyrinth, but I know it could be of use.”

Pixal furrowed her brows, frowning at the new information. “You are to only use the time blade in the presence of us. In between battles it shall be locked up and guarded.”

Acronix, Misako, and Borg left to gather the time blade; Skylor left to find and talk to Harumi while Nya left to talk to Morro, leaving Pixal and Lloyd behind. Pixal started to pace, silently arguing with herself; should she contact them? Would they even talk to her? Would he even want to see her? It’s been years since they had seen each other face to face. As Skylor had said, they needed all of the help they can find. With a sigh, she pulled up her contacts on the holo-screen of her BorgWatch and scrolled through the endless sea of names.

An avatar-less contact caught her attention. Brother. She took in a deep breath and pressed the name, waiting silently as an automated ring filled the quiet office; Pixal could feel Lloyd’s gaze over her shoulder, curious to who she was calling. A moment passed, two moments, three moments, perhaps the number was disconnected or they didn’t want to talk.

Beeping and chirps replaced the ringing, she breathed a sigh of relief. “Hello, little brother. It’s nice to hear from you again… Yes, I am doing well… No, the city is not covered in ice… Brother, I need your help. Can I come visit in a few hours?… It’s an emergency, I promise… I know he won’t be happy about seeing me but- yes, I can bring spare parts… Will you keep him there until I arrive?… Thank you, I shall be there in three hours. Goodbye.”

“Who was that?” Lloyd asked from his chair across the room.

Pixal did not want to say their names, she had been promised to keep their names a secret if she ever told them to the Ninja. “My youngest brother,” she replied, making a list of scrap parts she could take. “I need to talk to him about aiding us. I shall be back later today, or perhaps tomorrow morning. Do not worry about me.”

“Pix, please, who are you going to see?”

“My father will tell you, but I cannot. I shall return later.” She took the second elevator down, gathered the desired parts, and took the updated hovercopter to the city of Stiix across the country.

-[Stiix]-
Pixal landed the hovercopter on the outskirts of town, grabbing the bag of scrap before crawling out of the glass cockpit. Once she was a few feet away, she deployed the cloaking feature and turned to face the rundown town, grunting in surprise when she felt a child-like object crash into her lower half, hugging her tight. She smiled and stroked the wild black hair, “Hello Mindroid, it is wonderful to see you again.”

He beeped and chirped, grinning brightly before his gaze was captured by the bag over her shoulder. He pointed and bounced on the pads of his bare feet.

“Yes, this is for you both. I can assist in any repairs or updates needed.” She glanced up at the nearby home, seeing a candle lit on the windowsill; her stomach sank. This was it. “Is he home?”

Mindroid beeped and took her hand, dragging her towards the home. He continued to chirp and beep, telling her about their adventures and life in Stiix since the Battle of New Ninjago City. He opened the door and raced inside, hugging his older brother’s side. The shadowy figure stared at Pixal as she stood in the doorway, his bloody-crimson eyes stared through her soul.

“Sister. It’s been a while.”

“Nice to see you too, Cryptor.”

Chapter Text

-Harumi-
Harumi felt the building beneath her feet tremble and groan, threatening to swallow her whole without a second thought. Frantic whimpers and cries escaped her parted lips as she sprinted through the collapsing apartment building; the fire escape had been blocked and the stairwell leading back to the rooftop had crumbled onto the floor below. Her footsteps faded away as the room around her started to shift and morph into her childhood apartment; the familiar cream-colored halls cracked and crumbled, groaning and collapsing around her. 

Harumi started to sob, stumbling down the only remaining stairwell; she gripped the railing with white knuckles as the building shifted on its foundation once more. Her eyes glanced upwards, she was so close to freedom, she was so close to being safe. The exit was only fifty feet away, peaceful sunlight streamed in through the open doorway. She had to get out, she had to stop everything. 

Harumi struggled to her feet, keeping her eyes locked on the warmth of the sunlight, desperate to escape her nightmare. Please, please, please, she silently pleaded, sprinting on weak legs. Forty feet, thirty feet, twenty feet- a loud crash roared above her head. She never had time to look upward before parts of the ceiling crashed onto her back, knocking not only the wind out of her lungs but sending her crashing onto the floor; Harumi screamed out as a wave of immeasurable pain erupted from her lower back and her legs. 

“No, no, no!” she wailed, gasping for air. She was so close, just within arms reach. “Please, someone help me!” Harumi couldn’t move, she could only flail her arms, struggling for any grasp to free her. She continued to wail, scream, sob for anyone to help her, catching glimpses of frightened civilians sprinting past the collapsing building. Roars of the Emperor’s Stone Titan continued to rumble the already fragile building, threatening to crush Harumi into a forgotten pile of dust. 

“I’m sorry!” Harumi screamed, feeling the pain overwhelm her mind. “I’m so sorry! Please, someone, help me!” Her mind started to grow dark, her breathing grew staggered, her body growing weak; she rested her face on the cold linoleum floor as her body went limp. She desperately reached out as her vision started to fade, her last thoughts echoing in her mind. I want to fix this. This is my mistake, I want to fix this… Harumi fell into unconsciousness. 

A soft beeping brought Harumi out of a deep slumber, flinching from the sunlight streaming through open blinds to her right. Was she dead? Her eyes wandered around the room, noticing machines, IV drips, a whiteboard with strange gibberish hanging on a wall, and a tray of food resting beside her on a nightstand. Where was she? Harumi gripped at the thin light blue blanket as a wave of pain erupted from her lower back, grinding her teeth as a strangled cry escaped her clenched jaw. The heart rate monitor started frantically beeping as her breathing grew frantic. A wave of doctors and nurses rushed into her room; several nurses held her down as a clear liquid was injected into her veins. 

The room started to spin once again as the pain dulled away. One of the nurses, in a muffled voice, started to talk to her. “Har...mi… in hos…tal… damage… back… morphine…”

Harumi drifted off once again. 

The Ninja were alive. Harumi learned that they had been sent to a distant realm instead of being crushed by the Stone Colossus’s hands, and she was surprisingly thankful for their survival. Though, of course, she knew that if they found out she was alive… things would not end well. Harumi knew that they would never forgive her, it was as certain as the Sun rising to the East; part of her longed for their forgiveness, for how they had treated her like family before her betrayal, but it was too late. 

She learned, to her great surprise, that Emperor Garmadon was no more; that he had been ‘defeated’ when Sensei Garmadon accepted the dark moments of his past. The good and the bad fused into one, an amalgamation of the Oni and the Dragon sides of the First Spinjitzu Master’s firstborn. 

A month into her hospital stay, she had her first visitors; the Police Commissioner, the Mayor of Ninjago City, the Warden to Kryptarium Prison, and Master Garmadon. Harumi knew what was coming, knowing the script by heart even though it was being delivered for the first time. 

“Harumi Rosen, former Jade Princess of Ninjago; by order of Ninjago, you shall be sent to Kryptarium Prison to carry out a sentence for your crimes. Three counts of first-degree murder of the Emperor and Empress of Ninjago, as well as the Captain of the Royal Guard, Hutchins. One count of treason. One count of manipulating with the rules of nature. Five counts of attempted murder of Kai Smith, Jay Gordon-Walker, Cole Brookstone, Zane Julien, and Montgomery Garmadon. One count of creating and leading a cult bent on ruling Ninjago. Do you understand these charges?” the Mayor asked, reading from a laminated sheet of paper. 

Harumi nodded and maintained eye-contact between the three men and one woman. “I understand these charges.”

“How do you plead?” the Warden asked. 

“I plead guilty,” she replied, earning a startled gasp from the mayor. “I accept what I have done, and I am willing to accept the punishments in return.”

Master Garmadon looked… surprised. And in a strange sense, proud. Why?

The Police Commissioner cleared his throat, “Harumi Rosen, you will maintain this hospital stay until you are ready to be discharged. When that day arrives, you shall be escorted by a group of guards to Kryptarium’s high-security prison cells to undergo your sentence and for therapy. Your sentence is to be charged as an adult; a life sentence has been reduced to twenty years with no parole. Do you understand your sentence?”

“I understand and accept my sentence,” she replied, feeling a cold sense of dread in her heart. She deserved this. She earned this. She needed to pay for her wrongdoings. Tears did brim in her eyes, but she refused to show weakness; she did not want to manipulate them. She was done with manipulation. 

“You shall be placed under constant surveillance, with guards being switched out every six hours, until your departure to Kryptarium. Do you understand?”

“I understand.”

The Mayor asked, “Do you have anything to say in defense? Anything you say will be written down.”

“I accept my charges, my sentence, and my sins. I wish for the Ninja to find peace after what I have done. I wish for Master Garmadon to know that I am truly sorry for what I have done, that what I have can never be truly forgiven, but I want to start on the right path. I want Lloyd to know that he was right, that what I was doing was wrong, and that I know he may never forgive me, and I accept that. I want the people of Ninjago to know that I am truly sorry for what I have done, and I hope that they can rebuild after my blind mistakes.”

With satisfied nods, all but Master Garmadon left her room; Harumi’s heart sank as he approached her hospital bed. It was easy to act strong when facing the other three since she did not know them, but now that she was alone with Master Garmadon… she didn’t know what to do. 

He gestured to a spot by her feet, silently asking if he could sit down. She gave a nod, but couldn’t move her legs without a surge of pain shooting up her back. The pair remained silent for a few moments; Garmadon looked at his hands, his face emotionless. Harumi prayed for this visit to be over, jumping when he took in a deep breath. 

“Did you mean it?” 

“What?” 

“When you said that you were penitent, that you were truly sorry for what you did? Or was it a way to get them out of the room faster?”

Harumi’s eyes glanced down at her hands in her lap. “Yes. When I was trapped underneath the cement, screaming for help… I could feel the weight of my mistakes crushing me. I knew that if I survived, I would do anything to fix my mistakes.” Tears finally spilled from her eyes, her hands shaking and gripping at her wild white hair. “I’m so sorry, Master Garmadon. I’m so sorry for the pain I caused you and the Ninja. I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry for bringing back-“ A hand lay on her knee, shaking her from her sobbing; gentle emerald and violet eyes looked at her with a calm fatherly smile. 

“My dear Harumi; I’ve spent so much time in the shadows, wallowing in self-pity and hatred, seeking revenge on those whom I thought wronged me, I never felt the light of grace and forgiveness until I was freed from the darkness that was in my heart. I know that you suffered through hardships at a young age, the loss of parents is more traumatic than anything a child could imagine, but I also know that you chose to focus on the darkness. You chose to wallow in self-pity and hatred, seeking vengeance instead of searching for peace and healing, but now you have a second chance. Learn from your mistakes, see what you can improve on, and embrace the light of a new day.” Garmadon reached up and brushed aside the strands of hair that had fallen in front of her face, “I forgive you, Harumi. I’m sorry I cannot say the same for my son or his friends, but I hope that this gives you a little peace in your heart.”

Harumi sobbed loud and freely, feeling the warmth and embrace of Garmadon holding her in his arms, rubbing circles on her back. “It will be okay, Harumi,” he murmured. “I forgive you.  Everything will be okay.”

-Acronix-
The Iron Doom roared in agony, groaning and crying out as Acronix, Krux, and Wu tumbled through Time; the Time Apparatus was failing, alarms blared in a panic as everyone struggled to hold on. Krux screamed and cursed at Wu, but the words never reached Acronix’s ears, he felt… terrified. Was he going to die? Or worse, was he going to be trapped in Time once again? His body trembled at the thought; of never seeing the beauty and majesty of Ninjago, of never seeing the fantastic technology from Cyrus Borg, to never live again. 

The Iron Doom jolted once again, Acronix’s feet slipped out from beneath him. He tumbled backward, scrambling for any grip, screaming out for his brother. Krux tore his attention away from Wu, shoving the old man aside as he raced towards his younger brother hanging desperately to the ledge. Acronix screamed out in pain, the metal dug into his palms as he flailed his legs wildly. His grip loosened. 

“Brother, grab my hand!” Krux cried, reaching out desperately, fear gleaming in his eyes. 

Acronix let go with one hand, reaching towards his only family, but another jostle from the Iron Doom knocked his other hand loose. His flailing legs hit one of the Time Blades, but he couldn’t tell which one, and at the moment he didn’t care. The Iron Doom, his brother, his only family vanished before his eyes as he plummeted through Time, screaming out Krux’s name one last time before the multitude of colors from the vortex were replaced with a sunset sky. Acronix blacked out before he struck the ground. 

Acronix’s ears rang. His head ached and pounded. Waves of pain erupted across his body as he groaned, opening his eyes to stare at the nighttime sky above him. Where was he? Why did his body hurt so much? He cried out, slowly sitting up as sand poured out of his hair and the folds of his clothes. He had to pause, focusing on breathing through the pain until a hum and a pulsing green light caught his attention. 

An odd glowing green gauntlet with copper plating hummed next to him, small bolts of lightning leaped between the curved blades. Acronix felt no fear looking at it, he felt comforted by its presence, yet he couldn’t understand why. His hand slipped into the gauntlet, feeling his hand fit perfectly within the metal and leather interior. He felt the power flowing through his veins, yet he felt no desire to use it. He just wanted to know where he was and what happened to him. 

In the distance, the sounds of fireworks boomed and screamed; a great city loomed a few miles away as fireworks exploded in a myriad of colors and dandelion-like lights, hissing and crackling before fading into nothingness. Acronix struggled to his feet, wearily wobbling across the shifting sands as he murmured to himself. 

“My name is Acronix. I don’t know where I am, I don’t know who I am, I don’t know what this is. I need help. My name is Acronix. I don’t know where I am, I don’t know who I am, I don’t know what this is. I need help. My name is Acronix. I don’t know where I am, I don’t know who I am, I don’t know-“ The roar of a crowd startled him, covering his ears with his left hand and his right upper arm, feeling the hum of the gauntlet against the back of his head. It was too loud. It was too loud! Get him out, get him out! Acronix started to run past the festival. Too loud! Too loud! The gauntlet glowed and hummed louder, and with a pop, everything grew silent; Acronix opened his eyes, taking in a sharp breath as the world slowed down around him. People leaped and laughed in slow motion, so slow it seemed they were frozen. He started to run. 

Soaring skyscrapers towered above him, neon lights glowed and hummed in fantastic colors, highways and freeways curled around and even though some of the massive buildings. Acronix was in awe, his eyes wide with fascination as he stared at the technology surrounding him as the world seemed to speed up once more. Subway cars chugged above his head, screeching in need of a good oiling, people took pictures on small pieces of metal and glass, capturing their images permanently. A bubble of laughter escaped his lips until a soft gasp took its place. The tallest building loomed above him, a spectacular view that took his breath away. 

In bright neon, Acronix read BORG INDUSTRIES, hundreds of lights lit up the seemingly endless floors as shadows of people wandered about inside. One by one, the lights flickered out as a stream of people exited the skyscraper, murmuring and chatting with one another. Acronix watched from the shadows, waiting for the stream of people to diminish before making his way inside. His eyes widened in awe at the glass enclosure soaring stories above his head, a grin bright on his face. His head still pounded, his body still ached, but at the moment he didn’t care; he was infatuated with this strange technologically advanced city. 

“Acronix?!”

Acronix spun around, locking eyes with a man in his mid-thirties, pale and shaking in a wheelchair. He raised a black-gloved hand and shouted, “Drop your weapon!”

Weapon? Acronix glanced down at the gauntlet now a dull green in his hand; this was a weapon?! Panicked, he dropped the gauntlet on the floor and took a step back with his hands up in surrender. “Sir, I… I’m sorry! I don’t know where I am, all I know is that I was supposed to end up at a monastery but I ended up outside of this city. My head… everything hurts… Please, sir, I need your help!”

The man narrowed his eyes, lowering his hand back onto his lap. “What is today’s date?”

Acronix weakly shrugged, “I’m sorry, I don’t know.”

The man pursed his lips, frowning yet deep in thought. He typed something into the glowing glass attached to his wrist. Several soldiers in white armor and uniforms stepped away from the walls, standing guard around the man. “Awaiting orders, Cyrus Borg,” they chanted in unison. 

“Unit 2130, take the Time Blade to Sector 17A.  Unit 2140, 2141, and 2142; assist me in bringing Acronix to the hospital for an evaluation.” Two of the soldiers surrounded Acronix on both sides while one picked up the “Time Blade” by his feet. The last soldier gripped the back of “Cyrus’s” wheelchair; silently and anxiously, they walked to the nearby medical center. 

“He appears to have temporary memory loss,” the doctor explained, looking up from her clipboard. “I would say that within the next month or so, he should have regained what was lost. I’d recommend staying away from overexertion, taking things slowly until his thoughts have sorted themselves out. Here is a recommendation for anti-nausea pills, as well as Acetaminophen for the headaches and body pain.”

Cyrus thanked her and waited for Acronix to join him in the waiting room; when he appeared, Cyrus realized just how exhausted he looked. Dark circles under his heterochromia eyes, hands trembling ever so slightly as he held them against the center of his chest, stumbling and limping every few feet. He had to get him somewhere to rest as soon as possible. Quickly, he typed into his Borgwatch and found a hotel close to the tower with vacant rooms; he sent the coordinates to the Security Droids and quietly explained what was going to happen. Acronix nodded along but continued to yawn at an ever-growing pace, his head drooping forward only to jolt back up in surprise. 

At the hotel, Cyrus signed up for Acronix to stay there for the next several days until he could figure out what to do with the Time Twin. He glanced over and saw that Acronix had fallen asleep on the Security Droid’s shoulder, snoring softly. A small smile grew on his face as he was handed the pair of keys; thanking the receptionist, he wheeled himself over and gently shook Acronix’s arm, waking him with an exhausted yawn. 

“This is your room key; you shall be sleeping and living here until we can figure out what to do with you. Tomorrow, I would like you to return to the Tower, floor one hundred, for some questioning. Unit 2140 will remain with you to make sure you don’t cause any trouble.”

Acronix nodded, yawned one last time, and thanked Cyrus for giving him a chance. He and the Security Droid disappeared down the hall. Cyrus was left in silence for a few moments, still reeling from a strange night, when his Borgwatch started to blare in alarm. Someone had broken into the eighty-seventh floor and stolen the Mask of Deception. 

-Morro-
The Day of the Departed, a holiday that Morro used to celebrate alone. Without his parents, without his Master, without a home, he regretted fleeing from the monastery. He regretting his last words to Master Wu. He regretted his first life. Morro gripped the railing of the Destiny’s Bounty, staring at his mannequin hands; silently pleading for Master to fly the ship faster, feeling his new body starting to stiffen and reject his spirit.

Morro glanced back at the bridge, seeing his former Master’s steeled gaze locked on the horizon. They had to find the Ninja, they had to make them remember the one they had lost, the one who was forgotten. He clenched his fists, grimacing as his hateful words echoed in his memory.

“You were wrong about me, Sensei. You said destiny didn't want me to be the Green Ninja. Well, I make my own destiny. And now yours is coming to an end.”

“You think you can come into my home and steal the Crystal I rightfully earned? You think I'll just hand it to you, just like the green gi was handed to you? Tell me. Tell all of us that I'm better than you, and I'll let you go.”

“I'm stronger, Lloyd. I always have been. And I've been inside your head. I know what you're afraid of. You could never do it alone, could you? Weak. You need others, but I, I need no one.”

The last thing he got to say to his Master, shaking as he remembered descending into the cold water, the grip of the Preeminent unbreakable around his waist. “You can only save those who want to be saved. Goodbye, Sensei.”

“Morro!”

Morro was startled from his thoughts, turning to face Wu once more. Wu’s aged eyes softened, he could tell there was a smile underneath that white beard. Could he be proud of him? No, that couldn’t be right; after all Morro did, how could doing one good thing redeem himself in Wu’s eyes?

“We are almost to the museum,” Wu called over the wind. “Are you sure you do not wish to come with us?”

“My journey is not with yours, my path ends with the eclipse,” Morro replied, glancing up at the spectral moon high above. He could not bear to speak the words that he was to return once again to the Departed Realm, to the realm where the cursed souls now resided since the Preeminent had been destroyed. He knew that he had a half-hour at the most before his spirit left Ninjago for a final time, returning to peace.

The Destiny’s Bounty descended through the clouds, landing with a gentle thump next to the Ninja’s numerous vehicles as the Lightning Ninja arrived. He could see their colored gi’s meandering by the entrance to the museum. Could ghosts get sick? Morro did not know, but he knew that if he was alive he would be on his knees, losing whatever meal he had eaten. Wu stepped up beside him, giving Morro a comforting nod before descending the ramp. With trembling legs, the former Master of Wind followed behind, hiding in his shadow.

Jay’s exceptionally loud voice called out to his friends as he rushed towards them. “Guys, I have the ghost story to end all ghost stories. You will never guess what just happened!”

Kai quirked an eyebrow, “You battled the possessed mannequin of a mortal enemy?”

Morro shrunk back, hiding further behind Wu.

Nya asked, “Him and his goons tried to send you to the Departed Realm with magic blades?”

Zane said, “But you defeated them first-“

Lloyd, the Green Ninja, said, “And saw their ghosts disappear into the night!”

Morro’s hands were frantically shaking. They were going to kill him, they were going to chase him until the eclipse ends and his fake body collapses into a pile of limbs. There was no way they would listen to him, he was wasting his time-

“-ghosts out here?” Jay’s voice brought Morro back to the present. This was it.

“Because distracting you was part of Master Yang's plan,” Wu said.

Morro took in a deep breath- did ghosts need to breathe?- and stepped out of his shadow. “And he had help,” he said, hanging his head low. His black hair hid his eyes, but he knew exactly what their responses were.

The Ninja sprang into action, drawing their weapons as Lloyd cried out his name; there was still a hint of fear in his voice. Morro could not blame him.

“Put away your weapons! He’s here to help,” Wu scolded, slamming his staff on the ground. He turned and said, “Morro, tell them.”

“Yang tricked Cole into helping him open a rift to return to Ninjago. He forced you to forget Cole and brought back myself and the others to distract you. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to return.”

The Ninja paled at the same realization, Cole had been on his own the entire night. They scrambled over one another to get back to the Bounty as Wu faced him one last time, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, Morro. I am thankful that our last moments are in peace. I am proud of you. This is the man I always hoped you would become.”

Morro bowed and felt a sob rise to the back of his throat. “Thank you. Happy Day of the Departed, Master.” With a last smile and wave, Morro returned to the Hall of Villainy and climbed back onto his pedestal, raising his replica Sword of Sanctuary as the world went dark around him.

When Morro awoke, he felt peace for the first time in years- decades? He had long since lost count since his death in the Caves of Despair. He looked around and immediately noticed that he was not in the cold, dark, and lonesome Departed Realm; but rather he was in a lush valley with golden flowers, odd floating spires loomed in the sapphire sky above him.

A deep voice manifested behind him. Morro spun around and fell to his knees, bowing his head in reverence as the silhouetted form of the First Spinjitzu Master approached him. His spectral body trembled at the godly sight before him.

“Greetings Morro, I have been keeping an eye on you for a while now,” the First Spinjitzu Master said. “I’ve never met someone who could defy Destiny such as you.”

Morro flinched, knowing that was his life mission; he wanted to be the Green Ninja even though it wasn’t his decision, his destiny, his life, and he would’ve done anything to accomplish it.

The First Spinjitzu Master chuckled, placing a gentle hand on his hair for a moment or two, calming the anxious pit in his stomach. “Do not worry, I am not here to punish you. In fact, I wanted to discuss your latest change in heart; you had the chance to escape with the Realm Crystal, but chose to sacrifice yourself to bring back my grandson. With the Day of the Departed, you had a chance to return to life through dark magic, but instead chose to save the Master of Earth from being forgotten.”

“I know what it’s like to be forgotten,” Morro murmured. “I would not wish that on my worst enemy.”

The First Spinjitzu Master hummed, then gave a quiet chuckle. “I forgot how fascinating human lives could be. Morro, I have brought you here for a reason; a path for life or peace. I can offer you a chance for peace in the afterlife; freedom from the Cursed Realm’s grasp, you will be able to spend the rest of your life in the realm of the citizens. You would be in peace, no longer cursed, happy and content. Or, I could allow you to return to Ninjago with a new life. You could start anew, reborn into a new body with a family, or in your old body. You could continue life where you left off.”

Morro fell silent, staring down at the swaying emerald grass beneath his knees. He could have a family? But what if he made the same mistakes again? What if he grew vengeful, unaware of his previous life’s mistakes? If he started where he left off, he would know how to stay on the right path, but he would still have to live with the regrets of his earlier life. His mind raged back and forth, not even considering staying in the afterlife until a decision came to light.

“I want to continue my life. I want to pick up where I left off.”

The First Spinjitzu Master nodded, smiling underneath the brim of his rice hat. “You shall awaken at the museum, at the base of your statue. This conversation shall be a dream to you, eventually fading from your mind, but you shall remember your past lives. Remember Morro, this is a second chance; use it wisely.”

The world around Morro blurred and faded, eventually fading completely to black. Morro jolted awake, laying on the floor in the Hall of Villainy, confused and exhausted. A second chance at life? Morro would not mess it up.

-Cryptor and Mindroid-
Cryptor rolled his crimson eye, holding the flailing Mindroid at an arm’s length away. Angry beeps and shrill chirps filled his sensors, translating to feisty curses and swears in Cryptor’s database. Normally he would’ve scolded the younger and smaller droid, but he was too pleased with the Overlord conquest over Ninjago City. He glanced back at the Golden Master looming on his golden webs, snarling and mocking the Ninja for their failed attempt at stopping him. Those Ninja were powerless to stop him, he chuckled, turning back to face Mindroid. They were fighting an impossible battle with no hope of winning! They should just give up-

The Overlord’s victorious cackles changed into shrieks of terror, Cryptor spun around and watched in horror as the White Ninja- its always the White Ninja causing problems- grabbed onto the Gold Armor of the Overlord’s mech, glowing a neon blue so bright that it dulled the city in comparison. Cryptor could hear the Overlord shrieking at the White Ninja, calling him a suicidal fool. The White Ninja screamed and cried out in agony, glowing brighter and brighter as a blizzard started to form around him. Cryptor could not look away. Even the angry air-punching from Mindroid faded away.

“I am a Nindroid… and Ninja never quit!” the White Ninja screamed, gasping and choking on his words. His body continued to twist and squirm, desperate to break free from the overload of power flowing through him, but the stupid Ninja was stubborn. “Go Ninja, go!”

A blast of blue and white light erupted from his chest, striking the Golden Master in his chest. The Overlord roared in pain, struggling to free himself from the White Ninja’s unstoppable blast of ice overtaking his body. Cryptor’s body slowly became numb- their plan, the Overlord’s plan, it was falling apart. The golden web beneath the Overlord’s mech started to fade, crumbling under the panicked stomping of the tripod of legs. Cryptor caught a glimpse of a figure with silver hair on a rooftop near the eye of the storm, his breath caught in his throat. Pixal reached out, screaming the White Ninja’s name, but he did not know if the White Ninja could hear her.

The other Ninja screamed out for the White one, dragged away by their Masters as ice started to form at the base of Borg Tower; several of Cryptor’s soldiers charged towards the distracted Ninja, unaware of the blizzard growing worse by the second. The Overlord screamed and shrieked before a bright explosion shook the city; everything happened in a split second. The Overlord shattered into thousands of black ice shards as a massive wave of ice shot through the streets at lightning speed. The White Ninja’s limp body plummeted into a plume of snow far below. One by one, his soldiers were encased in a thick layer of ice; some of the soldiers exploded due to the extreme cold, breaking Cryptor’s heart. He couldn’t help them. He couldn’t save them. He glanced down at Mindroid still blindly struggling to attack him. Cryptor couldn’t save his soldiers, but he could save his younger brother.

Cryptor picked up Mindroid by the back of his uniform, surprising the smaller droid; he took in a deep breath as the roar of the ice grew louder. Hopefully, he could get Mindroid to safety, he could protect someone- Cryptor threw Mindroid as far as he could, but he never found out if Mindroid got to safety, feeling the ice crawl up his legs, up his torso, and overtake his head. His vision blacked out, his body went numb, Cryptor succumbed to the void.

Mindroid rolled across the road, tumbling and scraping against the cement as the ice hissed to a stop only a few inches away from where he lay; he scrambled back on his hands and feet as his breathing grew rapid. What in Ninjago just happened? One minute he was trying to fight Cryptor who had mocked him, the next Cryptor threw him to safety as- Mindroid gave out a shrill screech, skittering across the ice towards the frozen form of his older brother. His hands trembled as he pounded desperately against the inch-thick ice, screeching and beeping, calling out for his brother.

Mindroid wanted to use his laser to burn through the ice, but he was terrified of harming Cryptor. He thrashed, banged, screamed, and wailed, weakly sliding down until he lay at his feet. Shaking and trembling, Mindroid realized he was completely alone. His only brother was gone; sure, Cryptor mocked him and taunted him, but he also personally trained him to make sure that he was prepared to fight against the Ninja- wait!

Mindroid looked across the frozen wasteland, hearing soft sobbing echo through the silent streets. A woman in a purple dress and pants, with silver hair and white skin, Mindroid swore he knew her. She sobbed, burying her face in her hands; wandering away from the group of brightly colored Ninjas surrounding a plume of snow. The Ninjas wailed and screamed, collapsing to their knees as they embraced one another, shrieking and sobbing with immeasurable grief. Mindroid felt sorry for the Ninja, knowing that they had also lost someone dear to their hearts, but then he had an idea. The woman with silver hair, he remembered seeing her briefly when he first woke up; Pixal, the second of the Nindroids. Mindroid scrambled across the ice, quietly beeping and waving his hands as he approached her.

Pixal looked up, frozen tears streaking down her face, as a confused look appeared. “Mindroid? Where did you-?”

He cut her off with sharp wild beeps, shrill chirps, tugging on her hand as he frantically pointed to the frozen form of Cryptor on top of the pile of cars. Her eyes widened, breathing out his name, as she led him towards Cryptor. He begged, pleaded, sobbed for her help, desperate to save his family from a cold death or worse- a complete reboot. Pixal wiped at her face, a look of determination grew in her neon eyes.

“I have an idea,” she said, glancing down at her right arm. A weapon for self-defense, a weapon she never used, a sharp dagger that could be exchanged for a grappling hook. With a guttural yell, Pixal started hacking away at the ice, stabbing and chopping away at the ice until cracks started to spiderweb across the glass-like ice. Pixal sobbed, screamed, and growled until the ice finally shattered; Cryptor’s powered down body collapsed into her arms, colder than death but still alive. Mindroid hugged her lower body, giving out repeated beeps of relieved thanks. She glanced back at Borg Industries, murmuring, “Mindroid, there is a back entrance to the tower; take Cryptor there and fix him up the best you can. Once he’s stable, there’s a hover-copter that you can use to leave the city; I am sure that he would not want to be here when he powers on again.” She stood up and removed a watch from around her left wrist, fixing it around Mindroid’s. “This has my contact information. If you are ever in desperate trouble, do not hesitate to call me.” Pixal placed a hand on his shoulder, gave him one last weak smile, and walked back to the grieving Ninjas.

Cryptor gave a deep groan, grinding and clenching his jaw as his consciousness resurfaced from a deep sleep mode. He couldn’t remember what had happened, why he had a chill deep in his heart, why did he- a sharp pain forced his eyes to shoot open as a yelp escaped his lips. He snarled, searching for the source of his pain in his leg, only to see Mindroid’s wide white eye staring at him, a grin growing on his face. Before he could say anything, he grunted as Mindroid leaped against his chest, embracing him in the tightest hug he had ever conceived.

Mindroid softly sobbed, nuzzling his face into Cryptor’s chest. He beeped, chirped, and squeaked, explaining what had happened to him since the battle- the battle?

“Mindroid, slow down,” Cryptor grumbled. “What battle?”

He beeped and gestured to the television set in the corner of the old shack they had found refuge in. A news broadcast, a tagline that read Funeral for Ninja Hero: Zane Julien to be Remembered by City. The White Ninja. The Overlord. The wave of ice killing his soldiers. The screams. Cryptor started to tremble; he almost died, he could’ve died by the White Ninja’s hands. But Cryptor realized one new thing; he was alone in his thoughts, he no longer felt the presence of the Overlord in his mind, he was free.

Mindroid took a step back, sitting on the old coffee table where the spare tools and parts lay. He beeped and cocked his head slightly. Cryptor smiled and ruffled his hair, “Thank you, Mindroid.” He glanced over at the television screen once more as the newscast focused on the grieving, weary, sleep-deprived faces of the Ninja. “We’re going to be okay, Mindroid. We’re going to be okay. We are free.”

Chapter Text

-[MUSEUM OF HISTORY]-
Nya stared at the Museum of History’s doors, her stomach twisting in knots as water twirled around her anxiously twitching fingers; she knew Morro helped them out during the Day of the Departed years ago, but would he help them now? She popped her neck and stormed up the stairs, entering the museum’s lobby; flash images of Vermillion Samurai and ghosts burst in her mind, which she quickly shook off. No time for memories, she scolded. Find Morro, ask for his help (ignoring the bile in the back of her throat in asking for help), and return to Borg Tower to meet with the group.

She walked past the empty receptionist desk and into the first hall; the History of Ninjago, stretching from the creation of the two continents to when the Age of the Ninja and Samurai. Her pace slowed ever so slightly, glancing around at the newspapers, videos, interviews (God, her heart ached to see her family laughing), animatronics of the team- she paused. Nine animatronics gathered in a family portrait-esque pose; Skylor, Kai, and Nya had their arms around each other, Cole had a laughing Jay in a headlock, Zane and Pixal had their arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders, and Lloyd stood with Master Garmadon in the back of the group.

Each animatronic looked so lifelike; capturing Kai’s sparking grin, the way Jay’s eyes light up when he’s laughing, Zane’s calm yet loving smile, the way that Cole’s eyes seemed to glow when he’s surrounded by his beaux, the way that Lloyd leaned into his father’s side, relishing in the warmth their master felt for his son. Nya turned and ran out of the hall. She sprinted into the Hall of Villainy, afraid to look back at the animatronics of her family lest she collapse into tears. She leaned against a nearby wall and buried her face in her hands, feeling her palms tremble against her closed eyelids. Control yourself, Nya! she scolded. You can’t break down now!

“Excuse me, Miss?” a voice asked, full of concern. “Are you all right?”

Nya’s head shot up, her vision slightly blurred from unshed tears. Black hair, a green streak, pale skin with freckles across his cheeks and nose, haunted green eyes-

“Morro?”

Morro took a frightened step back, “No, no, no! Stay away from me!”

Nya reached a hand out, “Morro, wait! I’m not here to hurt you!”

The former Ghost General had already taken off, sprinting through the Hall of Villainy; Nya raced after him.

“Morro, wait! Please!” Nya cried.

Morro skidded around a pillar, glancing back at her in pure terror. “I haven’t done anything wrong!”

“Morro, please! I need to talk to you!”

Through the endless halls, past priceless artifacts and murals thousands of years old, past a model Stone Warrior that apparently once came to life and chased her family, Nya began to wonder how big this museum truly was. Morro skidded around another corner and lost his footing, slamming into a nearby wall. She knelt down beside him, holding her hands out as he curled in on himself.

“Don’t hurt me! Please, don’t kill me!” he wailed.

Nya urged, “I’m not going to hurt you. Morro, I need your help!”

His shaking slowed, peeking out from behind his crossed arms. “W-What?”

“I need your help. I know that you’ve been here for a while, and you haven’t done anything bad, okay? The Ninja, my family… they’ve been kidnapped, and we need help rescuing them.”

“Why come to me?” he murmured, slowly lowering his arms.

“You know how to fight, you’re a skilled swordsman, you have strategies, you-“

“Don’t have elemental powers.”

Nya paused, “What?”

Morro lowered his arms, “When I woke up here, I felt empty yet whole; I didn’t have my powers, but I was at peace. I can still fight, I still remember everything that I did, I just can’t control the wind.”

Nya smiled, “Actually, I think that’s a little better.” After receiving a confused and slightly annoyed look, she held up her hands and said, “The person that took Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, and Master Garmadon- they have an army, oni, nindroids, Vermillion, and Skulkins made of Dark Matter and crystals that can steal elemental power. They’ve already got Lloyd’s powers, whether some or all we don’t know yet.”

Morro glanced down, still curled within himself. Nya’s heart pounded; she did not trust him, but she’s seen how much he’s changed in his eyes, the sorrow when she mentioned Lloyd’s name, the regret and fear.

“Is it just me?”

“What?”

Morro looked up, “Am I the only one you’ve asked for help?”

“Skylor is asking Harumi right now, and Acronix wants to help us.” Silence filled the air between the former enemies. Nya stood and said, “I’ll give you some time to think about it. If you want to help us, we’ll be at Borg Tower on the hundredth floor.”

As she turned to leave, he weakly called, “I’ll help you, but…” She turned and waited for him to continue. “I want to talk to my cousin. I want to make things right.”

“I can’t make any promises that he’ll want to talk to you or Harumi, on the off-chance she’ll help us, but I’ll try my best.”

“That’s all I ask. Oh, one last thing.”

Nya quirked an eyebrow.

“Please keep your water power away from me.”

-[KRYPTARIUM PRISON]-
Skylor placed her dagger on the table by the guard station as the Warden waited with a smile, though she hated being weaponless it was the only way she could get close to talking to the former Princess of Ninjago. She followed the Warden through the bricked halls, hearing the rowdy shouts and cries of Ninjago’s worst within their cells; catching a glimpse into the octagon center of the prison, she could see the three floors of cells and the guard tower in the center of the room as numerous guards patrolled the skywalks.

“Harumi is kept under constant surveillance,” the Warden said as he held up a keycard to a scanner. “After the incident in Ninjago City, her sentence was to undergo counseling and to remain locked here for twenty years.”

“I remember when Master Garmadon went to visit her,” Skylor said as she followed him into a long hallway filled with plexiglass walls. Glancing into the rooms, she was surprised to see some of the cells empty or unused.

“He was the one to ask for her sentence to be reduced. He pleaded for her case, that counseling would be better than to be locked up for the rest of her life. The lowest the court would go was twenty years, which she was surprisingly accepting of.” They stopped outside of an interrogation room; a black soundproof room with a silver table with a lock in the center, two folding chairs sat on each long side. A one-way mirror looked into the room, two guards were already posted by the door.

“Harumi should be finishing her session in a few minutes, feel free to take a seat.” The Warden held the door for Skylor as she walked inside, she asked if the door could remain open until Harumi arrives. As she sat down on the far side of the table, she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her messages, catching one from Lloyd.

“Pixal left in a hovercopter, I don’t know where she’s going. She said she’ll be back either tonight or tomorrow.”

Skylor typed a quick reply and shut off her phone as the sounds of footsteps echoed down the hall. Harumi appeared in the doorway, wearing a light-blue loose-fitting t-shirt and black pants.

As Harumi sat down across from her, she smiled and said, “Hello again, Skylor. What brings you here?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“Aren’t we already doing that?”

Skylor rolled her eyes, “Listen, I don’t want to be here anymore than you want to see me, but this is important.”

“I’m listening,” Harumi cooed, resting her chin on her curled fist.

Skylor felt a lump of resentment grow in her throat. This girl, this former cult leader, almost killed her and her friends numerous times, and yet she was still smiling. There was pain in her eyes, a medical bracelet attached to her right wrist, but curiosity burned bright in her sickly malachite eyes. God, she did not want to talk to her, but the thought of Kai and the others being trapped in some cold, dark abyss waiting to be rescued filled her with fury.

“You know, I kinda like the purple in your eyes,” Harumi said, tilting her head. “It brings out the golden flecks.”

“I wouldn’t have purple in my eyes if you hadn’t resurrected Emperor Garmadon,” Skylor spat, her skin crawling from the phantom presence of the element of darkness flowing through her veins. “Harumi, this is important- the Ninja have been kidnapped, and we need help finding and rescuing them.”

“Why do you need me?”

“You don’t have an element, you can fight-“

Harumi raised an eyebrow, “Element?”

“Whoever took the Ninja and Master Garmadon has armies made of Dark Matter and crystals that can absorb powers. We need people that can fight without fear of losing their powers. Lloyd was hit by one and we don’t know if he still has powers.”

A dark look crossed the former Princess’s face. Her playful tone dropped, growing serious, “Master Garmadon is gone too?”

Skylor paused, “Yeah, he was with the Ninja when they were taken.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“O-Oh, well, I’ll need to talk to the Warden to let you out temporarily, finding out how many guards will have to supervise you-“

“Do what you must. I only ask two things.”

A rock settled in Skylor’s stomach. “Name them.”

“I ask for my sentence to be reduced, and I want to talk to Garmadon when we rescue him.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

-[OUTSIDE OF STIIX]-
“Sister. It’s been a while.”

“Nice to see you too, Cryptor.”

Cryptor’s crimson eyes stared at the bag of parts, wires, and tools beside her feet, quirking his single eyebrow. Pixal picked up the bag and tossed it on the table in front of her brothers, waiting until he started to dig through the scrap to speak up. “I have come to ask for your aid.”

“Why?” Cryptor huffed, humming at the pieces that caught his attention.

“My family has been taken, and I need help getting them back.”

“What do we have to do with that?”

“With the Ninja gone, Ninjago is now vulnerable to attacks.”

“So?”

“The Ninja could be seriously hurt, or worse,” Pixal snapped, growing frustrated.

Cryptor flopped onto the couch as Mindroid climbed on beside him. “Aren’t you Samurai Z or something? It sounds like you can handle it.”

“Samurai X, and need I remind you that I was the one to free you from the ice-“

“That your ninja friend caused-“

“To save New Ninjago City from the Golden Master that you helped.”

Cryptor gave her a side glare as he measured out pieces and wires for gaps in Mindroid’s joints. “You don’t need us.”

“Cryptor, you and mindroid are great fighters, you know battle planning and ways to discover weaknesses. If you come with me, I can get both of you true upgrades, I can make sure your systems are better than ever.”

“And how do I know that we won’t be killed the second we step into the city?”

“I can make sure you two are protected both in and out of Borg Tower.”

Mindroid turned to her and gave several mixed beeps, chirps, and whirrs. Pixal replied, “It’s Nya, Skylor, Lloyd, Dr. Borg, Acronix, Misako, and I at the tower. Nya and Skylor are currently asking Morro and Harumi for help.”

“So all former villains, huh?”

“Generals, fighters, experts in battle strategies.” Pixal sat down on the edge of the table, pleading, “Cryptor, I’m asking you as your sister; I’m asking for your help to save my family. Please, Cryptor.”

Mindroid turned to his brother and gave soft chirps, tugging on his sleeve as his eyes glowed brightly. Cryptor growled and turned back to Pixal, “Mindroid wants to help. I’ll only come with on three conditions; we are protected from anyone who may want to hurt us, we are fully upgraded, and you leave me alone after your friends are found.”

Mindroid gave a shrill beep.

Cryptor huffed, “Mindroid wants to stay in contact with you. Do we have a deal?”

He held out a black-gloved hand. Pixal grinned and shook it. “Deal.”

Chapter Text

Zane was the first to awaken, which wasn’t surprising to him due to his love of sunrises and the years of sunrise exercises from Masters Wu and Garmadon. He rose his head from Cole’s slumbering chest, silently missing the constant pounding of the Earth Ninja’s heart, to oversee their present situation. Zane and his beaux had pushed together their cots the night before, curling up in a massive pile across the four beds. Master Garmadon lay on his cot across the room, buried under his blanket with his face contorted in a restless slumber. On their bed, Cole lay in the center of the pile with Zane on the outside left; Jay lay curled up on Cole’s right side with Kai spooning him from behind, burying his face into Jay’s back.

Their kidnapper had sent a message to them the night before the lights had been shut off. Training would continue an hour after breakfast. When the Ninja are returned to their room, they would be given a while for a reprieve before lunch, after which the remaining two Ninja (Cole and Zane) would be taken for the same questioning that Kai and Jay had the day before. Cole hissed, after the lights were shut off, that he would refuse to talk to their kidnapper. Whoever they were, they did not deserve to talk to them.

Zane’s internal clock told him that it was 7:23 in the morning, but his geolocation was coming up blank. Something about the crystals, the familiarity of what made up the warriors stirred in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t think of what it reminded him of. Perhaps, by the end of the “training,” it would strike him like Jay’s lightning (on numerous occasions).

The torches flared to life, causing Jay and Kai, the lightest of the sleepers, to grumble and bury their faces deeper into their partner’s chest or back. Cole’s eyes fluttered open, his face darkened by the anger of waking up in the unfamiliar room until he glanced over and locked eyes with Zane. His features immediately softened, his chocolate eyes seemed to glow with love.

“You all right, Zane?” he murmured, reaching up to caress his cheek.

“Yes, I seemed to sleep undisturbed, though I wish we did not have to wake up here.”

“You’re right about that, Frosty,” Cole grumbled, leaning back on his elbows. “These beds are almost as bad as the ones from Chen’s island.”

“You slept on a rock,” Kai snorted. “Anything is better than that bed.”

“That suite was amazing, though,” Jay sighed, rolling onto his back, earning an annoyed huff from Kai from the loss of his spoon. “A hot tub, a television with the latest games, a balcony with a view!”

“Don’t forget he tried to conquer Ninjago by stealing our elements to turn himself and his followers into Anacondrai warriors,” Kai said, laying on his side.

Zane paused. The pull from the crystals, he knew it was from somewhere. “I know what those crystals are!” he cried, startling the room. “They are from Chen’s island! I knew I felt that pull from somewhere, I felt it when Chen cornered me in the dungeon and stole my elemental powers!”

Cole, Jay, and Kai shared a nervous glance. Kai asked, “Are you sure?”

“Positive. With the mix of what appears to be Dark Matter and those crystals, it is imperative that we do not touch these creatures and we escape as soon as possible.”

“Wherever we are,” Kai grumbled, then a scared look crossed his face. “Do you think the others know we’re gone?”

“We can only hope they received our distress call, but it will be difficult to find us when we don’t even know where we are.”

Their breakfast, once again, was more fruit and vegetables. Zane checked to make sure that it was safe, nodding when it was, and looked up at their master as he silently ate his breakfast. “Master Garmadon? Will you be okay?”

“I believe so,” Garmadon replied, nudging around a strawberry with his fork. “I do not sense that I am in any personal danger, but we can’t lower our guard.”

Jay gave a soft whine and flopped backward onto the bed, “I miss home.”

Cole ran his fingers through Jay’s auburn hair and replied, “I know, we all miss home- we’ll make it out of here, whether by ourselves or with the aid of the others.”

Kai pressed a gentle kiss to Jay’s forehead and murmured, “Don’t worry, Lightning Bug, we’ll take care of you.”

The door to their room opened as ten guards, the same ones as the day before, waited in the hallway with their swords at the ready. “I guess it’s time for round two,” Kai grumbled, standing up with a stretch and a groan.

Jay rolled his shoulders and popped his back while Zane and Cole stood silently. Master Garmadon watched with somber eyes as his four students were escorted to the arena once again. Down the halls and to the left, Zane paid close attention to the blackened earth forming the tunnel-like hallways, the violet and gold torches, the crystals glowing their colors as they trudged past. He had a sick feeling, a horrible idea of where they might be held captive, but where specifically was beyond him. At the end of what appeared to be the main hallway was the arena door, yet Zane noticed that he had yet to figure out which door would lead to the outside. Into the arena, the Ninja are forced into the center and left by the guards.

The observation room was aglow this morning, revealing the backlit figure watching them. Kai shuddered at the memory of what it looked like. “Good morning, Earth, Fire, Lightning, and Ice. I have a few questions before we start our second round of the training. Question one; did you sleep well?”

“Do not answer,” Cole hissed.

“Repeat- did you sleep well?”

Silence was their answer.

“Question two; was breakfast suitable?”

Still no reply. Jay started to fidget with his hands.

“Question three; is Earth the leader of your little group?”

Kai snapped, “Can we just get this stupid fight over with?!”

The figure’s tone became playful, “Very well. Today shall be another two waves, Nindroids and Oni, each wave still consisting of twenty-five warriors. Once the waves are over, I shall have Earth and Ice taken separately for questioning. Is this understood?”

The Ninja crossed their arms and glared at the figure. Zane asked, “When will we be released from this captivity? You said we would only be here for a few days.”

“Ah, ah, ah! I said you would be my test subjects for a few days. You five will be here a few days beyond that, though the total number of days remains a dependent variable. Wave one of two: Nindroid Warriors. Amount: twenty-five.”

The covered holes in the arena floor opened with a hiss as the five massive cylinders arose from the underground chamber; as the doors opened and the Nindroids made of the Dark Matter-like substance and crystals erupting from their joints, spines, and metallic eyes, Zane paled and started to tremble. This couldn't be happening, not now!

Golden threads stretching across a neon city. Screams from his family members. He was alone. His eyes flickered from Jay struggling to breathe, the golden tendrils coiling around his torso. Kai let out guttural screams as the golden energy seeped into his skin, glowing and pulsing like veins and arteries. Cole could only choke out gasps, whines, and sharp screeches as his life was drained out from the Golden Master’s grasp. His breaths came out in shaky puffs, his mind running through hundreds of scenarios to find the best outcome. Golden Master Wins. Golden Master Wins. Golden Master Wins. Golden Master Wins. Golden Master Wins. Over and over and over, Zane took a step back as the tendrils slithered and coiled towards him. One option. There was only one option that did not end with the Golden Master. Zane glanced at a nearby rooftop where three pairs of eyes, one neon green, one a deep blue, and one deep brown, watched the scene unfold helplessly. “Support me, friends, for one last time.”

“No! No, no, no!” Zane cried, stumbling backward into Cole’s back. “Not again! I can’t do it again!” His hands scrambled for any grasp in his hair, tugging wildly as he shut his eyes, feeling the suffocating energy of the Golden Armor close his throat. He couldn’t swallow, he couldn’t think, he could feel his ice crawling across his skin.

Kai held onto his quaking shoulders and eased him to the ground, pressing his forehead against his frost-covered one. Kai trusted that Cole and Jay could protect them. “Zane, look at me- look at me, you are not there! You are not facing the Overlord! Zane, focus on your senses, what can you see?“

Zane cracked open one of his eyes. Kai, he could see Kai- his golden hazel eyes, the faint scar trailing across his forehead and splitting over his left cheek, his crooked smile (FSM he loved that smile), and the red uniform they had been bestowed by their kidnapper. Cole and Jay, he could see Cole and Jay standing to his left and right. Flashes of lightning and piles of goop collapsing onto the cement ground.

“What can you touch?”

His hair, he could feel his hair. Soft strands sticking to his fingers as crystal-like ice coated his hands. Kai’s warm hands on his shoulders, restraining his tremors, underneath his uniform that was not the softest material.

“What can you hear?”

Jay grunting and echoes of lightning. Screeches of the Nindroid warriors as the electricity thunders through their chests. Cole’s soft curses underneath his breath, cursing out the Nindroids and their kidnapper. The crunching and manipulation of the cement as it crushed the mimics. Kai’s worried breathing mixing with his unsteady gasps. The thundering of his artificial blood pounding in his ears.

Two more pairs of hands appeared on his body; Cole’s eased Zane’s out of his hair, shattering the ice, while Jay’s rubbed his back. Kai reached his hand up and cradled his cheek as his breath steadied, the terror receding into the past once again. It had been years since his last relapse, he despised showing this in front of the stranger. He despised this feeling trapped in his throat.

“Thank you, my loves,” Zane breathed. “I… I will be okay.”

“We’re here for you, Zane,” Jay crooned.

Cole pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, “You are safe with us. You’re not alone.”

“We will protect you, just as you protect us,” Kai smiled. He, Jay, and Cole helped Zane to his feet, making sure he was steady on his feet before taking a step back to give him air while the arena was cleaned once again.

“Note ten: Earth and Lightning are able to take on twenty-five soldiers while Fire and Ice are distracted. Earth continues to manipulate his surroundings to crush the Nindroids. Lightning is able to burn the Nindroids into goop due to the high voltage. Ice had a negative reaction to the Nindroids, a panic or anxiety attack of some kind- more research is needed to determine the diagnosis. Fire was able to coax him through the attack while keeping his focus on Ice, rather than the incoming Nindroids.”

“Fuck off and let us go!” Cole shouted.

“Wave two of two: Oni Warriors. Amount: Twenty-five.”

Five new tubes arose from the ground. Cole gave a deep, center-of-the-chest growl, as his eyes glowed a neon green and orange, one in each. His scar from the Rift of Return cracked, crackled, and glowed across his forehead and down his cheek; fissures tore from his fingertips, across the back of his hands, shattering his forearms before coming to an end in the center of his biceps. Lava-like energy glowed, pulsed, bubbled, and churned in between the fissures and charcoal-like skin.

The Oni Soldiers stormed out of the tubes. Jay, Kai, and Zane huddled together as Cole snarled, “I am done with Oni. I am done with this stupid experiment. I will not let you control me!” With a ground-shattering scream, Cole reared back and slammed both fists onto the ground; a crater formed around the Ninja while a shockwave of cement spikes rolled across the arena, impaling each Oni Warrior while crumpling the tubes like paper beneath the energy. Cracks shot up the wall, nearing the domed ceiling well over fifty feet above them as large chunks thundered to the ground far below.

The shockwaves settled as the ground, now shattered like a broken mirror, flattened back out; Cole’s magma receded like a sunset, fading back into his skin as the black scars from the fissures remained. Zane and Kai caught Cole as he fell backward, weak from the massive surge of energy, his eyes half-lidded and droopy.

“Note eleven: Earth has a lava-like energy powerful enough to shatter cement, reaching a radius of about a hundred feet. A shockwave of concrete, spikes, and large cracks not only in the floor but up the wall of the arena are the carnage from this attack. Note of importance- this weakens Earth extremely.” The figure scribbled something down as Cole held his head, still spinning from the sudden burst and loss of energy. “Thank you for your participation in today’s testing. Fire and Lightning, you two shall be escorted back to your room while Earth and Ice shall be taken for questioning. There shall be food and water waiting for you, Earth.”

The ten soldiers came out of the tunnels but separated Kai and Jay from Cole and Zane at the hallway leading to their room. Cole leaned against Zane’s shoulder as they shuffled down two more corridors before coming to three doors on the left side of the wall. Zane was placed in the left room while Cole was escorted into the far right. On the table, instead of a small pink flower that was present for Jay and Kai, there were several trays of fruit and a pitcher and glass of water. At the moment, Cole didn’t care if the food was poisoned or tainted, he needed to eat something and rehydrate. After gulping down the entire pitcher and eating a tray of fruit, he looked up and saw his reflection from the one-way mirror.

“Was the food satisfactory?” the figure asked through a hidden speaker.

Cole remained silent. He refused to answer any of their kidnapper’s questions.

“I am going to be asking you a series of questions, please answer honestly. Question one: where were you born?”

Cole glowered at the mirror. How he wished he could he could punch through that stupid mirror and pummel that figure into a pile of goop.

“Question two: when did you first discover your elemental power?”

No answer.

“Question three: what does it feel like to perform Spinjitzu?” No answer.

“Question four: can you survive your element?”

No answer.

“Question five: what made you leave the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts?”

No answer.

“Question six: were you the first out of the team to become a Ninja? And if not, who was?”

No answer.

“Question seven: how did you deal with the loss of your mother and the isolation from your father?”

Cole’s hands curled into fists. No answer.

“Question eight: what was it like to become a ghost at Master Yang’s temple? Painful, empty, no feeling?”

Bile burned in the back of his throat. No answer.

“Question nine: do you still have a fear of water, or has that passed?”

No answer.

“Last question: how did you survive that fall from the Destiny’s Bounty last march?”

No answer.

The figure sighed and said, “I see we have reached an impasse. Very unfortunate, a loss of valuable information due to stubbornness. You are dismissed.”

Cole was taken out of the room as Zane entered, sitting down at the table he poked at a mango slice on one of the trays. He stared at the mirror and said, “I know Cole didn’t give you any information.”

“A terrible loss,” the figure replied. “Though, unfortunately, I cannot extract that information without violating the experiment. Now, I am going to be asking you a series of questions, please answer honestly.”

“Before we do that,” Zane interrupted. “How about we strike up a deal?”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“You get to ask a question and I get to ask a question. We both answer honestly. If you do not agree, you will not get any information from me.”

The figure was silent for a moment, contemplating the offer. “Here’s a rebuttal offer; I ask a question, you ask a question, we both are honest, but we can skip questions we do not wish to answer. Do we have a deal?”

“Very well, but if I notice any malicious tricks I will refuse to answer further.”

“Question one: where were you born?”

“The Birchwood forest. Why have you taken us?”

“For the experiment. Question two: when did you first discover your elemental power?”

“A few days after the Master of Ice visited my and my father’s home after he had fallen ill. What is the experiment?”

“A study on elemental powers, specifically those in relation to creation. Question three: what does it feel like to perform Spinjitzu?”

“A rush of energy, adrenaline flowing through your veins. Why do you keep yourself in the shadows?”

“You don’t need to see my face. Question four: can you survive your element?”

“I have not tried. What do you want with Master Garmadon?”

“He will have his own questioning and trials, but they do not parallel yours. Question five: how long ago were you built?”

“Previously, over forty-five years ago. Recently, about seven. Where are we located, and I do not mean in an examination room or in this bunker of sorts. Where specifically?”

“On an island, one you should be familiar with. Question six: what is it like in other realms?”

“Depends on which realms you mean.”

“All of them.”

“Cloud Kingdom has a feeling that is ancient yet constantly changing, filled with destinies constantly changing. The Underworld is dark and soulless, vacant of any humanity. The First Realm is warlike, yet filled with the energies of Creation from Firstbourne and the dragons that reside there. What are your plans for the Ninja and me?”

“That information is classified. Question six: where did your original power source come from?”

“I do not know. How long are you planning on keeping us captive?”

“Until either the experiment is complete, which is to say a total week minimum, or until your friends find you and save you, which is to say maybe a few days minimum. Question seven: what did it feel like to achieve your true potential?”

“Exhilarating, I had found the key to my past which filled the hole in my heart. What is your name?”

“Marie Joan Annette, Ph.D. Question eight: what triggered your panic attack earlier in the arena?”

“Your Nindroid soldiers. How do you know our friends are searching for us?”

“I have eyes all across Ninjago, even under a former friend’s nose and he has no idea. Question nine: how have your elemental abilities changed and adapted over the years?”

“My powers have grown from being reliant on the Golden Weapons to the Golden Ninja, before becoming one with my spirit. New abilities have grown due to our training from Masters Garmadon, Wu, and Misako. How do you know so much about us?”

“Years of research. Final question: what did it feel like to die?”

Zane stiffened, feeling his heart leap into his throat. He could barely choke out, “I refuse to answer.” As he struggled to control his tremors in his hands, quietly snapping in a familiar calming fidget, the figure thanked him for his cooperation and released him back to his room where the others were waiting. He knew he had a lot to explain the second the door closed, but one thing was for sure- they had to escape the Dark Island soon.

Chapter Text

Lloyd glanced over at Cyrus and Acronix as the pair frantically typed on the numerous keyboards around the room. A day had passed since Nya, Skylor, and Pixal had ventured out across Ninjago to find Lloyd’s former tormenters- well, two out of the five were tormenters. Acronix, Cryptor, and Mindroid really didn’t do much to harm him, he was more worried about facing his cousin and sort-of step-sister face to face. His body still ached from the encounter with the nindroid made of dark matter; glancing down at his hands, he felt the familiar energy flowing to his fingertips as faint green sparks danced across his palms. He still had some of his powers, but how much had yet to be determined; his muscles ached with every movement, as if his very life had been drained from that brief moment of contact.

Lloyd looked at the landing pad doors as Nya, Skylor, and Pixal entered; each gave him a smile and a wave, covering up yawns with their hands or stretching with soft groans.

“Good morning, Lloyd,” Nya said, resting a hand on his back. “How’re you feeling?”

“Still exhausted,” he replied, giving a weak shrug. “While you were out, we had an idea of searching the security droids footage for the Ninja. Zane mentioned that they had visited Ninjago City and another village before they disappeared, right?”

“Yeah, I think he mentioned Terra?” Nya glanced at Pixal and Skylor for confirmation, who nodded in agreement.

Skylor glanced at her watch and said, “Harumi should be arriving any minute from Kryptarium. When’s Morro supposed to arrive?”

“Hopefully within a few minutes,” Nya said. “If he decides to show up.”

“I know it’s a little too late for this but are you absolutely sure its a good idea to trust them?” Lloyd asked, feeling a shudder wrack his body. It had been years since he had last seen Morro and only about seven months since he last saw Harumi on that collapsing building; yet he knew he still had nightmares of the pair, of Morro’s cold grip around his throat as he held him above the raging rapids within the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master, of Harumi taunting him within the Oni Temple hidden behind a waterfall, of taunts about the Cursed Realm, of Lloyd’s failures of preventing their uprises-

“Lloyd? Are you still there?” Skylor asked, waving her hand in front of his face. Her face was overcome with worry, “Your eyes glazed over for a second.”

Lloyd achingly rubbed at the nape of his neck. “I just don’t have a good feeling about this. I will never trust them, not after what they put us through-“

“No one is telling you that you have to forgive them, we just need their skills to save our family then we never have to see them again.” Nya turned towards the elevators as it dinged a soft chime, a frown crossed her face as Morro, Harumi, and two guards stepped out and onto the office floor.

“Miss Chen, we have brought 801 as you have asked,” one of the guards said. “Commissioner Noble wanted to remind you that she is to be under constant surveillance, when not in combat she needs to be restrained, and once the mission is complete she is to be returned to Kryptarium immediately.”

Skylor nodded and accepted the key from the second guard, dismissing the pair with a nod while noting Morro leaning against the wall to the right. Once the doors to the elevator closed, Harumi smirked and relaxed her stance.

“Is the party all here?”

“We are still waiting on my brothers from the factory floor; they were to receive updates before the briefing,” Pixal said, keeping a hand on her sword’s hilt at her side. “They should arrive momentarily.”

Cyrus gave a soft hum from the keyboard, “I still cannot believe that Cryptor and that smaller droid-“

“Mindroid,” Pixal said.

“Mindroid,” Cyrus corrected, nudging his slipping glasses up his nose, “were still active through these years.”

“Cryptor wants nothing to do with us; he owes me… a debt, I believe you could say, and Mindroid wanted to tag along.”

“I still want nothing to do with this,” Cryptor growled from the stairwell entrance. “The sooner we can rescue your loser friends the sooner we can go back to obscurity.”

Mindroid raced past Cryptor and ran over to Pixal, hugging her legs as excited beeps emanated from his mouth. Running her fingers through his wild black hair, she said, “We really do appreciate your help-“

“Save it, sis. I don’t need to hear it.”

Misako turned to Cyrus and Acronix and glanced over their screens, tilting her head to the side; she was lost at the endless streams of code scrolling across the screen from Cyrus’s point of view. “Have you discovered anything?”

“I have discovered several DIV tags within the security droids that I did not program in. The signature of the code feels familiar to me, but I can’t remember where I have seen it before. Pixal, would you mind helping me analyze this?”

As Pixal walked over, quietly discussing the footage and code with Acronix and Cyrus, Lloyd achingly rose to his feet and walked over to Morro and Harumi. His bones felt as if they were made of titanium, dragging him down with every step, but he needed to do this. He needed to face his fears.

Harumi and Morro quirked an eyebrow at him as he stumbled over. The former Princess smirked and said, “You’ve looked better.”

“Why are you two helping us?” Lloyd asked, ignoring her comment.

Morro spoke first, taking a step away from the wall- Lloyd could feel his body tense from the singular movement. “I’m here to prove that I’ve changed. Someone gave me a second chance and I am not going to mess it up.”

Lloyd could accept that answer, Morro had proved himself to be accepting of change during the Day of the Departed holiday several years ago but he had thought that Morro returned to the Departed Realm after saying goodbye to Master Wu. How was he here, and how was he alive? He turned to Harumi and said, “Let me guess, you feel bad for nearly killing my family and want to earn our forgiveness?”

“Oh fuck no, of course not. I know forgiveness has long since been thrown out the window, I’m only here for one reason and one reason only.”

“Which is?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Chosen One?”

Lloyd snapped, “Do you even care what you put my family through?! We took you in when you destroyed the palace and killed the Emperor and Empress. We treated you like family and you stabbed us in the back. My father treated you like a daughter and you turned your back against him, you brought back his literal nightmares and nearly killed my family! You hunted us down for three weeks, you created victims in the rubble-“

“You think I don’t know that?!” Harumi scoffed, her handcuffs jingled as she crossed her arms. “You think I don’t dwell on every mistake I’ve made through the years? All of the lives I took hellbent on revenge for something you only had a small part in creating? You think I don’t sit in my jail cell for hours on end wishing that I had actual adoptive parents that cared for me instead of using me as decoration and publicity? I know the damage I cause, I see prisoners in Kryptarium flinch when I walk by. I don’t need your forgiveness, Lloyd; I am not doing this for you and I cannot wait to end this mission so I don’t have to see your face ever again.”

Morro had slunk away during the yelling, deciding to stand on the opposite side of the office area beside Cryptor. Skylor led Lloyd away from Harumi as Cyrus gave a sharp cry.

“That’s it! Pixal put the video on the main screen!”

With a few clicks on the keyboard, everyone’s attentions were directed to the overhead screen; a string of videos manifested playing together through several points of view following Kai and Cole’s journey through the streets of Ninjago City while the second point of view showed Zane and Jay in Terra carrying shopping bags. Kai and Cole sat down and ate at a bakery while Zane and Jay disappeared into a storefront- the second screen momentarily went dark. Kai continued to stare at the security droids, murmuring something to Cole before answering the phone. The second screen resumed as the four Ninja rode their dragons either to or through the city.

“These are the last videos of the Ninja before Zane’s distress transmission the next night. Someone programmed the droids to track and follow their movements, sending the transmissions to one computer on… the Dark Island? No, that isn’t right, the final location originated on the Dark Island before crossing the Endless Sea; its final relay was near the shoreline in Ninjago Bay.”

“Who was the relay sent to?” Nya asked.

Cyrus suddenly paled, looking up from the screen with a look of fear glistening in his eyes. “I know who it is.”

Acronix furrowed his eyebrows, confusion crossing his features. “We’re receiving an incoming transmission.”

Everyone braced themselves as Cyrus said, “Accept the call.”

The screen fluctuated, switching from the frozen image of the Ninja on their elemental dragons to a live feed of-

Lloyd felt faint on his feet.

Nya wanted to cry.

Pixal was speechless.

Skylor was stoic.

A live feed of the Ninja sitting in what looked like a cream-colored prison cell; four beds tucked together with Master Garmadon’s off to the right, Kai and Jay were on the outside of the line, both holding onto Cole and Zane in the center. The audio was cut off from the feed, yet a new voice erupted from the speakers.

“Hello Cyrus, I was beginning to wonder if you would ever find my coding.”

“What have you done, Annette?” Cyrus hissed.

The voice of a woman scoffed, “Did you forget I have a Ph.D.? It’s Doctor Annette, thank you very much! And do not worry about my little elementals, they are doing just fine.”

“Who are you and why did you take my brother?!” Nya snapped, her eyes ablaze with fury.

“I just told you I am Dr. Annette, and all you need to know is that your brother and his… friends? Lovers? Are doing just fine, though everything depends on the next few days. If my experiment is stable and completed, then the world shall be changed forever.”

Pixal and Acronix were typing furiously as Skylor called out, “What experiment?”

“That is classified. Cyrus, my old friend, I must say that I was impressed with everything you have developed since our last meeting; hundreds of security droids that put up a fight against my coding, an entire digital realm though flawed it may be, and an android who has gained not only sentience but a whole life around her. Pixal, I believe I heard, I am very impressed by you.”

Pixal’s face flushed a light purple, hiding her flustered expression behind her bangs. “I cannot say the same to you, Dr. Annette. You took my family and my best friend, I know we will not meet on pleasant circumstances.”

“That has been expected for many years now. I look forward to our inevitable battle, though the winner is up to fate and destiny. Farewell, I shall see most of you in a few days.”

The screen and transmission were cut off and silent. Pixal murmurs, “I have tracked her location. They are on the Dark Island, location tracked around the Temple of Light.”

“We have to head there right now,” Lloyd said, already heading towards the bay doors leading to the Bounty’s landing pad.

Nya placed her hand on his chest, “Lloyd, weren’t you listening? She’s expecting us to go there!”

“We can’t just stand around and let her continue whatever that experiment is on our friends!”

Skylor pushed herself between Lloyd and Nya, glaring at both before turning her attention to Cyrus, her gaze softening. “Cyrus, you said that you knew her. What can you tell us?”

With a resigned sigh, he rolled his wheelchair around to face them and began to explain. “Marie was a colleague of mine back at NIT; we met in our Digital Technologies and Coding class and were close friends through the years. In fact, she and I created one of the first versions of the hovercopter, just in a smaller drone-like form. We were an unstoppable force through the classes, even through grad school; but she learned about the powers of Creation and she became obsessed with understanding its potential and functions. Her dissertation was on harnessing the power of Creation for extending life, looking into potential healing properties, and impacts on nature. Her thesis was dismissed as being improbable and unfounded, and it devastated her. She wouldn’t talk to me, eventually vanishing months later. I always hoped that she would turn up again, but not like this.”

“Creation?” Nya murmured. She started running her fingers through her hair, mumbling and murmuring to herself. She paused, her eyes wide, “The elements of Creation are Fire, Ice, Lightning, and Earth. She wants to learn about it from the source! That’s why she took them!”

“But then why didn’t she take me?” Lloyd asked, leaning against the wall. “I used to be the Golden Ninja, Master of Creation.”

“I think that’s the key,” Misako said. “You used to be, but the Ninja are still connected to those elements.”

“Plus you were with us halfway across the country,” Skylor said.

A loud yawn caught everyone’s attention. Cryptor grumbled, “Are we going yet or not? Otherwise, what are we still doing here?”

“Yeah, I’m getting bored just standing around,” Harumi said, stretching her arms above her head. “I’m itching for a good fight.”

“I’ll pack weapons onto the Bounty, let’s make a plan and head out as soon as we can.” As Pixal stepped onto the elevator, pressing the button leading to the main floor, one thought raced through her head as her family and enemies began to formulate a plan. Do not worry, my friends, we will save you.

Chapter Text

Kai’s back ached worse than his time in the First Realm, this mattress was worse than the sands that snuck into his torn and ruined gi; the only shining lights in this imprisonment on the Dark Island was just being around Jay, Cole, Zane, and Master Garmadon. His beloveds and Master’s presences were the biggest comforts he could feel during this strange time in his life; feeling Jay’s warmth from his chest pressed against his back, Cole’s strong presence during the strange training against the amalgamated creatures, Zane’s cooled grip on his hands, even Master Garmadon’s aged gaze making sure they were unharmed when they returned.

Kai had to admit that he felt hopelessly lost at their current circumstances; how would they escape when there were guards on every corner, or that they did not know the layout of the prison they were trapped in, or even what their final outcome would be? He glanced over at Master Garmadon’s bed and found their teacher to be awake, staring blankly at the ceiling. “Master, are you all right?”

Garmadon gave a nearly silent sigh, keeping his eyes trained above. “I’m unsure. Such a strange captor we’ve encountered, making sure that we are comfortable while maintaining secrecy. Does she even want to conquer Ninjago or is she just fascinated with you and the team?”

“Seems like everyone does.”

Garmadon couldn’t help but snort at Kai’s remark. “If she does, then why keep us here? What are these experiments for?”

“Maybe she just wants us out of the way,” Kai offered. “I know Nya, Skylor, Pix, and Lloyd are still out there but-“ He could feel the disapproving glare burning into his back from them if he finished that sentence. He knew they could protect Ninjago; they had done it before as the Resistance while they were trapped in the First Realm thanks to Mystaké, so why would this be any different?

Garmadon chuckled at Kai’s sudden cutoff, knowing exactly what the Fire Ninja was thinking. “Your sister, her girlfriends, and my son are some of the strongest fighters I know. Though I wish we were there by their sides, all we can do is continue to plan an escape, keep our heads down, and follow what we can without putting ourselves in danger.”

A knock on the door caught the two off guard, an Oni soldier took a step inside and looked at Kai, “Today will be a solo experiment for two of you Ninjas. Starting with Fire with Ice later in the day, Earth and Lightning shall be tomorrow; Garmadon is set for a one on one discussion with Creator after Ice’s experiment. Fire, come with us.”

With a growl, Kai reluctantly stood and started to approach the Oni soldier. He paused, turning to Garmadon, “Let them know what’s happening, please. I don’t want them to worry.”

“Of course.”

With that ease of nerves, Kai disappeared behind the door.

Kai was locked in a metal room. One of four on a lower section of this strange maze of a fortress. No windows, one door behind him, and a total of eight vents above and below him; two vents per wall, one near the ceiling one by the floor. The intercom in the center of the ceiling screeched to life, echoing their captor’s voice.

“Good morning, Fire. Did you and your companions sleep well?”

“Just get on with it already,” he spat, already agitated from hearing her voice.

“Very well then. Today and tomorrow’s experiments focus on the strength and endurance of your elemental abilities. Since you are the Master of Fire, I am curious to know if your element can keep you alive and warm within below freezing temperatures, and to see how long you can survive before hypothermia and frostbite settle in. I am monitoring your heart rate, blood pressure, internal and external temperatures, and the temperature of your flames. If I see anything dropping significantly or see that you are in danger of dying, the experiment ends immediately and you shall be sent into recovery. Do you understand?”

Kai’s mind went blank. “W-Wait what?! You’re going to freeze me?! I’m still human, I can’t survive that!”

“You are also an Elemental Master; you’ve survived in over three realms, fights against ethereal beings like the Overlord and the Preeminent, fought numerous tribes of serpentine, ghosts, Oni, and so much more. You can survive this in three, two, one-”

The temperature dropped immediately, Kai’s body shuddered and trembled with each falling degree. This lady is crazy! his mind screamed. Teeth chattering, goosebumps raising, knees knocking together, he felt like he was trapped in Hell. Ice started manifesting from the vents, growing closer to the ground with each passing minute. Kai’s self-preservation kicked in, feeling his flames manifest across his hands and within his chest flowing through his veins; steam began to appear around him from the combining temperatures.

“Negative ten degrees Fahrenheit,” her voice echoed, causing Kai to jump. “Body temperature at ninety-six degrees, elemental temperature rising.”

“Y-Y-You’re c-c-crazy!” Kai screamed, steam pouring out from his mouth like a dragon’s flame.

His knees gave out, collapsing to the floor in a ball; he had to keep his fire alive, he had to stay alive- stay alive for Nya, for Zane and Cole and Jay, and stay alive to stop this crazy woman from taking over Ninjago.

“Negative twenty-five degrees. Body temperature at ninety-three, elemental temperature still rising.”

Kai could feel his mind growing hazy, his body screaming to get out of the hell-freezer. He had to escape. Use her experiment against her! Kai closed his eyes and focused on his fire, determined to raise the heat; his tremors and trembles started to slow as the flames engulfing his body began to grow and lick at the ceiling.

“Interesting development arising; Fire is using his element to battle the dropping temperatures, his flames are completely covering his entire form yet I am not seeing any damage or injury due to the flames. Dropping temperatures to negative forty degrees.”

Kai shakily rose to his knees, feeling suffocated from the humidity growing ever increasingly thick within the meat-locker. He had to get out, were the walls getting closer? Was the world rocking below his feet? He felt nauseous. Weakly shuffling, struggling towards the door, Kai began to pound his fists against the metal. Let me out! Let me out, please! Kai slumped to the floor, feeling his fire start to die out as the icy fingers wrapped themselves around his weakened form.

“Fire’s element is weakening. Time to close up this experiment.”

Kai lost consciousness as the door opened with a loud screech, ice shattering around him like echoing thunder. Someone picked him up and carried him away, though he didn’t know who. When he awoke in an unknown amount of time later, Kai found himself in a medical bay-like area, tucked in a bed drowning in blankets with a heating pad on his chest. His body felt unbelievably heavy, not weighted down by the blankets but by the ache in his bones and muscles; his head roared with a horrendous headache, pounding like a drum during the New Year’s celebration.

A weak voice caught his attention, sending his heart into overdrive. “Kai…?” Zane asked from a parallel bunk. “What happened?”

Zane awoke after hearing the door lock once again, though he noted the bed was lighter and less warm; Kai had left with an Oni guard for an “experiment” as Garmadon quickly explained. Zane’s time was due any minute and he was worried about Kai’s safety; whatever they were going to do to them had everyone on edge. Ten minutes passed with no sign of Kai returning. Fifteen minutes. Twenty minutes-

The door opened. The Ninja perked, hoping to see Kai’s lovely smirking face pass by the Vengestone door, but their hearts sank when a nindroid soldier stepped in. “Ice, come with us.”

A shudder ran down Zane’s spine. What was planned for them, was there a chance to escape, and where was Kai? Escorted through the halls, he scanned as far as he could with his limited visibility. Their room was located at the end of a short hallway with no other doors, the main hallway split left and right; left led to the arena where they had to fight against those amalgamations of dark matter and island crystals, right led to the interview rooms and the humming room constantly on guard by four Oni. There was a stairwell leading to a lower area within the mountain they were trapped inside, but Zane had never been in this section previously. Down the stairs, Zane felt and sensed the air temperature dropping with each step, dipping to about thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit; if his breath was hot enough, he knew he would be puffing out clouds of steam. Kai was able to manipulate the steam sometimes, his favorite was changing it into a dragon.

Zane’s heart ached. Where was Kai? Zane caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a hidden door to the right buried within the earthen walls. That must be where Annette kept an eye on her studies. The hallway split to the left with four rooms in front of him, each labeled from what he could see; as he turned to face the second room he noticed another room tucked on the opposite wall with a guard posted in front. The door was locked behind him with a heavy clunk, with an intercom coming alive on the ceiling.

“Good morning, Ice. Did you and your companions sleep well?”

“What have you done with Kai?” Zane asked.

“Fire is resting down the hallway; he gave me plenty of worthy data as I hope you, Earth, and Lightning shall as well. Today and tomorrow’s experiments focus on the strength and endurance of your elemental abilities. Since you are the Master of Ice, I am curious to know if your element can keep you alive and cooled within high and rising temperatures, as well as seeing how long you can survive before heat exhaustion and a potential system-shutdown settle in. I am monitoring your heart rate, internal and external temperatures, and the temperature of your ice. If I see anything dropping significantly or see that you are in danger of dying, the experiment ends immediately and you shall be sent into recovery. Do you understand?”

“I’m afraid that I do.”

“Excellent, we shall begin in three, two, one-“

The temperature, formerly at a cozy seventy-degrees started to quickly rise; Zane had to secretly admit that the clothes Annette had given them were light, at least in this case. He couldn’t begin to imagine what Kai had gone through with this apparel. His cooling systems would not kick in until temperatures reached about ninety-five to one-hundred degrees Fahrenheit, especially based on humidity and location. He has had numerous upgrades since his… unfortunate battle against the Digital Overlord seven years ago, some of which include devices to restrict unauthorized access into Zane’s psyche (he had a nightmare about Ronin disabling his internal systems from his vocal tones, defense systems, even his limbs), to adding a coolant into his veins to avoid overheating, and fans and vents near the base of his hairline on his neck.

His mouth began to grow dry. The suffocating air began to coil and tighten around his throat as she called out, “Ninety-five degrees; internal temperatures are remaining consistent with no sign of ice or cooling measures taking place.”

Zane had to control his breathing, struggling to generate enough saliva to keep his tongue from drying up; the temperature has now passed one-hundred degrees, a notification popped up in the corner of his vision.

[COOLANT SYSTEM ACTIVATED]

He could feel the steady stream of nitrogen entering his cardiovascular system, Zane breathed a silent sigh of relief from the icy temperature circulating through his system.

“One oh five; internal temperatures dropping from what can be assumed as an internal cooling system. No sign of ice.”

If he can just hold out for a little longer, he could avoid using or showing his powers for her studies, but he did not know how long he could withstand the ever-increasing humidity and heat. The hottest known temperature had been recorded in the Desert of Doom at one-hundred and twenty-eight degrees Fahrenheit, but would Annette be able to replicate or surpass that?

“What is the maximum temperature?” Zane asked, feeling his breath come out in pants as his fans kicked in. Whirring softly at the base of his hairline, it was one more measure in keeping his internal wiring and functions safe.

“I have been able to generate temperatures peaking at about one-fifty. Any higher and the machine began to malfunction and melt into itself,” Annette said. She then chuckled to herself, “It was quite the sight. I was worried I had created an unstoppable flow of melted metal, but I had plenty of fire extinguishers handy. One fifteen.”

Zane’s coolant began to wear thin, his vents and fans working overtime within the suffocating heat; he had to use his ice, there was no avoiding it any further. Closing his eyes, he covered himself in a thin layer of ice and gave a soft moan of relief, though he could feel the ice hissing from steam releasing into the air.

“Temperature at one hundred and twenty-two degrees provoked the use of Ice as a protective layer over Ice himself. Coolants and fans worked until temperature one eighteen. Will continue until maximum temperature of one forty-five.”

A puddle of water hissed at Zane’s feet, steam coiling and twirling around him like a spinjitzu vortex; reluctantly, he added another layer of ice around his body, yet it seemed no matter how much he added the temperature continued to ravage and tear apart his shield.

[WARNING: INTERNAL TEMPERATURE DROPPING]

Zane had to get out before his systems shut down either from the heat or from his own coolant system. His vision started to dance and swim, he could barely catch the external temperature of one thirty as the ice shattered around him. Zane fell to his knees, unable to breathe.

“Ending the experiment at one thirty-two…”

Zane awoke in a bunk parallel to Kai within a cream-colored medical bay, tucked underneath a thin blanket. Kai was layered underneath at least two to three blankets, a wire connecting to a heating pad escaped and led to the plugin within the wall, and a wet rag lay on his forehead. Zane’s voice felt weak, his body ragged and weighed down, but thankfully he could see that his systems were active and fully functioning without any damage. Rolling his head to the side, he asked, “Kai…? What happened?”

Garmadon was a nervous wreck. Two of his students had been led out of the room and had yet to return over an hour later. Cole had to coax Jay to take a cold shower to ease his frazzled nerves after a rather nasty anxiety attack, yet Garmadon himself couldn’t help but fret over Kai and Zane. But yet, he kept wondering why did Annette want to talk to him; he wasn’t a master of Creation- he was destruction, the complete opposite of what his students could make.

The door opened once more, a new Oni soldier stepped inside and glanced around the room, furrowing his eyebrows and frowning around his crystal tusks. “Where are Earth and Lightning?”

“They are in the bathroom. Is it time for my meeting?”

“It is, come with us, Master Garmadon.”

With a groan, he rose to his feet and followed the Oni through the door. Down the hallway and to the right, he was led into a three-sectioned room- to his left was a waiting room, to his right were two doors, the furthest one from him was guarded by an Oni and a Nindroid soldier. She must have a preference for those, he wondered. The door closest to him was opened, revealing the interrogation room his students had been in a few days before; a single table, a single chair, and a pink flower. As he settled down in the rather uncomfortable chair, he heard Annette’s voice come through a speaker located between his room and the one-way mirror.

“Greetings, Master Garmadon. How has your time been here?”

“I’m not here to play games,” he growled. “What do you want with the Ninja?!”

Annette gave an exasperated sigh, “I have mentioned this already- it is for the experiment, but the specifics I cannot disclose due to unauthorized personnel. You, however, I have a different agenda with. You shall not be participating in the testing that Fire, Lightning, Earth, and Ice are currently in. I just want to ask you questions about specific parts of your life.”

Garmadon narrowed his eyes, “I refuse to talk to someone I cannot see. Show me yourself in a clear light, then we’ll talk.”

“That seems to be a reasonable request at this time since your Ninja have already asked, Fire has caught a glimpse of my appearance, and our time, unfortunately, is running short.” With a flick of a switch, the hidden room was illuminated and the one-way mirror’s view was hidden. Garmadon had to say that he was not expecting her appearance to be quite… shocking.

Annette’s face was stark white, whiter than Zane’s gi in the middle of the Birchwood forest, yet her eyes were blacker than obsidian held up to the midnight sky; black tearstained dripped down her cheeks before disappearing underneath her chin without a trace on her strangely palish gray neck. Why did her facial skin color not match that of her neck? Her hair was a strange combination of violet and gold streaks within a sea of black and white tied in a sharp bun. A pencil and a pen were stuck into her bun in the shape of an X. Annette was dressed in a white lab coat stretching below the windowsill with a clipboard in her gloved hands. What was she?

“Now that you have seen me and you know my name, shall we focus on the questionnaire?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Excellent, now I want to start with the day you were bitten by the Great Devour-er?” Annette murmured to herself, “Strange name.”

“What about it? Isn’t it common knowledge that I was bitten as a child?”

“Yes, but I want to know the specifics. How old were you at the time of the incident?”

“I do not know a specific age, my Father was not the most attentive with our ages.”

“An estimation?”

“I feel like I cannot do that, given mine and my brother’s Oni and Dragon blood. All I can say is I was a child.”

“Unfortunate. What was it like when the bite was first administered?”

Garmadon’s stomach curdled at the long-distant memory. “It was a pain that had gone unmatched for many years, like acid burning its way through every vein in my body, like I was being torn apart from the inside-out. I was in bed, delirious from fever and nausea, for over a week; from that moment on I was caught in a struggle of battling the darkness within my heart.”

“Fascinating, thank you for sharing that. How often did you have a surge of negative emotions, thoughts, and/or feelings?”

“They would become more common the older I became, it wasn’t until the Post-Serpentine War era that I became consumed by the desire to harness the Golden Weapons. I regret that moment every day of my life, for in that moment of weakness I chose those weapons over my own son and wife.”

“How old was your son at the time?”

“Only about seven months old. I missed out on his entire childhood, I could only visit him as a shadow when I had enough power to temporarily escape the Underworld.”

“When was that?”

“The most common occurrences would be on full mooned nights, yet on the Day of the Departed I could form a more physical shadow to try and be there for Lloyd.”

Annette scribbled down on her clipboard for a few moments, causing Garmadon to squirm from the rather uncomfortable silence that had befallen the pair. “Thank you for that. Now to move onto the most interesting part of your “Lord” years. What was it like being in the presence of the Overlord?”

Garmadon had a bad feeling about what parts of his life she wanted to focus on. “He was manipulative, showing me what I truly desired in an attempt to control and use me for his plans. I was just a pawn when I thought I was a King in the overall game. I wanted to be reunited with my family, I wanted everyone to know the suffering I had lived with for years and years, and the Overlord pretended to be my ally. Whatever he told me to do, I did it no matter the price.”

Annette’s voice revealed her excitement at the next question, “What was it like being possessed by the Overlord?”

“A feeling I never want to encounter again. A coldness unlike anything else in Ninjago, a darkness more suffocating than death itself-“ Garmadon paused. “Yet, I knew exactly what the Overlord was doing, what he was seeing, hearing, feeling, and I was powerless to stop him. The only moments I had where I was in control was when his… possession… was still taking effect, the only moments I could get to my son before losing my body.”

“Did you feel your body shifting into that of a dragon? Or was it not your body changing?”

“I don’t know how to explain it. I believe that my physical body was trapped inside the Overlord’s heart, he used my poisoned blood as his own and created his own physical form around mine.”

“Were you able to feel time passing? Could you breathe? Could you blink, think, move, talk?”

“I don’t know, it felt like a blur.”

That answer seemed to disappoint her. He noticed her tone drop as she moved onto the next and final section of her questionnaire. “For our last section, I want to know what it was like having your Oni-Lord side resurrected by an insane princess-“

“Do not call Harumi insane, please,” Garmadon interrupted. “She was misguided and lost, not insane.”

“Very well. From a “misguided” princess in a ritual?”

"Very strange, to say the least. It was like looking in a corrupted mirror, yet that mirror could act and think on it’s own accord. Harumi told me that she thought I had “betrayed her” by becoming good, that the person she believed saved her had lost his way. She believed that bringing that side of me back that I could see the error of my ways and become the ruler Ninjago had needed for years.”

“And that Dark side of you- Emperor Garmadon, was it? Nearly killed you and your students on the… Destiny’s Bounty… yet you survived and were sent to the... First Realm?”

“How do you know all this?”

“Years of research. As a Master of Darkness, what was it like in the realm of Creation?”

“I did not feel that different than being in Ninjago, other than being on the run from Dragon Hunters and in search of my Great-Grandmother, Firstbourne.”

“Is it true that she was a Dragon?”

“Technically the Mother of all Dragons.”

“Fascinating! She and the Alpha Oni created the First Spinjitzu Master, correct?”

Garmadon nodded. More scribbling ensued.

“After you and the Ninja returned from the First Realm, how did you defeat your counterpart?”

“My son and I went to the top of Borg Tower where the Emperor had placed his throne. We tried battling him in hopes of defeat, yet he and I could not lay a hit on each other. We knew how the other would fight, where they would aim, where he would kick, swing, punch. It seemed as if we would be trapped in an eternal battle, yet my son understood that fighting was what powered the Emperor. We had to remain on the defensive, keeping away as his powers slowly diminished from us avoiding the fight; once he was powerless and defenseless, we were able to see that we were still the same person, just two sides of the Balance. I had been wearing my Father’s Dragon Armor, the beacon of a Master of Creation, yet the Emperor harnessed the energy of Destruction, destroying Ninjago City in only a few weeks. We became and still are one.”

Annette seemed to shimmy with excitement, scribbling furiously on her clipboard. “Excellent, excellent, excellent! This is exactly what I wanted to know!” Holding her clipboard to her chest, she said, “I deeply thank you, Master Garmadon, for the valuable insight you have given me as well as your cooperation and time. To ease your nerves, you shall be taken- only momentarily- to visit Fire and Ice in recovery before returning to your room.”

“What is all of this leading to?! What are you doing with us?!” Garmadon called as Annette left, turning off the light behind her. “Annette answer me! What are you doing with us?!”

Yet, he never received a response, leading to another day of mystery and confusion. The door opened as the Oni stepped back inside, holding the door open for him. Down the hall, descending down a stairwell Garmadon was led; past four rooms each labeled with an element correlating to the Ninja before turning to a room on the left labeled Recovery. Two out of the four beds were occupied with Garmadon’s missing students; Zane and Kai were sitting up with a tray on their laps, Kai had a hot bowl of what appeared to be soup and a slice of bread while Zane had a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Each had a glass of water at varying levels.

“Master!” the pair chirped, grinning brightly at the sight of Garmadon entering the room.

“Kai! Zane! Thank goodness you two are safe!” Garmadon rushed over and gave each one a tight hug, careful to avoid tipping over the trays onto their laps. “What happened to you?”

“She brought us down to test our limits of endurance through temperature,” Zane said, taking a sip of water. “I was forced to endure temperatures reaching slightly over one-hundred and thirty degrees.”

“She put me in a fucking meat-locker and froze me,” Kai spat, glowering at his soup.

“Why would she do this?!”

“I believe it was not only to see if our elements could keep us alive in extreme circumstances but to see what temperature would trigger our reactions in using our fire or ice. Though, I do fear what will happen with Cole and Jay, since their elements to not have an opposite.”

“Hopefully Cole can just break through the door and escape before she starts her next sadistic “experiment” on them. Speaking of which, are they okay? We’ve been gone a while,” Kai asked, his voice shaking with protective nerves.

“Cole has been taking care of Jay since you two left, they are very worried about you but I know they will take great comfort in hearing that you two are safe.”

The Oni grunted behind him, nudging his head at the doorway. Garmadon sighed, “I believe that is my cue that time is up. I hope to see you back in the room soon.”

“Hopefully,” Zane said, giving him a warm smile. “Please take care of Cole and Jay.”

“I will.”