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In the dead of night, even the smallest of sounds can bring the strongest to their knees. Lloyd was a testament to that. Even after the Sons of Garmadon were found and arrested in the days prior, Lloyd found himself waking to something as trivial as a stray breeze.
It was three days after the fall of his father, and Lloyd once again found himself awake at a weird hour, something he had grown accustomed to. Sighing, he grabbed the TV remote from the nightstand of the latest hotel that offered the ninja and him a home as they prepared to rebuild the monastery. The screen buzzed to life as the main reporter for Ninjago’s nightly newscast continued with his story.
“...body of Jade Princess Harumi, who was called The Quiet One by the Sons of Garmadon, has now been located. She’s one of the thirteen who lost their…”
With only a mention of her name, Lloyd found himself back to where he was a month ago, when he first met Harumi. As time went on and the Sons of Garmadon started to get closer and closer to them, Lloyd thought he could trust her. The raw feeling of fear and adrenaline as he caught the cold knife Harumi threw at him was still fresh in his mind.
He knew she was a monster, but despite all she did and everyone she hurt, Lloyd still wanted to help her. He wanted to believe that somewhere deep inside, the kind-hearted princess still remained. But then the bounty was crushed, and for a week Lloyd believed he had lost almost everyone he loved. Harumi and the shell of his father rose to power, wanting nothing but to destroy him. For nearly two weeks he and his remaining friends tried their best to evade capture, hoping that the rest of the ninja would return soon.
And then Lloyd found himself on one of the many dilapitated buildings of Ninjago City, watching his friend nearly die trying to stop Emperor Garmadon. For a moment, it seemed like it was working, but then Lloyd’s father slowly regained control. As he caught Skylor right as she fell to the ground, he heard faint screams in the distance, near Borg Tower. In the corner of his eye, Lloyd watched as a nearby apartment building started to crumble.
It wasn’t a new sight for him to see a building fall to the ground, but it hurt every time. “How many lives were lost?” He’d think. But there was something different about that building. Squinting his eyes as the dust started to surround and blind the area, Lloyd saw a silhouette. Harumi’s.
The building was now shaking furiously while people the size of ants scrambled outside using any exit they can. Harumi, on the other hand, stood on the roof, frozen.
“Rumi…” Lloyd said, knowing what was about to happen. It was the first time he had called her by her nickname ever since she took over. There was no point in calling her that, as that was a name for the girl who seemed to genuinely care about her friends, not the one who tried to murder them on numerous occassions.
Parts of the walls now crashed onto the ground, turning to dust as the building started to lean to the right, surrounding everything below in ash and rubble. The screams and cries of terror were now louder than ever. With a loud crash, the silhouette was buried under a mix of concrete and soot. In an instant, she was gone.
Lloyd snapped back to reality, refocusing on the television. By now, the station has long forgotten about Harumi, and was now talking about the latest celebrity drama. Taking a deep breath, Lloyd shut off the television and lied back in bed.
Lloyd tried to close his eyes, hoping that his exhaustion would be enough to free him from the intrusive thoughts that kept him awake. For a moment, it worked. Faint, familiar screams woke him up once again.
Turning to his left, he stared at a black figure. The room was pitch black, with only the faint lights of dowtown Ninjago City illuminating the edges. Squinting, Lloyd tried his best to identify the person.
“Harumi?” His eyes widened.
She didn’t move, as if she was a statue. Still in shock, Lloyd tried to roll off the bed and get closer to her, but soon found out he couldn’t move. The lack of sound became deafening before Harumi eventually started to walk towards him, still cloaked in shadows.
Despite his attempts, he still couldn’t do anything but lie down and watch. The silhouette reached behind her back, pulling out a knife. As it shined in the darkness, Harumi started to laugh. Her voice bounced off the walls as Lloyd tried to shimmie away, with no avail. Growing closer, Harumi raised her knife as he clenched his teeth.
“Don’t do this…” Lloyd pleaded.
The laughter became more drawn out as Harumi stood at his bedside, arms still extended. Even as she stood above him, Lloyd still couldn’t see her that well.
“Trust me.”
Lloyd woke up screaming.
Only seconds after returning to reality, his hotel room started to shake as loud banging sounds surrounded the area. Still paralyzed in fear from his dream, Lloyd held his breath, unsure what to do.
“Lloyd? Lloyd!” A familiar voice called out from outside. Moments later, the door swung open as Kai ran in.
“I heard screaming. Are you okay?”
Lloyd only stared at Kai, his breathing still ragged. Pursing his lips, Kai sat down next to him.
“Bad dream?” he asked, to which Lloyd nodded. “You wanna talk about it?”
Lloyd’s voice trailed off. “I guess…”
The floor gently shook as Nya ran into the hotel room. “What happened?! Lloyd, is everything alright?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” Lloyd reassured.
Before Nya could ask any more questions, Jay and Cole burst into view.
“What’s going on?!” Jay exclaimed, frantic.
“Nothing, I’m fine, okay-”
“Lloyd! Are you injured?” Zane entered the room, his face tense with worry.
“I’m fine!” Lloyd shouted, before realizing his own volume. Relaxing his shoulders, he met eyes with his friends, who were exchanging glances with each other.
“Sorry.” he muttered. “You guys were just worried about me.”
Kai sighed as he turned to his teammates, nodding them away. Despite their hesitations, they eventually left.
“If you’re thinking about her…”
“I let her almost destroy Ninjago.” Lloyd whispered, now avoiding eye contact. “I trusted her, and people got hurt. I should’ve seen right through her. I should’ve known better.”
“You aren’t to blame for Harumi’s actions. It’s not your fault.” Kai reassured.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke. In that silence, Kai wrapped an arm around Lloyd, trying to give him a hug.
“I felt so powerless. She was always ten steps ahead, and I didn’t realize it until it was too late.” Lloyd said, eyes now glassy.
“What matters is that we were able to save the day. Ninjago City is safe.”
Lloyd sniffled. “What if… what if I could’ve reached her? Maybe I could’ve gotten her help and she wouldn’t have… I dreamt of her holding her knife above me, ready to kill me, while I could only watch. She told me to trust her and then she…”
“Deep down, you’re scared that Harumi was right; you were responsible for her losing her parents, right?” Kai asked. “You can’t let your fear take over you, or else she’ll win. That’s all she ever wanted: to make you suffer. But it’s over now, Lloyd, she can’t control you anymore.”
“I know…” Lloyd sighed, small tears silently running down his face. “I know there’s nothing to worry about, and yet I’m still scared. I can’t help it. I can’t help thinking I’m the reason this all spiraled out of control.”
“Trust me, you’re not. I can’t tell you how to feel or how to cope with what happened, but I can tell you that whatever dream Harumi is telling you, it’s a bunch of garbage. I mean, seriously, she probably got professional classes in manipulation. If she’s trying to guilt-trip you, don’t let her. You weren’t the one who burned down the palace, after all.” Kai reasoned. “And remember, we will always be here for you. We’re your family.”
Lloyd quietly chuckled, wiping the tears off his face. “Since when do you give good advice?”
“I’m offended,” he scoffed. “You should know by now that I’m not just a pretty face.”
Lloyd stared at Kai, doubting his statement.
“I was going to give you one final tip, but if you’re gonna look at me like that I might as well just leave.”
“Okay, fine.” Lloyd apologized. “I beg for your forgiveness.”
“Thank you. Anyways, dreams are only as scary as you make it. If you’re ever in doubt if you’re awake or not, just try to imagine Harumi in a bunny costume. If it works, I’m sure you can figure out where to go from there.” Kai grinned, choosing to ignore Lloyd’s face of sheer disappointment..
“I take back what I just said.” Lloyd responded. “You’re right, you should probably go.”
The two shared a laugh before Kai glanced at the clock.
“It’s past midnight, and I need my beauty sleep. Are you gonna be alright?”
Lloyd nodded. “I think so. Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
As Kai shut the door behind him, Lloyd laid back in bed. For the first time in who knows how long, sleep finally came to him, no strings attached.
The rustle of leaves alerted Lloyd to the fact he was now lying in his own consciousness. Wiggling his fingers, he smiled. Turning to the side, Lloyd watched as a dark figure manifested from the shadows.
Sitting up in bed, Lloyd watched as the Harumi silhouette inched closer to him as she pulled out her same, dirty knife. As the distance between them closed, Lloyd stood up to face Harumi.
“I’m not scared of you. Not anymore.”
Opening his palm, Lloyd watched as green energy appeared. Turning back to the shadow, he quietly chuckled as it changed from an outline of Harumi to nothing but harmless smoke.
The last of the green embers rose into the sky and faded as Lloyd rolled back onto his bed. And although the monsters may still lurk, he still wielded the sword, even as he slept.