Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They were losing.

Lloyd panted as he lunged up the stairs two at a time, golden sword in hand. Another one of Cole’s Earth Punches shook the earth. Climb. One foot after the other.

Bits of the limestone steps crumbled off with every footfall. The pillars and what was left of the ceiling trembled, flakes of debris drifting down like snow to coat in a light layer of powder the tiles, stone, and carpet of overgrown weeds on the floor below. Lloyd grabbed the stone banister to whip himself around the stair landing, and alighted facing the cloaked figure on the mezzanine balcony.

He raised his dao broadsword with both hands, resisting the urge to wipe his sweaty hands on his gi.

Another blaze of fire from Kai shot up from below, illuminating the dark ruins of the temple and the blades of their enemies below.

Everything was resting on him. As it always did. If he didn’t defeat this person, the Ninja wouldn’t get out of this blasted ambush alive.

“Hey, you!” Lloyd shouted.

The figure turned, drawing a stiletto knife from somewhere within the fold of his cloak.

He was rather tall, much taller than Lloyd at least. His footsteps shook the ground as he stalked closer.

Lloyd pulled his mask over his head. Then lunged. Their blades clashed. Dodge. Thrust. Block. They were moving so fast, he didn’t think twice about what his limbs were actually doing. Instinct alone guided his sword. The figure pulled another stiletto and went on the offensive, using both blades to rain down blows and force Lloyd to edge backwards towards the balustrade. The hard marble pressed into Lloyd’s lower back. He launched an energy sphere at the person, but the man dodged, and it hit a floor-to-ceiling stained glass window instead. Moonlight and cold night air rushed in through the gaping hole.

It was too close quarters for his sword now. He blocked a dagger thrust with his leather bracer, shoved the person back, and then did a backflip, landing on the railing. But his foot slipped, and he flailed his arms to keep from toppling and falling twenty feet to the floor below. His enemy charged for him. Lloyd jumped just in time, vaulting over the figure. The dagger missed his foot, embedding itself in the stone railing instead.

The person snarled, trying to jerk the knife out. No good.

Lloyd thrust his sword at the man, forcing him to abandon the dagger and block.

Was it just him, or had the figure grown smaller?

The person pulled another knife out so he was holding two once again. One rocketed towards Lloyd’s chest in a stabbing attempt. Lloyd grabbed his enemy’s forearm, tugging the person towards himself and twisting his arm to get him to drop the dagger.

The figure brought his other arm around, still gripping a dagger, but Lloyd dropped his sword and grasped the person’s wrist. He gritted his teeth, muscles trembling as he struggled to keep the person in his hold and also keep the blade’s point from sinking into his neck.

“Yield!” he gasped.

“Never!” It was a girl’s voice.

He paused. Couldn’t be. What was she doing here? The dagger inexorably inched towards him. He renewed his struggle against it.

“Guys? A little help?” he shouted, hoping against hope that the Ninja had already defeated their enemies. No response. There was only the clashing of metal against metal and the heavy breaths of him and his enemy.

“Chamille?” He looked into the shadows of the person’s hood. Nothing but shadows.

A purple shimmer traveled over the cloaked figure, revealing a person a little shorter than him with unnaturally purple hair cut in jagged layers.

Her full lips curved into a smile. “Lloyd. How strange to see you here.”

She glanced cooly at him, then at the weapon as if she were calmly playing cards and had drawn an interesting hand, instead of one of her arms being trapped in his embrace and the other holding a dagger at his throat.

His mouth fell open. He had no words.

Chamille kicked at his shin with her combat boots. Hard. He involuntarily loosened his grip on her, hissing as he hopped on one foot and drew his emergency dagger from a sheath strapped around his leg.

“Uh-uh!” She spun, kicking his dagger out of his hand and knocking him down. Then she threw herself on top of him, her hand on his shoulder, her legs keeping his pinned to the ground. The tip of her blade pressed into his chest, right above his heart.

Her long hair brushed his cheek as she crouched over him. Chamille grinned. Her fingers reached for a roughly cut clear crystal hanging from a golden chain on her neck. “Thanks, Lloyd.”

She tapped his chest with the end of the crystal. And then his heart was being ripped out of his chest.

The crystal began to glow with green light, illuminating the marble balcony, webbed with cracks, the crumbling stone banister, and the faded, mangled banners that hung on either side of the cracked glass window.

Lloyd’s mouth opened in a silent scream. The back of his head hit the floor as he let himself collapse and writhe in pain.

The other Ninja shouted his name above the cacophony of whooshing wind, booming thunder, and the snaps of flames.

The crystal’s light dimmed until there was just a faint glow. Chamille held up the crystal, then let it fall against her chest.

Lloyd stretched out a hand, but she had already risen and now stood above him. “Don’t worry, Lloyd. I’ll use it wisely.”

Then she dove through the window. A dragon’s deep growl shook the temple, and a purple glow rose into the air, drifting off into the night.

He lay there for a few seconds, one hand on his chest, panting heavily. The pain … his power …

Jay screamed below. Lloyd’s eyes widened. The Ninja! He managed to rise and stagger over to the balustrade.

Below, it was absolute chaos.

The five Ninja were surrounded by a roiling mass of enemies garbed in black cloaks with hoods pulled over to obscure their identities.

One in particular stood out, a blond girl, hood down, blond curls flowing. She was dressed not in black, but in bright golden armor. The Ninja were lobbing fireballs, water jets, lightning blasts, and more at her, but the person simply raised a hand. Her hand glowed as she absorbed their elemental blasts. Then she lobbed them right back at the Ninja. Allura.

He twisted around, scrabbling for his discarded sword, then gripped the railing with one hand, intending to launch himself over. But he never did.

He was frozen, his body no longer his own.

A voice whispered deep inside his mind. “I’m back…” It was a voice he had never wanted to hear inside his mind again.

Impossible. Morro was in the Departed Realm. “I won’t!” Lloyd shouted, struggling to regain control of his limbs. “You can’t make me!”

“But you will.” It was Harumi’s distorted voice now, as if she were wearing the Mask of Hatred. She stood behind him, a dagger pressed at his throat.

Seeing their powers could be used against them, the Ninja reverted back to weapons. The horde of enemies surrounded Allura, empowering her to summon her own elemental blasts against the Ninja. Fire. Water. Ice. Poison. They dodged and blocked and kept fighting despite the hopelessness of the situation.

Finally, Allura summoned Mind. The Ninja froze. Knelt before her. And met their demise.

“No!” Lloyd screamed.

A thought came to him. And he lunged forwards towards the dagger.

Chapter Text

“No!”

Lloyd sat bolt upright, almost slamming his head on the ceiling above his bunk on Destiny’s Bounty. His hand reached for his neck. No gash. Although his pulse danced under his fingers as if he had just taken a long run instead of sleeping.

The other Ninja snored on, oblivious to his plight. Although it was mostly Cole. Occasionally his snores were interrupted when he muttered things about cake and food.

Jay kept reaching for Mr. Cuddlywump in his sleep, not realizing that the blue teddy bear had fallen to the floor. Eventually he gave up and rolled over, pulling the covers over his head. Kai, meanwhile, was groaning and tossing underneath the sheets.

Zane’s bunk was empty. As usual. While he sometimes used the nights to process the day’s events and record them in his diary, he more often burnt midnight oil with PIXAL performing tasks that no one else had time for, like tinkering with new inventions, filing things, and cleaning weapons.

Lloyd glanced at the alarm clock on the shelf at the foot of his bed. It flashed back 3:37 a.m. in red. Way too early to get up.

He rubbed his eyes. He sure wasn’t going back to sleep though. Slipping out of bed, he dug around in the drawers underneath his bunk by the light of the dimmed lanterns dispersed throughout the Ninjas’ room.

There! He triumphantly pulled out a Starfarer comic, then brought one of the lanterns closer to him.

His solution was temporary: his eyes kept fluttering.

4 o’clock now. Ugh. He put the comic down with a sigh, and rose again.

If he trained for an hour, then he could slip back in, take a shower, and perhaps even start preparing breakfast just as the Ninja were getting up, with no one the wiser. Except for Uncle Wu. He seemed to notice everything.

He quickly donned his Deepstone gi, then tied his sash and tightened the straps to his forearm gauntlets and boots. His emergency dagger and pocket shurikens came next. Tiptoeing across the room, he grabbed his sword, fastened the leather straps of the sheath over his chest, and slipped the weapon inside. His golden dragon ring was left atop his pillow.

Then, he twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open as slowly as possible. The door protested with a squeal. He glanced back. The others were all still asleep. Then he stepped out into the dark corridor.

His heart beat faster just as he walked down the barren corridor, eyes scanning every shadow. The lanterns in the hall had been dimmed so that it was nearly black. As Lloyd made his way through the Destiny’s Bounty, he stopped at every lantern to relight them with green fire.

“Lloyd.”

“Ahh!” He spun around, banging his elbow on the lantern he was lighting and almost knocking it to the ground. Rather than draw his sword, he summoned green fire to his hand and assumed a fighting stance.

His flames illuminated steel bars sunken into the floor that extended up to the ceiling, blocking off a room. The brig.

A dark figure stepped into the light, her purple hair almost black in the shadows. Her amethyst ring and Vengestone bracelet cuffs clinked when she wrapped her fingers around the metal bars.

“Oh. It’s just you.” The tension melted out of Lloyd’s body. He rubbed his neck awkwardly, then reached for the lantern hanging next to her cell.

The brighter light revealed a sparse room: a white cot in one corner, a door leading to a bathroom (hey, they weren’t barbarians!), and a desk piled high with books, writing materials, and board games.

Chamille frowned and crossed her arms. She wore purple pajama bottoms covered in a plaid print, fuzzy socks, and an oversized Evolve Imagine Dragons tee. “What are you doing up? It’s four in the morning.”

He let a small laugh escape. “I could ask you the same thing.”

“Sleeping gets tiresome when you can do it all day.” She gestured at her room. “Not much to do around here. Unless I read this junk you guys call eduational.” She stalked over and lifted a textbook from her desk that bore the title: Algebra 2 Put Simply.

Lloyd had to agree with her. That book was the worst math book he had ever used. And that was saying a lot, considering his current math grade. Even though he was practically an adult, the Ninja had never sorted out his legal age with the authorities. So he still had to graduate from high school.

“So,” Chamille said, tossing the textbook onto the wooden floor with a thump. “Let me guess. Dreams. Morro. Again.”

She always cut right to the point of things.

“Yes.” He fingered the hilt of his dagger.

He did not mention that he had also dreamt of her. That fateful moment in which she had stolen his power using an Elemental Crystal and left him defenseless. Or that he had seen Harumi. And Chamille’s allies killing off the Ninja.

“Drink coffee,” she said. “You said it fixes everything.”

“This is true,” he admitted. “Especially hot chocolate coffee.”

They both shared a laugh.

“Training?” Chamille gestured at his armor.

“As always.” He turned to go.

“What, don’t you want a sparring partner?” She reached a hand through the bars, grabbing his arm.

He jerked it back from her. Then ran a hand through his hair. “You know I can’t.”

“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “No one would know. They’re asleep. And how else will I keep up my fighting skills?”

“It’s been two days. I doubt you’ve lost anything.”

Her eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring as she gripped the bars righter. “This is no life, Lloyd.”

“Look, it’s just until we get this mess with Pythor and Allura sorted out. We’re making battle plans with the Elemental Masters today. We’ll figure out a strategy, defeat them, and then we’ll be able to make a decision.”

She stared at him with empty eyes, then let her forehead rest on the bars, inhaling slowly. “I’m never getting out, am I?” Her voice was small, like the embers of a campfire dying in the dark.

“No!” He reached for her hand. “Don’t say that. This is just a temporary situation.”

She stepped back into the shadows. “You’re lying. Your nostrils flared.”

Curse Chamille.

“Admit it,” she continued. “The Ninja could never let me go free. Not after what I’ve done. And they don’t even know the truth about what I did to Cole’s mother yet.”

“I’m working on it.” He waved a gloved hand. “I just have to find a way to explain to them why you did it.”

“No explanation can change the facts, Lloyd. I’m a murderer!” She let her face drop into her hands, and her shoulders began to shake. Her words came out in broken pieces between her jerking breaths. “I-I don’t deserve to go f-free, do I?”

Oh my word. What was that Kai had said? Don’t do anything. It only makes girls cry harder. Either that or they started throwing things.

But he should say something, right? He had a sinking feeling none of Wu’s wisdom worked in this particular situation. And everything else that came to his mind was too trivial or cliche for the situation.

Finally he just said, “I’m sorry. I have to go.” He turned, then stopped. “I-I’ll bring you a mocha later.”

Lloyd turned and jogged off, ignoring the sensation of someone plunging a dagger into his heart. Despite the pitch-black of the hallway or his paranoia of what lurked in the shadows, he didn’t dare stop and light any more lanterns for fear of turning back and breaking open her cell just so he could hold her in his arms.

He sprinted up to the deck of Destiny’s Bounty, jumped off, and ran through the high-tech cave below the Monastery of Spinjitzu. Up through the elevator, through the halls of the monastery, and into the training yard.

Crisp morning air greeted him. Dew coated the stone walls and the colorful murals decorating the courtyard. Clouds scudded by above, pushed by a strong spring breeze. Moonlight peeked through every once in a while, and a faint pink and orange glow in the east hinted at the sunrise to come in a few hours.

It was still pretty dark. The only light came from the small lanterns hanging from the eaves of the monastery. He quickly lit them, then set an alarm on his phone with “Believer” as its ringtone. Imagine Dragons was his favorite band, after the Fold, of course. He slipped the phone back into his pocket and began his stretches.

Then, after he was warmed up, Lloyd made his way across the ground to the small golden dragon statue and flipped it up, revealing a red button underneath. He pressed it, and up sprang the training course, with its spinning swords, dummies, and wooden poles. He drew his sword and charged into it.

Chapter Text

Kai scrolled down his Chirp page. Nothing new. Just fan mail and dozens of friend requests. He ignored them.

He blinked. It was still dark in their room, and his phone screen was a rather bright square of light. He turned it down, then glanced at Lloyd’s bed. It was still empty, just as it had been thirty minutes ago.

Man. Lloyd was taking a really long time in the bathroom. And he didn’t even use hair gel.

Kai shrugged, then checked the time on his phone. 5:30. He should probably get up and see what was happening up at the monastery. He didn’t want any of the Elemental Masters staying there messing around with the stuff in his room. That Shade was a particularly nosy person.

His phone buzzed. It was a text from Skylor. Even though she was literally in the next room with Nya and PIXAL having a sleepover. Although he knew the truth: it was just an excuse for having a guy-free meeting in which they discussed guys.

Skylor: Hey, you up?

Kai: Yeah, can’t sleep. I think I’ll head up to the monastery.

Skylor: Cool, I’ll join you.

Kai rose and went to the bathroom. He knocked first. Nobody answered. Then he realized it was unoccupied.

His face reddened as he realized he’d been duped. Oh well. Truth is, even if he’d known the bathroom was available, he probably would have stayed in bed anyway. He preferred waking up slowly by checking his messages in bed.

Where was Lloyd, then?

Eh. Probably getting his daily caffeine fix before Cole was up. Cole hated it when people got into his coffee. Especially Jay, because then everyone suffered.

Kai opened the bathroom door, completed his morning routine, hair gel included, and dressed in his red gi. He didn’t add any armor - that stuff was uncomfortable.

He headed back to the bedroom, but paused in the doorway when he found the rest of the Ninja groaning as Lloyd’s alarm beeped. Over and over again.

“Kai!” said Jay, shoving a pillow over his head. “Turn it off!”

Kai laughed. Cole tossed a pillow at Kai, which he easily caught and lobbed back at Cole.

“Excuse us!” Nya and Skylor, each carrying pillows, squeezed past Kai into the boys’ bedroom and proceeded to whack the guys.

“All right, all right, I’m up!” Jay lunged out of bed, shielding Mr. Cuddlywump from the girls’ barrage.

Zane entered with PIXAL at his side. “Good morning, everyone. We have finished upgrading the Bounty’s engines. They are now more efficient and can carry more weight while using less fuel. Since we are not loading a significant amount of weight onto the Bounty, this will result in us being able to travel at a higher rate of speed. We also went to the 24-hour grocery store and stocked up on food for our distinguished guests.”

Kai flipped on the overhead lights and headed across the room to open the blinds. Faint blue light flooded in from the Samurai-X cave 2.0.

Cole groaned and buried his face in his pillows, ignoring Nya’s solid wallop to his head. “Did you get coffee? Lloyd drank all of mine up.”

Zane smiled. “Yes, Cole. We did acquire some coffee. Plain black, like you prefer.”

“Awesome.” Cole sat up and blocked another swing from Nya. He fisted his hands. They lit up orange, and then the glow spread up his arms in spidery lines. “Ha! Try that again, Nya!”

Nya whipped out a sai from her gi, and Skylor leaped to Nya’s side, fire sparking in her palm.

Cole threw up his hands. “Ok, I yield!”

The girls high-fived each other.

Just then, three small blurs ran in: Bobby, Nelson, and Koji, each wearing the colors of their patron ninja. The kids jumped onto the beds, shouting, “What’s for breakfast?” and “Get up!” and “We’re hungry!”

Koji grabbed Jay’s nunchucks from the floor. “Ooh, can we train with these today?”

Nelson tried to jump on Cole’s back, and Bobby attempted to tug Kai out of the room and into the hallway, shrieking, “Hurry, let’s see who can make the biggest explosion before Sensei finishes mediating!”

“Too late!”

Sensei stood in the doorway, bamboo staff in his hand. “Ninja!” He raised his voice above the din, and everyone froze.

“This is no time to be messing around! Need I remind you that we have guests - and they are not here for a party!”

The Ninja clasped their hands together and bowed at the waist. “Yes, Sensei. Sorry, Sensei.”

The kids followed suit, although they struggled to hide their smirks.

Sensei’s eyebrows were still drawn and his mouth still set in a hard line.

“Pupils, there will be no training with the Ninja today. You will clean kendo armor and training weapons with Cole instead.”

“Hey!” Cole crossed his arms. “What about - ”

Bobby exclaimed, “But Kai said he would teach us - ”

“No buts!” Sensei banged the end of his staff on the wooden floor. “Butts are for sitting!”

“Now.” Sensei stroked his white beard. “Where is Lloyd?”

“Umm.” Everyone pointedly avoided Sensei’s gaze.

“I see,” said Sensei. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “There are reports of a Serpentine disturbance in Mons Village. Zane, you and PIXAL will go down and sort it out.”

“Yes, Sensei.” Zane grabbed his silver shurikens, arrow quiver, and collapsible compound bow, then departed.

Sensei said, “The rest of you - you will clean up this mess and then head upstairs to start breakfast. I expect it to be served at 7 o’clock sharp. Understood?”

The Ninja nodded.

“Good.” He turned to go, then paused. “Kai, you will be presenting the situation to the Elemental Masters.”

Kai withheld a groan. He hated public speaking. That was Lloyd’s forte. “Yes, Sensei.”

Once the room had been restored to order, (or, as Nya said, as ordered as a room full of smelly teenage boys could get) the other Ninja headed upstairs.

Kai lingered, claiming he had lost his fingerless gloves.

He then positioned himself behind the door and waited. The other Ninja’s laughter echoed through the hallway as they headed towards the Bounty’s deck.

A few minutes later, Lloyd strode in, Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries” blaring from his phone speaker.

He was wrapping white bandages over his hands. Red bloomed from skin rubbed raw on his knuckles. Lloyd’s blond locks were matted to his forehead in a sweaty mess, and his breath came in quick gasps.

He lifted his sheathed sword from his back and dumped it on the floor along with his bracers, then collapsed on his bed belly-first, with arms spread wide.

Kai stepped out from his hiding spot. “Lloyd.”

Lloyd jerked, drawing his dagger from his waist and holding it in front of him. “Oh. Kai.” He sat up fully, scooting to the edge of the bed so his feet brushed the floor.

Kai gave Lloyd a look. “Deepstone.”

“What can I say?” Lloyd waved a hand. “I like the color scheme.”

Kai raised an eyebrow. Then pointed to Lloyd’s hands. “What’d you do?”

Lloyd frowned and said in a tone like “duh”, “Train?”

Kai sat down next to Lloyd. “Please. Sword calluses form on your palms. Not the top of your hand.” He grabbed Lloyd’s hand and turned it over, carefully unwrapping it and revealing bloody skin. It was as if he’d scraped them on something. Or rubbed them repeatedly over something rough.

Lloyd wrenched his hand from Kai’s. “I just punched stuff, okay?”

Kai exhaled sharply. “Like what? A tree?”

“Maybe.” Lloyd stood up, then started unbuckling the rest of his gear. “I already had a protein shake. I’ll catch up with you guys later, when you start strategizing.”

Kai didn’t move. “I couldn’t sleep either.”

“Not surprising. We’re all worried about Allura.” He didn’t look at Kai.

“It’s something more for you, Lloyd. I know you bought a knife of deepstone a couple of weeks ago.”

“Never hurts to be safe.”

“And you’re always up before us,” said Kai. “No matter whether we get up at 4 or 6.”

Lloyd stopped and met Kai’s eyes. Lloyd’s abnormally bright green eyes had now shifted to a dull red, a trademark of his Oni heritage. “Look, Kai. I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine. Really. Now go upstairs before Sensei notices.”

Kai stood, forcing Lloyd to look up at him. “Lloyd - ”

“That’s Master Lloyd to you.” Lloyd didn’t look away. Neither did Kai.

A beat passed before Kai scowled and turned away. “Yes, Master Lloyd.”

The door slammed behind him.

Chapter Text

“So, let’s get started.”

Kai could feel his heart beat slightly fast as everyone focused on him. He didn’t want to be speaking. Especially about these matters. And how was he going to answer their questions? Maybe he could deflect them towards Lloyd. That is, if Lloyd ever got here. Why wasn’t Sensei reprimanding Lloyd for not being present?

The Ninja’s regular dining table had been shoved to the back of the room, and the Elemental Masters sat in chairs that had been arranged in a rough semi-circle that faced one wall. They were scooted back enough to leave a clearing for Kai to stand in, almost like a stage.

A few people sat at the kitchen bar or on folding chairs that had been carried in from a storage closet. The rest sat in the Ninja’s dining chairs.

The Elemental Masters drummed their fingers on their knees or played with their hair or tapped their feet on the floor, waiting for Kai.

Nya, who was sitting at the back with a laptop in her lap, gave Kai a thumbs-up, indicating that the projector they had set up earlier was fully operational.

“Um.” Kai clasped his hands together. “It would probably be best to begin with the basics. You all know Pythor.” He pointed at the white wall behind him, and an image of the purple Anacondrai appeared. Jay hit the lights.

Kai said, “After the Day of the Departed two years ago, Pythor vanished, leaving no clues as to his whereabouts or his plans. You also know that when Garmadon attacked Ninjago City with a gigantic Colossus, Chamille was nowhere to be found, prompting Karloff to call her a ‘bad girl.’”

“What?” Karlof spread his arms, nearly knocking Paleman on the head with his metal gloves. “We ask for her help, and she do nothing. ‘Each to their own,’ she say to me.”

Neuro spoke up. “Just because she said that does not necessarily constitute her being a ‘bad girl.’ Chamille also made it very clear that despite the dangers in Ninjago City, she needed to stay with her elderly grandfather and care for him. This topic brings up an important question, however: Where is the Master of Form?”

Kai said, “That will be explained soon. Have you noticed any suspicious activities going on in Ninjago? Such as Elemental Masters mysteriously disappearing? Or perhaps large amounts of metal being shipped near the Wailing Alps?”

“Well,” said Karloff, “Chamille is mysteriously missing. And so is Toxikita.”

“Yes.” Kai struggled to withhold his annoyance. “Anyway - a group of Skulkin have been spotted near Jamanakai Village.” He motioned for Nya to display a reconnaissance slide from Zane’s falcon.

“What is Skulkin?” Karloff wanted to know.

“It’s a skeleton warrior.”

Karloff’s eyes widened. “We all have skeletons! We are Skulkin too, then?”

“No, the Skulkin are the spirits of those who die in battle and can’t accept their death. They’re resurrected in the Underworld as skeleton warriors who are almost impossible to kill.”

“Hmm. Ok. Go on.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do!” thought Kai, clenching his fists.

An image of Skalidor, the Constricai General, was flashed next. “The Serpentine are also at large, although they generally live in the sewers. ”

“Nasty,” Karloff commented.

“A battalion of armed Serpentine was also spotted near Jamanakai. And some Nindroids, a few Ghosts and Stone Warriors too. You see where I’m going here?”

The other Elementals nodded, but Karloff shook his head. “No. Tell Karloff plainly, please.”

Kai lost it. “I’m trying to tell you that Pythor has formed an army of Skulkin, Stone Warriors, Ghosts, Nindroids, and Serpentine, and has built himself a high-tech base in the Aquilin Mountains. He calls his organization ‘EVIL’, which stands for Evil Villain Interconnected League, he has recruited numerous Elementals to help him, and, if you haven’t heard, yesterday, he used said army to siege Borg Tower and steal the Golden Weapons! Which brings me to my second point - Chamille is one of those Elementals who is on his side, and now to my third - He is planning on using the Golden Weapons to create another Golden Master!”

The entire room erupted into chaos as everyone stood and raised their voices to shout over each other at Kai.

“Borg Tower assaulted?”

“A new Golden Master?”

“EVIL?”

A white flash of motion in the corner drew Kai’s attention. It was Sensei facepalming. He met Kai’s eyes and shook his head.

Kai groaned. Thanks, Sensei.

“Guys!” He raised both of his hands. “Hello!”

Jay stuck his fingers in his mouth and let out an ear-splitting whistle. “Will everyone please stop!”

The Elemental Masters immediately paused, although their stony expressions informed Kai they could easily start again.

Kai swallowed. He could sure use a glass of water right about now. “Ok, so you’re probably wondering why we’ve called you here. It’s because of Pythor’s second-in-command: Allura. She calls herself the Master of Reflection, and she soundly defeated us at Borg Tower. Here’s the catch: She’s more powerful than all of us put together.

“Her element allows her to absorb our powers and then launch them back at us. Whenever we use our powers on her, she can simply absorb them, and if she manages to touch us, she can drain us and leave us severely weakened. In addition, the power she absorbs she can store and use later, and so far, we’re pretty sure she can store an almost infinite amount of power.”

Skylor rose and placed herself next to Kai, taking his hand in hers. “You’re probably asking what makes this different from Amber. I can replicate your powers, but it takes my own energy to use them. Allura absorbs power. She generates none herself. Which means, unlike me, she can keep going until her stores are empty, and she can use multiple elements at once. This means, if she possesses the four main elements and Energy, she can effectively access Golden Power.”

“So,” said Kai, grinning awkwardly. “Who’s got a solution?”

Dead silence filled the room.

The rice paper door behind the Elemental Masters slid open, and Lloyd stepped in, a metal cuff around his left wrist connecting him via chain to a short purple-haired figure clothed in blue jeans and an oversized Fall Out Boy hoodie.

Lloyd too was wearing a hoodie, but his was a plain forest green paired with black jeans.

Cole entered after Lloyd. “I left the kids cleaning the armor, if that’s okay with you, Sensei. I’ll go check on them later.”

He paused, taking in the Elemental Master’s glares. “Whoa.” He frowned, then traced their gazes to Chamille. “Oh.”

Shade climbed up onto his chair to get everyone’s attention. “What is she doing here?” He pointed a grey hand at Chamille. “You just said she betrayed the Elemental Alliance by working with Pythor.”

Lloyd gestured towards his cuff, then at Chamille’s and the chain linking them together. “She’s imprisoned.” He strode across the room, completely ignoring the attention on him, and went into the kitchen. He poured two cups of coffee from the coffee pot.

“Excuse me,” said Jay. “She’s a villain! Why are we letting her in?”

“She has valuable information that she can bring to the planning. Knowledge of Pythor and how he operates, perhaps an idea of the forces stationed in EVIL, et cetera.” Lloyd stirred hot chocolate mix into the coffee, then handed one of the cups to Chamille and took a seat in the back. “Here’s an idea.” He raised his cup. “Vengestone. Or Chronosteel.”

Kai sighed and disentangled his fingers from Skylor’s. Obviously, no one was going to listen to him anymore, now that the Green Ninja had entered the room. He and Skylor found seats next to Paleman and Karlof, to Kai’s chagrin.

Griffin, who was typing on his phone at super-speed, cleared his throat. He still wore his red sunglasses, even though they were indoors and Shade’s agitation had caused the shadows to lengthen and grow even darker. “Already checked into that. Vengestone is extremely rare, and so is Chronosteel. The last Chronosteel that fell from the sky was used in the Time Blades, plus it’s hard to forge. We could get Vengestone, but we’d have to convince the warden at Kryptarium to give his store to us. There’s also the question of how exactly we could use it against her. It’s not like we can throw a chunk at her in a fight and hope it hurts her.”

“No problem,” Jay said. “Of course he’d give it to us, if Ninjago’s future depended on it.”

“Or he could majorly jack up the price like Ronin did.” Kai rested his elbow on the back of his chair. “What a jerk.”

“Let’s assume we can get the Vengestone,” said Cole, refilling his cup of coffee and then taking a spot next to Sensei Wu. “Like Griffin said, we don’t have a way to use it.”

“It’s like a stone, right?” asked Lloyd. “Chamille’s friend, Carlos, melted it and then dipped a metal shield into it. Could we make a weapon out of it?”

“A spear head made of Vengestone? Why not?” said Gravis, nodding his turban-covered head. A few of the others nodded in agreement.

Chamille stood, jerking Lloyd’s wrist just as he was about to take a sip. The steaming liquid splashed onto his thigh.

“Ouch!” He bared his teeth at her, displaying his longer than normal canine teeth. Another part of his strange heritage that had recently manifested.

Chamille didn’t apologize. “Why is this so hard? We’ll use this.” She lifted from her neck a golden chain with a roughly hewn clear crystal hanging from it.

Lloyd’s eyes widened. Then he choked on his drink and began to cough violently.

Karlof squinted. “What is it?”

“Elemental crystal capped with Chronosteel. It too can absorb Elemental power,” said Chamille.

“Where in the world did you get that?” Jay stalked over to Chamille, grabbing the crystal from her fingers. He pulled on the chain so that Chamille was forced to stand uncomfortably close while he held it up to examine it in the light.

Chamille’s eyes narrowed, but she answered anyway, “Off the black market in Indigo.”

“Indigo?” Kai scratched his head. “Never heard of it.”

“It’s another realm. More commonly called the Midnight Realm.” Chamille slapped Jay’s hand away.

Jay spread his hands, lightning crackling between them.

“Hey!” Lloyd wrapped his arm around Chamille’s waist, pulling her close to him. He summoned a green flame in his hand. “Back off. She’s only trying to help.”

“I find that hard to believe! She only stole your power yesterday, Lloyd! Why do you trust her?”

“That wasn’t her fault! Pythor was controlling her. He had her mother!”

Jay pointed at a finger at Chamille. “She didn’t have to choose to join Pythor, steal your power, or murder multiple Elemental Masters. She had a choice - and she chose wrong!” He jabbed his finger into her chest, his voice an octave higher now.

Shade’s mouth hardened into a thin line. “Are you saying she’s responsible for Tox’s absence?”

“But if she stole it, how do you still have your power, Lloyd?” asked Gravis.

“I knew it!” crowed Karloff above the rest, pumping a fist in the air. “I told you she was ‘bad girl!’”

“And I thoroughly regret it!” Chamille shouted into Jay’s face. She nodded at the Master of Mind. “Ask Neuro - he can tell you! I didn’t ask for a Dream Elemental to put her into a sleep-like death. I didn’t ask for my mother to be held over my head by Chen and then Pythor. And I certainly didn’t ask for her to be murdered when I spared Lloyd!”

She buried her face into Lloyd’s shoulder, throwing her arms around him. “Pythor wanted Lloyd captured so he could act as a power source for Allura. I only stole his power - and this is how you repay me? By treating me as a criminal?” She held up her cuffed hand. Her voice was a husky murmur now. “I gave up everything.” Tears streaked down her face as her chest shuddered with each breath.

The Elemental Masters began showering the Ninja with questions.

“Will someone please explain -”

“What is she talking about -”

“Dream Elemental?”

A door in the monastery opened, then slammed shut. Footsteps pounded down the hallway. Zane sprinted in. “Guys?” he yelled. “We have a problem.”

PIXAL dragged in a familiar person in chains - or perhaps familiar snake was a better term. Kai leapt out of his seat. “Pythor!”

Chamille’s face hardened. She snarled and leapt towards Pythor, dragging Lloyd along with her. She began muttering, her words flowing rapidly in an indecipherable chant without pause.

“Toto-demanda cursona actu condicionem implere.

Ego sustentor aeternum inprecatio regnum

et obeo neque orbits non beatis.”

Jay started screaming. “English, please!”

Kai shook Lloyd’s shoulder. “What is she saying?”

Chamille ignored them all, continuing to chant in her weird language. “Et stare in test temporis, ait, ista maledictio. Incipere.” She raised her voice, enunciating her words clearly. “I swear, when you die, it will be at my hands!”

Chamille paused, then said with finality, “Finitum.”

Pythor blanched. If that was possible, considering his scales were already white, having been bleached by the Great Devourer's stomach acid years ago.

Lloyd had paled too.

Kai had a sickening feeling in his stomach as his breakfast threatened to resurface. Had Chamille just tried to cast some sort of dark magic spell?

“What,” hissed Jay darkly, “Did she do?!”

Chamille’s dark stare made it clear she wasn’t going to answer.

“Um.” Lloyd ran his hand through his hair, making it even messier than before. “She may have just cursed Pythor and inadvertently herself.”

Ash made his way over to the group. “It’s called the Inferno Copula, or Hell’s Bond. Ever wondered how villains make deals with each other but don’t really betray each other? It’s not because they’re saints - it’s because they’re bound by the Inferno Copula. Basically, you swear it, state the terms of the agreement, and then are bound to it. If you break it or fail to fulfill the terms, upon your death, you are sent to the Cursed Realm, and since the Cursed Realm is destroyed, now you just head to the lower part of the Departed Realm, or the Netherworld.”

Jay threw his hands into the air. “Just another day in Ninjago!”

“So she swore herself to kill Pythor,” Kai stated flatly. Wow. This was not at all what he had expected.

“Basically,” agreed Lloyd.

“Um.” Cole slammed his cup down onto the dining table, sloshing some of the liquid onto the lacquered surface. He brought his hands together, lighting them up with orange. “Am I the only one wondering how Ash knows this stuff?”

Ash threw his hands into the air, eyes wide. “Hey, I’ll admit it! I did engage in some pretty nefarious activities with my ex before I joined the Elemental Alliance.” He pointedly glanced at Chamille. “But I’m officially with you guys now. Ask Neuro.”

“No need,” said Neuro, bringing a hand to his forehead. “He is trustworthy.”

“Your ex?” Lloyd swiveled to look at Chamille. “You never told me that.”

She shrugged. “Only for a couple of months. He was a jerk. And you never asked.”

“Hey! That is untrue!” exclaimed Ash.

Pythor chuckled. “Not that I don’t love watching you Elementals go at each other’s throats, but we have bigger problems.”

“Yeah?” said Kai, raising an eyebrow. “Like us holding you prisoner?”

“No.” Pythor bared his fangs and hissed at Kai. Kai rapidly backed up. “Allura,” said Pythor. “Obviously.”

“Good point,” Cole shook his hands to release the Elemental Power. “Where is she, anyway?”

“I was about to inform you,” said Zane. He shared a look with PIXAL. “Pythor was trying to steal a disguise and vehicle in Mons Village when we arrived. He informed us that Allura has rebelled and taken control of EVIL. Her forces, the Immortals, are looking for him as we speak.”

“That’s not all!” Pythor raised his voice above the murmurs of the Elemental Masters. “She is executing Phase 2 of my plan for world domination: attacking the dragon nest in the Aquiline Mountains. She plans to capture dragons and force them to ferry her across the Ethereal Divide so she can capture more Elemental Masters from other realms!”

The room exploded once more. Even Jay’s whistles did nothing to stop them.

Finally, Sensei got up and made his way to the clearing in the middle of the chairs.

“Enough!” He banged his staff on the floor of the monastery.

The buzzing ceased.

“We will depart immediately for the dragon caves.” Sensei declared. “Allura cannot be allowed to capture those dragons.”

Cole raised a hand. “What about the kids, Sensei?”

“I will stay behind with them and Misako. This is no job for an old man like me. The rest of you will take the Bounty and get there as fast as you can. We will use Chamille’s Elemental Crystal against Allura.”

“Who will carry it?” asked Zane.

“Not Chamille, that’s for sure,” said Jay.

“I’m not touching that thing,” said Lloyd. “I’m against power-stealing.” He met Chamille’s eyes. “And how did you get another one anyway?”

“It’s perfectly moral,” Chamille declared, ignoring his question. “The Senseis did it to the Hands of Time.”

“And look how that turned out. Think about it. We’re ripping out an essential part of someone’s genetics.”

Kai had never thought about it that way. He placed a hand on Lloyd’s shoulder, forcing Lloyd to look up at him. “Hey, I don’t like it any more than you do. But Allura wants you. And she’s going to be going after you because Energy is the key to Golden Power. You’re the only one who’ll be able to get close enough to use it.”

Lloyd grimaced. “It feels wrong.”

Chamille lifted the chain off her neck and brought it over his head. “Please. For Ninjago.”

Lloyd closed his eyes. Then met Kai’s. “For Ninjago.”

Chapter Text

The sky was a bright blue dome overhead. The Destiny’s Bounty plowed through the layer of puffy clouds below like a ship skimming through the sea.

Lloyd clambered up onto the prow of the Bounty, right between the two dragon figureheads. He gripped one of them as the Bounty rocked beneath his feet.

He loved the feeling of the wind whipping at his hair and the sense of weightlessness and insignificance he felt when looked down upon Ninjago from hundreds of feet in the air.

Lloyd let go of the Bounty to spread both of his arms out. He imagined for a second that he was a dragon, soaring through the sky without a fear in life.

Behind him, Spinjitzu, his golden dragon, let out a moan and raised his head to sniff at the wind. His muscles tensed as he flared his golden wings and stood on his hind legs, then crouched for take-off.

Lloyd rushed over, snagging the chain reins that connected to Spinjitzu’s iron collar.

“No! We can’t go flying right now. We have to conserve your energy for the fight.”

Spinjitzu’s lips raised, revealing two-inch fangs, and he uttered a snarl.

Lloyd growled back. “Don’t you growl at me!”

Spinjitzu inhaled, as if he were planning to unleash a blast of crystalline gold, but then averted his green eyes.

“That’s right. Respect your mom.” Lloyd stroked Spinjitzu’s nose and wrapped his arms around Spinjitzu’s warm neck. He remembered when Spinjitzu had been a golden egg, and then a terrier-sized wiggling bundle of scales. A gift from Ultra-Dragon, to apologize for leaving Ninjago and returning to the First Realm. Spinjitzu had grown up without having experienced the allure of the First Realm, and so was completely at home in Ninjago with Lloyd and the other Ninja.

Despite the fact that Spinjitzu was as big as a large Clydesdale, Lloyd still felt uneasy about actually bringing him into battle. He was only five years old, and was a far cry from Ultra-Dragon’s size. Or any adult dragon’s size, really. Dragons, having a life cycle almost double that of humans, reached sexual maturity and were considered adults around 20.

However, as Kai and the other Ninja had pointed out, Spinjitzu’s gleaming gold scales would make Lloyd stand out and instantly draw Allura to him. Lloyd just hoped Spinjitzu didn’t get caught in the crossfire.

“Hey!” Kai stood on the bridge next to Nya and the steering wheel. He descended the ladder, then strode up, gloved hands on his hips. “Lloyd, are you playing with Spinjitzu again? I thought you said you had to sharpen your sword. If not, go fold laundry with Zane. Or wash dishes with Cole.”

Lloyd released Spinjitzu’s reins, then sat down criss-cross. He applied a thin film of oil to his whetstone and began running the blade over it. “I was. Am. I was just … um … scouting?”

Kai raised an eyebrow. “Right.” He jumped up onto the small deck on the prow, right where Lloyd had been, and gazed out over the endless sea of clouds. “How much further?”

Lloyd shrugged. “With all of the Elemental Masters on board, plus Spinjitzu, we’re traveling at a slower pace than we normally do.”

Kai turned around. “Yeah, but didn’t Zane upgrade the Bounty? It should balance out.”

“Dunno.” Lloyd grabbed sandpaper and began to carefully slide it along the edge of the blade. The Bounty rocked again. The blade sliced his finger. A thin line of red welled up. “Argh!” He sucked on his finger, then stood up. “All right, I’m done.”

Kai backflipped off the platform. “You’re going to leave it unsharpened?”

“Yeah. It’s not that bad.” Lloyd sheathed the sword on his back.

Kai reached down and grabbed an empty crate lying on the deck. “Should’ve done it yesterday like I said.”

“‘Scuse me, I was trying to be a civil jailer and find Chamille something to do.” Lloyd placed the whetstone and sandpaper into the crate.

“More like spending quality time with Chamille.” Kai shook his head, then lifted the crate and headed below.

Lloyd’s heart clenched as he recalled Chamille’s defiant eyes glaring at him behind bars. She had hated him for leaving her with Pythor at the Monastery while he risked his life at the caves.

He twisted the golden dragon ring on his left ring finger. Jay had teased him when he first started wearing it there. Lloyd had pointed out that it would be hard to handle his sword in his right with it on. Jay refuted by asking why Lloyd needed it at all.

Of course, Lloyd couldn’t explain that it was a gift from Chamille that sent out emergency communications to her ring whenever he used his elemental powers. Jay wouldn’t understand why in the world they wanted to be alerted when the other was in danger. Or why they allowed themselves to be tracked by the rings.

The door underneath the poop deck opened, and the Elemental Masters filed up the stairs and out onto the main deck. Nya and Jay, holding hands, joined Lloyd.

Kai jogged over to the group, Zane and Cole following close behind.

“Hey, bro.” Nya completely ignored Kai’s scowl, instead nudging his shoulder with her own. “We’re almost there.”

Kai frowned. “Who’s steering the ship?” He glanced at the helm.

“Digit.”

Lloyd snickered. While the ship actually had an AI called Digit created by PIXAl and Zane, Nya had also engineered a blow-up of Darreth to appear whenever she turned on the autopilot.

Lloyd raised his voice and called the Elemental Masters over. They formed a circle around him. Most kept shifting their weight or fingering their weapons. Shade casually leaned against the mainmast.

Lloyd cleared his throat. “Ok, guys. Here’s the plan. We don’t have one.”

“Ummm,” said Jay. His eyebrows drew together into a confused expression.

“YET,” Lloyd said. “We don’t know the situation. First we’re going to scout it out. Then I’ll relay the orders. If anything happens to me, Cole’s in charge.”

Lloyd stepped up to the railing and leaned over to see if he could catch a glimpse of the massive cliff and dozens of caves that perforated it. Blast these clouds.

“Nya, take us down.” Nya climbed back to the helm and pressed a button, then twisted the ship’s wheel to the left.

The Bounty began to descend. For a minute, there was utter silence as they drifted in an eerie world of cold fog. Splashes of green and brown appeared below, as did a winding river leading to a pool by the cliff, fed by the waterfall flowing from a hidden opening in the mountains.

Glowing dragons of all colors swarmed around the caves. Lloyd fisted his hand and slammed it on the railing. FSM. The Immortals had beaten them.

Real dragons, their hard scales glittering in the bright sunlight, circled around, dive-bombing the wispy elemental dragons.

Black lines of rope attached to various ledges fluttered in the wind. Others were drawn taut as Stone Warriors and Skulkin scaled the cliffs.

A red blur zipped around the flight of dragons, shrieking like a hawk. The dragons occasionally snapped at it, but otherwise paid no attention.

Lloyd squinted. He had never seen a phoenix, the dragons’ natural prey, purposely dance so close to death.

“New plan, guys.” Lloyd tightened the girth of the Spinjitzu’s saddle, and looped the reins over Spinjitzu’s head before mounting. “I ride Spinjitzu down there to lure Allura out. See how the Immortals are distracting the dragons and keeping them from the caves? Let them do the work and fend off the dragons. Your job is to form a perimeter and keep any Immortals from escaping with eggs or young. Also try to get inside the circle if possible, and enter the caves to fight the EVIL warriors. We’ll use the dragons to our advantage and let them pick the Immortals off.” He secured straps around his legs, effectively buckling his legs into the saddle so there was no chance of him falling off. His gloves barely masked the scalding hot metal of the reins, which had absorbed the heat of the sun.

“Ninja-go!” The other Ninja pumped their fists into the air, and the Elemental Masters began leaping over the sides of the Bounty. Hazy dragons flashed into existence. Spinjitzu followed, bounding off the deck, then folding his wings and letting out an ear-splitting roar.

The air whistled in Lloyd’s ears as they dove, completely shutting out any other noises. Just him and Spinjitzu.

So when a deep voice echoed in his head, Lloyd jolted and nearly jumped out of the saddle. “Can everyone hear me?”

He hadn’t put a comm in his ear. He glanced at the BorgWatch on his left wrist. Nothing.

“It’s me, Neuro.” Lloyd felt, rather than heard, the chuckle that emanated through their mental link. “I’ve taken the liberty of connecting our minds for the battle. Anything you need to communicate, tug on our mental bond, and I’ll relay it to the rest of the fighters.”

Lloyd raised his fingers to his temple like he’d seen Neuro do. “Sure thing, Neuro. Thanks.” Neuro’s presence disappeared, but Lloyd could still feel a connection if he reached out with his mind. Cool.

The dragons of the Elemental Masters pulled out of their dives and began circling around the caves, keeping clear of the claws and teeth of the wild dragons.

Kai drew his katana and aimed it at the group of Immortals. A battle cry escaped his throat. He tugged on the reins of his dragon, and a fiery conflagration engulfed the Immortals, clearing a way for the Elementals to get inside the circle and begin cutting the ropes supporting the EVIL soldiers. The rest of the Elemental dragons spread out and circulated at a distance from the skirmish.

Wild dragons swarmed the group, pressing in and also squeezing through the gap into the circle. The wall of Immortals faltered, then dissipated.

Immortals, Elemental Masters, and wild dragons shifted into a bloody frenzy of various breath weapons, clanging swords, and slashing claws.

From a distance, Lloyd gritted his teeth. Come on. Show yourself, Allura.

Lloyd was sure if she appeared, he could easily catch up to her, or escape if necessary. Spinjitzu may have been young, but he was light and agile, and had a massive wingspan to boot. The pair of them could consistently outstrip the Ninja in races. And being a traditional dragon, not a wyvern, he had more limbs and a fighting advantage.

Spinjitzu glided in lazy loops, letting the thermals rising from the cliffs lift him. His golden scales glimmered. Lloyd had given him a good spit bath before getting distracted by the wonders of flying.

The phoenix, fully ignored by the wild dragons, had flown away and was now making a wide arc back to the fight. It was at least as big as Spinjitzu. It began to ascend until it was a couple hundred feet above Lloyd and Spinjitzu, but was still a good distance away.

Spinjitzu yanked at the reins, his muscles trembling with anticipation for a hunt. Drool dripped from his mouth.

Lloyd pulled on the reins. “No. Don’t you know phoenixes are endangered?”

Suddenly, the phoenix veered from its path, and began to dive. Right at Lloyd and Spinjitzu. A rumble emanated from deep inside Spinjitzu’s chest.

“Bud…” Lloyd rubbed the scales at the base of Spinjitzu’s neck. “Move!” He bent over, clinging to the handholds on Spinjitzu’s collar.

Spinjitzu dipped, but then flipped over just in time for the phoenix’s claws to intercept with Spinjitzu’s legs. He used his front limbs to grip and push against the phoenix’s neck while his hind legs clawed at the phoenix’s underbelly. He uttered a growl and tore into the phoenix’s wing. Red feathers flew everywhere in a swirling crimson storm.

As the two beasts grappled in a violent dance of predator versus prey, they began to plummet. Fear rose in Lloyd’s throat as the ground drew closer with every heartbeat.

The phoenix shrieked. It plunged its beak into Spinjitzu’s shoulder, tearing out a bloody chunk.

Lloyd drew his dao, and tried to stab it into the phoenix’s neck.

Its jaws snapped at the sword, catching it in its beak. Lloyd had to let go of his sword to avoid his arm being wrenched out of its socket. The phoenix flung the sword away.

Lloyd’s cry died in his throat as the phoenix’s head darted in for a second try. Lloyd’s emergency dagger was already in his hand. He plunged it into the phoenix’s chest.

The bird screamed. Its eyes began to glow a smoldering red, and then its entire body burst into flame.

Spinjitzu’s eyes widened, and he shoved the phoenix away, wisps of smoke rising from his charred flesh. But not before the phoenix left a deep gouge in Spinjitzu’s chest with its talons.

The ground was extremely close now. Lloyd’s heart pounded.

Spinjitzu flared his wings, jerking himself and Lloyd to a halt. His chest heaved as both beasts hovered, only ten feet apart, for an instant.

Lloyd could almost swear the phoenix was evilly grinning at him from within its ball of fire.

In the blink of an eye, the phoenix transformed. Talons became claws and its head elongated. The feathery crown gracing the phoenix’s head transformed into horns, and its tail lengthened into a scaly red tail.

The dragon bared his teeth and roared. It was much bigger than Spinjitzu, probably around the size of a 50-year old dragon.

It inhaled deeply, and then released a torrent of flames upon Lloyd and Spinjitzu.

A massive white dragon crashed into them, knocking them out of the way. Lloyd’s head struck something hard. Red fog crept in at the corners of his vision as he tried hard to keep from losing consciousness or vomiting. Spinjitzu managed to right himself and spread his wings to stop their fall. However, the world didn’t stop spinning for Lloyd.

“Are you all right?” Neuro’s voice blared.

“Yeah.” Lloyd groaned out loud, rubbing his temples. “I’m fine.” Spinjitzu wasn’t, though. Each wingbeat caused him to shudder, and when Lloyd leaned over, he could see the bloody gash in Spinjitzu’s chest opening and closing with every thrust of Spinjitzu’s wings. White bone peeked through the torn muscle.

A figure dressed in golden armor stood upon the white dragon’s neck bearing a spear and shield of white and gold. His mask was decorated like a dragon head, with horns curling up from the back and fangs hanging from the open mouth. Shadows obscured the mysterious rider’s face inside.

The figure - not the dragon - snarled at the red dragon, who also growled back. Were they communicating?

The two dragons hovered in place for a beat, each staring the other down.

“You are a disgrace to our kind. You would attack innocent dragons?” It was a girl’s voice emanating from the mysterious rider!

The red dragon shifted into a lanky, but short blond teenager with dragon-like wings extending from his back, and red and black scales dotting his arms and neck, as if he were caught between the form of a boy and dragon. His robes were red with golden embroidery. A red and gold staff in his hands completed his look.

Lloyd’s brows furrowed. Carlos Cameron? Chamille’s cousin?

He barked a short laugh. “I always did love phoenixes more.”

Carlos morphed back into a dragon, and lunged at the girl. Her mount intercepted Carlos’s strikes, and the pair connected in a mess of claws and teeth.

The girl leaped off just before the creatures slammed into each other. She executed a flip, landing perfectly on Spinjitzu’s back. Having already reached his hovering limits, Spinjitzu flailed and began to sink.

Lloyd swatted at her. “Get off my dragon!”

She dodged, backing towards Spinjitzu’s rump with impeccable balance. “I am Kate.” While her voice was definitely feminine, it was rough, like a dragon’s growl, and she moved with an animal-like fluidity. “You have shown yourself a dragon friend by coming to the aid of the wild dragons.”

Lloyd pulled the emergency release strap, freeing his calves from the saddle. “Thanks?” He squeezed Spinjitzu with his legs and urged him to the Bounty.

“But,” she continued. “I can smell your Oni blood. And you imprison your dragon.” She gestured at Spinjitzu’s saddle and reins. “We shall meet again. And then you will pay for what you have done.” She hopped off, morphing into a white dragon with a golden underbelly, and joined her dragon in fighting Carlos.

Lloyd frowned. Weirdo.

“Neuro!” He shouted, both mentally and physically.

“I’m here.”

“Where is Allura? Have you seen her?”

“No.” Fear leached through their link from Neuro’s side. “I’m sorry, we’re a bit preoccupied at the moment. The fight is not going well. It is a good thing that Storm Elemental is not here. The tide would certainly be in the Immortals’ favor.”

Lloyd fingered the crystal at his neck. Jasper was Allura’s second-in-command. And she wasn’t here either.

The emerald on his dragon ring flashed green. Fear swirled inside Lloyd. Chamille. He pressed the jewel, and a blue hologram appeared with a map of Ninjago and a glowing purple dot at the Monastery. A green dot marked his position, and a golden dot his sword. Good thing he’d thought to put a tracker on it.

Spinjitzu landed on the Bounty with a thump. The entire ship shuddered. The golden dragon shook his head, then collapsed on the deck. Lloyd was thrown forward and almost impaled by the spike on Spinjitzu’s neck.

He clambered off, then inspected Spinjitzu’s wound. It was almost as long as his dagger and was so deep that if he stuck his finger in it, almost half of it would be submerged.

Bandages. Clean water. Stitches? Or cauterization? He wasn’t sure.

“Master Lloyd! Master Lloyd!” The ship beeped at him.

Lloyd used Airjitzu to leap onto the bridge. “Digit? I’m here.” He opened the door to the medical cabinet and began digging in it. Everything was human-sized! Maybe he’d just have to use the entire roll of gauze and medical tape.

“Master Lloyd, there is an SOS from Sensei Wu. The Monastery is being attacked. Allura and a contingent of Serpentine are there. Sensei is currently fending them off with the help of the monks. The children are trying to evacuate but there are only non-flying mechs and a bike left at the Monastery.”

So this was Allura’s plan. Split her troops and use the caves as a distraction so she could try to take Sensei and the children as bargaining chips. Wise move. And something he hadn’t anticipated. He cursed. Jasper and Azura, her third-in-command, must also be there.

He yelled at Digit. “Tell them to hold on!”

Lloyd grabbed a bottle of alcohol, padding, gauze, surgical tape, and a knife someone had left by one of the consoles.

Rushing back to Spinjitzu and dumping the supplies, he poured the entire bottle onto both of Spinjitzu’s wounds, then packed the padding over the wound and applied pressure to the chest gouge. Blood was all over the deck and his gi. Spinjitzu was a dragon, so he could lose a lot compared to a human and still live. This was a lot though.

He should stitch it. Or cauterize it. No. He couldn’t do that to either wound. If any of Spinjitzu’s flight muscles were ruined like that, he could be grounded for life. That was no life for a dragon.

Lloyd wrapped the gauze as tightly as he could. He could barely wrap his arms around Spinjitzu’s neck, and so was forced to pass the gauze over and under while switching hands. He used the knife to slice it, then applied medical tape haphazardly. He had never been good at making stuff in art class anyway. All of his projects had been soaked in way too much glue.

Lloyd wiped away a bead of sweat on his brow, and was surprised when his hand came back bloody. He wiped his hand and forehead on the sleeve of his gi, leaving a dark stain, then felt his head. A small laceration had formed on his temple, probably from his impact with some sort of claw or horn. It wasn’t a bad cut and barely stung, but being a head wound, it was bleeding a bit more than a wound elsewhere would have.

“Neuro!” Lloyd called mentally. “Call Zane, Kai, and Griffin back to the Bounty.”

Zane was their go-to doctor, and had a steady stitching hand.

His bond with Neuro flickered, as if he was losing connection with Neuro. Neuro’s voice was faint and tinged with resignation, as if he did not want to tell Lloyd. “They’re already coming.”

What did he mean? Lloyd dashed over to the railing, trying hard to ignore Spinjitzu’s groans.

The entire group of Elementals, both Masters and Immortals, was racing towards the Bounty, followed by what had to have been almost the entire flight of wild dragons. The beating of the dragons’ wings blended together to sound like the crashing of thunder. Overhead, a shadow fell upon the ship as the wild dragons formed a churning rainbow sphere of wings that encompassed the Bounty.

The elementals regrouped and organized themselves into a living wall. Being elemental dragons, their wings could overlap without problems. But now they were all trapped inside a cage made of beasts.

Spinjitzu summoned up the strength to launch a blast of liquid gold at an attacking wind dragon. The gold solidified into a clear crystal-like substance on the dragon’s wing, and it plummeted with a screech.

The orb of dragons began to shrink steadily. Some of the Immortals let their elemental dragons dissipate and landed on the deck.

Three Immortals approached Lloyd. All wore black uniforms with gold threading and the symbol of an open hand on their chest.

Trixie, Master of Magic, led the group, holding a bladed war fan decorated with maroon, gold, and purple swirls. Morphia, Master of Dreams followed, tossing her lavender hair with a tanned, slender hand. The third was a girl Lloyd had never seen before. Her dark mocha hair was drawn back into a high ponytail.

Trixie slid the loop at the end of her bladed fan off her wrist. She dropped it in a pile, and Morphia and the other girl dumped their respective recurve bow and glaive spear.

“What do you want?” Lloyd glowered as he returned to Spinjitzu’s side.

Trixie held out a hand to Lloyd. Her voice was silky smooth. “I suspect we are both in the same boat.” She gestured at the flock of dragons. “Truce?”

Lloyd didn’t respond.

Kai, Zane, and Griffin touched down on the deck.

“Hey!” Kai yelled at the girls. “Get away!”

Trixie’s eyes widened. Purple smoke began to issue from Trixie’s hands. “Parley!” She nodded her head at the discarded weapons.

Kai formed fireballs in his hand. “No.”

The Bounty began to list to one side as a dragon alighted on it. Its claws carved deep gouges in the hull.

Zane threw a shuriken. “We just had her repainted!” The shuriken found its mark in the dragon’s foot, and the beast let go, but not before spewing ice all over the Bounty’s hull. The ship continued to falter and slowly sink.

Zane rushed to the controls and began wildly pressing buttons.

Lloyd cupped Spinjitzu’s snout in his. Spinjitzu’s green eyes met his, and he moaned again, then closed his lids. “Oh, bud.” Lloyd barked at Trixie. “Terms?”

She raised her chin. “We have an Animal Elemental on our side. He can control the dragons. Surrender, and we will stop them. Choose to fight, and you and your ship will be destroyed.”

“No way, lady! That’s the worst deal I’ve ever heard.” Kai stalked closer.

“That’s far enough!” The new girl had her glaive in her hand now.

Lloyd’s eyes darted between the weapon pile and the girl. Twelve feet. How was that possible? No way she could hide a five foot weapon in her pocket.

A smile came to her full lips, as if she knew exactly what Lloyd was thinking. His eyes widened. He had read about this in one of the scrolls from Sensei’s personal library. A Reality Elemental. She could access alternate realities and make them real. It was from them that people got the idea of deja vu.

Trixie shrugged. “Ok. Your loss.” She stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled. “Carlos!”

Lloyd slowly made his way over to Spinjitzu’s other side. Man. He could barely see the blue sky or the ground down below. All he saw were beating wings, flashing teeth, and the occasional glow of dragon breath weapons.

A beat passed, during which the trio of girls backed away and reclaimed their weapons. Kai and Griffin edged over to Lloyd and Spinjitzu.

Carlos did not come. Trixie stomped her foot and yelled Carlos’ name again.

“Well.” Kai drew his double katanas. “Looks like he can’t make it to the party.”

A bird’s screech shook the ship, and a golden phoenix, this one about as big as a condor, descended through the hoard. The wild dragons drew away, allowing sunlight to peek through once more. They began to circle the ship at a distance, but were still way too close for comfort.

The golden phoenix’s wings shrunk and its body grew, revealing Kate in her armor. Trixie and the girls raised their weapons, as did Kai. Griffin simply adjusted his red sunglasses.

Kate did not brandish her spear or shield, but held them close to her body. Her voice was still a growl, although now Lloyd detected a slight accent that sounded like Zane’s imitation of Faith the Dragon Hunter. “You attack the dragon caves. You wound my dragons. You let your dog attack me.”

She let out a roar that did not seem to fit her petite frame. Her massive white dragon thumped down onto the deck. Its wings barely missed clipping the main mast. In its claws was Carlos.

Kate drew herself up to her full height. Which wasn’t really that impressive. “You will all leave. Now. And I will call off the dragons. Take your Elemental War elsewhere. And do not attack my dragons again.”

All of the elementals, Immortals and Elemental Masters, landed on the deck. Their dragons disappeared in colorful puffs.

Trixie, surprisingly, knelt. So did the other girls. “We accept, provided you give us back Carlos.”

Kai looked wary. “What do you think, Lloyd?”

“I think we agree to whatever they want and get them off the ship.” Lloyd eyed the ground, which was gradually rising up to meet them. “And get Zane over here.”

Kai nodded and motioned at Zane, who, upon seeing Spinjitzu’s wound, immediately grabbed the necessary supplies and began treating it. He first used the knife to cut all of Lloyd’s hard work away.

Lloyd stood and faced Trixie. “We accept.”

Just then, a purple streak rose up from the caves, its screeches drowning out Kate’s reply. It weaved its way through the flight of dragons and landed on the top spar of the main mast. A crack sounded from the ship.

Kate tilted her head, listening to the dragon. Then she growled and pointed her spear at Trixie. “Egg-stealer!”

Lloyd’s ring flashed green again. He grabbed Griffin and Kai’s arms and dragged them over to the railing. “Come with me! We have to go!”

The dragons began to advance closer, and the Elemental Masters resummoned their dragons. The fighting resumed once more in a three-way clash, and the Bounty continued its inexorable descent.

Lloyd reached for his mental link with Neuro. It was faint. But when he pulled on it, it strengthened. “Neuro! The Monastery is being attacked! Tell Jacob to let off a sound wave so we can get away. Kai and I are going to return with Griffin. Tell Cole he’s in charge!”

Lloyd saw Neuro nod and give him a thumbs-up before launching off the deck and creating his dragon. A split second later, the dragons began to writhe in pain as Jacob, Master of Sound, discharged a wave of sound in a pitch too high for the human ear.

Lloyd dove off the deck, arms pointed forward, with Kai and Griffin close behind. They plummeted through the cloud of dragons, luckily avoiding tails and claws.

Safely out of the horde, the three formed their dragons.

“Ok,” said Lloyd. “The Monastery is under attack by Allura and Jasper. We have to get back and defend it. Or she’ll steal the powers of the children and take them and Sensei as leverage against us.” He maneuvered his dragon so he was over Griffin’s, then let it disappear. Lloyd seated himself behind Griffin and wrapped his arms around him. Kai did the same, seating himself behind Lloyd.

“Let’s put on some speed,” Lloyd said.

Griffin laughed. “You got it. Speed’s my middle name.”

Chapter Text

Clouds and mountains and trees rushed by in a dizzying blur of color. While the outside world was moving at super-speed, Lloyd, Kai, and Griffin could speak and move at normal speed upon Griffin’s dragon. It was as if they had an invisible windshield.

Griffin had warned them not to let go of him. Or stick their arms out of the speed bubble. He claimed they might lose some limbs, or worse. Lloyd clung to Griffin extra tightly after that comment.

At first, Griffin would wildly slalom between obstacles and laugh as Kai and Lloyd screamed. When they approached the Corridor of Elders and the patchwork of dozens of canyons, Griffin had chosen to zip through them, not over.

Despite his love of flying, even Lloyd started to feel nauseated after a while. And Kai had turned almost as green as Lloyd’s gi.

Luckily, just before they thought they couldn’t handle anymore, Griffin ran out of energy. So the three of them combined their powers to create a Fusion dragon that glittered red, white, and green, reminding Lloyd of a Christmas tree. That had slowed their pace to a more manageable speed, and now all three of them exhibited some degree of control over the dragon. Flying slower also meant it would take longer for them to get to the Monastery; Lloyd would have kept glancing at his Borgwatch if he hadn’t been so focused on keeping their Fusion dragon together.

Finally, after weaving through the Mountains of Impossible Height for what felt like decades, they caught a glimpse of the Monastery. It stood alone on the highest peak, surrounded by the other mountains like a crown on a king encompassed by his retinue.

Smoke rose from the walls of the Monastery. Lloyd’s heart sank as the boom of an explosion greeted them. A veritable army composed of Hypnobrai, Constrictai, Fangpyre, and Venomari marched up the winding staircase carved into the mountain towards the Monastery.

“Look!” Kai squeezed Lloyd’s shoulder. “Why aren’t they attacking?” Kai wondered out loud. “They just stand there.”

Soldiers formed a wall ringing the Monastery, but left a gap of ten feet or so between them and the walls. The rest of the soldiers wandered around behind the front line, relaying orders and carrying supplies.

As they flew closer, Lloyd could make out three cloaked figures standing in a clearing underneath a cherry tree budding with pink blooms. “Allura,” said Lloyd, pointing.

They had their hoods drawn back, revealing Azura’s bright blue locks and Allura’s platinum blond. Twin katanas jutted from the back of the tallest figure, Jasper.

A flash of red at the top of the wall caught Lloyd’s attention. The monks that lived at the Monastery carried bamboo staffs, using them to balance like tightrope walkers as they made their way along the ramparts. They nimbly avoided arrows launched by the Serpentine from crossbows. Other monks stood on the roofs, a few clambering up and down and darting in and out of the Monastery.

The elemental dragon jerked beneath Lloyd, nearly unseating him. The reins slipped from his grasp. He scrabbled for them desperately, but his concentration shattered and the dragon evaporated into insubstantial smoke.

“Ahhh!” all three screamed, flailing madly.

To compound the problem, the Serpentine began using catapults to launch boulders that weighed at least as much as two people at them.

“Quick! Your dragons!” Ever the confident one, Kai recovered quickly and summoned his fire dragon. Griffin, despite his exhaustion, also managed to call his dragon back into existence, dodging just in time a rock aimed straight for his head.

Lloyd’s wouldn’t appear, and the farther and faster he fell, the more his anxiety increased. When he had passed the Monastery and continued falling, the Serpentine jeered and launched arrows at him. His elemental shield deflected them just in time.

“Lloyd!” Kai’s dragon dipped into a nose-dive, but he had to pull up short when another boulder came flying.

Everyone called him a master, but it was moments like this that reminded Lloyd just how childish he still was. He’d been summoning dragons for years!

What did he fear? Lloyd racked his brain. Losing. His friends getting hurt. Think specifically, Lloyd!

His ring glowed. Chamille! She was trapped with Sensei, and the Ninjas’ pupils! His fear was suddenly insignificant compared to her plight. If he didn’t conquer it and rescue her, she would be interrogated, then killed for turning traitor on EVIL.

Lloyd thrust his energy to his limbs, and then felt his dragon form beneath him. With a roar and explosion of green light, his dragon burst into existence, blasting an incoming boulder to dust.

Seeing he was safe, Kai turned his attention back to the Monastery. The fire dragon began to glow, until it literally burst into flame. It rained down from his mouth a torrent of flames upon the archers, and any arrows shot at it were incinerated by the heat. He and Griffin managed to land unscathed behind the Monastery walls.

With his elemental shield, Lloyd blocked the rest of the incoming arrows, and touched down safely in the courtyard.

A rather diminutive person dressed in the maroon robes of a monk ran over from the wall. He pulled the hood down and discarded the robes on the ground, revealing spiky brown hair, leather armor, and a red gi underneath. “Kai!” Bobby shrieked.

Koji in a blue ninja gi and Nelson in a deep purple gi followed. Bobby wrapped his arms around Kai and buried his face in Kai’s shirt. Kai awkwardly patted Bobby’s head.

Griffin stretched, spreading his arms wide and arching his back. “Man! I’m starved. You guys got something to eat?”

Raven, Master of Destruction, rolled her eyes and leaned against one of the porch posts. Her black hair, heavy eyeliner, and dark, thick lashes combined to make her look like a typical goth girl. Her skull t-shirt completed the look.

Sensei and Hunter, Master of Animals, stood next to her. Hunter carried a longbow carved of yew and had an arrow quiver slung around his slim hips.

“You and your dumb friends,” Raven said, crossing her arms.

Sensei pretended not to hear her comment. “Lloyd! Just in time.” Sensei descended the porch steps.

Raven groaned and muttered, “Typical. Play the savior again, would you?”

This time Sensei paid attention. “Raven,” Sensei said. “Go find Griffin a snack.” A pout came to Raven’s lips, but she, Hunter, and Griffin disappeared inside.

Lloyd delayed until they were gone. “What’s happening, Sensei?”

“The Storm Elemental attacked a while ago. We managed to repel him, but when this army of Serpentine began marching up the steps, we realized that we were no match. They’ve got at least fifty. And they just keep coming.” Sensei gestured for Lloyd to step closer, and he lowered his voice. “Koji is nothing compared to him. He cannot even hinder Jasper.” Sensei raised his voice. “Bobby! Nelson! Get back to the wall!”

Bobby, who had been trying to do a pull-up on Kai’s arm, let go and scampered over, dragging Kai with him.

Lloyd said, “He’s young. Give him time to master his element.”

Sensei frowned, lines forming on his forehead. “Time is the one thing we do not have.” He changed the subject. “Allura is here. You, Kai, and the Master of Speed are here. But where are the others?”

“Still at the dragon caves. They got held up.” Lloyd didn’t want to try to explain Kate and the angry dragons.

“Watch out!” Lloyd didn’t have time to do anything before a rock came sailing into the courtyard, crashing against the cobblestones. It crushed the golden dragon statue in the middle of the training yard and formed a pit almost as deep as Lloyd was tall.

Lloyd peeked over the edges and coughed as dust rose from the impact, reminding him of a smoking asteroid falling to Earth.

“Bobby!” Sensei yelled.

“On it!” came Bobby’s high-pitched reply.

Nelson used his element of distortion to warp the wall, creating a tiny hole about the size of a teacup saucer. Koji and Bobby peeked through it, and then Koji tossed a rock over the wall. Bobby shut his eyes. A boom sounded and smoke floated up. Judging by the screams and hisses of the Serpentine, Bobby had hit his mark.

Kai pumped a fist into the air and whooped. “Again!”

Sensei explained, “They are waiting for their full forces to arrive. Bobby has been using his element to prevent them from detonating bombs and taking down the wall, but if they realize what he is capable of…” Sensei trailed off.

Lloyd didn’t need him to fill in the gaps. There were too many ways for things to go wrong if Allura could utilize Bobby’s element of Explosions.

“What is the plan, Lloyd? We have only the Katana 4x4 and your refurbished golden mech. Griffin is too weak to speed the children away. And you and Kai cannot hope to face Allura, Jasper, and Azura alone.”

Lloyd ran his hands through his hair. Nothing was coming. “I … don’t know, Sensei,” he admitted.

Sensei laid a hand on Lloyd’s shoulder. “It is as I thought. The final battle will be today. Use the crystal, Lloyd, and stop Allura.”

“And if I fail?”

“That cannot happen.”

Lloyd watched as Koji flung another rock. “I’ll try. But I want the kids out of here. If I fail, and Allura captures them, there’ll be no stopping her.”

“Hmm. We shall see.” Sensei waved Kai over and signaled the monks to stop taunting the soldiers from the roofs. A few remained to watch the Serpentine.

“Kai, Griffin will use the Katana and escape with the children using the hidden passageway from the Samurai-X cave. You will lead the monks and keep the army from supporting the Immortals. Lloyd will go for Allura. I will try to deal with Azura and Jasper.”

Kai nodded, and went to retrieve Griffin.

“Wait.” Lloyd said. “What about Chamille?”

“What about her?” Sensei stroked his beard. “She is imprisoned.”

“She can turn invisible. She could get close to Allura.”

Sensei frowned. “I will not allow you to give her that crystal.”

“She’s had the crystal on her since we captured her and hasn’t used it,” Lloyd pointed out.

“Perhaps she was waiting for an opportune time.” Sensei turned away from Lloyd. “Bobby! Nelson! Koji! Go inside with Kai - he will inform you of the plan.”

Lloyd strode after Sensei. “We need all the help we can get.”

Sensei halted and spun around. “I would not advise this.”

“The responsibility and blame will be mine.”

Sensei waved a hand, eyes hard. “I see you will not be dissuaded. Do as you wish.” He went inside to retrieve his staff. Lloyd gave him a few minutes before entering and racing to the cells.

Chamille grinned as Lloyd unfastened the cell door, then held her wrist with one hand and used the other to unlock her cuffs. “I knew you’d come. Ninja never leave another behind.”

“What about me?” Pythor whined from the cell abutting Chamille’s.

Lloyd didn’t respond to him. He narrowed his eyes at Chamille. “Shut up. And don’t misbehave. You’re on everyone’s badlist.” Lloyd walked out.

Chamille laughed and followed. “Where are we going? Someplace nice, I hope. The beach? The other Samurai-X cave? The Temple of Airjitzu?”

Lloyd paused at the armory. “Nope. You’re going to help us fight Allura.”

Chamille’s eyes widened. “She’ll kill me!”

“You want your freedom?” Lloyd shoved two sheathed daggers at her. “Then help us.”

Chamille’s full lips formed a pout. “Fine. But you owe me.” She moved to strap her daggers on. “Dummies. Can’t do anything themselves,” she mumbled. “And you better not have messed with any of my stuff.”

Lloyd handed her a ballpoint pen, a one-handed pistol, and a belt with tiny glass bottles hanging from it.

They emerged from the Monastery to find the kids in a group facing off against Griffin and Kai.

“You’ve gone mental if you think I’m going to leave!” Raven drew a dagger from her waist.

Hunter nodded in assent. “We won’t leave.”

“Neither will we!” Koji, Bobby, and Nelson chimed in unison.

“You can, and you will.” Kai shoved a backpack of supplies at them. Griffin grabbed it. “Sensei’s orders,” Kai said.

“To hell with them!” said Bobby. He summoned a ball of explosive gas, ready to ignite it with a thought.

Lloyd slapped Bobby’s arm. “Language!”

“You say it all the time!”

Lloyd clapped a hand over Bobby’s mouth as Sensei approached. Chamille laughed, twirling her daggers like cheerleading batons.

Lloyd wiped Bobby’s slobber from his hand. “Quiet, or you’ll be in more trouble than you already are.”

Sensei declared, “The full battalion is almost here. It is time to go.” He leveled his gaze at Griffin.

Griffin fisted his hand over his heart. “I’ll protect them with my life.”

“There’s not even room in the Katana! We’ll have to ride on top!” Bobby complained.

“Yeah!” Nelson said.

Koji stepped forward, hands clasped together in a plea. “But Sensei, I can help fight Jasper -”

“Enough! No more arguments.” Sensei pointed at the door to the Monastery. “Go.”

The cries of monks reached Lloyd’s ears. He twisted around in time to see a maroon figure fall from the wall, an arrow in his side. Another was impaled by a spear.

One of the kids screamed.

“Go!” Sensei yelled.

The children did not hesitate now. They scrambled for the door.

Grappling hooks thudded down, scraping along the wall as they were pulled tight. Venomari crested the top, their green venom arcing down in a widespread spray.

Lloyd used his arm to block the splashes of venom. He drew his dao, which was streaked with dirt and had a large notch in the blade. He’d found it stuck in a tree after the phoenix had tossed it. Hopefully it would hold out for him.

Boom! A shockwave threatened to bowl Lloyd over. A flood of heat washed over him, and the wall crumbled. Chamille’s form wavered, then disappeared.

“Hey!” Lloyd shouted at her.

Serpentine poured in, brandishing weapons. The monks raised their staffs and met them with a battle cry.

A dark figure in a leather jacket floated up and rested on the top. Masses of Serpentine parted around him as if he were a rock in a river.

Jasper spread his arms. The wind howled, and the white clouds above descended and multiplied, turning a deep shade of grey. Thunder roiled. Blue flashed as the sky opened up again, the dark clouds whirling and forming a spinning vortex that ringed the Monastery and shut out the outside world. Then the clouds spread out, and shadows deepened as all hints of the blue sky and sun were blotted out. A torrential rain began to fall, mixed with hail. They were caught in the eye of a supercell.

Sensei used his staff like a pole-vaulter to thrust himself up towards Jasper. A bolt of lightning from the storm above streaked towards Sensei, who dodged and tackled Jasper. The pair toppled over the wall.

Lloyd backed into the shadows of the porch. Rain dripped down from the eaves, forming a curtain of water that nearly obscured Lloyd’s view of the courtyard. Serpentine and monks slipped and fell in equal amounts. Red mixed with the puddles of standing water.

Where was Allura? Lloyd snuck around, edging towards the front gate. Another explosion rocked the courtyard, and the doors splintered into dozens of shards of wood.

“Hi.” Lloyd jumped, nearly dropping his sword.

A figure in black leather with blue hair stood next to him on the porch. She drew a katana from her side. Flashes of white lightning reflected off its silver blade.

Lloyd tossed a green sphere of energy at Azura, who dodged and then retaliated by summoning blue flames around him. Nowhere to run.

He fingered the crystal at his neck. Only he could stop Allura.

“Hi right back ‘atcha,” came Chamille’s disembodied voice.

She appeared, her arm around Azura’s neck, choking her, and her dagger pointed at Azura. Azura lunged forward, flipping Chamille over her back. Lloyd leaped forward to block Azura’s katana swipe at Chamille.

Chamille turned invisible again. Azura summoned more blue fire, and sent it outwards in a burst of light. Lloyd’s shield protected him, but he heard Chamille cry out as the flames hit her. She turned visible, one hand on a porch post, another on the wooden floorboards as she struggled to rise. Ice coated her black gi.

Lloyd sheathed his sword and entered the delicate dance of death. When he shot his energy spheres, she always managed to dart away at the last second, like a pesky fly. He used his shield to bat away her own projectiles.

Lloyd did a backflip, then swirled his hands in the air. They left a green trail of light where they passed. Then he pressed his hands together and created an energy beam. Azura’s flames lunged up to block his blast. Lloyd rolled to the side, and charged another attack.

He was fully soaked now, and the rain just kept coming in a deluge that muffled everything except for his breath and the rushing of water. Azura flicked her wrists. Droplets flew from her fingers and dripped off her leather catsuit.

Lloyd dug deep inside, reaching for his power reservoir, and let it all fly. Azura did not try to block this time. She summoned her own beam of fire, and their elements collided in a fiery burst of color. The power twisted in upon itself, swirling faster and faster in a blinding blaze of light until it formed a mesmerizing sphere about as big as a soccer ball. Then it detonated.

The explosion blasted the entire Monastery to pieces. Glass shattered. The walls crumpled. The tiles were blown off the roof. Rubble was thrown outwards by the shockwave, some of it colliding with the mountain in thunderous protest as it fell over the edge. Those inside the courtyard were propelled backwards and slammed to the ground or into the debris. Others were buried underneath the wreckage.

Lloyd and Azura simply stood motionless, having been unaffected by the surge. Azura’s jaw had dropped. Her widened eyes revealed blue irises as bright as polished lapis lazuli.

The raindrops seemed to pause in the air, as if they were having a moment of silence for the demolished building. Then the Serpentine troops poured over the jagged beams of wood and glass shards, coming in disorganized waves.

“To the cave!” a monk shouted.

“What cave?”

Surprisingly, the titanium elevator to the Samurai-X cave still stood, although its electrical console was obviously fried, judging by the sparks that flickered over it. Was it possible for anyone to have survived the collapse? Lloyd shoved away any thoughts of Pythor.

Kai thrust his way to the front of the group of monks. “To me!” He rallied the monks, raising a flaming fist. They lifted their staffs into the air with raucous shouts. “Ninja never quit!”

The remaining drops of rain fell, and then no more came. The sky began to lighten, streaks of pink and red blinking through the gaps in the storm clouds.

Lloyd drew his sword. He did not want another violent elemental reaction. Azura, apparently thinking the same thing, drew hers. Lloyd rushed at her, but halted when she brought her hands to her throat and her mouth opened in an O. Her lips moved as if she were trying to say something. She knelt on the ground, hands clutching her neck as she attempted to stop the flow of blood.

Chamille’s form flickered into existence, her purple hair clinging to her curvy frame. Her chest heaved, and her eyes were wide. Lloyd rushed to her side, and Chamille clutched him tightly.

He was close enough to make out the words that Azura mouthed. “Traitor … ” Then her trembling muscles gave out, her eyes closed, and her sword clattered onto the cobblestones.

“Stop!” A high-pitched voice rang out over the clashing of weapons.

Lloyd whipped around to see a platinum blond figure cresting the rubble of the Monastery. Black armor carved to look like dragonscales guarded her chest and arms. A skirt of leather covered in metal studs hung to the middle of her thighs. A heavy golden spear that looked suspiciously like a more feminine version of the Megaweapon protruded from her hand.

Jasper stood at Allura’s side, twin katanas in hand. He swept his jagged black bangs from his eyes and grinned. Until his eyes met Azura’s prone form. He moved for her, but Allura flung an arm out to block him. “Don’t.”

The fighting had ceased. Allura’s soldiers drew back to form a straight line. Others flanked her to create a red carpet of sorts. One made with blood.

Kai stared at Allura with a gaze that could level cities.

Allura did not even spare a glance for him. She went straight for Lloyd. “Green Ninja,” she called in a sing-song voice. Then it hardened. “Look at what you’ve done.” She gestured at the chaos around them and frowned at Azura, then returned her eyes to Lloyd. “Please.” Her voice took on a pleading tone. “Surrender. Join the Immortals. Help me rise to power. And we shall eliminate all elemental wars, create such a formidable force that no evil power will dare to touch Ninjago again. Just give up, and come with me.”

Lloyd wanted to laugh. Like he’d ever do that. He did not speak, instead letting his silence and glare tell all.

She waited. Then snarled at him. “I see.” She turned, hips swaying from side to side as she strode away. Her next words were soft and low. “Watch everything you love burn.”

She spun, knives flinging out in a wide arc to hit at least three monks. They dropped instantly.

Lloyd squeezed the hilt of his sword. Those had been innocent monks, people who had chosen out of the goodness of their hearts to stay and defend the Monastery. “You’ll pay.”

Then Allura drew a knife from her armored bracer and stabbed it at the air.

Lloyd’s heart felt like it had been the one stabbed. He knew what was coming before he saw it. Chamille materialized, dropping to the ground with a wordless shudder. Her wet fingers tried desperately to pull out the dagger that protruded from her abdomen.

Allura’s cold blue eyes met Lloyd’s. “And so it begins. Opposing Elementals will die.”

She reached a hand down to touch Chamille’s shoulder and siphon away her powers. Chamille was too weak to slap it away.

Lloyd didn’t give her a chance to take Chamille’s powers. From inside his gi, he withdrew shurikens and began tossing them in quick succession.

The fighting began again. In the background, he could hear the booms of thunder as Jasper sought to land a mark on Kai. The yells of soldiers as Sensei whacked them with his staff. The cries of monks as they fell in battle. But right here, right now, in this moment, Lloyd paid no attention. His sole purpose was Allura.

Allura managed to waylay his shurikens, blasting power back at him with one hand and keeping the other firmly on Chamille. Fire. Earth. Blue fire. Poison.

Get to Chamille. Get her away.

It turned out Chamille did not need his help. Because Allura herself keeled over, a stiletto knife jabbed between the chinks in her armor. She yanked it out with a gasp. A feral snarl rose from her throat, and she drove it cleanly through Chamille’s right hand into the stones below.

Something broke inside Lloyd. He screamed and lunged at Allura, sword raised in one hand, green flames in the other.

Who needed a scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu? His emotions gave him power he never thought he had in him.

Lloyd’s entire body burst into green flame, and he was acutely aware of his boots splashing in puddles, of the moist air whipping his hair against his cheeks, of every breath he took and every footfall as he approached Allura.

Allura disappeared. And the world shifted. She was now behind him. He heard the whoosh of her blade before it could cut into him.

Lloyd twisted, catching the dagger on his dao and wrenching it out of Allura’s hands just in time. Allura brought a hand to her wound. Golden light flowed from between her fingertips, and she stood straight again. She could heal?

They circled one another, each searching for an opening. Then they met, spear clashing against sword with a flurry of violent strokes.

Allura spun, raining down blows and anticipating Lloyd’s moves before he could even formulate them himself. He was hard pressed to even defend himself. Lloyd knew instantly that despite training for almost his entire teenage life, he was outmatched.

Lloyd began using his shield. Every time Allura tried to stab him or use an elemental blast, his shield reflexively flashed, repelling her but disappearing quickly enough to allow him to punch and thrust with his dao.

He pulled all of the dirty tricks he’d learned from Chamille - he tried to trip her, he tried feinting. He even bit her with his dragon teeth at one point. Finally, he discreetly slipped a throwing knife from his belt into one hand as he used the other to execute a fancy sword move. Then he tossed the knife at Allura. It glanced off her breastplate, of course, but the distraction allowed him to slip the tip of his sword into the chink Chamille had left.

Allura fell to her knees.

There was a voice inside his mind screaming at him. He recognized that voice, didn’t he? Something flashed before him - like when the lights flickered during a storm. Then the world was back to normal.

Someone jerked his shoulder, trying to pull him away. He pulled another knife and slashed the person’s arm without even looking.

Lloyd pulled out a dragonbone dagger from his boot, and stabbed it right through Allura’s hand as she had done to Chamille.

“Heal that!” He smiled. The blade, made from dragonbone, was a smaller version of the Dragonbone Blade - it absorbed elemental powers, but on a much smaller scale.

Allura howled and begged for mercy as he wrenched his sword deeper into her wound. The voice inside his mind still screamed.

Then the world shifted again before him, and he was standing above Sensei Wu’s broken, bloody body. A dagger protruded from his hand.

Chamille was at his feet, holding a hand over a gash across her bicep, looking up at him with fear in her eyes.

There were no words to express his horror.

Then an arm wrapped around his throat, cutting off his windpipe and binding him to the warm body behind him. A knife raced towards him.

All of the screams in the world could not sufficiently describe the pain of that blade cutting into his belly.

He curled into a ball. Allura laughed, sounding like she was miles away. But her cursed hand was upon his shoulder, the other driving that knife deeper, harder.

Her lips brushed his ear. “Let the new age begin.” Allura left the dagger and began to limp away, a hand still over her own wound. “To me!”

The last thing Lloyd saw was her Elemental dragon swirling with rainbow colors like an ever-changing kaleidoscope. And a red and brown ship with twin dragon figureheads drifting above in the red light of the sunset, listing heavily to one side. Then his vision went black.

Chapter Text

Kai was numb as he grabbed Lloyd’s arms and shifted him onto the stretcher. Cole let go of Lloyd’s ankles and gripped the metal frame so they could roll it up the plank onto the Bounty.

Beside them, Jay and Zane did the same with Chamille. She was conscious, but weak.

The other Elemental Masters filled the rapidly darkening courtyard, or what was left of it. Some had tearstained faces as they dealt with Sensei Wu’s body, while the others searched the rubble to see if anyone had survived. One was clasping Vengestone cuffs onto Jasper, courtesy of Kai’s supreme capturing skills. The Serpentine army had promptly retreated, along with Allura, as soon as the Elemental Alliance had arrived.

The high-pitched squeal of welding came from the back of the Bounty. Nya was back there trying to quickly repair the thrusters so they could head to the hospital. After assessing Lloyd and Chamille’s wounds, Zane had determined that they were beyond his and PIXAL’s capability. The closest hospital was an hour away in Ninjago City, though, so he was trying to get Lloyd and Chamille moved into the medical room for emergency treatment.

Since Cole was stronger, Kai went first and backed up the plank, dragging the stretcher up inch by inch. Why was their plank so narrow? Had nobody thought about making it easier to get injured people onto the Bounty? On second thought, probably not, because everyone generally jumped off and flew with their dragons, or used the anchor or ladder.

They reached the hatch leading belowdecks. A staircase greeted them. Kai groaned.

Gravis, Master of Gravity, was using his power to lift a wooden box up onto the deck. Upon hearing Kai, he turned. “Need a hand?”

At Kai’s nod, he gently floated the stretcher down the stairs. Kai thanked Gravis, and he and Cole manipulated the stretcher into the room right next to the staircase. Finally, something done right.

Instead of being brown like the rest of the rooms on Destiny’s Bounty, the medical room was a stark white. Fluorescent lights hung above, and two metal frames in the floor allowed them to lock the stretchers in place to prevent them from rolling when the Bounty was moving.

A medical-grade refrigerator squatted in the corner, humming softly, and two hooks intended for IV bags jutted out from the walls. A motion-activated sink rested against one wall. The room smelled like alcohol and death.

In his haste, Kai bumped the stretcher into the doorframe. Lloyd moaned and writhed, twisting his head from side to side.

Kai put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from moving. "Hold on, buddy," he pleaded internally. "Don't leave us."

He had seen Lloyd almost die before in the courtyard of the Monastery. He could almost feel the sunshine and smell the flowers as they drifted around Lloyd's cold, dead body. There was no way to describe the fear that had gripped him as his brothers felt for a pulse and breathed into Lloyd's lungs and pumped his heart for him.

Kai tried to distract himself. No use thinking like this. He flicked a lock of wet blond hair from Lloyd’s pale forehead. He, too, was dripping wet from Jasper’s deluge. Luckily, his element generally kept him from getting too cold. But his shoes kept making a weird squish! sound, and he was leaving puddles everywhere he stopped.

Zane and Jay entered the room next, Chamille between them. Zane locked the stretchers in place, washed his hands, and then pulled Lloyd’s remaining wrist dagger. He began to cut away the rest of his clothing. He motioned for one of the others to do the same to Chamille.

“Um.” Cole chuckled nervously. “I’ll get Nya.”

Zane was too focused to turn his eyes from his work. “No, it is fine. Could you get PIXAL instead?”

“I’m right here.” PIXAL stood in the doorway, unstrapping her white breastplate and golden shoulder pauldrons, revealing a navy blue gi underneath. “Would you please put these in my quarters?” She handed them to Cole, along with her Samurai-X helmet, and accepted Zane’s knife.

Kai couldn’t help gagging at the blood. Jay made no move to leave. Well, Kai wasn’t about to cave and let Jay of all people look more macho than him.

Zane suggested, “Why don’t you go check on Nya? See what progress she has made with the boosters?”

“Great!” Jay jumped a little too quickly at the suggestion.

“Thanks,” Zane said. He gritted his teeth as he inspected the wound more closely. “Kai, would you mind getting a bag of blood from the refrigerator? It has Lloyd’s name on it.”

“Sure,” Kai mumbled. He crossed the room and opened the refrigerator, which let out a cold blast that made him shiver in his wet gear. Bottles of medicine and clear plastic bags filled with red liquid greeted him.

He pulled out a pouch with “Lloyd” scribbled on the white label. It was a good thing they’d thought to draw his blood in case of emergency. Since he’d been revealed to be O at his last doctor’s appointment, they’d decided to draw some in case any of them needed transfusions. But after the doctor informed them that Lloyd had a strong immune system and “aggressive” cells, Zane had opted out of using the blood for the others, claiming concern over Lloyd’s Oni and Dragon DNA. Kai still wasn’t sure what exactly “aggressive cells” was supposed to mean.

“Hurry!” Zane had wrapped a bandage around Lloyd’s torso and was standing over Lloyd, using both hands to apply pressure to the wound.

Kai brought the bag over, and Zane hung it from the IV hook, then slipped an IV line into Lloyd’s forearm. He lifted a blood-stained dressing and tossed it into the trashcan next to the sink.

“Right,” said Kai, blanching when Zane pulled out a surgical needle and threaded it. “I’m gonna go see what’s happening up top.”

“Tell Nya to hurry, please.”

Kai shut the door behind him and stood silently for a few seconds.

An involuntary shiver ran along his body. He should change.

After donning a new gi, he ran outside to see Jay at the helm and Nya down below, shouting at him. Jay pressed a button, and smoke rose from the thrusters. Nya screeched.

Jay looked worried, but his eyes lit up when he spotted Kai.

“Kai!” Jay gestured wildly. “Come man the wheel! I’m gonna go help Nya!”

Kai took a position at the helm, pushing buttons and pulling levers as requested. The sun slowly sank until it was hidden behind the horizon.

Nya finally came up on deck, wiping grease and oil off her face with a rag. “Ok, I think that should do it.” She called the rest of the Elemental Masters on board.

Together, Nya and Jay lifted the plank and left it on the main deck. Kai cracked his knuckles. “Ready?”

They nodded. Kai held his breath as he pressed the red button. The Bounty slowly lifted into the air - evenly this time. The sails rose and then unfurled. Kai slid the thrust lever forward, and they began to gain speed.

“Whoo hoo!” Nya threw her arms around Jay.

Cole, who had been below, came out into the main deck. “Are we moving?” He peeked over the railing, then climbed up to the poop deck. “Way to go!” He high-dived Nya and Jay.

Nya set a course for Ninjago City, while Jay sent a transmission for Griffin and the kids to meet them near Crash Course Canyon.

Kai hung in the background, wringing his hands. He really wanted to pace. Or punch something. But with all of the Elemental Masters here, there wasn’t really room to do either.

Cole laid a hand on Kai’s shoulder. “Hey. You wanna do something? We should probably check on the prisoner.”

Kai’s eyes widened. He’d almost forgotten! “Good idea.”

The Elemental Masters had placed him in a cell with Chamille’s Vengestone cuffs locked around his wrists. They hadn’t gotten him any food or water, so Kai and Cole headed to the kitchen.

Kai flipped the switch, revealing a sparse kitchen with wooden cabinets on one side and a low dining table on the other. He started rummaging through the cabinets to see if they had anything to serve. Nothing much - all of their food had been in the Monastery. They settled for giving Jasper tea and a sandwich, even if the bread was a little on the dry side.

They didn’t talk, each lost in their thoughts. If Kai had been with Jay, he would have just listened to Jay’s chatter and never been forced to speak a word.

But after Kai almost spilled boiling water on Cole, Cole took the tea kettle from him and set it back on the electric stove. “Okay, Kai. Spill it. What’s wrong?”

Kai sighed. “When you guys came up and asked about Sensei - you know how I blamed Allura?”

“Uh-huh.” Cole picked up the kettle and began pouring it into a cup.

“It wasn’t her. It was Lloyd.”

Cole fumbled, spilling the steaming liquid all over the butcher board countertop. “Hold up! What do you mean?”

Kai grabbed a dish towel to mop it up. “Yeah, it was … surreal. He lit his whole body on fire, and he had this angry look I’ve never seen before.” Kai shook his head, still trying to process it. “And he had this smile of delight when he rammed that dagger into Sensei. I was screaming. Chamille was screaming. Allura was laughing.”

Kai shut his eyes, recalling her cackle as lightning flashed around her. Also her furrowed eyebrows and almost laser-like stare.

Cole’s bushy eyebrows rose as he deposited a tea bag into the cup and picked up the tray. His tone was one of disbelief. “So you’re saying he’s gone mental?”

“No! That’s not what I’m trying to say!” Kai let his face fall into his hands, then met Cole’s brown eyes. Kai’s voice was rough when he spoke again. “I don’t think it was him. I don’t think he had a clue that he was really fighting Wu. But then the question is, who was he really fighting? Who did he want to kill that badly? Why did he want to? That’s what I’m scared of.”

Cole bit his lower lip, eyes unfocused as he digested Kai’s words.

Of course, it could be nothing. Allura could have been using Mind on him to trick him. Or maybe he was just incensed because Allura had wounded Chamille. But then Lloyd himself had slashed Chamille. Kai let out a breath as he dumped the peanut-butter covered knife into the sink.

That murderous look … Lloyd’s anger … his feral snarl as he rushed Wu. Kai would never be able to get that image out of his head again.

“Guys.” Nya was standing in the doorway. “He’s awake.” She fidgeted with the belt of her maroon gi. “And he’s mad.”

Chapter Text

“We are not going to the hospital! End of story!”

“But Lloyd, I am not equipped to deal with injuries as severe as these. Even if I manage to repair the damage, there is no guarantee you will not succumb to infection days later.”

Kai and Nya stepped into the room to behold a shirtless Lloyd sitting up, legs swung over the side of the cot and looking as if he wanted to strangle Zane.

Zane had backed up to Chamille’s bed, and had his hands up, palms facing outwards in a supplicating manner.

“I don’t care!” Lloyd massaged the bridge of his nose and spoke very calmly and clearly, as if he were talking to a child. “Allura is injured. We have captured her second-in-command. She will obviously retreat to the EVIL base, and with our numbers advantage, we can raid it and win. The hospital is in the opposite direction of EVIL. We have to turn around!”

Zane crossed his arms. “We are not going to risk your health! If Allura retreats to the EVIL base, we can later surround it and do a prolonged siege to draw them out.”

Chamille groaned and rolled to face Lloyd and Zane.

Lloyd inhaled sharply as he took in her state: a wrinkled hospital gown, tangled hair, and a white bandage wrapped around her upper arm. She did not look at him.

Kai stepped in between Zane and Lloyd. “Lloyd, think about this. Allura won’t risk going to a hospital. She’ll have subpar medical treatment, and if we go, you’ll heal stronger and faster than her.”

“Yeah, and if we go, doctors are gonna ask questions. What are you teens doing here? How’d you get a wound like this? Where’s your legal guardian?” Lloyd raked his hands through his messy hair. “And my mom’s gonna hate leaving her ‘super important meeting!’”

Misako had been in Ninjago City for at least two weeks, trying to mediate between the Explorer’s Club and the Ninjago Museum’s Board of Historians over where priceless artifacts should be stored.

Zane replied calmly, “I believe Mrs. G would rather be bothered than have a dead son.”

Lloyd threw up his hands. “Look, we don’t have a week to waste in the hospital! We have the advantage, and we need to press it. You saw what she did! The entire Monastery is destroyed! She took Borg Tower with all of its ‘advanced security protocols’ without breaking a sweat. If we delay, if we let her recuperate, we are going to pay in blood.”

Jay and Cole peeked into the room. Cole made eye contact with Zane and Kai, then motioned for them to step out. Nya followed.

Lloyd shouted at their backs, “Hey, I thought we were a team!”

“Ok,” Cole said once they had moved out onto the deck and were out of Lloyd’s earshot. “We need to address the question of who’s in charge. With Wu out of commission, that leaves Lloyd.” He looked pointedly at Kai. “Tell them the truth.”

Kai bit his lip. He relayed to the Ninja what had actually happened at the Monastery with Allura, Lloyd, and Sensei.

Jay spoke first. “That little - ”

Zane interrupted. “We cannot let Lloyd lead. His guilt is consuming him.”

“He’ll hate us, though.” Cole looked worried.

“Does it matter?” Kai raised an eyebrow. “We’re doing it for him. He’ll eventually get over it.”

Nya said, “Lloyd makes good points. We have the advantage. We have over twenty Elementals, counting the children on our side, and Allura has, what, four with Jasper and Azura gone? And since she usurped Pythor, the sentient parts of the EVIL army aren’t going to be totally on her side yet.”

Kai couldn’t help being swayed by her argument. Allura had killed their Sensei. They couldn’t let her get away with it.

Nya continued. “Lloyd didn’t kill Sensei. Allura did. And I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going after her. She says we’ll pay. I say we’ll make her pay ten times what we do!” Nya pounded her fists together. “Who’s with me?”

The others nodded along with her speech. Kai especially. Only Cole and Zane were hesitant.

“But Nya,” said Zane. “I am not a surgeon. And we don’t have any medical-grade antibiotics.”

Jay tapped a finger on his chin thoughtfully. “Can we load him into the Katana and split up? Or maybe send the Bounty onwards with a few Elementals and the other Elementals can fly to EVIL?”

“No, the Katana only fits one person,” Cole said. “And Zane would have to stay behind in case anything happened.”

Zane had shut his eyes, and a soft whirring came from his processor. “I have scanned over 200 online medical textbooks,” he declared a few seconds later. “I believe I can do it. But it will require an extensive surgery and Lloyd going under general anesthesia, and we still lack the necessary medical prescriptions.”

Jay’s blue eyes lit up with an idea. “We’ll head to the EVIL base and send Griffin, Paleman and Shade to get the medicine and meet back with us later. If they can’t convince a doctor to give it to them legally, they’ll be able to steal it.”

“Jay!” Cole frowned.

“What?” Jay shrugged. “Two wrongs make a right. And we’ll leave money too, if it makes you feel better.”

Cole facepalmed. “No, it does not.”

“Okay.” Kai was itching to go after Allura. “Let’s do this!”

Chapter Text

His dreams were violent. Forget Morro and Harumi. He relived that horrifying moment in the ruined courtyard of the Monastery over and over again. What could he have done differently? Had he even noticed when Allura started using Reality on him?

He stabbed Sensei a hundred thousand times. Only Sensei looked like Allura. Lloyd would feel a thrill of victory run through him every time. Until the veil was pulled away and he knew the truth.

Sometimes the dream morphed.

He was stabbing Zane. Cole. Kai. Chamille.

Over and over again.

He wanted to shut his eyes. But he was dreaming. How could he?

He’d read dozens of books and articles about lucid dreaming. He knew he was dreaming. He knew these sensations weren’t real. But how to stop it? His dreams were so real and so vivid he couldn’t pull himself out.

Someone slashed him on his right forearm. It felt like a prick, or maybe a bee sting. Was this how Chamille had felt when he’d slashed her? He took a closer look at his bleeding arm. The cut ran from his wrist to his elbow. White bone peeked through. He had a suspicious feeling all of this pain wasn’t supposed to be in a single spot.

Then he woke with a gasp.

Blinding white lights shone down on Lloyd. A faint whirring noise came from the left. A beeping from the right. Above, a bag of red liquid hung, a tube connecting it all the way to … his arm. Well, that explained the pain, at least. He examined the ugly purple-green bruise that had formed around the IV.

Chamille sat on a rolling stool next to Lloyd, her left hand in his. Upon his awakening, she froze, like a deer in headlights. Then dove for her own bed with hisses of pain.

“Chamille, wait!” She paused in between the stretchers.

He saw her flinch when he stretched a hand out towards her. She was scared. Of him. Her best friend.

With a screech of wheels on metal, she drew a blue curtain that hung from the ceiling between them.

Lloyd inhaled sharply - and nearly fainted again from the pain. He restricted himself to tiny, shallow breaths.

This was so unlike her. She was normally bold and fearless whereas he was more timid. She was often the one to drag him into various schemes. Pranking the Ninja, of course. Trying various flying tricks with Spinjitzu (and often crashing). Climbing races up trees. The list went on.

He let his face fall into his hands.

The door opened, and Zane stepped in with two cups of hot tea. He frowned at the curtain, as if trying to recall when he moved it. Zane drew the curtain back against the wall to reveal a sleeping Chamille, her mouth open as she snored softly.

Even though Lloyd knew she was feigning, she looked gentle. Peaceful, even. A far cry from the scowls and snarls she bore in waking life.

Zane handed him the tea. It smelled of herbs - probably one of Wu’s “natural” healing teas. Lloyd’s chest clenched at the thought of Wu. No. Don’t think of him.

He breathed in the moist scent of the tea - and nearly gagged from the smell. Lloyd sipped it anyway - his throat was dry, probably due to his own snoring. “The Bounty?” he asked, taking in his surroundings. Lloyd set the cup down on an overbed table by him.

“Yes.” Zane took a seat on the rolling stool Chamille had left unoccupied. Lloyd almost laughed at the sight. Zane made such a peculiar doctor, being extremely tall and completely made of titanium.

Lloyd shifted to glance at Chamille again. He winced at the sudden spike of pain. “How is she?”

Zane rose and went to the medical cabinet. He withdrew a small glass bottle, inserted a syringe, and depressed it into the IV. “Morphine.”

Realistically, Lloyd knew he needed the medication. But a small part of him declared that he didn’t deserve to be without pain. That he deserved to suffer for what he’d done.

Zane glanced back at Chamille. “She will be fine. Her wound was not as severe as yours. Allura … ” He trailed off. Allura had done as much damage as possible.

“Although.” Zane rose and lifted Chamille’s right hand. A white bandage obscured her entire hand, making it look more like a round mitt than a hand. Zane also pointed at her left hand, which was decorated with a tan Band-aid, and upper arm, which was wrapped in white gauze. “I think she was having nightmares too.”

Lloyd did not gasp this time. He knew full well what he had done. He was the source of those nightmares.

He gritted his teeth. Chamille had held his hand during his bad dreams. But where had he been for her?

He changed the subject. “Where are the others? We need to plan our next move.”

Zane’s face became even more serious, if that was possible. “We already made plans, Lloyd,” he said quietly. “We are going to the hospital in New Ninjago City.”

“What?” Lloyd sat straight up. Wow, this morphine was great stuff. “We can’t go!”

“I’m sorry, Lloyd. But your needs and Chamille’s needs outweigh any tactical advantage we possess over Allura.”

Ooh, good try, Zane. Try and utilize Lloyd’s obvious love for Chamille to manipulate him into going. “Nice try. But that won’t work. You just said her injuries aren’t as severe as mine.”

“They aren’t,” Zane said. “But they still require medical intervention. I was only able to halt the bleeding and disinfect your wounds. I didn’t try to perform any major procedures.”

Ok. Two could play at this game. “Use your logic, Zane. You’re like, a Nindroid. If anyone’s a great substitute doctor, it’s you. You stitched up Spinjitzu, right?”

“Yes. He’s resting on the main deck. Would you like me to go take a picture of him for you or something? I can’t very well fit him belowdecks.” Trying to distract him? Lloyd wasn’t going to fall for it. Although he did want to check on Spinjitzu eventually.

Lloyd grinned. “See? You’re great at this. I trust you.”

“No, Lloyd.”

Ok, so flattery didn’t work. Guilt, maybe?

“Zane, Allura killed Sensei Wu. We have to go after her. She has to be stopped. Who knows what else she’ll do? Who else she’ll hurt if we don’t stop her?”

“And we will. Later. She too will be incapaciated for a time.”

“Ugh!” Lloyd groaned.

Couldn’t Zane see? Didn’t he know how much Lloyd wanted this - how much he needed to see Sensei Wu’s killer brought to justice? Lloyd knew he could never rest easy again with Allura somewhere out there.

He briefly considered swearing an Inferna Copula against Allura, as Chamille had done with Pythor. That had backfired on her, though, as Pythor inconveniently died in the Monastery’s collapse.

No, Lloyd wasn’t stupid enough to do something like that. Although if he did, the Ninja would be forced to let him join. They would never give up and sentence him to the Netherworld.

“Okay.” He didn’t want to pull rank on the Ninja, but that’s what he’d do if he had to. “I’m a Master. With Wu gone, I’m in charge. And we’re going.”

Zane smiled. Lloyd’s confidence wavered. This was Zane’s “You just made a bad chess move and now I’m going to win even though we’ve literally played only three moves so far” smile.

“Sorry, Lloyd, but you said, and I quote, “If anything happens to me, Cole’s in charge. Something has happened. You were injured. Cole is now in charge. And we are a team. We make decisions together.”

Lloyd growled and swung his legs over the side of the cot, ready to get up and pin Zane to the wall. “We are not going to the hospital. End of story!”

Zane backed up real fast, making Lloyd briefly wonder if his eyes had changed to red again. “But Lloyd, I am not equipped to deal with injuries as severe as these. Even if I manage to repair the damage, there is no guarantee you will not succumb to infection days later.”

The floorboards by the door creaked, alerting them to Kai and Nya’s presence. Lloyd ignored them.

“I don’t care!” Lloyd rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Allura is injured. We have captured her second-in-command. She will obviously retreat to the EVIL base, and with our numbers advantage, we can raid it and win. The hospital is in the opposite direction of EVIL. We have to turn around!”

“We are not going to risk your health! If Allura retreats to the EVIL base, we can later surround it and do a prolonged siege to draw them out.”

No, no, no. He was not going to wait weeks to go after Allura. He needed justice, and he needed it now. Or his guilt was going to eat him inside out.

Chamille pretended to wake up. She moaned and stretched her arms in exaggerated motions that all of the Ninja, including Zane, bought. Lloyd had admiration for Darkley’s Boarding School for Bad Girl’s assassin curriculum all over again. Chamille still did not look at him. Instead, she laid back down, pulled the covers up to her shoulders, and pretended to go back to sleep.

Kai got in between Lloyd and Zane, placing a hand on both of their chests to push them away from each other. “Lloyd, think about this. Allura won’t risk going to a hospital. She’ll have subpar medical treatment, and if we go, you’ll heal stronger and faster than her.”

Lloyd was surprised Kai would take Zane’s side. Of all the Ninja, he’d thought Kai was guaranteed to want to go after Allura. Kai was all about revenge and hasty hothead moves.

“Yeah, and if we go, doctors are gonna ask questions. What are you teens doing here? How’d you get a wound like this? Where’s your legal guardian?” Lloyd ran his hands through his always messy hair. “And my mom’s gonna hate leaving her ‘super important meeting!’”

Not that Lloyd actually cared about disrupting her meetings. She had basically abandoned him at Darkley’s to go have those meetings and establish her career. He couldn’t think up enough excuses to make her stay. And not because he actually wanted her presence either.

“I believe Mrs. G would rather be bothered than have a dead son.” Zane stood straight, clasping his hands behind his back.

“Look, we don’t have a week to waste in the hospital! We have the advantage, and we need to press it. You saw what she did! The entire Monastery is destroyed! She took Borg Tower with all of its ‘advanced security protocols’ without breaking a sweat. If we delay, if we let her recuperate, we are going to pay in blood.” He slammed one fist into his palm to accentuate his point.

This was so not going well. When he was a kid, he’d been able to manipulate the Ninja with his wide-eyed, clueless expressions. Now, he was, as Jay put it, “the hot blond,” and the Ninja also knew him way too well.

Jay and Cole walked in, their expressions informing Lloyd they’d been listening and already knew the basic gist of the conversation.

Cole met everyone’s eyes, then motioned for the others to step out.

Lloyd frowned. “Hey, I thought we were a team!” he yelled at their retreating backs.

Yes, he was aware of how childish he sounded. He flopped back into his pillows with a groan.

The Ninja’s footsteps faded as they climbed the stairs to the upper deck.

“You can drop the pretenses, Chamille. I know you’re awake.”

Chamille slipped out of bed to grab the second mug of tea that Zane had neglected to give to her. She sipped the tea, then made a face.

Lloyd could relate. It had some gross green flakes floating around and tasted like hot lemons. “Hey,” he said, using his “calm dragon trainer” voice.

She stilled. He watched her throat move as she swallowed. She set the glass mug down with a ceramic thump on her own bedside table.

“Chamille.” His voice was low. “You have to know I’d never do something like that to you. It wasn’t me.”

She slowly turned. A tear made its way down her cheek, leaving a wet trail. “I know. But I … ” He mentally filled in the gap. Can’t trust you. You’re a monster. A murderer.

He slipped out of bed too and approached her, but was forced to stop before he could reach her. Unlike Chamille’s, his IV tubing was rather short.

She stumbled backwards. Her eyes searched his, as if she were trying to peer into his soul and determine if he was still himself.

Something blue glowed underneath her hospital gown. Her chest heaved and her eyes widened as she drew out a familiar crystal on a golden chain.

Lloyd trembled. His crystal. His powers. He recalled the warmth that had washed over him when he held that crystal in his palm. He licked his lips. “Why do you have that?” His voice came out more accusing than he’d wanted it to.

She hurriedly disentangled it from around her neck and held it out to him. “I only took it so I could keep it safe for you. Here, have it!”

Lloyd didn’t move. He was acutely aware of the energy coursing through him. His eyes must be glowing green. Lloyd focused on dimming the swirling power in him. He wasn’t going to unleash it on Chamille. Even if she did steal his crystal.

She threw the necklace at him. Lloyd lunged to catch it before it shattered on the ground. He set it on his bedside table next to the tea mug.

Her eyebrows drew together in surprise. As if she had expected him to lash out at her.

His emotions tugged at his heart. Lloyd wanted to comfort her. To assure her he was not the monster she thought he was.

He could never love her again, not after she’d manipulated him for years. But he knew he could never survive without her in his life.

Lloyd met her purple eyes. He inhaled, then let it all out in a rush. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” He didn’t try to put the blame on Allura. If he hadn’t been so obsessed with killing Allura, if he had only tried to incapacitate her, perhaps Sensei wouldn’t be dead. But it was his fault for fatally aiming and for plunging the dagger into the fake Allura.

She wiped away a tear, then slowly closed the distance between them and threw her arms around him. He stood still for a split second, then embraced her.

Both manipulated for evil. Both now reformed. Both broken and scarred in the same way, both mentally and physically.

They sank to the ground, their scars pressing against each other. Despite the pain, he held on.

Chamille’s sobs wracked her delicate body. He rested his head on hers. She flinched when he began stroking his hands through her purple locks. He shut his eyes.

She had done so much. Had risked her life in an attempt to assassinate Allura. Had tried to protect Sensei when she could have turned invisible and run away. And this was how he’d repaid her. With a knife.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered again.

She tensed beneath him, then rested her forehead on his shoulder and tightened her grip on his hand. A silent acceptance.

He didn’t know how long they stayed like that. When the door squeaked and the others walked in, he finally let go and crawled back into bed at Zane’s urging.

Zane informed him of his options. Allow Zane to perform a risky surgery, or head to the hospital. Of course he wanted to choose the first option. Except it involved anesthesia. Extended, forced sleeping. More nightmares.

Chamille met his eyes from across the room. He bit his lip, then nodded. “I’ll do it.”

With Chamille again at his side, nothing was impossible.

Chapter Text

Paleman and Shade were standing by the Bounty’s railing, ready to jump over and fly to Ninjago City. They had dressed in casual clothes: jeans, hoodies, and t-shirts, so that they seemed more normal. To Kai, there was no amount of accessories that could hide the grey pallor of Shade’s skin or the fact that Paleman’s head was eternally invisible. Most would think he was headless without his golden sunglasses and tan fedora.

Jay stood with them, giving detailed instructions and pointing animatedly at a miniature handheld whiteboard with “Drug Heist” as the title. Even though Jay wasn’t going, he had appointed himself the unofficial leader of the operation - the ‘Man in the Chair’, as he called it. Cole was happy to let Jay handle it, since he was heavily involved in using schematics from Zane’s falcon to plan a siege on EVIL.

Kai got to them just before they leapt off. “Jay!”

“What?” Jay looked annoyed. “You’re interrupting my heist!”

“I want to come.”

“Seriously, Kai? You’re the red ninja. You’re the opposite of stealth.”

“You’re not actually planning to steal it, are you?”

“Operation Drug Heist completely relies on it! And it’s not stealing, it’s borrowing with payment.” Jay triumphantly held up a bag of yen coins. “Think about it - no one is going to give - give -” Jay completely fumbled the name of the medicine Zane had asked them to get. It had about five syllables and letters in combinations Kai had never seen before.

Jay was still talking. “Whatever this is to a couple of teens!”

Kai held up three fingers. “One, that is the dumbest operation name ever. Two, it doesn’t require both of them. We only need Paleman. Sure, Shade is very useful, but he can only use shadows to travel to places he’s been before. Three, I’m going to go stir-crazy if I can’t come!”

Jay’s expression softened. When Jay had anxiety, he went to Nya or distracted himself with video games and comics. When Kai was feeling nuts, he spent his energy training or sparring with Lloyd. The other Ninja were good too, but since both Kai and Lloyd mainly used swords, it made more sense for them to train together.

“Fine, let me rework the plan.” Jay began to scribble wildly with a black dry-erase marker.

Cole walked up. “Hey, Kai. Jay. Paleman. Shade.” He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans and nodded at each of them in turn, then pulled Kai aside. “Hey, I need you to help me plan tactics. Zane’s busy, Nya’s busy, Lloyd’s out. Jay is …” He frowned as Jay groaned and bit the end of the marker in thought, leaving teeth marks in the plastic. “Jay’s being Jay.”

“Right.” Kai’s shoulders slumped. Cole must be desperate if he was going to ask Kai. Kai’s normal plan was to jump the enemies and yell, “Fire!” But to attack a massive metal stronghold constructed inside the mountains … that required a bit more thought than Kai was capable of.

“It’s just … I can’t handle it anymore.” Kai started to pace. “I’m no good at planning, and you know it, Cole. I need action!”

Cole looked as if he were deep in thought as he rubbed his chin. “There is one thing … ”

“The heist?!” Kai barely stopped himself from running belowdecks and donning his armor.

“No. Although you could tag along if you wanted.” Cole flipped his black shaggy hair out of his eyes. “We were supposed to meet Griffin and the kids at Crash Course Canyon, but we turned back around before we got there. Now that we’re planning an assault, it’s too dangerous for them to rejoin us. So I sent them to stay with Borg. But I was also thinking, Borg’s got some pretty cool gadgets over at Borg Tower. Can you convince him to send us some stuff for the attack? And press the fact that we just saved his butt two days ago when Allura attacked.”

Negotiating. Not what Kai had in mind. But the hospital and Borg Tower were both in Ninjago City, so he could feasibly do both.

“Alright!” Kai started to sprint off.

“Wait! There’s one more thing!” Cole waved for Kai to come back.

Kai halted and spun around.

Cole gestured for Kai to come closer. “The kids don’t know. About … Sensei. So, when you see them … I need you to break the news to them. You can decide whether you want to tell them the more … grisly details.”

“Oh.” Kai’s excitement wavered, but he knew that he, being the only older Ninja who wasn’t an only child, was probably the best person for the job. “You can trust me.”

Cole rested a hand on Kai’s shoulder. “Thanks, Kai. I knew I could count on you.” He turned and strode off, muttering something about trajectory angles and who was small enough to possibly fit into an air duct.

Kai grabbed his twin swords from his quarters, slung the sheath over his shoulders and tightened it, then rejoined Jay, Paleman, and Shade above.

Jay was spitting on the sleeve of his blue gi and then rubbing the fabric together. It appeared that Jay had tried to erase the marker with his sleeve but not thought about the marks it would leave. Jay growled and scrubbed harder.

“So.” Kai put his hands on his hips. “What’s the plan?”

Shade snickered in the background.

Jay paused and pulled three tiny earpieces from his pocket and a round pin with a picture of the Police Commissioner that said: “Vote for me!”

Jay tried to pin the metal badge on Kai, but Kai backed away. “I’m not wearing that!”

Jay gave Kai a look. “It’s not a voting badge, okay? It’s a disguised bodycam. So I can see what you’re doing and give you instructions.”

Meanwhile, Shade and Paleman slid the comms into their ears.

Kai relented. “Fine. But next time you build a bodycam, can you please make a better one?”

Jay giggled. “No. Trust me, nothing is better than something hidden in plain sight. It’s so common, no one will think twice.”

“Except for the fact that the Police Commissioner always wins because no one cares.”

Jay held up a finger. “Good point.”

______________________________________________________________________________________

The Ninjago City Hospital was a rather tall building (for a hospital) that was situated right in the middle of the city among other rather tall, but otherwise nondescript buildings.

Trees lined the wide concrete sidewalks, planted in built-in flowerbeds. People strolled along the sidewalk, most ignoring the whoosh of the hospital’s automatic glass doors.

An ambulance sat underneath the porte-cochere that stretched like an arm from the side of the hospital. A medical worker inside drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to the pounding beat of the music that blared from the rolled-down windows. Unfortunately for the Ninja, the hospital seemed slow today.

Kai stood by one of the trees with Paleman and Shade. His comm buzzed in his hand as Jay continued to scream. Jay was angry they hadn’t stopped at the cafe across the street to scope out the place before invading. They didn’t have time to make frivolous detours for ice cream, even if, despite the season being spring, the city was sweltering hot due to the fact that it was located smack in between the Badlands and the Sea of Sand.

“Ok. Here’s the plan.” Shade nudged Kai with his shoulder. “See that fire escape? We’ll climb up it. I’ll use my powers to get in, and then I’ll open the door for Paleman. You’re retrieval in case something goes wrong.”

“No.” Paleman shook his head. Or, his fedora and sunglasses moved back and forth. “An alarm will be triggered if we open that door. And we’re in the city. Someone is bound to see us.” To prove his point, two kids on bikes rolled out from the alley in which the fire escape was located.

“Maybe we’ll just have to send Shade in.” Kai didn’t much like that idea, as Shade couldn’t bend light and turn invisible like Paleman could.

Shade sat down on a wrought-iron bench that rested in the shade of one of the trees. “Let’s just ask Jay.” He put his comm back in his ear.

Kai reluctantly did the same.

“I hate you guys!” Jay screamed.

Kai rolled his eyes. “Chill, Jay. Just tell us what you want us to do.”

“Fine. But I’ll have you know, I will be restarting the prank war when this is all over. Now, Kai, turn around, slowly, so I can get an idea of what’s happening.”

Kai acquiesced.

“Ok, see the guy in the ambulance? He has no idea what’s happening. Set the ambulance on fire, Kai, and then sneak in through the ER doors.”

Kai’s eyebrows went up. “That’s property damage!”

“So? They’re emergency professionals. They’ll find a way to deal with it. Also, you do know that, with all of our Ninja work, a fan estimated that we’ve caused at least a billion dollars of property damage already. This won’t add that much to it.”

Shade rubbed his hands together. “Alright, let’s do it.”

Kai straightened his leather jacket and donned black sunglasses. Being the fire ninja, he was used to hot temperatures, but this leather was stifling. The three of them casually walked past the ambulance, then carefully circled back around.

Kai searched for a good part to set on fire. The whole vehicle was made of metal, and he didn’t want to throw a fireball inside the ambulance and risk hurting the guy. He’d just have to set the entire thing on fire. No problem; elemental fire burned hotter than most and could exist without fuel for longer than normal fire.

He mentally reached outside of himself, feeling the heat upon the parts of the ambulance that were touched by the sun. He called upon the heat, stoking it until flames burst up.

The guy inside screamed and nearly fell on his face as he climbed out. The music had changed to a heavy rock song that perfectly mirrored the hungry energy of the flames licking the outside of the vehicle. Smoke rose up from it as the blue and red lights of the ambulance flashed.

“Let’s go.” Paleman turned invisible, while Kai and Shade waited beside the doors for everyone to clear out of the ER. No one noticed them walking in, because everyone was now outside waving fire extinguishers.

Once they had gotten past the “staff only” doors, Kai paused. The shiny white tiles and tan walls stretched on, branching off into different hallways that all looked the same. “There’s no ‘you are here’ map. Where are we supposed to go?”

Jay said, “Straight ahead, then take a left. Use the staff elevator to go up two levels. Pharmacy’s with the labs.”

Upstairs, the hallways were empty, but the rooms were all busy. They passed a large waiting room with letters spelling “Lab” mounted above it. Various people in white coats rushed around behind the counter. One slid papers to a waiting resident underneath the glass screen that blocked the waiting room from the actual lab.

“Quick!” Jay hissed through the communicator. “Look like you belong!” Kai simply walked faster. Shade disappeared into a shadow, reappearing on the other side. Paleman was nowhere to be seen. Nobody glanced their way.

The hallway dead-ended up ahead, with one side of it opening into another waiting room labeled “Pharmacy.” Another counter and glass screen walled it off.

Kai halted in the middle of the hallway. “We can’t just walk up and ask them for it.”

“Here.” Paleman reappeared, pointing at a nondescript door.

He pulled on the handle, but the door wouldn’t budge. A scanner next to them beeped, asking them to scan their pass. Kai peeked through a tiny window in the door to see a hallway that presumably led behind the counter and into the medicine storage rooms.

Kai raised a fist. “Should I melt the lock?”

“Nah.” Shade disappeared into Kai’s shadow, then reappeared on the other side. He shoved on the metal bar, and the door clicked open.

Shouting and running footsteps drew their attention. Kai glanced around. Nowhere to hide. Luckily, the footsteps didn’t seem to be heading towards them.

They snuck down the hallway and into the main area behind the counter. Shelves full of medicines greeted them, and behind the shelves, doors leading to huge refrigerators lined the back wall.

There was also a black and orange tiger roaring and mauling a pharmacist. The rest screamed wildly or ran right past the Elemental Masters to escape.

Kai stepped into the open, pushed his shades up on his head, and unzipped his jacket, revealing his red gi underneath. He drew his swords. “What in Ninjago?”

“Help!” One pharmacist, a younger girl, flung her arms around Kai, barely avoiding the swords. When the tiger roared again, she screamed and then promptly ran out the door with the others.

Trixie, her raven hair pulled into a bun, was yanking on one of the big refrigerator doors. Another Immortal, with dark brown hair scraped into a high ponytail, was also trying to open a door.

“I got the tiger.” Shade pulled out two silver handles connected by a chain, like nunchucks. He flicked them, and blades extended from the ends. The tiger, who was standing over the last pharmacist, mouth bared and saliva dripping from its two-inch canines, snarled and let the terrified man go. The huge feline growled and lunged at Shade.

Meanwhile, Trixie ceased pulling on the door handle. She brought her hands together, muttered a quick spell, and then a click sounded. The door swung open effortlessly, and Trixie darted inside. “Zena, Carlos, hold them off!” She shut the door behind her.

Kai slammed into it a second too late. He tugged on the handle, but the door was stuck fast. Kai summoned fire in his palm, planning to melt the door’s locking mechanism.

Behind him, Paleman raised his arms. The fluorescent lights hummed as he drew from them, and then he shot a blinding beam of light at the ponytail girl, presumably Zena. She screamed and rubbed her eyes, as if she thought she could simply wipe away the effects of staring into light like the sun’s.

Kai halted. What was he doing? They were here to get medicine, not stop Allura’s associates from doing … whatever it was they were doing. Kai searched the shelves, or what was left of them.

The tiger was constantly shifting. Sometimes it was a hawk that darted about Shade’s head, sometimes it was a large phoenix that set itself on fire to light up the room and prevent Shade from disappearing into the shadows, and sometimes it was a raging storm of tiger teeth and claws.

Almost all of the shelves had been knocked over in the clash between the Animal Elemental and the Master of Shadows. Various medicines mixed in multicolored puddles with glass, and orange plastic bottles were everywhere Kai looked.

How could he find anything in this mess? Zane had said the medication was refrigerated. Was it perhaps by alphabetical order? Kai glanced down the corridor of refrigerators. Five. Which meant his target would be at the end.

A crash sounded from inside the fridge Trixie has entered. He peeked through the door’s small window. More scattered medicines were all over the floor, and there was a roughly carved gap leading from this fridge to another. Smashing noises and flashes of purple light came from there.

Kai rushed to the last door and summoned up all the heat he could. He drew from the lights, his own body heat, and as much of Paleman’s light as he could, but it was hard to summon a flame, what with how cold they kept this hospital and the fact that he was trying to melt a fridge.

Someone shoved Kai. He tried to rise, but found glass shards embedded in his palms from where he’d fallen. Paleman stood above him, a handgun in his hand pointed straight at Kai.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Paleman squeezed the trigger in response. Kai’s pulse roared in his ears along with the boom of the gun.

Ping! The bullet bounced off the metal door, then shot backwards into the glass wall that blocked off the waiting room. A crack spread like a spiderweb, and then all of the glass collapsed, leaving behind only a metal frame that had supported it.

Kai sat there, stunned, looking up at Paleman, who had dropped the gun and just stood there, shaking his head. “Did I almost …? ”

A choking sound drew their attention. Shade had the blades of his nunchuck-swords retracted, and he was strangling Zena with the chain connecting the silver handles.

Zena gagged, her hands feebly grasping the thick metal. “Surrender!”

The dots connected themselves for Kai. Zena must have been manipulating Paleman somehow.

Carlos groaned from underneath a huge shelf. He tried to pull himself out, but only succeeded in cutting his palms on the broken glass.

Kai rose and glanced at Shade. “Don’t hurt her.” Shade loosened the makeshift garrote enough for Zena to breathe, but kept it taut in case she tried any sudden moves.

Kai summoned up a blast of heat, and knocked off the molten lock with a kick. He shoved the door open with his shoulder.

A chilly but pristine room met his eyes. Trixie hadn’t reached it yet. A shiver ran through Kai as he shoved aside glass bottles and more orange containers, searching… searching.

X….Y….Z…. Yes! His hand grasped the elusive bottle. He grabbed three, shoving them into the pocket of his gi.

Crash!

To his left, the wall cracked and then crumbled, leaving a rounded arch for Trixie to saunter through like a model.

She snarled and summoned purple balls of fire in her hand. They wanted the medicine too, for Allura’s wounds. Kai picked up another bottle, feeling a desperate need to destroy them all. To stop Allura from getting what she wanted.

He mentally reached for heat. Sparks swirled around him as he called upon the strongest source he knew of: the sun that was beaming down on Ninjago City and roasting everyone inside alive.

Flames whooshed to life in an ever-consuming tornado of heat, swirling. It was so hot the glass bottles melted. Even the metal fridge shuddered, and then metallic droplets began to slide down its surface. The floor groaned and started to dip.

“Kai!” Jay screamed at him. Kai ripped the comm out of his ear.

“We have to get out!” He couldn’t even see Trixie anymore. The flames parted at his command to let him out of the flaming maelstrom.

Kai shoved his way past Shade and Paleman, jumped over the counter, and rushed down the hallway towards the elevator. They all ran, matching each other stride for stride and pant for pant.

Shade held out his hand to Kai. “The medicine! Give it to me!” Kai thrust all three containers into Shade’s arms. Paleman let out a moan of exertion as he dimmed the lights.

The firestorm crackled behind them, giving off red light like the lava in the Underworld did. Then everything was dark and they were running in a pitch-black hallway.

When the lights flickered back on, Shade was gone, back at the Bounty.

And Kai and Paleman were faced with a wall of fire that engulfed the elevators.

The entire building groaned as the steel foundation warped. Flakes of crumbling drywall fell from the ceiling, and the lights flickered and then went dark. There were no windows, but the emergency generator quickly stepped in. Red alarms on the walls blared in time to a piercing beeping.

Paleman grabbed Kai’s arm. “Look!” A white sign declared “Exit” with an arrow pointing the way. They followed the arrows until they reached the emergency staircase. Kai nudged it open with his shoulders, still careful of his bloody palms.

They were three stories above the street, and the building underneath them shuddered as the roaring fire devoured everything around them.

Surprisingly, people weren’t shoving their way past Kai to get to the bottom floor. The doctors and nurses must still be in the building, trying to save their patients. The patients … Kai’s vision wavered as he swayed - either from the heat or the guilt, he wasn’t sure.

“We’ll have to Airjitzu down!” he yelled at Paleman.

“I can’t Airjitzu!”

Kai wrapped an arm around Paleman’s waist. “Jump!”

A crimson bubble formed around them, and a mini tornado spun around the lower half of the sphere, supporting them and allowing them to float down gently.

As soon as their feet touched the concrete, Kai let go of Paleman. He looked back up at the swirling fire that consumed the entire third floor and was reaching for the flat roof and billboards on top.

“No!” Paleman was too slow - Kai darted out of his grasp.

“I have to. I’m the Fire Ninja. If anyone can survive, it’s me.”

Before Kai could Airjitzu back into the building, a strong hand clamped down on his shoulder. A deep robotic voice said, “Mr. Kai Smith identified. Please wait for action.”

A white Nindroid held Kai in an inflexible hold. Another Nindroid had Paleman. It held its hand to its ear as it received instructions from a comm. “Confirmed. Send in Squad 19.”

A group of around ten white Nindroids, black tanks on their backs and hoses in their hands, climbed up the fire escape and went into the building.

The first Nindroid let go of Kai. “Mr. Kai Smith, you are instructed to return with me to command.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you!”

Then Cyrus Borg rolled up in his wheelchair, looking perfectly like the put-together business man he was - gelled black hair, glasses, black turtleneck, and grey blazer. Griffin, Nelson, Koji, Bobby, Hunter, and Raven followed behind.

“Kai!” Bobby ran to him. “What’s happening? Did you do this?”

“Yes and no,” Kai hedged.

Borg waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it, Kai. My Nindroids have the situation under control. And this will give me an opportunity to test my new fire protection device in action. Now,” - he lowered his voice - “Can we get out of here before the cops show up?”

Borg discreetly directed them into a black stretch limo. First he rolled his wheelchair up a special ramp, and then everyone else seated themselves on the seats around him. The limo smelled faintly of smoke. Borg instructed the driver to turn the air conditioning up, and then he rolled up the black window so it was just them.

They sat in silence, the whooshing of the air the only noise, unless Kai counted the shriek of metal as a hospital floor collapsed. He cringed.

He’d summoned fires before and destroyed numerous things. Rockslides, burning houses, scorched trees. Part of being the Master of a particularly destructive element. But he’d never summoned a fire on such a large scale, nor burned down such a public building. He was sure the media was going to be all over it, just like they’d been all over Nya and Jay’s breakup, Lloyd’s possession, and Harumi’s betrayal of the Ninja.

Ugh, he was going to be in so much trouble. Kai turned to Borg. “Are they … ?”

“Yes. The new device - it’s a personal protection bubble that I am experimenting with. It’s the size of a pen - you carry it around with you, and when you need it, it summons up a plasma shield that deflects almost anything. Inspired by Lloyd’s elemental shield. Although,” - Borg frowned - “the problem is, it requires an extremely powerful energy source. Right now I’m using plutonium, but it’s radioactive and not very cost-effective.”

“Where are we going?” Paleman fidgeted.

“My personal home, of course. I put Cryptor 2.0 in charge of the Tower while I was gone. I really need to build myself a new Primary Interactive X-ternal Assistant Life-Form though.”

Kai leaned back against the cool leather cushions, fighting the urge to wipe his bloody hands on his gi. The cuts stung like crazy, and he felt as if the shards were sinking deeper into his palms every minute.

“Lemon-lime seltzer, anyone?” Borg poured himself a glass from the mini-fridge.

Kai and Paleman politely declined, but Bobby, Nelson, and Koji were all excited to sample all of the candy in the limo. Raven played games on her phone while Hunter stared out the window.

They rolled along in more silence. Kai knew he needed to ask Borg about siege gadgets for Cole, but now Borg had saved his butt and protected him from law enforcement. Also, Borg was keeping the kids.

Griffin punctuated the silence, asking about the outcome of the battle at the Monastery. Kai didn’t have the emotional energy needed, so he said they’d succeeded in driving Allura away. Then he mouthed at Griffin, “More later.”

Chapter Text

Dinner at Borg’s house was a depressing affair.

Borg lived alone and had no kids, but he had lots of robots - a personal chef, a maid, a chauffeur, and more. His house was very modern and clean-looking with lots of glass, which only gave Kai more anxiety in case he messed anything up. He had resolved not to touch anything.

The kids, however, had no such reservations. Borg encouraged curiosity, as he said that was what made inventors. He had provided them with all sorts of fun entertainment - none of which involved tv or video games, surprisingly.

Kai picked at the roasted chicken and green beans on his plate. His palms had been cleaned and thickly bandaged.

He’d already talked to Borg about the favor, and Borg had readily agreed to assist the Ninja in the siege by sending some incendiary weapons and a battalion of Nindroids. However, Kai had yet to discuss with Griffin and the kids Sensei Wu’s fate, and every time he thought about broaching the subject, his stomach churned. Hence his inability to eat anything.

Grr. Better bite the bullet and get it over with. “Hey, guys. Kids. I, um, I wanted to tell you more about what happened at the Monastery.”

“Yeah?” Bobby sawed madly at his chicken with his knife. He gave up and started tearing it apart with his hands.

“It didn’t go that well. You guys saw the army of Serpentine, and it was just me, Lloyd, Sensei, Chamille, and the monks against that entire battalion.”

“Okay.” Nelson had eaten all of his chicken. “Do I have to eat the green beans?”

“Yes.” Kai sighed. He reached for the salt shaker and sprinkled it on Nelson’s vegetables. “Here. Now try them.”

Nelson groaned, but ate them anyway.

“Anyway, it was a really bad fight. We were totally outmatched. And some people got injured.”

Koji’s eyes widened. “Who?”

“Both Lloyd and Chamille.”

“Whoa!” Nelson swallowed. “Lloyd? But he’s like the most powerful ninja! How’d that happen?”

Kai chewed on some chicken. It was actually pretty good - not dry at all like he’d imagined. “Allura was too powerful. We barely stopped her from defeating us. It’s a good thing you guys weren’t there.”

“I still could’ve helped,” Raven mumbled.

“And … ” Kai steeled himself and met everyone’s eyes. “Some people didn’t make it out alive.”

Koji stopped fidgeting. Hunter looked up for once. Raven stopped texting.

“Who?” Raven’s voice was hard.

“Sensei.” Kai let out a breath.

All of the kids stared at him with blank eyes.

Nelson spoke first. “Who’s going to take care of us?”

That was a great question that Kai didn’t have an answer to. Sensei Wu had officially adopted these children, planning to raise them as good elemental masters, instead of allowing them to grow up as hardened orphans possessing immense power. But with him dead, who was their legal guardian? Misako?

“I don’t know,” said Kai finally.

“Where are we going to live?” Raven twirled her fork on her plate, making an annoying scraping noise. “The postman was on the news saying the Monastery’s destroyed.”

“Right now, with Borg, until we figure out a new situation.”

“Who did it? Was it Allura? Or that Jasper guy?” Hunter’s quiet voice trembled with anger. Not burning rage like Kai possessed, but a steady, simmering anger. Dangerous anger.

Kai sipped from his glass of water to alleviate his dry throat. This was the part he’d dreaded telling them the most. “Lloyd.”

“What?” That was Hunter.

“That’s impossible!” Koji.

“I thought it was Chamille.” Bobby.

“Is he evil?” That was Nelson.

Crack! Everyone’s eyes went straight to the dinner knife that quivered in the table. Raven’s chair scraped the wooden floor as she rose and stalked away.

Borg crossed his arms, not at all pleased with her ruining his fine dining table.

“No, he’s not evil or insane. Allura was controlling him somehow.” Or Lloyd had simply snapped when Allura went after Chamille, a thought Kai refused to entertain. “Regardless, Sensei is gone. But we can’t quit now or give up. Sensei always told us that Ninja never quit, and we’re not going to quit just because he’s no longer with us.” Kai slammed a palm down onto the table. He winced, having forgotten the bandages. “We have to honor his memory. We’re going to fight, and we are going to defeat Allura. She will face justice.”

The children nodded, trying to be mature for once. But Kai would never forget the way the three younger kids had all curled up with him in bed and cried themselves to sleep that night.

________________________________________________________________________________

The next morning, as Kai, Griffin, and Paleman prepared to head back to the Bounty, they were waylaid by the media.

Three news vans had traversed the steep coastal road up to Borg’s house, and dozens of people holding microphones, flashing cameras, and rolling camcorders swarmed the perfect green lawn.

Kai, who was standing by the front windows, groaned as they peeked in.

“Kai! Over here!”

“I’m sorry, Kai.” Borg pressed a button on a handheld remote. The blinds shuttered closed, and then black curtains swooped shut. “I had thought the children would be safe here, but perhaps I should take them with me to the Tower. I have much better security there.”

“Eh, it’s fine.” Kai shrugged his shoulders. “They’ll probably enjoy the Tower. Might even inspire you.”

Hunter and Raven were nowhere to be seen, but the three younger children were seated at the table, drizzling tons of syrup and whipped cream onto their pancakes. The dining room windows were clear floor-to-ceiling glass that gave a fantastic view of the marble eternity pool and the ocean in the backyard. Luckily, none of the paparazzi had tried to climb the fence into the backyard. Yet.

Bobby, Nelson, and Koji giggled as they ran over to part the curtains and peer out at the reporters.

“Wow,” Nelson said. “I feel really famous. Is this what it’s like to be you, Kai?”

As one of the flashier ninja, and the one who was also most comfortable in the spotlight, Kai often hogged screentime and interviews to divert attention from the shyer ninja. Kai grinned. “Yep. This is what it’s all about - hiding in your home while the media tries to take embarrassing photos of you.”

Paleman and Griffin stomped downstairs. Griffin grabbed a piece of bread from the breadbox, toasted it, and spread jelly and butter on it. “We about ready to go?”

“Yeah.” Kai set a baseball cap on his head and pocketed his hands in his red hoodie. “We’ll fly out on our dragons, meet up with the Bounty this afternoon.”

He hadn’t heard anything from the other Ninja (besides Jay) since yesterday morning. Hopefully, Lloyd’s surgery had gone well, and Cole had gotten all of the components for his plan set into place. Borg had sent his Nindroids and the siege weapons ahead in a hovercopter transport, and if Kai, Griffin, and Paleman made good time and the siege went well, they’d be arriving just in time to see EVIL fall.

Kai, however, had bigger plans. While a hospital heist had been just the thing he’d needed, after returning to Borg’s, he’d tossed and turned all night worrying about Lloyd and the grudge Jay was holding against him for abandoning his comm.

First order of business: check on Lloyd and hopefully placate Jay so Kai wouldn't wake up again at two a.m. to find himself on a lifeboat at sea. Kai shuddered. Not fun times.

“Well, Borg.” Kai turned to Borg, who had positioned his wheelchair at the head of the table and was cutting into his waffles with a fork and knife. “Thank you for the hospitality, and for keeping the kids. We’ll try to hurry up and be back as soon as possible to get them.”

“Take your time!” Nelson said.

“Of course.” Borg smiled. “They’re no trouble at all.”

Kai grimaced. “Try telling yourself that a few hours later.”

Kai unlocked the front door. People screamed as camera flashes began to go off. Ugh. He did not have the patience to deal with these people today. “We’ll have to make a run for it,” he yelled at Griffin and Paleman. “Ready? Set. Go!”

They stepped into the chaos.

“Kai! Griffin! Paleman!”

Kai shoved his way through the sea of microphones, elbowing people left and right. “Hi. Sorry. No. We are not doing interviews right now - we have an emergency to attend to. Now, if everyone would please back up so I can summon a large, fire-breathing dragon, that would be very nice, thank you.”

Nobody backed up. In fact, they just pressed in closer. At least three pushed microphones into Kai’s face.

“Is it true you were at the hospital just before the fire broke out?”

“Can you elaborate on your feelings to being charged with arson?”

“Did you know that you caused at least 100 million dollars of property damage by burning down the hospital?”

Kai beckoned them back. “Whoa, what?”

Had the entire hospital really burned down? He’d been so busy with the kids he hadn’t had time to listen to the news.

The air started to grow steadily hotter and more stifling.

"Kai, no, let's just keep going," Griffin said, sensing Kai’s anxiety. "These reporters don't deserve our attention."

A blonde woman clicked the end of her pen, ready to jot notes down onto her notepad. “Were you really at the hospital just before the fire? A fangirl of yours, Brooke, said she saw you in the pharmaceutical area just before the fire. Is this true? And can you confirm whether or not you had anything to do with the fire?”

“Um.” Kai swallowed and spoke in an even tone, although he felt like he was standing on a precipice looking down into a deep abyss instead. “I can neither confirm nor deny those claims.”

Another journalist, this one a balding man, raised his hand. “What’s with the monks? Several were found missing and later proclaimed dead by the Ninjago City coroner. Did you have a battle at the Monastery with a villain? Or is there something more sinister going on?”

Kai was shocked. Was he implying the Ninja were serial killers?

Kai growled, but Griffin utilized Speed and jumped in front of Kai. He pressed a finger into the man’s chest and put his nose in the man’s face. “Excuse me, what sort of question is that? Do you really think the Ninja would do something like that? These monks dedicated their lives to serving Wu and protecting the Monastery. They were trained martial arts specialists who willingly chose to lay down their lives when we fought Allura. Show them some respect!”

The reporter frowned but looked properly ashamed for suggesting such a thing.

Paleman shoved both Kai and Griffin. "Guys ... let's go!"

Sweat beads rolled down the faces of the media people, but they just kept shouting questions.

“Can you explain exactly what Tommy, a monk at the Monastery of Spinjitzu, meant when he said the Green Ninja went rogue and severely injured Sensei Wu?”

Paleman said, “The Green Ninja did not go ‘rogue’. That was the villainess, Allura. She can manipulate Reality and create illusions. Anything others saw or claim to have seen is completely taken out of context.”

“Okay, so you confirm there was a villain,” said a man. “But can you explain why, after Allura left, at least three monks confirmed that Wu’s body was still present, with Lloyd’s sword in him?”

Kai grabbed the lapels of the man's jacket, hissing through his teeth. "Lloyd’s not a murderer!”

“Help!” the man screamed.

Paleman pulled Kai back, but it was too late. Smoke rose from the scorch marks on the man's clothing. The man scowled and brushed at the black ash flaking off his shirt.

Nobody paid much attention to him; instead, they kept firing questions at Griffin, Paleman, and Kai.

A lady thrust a microphone at Kai, almost smacking him in the chin. “Are you aware that Chamille Cameron, an Elemental in your possession, is wanted for numerous charges of theft, murder, and impersonation?”

Whoa. Kai actually did not know that. Kai and Griffin both started to speak, their voices overlapping, but Paleman raised his voice and stepped into the mic.

“Lord Garmadon was released from Kryptarium to help us with the Oni invasion. This is a very similar situation.”

“Lord Garmadon is now on the loose,” said a reporter. “After abandoning Ninjago for a week, letting him trash Ninjago City, and after him almost killing his own son, you allowed him to go free? Will you be letting yet another criminal go free just because they helped you solve a problem?”

The crowd buzzed as people pushed their way forward to hear the Elementals’ answer.

Kai glared. "No, of course not! We're aware that Chamille has a dark past, and we'll be making a decision on her fate after we deal with Allura.”

Paleman grabbed both Kai and Griffin's arms, slowly nudging his way through the crowd. “Now.” He nodded at the group of reporters. “If you’ll excuse us, we really have to get going.”

"What makes you think you're more qualified to judge Chamille than our law system?"

Despite Paleman's tight grip, Kai managed to twist around and spit out, "I don't know, maybe because we're Elemental Masters appointed by the First Spinjitzu Master and 'cause we've saved the city like, a dozen times!"

"Are you implying power makes wisdom?" said a woman with a camcorder in her hand.

"Of course not!" Paleman exclaimed, letting go of Kai and Griffin.

"Your reasoning makes no sense. Explain.”

“He burned down the hospital,” a young man with sharp cheekbones and jagged dark hair said. “Of course they think they have the right to judge. These self-proclaimed heroes, these Elementals who save us again and again, are the people who create the problems in the first place. They think that because they’re elementals, they’re above us. They set themselves up as gods.”

“No one wants to hear your bogus ideas, Erik! Harumi set Emperor Garmadon free, not the Ninja!” A short brunette with a pixie cut slapped Erik on the shoulder.

Erik shrugged her off and stomped a foot on the cobblestone driveway. “If not for them, Harumi wouldn’t have become a villain. The Green Ninja released the Serpentine and started the whole chain of events. Morro, the former ‘Green Ninja’, almost cursed Ninjago. The Time Twins tried to set themselves up as kings. Emperor Garmadon used Destruction on Ninjago City. You think Elementals don’t think they’re better than us? Think again. You’re not our heroes - you’re our oppressors!”

“If it weren’t for us, Emperor Garmadon would never have been brought down!” Kai said.

“And Emperor Garmadon was an Elemental!” Erik shoved Kai, knocking his cap off. “Admit it, Elementals are nothing but trouble! They need to be restrained!”

Kai lost it. His emotions churned like a windstorm, stoking the air around him until it burst into a circular wall of fire around him, Griffin, and Paleman. People outside screamed, but Kai didn’t care. He lifted his arms and let the comforting heat swirl around him in blazing glory.

Griffin latched onto his arm. “Kai!” He hissed out a curse and blew on his hands. Blisters formed on his palms.

Kai flinched at Griffin’s cry of pain. The firestorm slowly abated, calming until the last licks of fire winked out.

“See!” Erik was the first to rise from the cowering group of people. Cameras, mics, and clipboards had been burned or discarded in the panic. Erik pointed a finger at Kai. “He proves my point!”

“Well, look at the time!” Griffin waved a hand, and a gigantic maroon and white Elemental dragon appeared. “Catch ya later!”

Griffin draped an arm around Kai’s waist, and dragged Kai onto his dragon.

No one protested as Kai, Griffin, and Paleman soared away.

Chapter Text

The Bounty hovered in the sky, casting a huge shadow on the mountain like that of a predatory bird soaring above. Colorful elemental dragons circled around it as people came and went from the ship. The ocean roared beneath, dashing its waves violently against the jagged rocks that embellished the base of the Aquiline Mountains.

It was a beautiful sight, with the late morning sun streaming through the mountains and the waves crashing below.

But all Kai could think about was what had happened at Borg’s house. Maybe Erik was right. Maybe Elementals were nothing but trouble.

If they were restricted, maybe there wouldn’t have been an accident at the hospital. Maybe if all Elemental Masters were identified and catalogued, they would know the true identities of the Immortals. Maybe Allura wouldn’t have been able to gather such a group and she wouldn’t have controlled Lloyd. Maybe Sensei would still be alive. Maybe …

Kai cut himself off from his rapidly spiraling thoughts. No use thinking about the past. As Sensei always said: “The past is the past, and the future is the future. We can only worry about today.”

A green dragon approached them, with Bolobo, Master of Nature, atop it. At first, Bolobo’s shaggy brown hair, bushy beard, olive green tunic, and leather armor had made Kai peg him as a looney forest hermit. Bolobo’s cryptic ways and insistence on living alone had only solidified Kai’s prejudice.

“Hey!” Kai cupped his hands to shout at Bolobo.

“How is the siege going?” Griffin yelled. “Do they need any help?”

Bolobo threw back his head and laughed. “What siege?” He saluted, then veered off, leaving them to approach the Bounty by themselves.

Griffin and Paleman made eye contact with Kai. Kai shrugged and circled his index finger for the ‘crazy’ sign. The three thumped down on the Bounty’s deck, which was piled high with computers, weapons, jars of snake venom, and even a few filing cabinets. Spinjitzu’s golden form was curled up near the prow, barely discernible among the towering stacks of stuff.

Zane waved from behind a clipboard. “Kai, I’m glad you’re back.” He picked up a jar, scanned it, and then notated it on his paper.

Kai picked up a spear from a barrel of assorted weapons. “What’s all this? Stuff from the siege?”

Zane let out a laugh. “There wasn’t one.”

Griffin examined the same jar Zane had just scanned. “Bolobo said that too. What do you mean by it?”

Zane stopped writing. “Skylor was able to enter just fine. However, when she went to open the gates, there was literally no one there. There was no resistance at all. The base had been abandoned. We even sent Neuro to check for minds to see if anyone was hidden. If so, they are hidden behind a wall of Vengestone, because we did not find anybody. Currently, we are collecting all of their equipment and categorizing it.” Zane gestured at the files and computers. “We are hoping we can get some idea of their plans from here. The issue is, most of these objects are either useless or destroyed.” He opened a filing cabinet, revealing that all of the papers inside were tiny shreds like coconut flakes.

Kai frowned. “Why would they just abandon their base? It makes no sense.”

Paleman was weighing a gun in his hands and miming drawing and shooting it. “Can we keep this stuff?”

Zane glanced at the handgun. “Sure.”

“So, can we go down into the base?” Griffin asked. “I want to do some investigating of my own.”

“Me too,” Paleman said.

“Of course,” said Zane. “Cole is down there - he’ll probably have you lug some stuff up here like everyone else is doing.”

“That’s okay, guys,” Kai said. “I’ll stay here. I wanna check on Lloyd.”

Griffin shrugged. “Your loss. Catch ya later.” He and Paleman leaped over the side.

Kai descended down into the ship, heading straight for the medical room. The door was cracked open, and it was dark inside.

Kai poked his head inside. “Hello?”

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Kai jumped at Jay’s voice. Jay’s arms were crossed over his blue gi, his ginger hair sticking up every which way, thanks to his five cowlicks.

Kai frowned at Jay. “What do you think I’m doing?” He opened the door further.

“Nuh - uh.” Jay’s fingers wrapped around Kai’s wrist with a grip like alligator jaws. “Not so fast. We need to talk.”

“About what, Jay?” Kai shook Jay off, crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. “Look, I’m sorry about abandoning my comm. Things heated up quickly, and I mean that literally.”

“No, not that!” Jay waved a hand as if he were dispelling an unpleasant smell. “I mean about what you did in your press conference!” Jay pulled out his phone, went to Chirp, and showed Kai a clip. Kai watched silently as he ‘assaulted’ a man and summoned a blazing wall of fire.

Jay’s sky blue eyes zeroed in on Kai. “You’re being accused of assault and of abusing your elemental powers. Not to mention that the police are now doing an investigation into what exactly happened to the monks, and Lloyd is now being accused of murdering Sensei Wu!”

“Abusing powers? Since when was that officially a crime? And who decides when it’s an abuse?”

“Since the mayor passed an emergency bill - the ERA - Elemental Registration Act. Requires all Elementals to be registered, and sign or agree to be stripped of their powers. If you sign, you’re registered, you’re monitored by a select council, and you have to follow certain regulations as stated in the Act. Apparently, thanks to Eric and your actions, we are now considered ‘dangerous!’”

Kai inhaled slowly and deeply, just as Sensei had taught him, before responding. “Look, Jay. That happened, like four hours ago. No one can pass a bill that quickly. It’s probably been in the works for a while.”

“Yes, but you triggered it!”

“Well.” Kai pocketed his hands. “We kind of are dangerous.”

“We save Ninjago, Kai!” Jay gestured wildly, throwing his arms up into the air. “We’re not like Morro, or Chen, or Allura! We don’t use elemental power for evil - we use it to save others!”

“And how often have we also used that power to do wrong?” Kai straightened, advancing so that Jay was forced to look up at him. “Off the top of my head: we tried to steal the Scroll of Airjitzu, we freed Garmadon, a known Elemental criminal, and we trashed the museum and the Explorer’s Club. I think it’s good to have boundaries.”

“Look, the police are literally requesting us to come in and be detained so we can explain the situation to them and be put on trial for Wu and the monks. Do you seriously think we have time for that? Allura is still on the loose - and I do not want to be detained for six weeks to a year when she’s out there! Let me answer for you - NO!”

“Right, bu - ”

“Exactly!” Jay’s lips thinned. He stabbed an index finger into Kai’s collarbone, sending tiny electric shocks through Kai. The sheer amount of energy wafting off Jay caused his hair to stick up like a porcupine’s quills. “Why are you so in support of this, anyway? You love exploding stuff with Bobby and breaking rules.”

“Because, Jay!” Kai tamped down on the tiny orange sparks that rose from his body. He lowered his voice, biting out each word. “I burned down a hospital and potentially harmed a ton of people. If Borg hadn’t been there with his new invention … ” Kai ran his hands through his hair, smearing hair gel all over his palms. He wiped them on his gi. “Elementals are dangerous. I may not agree with all of the restrictions, but they do need guidelines.”

Jay’s eyebrows furrowed. “Look, your personal guilt doesn’t matter right now. We’re certainly not going to stop and wait for a jury to decide if we’re guilty or not. Even if they’re currently heading out to arrest us at this moment. We’re going to go down to EVIL and find something that helps us figure out where Allura is. Got it?”

“Doesn’t matter?” Kai quirked an eyebrow. “I think your Yang would have a different opinion, considering I’m her brother.”

“Don’t you dare bring Nya into this!” Jay raised a hand, electric sparks flying. Luckily, he thought better before punching Kai.

“Whatever.” Kai turned to enter Lloyd’s room. “You’re right, we won’t let the ERA stop us from operating as we always have. But after Allura, I am definitely signing.”

“No!” Jay grabbed Kai’s arm, holding on like a pre-k child desperate to stop his parent from leaving. “We don’t have time for that! We have to figure out where Allura’s gone!”

“I haven’t seen Lloyd since yesterday morning!” Kai struggled to get Jay off him. “Could you cut me some slack?”

“The police are after us!” Jay shrieked. “They’ve got some nasty weapons at their disposal - they have grappling hooks to bring down the Bounty! And if we don’t figure out where Allura is soon so we can make a run for it, they’ll be too close behind! And then they'll send Ronin after us, and even though we’re incognito they’re going to capture us anyway! They’ll put us in prison, and the Mechanic will try to dismantle Zane for parts, but Lloyd will use his lock-picking skills and a fork to get us out. We’ll use the sewers to escape. But they’ll still be after us! And then - ”

“Jay!” Kai shoved Jay away. “That is oddly specific. And we’ll figure out where Allura is with plenty of time to spare.”

Jay made the ‘I’m watching you’ gesture. “Three minutes.”

“Five.”

“Two.”

“Four.”

“Fine.” Jay turned and stalked off. “Meet us down in EVIL in five.”

Inside, the only light came from Chamille’s cell phone and the TV that someone had moved in. On the screen, Captain Jack Sparrow ran madly back and forth across the Black Pearl, making weird noises and shouting, “What’s that?”

Chamille held up a hand and put down her phone. “Shh. This is the best part.” She shoveled popcorn into her mouth, then glanced at Lloyd. Lloyd had curled up with the blanket drawn up to his neck, and his mouth was slightly open as he snored faintly.

Chamille grabbed a handful of popcorn and threw it at him.

“What are you doing?” Kai fisted his hands on his hips.

Chamille ignored him. She slipped her dragon ring off her finger, and shut one eye as she aimed it at Lloyd.

“Hey! Stop that!” Kai leaped in front of Lloyd to block him from the metal projectile. “Ow!”

Kai glared at Chamille, picked up the ring, and set it on Lloyd’s table next to a half-empty mug of coffee, far away from Chamille.

Chamille paused the movie. “Wake him up.”

“Why?” Although Kai wanted to have a talk with Lloyd, he wasn’t about to risk Lloyd’s health. “Is he not okay? Aren’t people supposed to sleep so they can heal faster?”

“Hmm.” Chamille tapped her nose in thought. “Does okay mean ‘I’m-absolutely-exhausted-but-can’t-go-to-sleep-for-fear-of-nightmares?’ Then yes, he’s perfectly okay.”

Kai pulled up the rolling doctor’s chair, wincing at the wheels’ loud rattle. “I still think we should leave him. Don’t wake sleeping dragons, ya know? And he’s part dragon.”

Chamille crossed her arms over her Fall Out Boy t-shirt. Kai vaguely remembered seeing Lloyd in that last weekend. “He hasn’t slept since the surgery. He’s been drinking hot-chocolate coffee ever since. We played Trivia Crack. Chess. We argued over Game of Thrones theories.. Now we’re on a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon. He made it very clear he doesn’t want to sleep again, and he asked me to help him. So wake him up.” She flapped a delicate hand at Kai.

“Um. That’s literally impossible. No one can go without sleep forever.”

“Who am I to judge?” Chamille shrugged her slender shoulders. “I’m just trying to be a good friend.”

Kai rose to stand over Lloyd. He looked so peaceful …

Lloyd’s hand moved to finger the crystal pendant around his neck. The crystal that held Sensei’s powers.

Kai’s eyes widened. He reached out to touch it. Sensei was the son of the First Spinjitzu Master and one of the most powerful elementals in the history of Ninjago. And this crystal had stolen his powers and, thanks to the Chronosteel, could steal countless other elements.

Kai slid the chain around until he could reach the clasp. Then he unfastened it and slipped the crystal into his pocket.

“What are you doing?” There was a thud as Chamille knocked her popcorn bowl over in an attempt to rise.

“None of your business.” Kai stepped back. “Tell him I stopped by.”

He darted out, ignoring Chamille’s protests and dodging the various cords that were strung all over the floor.

That crystal was seriously freaking Kai out. First Chamille had pulled it out of who-knows-where, and now Lloyd was obsessively wearing it to bed. Not to mention that it gave Kai vivid memories of Chen’s staff, which had held so much power it had given Kai visions of a violent future with Kai as a conqueror.

To have the power to take someone’s element … not something Kai wanted. He drew it from his pocket. The yellow light of the Bounty’s lights caught the facets, sparkling and making the clear crystal appear as a lemon yellow.

Oh, why had he taken this? He should put it back. How many minutes had passed? Kai scanned the empty hallways, then sprinted to his room. He shoved open the drawer under his bunk and dug around until he found a lacquered cherry-wood box. Inside were letters, a pair of sunglasses, and a dagger with golden flames and Kai’s name engraved on the handle. Kai stashed the crystal in the box, replaced it underneath his bed, and then dashed up to the deck.

The entire Ninja team was there, along with all of the Elemental Masters. Cole was filling them in on the situation.

“Look, guys, there’s no way around it. We’re all being put on trial for the events at the Monastery, and we don’t have the time. We’re going to run.”

Jay eyed Kai. “Late,” he mouthed.

Zane’s gaze darted between them. “By only 2.2 seconds,” he whispered.

Cole impressed on everyone the dire need to search the fortress and find something useful within the next few hours. Without a plan, they would have to retreat farther into the Aquiline Mountains and eventually into the Spine, where the police chasers and helicopters couldn’t venture due to the capricious mountain winds. The Nindroids sent by Borg, having no siege to help with, had departed earlier at Cole’s orders.

After splitting into teams of two, the group descended to the EVIL base by dragon. Kai partnered with Skylor, of course.

From above, no one would ever guess there was an evil fortress ensconced in the Aquiline Mountains. A small, unsuspecting cave wound its way into one of the mountains, ending abruptly about 30 feet in with two large steel doors. Skylor, lacking the password, appeared to have used the element of Metal to bend them out of shape so people could enter.

The foyer was huge - almost the size of a gymnasium, and made completely of metal. Hallways branched off the main area, labeled things like “Tech”, “Lab”, “Dorms”, and more. A cafeteria with tables, chairs, and a metal screen pulled over the kitchen window was set apart by a waist-high decorative fence. A fountain in the center of the room boasted larger-than-life gold statues of Pythor, Cryptor, and Morro.

But the place was a wreck. Kai inhaled the familiar smell of ash.

Scorch marks and soot marred the walls, which were painted in a blue, white, and grey circuit-board pattern. The cafeteria’s tables and chairs were overturned, with some of the legs broken off. The letters labeling the hallways were falling off. The statues were the only thing left untouched.

A chill from being underground bit at Kai as he and Skylor sidestepped a Serpentine’s shed skin. Kai wrinkled his nose. Gross.

“Yo, everyone!” Cole raised his voice. “Try to mentally map the place as much as possible, and if you find anything, just use your phone to call me. Pix says the metal walls shouldn’t interfere too much - it’s trying to communicate with people outside EVIL that’s the problem.”

People gave Cole thumbs up and various signals, then started splitting up.

As soon as Cole and Jay had departed down one of the halls, Skylor let out a huge sigh.

“What?” Kai said.

Skylor used a scrunchie on her wrist to draw her red hair up into a high ponytail, accentuating her freckled, pale cheekbones. “It’s just that we’ve already been searching for hours and we haven’t found anything. Everything’s trashed. I’m starting to think there’s nothing to find.”

Kai shot her a grin. “No, but now you have me.”

Skylor punched in the shoulder. “Dork.”

A couple of hours later, Kai was ready to agree with her. “There’s absolutely nothing!” He threw his hands up in despair.

Skylor paused from digging in piles of shredded paper that reached up to their knees, coating the smashed bed frame and the dirty clothes scattered on the floor. “Told ya,” she said.

A loud clanking noise caused Kai to jump. “What’s that?” He summoned a flame.

Skylor quirked an eyebrow, her full lips curving into a smile. “You mean the air conditioner?” To prove her theory, the air whooshed, scooting some of the balled-up paper across the floor.

Kai blushed. “Oh.” He let the flame dissipate. “When are we supposed to meet back up?” Kai slid his phone from his pocket. 2 pm.

Skylor shrugged. “Dunno. Let’s check out another room.” She buried her arm in the paper and swept her arm through it. “Nothing - ah what’s that?!” She leapt up, a flame in her palm.

Kai rushed over. “It’s a … weasel?”

The creature had short legs, a long, flexible spine, and tiny beady eyes. But instead of having brown and white fur, the creature was entirely covered in a matte black material, almost like carbon fiber.

“Squeak!” It eyed them. They stared back.

It tilted its head, nose twitching. “Eeek!” It darted towards the wall, ascended it like a gecko, crossed the ceiling, and then slithered into the air vent.

“Hey!” Kai jumped onto a wooden chair, peering up into the shadows of the vent. “Where’d it go?”

Its chitters echoed down at Kai. Metal clanged as its feet scrabbled for purchase. It sounded as if it were climbing. The scratching slowly faded.

“Where do you think it went?” Skylor fisted her hands on her red corset belt.

“I don’t know,” Kai admitted. “But I have a feeling there’s more up there … ”

“The Falcon’s scans showed only one floor.”

“But it kept going up!”

“That could have been your hearing.” Skylor walked out of the room.

Kai jumped off the chair. “Ugh!” He kicked the wall. A hollow thud echoed. Kai grabbed his foot and hopped around. “Ow!”

Skylor reappeared in the doorway. “Did you hear that?”

“What? My screaming?”

Skylor pressed her lips together and tilted her head. “It echoed.”

“So?” Kai rubbed his foot. He was sure there was going to be a nasty bruise, if he hadn’t broken a toe.

Skylor’s eyes lit up. “It’s hollow!” She began tapping the metal with her knuckles. “Stand back!”

Skylor laid her palm onto the metal wall, then shut her eyes. The metal began to warp, and then Skylor dug her fingers into it, tearing it apart as if it were paper to reveal a spiraling staircase. Or the side of one, because the actual stairs started at Kai’s neck and kept going up.

He gasped and ran into the hallway. “Quick, open another!”

Skylor did so, revealing the real entrance to the stairs. And a mechanism that appeared to be triggered by simply laying one’s palm anywhere on the wall and allowing the scanner to acknowledge it.

“Well, at least we got in.” Kai peered through the doorway. Blue stair lights lit up, reminding Kai of the staircase at the beginning of the first Avengers movie.

Kai stepped onto the first step.

“Wait! Shouldn’t we call the others?”

“Good idea. You do that.”

The upper floor was yet another labyrinth of twisting metal corridors that branched off in every which way.

All of the hallways were shrouded in shadows. Bright white fluorescent lights flickered on as Kai and Skylor walked, but as soon as they were a certain distance away, the lights shut off again, giving Kai the feeling of being smothered. He wondered if this was how Lloyd had felt when he walked through that Oni cloud of darkness.

“Hey!” Kai turned. The rest of the Elemental Masters had climbed the stairs and were now running towards him and Skylor, with Cole at the head.

Cole high-fived Kai. “Great job!” He glanced around. “Now, if we can find something useful here … Pix, how much time is left?”

PIXAL turned from running her metallic fingers along the wall. She wore a short but casual purple dress with matching pumps. Chandelier earrings peeked out from under her silver updo. “Exactly 35 minutes for optimal departure; about 65 minutes at the very most.”

“Ok,” Cole said. “We’ve got to hurry. Keep to your teams. We’ll keep going down this main hall, and split off as we encounter more corridors. Watch the time and we’ll reconvene in 30.”

It turned out that this hall simply led to more dorms, although these were not trashed and were actually furnished quite well, with full-size beds and closets full of clothes. It eventually opened into a room that seemed much like the entrance room, only there was no cafeteria, and the fountain’s statue had only Pythor. The labels this time were “Offices”, “Computer Room”, “Control”, “and “Executive Quarters”, which they had emerged from.

Cole grinned. “Hey, everyone!” He raised his voice. “Stop what you’re doing and follow my voice! I think we’ve found it!”

“Computer room!” Kai pointed down the respective hallway, which ended about ten feet in with double doors painted in blue and white with the same circuit board pattern.

They opened into a room designed for geeks. It was shaped like a half-circle with floors that descended in concentric crescents. Desks and computers sat on each of the three rows, with the lowest ending in a massive computer screen that took up the farthest wall.

Unlike downstairs, everything here was perfectly in order. No cracked screens, no broken table legs, no scorched walls.

Cole rushed to one of the smaller computers. “Let’s just unplug one and bring it up to the Bounty. Zane and Pix can hack it.”

Kai descended the stairs and tapped a button on the main computer’s keyboard, which was as big as a conventional desk.

A pair of blue eyes appeared on a dark grey screen. Faint white source code scrolled upwards in the background. A beep sounded. “Wrong,” a female voice chimed.

Kai did a double take. “Who are you?”

“I am Techna, an AI built by Virtuoso, Master of Tech. You will not find anything on the computers - they have all been wiped.”

Cole had already unplugged the computer, but he dropped the cord and stood to face the computer. “Well, you’re still here.” A calculating grin slid over his face. “Pix! In here!”

PIXAL, along with the rest of the Elemental Masters, entered the Computer room.

PIXAL cracked her white knuckles. “Stand back,” she chimed in her melodic robot voice.

A few minutes later, PIXAL and Jay were both stumped. Most of the other elementals had left to explore the rest of the upper floor.

Techna taunted, “There is no way a robot can outsmart an Elemental Master of Tech. She set up an impenetrable firewall, and I can also write code as fast as you can decode it.”

The eyes disappeared, and a seemingly endless line of scrolling code appeared in their place.

PIXAL frowned and hit a few more buttons. “Unbeknownst to you,” she muttered, “I have already broken through the first firewall.” She raised her voice. “I am not a robot. I am a Primary Interactive X-ternal Assistant Life-Form, built by Borg himself!”

The eyes reappeared. “Fancy. But even he can’t outsmart Virtuoso.”

Kai wisely refrained from kicking the computer. “Stupid technology!”

“Look,” Techna said. “We all know your time is limited. You won’t be able to get in, and you certainly won’t be able to do it in five minutes. Give up now.”

Kai leaned closer to Cole. “Um, we have more time than that. Right?”

“Security cameras have already picked up Nindroid activity five minutes away from the Brain. They’re entering the building as we speak,” said Techna. “You’re doomed.”

If Techna had lips, Kai was sure they would have been twisted into a sadistic grin.

Jay neatly flipped from one of the higher levels to the floor Kai and Cole were on. “But Borg’s on our side.”

“Jump up, kick back, whip around, and spin! And then we’ll jump back -” Cole jumped as his phone blared out ‘The Weekend Whip.’

Cole frowned. “It’s Borg.

“Hello?” He tapped a button to turn on the speakerphone.

Borg’s voice sounded staticky. “Ninja, I’m so sorry. I’ve only just now been able to call you. They think I’m in the bathroom.”

Jay rolled his eyes. “Has Borg been kidnapped again? He seriously needs to get a bodyguard.”

“No, Ninja. The mayor found out about my connection with you - and she knows I am the city’s foremost inventor and have what equates to a small standing army in Nindroids. She was able to figure out that I sent a force to you, and that force now has orders to arrest you. You can go peacefully or fight - it’s up to you.”

“Hold up a minute, Borg.” Kai held up a hand. “Why don’t you just refuse, if you’ve got a ton of Nindroids to protect yourself? We’re doing some important work over here - ”

“Important enough to risk the kids? If I am arrested for “assisting criminals”, they will have nowhere to go. It is imperative I remain free to help. So I’m calling to warn you. They’re right at your doorstep, and” - a knocking sound came from Borg’s side - “Oh, that’s my cue to leave. Go, Ninja. Go.” The phone beeped as he hung up.

Cole, Kai, and Jay just stared at each other.

Cole started to pace, running his hands through his shaggy black hair. “Ok, ok. You’ve got this, Cole. You’ll figure something out.”

“I seriously doubt that,” Techna said.

Stomping noises reverberated from the hallway. Cole’s eyebrows went up. “How did they find upstairs so quickly? It took us forever,” Kai said.

“Advanced screening technologies,” said PIXAL. “He has inventions you couldn’t even dream of.”

Griffin burst into the room. “Guys, there’s an army of Nindroids trying to break in! I sent the rest to hold them off, but I don’t know how long we’ll last against them.”

“We’ll have to abort,” Kai said, already turning for the door. “We don’t even know if there’s any useful information. She could be trying to waste our time.”

Cole rubbed his forehead. “I know, I know!” After a few seconds, he straightened and turned to the others, his expression steel. “We need this information. Griffin, tell them to keep fighting. Protect the computer room.”

Griffin saluted and sped off.

“What about escape?” Nya said. “We’re cornered here. The only exit is where we came from.”

“Not necessarily,” Griffin said. “I saw a room full of water and submarines only a hallway away. We can use that.”

“Okay, so we have a plan.” Cole held a fist out to the others. They did a team fist-bump.

“Ninja go!”

Kai pulled down his ninja hood and pounded his fists together. The hot rush of adrenaline filled his veins. Time to fight.

Chapter Text

He was walking on a black sea of memories. Lloyd recalled watching the Tim Burton version of Alice Through the Looking Glass when Nelson, Koji, and Bobby, stuck in summer boredom, had decided to rent it. There had been a beautiful ocean of blues and pinks and teals crashing around Alice as she navigated the Chronosphere through time.

Here, there was none of that. The water was a calm, inky black, and the faint glimmers of stars above brought the only light.

Lloyd dared not look down, for he knew that his worst fears waited in the dark.

What was this place? The waters were so still, perhaps it wasn’t an ocean at all. Maybe it was glass. Glass that stretched as far as the eye could see. Wait a minute.

Lloyd exhaled. His breath clouded in the air. He rubbed his hands together to chase back the biting cold.

Was it ice? Lloyd frowned. This was all impossible. It must be a dream. Walking on the sea was impossible. He briefly cursed Chamille for letting him sleep, then took another step. The glass fractured underneath his feet and then gave way. He plummeted into the frigid waters of his mind, his fingers clawing at the ice/glass/water desperately.

Lloyd knew this feeling well. The feeling of not being able to get enough air as he drowned in his guilt and his regrets and his fears. He tried to stay on top of it, tried to stay strong for the other Ninja. But sometimes something just had to give.

His fingertips tingled with power when Garmadon appeared. He was back in Kryptarium, battling his own father. Pleading for his father to stop. “This isn’t you!” he remembered screaming.

What an idiot he’d been. Going to face Garmadon alone had nearly killed his friends and taken his power for weeks.

Regardless, he was reliving the fight: blocking, thrusting, twisting, flipping.

Lloyd reached down inside for his power, expecting green swirls of energy. But instead golden ribbons of light flowed. Garmadon was gone.

Lloyd was mounted on his Golden Dragon, and the Overlord was facing him, flapping his black dragon wings. The Overlord snarled and circled Lloyd, inky shadows flowing and creating a sphere of darkness so black and suffocating it was practically tangible.

The Overlord swallowed him again. And Lloyd created a blast of Golden Power so bright it completely obliterated the Lord of Darkness.

Lloyd was flying now, soaring in the sky not by plane or by helicopter, but purely by the power that surged in his veins and supported the ethereal Golden Dragon. The power of the First Spinjitzu Master was his. He was the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master again.

How he could have helped the Ninja in the dozens of battles that resulted afterwards if he hadn’t been so stupid to trade the Golden Power for his father, unleashing the Overlord and inadvertently causing Zane’s death.

The dragon, sensing his fears, flickered and then faded into a golden mist.

He woke up just before he hit the ground.

The room was dark, except for the glint of the blue flame Chamille held in her hand. His monitor beeped frantically like the footsteps of a person running from monsters.

He rolled to face Chamille, expecting the familiar twinge of pain from his wound, but nothing came except for the throbbing of his forearm where his IV was. Lloyd grinned. Wasn’t modern medicine the best?

At his movement, Chamille flinched, and she shut off her flame, leaving them both in complete darkness.

“What,” said Lloyd, rubbing his eyes, “Was that?”

“What was what?” Chamille replied innocently.

“That flame … when did you become a firebender?”

Something soft and fluffy hit his face. “Agh!”

Or that’s what he meant to say. But instead orange fire burst out of his mouth, completely blinding him and setting the pillow on fire.

Chamille flipped on the lamp. “What in Ninjago?”

Lloyd couldn’t speak - he was currently clutching his throat and trying to get in a breath that didn’t send pain shooting through his entire esophagus. Where had that come from? And why had no one warned him of the possibility of him manifesting even more weird genetic defects?

Chamille grabbed her water bottle and thoroughly doused the flaming pillow.

“Like you’ve got room to talk,” he croaked out, his voice like a chronic smoker’s. “Last I checked, summoning flames like Azula is definitely not in the abilities of Form.” He reached for the glass of water on his bedside table, but only succeeded in knocking it to the floor, adding to the puddle of water and ashes. “FSM!”

“Shhh!” Chamille raised a finger to her lips and glanced around, as if someone could be hiding in the corner, which was like, only two feet away. “You can’t tell anyone.”

“I didn’t even think” - Lloyd hacked up smoke - “that it was possible for someone to have two elements.”

“It’s not,” Chamille said. “Look, forget you ever saw anything.” She got up, picked up Lloyd’s cup, filled it with water from the sink, and handed it to Lloyd. The water was grossly lukewarm, but Lloyd gulped it all down anyway.

He wiped his mouth. “Did you lie? Do you have another crystal?”

“No.” She threw a towel from underneath the sink onto the water puddle, then sat back down on her bed, pulling her legs up to her chest. “Don’t you wonder what happens if an Elemental Master doesn’t have kids? Or how exactly Zane got his element?”

Everyone had always wondered whatever was going to happen to Sensei’s element when he died, but all of the Ninja had always backed out of dares to ask in case Sensei thought they wanted to collect on his life insurance. Zane had been a mystery, but it had eventually been figured out that Zane’s power source was actually an elemental crystal infused with elemental energy.

“Yeah,” Lloyd said. “What, Azura’s elemental energy left her and just happened to pick you?”

“That’s one way - letting the writers of destiny pick. Elements can’t disappear. Or, when an Elemental Master is close to death, they can choose someone to give their power away to. Like the Master of Ice did.”

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. “And she picked you. But, didn’t you literally just try to kill her? Why would she choose you?”

“Let’s just say we used to be very close.” Chamille seemed very intent on studying her dragon ring. The amethyst glittered in the yellow lamplight. “Now, let’s talk about you - ahh!”

Chamille was slammed against the wall. Lloyd pitched forwards off the bed, narrowly avoiding smacking his forehead on the floor. His IV ripped itself out, spraying blood everywhere.

He wiped his hand on his basketball shorts and flipped his hair out of his eyes. “What in Ninjago?”

Zane would never steer the Bounty like this. In fact, none of the Ninja would.

A loud thump from above confirmed his suspicions. Someone was boarding.

Lloyd rose from the floor and dashed out, ignoring the building pain in his side.

He thudded up the stairs, Chamille right behind him. “What are - you’ll tear your stitches - come back!”

A group of ten white Nindroids greeted him, with Cryptor 2.0 at their head. Two of the Nindroids had Zane between them, his hands cuffed behind his back.

Zane held himself stiffly with a stoic expression, lips thinned in annoyance. When he caught sight of Lloyd, his eyes widened. “Lloyd!”

“What’s going on?” Lloyd demanded.

“By orders of the police commissioner and Borg,” said Cryptor, “You are being detained for the murder of Sensei Wu and the monks of the Monastery of Spinjitzu.”

“Hold on, I didn’t murder anyone!” Lloyd held up his hands in a placating manner. “Look, let’s talk - ”

His statement was cut short when two more Nindroids grabbed Chamille by her upper arms. She screamed.

“You are being arrested for the assassinations of numerous political figures,” one of them told Chamille.

“Let her go,” Lloyd growled. He patted his hip, but his dragon dagger wasn’t there. Lloyd mentally cursed himself for being so lenient.

He thrust open the gateways to his element, letting the energy flow through him like a raging river, suffusing him with its power.

He didn’t expect the first blast to completely obliterate the Nindroid with a flash of sparkly yellow and green power. Metal pieces scattered all over the deck. “Whoa,” Lloyd said, studying his hand. FSM, what was that?

Lloyd didn’t get much time to ponder it, because Zane took the opportunity to slam his forehead into one of the Nindroids, sending it flying to the ground. The other was tripped with Zane’s foot. Lloyd finished them off with his power, then freed Chamille.

Someone tackled Lloyd from behind. Lloyd seized the momentum and rolled with it so the Nindroid was thrown off and slammed to the ground. He hissed in a breath, ignoring the painful protests of his body.

Laser blasts peppered the deck, making tiny holes and sending splinters flying. Zane used his element to build a wall of ice, then he thrust it forwards, pushing the Nindroids towards the railing.

“Stop!” Lloyd yelled. “If we push them off, they’ll just fly back up!”

Zane halted, then clenched his hands, shattering the ice. Lloyd blew half up, while Zane froze the others into solid ice blocks. Lloyd and Zane, with Chamile’s help, shoved them over the edge and watched the ice and Nindroids burst into a million pieces below. Cryptor was the only ice block left aboard.

A second hovercopter was approaching. A writhing cloud of black masses burst out from inside, rising up to meet the Bounty like vultures.

“Get us away,” Lloyd said.

“We can’t flee,” said Zane. “The others are still down there.”

“Well, we can’t fight,” Chamille pointed out. Only Zane was decked out in his armor and gi, while Lloyd still had bedhead.

In the distance, Lloyd spotted flashing blue and white lights, along with two more hovercopters and three helicopters. “We certainly can’t stay. Call them back.”

“The communication doesn’t work,” Zane said. “The metal walls cause too much interference.”

Lloyd said, “Then someone will have to go get them.”

They both stared each other down, neither willing to budge.

“You can’t fight,” Zane said. “Chamille will go.”

“And leave the Bounty practically defenseless? She’s just as injured as me, and she doesn’t know where they are. You go. I’ve piloted the Bounty dozens of times. And I’ll have Chamille to help in the bridge.”

“I’m not leaving you!” Zane’s eyes were oddly shiny.

The Nindroids made the decision for them. Instead of heading for the Bounty, they bypassed it and went straight for EVIL. The police cars swerved into a semi-circle as close to the ocean as possible, while police boats surrounded the waters below the cave, narrowly avoiding being dashed by the rocks. The helicopters, however, ascended to meet the Bounty.

“We’re faster,” Lloyd said. “Ascend and steer away.”

“We should fire the cannons on the police,” Chamille said. “With the altitude, we’ll make maximum impact. They’re defenseless down there.”

Lloyd stared at her in horror. “They’re people. They’re just trying to do their job.”

“Didn’t we just haul Nindroids overboard?”

“Those were Nindroids! They weren’t real people - no offense, Zane.”

“None taken. They don’t have the same level of intelligence as PIXAL, Cryptor, and I possess.”

A cloud of black smoke rose from below - the Nindroids had just blown up the entrance of EVIL. They swarmed inside.

Lloyd's jaw tightened. His power thrummed in his veins, begging him to use it.

It wasn’t exactly Golden Power. When he had fought the Overlord, it had felt like an endless reservoir of energy. Now, it felt limited and almost impure in a way. But it was still a heck ton of power.

During his training with Garmadon in Hiroshi’s Labyrinth, Lloyd had begun tapping into the First Spinjitzu Master’s power of moving mountains. Why not try it with his new power? After all, metal was just a purified version of Earth.

Lloyd felt outside himself, familiarizing himself with the feel of the mountain. Then he raised a hand and fisted it, sending a miniature rockslide down onto the Nindroids entering. He then shoved the rocks away, clearing a path for the Elemental Masters to escape through.

Zane stared speechlessly.

Lloyd leapt off the Bounty and created his dragon: a swirling blend of Golden Power and Energy. “I’ll stop them.”

“Lloyd!” Zane shrieked.

The wind whistled in Lloyd’s ears. His heart rose with the exhilaration of flying.

Once he neared the cave, he pulled his dragon to a stop.

Below, the police screamed, some retreating back into their cars as the Elemental Masters fought their way out, pushing the Nindroids out of the caves and backing them towards the cliffs.

Griffin formed his dragon and used Speed to catch up to Lloyd. His breath came in short gasps. “What - how -” He shook his head. “Cole and PIXAL are still in there!”

“What are they doing?”

“There’s a computer with important information on it. We need to hold off the police long enough for them to get to it!”

Lloyd nodded. “Tell the others we’re not hurting anybody if we can help it. But use necessary force - we can’t have any captures.”

Griffin saluted and zipped back down.

Lloyd hovered above out of range of the police, watching as Kai tore through the Nindroid forces with blazing bursts of fire.

Boom! An emergency flare exploded above the Bounty. Zane! Lloyd turned his dragon, but paused when yet another explosion ripped through the air - this one coming from inside EVIL. The blast shattered the entire face of the mountain, making another rockslide and sending up a dust cloud bigger than Firstbourne. The rocks crashed down onto the police boats, causing spurts of water to rise as half of the boats slowly sank.

Cole and PIXAL … Lloyd steered his dragon closer, then reached for his Golden Power again. He ripped the mountainside and metal structure apart as easily as if he were tearing open a wrapped birthday present. His dragon, however, flickered with the sudden loss of power.

Hold on … Lloyd gritted his teeth and entered through a gaping hole in the side. He didn’t see them anywhere.

“Cole? PIXAL?” He covered his mouth with his hand, coughing at the metallic taste of blood and the dust hovering in the air. “Where are you guys?”

The crunching of metal rent the air, and one of the walls burst open. Cole’s arm was wrapped around PIXAL, one of her arms slung over his shoulders. The orange glow of the Earth Punch faded from Cole’s hands and eyes. Cole lifted PIXAL’s limp form fully into his arms. “Let’s go!”

They ran side by side, but a tearing pain in Lloyd’s side forced him to halt. He bent over, gasping and laying a hand over his wound. It came back bloody. Lloyd bit back vomit and horror. FSM, he’d torn his stitches.

“Are you okay?” Cole turned back.

Lloyd waved a hand. “Just go!” He tried to run again, but only succeeded in limping along.

“I’m not leaving you!” Cole swung PIXAL over his shoulders, fireman style, and then wrapped an arm around Lloyd to support him.

They reached the opening - a jagged hole of sharp metal and rocks. Outside was a veritable mess. Griffin dashed up, jumping through the hole and letting his dragon dissipate. “Orders?!” He took PIXAL from Cole, but simply slung her over one shoulder so her head and arms lay on his back and her legs dangled over Griffin’s chest.

“Retreat,” Cole coughed out. “Everyone back to the Bounty. Have Bolobo, Ash, and Nya cover our retreat.” Griffin nodded and sped off, pausing to dump PIXAL in the arms of Shade and point him towards the Bounty.

Once Cole Airjitzued himself and Lloyd out of the opening, he formed his dragon and soared up to the Bounty.

Another group of Nindroids was facing off against Zane and Chamille, but Shade and Jay had joined them.

Cole swerved, dodging a laser blast from a Nindroid, but almost slammed into the hull of the Bounty. A throwing knife from Chamille arced through the air, impaling itself in the Nindroid’s chest. It fell to the deck, electricity sparking from its severed wires.

Cole pressed his knees to his dragon, and it exhaled pebbles and rock dust, blinding the Nindroids so that Jay could shock them into unconsciousness. Shade and Zane dumped them overboard.

Cole let his dragon land, and then he allowed it to dissipate. Lloyd collapsed into Zane’s arms.

“I told you not to go!” Zane said, but he hugged Lloyd all the same, staining his white and silver gi with red. “What in -” He sank to his knees, tugging up Lloyd’s hoodie to examine the bleeding wound. “Lloyd!” He dashed up to the bridge to rummage through the medical supply cabinet. By his garbled words, Lloyd figured he was cursing in some robotic language at the mess Lloyd had left when he’d tried to tend to Spinjitzu.

Cole sprinted across the deck, unceremoniously tossing boxes and filing cabinets overboard with his super-strength. Spinjitzu snored on, oblivious to the racket. “We need to lose weight!” Shade and Jay copied Cole, picking up stuff and shoving it over the railing.

Cole then climbed up to the bridge and tapped a button, sending up two emergency flares.

“Come on, come on!” Lloyd heard Cole mutter. He groaned and buried his face in his hands as his head spun dizzily from the blood loss.

“Digit, fire up the engines and head for the Spine!” Cole yelled.

Lloyd nearly fell over as the Bounty’s engines roared, thrusting everyone onboard towards the stern. He hissed out a breath as he crawled to the railing to check on the elementals.

The elementals below rose into the air on their dragons, all heading for the Bounty. Ash created a massive cloud of smoke, which Nya aided by drawing water from the ocean to make fog. Bolobo caused vines to grow and ensnare the police boats, trapping them among the rocks.

Kai landed first, darting over to the railing and tossing blazing fireballs at any helicopters or hovercopters that dared to drift closer. Despite having an excuse to actually blow something up, Kai’s expression was grim, his mouth drawn into a hard line.

Once everyone was on board, Cole forced a lever forwards, and the Bounty accelerated to maximum speed, heading towards the mountains.

“Uh, Cole, are you trying to head for that mountain?” asked Jay.

Cole cursed. “We need to lose more weight!”

“Hey, don’t look at me. Look at him! He’s like, 3,000 pounds!” Kai pointed at Spinjitzu.

“Hey, don’t diss my dragon!” Lloyd clung to the railing and swallowed hard, trying very hard to keep whatever it was that wanted to come up down. His eyes watered as a tiny flame and puff of smoke escaped. Now was the time for him to manifest every single bizarre biological trait he possessed, apparently.

Kai rushed to him. “What the -”

Lloyd weakly waved Kai off and pointed at Zane, who had abandoned whatever it was he was looking for and was now hightailing it over to them. “He’s on it.”

“Kai, help me get him back into the medical bay.” Zane roughly snagged Lloyd’s arm, jerking him to his feet. “Where’s Chamille?” His glowing blue eyes roved the deck.

“The mountain!” Jay screamed. “Gravis, help!”

Gravis raised his arms, using his element of Gravity to lift them above the mountains, or at least high enough for them to squeeze between the mountains, leaving the hovercopters and helicopters stranded on the other side.

With his 6’2 height, Zane easily swept an arm underneath Lloyd’s legs, scooping him up like a baby.

Lloyd writhed in his gasp. “Put me down!”

He didn’t mean to injure Zane, but his adrenaline rush made it stupidly easy to send a wave of Golden Power through the Nindroid. Both collapsed onto the deck.

“You broke Zane!” Kai looked ready to slap Lloyd, his band-aided eyebrow twitching fiercely.

Lloyd bit his lip. “Oops. But look, I can do this!” He sent another, gentler wave of Golden Power through himself. Warmth flooded through him. He was practically glowing with elemental power. All of his pain vanished.

He grinned as all the Ninja stared, mouths slack with shock. And then he promptly passed out.

Chapter Text

Lloyd was sure he was dying. He cracked an eye open, then promptly shut it again in the face of the blinding lamplight. His head pounded. He wondered if he could convince the guys to give him more morphine, even though his wound was probably just a faint scar now.

Voices, all of them too loud, washed over him. The high-pitched voice of Jay, the murmurs of Cole and Nya, the somewhat stiffer voice of Zane, and the comforting timbre of Kai.

Their voices were too quiet, too reserved for the team. Instead of joking, they were whispering.

Lloyd pushed aside the fluffy green comforter to climb out of bed. He was in his bedroom, with his older brothers’ bunks surrounding him with their familiar bright covers. A single lantern and the red sunshine streaming from the window brought the only light.

He grabbed his green hoodie from a jacket hook and tiptoed over to the bedroom door, which was cracked open. Someone right outside the door shifted, the floorboards creaking beneath his weight.

“How is that even possible, though?” Cole.

“I don’t know,” said Zane. “I am simply telling you what I saw. His power can vaporize Nindroids, his dragon swirls gold and green, and he can heal himself now. This isn’t another manifestation of the Energy element or his heritage - it is Golden Power.”

“I thought Golden Power was made of Energy and the four elements.” Kai.

“It is,” Zane said.

“So,” Kai said, “Where did he get the other four? We never gave them back after our last trip to the Temple of Light.”

Lloyd very slowly slid his feet over the wooden floor, then shut one eye so he could peek through the slit between the door and frame.

Kai’s arms were crossed, while Cole leaned casually against the wall. Zane and Nya stood stiffly, and Jay twirled his nunchucks as they spoke.

As if on cue, all of their eyes widened at the same time. “Sensei,” they chimed in unison.

“But how -”

“What - ”

“No, that’s impossible.” Kai was shaking his head.

“It’s very probable. Didn’t you say he was holding the crystal when he fought Allura, Kai?”

“Well, yes.”

“Then perhaps it is.”

Jay held up a finger. “That would explain why his element is mixed. The elemental essence he gets from Creation isn’t enough to fully make Golden Power. He needs the pure elements.”

“No!” Kai’s fingers clenched his arms tighter. “That’s not possible. I -” He gritted his teeth and gazed at the ground. “I stole the crystal from him when he was asleep.”

“What? Why?” Jay frowned.

“That crystal is a hazard to all of us. It can do the same thing that Chen did - steal powers. What’s to stop us from going around stealing everyone’s powers?”

“We’re not like that, Kai.” Jay rolled his eyes. “I already explained this to you!”

“How else will we stop Allura if we don’t use that crystal?” Zane said.

“I don’t know!” Kai threw up his hands. “It’s just that … this guy, Erik, accused us of being corrupted by power. Of using it for our own benefit and of thinking we’re better than others. You know what I did? I burned him.”

His admission hung heavily in the air.

Cole sighed. “I guess it’s time we talked about the ERA?”

“I’m not signing,” Jay said. “Whenever law enforcement is after us, we run. We have to run, because the alternative - leaving Allura at large - isn’t an option.”

“Jay is correct,” Zane said. “I will probably eventually sign, but not right now.”

“I’m never signing,” Jay said.

“Me neither,” said Nya. “I can’t be restricted to only interfering when the law wants us. I’m not going to be a controlled weapon.”

Cole rubbed his forehead. “Ugh. I know what you guys are saying makes sense. But I just - I can’t live my life as a criminal. If we don’t sign, we’ll be hunted down. Do you really want to live like you did during Garmadon’s reign, Nya? Always hunting for your next meal, always losing teammates and living in the dumps?”

“I had family. I had Lloyd and PIXAL. For them, and for Ninjago, I would do it. Besides, we can always live on the Bounty.”

“We can’t live in the Spine forever,” Kai said. “There’s no food here. And law enforcement would still hunt us down. We’d never be able to take down any villain if we were busy fighting them too.”

“Let us get back to the topic at hand. Lloyd. If Kai stole the crystal, then how is it possible for Lloyd to have Golden Power?”

Lloyd shoved the door open and strode into the hallway.

The Ninja’s expressions varied from surprised to angry at his interruption, with Kai’s veering closer to angry. “How long were you listening?”

“Long enough.” Lloyd glared directly into Kai’s eyes. “I’m not dangerous, despite what you all think. When I was the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master, when I had all that power, I never used it for evil.”

Kai glared right back. “No, but the Golden Master did, and how long is it until you start doing wrong for the right reason? How long until your lines are blurred?”

Lloyd opened his mouth to reply, then shut it. “That’s not the topic right now. How do I have Golden Power?” He turned to the rest of the Ninja. “Chamille told me it’s possible for an Elemental to gift their element before they die, in case they don’t have kids. That’s what the former Master of Ice did for you, Zane.”

“So you’re saying Sensei gifted his to you.” Kai raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. I’m his nephew, and I’m the Green Ninja.”

“But you tried to kill him. Did kill him,” Kai said bluntly.

“Kai!” Nya slapped him.

It was too late. “That - that was an accident. You know that was Allura tricking me!” Tears started to spring up, but Lloyd wiped them away with the back of his hand.

“Yes, you thought you were fighting Allura. That’s my point, Lloyd. If that had really been Allura, you would have killed her! That’s not what we do.”

Cole let out a breath and voiced what everyone was thinking. “We are dangerous.”

“You can’t have that crystal, Lloyd,” said Kai.

“No! Chamille entrusted it to me. I’m the grandson of the FSM. I have Sensei’s power. I practically already have Golden Power. If I had the crystal, we could beat her!”

“Where did you put the crystal, Kai?” asked Cole.

“I’m not telling him.”

Cole sighed. “Go get the crystal.”

“Listen to Cole. After all, you guys kicked me out in favor of him.” Lloyd’s body was as taut as a stretched rubber band.

“That’s not exactly true ….” said Jay.

“Make me.” Kai lifted his chin, daring the others to force him.

Gold clouded Lloyd’s vision as he let out a primal snarl. Yells and screams punctuated the air as the ache behind his ears grew ever more painful.

He opened his eyes to find Jay and Nya both tugging on his arms, trying to pull him back from where he had his hand extended, a golden thread wrapped around Kai’s neck, pinning him up to the wall. Fire surrounded Kai, licking at the walls, the floor, the ceiling.

He raised a hand to his lips as he coughed up smoke. If that had not been Kai, the Fire Ninja …. He would’ve killed a brother.

Horrified, Lloyd released the power, slumping against Jay and Nya’s grip. He rapidly smeared away more tears, then shoved Nya and Jay away and sprinted down the hallway.

No one came after him as he huddled up next to a wall that thrummed with power, pulling his hoodie around his knees. The engines hummed steadily with a constant whine, reminding him of his childhood and the long hours he had spent with Nya in this room as the Ninja went off chasing Serpentine and Fang Blades.

He had grown too much to fit himself in the corner between two of the engines, so now he just leaned his back against one of the bare walls, letting the deep whirs of the engines surround him.

His stomach growled and his throat ached, but he didn’t care. Let them come to him. If he was going to pout, he was going to spend a proper amount of time doing it. Surprisingly, tears always came when he didn’t need them, and when he ran off by himself, none came. As if he’d already cried them all out. He sniffled.

He always hated the runny noses and the red eyes that came after crying.

After what felt like hours, the door creaked open. It was Nya.

She didn’t speak, just sat down next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder, entwining his fingers with hers. After a while she finally said, “Reminds me of when you were little.” She traced a finger up his arm. “I have chocolate.”

“Not hungry.” His stomach growled in protest, and Nya laughed.

The floor squeaked as another person approached. Chamille wore leggings with a T-shirt two sizes too large that proclaimed, ‘Sarcastic Comment Loading … Please Wait.’

She squatted on the floor with Nya and Lloyd. “They’re having a team meeting. Without you.”

“Not interested.” He fingered the gold stitching of his hoodie, rubbing his eyes when he remembered it was a Christmas gift from his dad, back when he had been Sensei Garmadon.

“What if I tell you a juicy secret? You’re always saying I keep too many.”

“I already know about you and Ash, you assassinating people because someone is holding your mother in an endless sleep, and you being extremely skilled at lying thanks to attending Darkley’s. What else could you have?”

“Touche.” A faint smile rose to Chamille’s lips. “It’s about Azura.”

“Do tell,” Nya said.

Chamille gave her a sidelong glance. “Why did Azura’s power react with yours? Why did it blow up the entire Monastery?”

“It was extremely powerful?” said Lloyd flatly.

“Kind of, but not really.”

Lloyd’s eyes narrowed. He scratched his arm, then shrugged.

Chamille tilted her head, letting her jagged locks fall in a waterfall to the side. “Do you know realmatic theory?”

“No.”

“According to what we know of the other realms, every realm has an endowed protector with a certain element.”

Lloyd gave her a look. “Are you serious?”

“Deadly.” She used her index finger to draw a smiley face in the dust that coated one of the engine casings. “For instance, your element is Energy. You have a prophecy written about you that foretells an Energy Master rising. Golden Power is made of Energy and the four elements, so the First Spinjitzu Master had Energy too. He protected Ninjago, and now you do. In another realm, Azura’s home realm, there is a prophecy written about a wielder of blue fire. Same thing - the wielder will save the world. In every realm, it’s the same, only the elements vary. When one dies, their power is passed on, and the prophecy is always written vaguely enough to allow the next realm protector to fulfill it.”

“Hold up. You’re trying to say that, after I die, another guy with green power is going to rise up and also defeat the Dark Lord?”

“It’s not impossible. Where light exists, so does darkness. If the person uses their powers to fight evil, they fulfill it. Simple.”

“So you’re saying Azura is this … realm protector?”

Chamille nodded. “She also chose to run from her duties, and that’s how she wound up here in Ninjago. She entrusted the secret to her closest friends, and then chose me to wield blue fire in her place.”

Lloyd’s eyebrows went up. “You’re the new realm protector.”

Chamille focused on her upturned palm, and a small flame flickered to life. “Yes. And now, as you’ve probably figured out, the elements of realm protectors react violently with each other. That’s so you know they’re realm protectors. And also so when they come into conflict, they try to resolve it peacefully, because otherwise they’d destroy pretty much everything.”

“You have another elemental power,” Nya said with disbelief.

“Wow.” Lloyd tried to wrap his mind around this. Would Chamille’s hair turn blue like Azura’s? Was she going to move to Azura’s home realm? “ So … what are you going to do now? You’re not going to leave, are you?”

Everyone always left eventually. Or betrayed him.

Chamille turned to look at him. “I’ll be like you. First a villain. Now a hero.”

He laughed drily. “Wasn’t much of a villain, though.”

“Yeah, you only managed to unleash three tribes of humanoid snakes and by extension the Great Devourer. Suuuuure.” She stood, heaving on his arm. “Let’s go. They’re plotting without us.”

Lloyd tugged at the familiar ball of warmth inside him, stoking his elemental power. A glow ran up his arm, through his fingers, and into Chamille’s body. She gasped, her mouth falling open as the healing power flooded through her.

“Consider it as part of my apology.” He rose. “There better be food And some of that chocolate you promised.” He grinned at Nya.

The three of them walked out to find Kai pacing in the hallway. He paused. “Lloyd.”

“Kai.” Lloyd stood straighter.

“Look.” Kai’s fingers wiggled in his pockets. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to guilt-trip you. It’s just … Sensei was always there for us. Even when he was lost in time, we knew he was there. That he was alive. And now that he’s dead … well and truly dead … I just feel like we’re all drifting on an endless sea with no guidance. You know what I mean?”

“I do.” Lloyd didn’t meet Kai’s gaze.

Kai forced him to by slipping his hand under Lloyd’s chin and tilting it up. He grabbed for Lloyd’s hand with his warm one and slipped a cool object into it. The crystal.

“I trust you, Lloyd.” Kai let Lloyd’s hand go. Lloyd slid the crystal into his pocket.

“Now, come on,” Kai said. “Let’s go get something to eat.” Then he wrapped his arm around Lloyd’s neck and gave him a noogie.

“Hey!” Lloyd protested, trying to jostle his way out of Kai’s death grip. “No one messes with my hair!”

They entered the kitchen to find Jay and Cole wrestling while Zane ransacked the fridge in search of an ingredient. A large pot of chicken noodle soup bubbled on the stove, sending the delicious scent of garlic, chicken, and pepper into the air.

“No! You will not put anchovies in that soup!” Jay shoved Cole away.

“What? It’s soup - anchovies are fish - they swim - it makes sense!”

“No! Zane, stop him!”

“Agh!” Cole lunged forwards, and was about to dump the can into the pot, but Lloyd darted forwards and wrenched Cole’s hand away so the can spilled onto the floor instead.

Kai and Jay cheered, but Jay’s expression quickly turned to horror as Cole plucked the anchovies from the ground and flung them at Lloyd, Jay, and Kai.

The Elemental Masters sitting at the table by the wall looked on, intrigued, as an all-out food fight started.

Chamille and Lloyd immediately rushed to the shelves and began pulling cans off for ammunition. Kai leapt onto the counter and began digging through the upper cabinets.

Jay rushed to the fridge, ready to ransack, when Zane intervened, making a beeline towards the stove to protect the soup. “No!”

Everyone froze. A can rolled out of Lloyd’s grasp and fell on the floor with a metallic clang. “Aww.”

“We do not have enough food to waste, especially with way more passengers than we expected. And I have worked very hard on that stew, because that was honestly the only thing I could think of, unless you all wanted to eat dried apricots.”

Cole sighed and began to pick the sardines off the floor and dump them in the disposal. “He’s right. We’re on a mission. We need to be responsible.”

Lloyd could hear the unspoken statement in Cole’s voice: “Because if we’re not responsible, who is? Wu’s not around to bail us out of trouble anymore.”

As if she knew what he was thinking, Chamille gave him a sympathetic glance and began to neatly replace the cans. She took his from him and nodded her head towards the table, where Zane had begun serving.

Since the table wasn’t really meant to seat more than ten, some had to sit farther back or squeeze in extremely close. Luckily, the table was already low and everybody just sat on cushions anyway, so the height difference wasn’t too bad.

Lloyd sat against the wall next to Chamille, holding his steaming bowl in his lap. A somber tone had descended upon the room, resulting in hushed, stifled conversations about mundane things, such as the weather.

The radio chattered in the background: “Dangerous elemental escapes from Kryptarium! You are required by law to alert law enforcement if you see him. He is described as a rather short, lanky -” Jay sent a bolt of electricity towards it, shutting it off and also almost setting it on fire.

“I’m tired of being labeled dangerous,” Jay declared. “It seems every single elemental is being rounded up and arrested just for being an elemental.”

Lloyd wholeheartedly agreed. Being on the run was absolutely no fun.

After everyone had finished and sat nursing their coffee (or hot chocolate in Lloyd and Chamille’s case) and chocolate cake (Lloyd had no idea how Zane had the time to bake it, let alone frost it with buttercream) Cole said, “I guess we should start talking about our next move? If everybody’s ready for it.”

Most murmured assent, so Cole waved a hand at PIXAL. “If you would please share what you found with the rest of the team?”

PIXAL stood, revealing that her arm was in a sling. Lloyd found that very weird, considering that she was a Nindroid. “Well. In TV shows and movies, people often say they have both good news and bad news, and then proceed to reveal said news in a dramatic manner. However, I have only bad news. The computer realized I was about to breach its firewall and decided to self-destruct. We found absolutely nothing. Also, my arm was injured in the resulting explosion and is nonfunctional until we are able to repair the conduits. Parts as advanced as what I need can only be found in Prodigo City, or perhaps Ninjago City at Borg Tower.”

Everyone sat in silence as they digested this information.

“So .... what are we going to do now?” asked Jay, rising to refill his cup at the cappuccino machine.

“Oh, and I have more bad news,” PIXAL said. “With Mr. Borg being captured and forced to aid the police, the children have also been arrested. They are currently being held in Kryptarium.”

“With those … criminals?!” Kai clenched his fingers tighter around his coffee mug. “They would put children with guys like the Mechanic and Ultra-Violet?”

“They’re elemental masters,” Lloyd said. “They can handle themselves.”

“Maybe Raven can,” Kai said. “But Koji? Nelson?”

Lloyd dismissed Kai’s concerns with a wave of his hand. “Koji can summon a storm and electrocute people. Nelson can distort the wall and escape. Bobby can explode people. They’re good.”

No, Lloyd knew they weren’t good. Kryptarium was a place of ghosts and darkness - an emotional minefield for all of the Ninja. Not to mention the fact that it was basically an impenetrable fortress.

Cole said, “Not if they cuff them with Vengestone. Remember, Kryptarium is the only other place that has a Vengestone supply.”

The Ninja blankly stared at each other.

“They’re doomed,” Jay muttered.

“Look, guys, I know it looks hopeless,” Lloyd said. “But they’re kids! They’re cute! They’ll have the wardens eating out of their hands when we get back. Allura is what matters right now.”

“Allura,” Kai mumbled, swishing his coffee mug. “Always Allura.” His voice hardened as he snapped his head up to glare at Lloyd. “When does it stop? When do we sacrifice too much?”

Sensei. The Police Commissioner. Borg. The kids. The unspoken list hammered itself into Lloyd’s conscience.

“We’re Ninja, Kai. And Ninja never quit.” Lloyd infused confidence into his voice.

But his mind whispered, “Because that’s all I know to be, Kai. That’s all I can be. A living sacrifice.”

“Also-” PIXAl began to say.

“No! No more bad news!” Jay exclaimed as he returned to his seat. Nya gave him a look and shoved him with her shoulder.

“I was going to suggest,” Pixal said, “that we try interrogating Jasper. Being Allura’s second-in-command, I believe he knows much about the Immortals’ operations.”

Chamille snorted. “He won’t break. I know him well enough to know he’ll be loyal to her.”

Cole gestured at Neuro. “Well, it’s a good thing we have someone who can break him.”

Neuro blanched. “A-a memory break?”

“I am unfamiliar with the term ‘memory break’,” said Zane.

“What you’re asking me to do. I can only read thoughts as they come. If you want me to try to access his memories, that is infinitely more dangerous.”

“Is it possible though?” Lloyd asked.

“It is. But when I read minds, I simply read the thoughts that flicker across the top of peoples’ conscious. If I want to read memories, I have to delve deeper into their minds and shove through any mental blocks they put up. The risk is that I could be trapped or lose my mind in theirs if I do not have the mental fortitude.”

“So it’s like energybending from Avatar,” Lloyd said, tapping a finger on his chin in thought. “Your spirit has to be unbreakable.”

Neuro raised an eyebrow. “I suppose so…?”

“Great. Let’s try!” Lloyd stood.

Chapter Text

A few minutes later, Cole, Jay, Kai, Lloyd, Chamille, and Neuro stood in Jasper’s cell, with Zane guarding the door. Lloyd leaned against what used to be Chamille’s desk, the hard edge digging into his back. Or maybe it wasn’t even hers, since she’d relocated to the medical room for now …

Jasper, his wrists cuffed with Vengestone cuffs, sat chained in a chair at the center of the room as Kai, Neuro, and Cole crowded him.

“Alright.” Kai leaned down, hands on his knees, looking Jasper in the eyes. “What’s Allura’s plan? And where is she now?”

“I don’t know. And even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.” Jasper flicked his bangs out of his dark blue eyes.

“You better start talking, pal. Or things will get real ugly real fast.” Cole pounded his fists together. His veins flowed orange as elemental power ran through them.

“Hey!” Kai shoved Cole. “I thought I was bad cop,” he hissed.

“Um, no. I’m more threatening.”

“I’m the fire Ninja. And I know Zane and Lloyd always peg me as the more ‘extreme’ one.”

“My neck is bigger around than your thigh.”

“That is not true! I work out too you know!”

“What about me?” said Jay, hands on his hips. “What if I wanted to be bad cop?”

“Look,” said Lloyd, pushing himself off the desk and stepping in front of Jasper. “We’re going to get the information we need, whether you cooperate with us or not. We’ve got a mind-reader here.”

A smile slowly spread across Jasper’s face. “Ah, yes. But in order for him to read me, don’t you have to remove these?” He jangled the cuffs. “Works both ways, Ninja.”

If Jasper didn’t have Vengestone on, Lloyd would have sworn the electricity in the room had jumped up a notch. He eyed Jay, who was clenching and unclenching his fists.

“Well, maybe we’ll just have to knock you out,” said Cole.

“No, that won’t work,” Neuro said. “I would only be able to see his dreams - there wouldn’t be enough cognitive activity for me to work with.”

“There is a way,” Lloyd said. “You know what this is?” He withdrew the crystal from inside his hoodie. “Elemental crystal. Give up the information, or you lose your element forever.”

“Lloyd!” Kai froze, eyes wide.

Jasper laughed. “You wouldn’t.”

“I can and will,” said Lloyd, flaring up his fist with green fire. “Ready to talk?”

“Yeah … we don’t do that,” said Cole, eyes darting quickly between Jasper and Lloyd.

Chamille pushed her way into the circle. “Talk, Jasper. Allura isn’t worth it. You know her goals. You know she just wants to control all elemental power. Where does that leave you? She’s a villain - once she gains Golden Power, there’s nothing stopping her from tossing you aside.”

“It leaves me better off them with them!” Jasper spat, nodding at the Ninja. “Where were they when my parents died? Where were they when I was shipped from foster home to foster home, labeled a freak for my powers? My home was Darkley’s, not Sensei Wu’s Monastery. EVIL made me what I am.”

“You killed your own parents!” Chamille spat back at him. “They died by your hand!”

Jasper sat back as if she’d slapped him. His voice was now quiet and solemn. “And if power was controlled, no five-year-old would have that kind of power.”

The shing! of a blade being pulled out of its sheath broke the silence. The tip dug into Jasper’s neck, drawing a prick of blood. “They may have qualms, but I do not. I like my powers intact, thank you very much. And if you want yours, you will cooperate.” Chamille held out her hand for the crystal.

“Everybody stop!” Neuro stepped forwards, gripped Jasper’s chin with both of his hands, and pressed their foreheads together. “Remove the cuffs,” he said calmly.

Jasper yelled, trying to wriggle his way out of Neuro’s grasp, but as soon as the bracelets were removed, his tense muscles relaxed and his eyes fluttered closed.

Neuro growled as he pressed deeper into Jasper’s mind. Seconds ticked by like hours. The longer Neuro was gone, the more Lloyd noticed small movements. Jasper’s fingers would twitch, or he would moan. Sweat dripped down Neuro’s face. Jasper gritted his teeth.

Chamille finally relaxed, sheathing her knife again.

“That’s not how we operate,” Cole said to her, face stern. “We don’t kill people. Or torture them.”

“Do you want to live?” asked Chamille. “I know Jasper. He wouldn’t have given information willingly.”

“But we had a plan!” said Cole. “You didn’t have to do that!”

Chamille squared her shoulders, returning her gaze to Jasper and Neuro.

Jay tilted his head, a confused look on his face as he gazed upwards. Thunder boomed, so close and so loud that Lloyd jumped, almost letting out a yelp. A shiver ran through Jay’s body. Neuro only flinched.

“Guys!” Footsteps pounded as Nya ran up, almost bowling Zane over in her haste. She grabbed the keys from Zane, preparing to open the cell. “Stop what you’re doing!”

“Why?” asked Lloyd.

Nya gestured towards the ceiling. “I think he’s summoning a storm!”

The Bounty rocked beneath their feet, sending Jay and Kai crashing into each other and then the wall. Cole gripped Jasper’s chair, stopping him and Neuro from sliding into the bed. Lloyd slammed into the cell bars.

“We’ve got to stop,” Kai said.

“No,” Neuro gritted out. “I’m almost done!”

Lightning flashed again. “Well, we’re all about to be done if you don’t hurry up!” Jay quipped. “I’m going to go up and try to divert the lightning!”

The cell door hinges protested as Nya opened the door for Jay. “Chamille, I need your help. We need to secure everything on the Bounty - and I need to be steering the ship.”

Chamille scowled, but followed Nya up. Having spent a lot of time with Lloyd and the team in the past few years, she was familiar with the ship.

The Bounty jerked again, but Lloyd was prepared this time. He gripped the metal bars, holding on as the ship tilted so far they were practically flying sideways.

A constant pounding began as hail battered the Bounty. Glass shattered in the distance. Good thing there were no windows in Jasper’s cell.

Both Neuro and Jasper’s breathing was coming faster and faster.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry,” Lloyd mentally chanted with the rhythm of the hail.

Jasper’s shaggy hair began to float, standing on end.

“Watch out!” Lloyd shouted. He leapt forwards, wrapping his arms around Neuro.

Cole and Kai withdrew, their backs to the bars. Zane curled into a ball, sheltering himself with his arms.

Lloyd was effectively blinded as lightning flashed all around him, shattering the hull and splintering the floorboards. He would have been fried too, if not for the green and gold shield encasing him, Neuro, and Jasper.

Where the outermost wall had been, now there was only a gaping hole. Wind rushed in, wanting to pull all three of them out. Fire licked at the remaining walls.

Cole shoved the cell door open, and Zane iced the fire and created a temporary ice wall to plug the hole. Kai hovered outside the cell.

Then Jasper began to scream - a terrible, guttural scream as if he were being tortured. Perhaps having Neuro break down mental wall after mental wall was torture. His deepest secrets were being bared to a foreign mind.

“Neuro!” Lloyd shouted. “Get out of there!”

Neuro didn’t respond. Apparently he was so deep he couldn’t hear them. The tips of his fingers had turned white from the pressure of his grip.

“I swear, if the Bounty crashes again,” Lloyd muttered.

“Sometimes I question why we chose to make our base fly,” said Cole.

The wind howled as cracks formed in Zane’s ice wall.

“It’s not going to hold!” Kai shouted.

“Quick, we have to move them!” Lloyd grabbed the keys, trying each in the chains that held Jasper to his chair. The lock wouldn’t click no matter what Lloyd put in, so he charged a blast and basically vaporized it. The chains dropped with a heavy clink.

Cole prepared to lift Jasper onto his shoulders. “I got him - you get Neuro, Zane!”

“No!” Zane swatted Cole away from Jasper. “We can’t sever their contact!”

“Zane! Cole! Get out!” Lloyd pointed towards the cell door. He could feel more lightning building as the positive and negative energies in the room separated.

A buzzing began, one that worked itself through Lloyd’s entire body, vibrating deep in his chest.

With a grunt, Jasper’s entire body lit up with jagged blue lines of electricity. He brought up both of his hands, placing his palms on Neuro’s chest, over his heart.

“No!” Lloyd leaped forwards, arms outstretched.

He was the grandson of the FSM. He was the Green Ninja. He had burst lightbulbs, had flown on his dragon in storms with Koji, had even practiced acting as a live lightning rod with Jay. Lightning was his.

Or so he told himself as he hurtled towards the pair, wrapping his fingers around Jasper’s cold wrist and jerking one of Jasper’s hands from Neuro’s chest. Lloyd had technically died once before - this couldn’t be any worse. And besides, he was confident he could heal himself if anything really bad happened.

Brilliant white lightning arced down both of Jasper’s arms, crackling with enough energy to power the Monastery for days.

Through the arm, down into the stomach, and out the other arm, Lloyd told himself as he screamed. Lightning burst from his free hand, shattering Zane’s ice wall into a billion pieces of glass. The bed and desk flew out the jagged hole, the pages of Chamille’s textbooks fluttering in the wind. Good riddance.

Neuro wasn’t so lucky. His black and white hair stood on end, frizzing into a style reminiscent of Bob Ross. His mouth opened silently as he fell backwards with a thump, arms outstretched. Jasper also collapsed, slumping back against the hard wood of the chair. Lloyd knelt on the ground, heart beating a million miles a minute as he assessed his forearms for burns.

Kai, Cole, and Zane rushed back into the room. “Neuro!”

Smoke rose from Neuro’s chest. His shirt was practically vaporized. Red finger-like tendrils - Lichtenberg figures - appeared around Neuro’s neck and chest as blood vessels burst from the energy surge. His muscles twitched as the tiny bolts of remaining electricity fizzled out. He didn’t move.

“Is he okay?” Cole laid a hand over Neuro’s chest, then pressed an ear to it.

The wind howled again. Through the breach in the Bounty’s hull, Lloyd could see deep gray clouds swirling, white electricity flickering from cloud to cloud. The mountains loomed, their sharp tips rising up, ready to snare them if they crashed or fell out.

“Quick! We’ve gotta move him!” Kai wrapped his arms around Jasper, gesturing for Cole to pick Neuro up. Zane slammed the cell door once everyone was through. He bent over Neuro after Cole deposited him in the hallway.

“I don’t think he’s breathing!” Cole exclaimed.

“Is his heart beating?” Lloyd felt at Neuro’s neck. No pulse.

“We’ll have to do CPR.” said Zane resolutely.

“Won’t we have to shock him too?” asked Kai.

“I have a built-in defibrillator, but I’ll have to have someone pump and someone else breathe while I charge it.”

Cole, Kai, and Lloyd glanced at each other with wide eyes. No one was excited to volunteer to breathe for Neuro. And, to be honest, Kai looked like he was going to throw up.

“I’ll pump,” Cole volunteered.

“What?”

“You have great lungs - I’ve heard you scream,” said Cole, cracking his knuckles and bending over Neuro.

“Cruel,” Lloyd muttered. “You know you can actually crack a person’s ribs doing CPR, right?”

Cole’s enthusiasm quickly waned as he tried to figure out how to apply light pressure only.

Zane gave rapid-fire instructions on how many beats to count, and then started to rub his hands together.

Lloyd swallowed hard, then pinched Neuro’s nose with one hand. Neuro’s lips were cold and clammy, and Lloyd now felt like Kai looked. How did this work, anyway? Wasn’t he breathing carbon dioxide into Neuro’s lungs?

“Clear!” Zane shouted, and Lloyd and Cole leapt back. Neuro’s chest jerked, his body nearly flying upwards as the shock ran through his body.

“Anything?” asked Cole, but Lloyd could already tell from Zane’s pressed lips that there was nothing.

“Again!”

“Clear!”

The Bounty dropped beneath Lloyd’s feet, nearly taking his stomach with it. They were plummeting so fast, they were practically floating. Zero Gs.

Then Lloyd’s knees slammed into the wooden floorboards, striking so hard he was sure there were going to be two huge ugly bruises in the morning.

PIXAL arrived, clomping up in her armored boots.

“Zane! We’re caught in a mesocyclone - the storm keeps pushing us up and down! It’s too high to fly above, but if we go below, the hail is almost bowling ball sized!”

“Keep pumping!” Zane said, then he turned to PIXAL, still rubbing his palms together. “What can we do about it?”

“I-I do not know.”

Lloyd’s eyes alighted on Jasper’s body at the same time theirs did. PIXAL slid to her knees in front of Jasper, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. He simply moaned, his blue eyes glassy.

The Bounty rose, pressing them into the floor. Lloyd felt like he was on a really fast elevator, or perhaps like he was on that Superman ride at Mega Monster Amusement Park.

“Pix, can you breathe for Neuro?”

“I am a Nindroid, I don’t rely on oxygen -”

Lloyd left Neuro’s side, darting over Jasper’s side.

He shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and fingered the crystal. Then pressed his palm into Jasper’s chest and felt the power flow into him.

“Clear!”

“Lloyd - no!” Kai was shouting at him, but he didn’t respond.

Lloyd shut his eyes. He’d listened to Jay’s lectures with Koji a dozen times. Feel the moisture in the air, the positive and negative energies, the wind in your hair.

But nothing could compare to being able to reach out with his mind and feel those things. To know they were completely and utterly under his control. Once again, he had a physical element, not just some vague green power.

It felt like grappling with a wild animal, or perhaps an out-of-control child, but Lloyd managed to wrap his fingers around the storm. Though it raged on outside the Bounty, Lloyd felt calm and safe in its eye.

Hail threatened, being carried upwards and frozen into huge balls at an unnatural speed. Lloyd forced them to fall, but far from the Bounty. He let the updrafts fade out, and felt the Bounty pause in its ascent, hovering weightlessly. The rotating storm paused, and it was as if Lloyd could hear its gears grinding to a halt.

The pounding rains fizzled out, falling in a gentle shower. The flashing lightning flickered out, replaced now by only the occasional, distant boom of thunder. They were safe.

Behind him, Neuro gasped as he woke with a shudder. Lloyd knelt at his side, only vaguely aware of his own burns, bruises, and Lichentberg figures.

“I know where she is,” Neuro croaked out, before collapsing once again.

Chapter Text

Kai couldn’t believe Lloyd had done that. He was so angry. He wanted, needed to set something on fire.

They didn’t do things like that. Or, at least, they didn’t used to do that.

Kai stalked outside the medical bay, crossing from one end of the hallway to the stairs, then turning around and stomping back the other way.

Zane had whisked Neuro off to the med bay, taking Lloyd with him so they could heal Neuro. Cole and Jay were there too. Nya was surveying the massive hole in the hull.

Kai didn’t trust himself to head in there, not yet. He’d said the wrong thing in anger too many times. No, he needed to come up with some sort of logical argument, like Zane.

What he wanted to say - no, what needed to be said - ran through his mind. Along with a whole bunch of choice words that he’d never get away with using if Sensei were still alive.

What would Sensei say about this? Kai rubbed his chin. None of his sayings seemed to apply.

The door behind Kai swung open with a thump. It was Lloyd, a wary look in his eyes. Good - that little demon spawn had a healthy fear of him.

Kai growled and pounded off, making for the deck. He should’ve never given Lloyd that crystal. He should’ve kept it safe and hidden forever.

The cold night wind bit at Kai, blowing his hair into his eyes. Snow from the mountain storm piled up on the deck, with flakes still falling to nest in Kai’s hair and shoulders. Only PIXAL was out here, being one of the only people who could comfortably bear the cold. Although to tell the truth, it wasn’t much warmer down below. Since the cell had been open to the hall, the air blew right through the hole, between the bars, and into the lower hull.

Kai tugged his hood over his head and paused to don his gloves. He drew his sword. Running through some forms should warm him up. And perhaps blow off some steam.

“Kai!” Nya, dressed in a maroon and sky blue parka, stood right by the steps, hands shoved in her pockets. “We’re having a team meeting.”

Kai blinked. So soon?

“Go on without me,” he said, twirling his sword and sliding one foot behind the other, body poised, ready to strike.

Nya frowned. “It involves all of us. We need to … we need to talk about what happened.”

“You bet we do,” Kai muttered. “I just - I can’t believe the nerve of him!” He sheathed his sword, striding over to Nya.

“I trusted him, Nya! I trusted him with that crystal, I believed he was only going to use it for Allura, and then he threatened Jasper! Not only did he threaten Jasper, not only did Cole and the entire team disagree with his methods, but he went ahead and took Jasper’s powers anyway! And unless we can find another crystal, Jasper’s going to permanently be without his powers, because there’s no way to get his element out and leave Allura’s in.”

“About that, Kai …” Nya bit her lip. “I don’t entirely disagree.”

Kai gaped. “What?”

“You weren’t above deck. You didn’t see the storm. You didn’t see the hail.” She gestured at the sails, the deck, the cabin roof. Holes dotted the sails, dents littered the deck, and tiles had obviously been knocked off the roof. But at least the Bounty still flew.

Nya continued. “We were about to die, Kai. Supercells create tornados. There was one headed straight for us.”

“Jasper wouldn’t have killed himself.” Kai rolled his eyes.

“Seeing as he was able to create the storm, he would’ve probably had enough control to break himself out and survive. Us, on the other hand? Twenty people on board, some injured? All of our stuff? Our home, now that the Monastery’s destroyed? I wasn’t ready to lose that. Lloyd acted on what he thought was best. He acted, knowing that was the only way to save us all.”

Kai’s fingers twitched, aching to summon flame. “I can’t believe you’re defending him.”

Nya took a careful step forward. “I understand you feel like you’ve been betrayed, Kai, but you have to think about the big picture.”

“The big picture?” Kai threw his hands up in the air. “The big idea is that this isn’t right! Power stealing is not right! What makes us better than Allura? When does it stop?”

Nya lifted her chin. “She killed Wu.”

Kai whirled on Nya. “Lloyd killed Wu!”

“Then I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.” She sounded so calm.

They’d disagreed a lot in the past; it was what siblings did. But never had they disagreed over something this bad - the only comparable thing has been Kai’s attempt to murder his ‘traitorous’ father.

Kai’s anger roared in his ears, the edges of his vision veering towards red. He pushed his way past Nya, stomping down to the deck and towards the Ninja’s bedroom - the only place they could all gather to get away from the massive crowd of people aboard.

Nya followed. “What are you - come back!”

Even with the bedroom door shut, Kai could hear Lloyd’s voice carrying - it was his “Master Lloyd” voice - in which he raised it and tried to speak calmly and slowly like an adult so that no one would grasp the absurdity of his plans until after they’d agreed.

“Now, if we need to traverse realms, the best plan is to go back to the -”

Kai shoved open the door, marched right up to Lloyd, and grabbed him by his collar, pinning him to the wall. “What in Ninjago were you thinking?!”

“Aggghhh!” was all Lloyd could manage in reply, his tongue slipping over his pointed demon teeth as he nervously licked his lips.

“Hey!” Chamille - what in Ninjago was she doing here - hissed at Kai.

“What are you doing, you big oaf!” Cole leapt up, grabbing Kai’s arm to try and pry him off Lloyd. With Zane’s help, he managed, and now Cole and Zane stood on both sides of Kai, guarding him as if he were a dangerous prisoner.

“You know what you did! You know exactly what you did!” Kai shrieked. “Give me that crystal, right now!” He held out his hand.

Lloyd’s hand rapidly patted his chest, presumably feeling for the crystal tucked inside. His wide eyes stayed on Kai. “No,” he said, a definitive waver in his voice.

“This isn’t right, Lloyd! Stealing powers just because someone won’t cooperate? Threatening them?”

“Stand down.” Lloyd drew himself up - his voice detached and cold. “I am your Master.”

If he was going to pull rank … Kai pulled a trick - a dirty, dirty trick. One that he regretted as soon as it slipped out. “This is something that the son of Lord Garmadon would do!”

Lloyd’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes shifted to Oni red. Red like blood. Red like Garmadon.

“Kai,” Jay said nervously, drawing out the “i” in Kai’s name. “Don’t say anything else you might regret.”

Kai froze, his gaze sliding from Lloyd to the other Ninja. “Are you all saying you agree with him? So, any future Immortals we meet, we should just steal their powers, right? There’s no way they’ll reform. No way they might actually decide to join the Elemental Alliance.”

Chamille stood right there as living proof that some could reform.

The others looked like Jay had when everyone discovered he actually still liked that dumb movie - “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl” - defensive but also full of shame.

Jay said, “Jasper would have rather had someone meticulously dig through his mind and drag his secrets out than reveal them. He tried to kill Neuro. Plus, he was unconscious. There was no way he could have, or would have stopped the storm.”

“Yeah … ” said Nya.

“While I do not believe power stealing should be applied whenever and wherever, I do believe it was the best decision at the time,” said Zane.

Only Cole remained silent.

“You - you,” Kai sputtered. “You were a victim of too much elemental power! You were a prisoner of the Ice Emperor!”

Zane flinched, his eyes going hollow at the memory. “I … ”

Zane’s hands reached up to comb through his silver hair, turning it to a messy flop instead of his usual militaristic style. His breaths came quickly, puffing in the cold air.

Lloyd rested his hands on Zane’s shoulders, gazing into Zane’s eyes. “Zane, we used that same Scroll of Spinjitzu to take down Aspheera. If we hadn’t used it, Aspheera would have defeated us all. We had to use power to stop power. This is the same thing.”

“You - are - right. I t-trust you, Lloyd,” Zane stammered out, sounding like anything but trusting.

“Zane, bud, look at me. It’s okay.” Together, Zane and Lloyd sank to their knees as Lloyd commanded Zane to breathe.

After a few minutes, Zane’s panic attack seemed to cease. He brushed Lloyd’s hands off his shoulders.

“I- I have to go.” He turned and fled, darting off to who knows where.

“I’ll go with him,” said Cole.

“No.” Lloyd waved a hand. “Let him go.” Lloyd’s eyes narrowed at Kai. “Now, about your insubordination -”

“I won’t!” Kai clenched his fists.” I won’t stand for this! If you’re going to insist on … on dancing towards evil, I won’t be a part of it. You can’t make me. I - I quit!”

“Oh, snap,” muttered Jay.

The other Ninja stared blankly at Kai.

He glared back, then turned, slamming the door behind him and rushing out onto the deck.

Snowflakes shot down, swirling around Kai. It was practically a whiteout - he could barely even make out the railings or mast. Everything appeared as a fuzzy grey outline in the storm.

Probably a result of Zane’s sudden rush of emotions. Kai didn’t know what had gotten into the normally calm and stoic Nindroid, but he was betting it had something to do with the Never-Realm. Something had happened in that throne room, something that Lloyd and Zane had never told the others about. But Kai wasn’t about to go beg Lloyd for the story.

Kai gritted his teeth as his fingertips began to ache from the cold. He was the Fire Ninja. If anything, he was the most equipped to deal with this storm.

Heat rushed through him as he summoned his elemental dragon and flew out into the blizzard.

______________________________________________________________________________

Okay. Kai hated to admit it - he was utterly, hopelessly lost. The storm had ceased, but the Bounty was nowhere to be seen. The ship’s familiar white sails, red trim, and brown hull, hole included, were noticeably absent from the totally white landscape.

Snow coated everything: the rocks, the evergreen trees dotting every hill, and the frozen streams of water that snaked down the mountains. Moonlight shone down, its cold light offering no relief from the biting chill of the wind.

A red cardinal tweeted forlornly as Kai trudged through the knee-high snow, teeth chattering and toes long gone cold. His gi was soaked, and his famously spiky hair had turned into a wet mess.

He’d already flown around the whole area, searching for the ship, but found nothing. He couldn’t have flown that far, right? And the Bounty had only been moving at half speed since they had no plan and no heading.

The wind must have messed with his sense of direction more than he thought. Then again, it wasn’t like Kai had much, considering how once he’d led everyone in the opposite direction of Stixx.

Kai groaned and halted in a clearing. He needed to gather wood and light a fire. But every piece of wood was wet or snowed on.

He was the Fire Ninja. He had heat to spare. He’d been able to summon heat in the Never-Realm easily. When he had dry wood.

“Hello?” Kai yelled half-heartedly. Maybe he could light a huge bonfire. The smoke and light would be sure to attract the others. Or it could attract EVIL, or the police. Probably best not to, Kai figured.

“Yoo-hoo! Anybody there?” Come to think of it, his shouting could attract someone too…

A snuffling sound up ahead drew Kai’s attention. It sounded like it was coming from behind the pile of snow-covered rocks.

“Hello? Is someone there?” Kai drew his sword and approached the rock pile carefully, the snow crunching under his feet as he stepped closer.

He laid a hand on the boulder, and was about to peek behind it -

“Boo!”

“Ahhh!” Kai jumped ten feet in the air, swinging his sword wildly behind him at the threat.

Chamille melted into existence, having easily dodged his blade. “Hey. Looking a little lost, aren’t you?”

Kai sheathed his blade, not responding.

“Ah, come on, you gotta admit that was good.” She stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled. Spinjitzu trotted out from behind the boulders, leaving deep prints and a snake-like trail in the wake of his dragging tail.

Chamille pointed towards the trees. “Go fetch.”

Spinjitzu leaped up, winging his way above the forest, then diving. A muffled shriek sounded, and Spinjitzu emerged, Cole’s tall form dangling between his forelegs. The adolescent dragon proudly dumped Cole at Chamille’s feet.

Cole sputtered and rose, wiping snow from his face. “Kai!”

He ran over to Kai, grabbed one of Kai’s hands, pulled off his glove, and began rubbing his hands over Kai’s. “Gimme some of that heat!”

Kai frowned. “Cole. Look at me. You really think I’ve got heat to spare?”

Cole paused. “Your hands are cold. Oh. Ohhhh.” He trudged through the snow to Spinjitzu and began digging through his saddlebags. “Ah ha!”

Cole triumphantly pulled out a thermos. “Here. An apology from Lloyd.” Steam emanated from the open thermos, along with the delicious smell of coffee.

Cole grabbed a second thermos for himself and began sipping it. “We all know we were running high from Jasper and Neuro. He told me to tell you that he’s really, really sorry. It’s not at all his plan to go around stealing powers. It was just the only thing he could think of, with Jasper unconscious.” Cole’s warm brown eyes met Kai’s. “He just wants his big brother back.”

Kai stayed silent during Cole’s mini-speech, wrapping his fingers around the thermos and letting the delicious heat warm him. But Kai still felt unconvinced. “I don’t know. I still don’t think it’s right. What are we going to do with the crystal? We can’t let him keep it.”

Cole awkwardly shifted. “I didn’t say anything back there, but … I don’t agree either. And I know Zane is definitely having trouble accepting it.” He let out a breath. “Maybe we could … place a ban on the crystal? Like, we’ll only let him use the crystal if the entire team agrees? He seemed … open to the idea.”

Before Kai could reply, Cole plunged on. “Look, I know you don’t agree with Lloyd’s methods, but come back for us.” Cole clasped his hands together. “Come back for me and your other brothers.”

Kai tilted his head. “I don’t wanna freeze out here.” He chuckled halfheartedly, then hardened his voice. “But I’ll only fight alongside Lloyd if he agrees to give up the crystal.”

Cole nodded. “Alright. And if he doesn’t agree … I’m with you 100%.”

Kai swallowed. He just hoped it didn’t come to that - abandoning his morals or abandoning his baby brother. He finally sipped the coffee. “Blegh!” He spit it out. It tasted way too sweet. “How’d Lloyd manage to ruin coffee?!”

“I know right!” Cole exclaimed.

“Nah, tastes good. It’s like a mocha,” Chamille said, taking a swig from her own thermos. She replaced the thermos in the saddlebag, then grabbed Spinjitzu’s reins. She nimbly climbed up on his back, the leather squeaking. “Come on, let’s go back.”

Kai sighed and created his elemental dragon. “Fine.”

Chapter Text

The sun was just peeking over the horizon as the Bounty approached the dragon caves. Red and orange and yellow bled together in a beautiful palette that anybody else would have found stunning. But to Lloyd, it was the color of blood and death. The same color as his father’s eyes. As his own eyes.

He had always feared becoming his father. When his father had died, Kai had taken up the mantle, promising to protect Lloyd. Even when he’d been possessed by Morro, Kai had always had his back, always believed that Lloyd was still inside, that it wasn’t Lloyd who had tossed the Ninja to the ground, tried to wipe them off the face of a mountain, tricked them into almost dying in the Caves of Despair.

Ironic, how Lloyd was now fully sane and aware of himself, and it was Kai who abandoned him and called him a monster. Lloyd let the chains of the crystal slip through his fingers, the metal pooling in each hand with tiny clinks.

Lloyd let out a heavy breath. He could see it fog in the cold morning air. Along with the dozens of dragons that swarmed out of the Caves and were beginning to surround the ship.

Jay leaped off the prow and rushed to Lloyd. “Lloyd!” he shrieked, his voice tinged with panic. “What are we doing?!”

“Bargaining with someone who wants to kill me,” thought Lloyd. Of course, he didn’t say that.

“Where’s Chamille?” Lloyd asked, voice even. “Did she and the others get back yet?”

Chamille was good at playing mind games and convincing people.

Jay shook his head. “Nope.”

“Alright. We’ll have to do without them.” Lloyd turned from the railing and raised his voice. “Guys! The plan!”

The other Elemental Masters (except for Neuro), were huddling in scattered groups above deck. They wandered over.

Karloff, oblivious as always, shoved his way to the front, where his tall height obscured practically half of Lloyd’s audience.

Lloyd sprung up onto the railing so he could see everyone. It happened so fast Lloyd couldn’t do a thing.

“Ahhh!” Claws raked up Lloyd’s chest, and if he hadn’t jerked his head back, his face would be a bleeding mess. The rest of the dragon surfaced, rising with a wingbeat to perch on the topmost sparguard, tail curling around the mast.

The leather strap attaching Lloyd’s sword to his back has been sliced clean through, and three perfectly straight cuts now decorated his gi. Thin lines of blood welled up on his chest.

“Lloyd! Are you okay?” Nya yelled from the wheel.

Lloyd quickly scanned himself; aside from the scratches, he seemed okay.

He twisted back around to address the others. “Okay, everyone stay calm. No need to pan - iiiic!”

Lloyd’s last statement was cut off as he felt something grip his arm and lift him up into the sky. He tugged at the solid, scaly talon that threatened to cut off his blood supply. No use - it was like iron manacles.

“It’ll be fine!” Lloyd shouted, letting out an involuntary screech as the dragon carrying him narrowly missed running him right into the upper spar of the mast.

Three of the elementals leapt off the Bounty, their dragons creating fractals of light like stained glass as the early morning sun shone through them. But other dragons darted between them and Lloyd, keeping the rest of the elementals firmly contained on the Bounty.

Lloyd racked his mind for ideas. Oh, if he didn’t get out of this soon, he was sure his arm was going to be wrenched out of its socket. Why couldn’t the dragon grab both arms?

He screamed in frustration. Wait - with an arm free …

The dragon entered the cave, other dragons right behind it. It was darker than the Oni cloud; Lloyd couldn’t see a cursed thing. Shrieks and roars became distorted as they echoed off the stone walls, sounding like demonic screams.

Lloyd hissed as he drew his legs up closer to him, fumbling for his calf, where he’d strapped his deepstone dagger. Ohhh, he was so thankful now that Sensei had tortured him and made him do all those pull-ups.

“Ah ha!” Lloyd triumphantly pulled out the dagger and plunged it into the dragon’s talon. It shrieked, letting go of him.

“Yikes,” flashed through Lloyd’s mind, just before he crashed into the hard stone floor. Luckily, the drop wasn’t too bad, but what was this slimy stuff all over him?

“Bleggh!” He rose, trying to wipe the gross slime that coated pretty much the entire cave floor off his face.

Dragons landed behind him, effectively blocking his way out, and more dragons blocked way up ahead. From above came a scraping noise as a dragon clawed its way up the wall, its claws gripping the uneven rocks.

Lloyd blinked, allowing his eyes to adjust as it began to glow a warm yellow. A light dragon.

The dragons below parted to allow in the mysterious dragon rider. She still wore her dragon mask. A new cape of white dragonscales flowed from her shoulders.

At least Lloyd had fulfilled Part 1 of his plan: Talk to Kate.

“We meet again, Oni,” she said, her voice high and delicate compared to the grunts and snarls that punctuated the air.

“Dragon rider.” Lloyd sank to his knees, bowing his head. Best to play along.

He remained still as she approached on light footsteps to stand in front of him.

His instincts alerted him just in time, and he jerked his body back, her spear’s tip passing just below his chin.

Lloyd reached for his sword … it was back on the Bounty.

Okay. She wanted to kill him. Nothing new, right?

“What did I do?!” Lloyd asked. “I didn’t even - you kidnapped me!”

“I said we would meet again. And that you would pay!”

She growled, and the dragons moved in, compressing Lloyd. He darted between their legs, narrowly avoiding snapping jaws.

One grabbed his upper arm with its talon, and another pinned his foot, rendering him immobile. Something huge, warm, and wet clamped onto his free arm, and Lloyd stilled. A crushed arm was not something he wanted to try and heal.

“Look, if this is about my heritage, or me ‘imprisoning’ Spinjitzu, I can -”

“It is not.” She removed her mask to reveal silky auburn hair and sculpted features. Her nose wrinkled as she sniffed at him, like a dog. She wiped sticky blood from his chest, then held her fingers out to a dragon, who licked them clean.

Lloyd bared his teeth as she felt of him, apparently searching for weapons.

“Feisty, are we?” She stepped back and circled him. “You have Golden Power?”

“Maybe. Let me go, and we’ll talk.” He craned his neck as she passed behind him.

“I think not.”

He narrowed his eyes as he waited for her to slide in front of him. Then he let out a blast of fire.

The dragon attached to his arm let out a growl, its teeth digging deeper into his arm.

Kate turned her back, letting her dragonscale cloak deflect the flames. She waited for him to stop coughing before she spoke again. “Golden Power is of the dragons. You will find as you gain power and grow into your full heritage that you are able to access more dragon-ish features. However -”

She grabbed his chin, forcing him to gaze into her piercing green eyes. “The opposite is also true. Your eyes are red, like the Oni.” She traced a delicate finger across his cheek. “You do not yet have their tattoos. But the farther you fall into darkness …” She trailed off.

“I am not him.” Lloyd jerked his chin away, snapping his teeth at her fingers.

“Him?” Kate stepped back. “The Oni warlord that brought a marauding army through my realm, butchered my parents, and burned my village was female.” Her voice hardened. “I will not let a demon like you bring the same fate.”

Lloyd struggled without success to free one of his arms. Oh, where were the others? He didn’t hear any signs of them breaking into the caves to rescue him.

Where has that deepstone dagger gone? Lloyd scanned the ground. Now that there was light, he could see that the ground was covered in a translucent green slime.

There! The jolt of a knife protruded from the ground behind Kate, its blade matte black.

Kate raised her spear, ready to plunge it into his heart. “Begone, Oni!”

“Not - yet!” Lloyd shoved on every ounce of power he had, thrusting it all outwards in a spectacular green-ish gold explosion that threw Kate back and forced the dragons to release him in surprise.

Flee? Or … The choice was clear. He needed to get to Allura, no matter what. Lloyd bounded forwards, somersaulted over Kate, and grabbed the dagger. Then he wrapped an arm around her torso and pressed it to her neck.

The dragons stilled, and Lloyd’s pounding heart was suddenly ten times louder. “Um…”

Kate hissed, drawing her dragons closer. A high-pitched noise filled the tunnel as a dragon charged its blast.

“You don’t want to do that,” Lloyd said, bringing his shaking dagger hand closer.

“You would not kill me,” Kate said confidently. “Besides, if you kill me, he will kill you.”

“No, I wouldn’t kill you,” Lloyd admitted. “But I can steal your power.” He fished the crystal out from inside his gi.

“You will help us get to Indigo, the Midnight Realm,” Lloyd demanded.

Kate barked a laugh. “And why would I aid you? So you can begin your conquering elsewhere? You’re more like an Oni than I thought. I’d rather die.”

“Because if you don’t, I will curse you.”

“With what?”

“The Inferna Copula. Either you are cursed and the only way to lift it is to help us, or you are cursed, and there is nothing you can do.” He was betting she had no clue what the Inferna Copula was. She didn’t have to know that it was only possible to curse yourself - not others.

Kate was silent. “And if I simply have him shoot you?” She nodded at the dragon, light issuing from its glowing mouth.

“The curse is quick to say. I’ll say it, steal your powers, and shield myself. You’ll die soon enough- ” - he shifted his dagger grip - “and live in the Netherworld forever.”

Everything in Lloyd screamed, “No, this is wrong!” But he held firm - he needed transport, and she was their only ticket.

Kate stilled as she weighed her options. “Fine.” Her voice was as tense as Lloyd’s body. “I agree - but I do not go. I will send dragons with you, and they will not be burdened with saddles or reins.”

“Good. Now repeat after me:

Toto-demanda cursona actu condicionem implere.

Ego sustentor aeternum inprecatio regnum

et obeo neque orbits non beatis.

Et stare in test temporis, ait, ista maledictio.

Incipere.

I swear, I will not harm the Ninja or their allies. Instead, I will aid the Ninja and their allies by giving them dragons so they can get to the Midnight Realm.

“Finitum.” Lloyd kept his words slow, making sure to pause to give Kate enough time to say each word correctly.

He stepped back, resheathing his dagger. “No tricks. If you harm us, the deal is void and you curse yourself.”

“Unlike you, I have honor.” She shoved him with her shoulder as she marched past towards her white dragon. “Are you coming?”

Chapter Text

Kai spotted the dragons circling the hovering Bounty like sharks first.

“What’s happening?” He squinted in the late morning light.

Cole frowned as he brought a hand up to shield his eyes. “I think … it’s being attacked?”

Kai urged his dragon to close the gap, but his dragon was slow to respond. They’d been flying all night to catch up with the Bounty, which had been bearing full speed towards the dragon caves.

“Don’t make any sudden moves,” Cole warned as they approached.

Chamille tightened Spinjitzu’s reins. “I don’t like it.”

As soon as they drew within range of the Bounty’s cannons, the dragons snapped to attention, growls springing up from deep in their throats. They hissed, warning Cole, Kai, and Chamille not to get any closer.

“Hey!” Kai tried to yell, to contact anybody aboard the Bounty. The deck was surprisingly empty, something he wouldn’t have expected if the Bounty was actually being attacked.

The dragons apparently took his shout as aggression. They swarmed, surrounding Kai and trying to rip his dragon to pieces. His dragon was made purely of elemental power, so it was unaffected despite their jaws slicing right through it.

Cole, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. “Ahhhhh!!” His dragon disappeared, and his small form plummeted through the cloud of dragons and towards the ground.

“Cole!” Chamille pushed Spinjitzu into a dive.

Kai, meanwhile, summoned elemental fire, trying to at least frighten the dragons away. Most, unfortunately, were immune. But their eyes weren’t. They screamed and clawed at their faces, leaving gouges and bloody claw marks.

“Grrrrr!” A white dragon barged its way through the group, grabbing Kai’s shoulders and seizing him from the back of his mount.

The other dragons retreated to the Bounty, falling in line behind the white dragon, who roughly deposited Kai on the Bounty’s deck. A heavy talon landed on Kai’s chest, forcing him down onto the deck’s floorboards. He pushed at the dragon’s paw, gasping for air, but to no avail. Heavy air wafted towards Kai as the dragon exposed its 3-inch incisors.

Kai’s hands danced over his gi as he searched for his emergency dagger. There! He pulled it, squeezed its hilt, readying his hand for the strike, and then -

“Stop!” Gold and green light washed over Kai as Lloyd’s elemental dragon descended, Nya right behind him.

The white dragon paused, glaring at Lloyd, then shrunk into the smaller form of Kate the dragon rider, spear in hand. Her mask was gone, replaced with a chiseled face, flashing green eyes and a tight-lipped grimace.

Lloyd shoved her with both hands, almost causing her to trip over Kai. “Does he look like a Ninja?”

“Yes.” Kate did not drop her eyes, but instead gazed defiantly at Lloyd, despite her short stature.

Lloyd’s eyes were red as he addressed Kate. “And he’s my brother. So he’s not to be harmed.”

“Understood.” Kate paused to pick up her golden spear, twirling it and then inserting it into a sheath on her back.

Before she morphed back into a dragon, she hissed at Kai, baring teeth like Lloyd’s.

“Kai. So sorry about that!” Lloyd helped Kai stand up, brushing Kai’s gi off. Nya stuck her tongue out at Kate’s retreating back. Kai only stared at both of them in shock.

Chamille’s brows were furrowed as she attempted to put words together. “Didn’t you say - what - huh? I thought you said she tried to kill you!”

“She did,” said Lloyd, stepping to take Spinjitzu’s reins from Chamille. “Don’t worry, we worked it out. She’s on our side now.” Lloyd flashed a toothy grin. “You all are instructed not to harm her, or her dragons.”

Chamille arched a brow. “How, pray tell, did you actually manage to convince her?”

Lloyd’s grin faded as he gave Chamille a glare. “Later,” he hissed under his breath.

“But - she’s so angry,” Cole said. “How do we know we can trust her? And what did we promise her?”

Nya shrugged. “She’s solid.”

Kai would believe her, except he, being her brother, was quite aware of her tells. In Nya’s case, her lying announced itself as she slipped her hands behind her back, discreetly waving her fingers to dispel any moisture or fog that might appear.

Kai sighed. “Nya. I know there’s more to the story. Spit it out.”

Nya was saved from replying by Jay’s shout. “Guys!” Jay came running up, sais and shurikens and daggers spilling from his arms. “You’re back!” He dumped the weapons on the ground, along with a leather saddlebag filled to the brim.

“Yes,” Cole said, frowning. “What are you doing?”

“Packing, of course! I’ve got the food and weapons …what else?” Jay looked to Lloyd.

Lloyd pursed his lips as he ran through a mental checklist. “Zane’s on medical supplies. Nya’s on water.”

“What’s happening?” asked Kai. “Why are we allied with Kate in the first place? Why are we packing? We’re already on a floating mobile base with literally nowhere else to run.”

Lloyd clasped his hands behind his back. “Neuro discovered that Allura has fled to the Midnight Realm. Her plan, the Aurum Initiative, involves kidnapping the Queen of the Undying, an Elemental Master of Healing. She also has the ability to turn immortal. With her powers, Allura would be completely unstoppable. Hence why we are at the dragon caves; we need transport to Indigo.”

Lloyd rubbed Spinjitzu’s snout. “Kate has agreed to lend us dragons for the journey, but we're leaving the Elemental Masters behind to protect Ninjago. It’ll only be us six, plus Chamille. With two of the Immortals out, we’ll only be one person short. The crystal will even the odds should Allura herself show up.”

“Now, if you’ll excuse me …” Lloyd exited the group to intercept Griffin, who had zipped up on his dragon.

“Lloyd!” Griffin leapt off his dragon and rushed up to Lloyd. “We’ve gotta go!”

“Now?” Lloyd’s expression darkened. “We’ve been here less than twelve hours and they’ve already caught up to us?”

“Still about ten minutes out, but yep,” Griffin replied. “I’ve been making wide circles, but they must’ve slipped by. They move fast!”

“Spinjitzu’s been flying all night,” Chamille said, patting his side. “He’s not ready to realm-travel.”

“Well, he’ll have to be, because I’m not riding some other dragon.” Lloyd’s hands glowed as he let power flood through him and into Spinjitzu, infusing the dragon with energy.

“Nya, get Zane,” Lloyd said over his shoulder as he leaned against the Bounty’s railing, cupping his hands at his mouth. “Kate!”

Seconds later, Kate thumped onto the deck, morphing back into a human.

“What?”

“We need to go. Ready the dragons. Zane! Thanks.” Lloyd grabbed the medical kit from Zane, loading it into one of Spinjitzu’s saddlebags.

Kai held up his hands. “Wait, I haven’t packed anything! I’m not prepared -”

Nya, emerging from below, tossed a red backpack at him, which he barely caught. “Don’t worry, I packed for you.” She handed Cole a black one. “Let’s go!”

“But who’s in charge of the Bounty?” asked Cole, strapping it on.

“Skylor!” Jay strapped his nunchucks on his back.

“Remember! Head back into the Spine and lie low until we return!” Lloyd was yelling instructions at Skylor from Spinjitzu’s saddle.

“Did you get the food?” Zane asked.

“Of course!” Jay proudly held up a bulging saddlebag.

Nya said flatly, “I hope you didn’t only grab junk food.”

Jay’s smile turned upside down. “It’s not my fault! We don’t have much on this ship anyway!”

“You can hunt when you get there!” Kate stood on the railing, speaking in her strange growls and grunts to three dragons circling the ship.

Zane did not look appeased. “It is not wise to go about killing native wildlife.”

“Guys! I can see the hovercopters on the horizon!” Lloyd yelled. “Skylor! Fire up the engines!”

The Bounty surged beneath them, the engines roaring. Clouds flew by rapidly.

“We must go now,” said Kate. “Jump!”

Cole’s face turned green, but he headed towards the railing. “I guess we Airjitzu?”

Kai looked at him. “Well, we certainly aren’t going to just jump…”

With the Bounty moving, the dragons had to fly to keep up, and their wingspan wouldn’t let them get closer than fifteen feet.

“I don’t know about this …” Cole said.

Jay and Nya held hands and leaped towards what looked like a storm dragon, with frills running down its neck and yellow streaks decorating its royal blue scales. Chamille climbed up behind Lloyd, and Spinjitzu took off.

“Jump!” Kate yelled, pointing Kai, Zane, and Cole towards a silver dragon with scales that shone like platinum. Since their dragon was the biggest, it had the longest wingspan and was thus much farther from the Bounty.

Zane easily crossed, but Cole still clung to the railing.

“Come on!” Kai glanced at the horizon. He really could see little dots flying closer. Stupid Borg and his accelerated technology. “You can do it!”

Cole was the Earth Ninja - he didn’t like heights, flying in storms made him sick, and he had lately developed a fear of falling. Kai didn’t know exactly what had gone down in Shintaro, but he was fairly sure it had something to do with heights.

Kai grabbed Cole’s shoulder. “Look, I believe you can do it. Just trust me!” He tried to pull Cole over the railing with him, but Cole was as solid as, well, a pillar of rock.

Cole swallowed. His lips moved as he whispered words to himself. The wind snatched most of them away, but Kai caught, “It’s not Shintaro, it’s not a cloud of darkness -”

Suddenly, he lunged, a black bubble surrounding him. Kai was caught off balance and dragged behind Cole. He let go in surprise. “Ahhhh!”

“Kai!” Jay screamed as Kai fell, stomach first with a view towards the rapidly approaching earth. Kai summoned his elemental power, letting it swirl around outside him, creating his Airjitzu bubble. He managed to land on the dragon, but on its rump, where there were no neck spines of any sort to grip.

“This does not look safe!” Kai groused as his hands scrabbled for a hold. The silver scales looked smooth from a distance, but actually had tiny, sharp ridges that bit into Kai’s hands, leaving bloody smears that only made it more difficult to hang on.

“Kai!” Cole clung to a neck spine, one hand reaching out for Kai. Kai latched on to it, spreading red smudges all over Cole’s wrists and fingerless gloves. Just in time, because they were going up, leaving Kai’s stomach in the dust. Cole tugged Kai up to the dragon’s shoulders, where Cole and Zane held onto spines while Kai held onto Cole for dear life.

Kai risked a glance back. The Bounty was quickly disappearing into the distance, but Kai caught a glimpse of elemental dragons emerging to cover the ship’s retreat back into the Spine.

Up ahead, Spinjitzu and the storm dragon were neck-and-neck, with Kate at the processions’ head.

As they ascended higher and higher, almost vertically, it became harder to breathe. The air felt thin and cold, just like it had when they climbed the Wailings Alps.

Kai gulped in a breath. His stomach flipped as their dragon flared its wings, flipped, and dove.

Kai let out a screech as both he and Cole started to slip. Cole’s head nodded as they became weightless.

Kai shook him. “Cole?”

Cole had fainted.

He reached past Cole, grabbing onto the dragon and sandwiching Cole between his own body and the neck spine.

They were going so fast Kai had to shut his eyes. Everything became Cole’s warmth, the rush of wind, and the feel of the dragon’s coiled muscles underneath him.

Kai felt more than heard the rip of air as reality warped and a portal sprung open. The world shrunk, then exploded into a symphony of color as they passed through the Ethereal Divide.

Then there was silence and the smell of fresh night air.

“Why in Ninjago is it so dark?” said Jay from somewhere up ahead.

“It’s the Midnight Realm, what’d you expect?” came Nya’s voice.

“I can’t even see my own hand,” Jay complained. “Are there even stars?”

“Actually, according to the preliminary research I did, there are over 25 recognized constellations in Indigo. However, we are unable to see them, because something is blocking them. I believe it is … ” Zane’s voice trailed off, a whirring noise beginning as his eyes scanned the darkness. “That is a large swarm of Night Terrors.”

“Night Terrors? What are those?” Kai asked. He still couldn’t see a thing.

“A type of flying reptilian creature similar to dragons but completely wild. They are indigenous to the - ahhhhh!” Zane cut off as one of the creatures apparently plucked him away.

“Zane? Zane!” Kai twisted around, searching for the Nindroid, but the darkness was so thick, so tangible, that -

Kai grabbed at his arm as a claw opened up a gash. He couldn’t see anything, but he could feel all around him leathery wings brushing his legs and face. Shrieks rent the air and tiny claws scratched at every area on his body.

Kai reached inside himself, pulling on the warmth in his core. He stood, almost slipping off. Kai promptly lit the surrounding swarm of Night Terrors on fire. The wyvern-like creatures screamed, crashing into each other as they tried and failed to put out the fire on their furry bodies.

“Ha, take that!” Kai flailed his arms when the silver dragon unexpectedly swerved. “Ahhh!” He dove to catch Cole just before he slipped off the dragon.

“Mm-bleh-wha-AHHHH!” Cole jerked awake with a gasp. “Is this the Departed Realm?”

“I got him!” Lloyd steered Spinjitzu up through the cloud of beating wings, making straight for Zane.

“I think we’ve got company!” Jay yelled.

Up ahead, a massive wall of white stone greeted them, stretching as far as the eye could see. Inside was a veritable castle, with smaller buildings filling up the rest of the space inside the stone wall.

Huge torches blazed on the walls, calling to Kai. Light flared as a wall of flaming arrows and burning sulfur orbs arced into the air.

“Watch out!” Kai somersaulted over Cole to sit right behind the dragon’s head so he could urge it to dodge. The dragon flared and then twisted to glide along the wall’s length.

Kai was close enough to hear someone shout, “Reload!” Tiny figures ran along the wall, dousing more sulfur balls with kerosene.

“Fly away!” Kai tugged the dragon’s head to the right, trying to pull it from the wall back out into the night.

He glanced out to see where the others were. Gold scales flashed in the darkness as Spinjitzu clawed at the Night Terror carrying Zane. The creatures snapped at each others’ necks, the ground growing ever closer.

Behind Kai, Cole stood, his Ninja agility training taking over. “Please!” He waved his arms back and forth. “Don’t shoot!”

“Dragon! Stand down! You are not authorized to enter Cathal!”

A sudden explosion of blue rushed over Kai, drowning out any sense of night vision he had. The shriek of a dragon pierced his ears, and when he could see again, a wispy blue dragon hovered between him and the wall, its frills flared as it stared down the archers on the wall.

“Don’t shoot!” A girl with hair as bright as the dragon shouted from its back. Azura?

“Got him!” Lloyd and Spinjitzu approached the wall, Jay and Nya’s dragon right behind. Zane hung from Spinjitzu’s forelegs.

The flaming barrage launched again, but this one soared past Lloyd, Jay, and Nya, showering the writhing cloud of Night Terrors instead. The dark forms disappeared, scattering into the night with pained shrieks.

Kai’s dragon finally decided to circle out, coming in hot on the tail of Jay and Nya’s dragon just as they swept over the wall into the city. The three dragons landed upon the twelve-foot wide wall.

Soldiers brandishing swords, spears, and maces quickly surrounded them, their metal armor gleaming in the firelight of the torches. The Ninja raised their hands and slowly dismounted. Jay whimpered.

“They are to be unharmed, Felan.” Azura strode through the crowd of soldiers, a man with a mane of black hair and piercing green eyes like Lloyd at her heels.

She halted in front of the Ninja, deliberately looking each in the eye. Her irises flashed from blue to vibrant purple, and back to blue. She brushed a strand of hair back with a hand adorned with an amethyst dragon ring.

“Understood, Protector.” The man, Felan, turned, clapping his hands. “What are you gawking at? Get back to the wall.” Soldiers scrambled to do his bidding, spreading out and retaking positions along the wall.

To the Ninja he said. “Please. Follow me to the king’s table.”

Kai leaned in close to Lloyd. “Is that …?”

“Yep,” said Lloyd.

Apparently, Chamille was now famous.

Chapter Text

“I don’t like it. Not at all.” Kai paced in front of a fire roaring in an extravagantly carved marble fireplace.

“Who does?” asked Cole, who was currently lying stomach-first on the canopied bed, arms hanging off one side, and feet off the other. “Putting our lives in the hands of someone who’s worked for years to get in good with us and then turn around and stab Lloyd in the back? No thank you.”

Jay was reclining against the stuffed pillows that took up almost half the bed, finishing off the last of the steak. “I concur. Although the food was really good.”

“Every minute we waste in these rooms, Allura is getting closer and closer to the Queen of the Undying,” Zane said from his position at the windows, gazing out into the starless night. Lightning flashed in the distance. “We can’t delay.”

Nya entered from a door adjoining her room to theirs, and promptly curled up on the bed next to Jay, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Yeah, but it’s not like we can do anything.” Kai sighed. “Not with Lloyd being the only one invited to the king’s meeting with Chamille.”

Jay shot straight up. “We are Ninja …”

Both Kai and Jay grinned.

“No, we are not sneaking around some foreign palace we aren’t familiar with.” Cole quickly shut the idea down. “Remember the last two times we did that?”

“Three. First time - you guys were almost eaten by a snake. Second - Lloyd got caught on a secret date with a princess, and third, you met an evil Skull Sorcerer,” said Nya flatly.

Cole flicked a finger towards her. “Exactly. Not doing that.”

“While we have time though …” Kai turned his sharp gaze to Nya, taking a seat in a chair by the bed. “Why don’t you tell us exactly how Lloyd got Kate on our side? And don’t try to slip your way out of this one. We’ve got plenty of time.”

Nya sat up, swinging her legs over the bed to face him. Her hair, down for once, gave her a softer, more ethereal quality, compared to her harsh updo, which accentuated her strong cheekbones and jaw. “I told you, Kai. I swore to Lloyd I wouldn’t tell you. Go ask Zane.”

“Zane’s not as close to Lloyd as you are.” Ever since the Ninja had returned from the First Realm, they’d noticed that Lloyd and Nya shared glances, worked better together in battle, and practically had their own secret language.

“Actually,” said Zane. “I do know. But Lloyd also swore me to secrecy. He said, and I quote, ‘Don’t tell Kai. It’ll make his head explode.’”

Nya scowled. “Just drop it. Why does it matter so much to you? We’ve got Kate with us. Why worry?”

“Because,” Kai said. “Last I heard of Kate, she wanted to kill Lloyd. She’s got scores of dragons on her side, and we were just another group of intruders when we fought the Immortals there. We only got away because of Borg’s last-minute reinforcements coming in and shooting them down. We killed her dragons, Nya, and I’m pretty sure she’s not just going to flip and join us.”

The noise level in the room dropped. Jay stopped licking his plate. Cole stopped tapping his fingers on his legs to an inaudible beat. Even the fire felt … quieter. Only the rain kept pounding down.

The two siblings stared at each other in a battle of wills. Kai was stubborn. He knew he was the hothead of the team. But he also knew that, like water carving away at rocks, Nya could be just as unforgiving.

Nya looked away first. “I can’t tell you. But Cole can.”

Cole looked confused. “I don’t know anything.”

Nya bit her lip. “I was like you too, Kai. I wanted to know exactly why Kate was joining us. But Lloyd said he wouldn’t tell us, not unless we swore an Inferna Copula.”

Kai facepalmed. “You didn’t.”

“We did. The words were simple. ‘We promise we will not share anything said in this meeting regarding Kate the Dragon Rider with anyone outside of the team.’”

“Including Kai,” Zane interjected. “At the time, you had declared you were leaving the team. As soon as we had sworn it, Lloyd informed us of the ramifications, and we regretted it.”

“However,” said Nya. “Cole was still a part of the team, and he didn’t swear. So we can tell him, and then he can tell you.”

Brilliant, brilliant Nya. He could kiss her. But he settled for giving her a bone-crushing big brother hug.

Nya whispered words into Cole’s ear, which Cole relayed to Kai:

“He was planning to go into the dragon caves with a team. But Kate kidnapped him. She said she would kill him for his Oni blood, because Oni attacked her village. She was about to kill him, when Lloyd somehow got the advantage. He pressed a knife to her neck and forced her to swear an Inferna Copula, to promise she would lend us dragons. It was either that or her life.”

Kai’s jaw dropped in shock. “That explains why she’s so angry … ”

“And how Lloyd got her to join us …” said Cole.

“But … ” Kai tried to wrap his mind around this. “That’s not … ”

“That’s not Lloyd,” Cole said for him. “That’s not the brother I thought I had.”

“We have to confront him.” Kai fisted his hands. “We can’t let him get away with this.”

“But then he will know we shared specifically what we promised not to share,” Zane pointed out.

“Screw that!” Kai threw up his hands, then started pacing the room again. “This isn’t right. We can’t keep following him.”

“We don’t have a Master, Kai.” Cole stood, falling into step with Kai. “We don’t have a choice.”

“We could follow you.” Kai paused, gazing up at Cole’s six-foot frame. “You’ve led us before.”

“And usurp Lloyd?” Cole raised an eyebrow.

“Why not? You already took over once.”

“Yeah, that was when he was out of commission! I didn’t have a choice. We needed a leader.” Cole’s voice was getting higher and higher.

“Take over again. We can’t let him get away with this. He’s not acting for the greater good anymore.”

“And yet,” Jay’s voice was quiet, almost softer than the rain. “If we don’t keep cutting corners like this, Allura’s going to win. She’s already two steps ahead. We have to beat her at her own game.”

“That’s not being a Ninja!” Though he tried to tamp down on his powers, Kai still felt the heat in the room rise. “We’ve never cut corners before, and we’ve always won. Think: while the Serpentine were cheating, we didn’t cheat or steal the Blade Cup! When Lloyd found the Oni Mask of Hatred, he tossed the Oni mask away instead of using it against Harumi. When Lloyd went to confront Garmadon, he tried to turn Garmadon!”

“And yet how many things happened because of that?” Jay stood, static making his hair stand up straight. Thunder rumbled. “The Great Devourer was released. Harumi escaped to resurrect Garmadon. Lloyd and Nya thought we were dead!”

Cole said, “Things have always turned out right in the end.” But his voice wavered slightly.

Jay echoed what Kai had said when Lloyd was spread out on Mistake’s table, his life-force bleeding out. “Ninja don’t last forever.”

The room was still.

“What you are suggesting,” Nya said, her rough voice shattering the silence, “would split the team.”

Kai’s jaw tightened.

No. He wasn’t the one splitting the team, and he knew it for a fact. Who was the one planting the ideas of blurring lines? Who was the former member of EVIL, the one who had given Lloyd the crystal, the one who had taught Lloyd the words to the Inferna Copula?

It was Chamille’s fault. She was the one corrupting his perfect baby brother. Who knew, she could be trying to sabotage them behind enemy lines, just like Harumi had done.

The door slammed open. Speak of the devil. Chamille stood there, blue hair flowing down her back like water. “We’re going. Now.”

The King, dressed in fine silks and bearing a silver crown adorned with sapphires, followed behind. He held up gloved hands. “You realize you cannot leave during the Midnight hours. You will surely die. And look” - he pointed at the windows - “There’s a storm coming.”

“I am the Protector, King Indovar. If any can walk freely through Indigo, it is I.”

“Yes, of course …” Something passed between the King and Chamille as they traded glances. Then the King stepped aside and stood by silently as Chamille donned riding gloves and tightened Spinjitzu’s saddle. He watched as she and the Ninja climbed onto their dragons and launched into the night.

______________________________________________________________________________

“How much further?” Lloyd knew he sounded like a whiny brat, but he honestly didn’t care. Controlling that storm so they could escape had taken the last of his energy, and the effects of the little sleep he’d gotten in Ninjago were making themselves obvious now. Spinjitzu’s comforting wingbeats only strengthened the effect.

“Not much.” Chamille was ramrod straight, her eyes dead ahead.

Lloyd shifted behind Chamille, leaning in closer and resting his chin on her shoulder.

Spinjitzu let out a weary groan as he slowly flapped his wings. He’d been flying since Chamille had picked up Kai, except for the short stop at the Bounty and “the king’s table.”

Lloyd patted his side. “Just a little farther, bud.”

The sun was peeking over the horizon, pinks and blues and reds blending together. There wasn’t much to see, though. Just trees and maybe the occasional river. The bigger civilizations, according to Chamille, were further west, near the sea.

He knew that the Queen of the Undying was regarded as a god by the general populace of Indigo, mostly for her most famous feat: the ability to resurrect someone who had recently died. While the temple the Queen resided in was hidden, she had handmaidens spread throughout the realm who would reveal her location to those they deemed worthy of her healing. And Chamille claimed to be one of those. Hence why he had no idea where Chamille was heading.

The others seemed annoyed with her lack of information and just mad in general at him. For what, he couldn’t fathom. They’d been mostly distant and moody, avoiding his attempts to draw them into conversation. They generally shouted short replies and then went back to whispering with each other.

Jay and Nya, he could understand. But Cole, Kai, and Zane? What in the world did they have to talk about that was so important?

Lloyd wrinkled his nose as he smelled smoke; not the comforting smell of Kai or a campfire, but that of burnt flesh and hair. “Do you …” He raised his head off Chamille’s shoulder.

A stone wall, this one only six feet high, encircled the remnants of a village. Houses smoldered, while the vestiges of flames flickered at the others. And bodies. So many bodies.

They lay in the dirt road and at doorsteps and by the town well and … there were children and elders and adults, all slaughtered and all dead, impaled by arrows, or mauled by wild animals, or burnt …

Chamille drew in a sharp breath. “Besai,” she whispered.

Birds shrieked, their large wings carrying them away as the Ninjas’ dragons landed. It was not snow that crunched under the Ninjas’ feet, but ashes.

Doors creaked as the Ninja peeked into the houses that weren’t burnt to the ground. The iron scent of blood filled the air. Nobody went alone; the Ninja paired off, wary because the murderers might still be around. But really, it was because no one could handle the horrors of this ghost town alone.

There were no survivors.

The next time, it was worse. The attack was obviously a couple of days old. Jay held Nya’s hair back as she nearly vomited at the sight of jackals tearing apart a corpse. Although Lloyd pointed out it would leave Kai weak and eat up time, Kai still insisted on setting fires to everybody they found, to prevent them from being desecrated any further.

This time, they found a sign; that of an open hand, drawn with ashes onto the side of a building. The Immortals.

Chamille withdrew a safe distance as Kai started the fires. Lloyd followed. She tugged a rolled-up parchment map from her pocket.

“This is it. This is the trail to the Queen of the Undying,” Chamille whispered. The wind whipped at their hair, blowing the acrid smell of rot their way. She dragged a finger across the map, pointing out the towns. “If we had followed the clues laid by her Waymakers, we would have visited these villages.”

Lloyd put his hands on his hips and lowered his voice. “Do you actually know where she is? Have you followed this trail before? Or are you just putting on a show for the others?”

It had occurred to him that perhaps Chamille’s wandering was due to her not actually knowing where the temple was. It could be that she’d gotten the information from someone else who had visited.

Chamille slipped the map back into her pocket. “Of course. She’s at Dragon’s Cry Mountain.”

“Really? So you have actually been there before? When? For what?” He had pressed at this boundary so many times. She’d told him about growing up in Darkley’s, and the circumstances under which she’d served EVIL. But she’d never really said a word about what happened in between - about the jobs she’d done for Pythor and Chen or her various sojourns throughout the realms. As if she thought he couldn’t handle it or something.

So he wasn’t surprised when she replied, “Once. ” She set her jaw and wouldn’t say anything else, her gaze transfixed on the sight of the pyres.

The third village was the worst. Not because there were more victims or because the town was still on fire, but because of the sheer agony Lloyd felt as he had to physically restrain the other Ninja from going down.

“We don’t have time!” he shouted as Spinjitzu flared his wings, blocking their path. “We have to make for Dragon’s Cry Mountain!”

“But the people -” said Kai.

“There’s no one to care!” Lloyd said. It was the wrong thing, and he knew it.

“That doesn’t mean you don’t try,” said Kai, voice raw. “Those were real people.”

“Lloyd is right,” Zane interjected. “We must keep going. By my calculations, and assuming the proportions of Chamille’s map are right, we still have an hour and a half to go before reaching the mountain. The Immortals have a head start of two days - there is no time to delay.”

Lloyd could practically feel the other Ninja staring daggers into him as he gave the orders to move out. He tried not to let it bother him.

Chapter Text

Lloyd’s sharp dragon vision spotted Dragon’s Cry Mountain first. There was a white temple at its apex, with noble marble columns and a floor constructed of limestone. Most of it had collapsed; there was still dust in the air. The rest of the building was burning, smoke rising up in thick black clouds, the stone ready to crumble at the touch of a feather.

Two dragons lay in the rubble, having probably been the cause of the destruction. A blue storm dragon was dead, its throat ripped out, and the other, a golden dragon, lay dying, its cries echoing off the surrounding mountains. A third dragon, a purple dragon, stood guard at the base of the temple.

The morning sunlight illuminated the bodies of the Queen’s servants, scattered around the grounds of the Temple. Blood sullied their dresses.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the wide stairs leading to the temple, the Immortals surrounded a woman in a once pristine white dress that was now stained and ripped. Her face was pale; her eyes were wide and bright against her dark skin. She knelt as her arms were wrenched outwards, clutched tightly by a figure on each side. While the Immortals wore black, their leader still marked herself with her radiant golden armor. She placed both hands on the Queen’s shoulders. The Queen went limp as Allura started to suck away power.

Lloyd cursed, squeezing Spinjitzu’s sides with his thighs. “They’re already here.”

“Wow,” Chamille commented, tensing behind him. “Guess I’m rubbing off on you more than I thought.”

The Immortals glanced up as the Ninjas’ dragons approached, then spread out to cover Allura.

“I’m going for Allura,” Lloyd barked. “You guys defend the Queen and keep the Immortals from backing up Allura!”

He urged Spinjitzu into a dive, already summoning a ball of glowing power in his hand. Allura simply held up her hand, catching his power. Lloyd swore again.

As soon as Spinjitzu’s talons hit stone, Lloyd and Chamille leapt off, Chamille drawing her daggers and Lloyd his sword. Spinjitzu lunged for the purple dragon, teeth snapping.

The other Ninja touched down, but as soon as they dismounted, instead of joining the battle, Kate’s dragons took flight and retreated further down the mountain. Lloyd growled. If they up and left the realm, Lloyd was going to have so many choice words for Kate.

Lloyd analyzed the situation. The six Immortals were forming a battle line, with Allura and the Queen behind.

“Break the formation!” he yelled. “Battle Form 6!”

He slid to his knees, crouching behind the earth wall Cole summoned to protect them. Kai and Lloyd launched fireballs, each covering the other, forcing the Immortals to scatter.

Meanwhile, Nya juggled water in her hands, waiting for her and Zane’s attack.

Lloyd ducked, avoiding a poison blast from Toxikita. Oh, how he’d missed this: going into battle with a full team, knowing his brothers were always there to back him up.

Something landed next to him - a small metal ball that beeped rapidly.

“Everybody down!”

Lloyd rushed for it, grabbing it and encasing it in a glowing sphere. He gritted his teeth as the bomb exploded, concentrating all of his power on keeping it inside the sphere.

Jay was shooting lightning at the Immortals. Nya spread water across the temple stone and Zane froze it, causing the fleeing Immortals to slip and fall.

The other Ninja dispersed, leaping over the wall and pressing the attack. Lloyd flattened his back against Cole’s wall and tried to regain his breath. His arms were still shaking from his narrow escape.

Chamille grabbed his arm, jerking him out of his stupor. “C’mon!”

She nodded at two approaching Immortals. Trixie and Zena, Allura’s most powerful elementals after Jasper and Azura.

“We need to get to Allura,” Lloyd said. “Before she drains all of the Queen’s power.”

Chamille nodded. “One to one. I’ll take Zena.”

“You sure?” Zena was carrying a five-foot glaive, while Chamille was armed only with daggers.

“Trixie’s more dangerous; she’s got spells,” Chamille pointed out, before turning invisible.

Trixie raised her fans and began chanting. Then she charged at Lloyd. Lloyd had only one sword, and while he could wield it with one hand, it was still hard to guard himself from her bladed fans. In addition, whenever he scored a hit on her fans, they didn’t break, as expected. It appeared she had enchanted them to be unbreakable.

Meanwhile, Zena kept using Reality to shift her position, and Lloyd hadn’t seen Chamille land a hit yet.

Zena appeared behind Lloyd, and he was caught between the two girls. Chamille arrived just in time, flinging a throwing knife that knocked one of Trixie’s fans out of her hand.

Lloyd shoved Trixie - hard - throwing her to the ground, then blocked Zena’s thrust with his dao. He leapt up as Trixie swiped a fan where his legs would have been.

“I’ve got an idea,” said Chamille. “Explosion.” She summoned a blue flame, and Lloyd grinned.

The resulting explosion tore through, blowing up everything within a ten-foot radius. Lloyd and Chamille were unaffected. The other Ninja and Immortals were further away. While Zena managed to shift away, avoiding the explosion, Trixie was thrown back and knocked unconscious.

Lloyd stooped over her, drawing the elemental crystal out from underneath his gi and pressing it to her chest, then rushing on towards Allura.

He kept on running.

“What?” Lloyd glanced at Chamille; they should’ve reached Allura by now … Right?

“Infinity loop,” said Chamille. “I’ve seen Zena do it to others before. Looks to outsiders like we’re running in place.”

“She can’t keep it up forever, right?” said Lloyd. Sweat was dripping down Zena’s face as she kept contorting reality. They could theoretically wait - but if they didn’t hurry, Allura would take all of the Queen’s power or her Immortals would regroup.

He checked the others’ progress. The remaining Immortals were trying to break from their individual battles and form another line, but so far, only Morphia was free, having put Nya into a coma of some sort. Zane was doing his best to protect Nya by holding off Morphia’s knives and Virtuoso’s sword, while Kai and Jay went on the offensive against Carlos. Kai rained fireballs from his dragon above and Jay showered their target with lightning. Toxikita was dodging Earth blasts from Cole.

Lloyd grabbed for the crystal at his neck, focusing on the power inside. Magic he couldn’t use - he knew absolutely zip about spells, and had needed Clouse’s spellbook to send his father to the Cursed Realm. But Storms - Storms he could do.

The sky darkened and the wind whipped as clouds formed and rapidly darkened. Lloyd tensed, feeling as if he was the one about to be shocked. The hairs on his arms stood up as the charge built, and then he let it all go.

Zena tried to shift - but she was drained and only made it a few feet away. And it was lightning. It always took the shorter path.

She screamed as her bones were illuminated, as her skin turned dark and the smell of burning flesh rose in the air.

A few seconds, and Lloyd and Chamille were only a couple of meters away from Allura.

Despite the fact that they’d disabled two of her Immortals in only three minutes, Allura only gave them a passing glance. A dome slammed up, trapping both the Queen and Allura beneath it. It glowed green, just like Lloyd’s energy. It WAS energy, but he couldn’t control it or make it go away. He could only slam his fists repeatedly against the force field.

Lloyd snarled, then resheathed his dao and began to charge an energy blast.

“Stop.” Chamille laid a hand on his forearm, then drew her handgun. The bullets clinked as she emptied the cartridge, spilling them all over the ground. Then she pulled a vial from her belt and placed its contents - a single projectile - inside the gun chamber.

“Hate to use this - I only have one shot.” She cocked it and aimed it at Allura.

“Don’t,” Lloyd warned. “It’ll bounce right off the energy sphere -”

Chamille squeezed the trigger. And it cut right through the sphere, hitting Allura solidly in the arm. Now it looked like there was a red pom-pom sticking out of her.

If anyone had asked, Lloyd would have said it looked like a dragon tranquilizer dart.

Allura scoffed. “Like that’ll stop me -”

She stopped laughing as the shield went down. The Queen kicked her in the face, and Allura tried, in vain, to shoot something - anything, at her attackers.

“Liquid Vengestone,” Chamille said with a grin.

Allura snarled, blood flying as she plucked the dart from her arm. Then she ran.

“After her!” Lloyd pulled the crystal out from inside his gi. Time to end this.

Allura darted up the stairs, then paused at the doors, blocked by debris. She removed her spear from her back so she could worm her way through a window into the temple. The temple that was on fire.

Even from this distance, Lloyd was already coughing as the heat radiated out, making the air dry, and the billowing smoke only exacerbated the problem.

“Chamille! Stop!”

Chamille ignored him, easily slipping through the window, but Lloyd halted as a column toppled, blocking all but the lower part.

“Chamille!” he screamed. Even though Allura was currently powerless, he’d seen Allura throw daggers with deadly accuracy - and she was additionally armed with a spear, which gave her way more reach than Chamille’s daggers.

He dropped to the ground, ready to crawl under, but a shout stopped him.

“Don’t! It’s about to collapse!” Kai had leapt off his dragon and was now bounding up the stairs, taking them two, three at a time. He pointed at the roof. White dust rained down on them as the roof shifted.

“But -” Someone shrieked, and Lloyd’s heart almost stopped. Chamille …

Lloyd stood, trying to school his features into calmness. “Look, you’re the fire Ninja. I have my elemental shield. If anyone can survive, it’s you and me.”

Indecision warred across Kai’s face. “...fine.”

Something in Kai’s voice wasn’t right - it was too cold, too detached. But he was still willing to follow orders, and that was what mattered right now.

Kai guarded Lloyd as he slipped through, and then Lloyd held Kai’s katanas as he squirmed under.

Lloyd coughed; if the smoke outside was bad, inside he could barely see.

Gold articles and stone littered the ground, melting in the heat, while flames reached for the tattered tapestries and bent incense holders that decorated the walls. Sunlight shone through holes in the roof, blending with the red light, illuminating what looked like a throne at the top of a grand staircase. One doorway, underneath the throne’s balcony, led outside.

And right in front of them was a huge, impenetrable wall of fire taller than Cole that roared with insatiable hunger.

Allura and Chamille were nowhere to be seen.

A chill ran up Lloyd’s spine as he gazed at the devastation. Everything was a dizzying flash of red movement and sound; flames licking at everything in sight, making him feel as if the enemy was everywhere, while the overpowering snaps and crackles rendered his hearing useless.

Kai motioned for them to enter the firewall. With a wave of his hand, the fire parted.

“Guard my back.”

Chamille was not part Dragon like Lloyd, nor did she have an energy shield. And she was not a Master of Fire like Kai. How in the world could either of them survive this?

He suddenly didn’t want Kai to keep parting the flames like Nya could part the sea. The idea of discovering a burnt corpse gnawed at his mind more than the dozens of bodies in those villages ever had.

“There!” Kai pointed between a gap in the flames.

Across the temple, a blur of gold was making its way towards the open doorway, with Chamille close behind. With a wave from Kai, the flames blocked the doorway.

Allura halted, drawing her spear and facing Chamille. Light flashed off their weapons as they moved in a dizzying dance.

Allura and Chamille were engaged in battle near the staircase, with Chamille trying to push Allura up the staircase. Chamille could accurately block, but with only daggers, she was unable to make any headway. The same with Allura - she could defend, but there wasn’t enough room for her to spear Chamille.

Allura screeched, calling out for the other Immortals. But none came.

Lloyd’s hands trembled with excitement. So close. Finish the fight.

Allura thwarted one last thrust with her spear, then turned and ran up the stairs towards the throne, Chamille hot on her tail.

Lloyd drew out the crystal. He needed to get close enough. If Chamille could hold out long enough for him to …

“Kai, we need to give her back up -”

“Hang on, one sec!”

Kai tossed fire blasts at Allura, trying to knock her off the mezzanine balcony. Allura managed to dodge, but the floor loudly protested and started to crumble.

The building creaked ominously. A chunk of rock fell from the hole in the ceiling, taking half of the staircase with it. Chamille leapt from staircase to balcony just in time.

“Kai, I don’t think you should be trying to -”

Kai flicked his fingers, clearing a trail.

“Come on.” He wove his way through the conflagration.

Lloyd judged the distance from where he was standing now to the balcony - too far.

“Hurry!”

“I’m trying! This ain’t easy, ya know!” Kai spread his arms wide, trying to part the flames faster. Behind them, the flames closed again, flickering so close Lloyd almost thought his back end might be on fire.

Lloyd, being short, could barely see over the flames. But he could hear the temple’s moans as the flames compromised its structure. He stood on tiptoe to see Allura and Chamille trading blows, ducking as rubble tumbled down from the ceiling.

Kai paused to toss more fireballs, slowing Allura’s progress and forcing her to carefully pick the spots she leaped to. One fire blast knocked her spear from her hand, but she managed to catch it and resheath it.

“Stop, Kai! You’re endangering Chamille too!”

Kai twisted his head. “What?” he yelled over the din.

His last fireball went off aim. Chamille screamed.

“Cham!” Lloyd reached for his powers, feeling, for a brief second, a respite from the searing heat and smoke as his green powers encased him in an Airjitzu shield.

He wasn’t going to make it. His powers were already ready; as soon as he landed, his shield was in place, protecting him as he sprinted through the heart of the fire. He dropped the shield as he took to the stairs, thundering up them to help Chamille.

He was here. He could heal her. He could -

A heavy mass rammed into him, slamming his head against the hard stone of the balcony railing. His vision wavered, the edges fading to black, giving him tunnel vision. He might throw up.

He shoved at the warm body on top of him, gasping out, “Kai -”

Kai was on fire. Pure heat emanated from him in red streams that swirled like a cyclone around Kai, while the flames grew, rising up and effectively vaporizing any roof chunks that dared to fall onto Kai.

In desperation, Lloyd hacked fire up onto Kai. For once, it didn’t hurt; his throat was already damaged from the smoke inhalation, and whatever he breathed out couldn’t possibly be hotter than what he was breathing in.

“Kai - where’s - where’s -”

His words fell off as Kai released him and he raised his head to take in the damage.

The entire roof had collapsed, bringing down the whole mezzanine balcony. While the floor beneath him had fallen, he and Kai were unharmed, their small square of rock being encased in Kai’s shield. There was no other movement except for a few chunks of stone skidding from the top of the pile and the flames eating at the base of it.

Lloyd shoved Kai away and scrambled down the piles of stone.

She had to be somewhere - she had to be alive - the rocks couldn’t - she was too strong for -

Above, someone coughed. Lloyd glanced up to see Allura standing in a doorway. The rooms attached to the mezzanine balcony were supported, and thus had not fallen. Her eyes widened. She leapt from the doorway onto the roof debris, clambering down it madly in an effort to escape through the only door.

Lloyd bit his lip, his too-sharp teeth drawing blood. All Lloyd could see was red. Red because of Kai. Red because of the flames. Red for his eyes.

In that moment, he snapped. Allura had taken so much from him. She wasn’t going to get away.

Power swirled as Lloyd’s body turned to face her, drawing every ounce of power he had into his hands.

With a wave of his hand, the last exit collapsed, blocking Allura.

Golden threads surrounded him as light flooded his entire being. His feet left the ground as he let only his sheer power support him.

And Lloyd sent everything he had - the power of the FSM, the power of a god - at Allura, wanting to obliterate her just like he had the Overlord.

It parted around Allura. Ironically, the one thing that was stopping her from destroying them all was also protecting her. He pressed harder, and the Vengestone block in her blood slowly eroded as Dragon power fought against Oni essence.

Allura screamed, falling to her knees as the power surged around her, burning her up from the inside out. Then it actually began to wrap around her, sinking into her skin as she absorbed it.

Lloyd tried to shut it off, tried to stop it, but it was too late.

It hit him then: it was impossible for Light to beat Light.

She rose, spear in hand, and summoned an elemental dragon, rising from the temple as fast as an arrow. Her formerly rainbow dragon now had golden threads woven through it. Gold flooded her being as she combined Lloyd and Tressa’s powers.

The entire mountain rumbled, shifting beneath them. Whatever was left of the temple floor cracked into pieces, drifting apart like iceberg floes.

And then, somehow, the entire temple began to inexorably descend into the ground, like an elevator. Above, through the hole where the ceiling used to be, the earth rose on all sides.

Kai snapped Lloyd out of it, yelling in his face and shaking him wildly. Lloyd leapt to action, using Airjitzu to leap upwards, to get out before she closed the lid on them, so to speak.

FSM - without the mezzanine balcony - it was too high to jump from the floor to the roof.

He tried to summon up something - anything - to clear away the stones, but he was entirely drained, and the deafening noises of fluctuating rock sure didn’t help his spinning head.

Kai tugged Lloyd towards the wall, and in unison, they rushed it, vaulted off it, and sprung upwards, creating Airjitzu bubbles just before gravity started bringing them down.

Lloyd’s dragon was back to green. An indicator he was probably going to have a major crash after this energy burst.

They darted upwards, but now the temple had sunk so far the surrounding rock was double the height of the temple. How far could Allura make it go? Lloyd didn’t want to find out.

The other Ninja joined Kai and Lloyd, their dragons flashing and glowing in the shadows. Jay had Nya’s limp body in his arms, and the Queen of the Undying was clinging to Cole, eyes wide with fear.

“What happened?” Jay shrieked at them.

Cole was yelling, “Use your powers, Lloyd!”

“No time for that!” said Kai as it started raining rocks.

“Cole, can you give us some cover?” screamed Jay.

Allura was literally carving stone projectiles from the inside of the mountain itself and dropping them right on top of the Ninja. Cole tried to redirect the rocks, but the best he could do was nudge them so they went past the Ninja, instead of slamming onto a Ninja.

Even if Allura didn’t hit them, there were the blasts of other Immortals to contend with.

Toxikita sat on her dragon alongside Allura, showering poison on them, while Morphia, Virtuoso, and Carlos easily avoided the flying rocks. Virtuoso was tossing bombs, exploding the rocks and making it impossible for the Ninja to avoid the shrapnel.

All the while, the temple sank lower and lower.

Kai gritted his teeth. “I don’t think we’re going to make it!”

“Oh, if only Griffin were here …” said Jay.

Lloyd yelled as he thrust everything he had into his dragon.

The earth groaned as Allura manipulated the mountain, sealing them in darkness.

Chapter Text

Kai didn’t know what had gotten into them. Into all of them.

Jay was having another episode, like he’d had in the First Realm. “You ain’t never had a friend like me!” he sang, dancing around Cole, who was farther down, next to the cave walls, trying desperately to carve a tunnel out of the mountain.

Lloyd had tried to dig through the remains of the temple, convinced that somewhere, somehow, Chamille might still be alive. Now he sat glumly with Spinjitzu and the Queen of the Undying, hissing out curses as she washed his hands, bloody from shoving aside dozens of rocks. She was weak from Allura draining her powers, but her excellent medical knowledge would suffice.

Zane simply sat in a lotus pose, his brain clicking and whirring as he tried to analyze ways to escape, while Nya stared into space, battle-fatigue obviously present.

And Kai tried to figure out where exactly he’d gone wrong. He paced around the fire he’d made, wrinkling his nose at the smell of burning tapestry, which, coincidentally, smelled like burning hair.

His hands shook as he thought about what had gone down in the temple.

He had hit Chamille. And the thing that worried him most was … the fact that he didn’t feel any regret for basically killing Lloyd’s best friend.

She needed to be dealt with. Like Kai had been thinking, it was her fault Lloyd was acting this way. Her philosophy - “whatever it takes” - had led them from the high ground of the Ninja to common vigilantes, no better than the villains themselves.

But that didn’t justify killing her. Or, as Chamille might have put it, disposing of her.

Kai was a lot of things: hasty, hotheaded, emotional, but he wasn’t a murderer. But - what if - what if Kai had killed her, not even meaning to, but … subconsciously?

What if he had actually murdered somebody?

Lloyd had basically accused him of exactly that.

“It’s your fault! It’s all your fault!” he could hear Lloyd screaming as the Ninja had landed in the pitch darkness, Kai and Lloyd both summoning flames in their palms for light. “I hate you!”

His face had been ghoulish in the dark, his eyes glowing red like Garmadon’s, his too-sharp teeth white like fangs.

Kai crossed the ten-foot ring of light once more, staying far from Lloyd’s glares and Spinjitzu’s growls.

The air was suddenly humid. Kai could barely breathe in the suffocating moisture. Cole’s longer hair floated in the now staticky air.

Cole strode over to Lloyd and held out his hand for the crystal. “You’re upset. Let someone else keep the crystal before someone gets hurt.”

“You just want me to give it up! Well, I won’t! I won’t let Kai have it!”

“We’ll give it to Zane, he’s neutral.”

Lloyd‘s eyes narrowed. “... fine.”

“Remember, that was our deal,” Kai said, meeting each of the Ninjas’ eyes. “If I rejoined, we were going to make sure the crystal was only used when we all agreed.”

“I didn’t agree to that. So maybe you should just leave again,” said Lloyd, stalking away towards the temple ruins, taking his green flames with him.

Kai glanced at Nya, hating the haunted, empty look in her gaze. He needed to talk it out with her. She always acted like the cool water to his flames.

Cole had lowered his voice, reluctant to give orders even though Lloyd was sifting through the ruins with noise enough to awaken the Underworld. “Kai and Jay, can you find something we can use for firewood? I’ll take Zane with me and try to dig a way out. And-” He regarded the Queen of the Undying.

“Tressa.”

“Tressa. If you could sit with Nya, until she wakes up.”

The Ninja agreed.

Now they were here, and they were still no closer to escaping Allura’s cage.

Kai approached Nya.

“...Nya?”

She jerked, fists leaping up in serpentine pose, ready to fend off an enemy.

“Oh. It’s just you.” Her posture relaxed.

“Are you okay?” He seated himself, patting the rock next to him. She gingerly perched beside him.

“Yeah.” This was no reassurance to Kai; Nya would claim she was okay until she dropped dead of exhaustion.

“What did you see?” he asked gently.

“Nothing of concern.” She looked away, the light of the flames dancing on her cheekbones.

“Just tired?”

“Anything but that.” Her laugh was grating.

“Nya … if it interferes with the team mission …”

“It doesn’t.”

“It’s personal, though. If you keep all of your feelings bottled up - they will end up affecting us.”

Nya swiped a tear from her eye, shaking her head. “No. I won’t mess up the team dynamic anymore. You and Lloyd have already got that in the bag.”

Kai turned her to face him, cradling her forearms in his hands. “Even if you don’t think it’s important, it matters to me.”

Nya’s eyes darted to the others, as if she was concerned of what they might think - and then she let out a sigh, squeezing her eyes shut as a shudder ran through her body. Kai wrapped his arm around her back as she buried her face in his shoulder, clasping him tightly.

“... Kai … I dreamed … I dreamed of Sensei Wu. He was yelling at me, but I couldn’t hear him. There was too much light and noise. When he disappeared, I was standing in that temple -” she pointed towards the ruins - “and you had a bloody knife in your hand and Lloyd was screaming at you with his red eyes. Then you started glowing with Lloyd’s green fire … and then you killed him.” Her voice was a quiet whisper now. “I think … I think it was a vision.”

Kai didn’t say anything. Him? Kill Lloyd? He might be angry with Lloyd - angrier than he’d ever been before - but to kill Lloyd, his baby brother? That was out of the question.

“Nya.” He cupped her chin in his hands. “I wouldn’t do that. You know that. And how could I use Lloyd’s element?”

“I know, but - it was so real.” She squeezed her eyes shut as another tear escaped.

“Of course it was. Morphia’s the Master of Dreams. She wanted to terrify you.”

Nya’s words were bitter. “She succeeded.”

Kai hugged her again, rubbing one hand in careful circles against her back until she stopped shaking.

He wouldn’t dump his big problems on her - she had enough to worry about. He was the older brother - the one Nya and Lloyd looked up to. No one needed to know what he was dealing with.

Tressa finished bandaging Lloyd’s hands with strips of cloth torn from her dress. Lloyd thanked her and then huddled close to the fire with his back to Kai. Spinitzu curled up next to him.

Tressa relocated, seating herself on the other side of Nya. “I know this might sound strange, and forgive me if I’m wrong. But is he …” Tressa tilted her head towards Lloyd. “Is he a god?”

Kai almost burst out laughing. “Is Lloyd a god?! If you think the Oni and Dragons are gods, then yes, but he’s only ¼.”

“The person who tried to steal my powers - what was her name?”

“Allura,” Nya said.

“Allura … she is a Reflection Master.” Tressa said it as a fact, not a question.

“Yes …” said Kai. Could the citizens of Indigo have dealt with them before? Might they have an answer as to how to defeat her?

He turned to meet her gaze, noticing, for the first time, that her irises were golden. “What do you know about them?” he asked.

Zane’s eyes opened, as if he could sense something important was about to transpire. He made his way to them, seating himself on the ground. Lloyd did not move from his spot by the fire, but he kept glancing behind him as they talked. Trails of tears glimmered on his cheekbones.

Tressa cleared her throat. When she spoke again, her voice was practiced - honey-smooth and hypnotic. “Once, there were the Reflection masters. No one knows how they came about. But they were so powerful, they decided to use their element to conquer. First, they conquered Indigo and ruled for centuries. Then they decided to conquer the other realms.”

Kai tried to fathom the idea of there being more than one Allura - scores of Reflection Masters. There had to be a secret. How had they been defeated?

“Realm by realm, they went. Until one day they angered the gods by murdering the wife of the father of the gods, in an attempt to make him surrender. The Father sent his two sons to kill every last one of them.”

“So this isn’t history? It’s a story,” Lloyd stated flatly.

“Some say stories have kernels of truth hidden inside,” Tressa combated. The dim lighting blurred out the dirty stains and rips of her white dress. With golden rings in her braids, her aurum eyes, and her high, chiseled cheekbones, she herself looked like a goddess. A queen.

She waited a few seconds before beginning again.

“One was a being of light, with blonde hair and golden power that could create things from nothing from his fingertips. The other was a pale being, with dark brown hair, red eyes, and sharp teeth. He wielded power that could crumble even mountains to dust.”

“Wait,” Lloyd interjected. “You mean my father?”

Tressa ignored him, her words growing faster and her volume louder. “The gods chased the Reflection masters back to their realm, with the father of the gods backing them. They slaughtered every single one.” She paused. “Or so they thought....”

“Two god-like beings of light and dark. Wu and Garmadon,” Zane mused. “The father of the gods … that must be the First Spinjitzu Master!”

“But that still doesn’t tell us how the Reflection Masters were defeated,” Kai complained.

“The power of the gods …” said Zane. “Creation, Destruction, and Golden Power.”

“Sensei had Creation,” Kai said. “Lloyd’s tried Golden Power.”

“Which leaves Destruction,” Nya said.

“Your father,” Zane said to Lloyd.

Lloyd turned his back to them, speaking as if to the fire. “He won’t help. And we haven’t seen him in months.”

“But he must know a secret - how he defeated them!” said Kai, waving his hands for emphasis.

“We don’t even know if this story is true,” Zane pointed out. “It could be with completely different characters. Perhaps the beings that came were Firstbourne and the Oni. The Oni were also realm conquerors.”

“We do not know the specifics. What I said is what we know,” Tressa said, folding her hands upon her lap. “But this story has been passed down faithfully throughout the years, among the keepers of knowledge. This is our story - what we saw. It is as good as truth.”

“Guys! Guys! I’ve found the way out!” Cole was leaping from foot to foot, his hands glowing orange in the dark.

Zane jerked to attention, skidding down the rocks to stand next to Cole. The rest did the same, except for Tressa and Lloyd.

“Look, there’s a tunnel here. It dead-ends ahead, but I can sense that it almost leads to the surface. I can carve the rest of the way out.”

“Alright!” Kai high-fived Cole. “Let’s get going!” he yelled up to Lloyd.

The other Ninja grabbed their weapons, and Nya put out the fire. Kai positioned himself at the front, lighting the way for Cole, while Lloyd brought up the back.

They stepped into the tunnel.

“Wait - guys - what about Spinjitzu?” Lloyd looked lost, like a small child might when they’d forgotten their favorite toy.

Everyone paused.

“He doesn’t fit.”

Spinjitzu whined, and an “ow!” came from the end of the line as he bumped Lloyd with his snout, causing him to fall. Kai traded looks with Cole.

“We can’t leave him behind,” Cole whispered. “It would devastate him.”

“We don’t have enough food or water to wait around for ages either.”

Cole gritted his teeth. “I could … enlarge the tunnel?” he offered.

Jay groaned.

“I’ll work on it. You guys get back and … why don’t you guys try to get some rest? It’s been a while since we left Ninjago.”

The others left, and Kai stayed to provide light for Cole. The fire was still out, but Lloyd was doing a wonderful job at providing enough light for them to each find a place to settle down. And Kai knew he couldn’t sleep anyway.

Cole planted his feet firmly, then spread his arms until his palms touched both walls - not a hard feat, considering how small the tunnel was. He pressed, pushing both walls apart until the shaft was wide enough to allow a dragon. Then he repeated. All the while, the deafening sound of rocks shifting filled the air.

Chapter Text

Lloyd couldn’t sleep. And he knew it wasn’t just because of Cole’s earthquakes - although that was part of the issue, along with the fact that the hard rock wasn’t helping his back or neck pain. No, it was really because he was plotting something big.

It had been late morning when they found Dragon’s Cry. By the time Cole dug them out, it would be sunset, or night, and without Chamille to guide them, it was too dangerous for all of them to venture through Indigo at night. Plus, there was the fact that Kate’s dragons had disappeared and were probably back in Ninjago by now, and Spinjitzu was too small to carry all six Ninja, plus Tressa. Lloyd would have to somehow procure transportation, and without Chamille as the Protector to persuade them, chances were slim.

So they’d have to spend the night somewhere - most likely here, since it was basically an impenetrable fortress safe from Night Terrors.

But Allura already had half a day’s start, and with only five (and Carlos able to carry his own weight), she would be able to make it back to Ninjago on her adult purple dragon. The members of the Elemental Alliance were guarding Ninjago, but with Allura having taken the vast majority of Tressa’s power, she’d be virtually unstoppable.

Thus, it was vital that they make it back as soon as possible.

And, of course, there was the shattering realization Lloyd had had: Light cannot beat Light. He had called back everything he owned, all of Sensei’s power and everything that remained of his Golden Power after the Overlord seized most of it. And it still hadn’t done a thing.

There was also Tressa’s story about the power of the gods. Golden Power, Creation, Destruction. Kai and Nya were right about what had already been tried. That meant … No.

He refused to let himself dwell upon such dark thoughts.

No, the first thing he needed to do was destroy Allura’s support. She could only use her element as long as she had other elementals to fuel her. If he destroyed each of her allies by taking their powers, eventually she would run out power, and Lloyd would destroy her. But for that, he needed the crystal. That was his first objective.

Secondly, he had Spinjitzu for transport, but he could carry at max three. Now that Allura was gone, Tressa was no longer in danger. Cole and Kai were obviously at odds with Lloyd. Zane was a logical choice, and he held the crystal, but he was also neutral and most likely to not budge.

That left Jay and Nya, both of whom Lloyd knew were willing to question boundaries in the pursuit of justice.

Finally, he just had to convince Jay and Nya to go with him.

Lloyd rolled over, nudging Jay with a hand. Jay’s frantic rush of energy had worn off, leaving a pessimistic, tired Jay in its place.

“What?!”

“Jay. I need to talk to you.”

“Can it wait?” If it wasn’t pitch black, Lloyd was sure he would have seen Jay gritting his teeth.

“Not really. Look, go get Nya up, and I’ll escort you two ‘to the bathroom.’ ‘Kay?”

Jay moaned but got up. Lloyd felt Jay’s foot hit his leg, then Jay tumbled onto the stone. “Ow!”

Lloyd rolled his eyes, and summoned a flame.

“Nya!” Jay touched her shoulder. “I - um - I need to use the bathroom!”

Zane, meditating a few meters away, opened his glowing sky blue eyes and raised an eyebrow. Then shut them.

“Ok … ?” said Nya.

“I need you to go with me!”

“Why?”

“I’m - um - scared!”

“But Lloyd will go with you.”

“Yes, but … don’t you need to go too?”

Lloyd facepalmed. “Did you go with Kai, Nya?”

“No.”

“Well, see, I’m going to sleep, and Kai’s still digging a tunnel with Cole, so whoever needs to go better go now, or forever hold their pee.”

Nya gave both of the boys extremely weird looks. “Geez. I’ll go. But I’m only taking Lloyd so I can find a good spot. Then you’re leaving me in the dark until I call you to retrieve me.”

Tressa, who was trying to meditate with Zane, also gave them weird looks.

Lloyd took them to the other side of the temple, a five-minute walk or so, then stopped them both and dimmed his flames.

“Look. I need to tell you guys something.” He briefly outlined his observations and his plan.

Both stared at him.

“So …” Nya said slowly. “You’re asking us to abandon the others?”

“No, no! Once we’re back in Ninjago, I’ll send one of you with extra dragons to retrieve them. I just - we need to get there before she starts wreaking ultimate havoc.”

“I agree that we need to get back to Ninjago ASAP,” Jay said. “And that taking out Allura’s allies will cripple her. But how will we get the crystal?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got it all planned.”

“I won’t leave Kai,” Nya said, her blue eyes dimming like the sky did when storms rolled in. “We need to tell them the plan so they don’t think we’re abandoning them.”

Lloyd shook his head. “But don’t you see, Nya? That’s exactly why we can’t reveal the plan! If we do, Kai will shut it down. I’ve analyzed it all; there’s no other way.”

Nya chewed her lip, indecision warring on her face. “Jay? What do you think?”

“I think Lloyd’s right. Kai’s been a big stick-in-the-mud about the whole thing. The Immortals signed their death warrant when they decided to join Allura. So what if we take their powers? So what if they never get them back? They chose it. And if we don’t fight back, if we don’t stand up for what’s ours, we’re going to lose it all.” Jay drew himself up to his full height, electricity sparking through his hair. “I’m going back.”

Nya let out a breath. Then nodded. “Let’s do it.”

Zane was asleep when they got back.

Kai and Cole were still missing; no problem, it would be all too easy to steal the crystal from Zane with them gone. Once they returned and went to sleep, Lloyd, Nya, and Jay would use their ninja skills to creep through the darkness and into the tunnel.

Lloyd extinguished his personal flames as the three approached. He tossed a spark onto the remains of the fire, pouring more energy into it so the wet remains would light. Jay and Nya laid down in their respective spots, and Lloyd inched towards Zane, sliding onto his knees by the Nindroid.

His breathing was even and steady. He’d put the crystal around his neck.

Lloyd lifted the crystal, sliding it around Zane’s neck until the clasp presented itself. He grinned, unclasping it, and was about to pull his hand away when Zane’s hand shot out, clenching his wrist in an iron grip.

Zane’s eyes snapped open, and he looked more alien and robotic than Lloyd had ever seen him before. Like a Terminator out of a horror movie.

“Zane! I - I heard something down in the darkness. I was just - ”

“I know what you are doing.” His face was deathly calm.

Zane’s other hand reached for his robes, parting them to draw out an obsidian dagger. “And I won’t let you.”

He lunged up, pulling Lloyd towards him in an attempt to throw him off balance. Lloyd stumbled forwards, but used his free hand to reach towards Zane, setting his gi on fire.

Zane let go of Lloyd’s wrist to smother the flames, but Lloyd had already drawn his dao and was aiming it at Zane. Jay was on the other side, lightning flashing in his hands, and Nya completed the triangle, her katana gleaming in the darkness.

“We don’t want to hurt you,” Nya said. “Give us the crystal, and we’ll go.”

“My duty is to protect those who cannot protect themselves. That includes protecting you from yourself.”

Zane suddenly had two shurikens in each hand, and he leapt up, tossing them every which way. Lloyd blocked with his sword, but Zane was already there, holding onto the blade of the sword, pressing the pommel against Lloyd’s chest. Lloyd pressed back, but without momentum, the blade could do nothing to cut Zane’s titanium hands.

“Ahhhh!” Nya charged, swinging her sword in an attempt to scare Zane off, but the Nindroid spread ice across the floor, causing her to slip, then let go of Lloyd’s sword to block Jay’s nunchuk whap with his folded compound bow.

Tressa was awake now, her brown curls spilling around her bare shoulders as she scrambled away from the Ninja, screaming for the others.

“It’s three to one! How is he beating us?” Lloyd screamed as he ducked a shuriken.

“He’s a walking computer!” Jay yelled.

“No,” said Nya. “It’s because he’s trained with us and knows our fighting styles!”

“Zane! Work with us here!” Lloyd darted away, avoiding a kick from Zane, but slipped on Zane’s ice, thudding down hard. He tasted blood.

“You - will - not - leave!”

Even when Lloyd had walked into a foreign throne room in the Never-Realm and faced off with its emperor, he had never been afraid of Zane - of his elemental strength, his height, his metal body. Until now.

“I don’t want to hurt you, but -” Nya sent a stream of water at Zane, completely drenching him.

Zane turned it back on her by “grasping” for the stream and sending his element up her stream, completely freezing her water - and her up to her neck.

“Nya!” Jay screeched.

Zane had grabbed Nya’s katana, and was swinging it at Jay. Jay backflipped, then sent electricity at Zane - which Zane of course anticipated and dodged.

“Stop!” Kai and Cole were running, Kai’s flames lighting up the cavern with red light reminiscent of the Underworld.

Lloyd growled, and moved to melt Nya out. He whistled for Spinjitzu - the dragon had been with Cole and Kai so Cole could figure out how big he needed to make the tunnel.

Jay and Zane were evenly matched. Jay’s sporadic, random fighting style was hard to predict, and, being the lightning ninja, he was as fast as Zane’s nanoprocessors.

Lloyd danced from foot to foot as his flames licked at Nya’s legs. “C’mon, c’mon!”

“Leave me - get the crystal!”

Lloyd brought his foot up, kicking with the bottom of it and shattering the remaining ice. “Let’s go!”

Kai and Cole paused. Kai’s twin katanas were drawn, and Cole had his scythe out.

“Stop right there!” Kai’s expression was a storm of maelstrom and fury.

Cole was less graceful and more desperate. “Don’t do this Lloyd!”

A plan formed in Lloyd’s head.

He stepped forwards, edging towards Kai, and Kai shifted his position, each circling an invisible point, eyes solidly on each other.

“Why?” Kai hissed.

“You know why. I need that crystal to beat Allura.” Lloyd steadied his breathing and gripped the hilt of his sword tighter.

“No. Why take my sister from me?”

“He didn’t take me, Kai.” Nya squared her shoulders. “I chose to go.”

“As did I,” said Jay.

Lloyd thrust his sword forwards, meeting Kai’s in a brilliant flash of steel on steel. The campfire roared, fueled by both Kai and Lloyd’s emotions. Kai had the advantage of height and experience, but Lloyd had raw talent and Dragon reflexes. They were evenly matched, but not for long. Lloyd needed a plan to trap them long enough so he and the others could get away.

Lloyd’s eyes widened as he executed a powerful sword move - the wrong one. He often used it successfully on many enemies, and they never suspected a thing, but Kai had invented this one. He easily dodged, then managed to nick Lloyd on the arm. Lloyd healed it with effort, but blood still dripped all over the ground. Kai wiped his sword on his pants leg.

In front of Lloyd, Nya’s weapons clashed against Cole, her agile moves no match for Cole’s exhaustion and bulky scythe. Behind him, Jay and Zane were still duking it out too.

“Jay!” Lloyd yelled. “The move Fritz Donnegan did in Issue #66!”

Jay frowned. Then his eyes lit up. “Roger, roger!”

Jay started to run towards Cole and Nya, and Lloyd angled his blade’s swings, steering Kai towards Cole. Nya caught on, falling back to let Kai and Cole be pressed together, surrounded by Jay and Lloyd.

Lloyd retreated, letting Jay and Nya deal with them, and rushed forwards to block Zane’s shuriken strike. He summoned an energy sphere in his hand, throwing it at Zane.

As expected, Zane deflected it. Lloyd dropped his sword, summoning two more energy spheres. Zane frowned, drawing his powers together in a brilliant flare of blue.

Then he shot it at Lloyd, obviously expecting Lloyd to counteract with his powers. Instead, Lloyd jumped up, extinguishing his spheres and summoning his Golden Power to stay afloat.

It was too late. The ice streamed towards Cole and Kai, locking them inside a glass prison. It started to steam as Kai heated his body, drawing upon everything he had to melt it.

But down here, in the depths of the earth, Kai would find no significant amount of heat for his flames.

Lloyd stepped towards Kai, extending a hand towards him. He pulled on the threads of power that connected him to the Ninja, absorbing into his power core what he had split and given to the Ninja long ago in the Temple of Light. Kai’s flames fluttered as they weakened, no longer augmented by extra power.

Lloyd did the same to Cole.

Meanwhile, Jay sent everything he had rocketing towards Zane, and with Nya swinging at him, Zane was caught between the blade and the lightning. His limbs spasmed as the electricity took effect, and then his eyes dimmed and went out.

Lloyd, Nya, and Jay stood in silence for a few seconds, panting as they regained their breath. Lloyd ripped the crystal from Zane’s neck, reclaimed his Ice powers, and whistled for Spinjitzu.

He urged them all into the tunnel, waiting to enter so he was the last. He turned back one last time.

“You come back here right now!” Kai had managed to melt the ice enough so that they could breath. He wiggled his shoulders, but the solid ice held him firm.

“I should never have trusted you!” Kai screamed.

Ouch. But Lloyd turned back, heading into the tunnel.

“This isn’t you, Lloyd! It’s her. I was right to kill her! I should’ve done it earlier, anticipated her designs!”

Lloyd halted and spun around “You did it on purpose?” It had always been a suspicion, but after he’d dwelled upon his thoughts, he’d realized that of course Kai wouldn’t do that - that Kai loved him - it was only his emotions that had caused him to blame Kai.

But Kai’s confirmation changed everything.

Something in Kai paused, the fiery anger in his eyes dying, replaced by fear. “I-I-”

If Kai had been free, he would’ve been on his hands and knees, scrambling back. Cole’s eyes were equally fearful.

Lloyd strode towards Kai, fiery green sparks in his wake. “I trusted you with my life! I trusted you to protect me, not subvert my every order! I trusted you to protect not only me, but those I care about! You were supposed to be my brother, the one looking out for me!”

He was right in Kai’s face, yelling, as Kai flinched and cowered.

Lloyd paused and squeezed his eyes shut, weighing his words carefully. Finally, he gritted out, with each word clearly pronounced, “I hate you.”

Then Lloyd stalked away, tossing away every image where Kai was his loving brother and shoving his last vision of Kai - the one where he flinched in a block of ice at Lloyd’s every word, weak and cowardly and pathetic and totally, completely guilty of murder - into their place.

Lloyd entered the shaft and then stomped, drawing upon his Golden Power. The entrance collapsed, sealing the others out. “Let’s go.”

The others were silent. Lloyd knew they were trying to reconcile fighting the others with their goals and ideals. That they were trying to figure out who was in the right - the murderer, or the power-stealer?

Lloyd felt only hollow victory. He wasn’t supposed to see Kai’s broken, hurt eyes as he uttered that last statement. He was supposed to feel victorious. He’d won. He had the crystal.

He lifted the chain over his neck, slipping its cold facets underneath his shirt. But at what cost?

Chapter Text

They emerged just where Lloyd wanted - in the Spine. The bright lights of the portal dissipated as it whooshed shut, all traces of Indigo gone. Ninjago greeted them with fierce winds and razor-sharp mountaintops that reached up as if they could cut the sky.

Spinjitzu hissed beneath Lloyd, and Jay and Nya clung tighter to his shoulders, their breaths fogging in the cold.

Lloyd cast about for the white of the Bounty’s sails or the brown of its hull, but it was dusk, and light snow was falling, bringing with it the promise of a blizzard.

“Nya,” he said. “Your wrist comm. Start trying to contact the Bounty.”

“Aye aye,” she replied. She began to switch between the radio channels, repeating the same message. “Ninja to the Bounty. Is anyone out there? This is Nya.”

“Hello?” A voice finally crackled through the speaker.

“Skylor! It’s Nya - we’re somewhere in the Spine. What are your coordinates?”

Skylor rattled them off, and Lloyd pulled up his BorgWatch to enter them. “We’re not far. We’ll rendezvous soon.” He turned Spinjitzu towards the new heading.

The members of the Elemental Alliance were all wrapped up in their coats and scarves, shoving hot chocolate and hugs towards them as Lloyd and Nya and Jay dismounted onto the deck.

Then their enthusiasm waned.

“Lloyd …” said Skylor shakily. “Where’s Kai?”

PIXAL covered her mouth with her slender fingers, her green eyes dimming in lieu of tears. “FSM … Zane …”

“Cole is … gone?” asked Karloff, looking confused.

Lloyd moved to reassure them. “No, they’re not gone.” He stood between PIXAL and Skylor, taking one of their hands in each of his. “We lost Kate’s dragons in Indigo, and Spinjitzu could only carry three passengers. They chose to stay behind and try to find another route back.”

“Can’t you send Spinjitzu back to get them?” asked PIXAL.

“No, it would take too much time,” said Jay. “Spinjitzu is Lloyd’s dragon, and we need Lloyd to fight Allura. She’s returned to Ninjago, and … she got the powers of the Queen of the Undying.”

Lloyd motioned for the others to follow him inside. The staircase was crowded and basically single-file, but the others held back so he could converse mostly with Jay, Nya, Skylor, and Pix.

Skylor said, “So what are we going to do? You can’t possibly hope to beat Allura with half of the Ninja stranded. Can’t you get more dragons from Kate?” Lloyd shook his head. “The deal only extended for one trip. She’s unbound now. She could be doing anything - even possibly coming after us. We’ve got to get out of the Spine.”

“How do you expect them to find us, even supposing they do get back?” PIXAL opened the door to the kitchen, handing Lloyd a cup of hot chocolate and gesturing for him to take a seat at the table. The others gathered round, shuffling and elbowing each other as they fought for a comfy spot.

“I suppose they’ll send a transmission, like we did. And I have faith in them. Besides, if they don’t get back before we beat Allura, I’ll retrieve them myself on Spinjitzu.” Lloyd sipped the hot chocolate. There was no coffee in it.

Nya met his gaze from across the table. Her eyebrow was arched, and she was giving him the same expression she’d given him when he was a kid. You’re lying, and I know it.

Only Jay and Nya and Lloyd had to know. There was no way they’d get out - not without knowing the realm as Lloyd and Chamille did. They were permanently stranded until Lloyd fetched them. They were no longer a factor in this equation.

Skylor tilted her head, her red hair spilling down her shoulders. “So what’s our next move?”

He cleared his throat, setting his cup down with a clink. “Allura didn’t take the Queen of the Undying, but she managed to seize most of her power. She’s effectively immortal now, and … when we fought her for the Queen, she managed to seize a large chunk of my Golden Power too.

“However, Jasper is ours and he’s lost Storms. Azura is dead. Zena is dead. Trixie’s powers are gone. Allura’s left with Carlos, a wimp, Morphia, who can only affect our dreams, Toxikita, who is not that great of a threat, and Virtuoso, whose tech can mostly be disarmed by Jay’s lightning. She’s weakened and her team is also reduced by half. Her next move? Kryptarium.”

The word hung in the air. No one wanted to go back to Kryptarium, not after Lloyd had almost died there. Even the walls spoke of horrors - it was obvious where they’d been repaired, where Lloyd had been thrust through that wall by his own father.

And Jay and Nya looked positively shaken by it.

PIXAL spoke first. “I think you are wrong. Kryptarium is almost impenetrable. She does not have enough members to attempt it.”

“She can move mountains,” Nya said hollowly. “We saw her bury an entire temple with her powers.”

“It’s true,” Jay said from beside him.

“Exactly,” Lloyd said. “She’s at a critical breaking point right now. She knows -” his voice broke as his eyes filled with tears. FSM, he couldn’t even think about her without breaking down. “Chamille -” He pinched his nose as he tried to steady his breathing so he could talk.

“The temple was on fire,” Jay interjected for him. “It collapsed … and Chamille was inside.”

The others traded glances, their faces full of sympathy, but no one broke down like Lloyd was doing right now.

“Get it together!” he silently screamed. “Sensei is dead and you’re in charge.”

“She - knows - we’re vulnerable,” he hiccuped out. “If she doesn’t strike now and seize more elementals, we’ll get to them first and her bid for power will be over. She’ll be able to exist in hiding but won’t have the numbers to take Ninjago.”

“Okay,” said PIXAL. “Let us say she will attempt Kryptarium. What is our plan?”

Lloyd took another sip of his drink. “Our first step is to get inside. We’ll need -” The word seized in his throat. Cole. They’d use Cole’s Earth to break inside. But Cole wasn’t here.

Lloyd tried again. “What if … we did a decoy? Skylor, you can use Form to pose as Kai and pretend to surrender. The police especially want him because he assaulted that journalist. When they open the gate to take you, Paleman and Shade, you’ll sneak into the control room and take over. The rest of you will be prepared to invade as soon as Paleman and Shade are in. They’ll open all of the cells to cause more confusion, and in the meantime you’ll all be working to help the elementals get to the Bounty.”

PIXAL said, with complete calm, “Would it not be more reasonable to have you as the decoy? You are the one being accused of murder, after all.” Lloyd fought the urge to give her a glare. “No, I’ll be elsewhere.”

“I don’t think opening all of the cells is a good idea,” Nya said, taking from PIXAL a proffered container of marshmallows and dumping a handful into her cup. “There are actual criminals housed there, too.”

“Yes, and if we hit and run, they can’t pursue because they’ll want to recapture the criminals. Plus, I’ve seen the control room before, and you can only open one cell at a time, or you can open them all at once. We don’t have time to figure out which cells the elementals are in.”

Jay raised an eyebrow and dumped two handfuls of mini-marshmallows into his hot chocolate. “Why would opening all of the cells even be a function …?”

“In case there’s a fire and they all need to evacuate,” Lloyd replied.

“Okay.” Nya was nodding along as she stirred her cup with a silver spoon. “What will you be doing, Lloyd?”

Lloyd didn’t look at her - at any of them. He stared down into the brown coffee-less mug. “I won’t be there. I have to do this next part alone.”

Jay made a harumph. “I don’t remember you saying anything about this.”

“That’s because it’s something you can’t know about. It’s something I have to do without you guys.”

It was so dangerous he couldn’t even think of it. And not just because Neuro was at the table. Because it was so questionable, so outrageous, that if Lloyd thought too much about it, he was sure he was going to chicken out of it. But he’d already considered it as he laid awake in the ruins of the Queen’s temple. He knew that this was the only way. Light cannot beat light.

“When you free the elementals from Kryptarium, your highest priority is the kids. Allura can’t get ahold of them; she’ll use them as leverage against us. You’ll have to take the elementals aboard the Bounty and take them to a secure location.”

“We don’t really have any other hideouts … ” Jay said, frowning. “Do you mean the Temple of Airjitzu?”

“No,” said Lloyd. “I bet Borg’s already staked that place out. I know another. Take them to the Golden Peaks.”

“Why there? There’s nothing out there except rocks and molten gold,” said Nya.

“Exactly.” Lloyd smiled. “No one will think to look for us, and the gold will augment my powers. It’s what the Golden Weapons were forged from, after all. When I return from my mission, we’ll reveal our location to Allura. Because of all of the elementals and her new Immortality, she’ll be tempted to attack. And we’ll have the advantage.”

“Why will we have the advantage?” Jay looked doubtful. “We’ve fought her with the crystal twice and haven’t defeated her. We need a new strategy.”

“That’s why I’m leaving. To get something that’s guaranteed to defeat her.”

“What?” Jay leapt forwards, almost sloshing hot chocolate on Lloyd.

“I can’t say very much about it. But it’s an ancient weapon of untold power.”

At any other time, he would’ve enjoyed playing with Jay and keeping it a secret. But this was no longer a game. This was life or death. Someone had already died, and he wasn’t letting anyone else die on his watch.

“Okay. Is everyone solid on the plan?” Lloyd stood. He’d pick up food on the way and probably borrow one of Cole’s hoodies so he could keep a low profile.

“You’re going? Now?” said Nya.

“Yes.” Lloyd rinsed his cup and left it in the sink. “Expect me back in about three days. Nya and Jay, you have final authority. Work together.”

With that, he exited, shutting the door behind him.

______________________________________________________________________________

Lloyd could really kill for some hot chocolate. Or anything warm, really.

He was dressed in three layers already - his ninja robes, Cole’s hoodie, and a puffy blue parka borrowed from Ronin. He withdrew his hands from his pockets to rub them and blow on them. It was supposed to be spring.

As far as the eye could see, cobalt waters surged and roiled, the only end to them the grey of the sky. The deck of the boat Lloyd was standing on rocked, attempting to knock him off his feet. The mast creaked as the strong wind filled the sails, shoving them towards their destination.

It was strange, how the very waters themselves seemed to repel travelers. That is, until you passed a certain mark, and then it was as if the location ahead did everything in its power to draw you in and crash you upon its rocky shores. In fact, they were currently in the island’s thrall.

Lloyd squinted, trying to see his way through the fog and mist. Something dark loomed ahead, sharp black rocks spiraling and stabbing like a sea of swords.

The Dark Island.

“Ronin! I see it!” Lloyd turned, yelling up at Ronin, who stood on the bridge at the wheel of the ship. Ronin could claim all he wanted that he had not stolen this boat from pirates, but the black sails and black hull, reminiscent of the Black Pearl, didn’t lie.

Ronin waved to acknowledge Lloyd, then gestured for Lloyd to come up. Even though there was no one else around, Ronin lowered his voice to a whisper, forcing Lloyd to lean in, as if only speaking of this place brought some sort of evil down upon you.

“Kid, you sure about this? This island is … it’s something else.” Ronin would know - he’d crashed upon this island before and lived here for a week until rescue came.

That was partly why Lloyd had brought him. And also because Ronin was the type to take your money and ask questions later.

“Yes.” Lloyd did not waver.

“All right. But if something happens to you - I did it for the money. I’ve got no fault.”

“Mmmhmm.” Lloyd flipped from the upper deck to the main deck, where Spinjitzu was curled up. “Spinjitzu.” He gently shoved Spinjitzu with his foot. “We’re here.”

The dragon only moaned. He’d spent most of his time lounging/shivering on deck.

“Come on. A flight will do you good. You’ll get warm.” He slipped the bridle over Spinjitzu’s head, but passed on the saddle.

“Stay here,” he instructed Ronin. “We’ll be back soon.”

“You know where you’re going?” asked Ronin.

Lloyd glanced at the rocky shoreline, tracing its lines with his eyes. “Yes. Digger’s Deep.”

Ronin’s face did not betray his feelings. Ronin simply nodded. “Good luck.”

And he went about lowering the anchor and furling the sails.

Lloyd and Spinjitzu launched into the air.

Chapter Text

“Just - a - little - bit - more!” Kai growled as he lit his body on flame. The last vestiges of the ice encasing his feet shrunk and melted into a giant puddle. Cole’s nose was red and his fingertips pale, a far cry from his normally tan skin.

Tressa dropped the sword she’d been using to chip at the ice and took Cole’s hands in hers. “Frostbite.”

Kai flamed up his fist, holding his hand close to Cole’s until their skin returned to normal. It took longer than it should have. Then Kai turned to Zane, who was still out cold.

“Man, they did a number on you, buddy,” said Cole.

Kai stooped to open Zane’s chest plate, exposing dozens of wires looped in complicated patterns and attaching to who knew what. He pressed the “reboot” button next to Zane’s hard drive. A soft whirring began as Zane started back up.

Zane’s ice-blue eyes opened, but they were glassy and unfocused. “Running diagnostics,” he said.

Kai took the time to rekindle the fire, which had almost burned itself out. With Cole’s help, he tossed another tapestry into the flames. A whoosh! erupted as the threads lit.

Tressa and Cole sat close to the fire, rubbing their hands together. Kai didn’t join them; he started to pace at the edge of the circle of light.

“Kai.” Cole was staring into the fire’s dancing flames. “What’s our next move?” His voice was entirely devoid of emotion, as if he didn’t even have enough energy to properly express his feelings.

Kai let out a breath and turned to make another pass. “I don’t know. We’re trapped in a foreign realm. I guess the first objective is to get out.”

“But what are we going to do when we get there? Confront Lloyd? Try to defeat Allura on our own? Bow out? Sign the ERA?”

“I don’t know!” Kai burst out. It was always Lloyd who’d had the plans.

After a beat of silence, Kai said calmly, “We don’t know what Lloyd is planning to do. But one thing is sure - he’s going to try something against Allura. Something you and I wouldn’t agree with.”

“Power-stealing?” asked Cole, twisting to face Kai. “He was adamant about getting the crystal back. So his first move will be to try to convince the Elemental Alliance to follow him.”

“Skylor won’t fall for it. And neither will PIXAL.”

“So our first objective is to get back and persuade the Elemental Alliance not to follow him,” Cole stated, standing up and stretching his arms.

“Exactly.”

“Kai.” Cole stepped in front of Kai, blocking his pacing. Kai went around him.

From behind, Cole said, “What if Lloyd’s right? What if we should just let him try whatever and see if it works?”

Kai whirled on him. “Are you serious?”

Cole backed away. “I mean, everything up to this point has been justifiable from Lloyd’s point of view. He only stole Jasper’s powers because we would have died otherwise. There was no other possible way for us to get to Indigo, and Kate had already proven herself to be an enemy. She swore to kill Lloyd!”

“And that,” said Kai, jabbing a finger at Cole’s chest, “is exactly what got us into this mess in the first place. From Lloyd’s point of view, the benefits of defeating Allura outweigh leaving us behind. But that’s not what a Ninja does! We don’t leave each other behind! We don’t fight each other! We don’t injure our own!”

Kai thrust out an arm to indicate Zane still lying on the ground.

“You’re right,” Cole said, looking properly chagrined.

Kai inhaled and put both his hands on Cole’s shoulders. “Look, if we can persuade enough elementals to not follow him, we’ll stop his momentum before it starts. He can’t go anywhere without others to follow.”

Cole nodded. “Okay.” He broke away from Kai’s grasp. “Lloyd collapsed the tunnel again. We need to clear it.” He jogged off, leaving Kai alone with Tressa.

Kai knew he needed to go after Cole so he could provide light. But instead he just stood there, letting Cole’s words percolate through his mind. Even Cole was being swayed towards Lloyd’s methods. Cole, the anchor of the team.

An involuntary twitch ran through Kai when he heard rocks skittering against stone. There was a strange noise coming from the ruins. Almost like … someone hammering on the rocks?

“Cole?” He whirled, sure Cole was playing some sort of sick joke on him. Cole was now by the tunnel, his arms lit orange as he shoved at the collapsed rocks. With his powers lessened and his strength already failing, Kai wasn’t sure if Cole could even do it right now. And Tressa still sat at the fire.

But the strange noise was coming from the ruins, not Cole.

Kai lit his other hand on fire, letting it burn brilliantly against the night, to scare off any cave monsters that might be there. He crept towards the ruins. As the flame in his hand flickered, so did the shadows - as if they were living darkness.

There was definitely a hammering noise. And the sound of ice cracking. It came straight from the back end of the temple, where the mezzanine balcony had been.

No … it was impossible. But yes, pebbles and dust were tumbling from the top of the rubble pile, as blue flames blasted the rocks from inside the mound. The blue solidified into ice, and then a pounding began as the person inside shoved at the rocks with her foot, trying to break the rocks apart.

He hesitated. And the flames stopped.

“Hello?” a breathless voice called out. “Who’s there?”

Blue light appeared - flames from Chamille - as she stuck her hand out of the rubble heap. It appeared as if the debris had fallen with enough force to cave the temple floor, creating an inverted dome in which Chamille was trapped.

She shifted and brought her face up to a crack between two rocks. “... Kai?”

Light flared as flames surrounded Kai and his anger took over. This must be a dream. She wasn’t supposed to be alive. She was a traitor - a co-conspirator. No - she was the instigator. The one who had tempted Lloyd down this path.

Something flickered up around Chamille - an elemental shield that glowed and pulsed like Lloyd’s, only it was blue instead of green. So that was how she’d survived the initial impact.

Kai could pretend he’d never seen her. He could even light the rubble on fire and wait for her to run out of power and be smoked out. Then she’d be silenced forever.

Chamille was silent. As if she knew. He was the one who hated her the most - the one who had brought that temple down on her. From her point of view, he had tried to kill her. Heck, maybe his subconscious had meant to kill her!

She had every right to scream and try to alert the others before he possibly killed her. And he had the opportunity to stop her. They were both frozen, each waiting to see what the other would do.

Chamille licked her lips and looked away. The shield quivered and disappeared. “Please … just take care of Lloyd.”

As if she had already resigned herself to the idea that Kai was a murderer. His flames shut off.

Tears were streaking down her dirty face, and her frail body was shaking, and the pure hopelessness that was emanating from her - Kai knew he couldn’t go through with it.

She was the one corrupting Lloyd - she was the one planting these ideas, but she also believed he was a murderer. And he was determined to prove her wrong.

He was better than this. Better than Lloyd. He was a Ninja.

Kai knelt down and grasped her hand. It was cold and bloody. He met her purple eyes. “Hang on. I’ll get you out.” He sprinted off to find Cole, who had just finished clearing the entrance. The pair came back to the ruins bearing torn pieces of tapestry that Kai lit on fire for light.

Cole lifted the rocks into the air with his element. Kai immediately spotted Chamille’s injuries - a broken leg, burns, and dozens of cuts coated in sticky blood and dust, with the most notable one on her forehead, above her eye. Kai leapt into the crater and lifted her in his arms.

“Where’s Lloyd?” she asked as Kai used Airjitzu to leap out. Tressa was running up with Zane, who had finally rebooted.

“I - ah -” said Kai, carrying her to the bonfire and setting her down by its light. “He’s … gone.”

“Gone? What do you mean?” She was not paying attention to Tressa, whose eyes and hands were glowing golden as she healed Chamille.

“He’s left Indigo,” Kai said flatly.

Chamille hissed as Tressa gingerly felt the other cuts and bruises, which had not healed. “What are you talking about?” Her voice was harsh. “He wouldn’t leave me!”

“We all thought you were dead,” said Zane bluntly, folding his long legs beneath him. “And so he has decided to go on a personal vengeance quest against Allura.”

Chamille let out a breath, dragging her fingers through her ragged, dirty hair. “No.”

Tressa interrupted. “My powers are still drained. I’ve only managed to heal your leg.”

“It’s fine.” Chamille stood, wincing despite her claim. “We’ve got to go after him.” She squeezed her eyes shut in a grimace of pain, then looked back at Kai with obvious discomfort.

“Where are we?” As if she hated to ask him for help.

“It’s a long story,” said Cole. And he began.

While he talked, Zane drew Kai aside. “This is a factor I did not anticipate. With Chamille as our guide, we are no longer stranded. However, we must consider the ramifications of taking her with us. Most likely, she will side with Lloyd, and she has shown herself to be a formidable enemy. We also do not know how the Elemental Alliance will split.”

Kai swallowed. “You’re right. But without knowledge of Indigo, it would be almost impossible to escape without her help. And I don’t know how we could engineer a way to leave her behind.”

Zane nodded. “We must take her with us, then. He glanced at Chamille. “I think she knows something we do not. And her survival is suspicious. Her chances were close to zero. Does she have other powers I am unaware of?”

“She can summon an elemental shield - one like Lloyd’s.”

“So she is almost impossible to kill. We are taking a big risk, Kai.”

“I know.” Kai said. “I don’t trust her. But if we abandon her here, we’re no better than the others.” Than Lloyd, his mind echoed.

Zane sighed. “You are correct. We will just have to hope this does not stab us in the back later.”

Cole was gesturing for Zane and Kai to rejoin the group. Tressa and Chamille were standing. Chamille tugged daggers from hidden sheaths, turning them and examining their blades, then resheathing them.

“We’re heading out,” Cole said. “It should be morning by now.” By habit, his eyes darted towards the rocks above, even though it was so dark no one could possibly see the roof of the cave.

“You cleared the entrance?” asked Kai.

“Yeah.” Cole flexed his left bicep with a grin. “It’s ready to go.”

“Chamille,” Zane said. “I must ask - what is your opinion on Lloyd’s behavior? Do you think it was right for him to steal the crystal and leave? Or do you think he should have thought it through more?”

Chamille blew out a breath as Kai drew the heat of the fire into his grasp, extinguishing the bonfire. “I think … it was rash. But he must be on to something if he’s willing to abandon half of the team in another realm. Something … you wouldn’t approve of, Kai.”

Chamille paused at the entrance to the tunnel, waiting for Kai to enter first. “If even the full Golden Power can’t defeat Allura, then the crystal is the only hope. But to pin Allura down long enough to use the crystal is the problem. Either he is engineering a brilliant trap, or he is looking to Darkness to combat her Light.”

“What sort of darkness?” Kai held his hand higher so the others could see.

“His own. His Oni heritage. That’s why we’ve got to get back and make sure he doesn’t try it.”

Kai didn’t respond, instead watching the shadows on the walls of the tunnel flicker.

Lloyd’s Oni heritage. Lord Garmadon had claimed his Oni heritage, and was a hideous four-armed being of darkness with the power to build Colossi that could crush entire ships. He had been so corrupted by the venom in his veins and the darkness in his blood that he’d almost murdered baby Wu and actually would have succeeded in killing the Ninja if Mistake hadn’t given them that Traveler’s Tea.

Lloyd wouldn’t dare fall to that … would he? But then again, Lloyd had done many things this week Kai wouldn’t ever have expected from him. The idea chilled Kai to the bone.

It was not alleviated by the light shining into the tunnel up ahead.

They emerged in a valley, surrounded by the mountains that had formerly circled Dragon’s Cry. They had to halt and blink furiously to readjust to the morning sunlight outside.

“First things first,” Chamille said, shielding her eyes as they trekked across rocky ground. A shallow ravine ran in front of them, with a river that had dried to a trickle. Scraggly trees dotted the area. “We need to find food. And we need transportation back to Ninago.”

She was strong again - with her tough-girl attitude and dozens of weapons strapped all over her body. But Kai had seen into her soul as he looked down at her trapped under those rocks. She had been vulnerable. She had been real - not a fake construct put on to impress and scare people.

Chamille turned to Tressa and asked, with the casualty of a taxi driver, “Where should we drop you off?”

Tressa glanced back at the tunnel. Her temple and home were gone, her handmaidens dead.

Kai made eye contact with Cole. He nodded.

“If you want,” Kai said, stepping forwards. “You can come with us. Frankly, we could use you. And if Allura runs out of power and decides to come back …”

Tressa bit her lip. “This is my realm. I won’t leave. But, if you will allow me, I will try to help you get back home.”

“It is no problem,” said Zane. “We will simply ask the King. Since Chamille is the Protector, I am sure he will lend us dragons.”

“Ah, about that,” Chamille said, putting her hands in her pockets. “He might want to … kill me now.”

“Why?” asked Kai.

“The King doesn’t want me to leave.” Chamille paused at the top of the ravine’s slope. “Realm protectors are generally supposed to stay in their realms. But Azura was gone for ten years, and the Oni invaded in the meantime. The king doesn’t want another situation like that happening again, and so I kinda had to … threaten him so we could leave.”

“I see …” Zane said.

“Okay.” Cole fisted his hands on his hip. “Next plan? Can we just steal a dragon?”

“Dragons are too valuable. The only ones who would own them would be noblemen, with dozens of men-at-arms guarding them.” said Tressa.

She pursed her lips, frowning in thought. “There is a story. When the gods came, they carried staffs - skycleaving blades. Somehow, the blades helped them travel the realms. The dark being - he lost his in a battle against Aneirin, leader of the Reflection Masters. But some believe it was not lost - that the blade actually rests on display in the Lodestar Museum.”

“In Astoria?” asked Chamille.

“Yes. But be warned, the blade hasn’t been used in centuries. No one can make it work - that’s why people think it is not the Skycleaver blade.”

“But it’s a hope?” Kai glanced at Chamille, who was twisting her dragon ring back and forth as she considered the proposition.

“Yes.” Chamille nodded. “Let’s do it.”

Chapter Text

Kai crouched behind Chamille, ignoring Cole’s obvious lack of personal space as they all gazed through the domed glass ceiling into the museum.

“I still don’t get it. Why can’t we just walk inside like normal people?” Kai complained.

“We will,” said Chamille, leaning so close the glass fogged under her breath. “I just want to scope it out before we go in. Besides, we don’t want to go inside and then look like we’re plotting a heist. That’s more suspicious.”

Kai withheld a groan; she’d elected herself the leader, and so far her knowledge of Indigo had proven useful despite her rudeness.

“There are six guards present in groups of two, and they make an entire round every three minutes,” Zane said, shoving them aside to peer through the glass down at the display cases. One held something like a cross between a sword and spear - a dark weapon with a blade that glimmered like obsidian. The Skycleaver blade.

“All right, let’s go,” said Kai. In his opinion, Lloyd had already been gone for far too long.

“Stop,” Cole said, holding up a hand. “We need an actual plan. We need a distraction. Kai?”

“We get in,” Kai said. “I melt the display case. You guys hold them off. We escape.”

“You think that’s the real one?” Chamille pointed at the gleaming blade. “Wrong. Museums generally keep fakes in the display cases and real ones in the storage rooms.”

“I don’t even want to ask how you know that,” Cole said.

“However, the weapon has not been used in centuries,” Zane said. “As Tressa said, even the historians disagree on its authenticity. That may very well be the real one.”

Chamille weighed his words. “All right. Let’s assume that’s the real one. We’ll break in. The museum guards are no problem, but the city watch is. The captains are elementals.”

“What elements?” Kai asked.

She shrugged, toying with a dagger sheathed in her gauntlet. “They vary. But Astoria is one of the biggest cities in Indigo. I’m willing to bet the captains would be pretty powerful.”

Zane said, “Do you happen to have any more liquid Vengestone?”

“No,” Chamille replied. “I was thinking - what’s that?” She jumped up.

A tall figure in a black cloak was leaping across the rooftop, purple daggers in each hand, to the other side of the dome. He ignored them as he scaled the glass, until he’d reached the curved apex. Then he brought his daggers down, pounding on the glass. It didn’t budge.

“Hey!” Kai leapt up, trying to reach the person but failing and slipping down the dome instead.

The man sheathed his daggers inside his cloak, and morphed into a dragon - an elegant purple and black one with glowing red eyes. Another Animal Elemental. The dragon head-butted the glass, fracturing it.

“Back away!” Cole grabbed the back of Kai’s gi, pulling him away just before the glass shattered and and the creature fell through it into the museum, crushing open dozens of display cases.

Chamille drew two knives from her thigh sheaths. “We have our distraction. Now!” Chamille leapt in, using Airjitzu to slow her fall. Kai was right behind her, swords drawn.

The dragon swept its tail, clearing away debris and glass. People screamed and ran, some tripping and rising with blood streaming from their hands.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kai spotted Zane and Cole doing damage control - shoving people out of the way and through the doors.

“There!” Chamille was running towards the Skycleaver blade, dodging fleeing people and broken glass. The dragon spotted her, and slammed his forefoot over the weapon just before she reached it. It shrunk back into the cloaked figure, who picked up the weapon triumphantly.

Chamille skidded to a stop, summoning blue flames in her fists. “Don’t let him get away!”

A familiar laugh came from the figure. Kai froze, lowering his swords. And was not surprised when the person summoned three gleaming purple daggers, one in each of the remaining hands.

“Garmadon?”

Garmadon lowered the cowl of his cloak, a smirk on his dark face. “Well, if it isn’t the fiery one. What are you doing here?”

Kai began to circle. “I could ask the same of you.”

Chamille frowned, letting the flames dissipate. “I heard he’d been resurrected, but …”

“The chances of meeting Garmadon here were very low,” Zane commented, coming to guard the side of Garmadon opposite to Kai. “It is as people say. It is a small world.”

Cole had his hammer in his hands as he completed the ring. “You left us. You left Lloyd.”

Garmadon sighed. “I am but a shadow of my former self. It is impossible for me to be good. I left to protect Lloyd from my evil, not to hurt him.”

“I’ll ask one more time,” Kai said, pointing the tip of one of his swords at Garmadon. “Why are you here?”

Rather than block, Garmadon let the purple knives disappear into smoke and held his head higher, as if inviting Kai to strike him down. “The same reason as you. The Skycleaver blade.”

“Why?” Kai stepped closer.

Garmadon did not step back. The sword point was at his neck now. “After the Oni invasion, I booked passage here with a Portal Elemental who resides in Ninjago. Indigo is a little more friendly to people with my … unique features. Unfortunately, when I heard through the underground there was a Reflection Elemental, I was unable to get back. I am here for my blade.”

Kai snorted. “Your blade? Looks to me like you’re stealing it.”

“Yes. My blade. It was forged by my father, specifically for me.”

“We want the same thing,” Zane pointed out.

“Trust me. You need me.” Garmadon thrust his fist to his chest. “Only my Oni blood can activate the blade. And only I know how to use it to cut through the Ethereal Divide. Even if you could activate it, you would only get lost in the void.”

Should they really trust Garmadon? He had helped them in the Oni invasion, but then again, the Oni would have eliminated him eventually anyway, due to his Dragon blood. And there was the added fact he’d thrown Lloyd through a wall.

“So, if you can’t be good,” Kai said, sheathing his swords, “Why do you want to return to Ninjago?”

“It is my duty. I am the only one who can defeat the Reflection elemental,” Garmadon said. “Reflection is an element, which draws upon the Dragons. I embody the Oni. As a result, my Destruction, combined with my Oni powers, are one of the only things that can stop her.”

The three Ninja exchanged glances with each other. To hear the idea from Chamille was one thing, but confirmation from Garmadon made the idea all too real.

“So … are you saying Lloyd too has the potential to defeat her?” asked Cole, breaking the circle to step closer to Garmadon.

The Dark Lord nodded, re-summoning his daggers as someone shouted in the distance. There must be guards coming to investigate the break-in. “Lloyd could … if he learned to draw upon the darkness within himself.”

Lloyd already had - Kai had seen the red gleam in his eyes as he screamed at Kai. Garmadon’s return could change everything - if Garmadon, who was already evil, took the fall, Lloyd wouldn’t have to look to darkess to defeat Allura. That is, of course, hoping Garmadon didn’t try to take over Ninjago as soon as Allura was dead.

Kai figured it couldn’t be any worse than trusting Chamille.

Cole agreed too. “Okay. We’ll let you use it - provided you help us get back to Ninjago, too.”

“Deal,” Garmadon said. “Although, of course, we first have to get out of here.”

“Wait. An Inferna Copula. Swear you won’t take over Ninjago,” said Chamille abruptly.

Kai’s eyebrows rose. Logically, it made sense for Chamille to not want Garmadon to take over. He was a deceitful warlord, and someone too powerful for Chamille to control or deal with. But he was also evil, and she was evil, so …

Garmadon steadily raked his gaze across Chamille. It was almost comical - the way the 7-foot tall centuries-old being of godlike heritage sized up a purple-haired teenager with too many weapons. “No, I don’t think I will. The guards are coming, though, so if you want this blade and passage home, I would suggest you come with me.”

“If we cannot trust him, we should not ally with him.” Zane was shaking his head.

Cole stepped forwards as Garmadon backed away. “We have to! We don’t have another way home.”

Kai drew his swords. The shouts were growing louder. “Can you at least swear you won’t take over Ninjago this go-around? Swear you won’t try to take it as long as Allura is alive.”

Garmadon eyed him, rubbing his chin. He grinned, revealing sharper canines, just like Lloyd’s. “Hmm. Your wisdom has grown. But I will still not bind myself. You want the blade? Either come with me or try to take it. Reminder, there’s still the guards to deal with.”

The guards burst into the room. Garmadon backed up, leaving the Ninja and Chamille to form a circle, their backs to each other.

There were sixteen of them; four were museum guards, judging by the museum’s sun painted on their armor, and the rest, decked out in navy, were presumably a patrol of city guards Their captain was distinguished by his cape and the extensive gold threading on his attire. Kai guessed by the swirls on his lacquered pin that he was either a Storm or Wind elemental.

“FSM,” Kai muttered. “We agree!”

“Good choice.” Garmadon shoved Kai aside to face the guards. “You can leave now or die honorably.” He grasped the Skycleaver blade in two hands.

“We will not leave!” The captain drew a silver sword from a sheath hanging at his waist.

“I am an Oni,” Garmadon warned. He summoned a crystal dagger into his hand, and thrust it blade-first into the stone. Darkness seeped out from it, just like the cloud of darkness the Oni had brought to Ninjago.

Cole yelped.

The other guards were backing away, eyes wide, but the captain held firm, even though his sword was wavering. “I am an elemental.”

Garmadon laughed. His form swelled, until he was again a dragon. He spread his wings and inhaled, and the captain screamed out for everyone to retreat.

Garmadon was growling at the Ninja. Kai frowned. The dragon dropped the Skycleaver blade into Kai’s hands.

“Let’s go!” Chamille summoned her elemental dragon and rose into the sky after Garmadon.

Soon the five of them were ensconced in the woods surrounding Astoria.

“How do you use it?” Kai stood on the lowest branches of a tree, surveying the area in case any guards came close enough to discover them. He highly doubted it, considering sending anyone but an elemental against an Oni was suicide.

Garmadon stood at the foot of the tree with the rest of the group. He held the blade in his hands, turning it over in his hands. The blade was a glossy black, and the hilt red with golden accents. A ruby glittered at its pommel.

“If I remember clearly, and I do,” said the dark lord, “like this.”

He first unscrewed the ruby from the end, revealing that part of the hilt was hollow. Then he drew the edge of the blade across his hand, and blood welled up. Kai was surprised to see it was as red as his gi, and not purple or black or some other weird color.

Garmadon held the Skycleaver blade perpendicular to the ground and brought his hand over it, so the blood would drip into the compartment. “This is how we charge the blade,” he explained. After a few minutes, he twisted the ruby back on, then wiped his hand on a bandage Cole offered him from their pack. Kai leapt down from the tree.

“Now,” Garmadon said, twirling the blade in his hands. “We are about to literally rip apart the fabric of the worlds and enter the Ethereal Divide.”

As he spun the blade, purple and green began to flow from where its blade passed through the air, forming a circle. Kai could still see the trees through it, though.

Chamille grinned at the Ninja. “Excited?”

“Not exactly,” said Zane. “But I suppose we are as ready as we’ll ever be.”

“Good,” said Garmadon. Suddenly he darted forwards, grasping the weapon like a spear, and he plunged it into the center of the circle. Luminous lines of bright white light like those of a cracked mirror appeared, and then it shattered, and the swirling colors of the Ethereal Divide were there, so bright that the daylight surrounding them seemed dim by comparison.

Garmadon held a hand. “After you.”

Kai held his breath as they entered.

As always, traveling through the Divide seemed to flash by and yet take an eternity. In the Divide, it was as if time did not truly exist. It was impossible to speak or hear - and yet it seemed to be as loud as a roaring waterfall.

Suddenly they stumbled out onto solid ground - or at least more solid than the Divide. It was sand. Kai spluttered and waved his arms wildly. He was barely able to find his footing, but Cole was right behind him, and Kai quickly found himself lying stomach-first on the ground, rubbing sand out of his face.

“Ouch! Couldn’t you have warned me before you slammed into me!” he complained.

“Couldn’t you have moved first? I think I broke my jaw.”

Zane was smarter, of course, and he managed to veer out of the way, but Chamille tripped over Cole and also landed in the gritty sand. Garmadon, the expert, simply stepped right out of the glowing portal. It disappeared with a whoosh!

“Well, well, well.” Garmadon shaded his eyes, scanning the horizon. There was literally nothing for miles around except for sand. And it was swelteringly hot. Kai could already feel sweat dripping down the back of his neck.

“I believe we are in the Sea of Sand,” Zane said. “Based on the position of the sun, it is about 3 in the afternoon.”

“We need to either get out of the desert or find shelter,” said Garmadon, strapping the Skycleaver blade to his back. “The temperature is going to drop significantly come nightfall, and we don’t have the supplies to weather it.”

Cole wiped moisture from his forehead. “We don’t know where the Bounty is, and the Monastery is gone. I think our best bet is to head closer to the Spine and see if we can pick up any of the Bounty’s transmissions. Our first goal is to contact Lloyd and reconvene with the rest of the Elemental Alliance.”

Zane was fiddling with his wrist comm. “We are at the western end of the Sea, so we are closer to Ninjago City than the Spine. I think we should head towards civilization and try to pick up the radio channels. If anything major has happened, we should hear of it. We have been gone enough for at least one of the sides to make a significant move.”

“I agree.” Chamille swept a lock of hair out of her eyes. “He is the Nindroid, after all.”

They summoned their dragons and set off. Instead of morphing into a dragon, Garmadon summoned his own. It looked exactly like his bestial form, only it was translucent and wispy.

Zane was leading, as he was the one with the internal GPS, but Kai steered his dragon towards Zane and gestured for Cole to join them. Thankfully, Garmadon and Chamille stayed a comfortable distance away.

“We need to discuss what we’re going to do when we find them,” Kai said. “We’re going to have to tell the Alliance what Lloyd did.”

What would Neuro do? Would Griffin side with Lloyd or him? Skylor … Skylor would of course side with Kai, right?

“I almost feel we shouldn’t,” Cole said, interrupting Kai’s spiral. “I mean, we know what Lloyd’s doing is wrong, but if we just let Garmadon explain that he knows how to defeat Allura …”

Zane twisted around to check on Chamille and Garmadon. “That is assuming that both the legends of Indigo and Garmadon’s words are true. It could be that we have allowed him access back to Ninjago just so he can conquer it. He may only be hunting for Allura so that he can dispose of the competition.”

Cole let out a bitter laugh. “We couldn’t have stopped him if we tried. He was coming back whether we liked it or not. Better to hitch a ride.”

Cole was absolutely right, but Kai couldn’t help wondering how it would look to the others. If the revelation of Lloyd’s betrayal didn’t split the Alliance, Garmadon’s arrival surely would.

Kai was about to add something, but paused as he spotted something in the distance. “Zane, what’s that?”

A buzzing noise was growing louder and louder.

Zane leaned forwards in his saddle. Then his dragon flared its wings, came to a halt, and shot back in the opposite direction they’d been traveling. “Hovercopters!” cried the Nindroid.

Chamille and Garmadon halted, then fell into place with the other three as they fled east.

“What’s happening?” asked Chamille.

“It’s Borg!” Kai bent over his dragon, pouring his energy into it. “They want to arrest us!”

“Mainly you,” quipped Cole. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Why?” asked Garmadon, swerving around a huge rock formation that jutted up out of the ground as suddenly as the metal monolith that had appeared near the Desert of Doom. Further ahead loomed the Echo Canyons. “What could you Ninja have possibly done to incur their wrath?”

“Well,” said Cole, words pouring out at superspeed, “Kai may or may not have assaulted a journalist and burned down a hospital, and it sorta looks like Lloyd murdered Sensei Wu, but that was Allura’s fault -”

“Wu?” Garmadon glanced behind them. “There! Into the canyons!” He raised a fist, and purple flames appeared. “Do you mean to tell me that Wu is -”

“YES!” Kai shouted as a rock nearly tumbled on top of him. “Could you please focus! We actually need to escape!”

“I AM focusing!” Garmadon growled at Kai.

Behind them were at least a dozen hovercopters, with Nindroids streaming out like a swarm of angry black bees. But the rocks that Garmadon was bringing down were also forming themselves into a Colossus just like the one Garmadon had brought to Ninjago City.

Kai whooped. Maybe it was a good idea to have Garm on their side after all ..

“Guys!” Chamille began to climb upwards, almost vertically. Kai barreled forwards, but then spotted what Chamille had - half a dozen more hovercopters in front of them, and more closing in from the side. They were surrounded.

Kai and Cole tugged their dragons to a halt.

“What’s the plan?” Kai hissed to Cole.

“Me? I don’t have one.”

“We fight.” Chamille was already holding blue flames in her hands.

Garmadon frowned. “Let me clarify some things. They are after all of you, or just Kai? If Kai, just ditch him.”

“HEY!” Kai no longer liked Garmadon.

“All of us,” Cole said.

“Are you in actual danger? Will they kill you or remove your powers?”

“No, but they want to interrogate us and make us sign some dumb document that puts us under the control of the government. We don’t have time for that,” Kai said, fiddling with the reins of his dragon. “We need to get back to the Elemental Alliance and stop them from following Lloyd.”

“Unlike you, I am in imminent danger of being captured and imprisoned for life. So -” Garmadon raised the Skycleaver blade and began to spin it.

“Stop him!” Chamille let her dragon dissipate so she could free fall towards Garmadon’s dragon.

Kai’s dragon spun to intercept Garmadon, but he had already cracked reality, and the light shimmering from the Ethereal Divide nearly blinded Kai.

The Dark Lord was already through the portal by the time Kai reached it. His hands were inches from the portal when it shut, and suddenly they were surrounded by squadrons of hovering Nindroids with blasters aimed right at them.

Chapter Text

“Well, this is a fine situation we’ve gotten ourselves into,” said Chamille sarcastically.

“He’s mine,” Kai growled.

“Ninja!” Cryptor hovered at the front of the battalion, purple flames blasting from both his feet and his jetpack to keep him aloft. “You are to surrender yourselves to Dr. Borg and the authorities of Ninjago City!”

He tossed four sets of handcuffs - Vengestone handcuffs - to the Ninja. As soon as Kai’s fingers brushed them, his dragon flickered. He let them fall, and then, with hands up, allowed his dragon to drift down until all four were standing on the sand. The Nindroids surrounded them and snapped the cuffs on, then tugged them through the canyons out to the dunes.

A silver plane hovered above them, then descended vertically, the turbines roaring. Kai shut his eyes against the swirling sand its engines kicked up.

A rounded door in its side opened, revealing Borg, and a ramp extended from it. The Ninja were escorted up the ramp.

“Ah, Ninja. I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this,” said Borg as the Nindroids unceremoniously shoved them inside and stripped them of their weapons. The door shut behind them, and the floor swayed beneath Kai as the plane rose beneath them and began to soar, presumably to Ninjago City.

Inside the main cabin was a seating area with a sofa and beige leather seats surrounding a polished coffee table. Farther back, there was a small kitchen, and the living area narrowed to a hallway to make room for a bathroom. At the end of the corridor, Kai could make out wallpaper and the edge of a colorful bedspread.

The police commissioner was there, with his hat and notorious mustache, as was the mayor of Ninjago City - Mayor Aubrianna. And Warden Noble from Kryptarium with silvery groomed hair and well-trimmed goatee.

He also recognized Gayle Gossip’s famous swoop of auburn hair and Erik the reporter, whose hair was noticeably cropped shorter. He also had red blisters on his hands, a lingering effect from his burns. Kai only glanced at him, and the young man recoiled.

Kai, Cole, Zane, and Chamille were brought to stand before the others, who were all seated. Borg clicked his wheelchair into a spot near the Ninja, by the window, but headed to the cockpit when a Nindroid whispered a concern to him.

On the coffee table in front of the Ninja were finger sandwiches, chilled water bottles, snack mix, wine glasses, and a bottle of champagne. And stacks of paper, all neatly fastened together with binder clips.

“So,” said Mayor Aubrianna, lifting her eyes from her clipboard. “The infamous Ninja.”

“Plus one,” said Chamille, glowering from beneath her jagged bangs.

“I presume you know why you are here,” the mayor said, setting down her clipboard and folding her brown hands in her lap.

“Because of the ERA. The Elemental Registration Act,” said Kai, resisting the urge to fidget under her intense gaze.

“Correct. Do you know what it entails?”

“The document requires us to sign so that our elemental powers are regulated by the Ninjago City government,” Zane said. “By signing, we agree our elemental powers will not be publicly used unless we have permission. We also agree to be registered in a database and wear trackers, and to have any descendants of ours monitored as well, in case they manifest elemental powers. Unless we ‘retire’ and specifically agree not to ever use our powers again, we remain at the beck and call of the government, to deal with elemental problems and supervillains.”

The mayor raised an elegantly plucked eyebrow. “Perfect. Although I suppose I should have expected it, coming from the Nindroid.”

The police commissioner cleared his throat and scooted to the edge of his seat. “You are aware that most of your teammates are under suspicion? Lloyd for the murder of Wu, and Kai for allegedly burning down a hospital and assaulting this journalist here.” He gestured at Erik.

“Yes,” Zane said. “We have a defense for that.”

“Your companion,” said Warden Noble, laying eyes on Chamille, “is also under suspicion for being allied with evil forces and for the assasination of numerous public figures.”

“There’s no proof,” Chamille stated, squaring her shoulders.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Warden Noble began, bringing his palms together and pointing at the Ninja. “You’re all going to sign the ERA. Then you will be tried for your various crimes, and justice will decide your fate. Although you are elementals, should you be discovered guilty, you will receive the same sentencing as a non-elemental would receive.”

“That’s - we can’t let that happen,” Cole said. He tried to step forwards, but the Nindroid behind him snagged his shoulder and jerked him back. “We don’t have time to pause and be tried! Right here, right now, we have to stop Allura. Allura is a Reflection Master, one of the most powerful elementals and villains we’ve ever seen, and she’s already murdered Sensei Wu! Not to mention, she has at least five villainous factions and other elementals under her command. You saw we were unable to stop her from getting away with the Golden Weapons at Borg Tower. At the Monastery, even Lloyd and Wu together couldn’t stop her! Unless you let us go, Allura is going to capture every elemental in Ninjago and become virtually unstoppable. That’s why we’ve been running.”

Kai would have applauded, had his wrists not been cuffed. Cole had summed it up perfectly.

The police commissioner wrung his hands together. “If what he says is true, we can’t handle Allura on our own. We need elemental help.”

The leaders were frowning and muttering amongst themselves. Kai caught snippets of “Allura”, “Borg Tower”, “Lloyd”, and “allegations.”

The police commissioner sighed and turned to the Ninja, talking over the others.

“Here’s the deal,” said the police commissioner. “You sign, you persuade your friends to sign too, and you help us defeat this new villain, and we will forgive the allegations standing against you currently.”

The mayor and warden immediately quieted, eyes wide.

“All of us?” said Chamille.

“No! There are no ‘allegations!’ I was assaulted - and you can ask at least seven other journalists and they’ll tell you the same thing!” Erik exclaimed, bursting out of his seat and almost upsetting the coffee table. “Look!” He held up his hands as proof. Kai winced.

“Erik - we’re here to take in information, not give input!” Gayle tugged on his arm, trying to force Erik to sit back down. He did, but scowled.

The mayor’s red lips were pursed, her eyes unfocused as the commissioner looked to her for confirmation. She eventually nodded.

“All of you,” he affirmed. “Convince your friends to come in without fuss, and we extend the deal to them as well.”

The warden was frowning. “This is too generous an offer,” he hissed to the mayor. “They need to be tried.”

“No,” said the police commissioner, turning to face the mayor. “I have complete faith in them. They have risked their lives for Ninjago numerous times. Even if Kai did assault Erik, I’m sure he had good reason to.” He threw up his arms. “Heck, they’re just teens trying to use their powers for good and save Ninjago. That’s a huge burden! We should be lightening that burden, not increasing it.”

Kai almost sagged from relief. Someone was fighting for them. They had an ally.

“Perhaps if their powers were removed,” Warden Noble suggested, holding up a finger, “There would be no elemental problems. The tension between elementals and non-elementals has been going on for long enough. Remove the elemental, and there is no longer a problem of them trying to lord power over us.”

The commissioner spread his arms, his eye twitching furiously. “Without them, how are we supposed to defend ourselves? Nobody except the Ninja could have dealt with either the Oni or Garmadon!” he pointed out just as Borg was reentering the room.

“Maybe it’s because of your incompetence!” the warden exclaimed, and the meeting descended into bickering.

Borg’s head swiveled between the two, trying to figure out what had transpired. Kai had a feeling various versions of this conversation had occurred too many times to count. Gayle and Erik were wildly scribbling in their notebooks.

“Silence!” said the mayor. “I will convene with the rest of the council.” She stood and went to the bedroom, her thick brown hair swaying behind her. “Both of your opinions will be heard,” she said, making eye contact with both the warden and the police commissioner. The door was shut.

“So,” Kai said, shrugging his shoulders, since both of his hands were cuffed behind his back. “We’re signing, then?”

“I don’t like it. I don’t want to be monitored,” Chamille said, staring adamantly at the food on the table.

Kai’s stomach rumbled in sympathy. Come to think of it, when was the last time they’d eaten?

“Hungry?” the commissioner asked. He stood and held his hand out to Warden Noble. “The bracelets, if you please.”

“They haven’t signed yet. They will remain cuffed,” said the warden, nibbling on a finger sandwich.

The commissioner put his hands on his hips. “I think not. How in the world are they supposed to sign if they’re cuffed?”

The warden sighed. “Fine.” He handed eight Vengestone bracelets to the police commissioner, who snapped them onto Cole, Zane, Kai, and Chamille’s wrists, one bracelet on each wrist. The two Nindroids guarding the group uncuffed the Ninja, and retreated to the cockpit. The doors whooshed shut behind them.

“Cool …what do they do?” Kai asked, turning his wrist over to examine the bracelets. Glowing yellow lines threaded through the polished black Vengestone.

“You’ll notice you have two bracelets,” Borg said. He wheeled over to Kai. “One bracelet is an alloy of Vengestone and titanium, for strength. But the second” - he lifted Kai’s right hand - “is actually a technological marvel. It is a tracking bracelet with a camera, holotransmitter, mic, and speaker, and it also has a little needle on the inner loop, which extends to prick your wrist with a fast-acting poison, quickly killing you should you rebel. The needle is also automatically activated should you tamper with the bracelet or try to remove it. All of this is housed in an unbreakable shell made of the finest alloy.”

Kai gave Borg a look. “You really had to outdo yourself, didn’t you?”

Borg bit his lower lip. “I was forced to.”

Since the only remaining seat was the mayor’s vacated spot, the Ninja seated themselves on the white carpeted floor. Chamille took the mayor’s spot, right next to the police commissioner.

“Refreshments?” The police commissioner held a bottle of water out to Kai.

“Thank you.” Kai unscrewed the lid and gulped it down.

“Of course. It’s the least I can do, considering how many times you’ve saved Ninjago.” He shook his head and lowered his voice. “I don’t understand why the others don’t see it. The mayor thinks I can protect Ninjago, but with the budget I’ve been given? Even Borg’s forces could overcome our police force. We don’t even have guns!”

Chamille picked up one of the empty wine glasses and poured water into it, as if she were too important to stoop to drinking out of plastic. Or perhaps she was just trying to annoy their captors. Kai wouldn’t put either option past her.

Mayor Aubrianna opened the bedroom door and slipped her cell phone into the pocket of her grey business suit. She eyed Chamille, then decided the argument wasn’t worth it, and remained standing.

“You are already aware of the intricacies of the ERA. The Ninjago City council is prepared to offer you full pardons, provided you sign the ERA and agree to fulfill this mission.

“Kryptarium prison was recently assaulted by both your friends and Allura. You will track down the Bounty and convince the other elementals to return themselves to Kryptarium and sign the ERA. All elementals will then be immediately assigned to apprehend the Immortals. Every charge will be suspended until Allura is defeated.”

Warden Noble held up a hand. “What about the elemental in the Desert of Doom? The one who buried the entire town in sand?”

“That’s minor compared to the assault on Kryptarium,” the police commissioner pointed out.

“I’ve sent three patrols out to arrest him,” said Warden Noble, “And none of them have returned!”

“Questions,” Kai said. “What about the elementals on the Bounty? What if they don’t agree to come with us?”

“Then you are given permission to use whatever means are necessary,” Mayor Aubrianna replied. “You will be given a force of Nindroids in case they should choose to resist violently.”

Kai hated the entire assignment almost immediately. They didn’t need to be forcing the Alliance to sign. And if all charges were going to be dropped, why did they need to sign now? Why couldn’t they just sign after Allura had been defeated? He had a sinking feeling that the ramifications of the ERA were much more than the mayor and Warden were making them out to be. Zane seemed to have reached the same conclusion. “Just to clarify, we are being grandfathered, in a way, into the ERA? All charges will be dropped for everyone. Only crimes committed after one has signed the ERA will be evaluated.”

“Unfortunately, no. The charge-dropping applies only to you four,” said Mayor Aubrianna.

“Then drop the charges for everyone until Allura is defeated!” Kai demanded, jumping out of his seat.

“I cannot.” Her brown curls flew as she shook her head. “It is not just Ninjago City lobbying for the legalization of elementals. Stixx, Astor City, Metalonia, and Prodigo are all calling for regulation. The only major city not asking for it is Shintaro. Forgiving you to speed up the legalization process is acceptable. Pardoning everyone? Not a chance. We would be ridiculed among the United Nations of Ninjago.”

How long had this animosity been brewing, Kai wondered. How long had the people of Ninjago resented them, while they risked their lives over and over again for Ninjago?

His fists shook. They hadn’t been there when Lloyd was bleeding out after pouring his life force into the Tornado of Creation. They weren’t there while Kai paced, waiting to see if Nya would survive after being stabbed. They weren’t there when Zane had sacrificed himself and died. Harumi was right. They were only teens playing dress-up, risking themselves for people who didn’t even believe in them. But they were Ninja - it was their duty - and they were the only ones even capable of beating supervillains.

“What about Lloyd?” Cole rose. “At least drop the charges against him. He nearly died defeating the Oni! There’s no way he would murder his uncle.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” was all the mayor could promise. “Perhaps those who come quietly and immediately can also be pardoned.”

Kai rubbed the bridge of his nose as he thought.

There was no way out. Garmadon had abandoned them. Lloyd both wouldn’t and couldn’t send rescue. Zane didn’t seem to have any solutions.

He took the pen and clipboard Mayor Aubrianna was offering him. “We’ll sign.”

Chapter Text

Mayor Aubrianna and Warden Noble had the good grace not to crack open the champagne while the Ninja were still there.

Once the plane had landed at Borg Tower, the mayor descended the ramp to the flashes of cameras. Kai and Chamille watched from the plane’s door, along with Borg.

“This is a historic moment! What do you have to say?”

“Where’s Lloyd? Has he disappeared because he’s actually guilty for Wu’s death?”

“Kai, now that you’ve been cleared -”

Borg punched a button on the control panel, raising the ramp and shutting the door before the journalists could swarm up into the plane.

“Dr. Borg, there’s a helicopter preventing our takeoff,” said the pilot from the cockpit.

“Cryptor,” Borg said to the Nindroid, “contact the security team at the Tower. Tell them to clear the airspace, and call a town car to escort the mayor to the town hall. And then get those journalists off my property!”

“Yes, sir.” Cryptor brought a wrist to his mouth and spoke into a communicator.

Kai and Chamille were about to rejoin Zane, Cole, the commissioner, and the warden at the seating area to be briefed, but Borg called them back.

“Ah, Ninja, I needed to discuss something with you,” Borg said. “Come, come.” He gestured for all of the Ninja, including Chamille, to come over by the window, and lowered his voice.

“My Nindroids just viewed the camera footage from your sojourn into the Echo Canyons. And … please tell me I did not see what I thought I saw on that camera.” Borg’s eyebrows were pinched together.

If they admitted they had brought a supervillain to Ninjago, they would be in deep trouble. Especially if that supervillain was Garmadon and they hadn’t re-captured him for Kryptarium. Yet Borg had obviously shown a willingness to bend the rules.

“Yes,” Kai breathed. “It was Garmadon. He escaped with the Skycleaver blade, a weapon that lets you traverse the realms.”

“What does he want?” asked Borg.

“We think he wants to help us defeat Allura,” Chamille said. “But we can’t be sure of his alliances.”

Borg rubbed his chin. “I see.” He pulled up a blue 3-D hologram of Ninjago on his BorgWatch, and zoomed in on a red dot in Primeval’s Eye. “I believe Garmadon is currently here.”

“How do you know this?” Zane asked.

“Well,” Borg said. “Tracking portals is simple. First of all, they create such a distortion in space and time, so my temporal anomaly scanners easily detect them, and second, the Skycleaver blade in particular creates an obvious and visible Einstein Rosen bridge.”

“What are you discussing?” The warden was right behind them, arms crossed.

“Warden Noble, sir, I was just - uh - explaining everything these bracelets do,” Borg stammered out.

“What’s there to explain? They monitor everything the Ninja do, and there’s poison in case they try to ditch them. Simple.”

“I suppose you’re right … ” Borg said, not making eye contact with the warden.

“Well, are they ready? The sooner we brief them, the sooner they can get going on their mission.”

“Yes, just one last thing I want to show them. Please,” - Borg waved a hand towards the couch, where the commissioner already was - “take a seat.” He turned back to the Ninja. “You cannot let the warden know you have anything to do with Garmadon’s return. Both Garmadon’s release and the assault on Kryptarium have rendered his prison less than secure, and so his position as warden has crumbled. That is why he is so adamant to capture another notorious criminal. Re-capturing Garmadon with his forces would prove his abilities, but he is also willing to sacrifice your reputations and the safety of Ninjago to do so. He would send you after Garmadon before Allura.”

“And without Lloyd to combat Garmadon’s darkness, there’s no chance of capturing him,” Cole completed.

The group broke the huddle and seated themselves with the warden and commissioner, but Borg rolled over to the wall opposite the chairs, where Cryptor had rolled down a white screen. The shades on the plane automatically lowered, and a panel in the ceiling opened and a projector descended to project a map of Ninjago.

Borg took a laser pointer from Cryptor, using it to point out key locations.

“The Bounty was last spotted heading away from Kryptarium and towards Jamanakai. We suspect it was heading towards the northern part of the Spine, near the Wailing Alps.”

“Your job is to track the Bounty and convince the elementals to sign the ERA,” the commissioner said.

“Alright, cool.” Chamille clapped her hands together. “Do we get gadgets from Borg?”

“Yes and no,” the warden said. “You’re not going. You will be hunting an “emo” elemental in the eastern part of the Desert of Doom.”

The commissioner said, “Reports from villages in the area describe him as fairly tall and lanky, with black hair. He apparently wears only black and neon green.”

“What.” Her voice was flat. “I’m not a bounty hunter! I need to be with Lloyd. I’m the only one who can convince him to sign the ERA.”

“You are skilled in remaining hidden and in fighting alone, while the Ninja often rely on each other. Hence, you are a better choice for capturing this elemental. Do I need to remind you of the capabilities of your bracelet?” His voice was calm, but the hidden threat in his words had Kai biting his lip to stop from shouting at the unfairness of it. Although he wasn’t going to argue about Chamille getting ditched. She could go bounty-hunting for all he cared.

Chamille snapped her fiery gaze to the warden. He remained nonplussed.

“What’s his element?” she said. “Do I get any Vengestone or cool weapons to help?”

“We don’t know. The only thing we know is that he is suspected of being an elemental. There’s no evidence except for one villager claiming he saw the suspect impossibly controlling the sand,” the commissioner replied.

“Sand isn’t even an element,” Cole pointed out.

“There is no reason it couldn’t be, Cole. We have discovered many unheard of elements since the Tournament,” Zane said.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think I have anything more sophisticated than you already have,” Borg said, gesturing for Cryptor to bring him the Ninjas’ weapons. Borg handed items back to Chamille one by one.

“Belt of various explosives. Pistol. Knives. Flamethrowing gauntlets? Excellent design, and well-hidden. Missiles? Amazing. Grappling hook? Impressive. You have good taste, and a better mind. Perhaps you might consider building other items? Helpful ones?”

“Maybe.” Chamille snapped her bracers and knives on. “As soon as I capture the elemental and return him to Kryptarium, I’ll be reassigned to the Ninjas’ task, right?”

“If you complete it quickly enough …” Noble said.

Something in Kai’s brain was clicking. A solution tickling the edge of his consciousness.

“What do we get from Borg?”

“I am providing a large force of Nindroids, in case the others should choose to resist violently. They will be equipped with stun blasters and tear gas. Since Cole has led before, I will give him command, but I’ll ultimately be in control from afar.”

“And me,” the commissioner interjected. “We’ll be monitoring the missions from this plane.”

“I’ll be returning to Kryptarium to ready the paperwork,” the Warden said.

A plan was forming in Kai’s mind. If their assignment was to convince the others to head to Kryptarium and sign the ERA, and they had a force of Nindroids backing them, they could use the Nindroids and the ERA as an excuse to arrest the Elementals who were on Lloyd’s side. He already knew Lloyd’s allegations were going to prevent him from signing, and anyone on Lloyd’s side would run with him.

“All right,” Kai said, a smile tugging at his lips, “When do we depart?”

_____________________________________________________________________________

The Bounty was within their sight at sunset, its silhouette dark against the tinted sky. Its hull gleamed red; its white sails were stained rose. Red for the bloodshed that was about to occur.

The ship’s thrusters were set to full speed, producing a roar as loud as a jet turbine. It left a scar of black smoke across the sky as it made its way towards the Wailing Alps.

There was no sign of the dozens of invisible Nindroids Kai knew were surrounding the ship, waiting to attack at the slightest sign the Elemental Masters weren’t budging.

Griffin Turner greeted them first, zipping up on his white and red dragon. He paused at a distance, shading his eyes.

“Guys … GUYS!” He zoomed closer, darting around them in circles to release his excitement. Even that wasn’t enough though - he still spoke as fast as a yapping terrier. Cole laughed, but Kai and the others didn’t.

“I - I can’t believe you’re back!” Griffin exclaimed. “Nya and Jay said you chose to stay behind, ‘cause Spinjitzu was only able to carry three passengers - and I was surprised they didn’t bring Zane, ya know, since he’s the smart one, but anyway he said you guys were basically stranded. But don’t think Lloyd was going to leave you there - he said - ”

“Speaking of Lloyd, where is he?” asked Kai.

Perhaps Kai’s tone had been too harsh. Griffin was frowning now.

“We, uh, well - nobody really knows.”

“What?” Kai’s dragon thumped down onto the deck with enough force to rock the ship. “What do you mean you don’t know where he is?” His dragon faded into smoke along with the others.

“He disappeared two days ago, claiming he was searching for an ancient weapon that would give us an edge over Allura. Maybe it’s something Wu told him about, I don’t know.” Griffin shrugged. “Wouldn’t tell any of us about it or where he was going, but he said to meet us -” Griffin’s eyes widened and he cut off as Jay and Nya approached.

“You don’t understand,” Zane cut in. “It is imperative that we find Lloyd immediately. The weapon he is searching for, it could be -”

“Kai!” Nya flew up, arms outspread, to hug Kai. He stiffened, standing as straight as a tree as she wrapped her arms around him.

“I can’t believe it! You’re here! I thought you were going to be in Indigo forever - I was about ready to send Spinjitzu to retrieve you, but Lloyd took him.” Nya released Kai, stepping back to rub her palms over his upper arms. “I missed you,” she said softly.

“Yeah. I missed you too.” Kai pulled her in closer, hugging her back now. He brought his mouth to her ear, resisting the urge to sneeze as her hair brushed his nose.

“You’re all dead,” he whispered. Nya froze and let go of him as if he was so hot he’d burned her.

“Kai.” Jay was fidgeting terribly, bouncing on the balls of his feet and tying his sash into all sorts of knots.

“Jay.”

“Kai! Zane! Cole!” The other elemental masters came flooding out from below, shouting and jostling each other to get close. And the children were present too; Nelson and Koji and Bobby were screaming as they rocketed towards the Ninja.

Skylor was the first to leap into Kai’s arms, and PIXAL was close behind. It was mostly Zane who closed the distance. Jay stood behind Nya, draping an arm around her waist as they hovered in the background.

“How did you get back?” was the main topic everyone was discussing, until it turned to the question of “what next?”

“-He’s gone to procure an ancient weapon -”

“-There’s been no sign of Allura -”

“-We’re heading to-”

“That’s great and all,” Cole said, glancing at the others for reassurance. “But we have something bigger. We came to warn you-”

“We came to warn you about the dangers of Lloyd,” Kai barged in.

Cole’s eyebrows drew together, but he let Kai take the lead.

He told them about the Reflection Masters and how only darkness could defeat them, and how the weapon Lloyd was searching for must be of Oni origin.

“So that explains why we couldn’t defeat her,” said Griffin.

“Then why wouldn’t he just tell us?” Nya asked. “We’d support him if he was seeking an Oni weapon.”

“Would you?” asked Kai. “He could be looking for anything. He might go back to the Oni temple in Primeval’s Eye, or to the Dark Island. Heck, with Spinjitzu, he could literally be anywhere in the Sixteen Realms!” He spread her arms wide to illustrate her point.

“We have dealt with darkness before. It only corrupts,” Zane said. “Would you want Lloyd to wield an Oni mask? You witnessed how it distorted Harumi. With his Oni blood, there’s a chance it could react and render the effects … permanent.”

“Yes,” Cole agreed. “We need to find out where Lloyd is and stop him from getting that artifact.”

“No, we can’t!” Jay exclaimed, leaping forwards. “If what you said is true, how will we defeat Allura? None of us are Oni.”

“That does not matter,” Zane said, his voice calm compared to Jay’s static. “What matters is stopping him from heading down this path.”

“What path?” Shade questioned, shoving through the group to get towards the open center. “So he’s forced to cut a few corners. So he’s searching for a weapon of darkness. You guys have done that before - the Staffs of Forbidden Spinjitzu, the Oni Masks -”

“A dark path. One that pits brothers against brothers,” Kai said, voice low. Zane and Cole whipped their gazes to him, eyes wide.

“You wouldn’t,” Cole said.

Kai ignored them. It was now or never. The truth was always going to be revealed. This was the only way to get them to turn - the only way to save them.

He raised his arms, waiting for the Elemental Masters to quiet and give him their full attention.

“Kai, you don’t have to do this,” said Nya, laying her hand on his shoulder. He scowled, shrugged it off, and began.

He addressed exactly how Lloyd had gotten Kate to ally with him by using an Inferna Copula. He spoke of the temple of the Queen of the Undying and how Lloyd had blamed Kai for Chamille’s fall. He told them what Lloyd had done next - how he had betrayed his brothers, fought them, stole their powers, and then stranded them in a foreign realm.

His voice did not waver. He couldn’t afford to let them think he was uncertain.

When he was finished, the elementals murmured amongst themselves.

Skylor was the first to speak, her amber eyes locked onto Nya. “Is it true, Nya?”

Nya was shaking, and Jay pressed her tighter against his chest. “It is,” she choked out. “But you don’t understand! If Lloyd hadn’t threatened Kate, we would've never found a way to get to Indigo. Allura would’ve gotten him first, and she’d be here wreaking havoc.”

“And leaving us? What part did we foil?” Kai demanded, fisting his hands on his hips.

“Lloyd took us because we’re not trying to question his every order and incite a rebellion!”

“So he abandoned us because we didn’t agree with him,” Kai stated flatly. He turned to face the others. “Now you know the truth. You have a choice. Are you going to follow them? The liars - the traitors?” - he pointed at Jay and Nya - “Or are you going to refuse their rule and try to find another way?”

“There is no other way!” Jay burst out. “No one else knows where an Oni weapon is! Where are we going to find a weapon of darkness? Dark matter? Who knows, maybe there’s a Dark Lord lurking somewhere -” he chuckled hopelessly.

When Kai grinned, Jay recoiled, shaking his head. “No, Kai … you can’t be serious!”

“He is,” Zane intercepted. He informed them of the legends of Indigo, Garmadon and the Skycleaver blade.

“Where’s Garmadon?” Skylor questioned, her hand drifting towards her daggers as if the demon might suddenly appear in their midst. “Are you really planning to ally with him to defeat Allura?”

“Why not?” asked Zane. “He was a major help during the Oni invasion.”

“He’ll take over Ninjago!”

“We can’t ally with him!”

“His powers nearly killed me,” Skylor muttered.

“And we’ve defeated him before,” Kai said.

“Well, who’s to say that allying with the Dark Lord is any better than allying with his son?” asked Shade. “Garmadon’s broken plenty of treaties, or flat-out lied. So what if Lloyd’s done the same?”

Some were nodding with Shade. Kai had to get them back on his side.

“One last thing!” He raised a finger.

“The ERA wasn’t just passed by the Ninjago City Council. It’s been passed by every major city in Ninjago. Even as I speak, dozens of Nindroids are lying in wait, ready to arrest you for evading their enforcements for so long.” He held up his wrist. “See this bracelet? Everything I say, and everything I do is being recorded. I’ve been captured and forced to sign. But because we were the first to sign, our crimes have been pardoned. If you choose to come with me, right now, and sign, you too will be pardoned. But should you choose to run or resist, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

`“You led them to us!” Shade screeched, drawing his dagger and bringing the blade to Kai’s throat.

“He needs to be punished,” Ash said.

“No!” Skylor touched Gravis’s arm, then used his Gravity to lift Shade and send him crashing to the deck. The knife clattered out of his hand.

“Hey! Arrest her!”

“No, arrest him!”

“I’m giving you ten seconds to leave this ship and come with me,” Kai warned.

“Attack him! Get rid of his bracelet!” The elementals swarmed him, latching onto his wrists and tugging on his arms like kids fighting over their favorite blanket.

Oh, no. If they tried to remove the bracelet, the poison needle would extend.

“No! You don’t understand!” Kai yelled as he was shoved to the floor and Shade sat on top of him, pulling at the bracelet.

“There’s poison inside - if you try to remove it -”

Buzzing filled the air as the battalion of Nindoids surrounded the Bounty.

“Elementals! Stand down!” Cryptor thundered.

“It’s his fault! He led them to us!”

“Run!”

“No, fight!”

The pressure on Kai’s chest suddenly let up, and through blurred vision he saw Jay and Nya burst into action. Jay’s Spinjitzu vortex crackled with electricity, and he took out seven Nindroids in half as many seconds. Nya pulled water out of the sky, using it to surround Cryptor in a bubble and short out his system. The rest followed Jay and Nya’s cues and attacked the Nindroids, leaving Kai gasping for breath on the ground.

“Kai!” Skylor rushed to him and helped him to a sitting position. PIXAL, Griffin, Paleman, and Neuro surrounded him, not joining into the battle against the Nindroids.

Meanwhile, Cole and Zane were fighting alongside the Nindroids, and they’d already managed to contain Bolobo and Gravis with Vengestone cuffs.

“There are too many!” Shade shouted. “We have to retreat!”

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Kai lifted his voice. “To me!” he shouted at the Nindroids. “Form a cordon around the ship! Don’t let them get away!”

Skylor pulled off her gloves and brushed Kai’s cheek with her bare hand. Then she roared, and fire burst up around them, protecting Kai from Karloff’s charge. Karloff tried to punch through the fire, but the superheated flames threatened to melt his gloves, so he backed off and tried to target Neuro instead.

“Hurry!” Ash was screaming as he created a smokescreen.

PIXAL, being a Nindroid, did not cough like Kai and Skylor did. She switched on her infrared, and charged into the fray.

Bobby was sobbing as he ran out of the cloud, rushing up to Kai and flinging his arms around him. Shade grasped Nelson’s arm tightly, his dark eyes gleaming as he watched Bobby escape. Then he disappeared into the darkness.

Kai shoved Bobby into Paleman’s arms. “Protect him! I have to rescue the other kids!”

He rushed into the cloud, eyes watering in the smoke. It was dark; he guessed Shade was using his element to augment the cloud’s shielding effects.

Kai formed a flame in his hand, but that only made it worse. Someone ran into him, but he paid no attention; his eyes were on the glowing vortex with pink and green swirling around it.

Shade stood next to it, his shadows wrapping around the vortex and obscuring it from those outside the cloud.

“Hurry! Go!” he urged Karloff through with Koji and Nelson.

“Stop right there!” Kai lunged for the children, but a mass thudded into him, knocking him onto the hard deck. Nya brandished a sai, plunging it down by his shoulder, catching his gi on the deck. He couldn’t rise, couldn’t move.

“I won’t fight you, Kai,” she said, swiping her watery eyes.

Jay was fighting with PIXAL, lightning sparking in his palms as he backflipped, then sent it at her. PIXAL dodged, then lifted her fisted arm and sent a tiny rocket at Jay. Nya knocked it out of the way with a blast of water, then raised her arms and sent a flood of water at PIXAL, surrounding her and lifting her up. It solidified into a rope of liquid, wrapping around her throat and “choking” her. It tossed PIXAL out of the cloud as easily as someone might throw a ball. PIXAL’s scream echoed in Kai’s ears.

“Nya! Don’t do this!” Kai pleaded as he struggled to rip the sai out of the floorboards. Their force of Nindroids were scattered on the deck, their parts strewn here and there, leftover sparks running through their systems. The others were nowhere to be seen; they hadn’t entered the cloud with him.

The remaining elementals had fled through the portal, and the only people left were Shade and a teen with spiked tawny hair and a lanky frame.

“Come on, Jeremiah!” Shade leapt through the swirling portal, and the Portal elemental followed. The energy that had suffused the air vanished, and all that remained was a ringing in Kai’s ears.

He blinked, coughing as the last of the smoke disappeared.

Skylor yanked the sai from the deck, letting it fall onto the floor with a metallic clatter.

Kai sat up, bringing her to his chest. He hadn’t lost Skylor. Cole and Zane were still here, although blood dripped from a scratch on Cole’s cheek and Zane sported a new dent on his upper arm, no doubt left by Karloff.

“This is it,” Cole said. “We’ve lost.”

Chapter Text

At first, it was like stepping into sunshine. The warmth felt good, like it was filling some hole in his heart he hadn’t known was there. Then the heat grew, until it was almost unbearable, suffusing him from head to toe with power.

They were calling Lloyd, begging him to draw upon their power. The power of Creation. The power of the First Spinjitzu Master.

Lloyd steered Spinjitzu in the direction of the warmth, following it to its source. The northern wind was nothing to him; he dropped Spinjitzu’s reins to shed Cole’s hoodie.

He felt it in his bones before he laid eyes on them. The Golden Peaks drew into view, with its distinctive rounded dome and golden glow. The jagged sides of the pseudo-volcano rose up like the maw of a dragon, forming a domed cavern that shielded most of it.

Lloyd landed Spinjitzu at the mouth of the cavern, shoving Cole’s hoodie in one of his saddlebags and loosening the girth of Spinjitzu’s saddle. He ventured further, stepping to the edge of the rocky platform that extended into the cavern.

For a split second, it crossed his mind as to what would happen if he fell into the golden liquid that bubbled ten feet below. Would he be boiled? It looked like lava.

He shook his head, as if that would rid himself of silly thoughts, and then exited the cavern to see if he could spot the Bounty. There was no sign of the Elemental Alliance’s presence, either in the sky or on the ground. The Peaks had not been visited by a person for months, according to the tracks.

Spinjitzu had given up on following Lloyd, and now stretched out on the ledge, basking in the warmth of the gold. Lloyd went to him and withdrew some jerky from his saddlebags. He used his dagger to cut a piece for himself, then tossed the rest to Spinjitzu.

“Well, bud, it looks like we’re early,” he said, sliding to the rocky ground and resting against Spinjitzu’s side. Spinjitzu replied with a growl as he placed a talon over the jerky and tried to tear it into pieces with his teeth.

Lloyd wondered when the others were going to arrive. The strike on Kryptarium had been successful; he’d heard of the “elemental attack” on the prison when he’d stopped for supplies in a rural fishing village near Hiroshi’s Labyrinth. The same one, in fact, that had helped him when he’d fallen out of the MechDragon four years ago and almost drowned. Luckily, they hadn’t remembered him.

Ronin had departed a long time ago, separating himself when they’d returned to Ninjago. “I was paid to take you there and back,” he’d said. “I’m out.”

Whatever. Lloyd didn’t need him. Certainly not when he might tell the Alliance of the trap Lloyd was planning. Sure, Lloyd hadn’t shared details, but the weapon he’d gathered … it was easy to guess.

Lloyd felt for the glass test tube in his pocket, sliding his fingers over its curves. It was still safe.

He let out a breath. He could think about his depressing plan more. Or he could have some fun …

Lloyd stood, drawing upon the power of the Golden Peaks. The rocks shifted - melting, flowing, solidifying - at his command.

First, he carved steps, turning the barely visible pathway into a formidable entrance, like the one to the Monastery. Next, he made a formal foyer, with a grand staircase running up the center and then splitting, leading to living quarters. At the top of the grand staircase, there were double doors (or what he imagined as double doors, since he left the doors off), and what led into the cavern, which was now lit only by gold, as his building sealed off the opening. He crafted more steps and a dais, leading to a roughly hewn block that he imagined as a throne.

Then he turned back to the inside, and furniture rose out of the floor. From the foyer, there was a dining room to the left, with ten chairs and a hefty table just like the one on the Bounty. Opposite the foyer, there was a war room, complete with a square hole that people could peer out of to see who approached from the steps. Lloyd made a kitchen, a living room, bathrooms (that didn’t work), and he even furnished the bedrooms.

Sure, everything was made of stone, but the fun was in creating. Everything was roughly sculpted and square, like a Minecraft house (hey, making things appear as they were in his mind was a lot harder than it looked!), but that wasn’t the point. He’d made it. He’d created it. It was his.

Finally, he created doors to the villa, spending long minutes attempting to make stone hinges. It didn’t work, so he gathered the four elements, leaving out Energy. Suddenly, it was as if the secrets of the universe were laid bare to him. The stone was of Earth, but if he combined the Earth with the other three elements …

Power thrummed through his body as he removed the stone doors and created doors made of wood. They were plain, but they were created from his powers. They were his.

No longer was he that naive boy, gifted with the power of Creation but barely able to move a boulder. He was a Master. He was the grandson of the First Spinjitzu Master.

Lloyd wanted to do more, but he only managed to furnish his room before he ran out of power, since he wasn’t running on the Golden Peak’s fuel reserve. The Golden Peaks had power, yes, but it was raw and had to be refined to create, just as the First Spinjtizu Master had needed to forge weapons and input his own power to create Ninjago.

Lloyd settled down with Spinjitzu in the throne room, crouching on the ground as he turned back to the Golden Peak’s power to try and chisel the block of stone into a work of art.

It was hard work; he was sweating and his gi was covered in dust when Spinjitzu leapt up and tore out of the room with a growl.

“Stop!” Lloyd ran after him. He’d worked so hard on the doors! Thankfully, the golden dragon had stopped at the war room’s window. Lloyd thrust open the double doors and rushed out, Spinjitzu close behind, to greet the approaching elemental masters.

Nya and Jay were at the head, with Shade, while Karloff brought up the rear. The group was half as big as he expected, although there were some new faces, and the kids, save Bobby, were present.

Lloyd swung Nya and Jay into his arms. Nelson and Koji joined the hug.

“It was successful? You managed to free the elementals?”

“Yes,” Jay said. The air buzzed with electricity. “At a cost.”

It was then that Lloyd noticed the trails of tears on Nya’s cheeks, the darkening bruises around her neck. A bandage was wound tightly around Jay’s thigh, soaked with blood.

Lloyd drew upon his power, healing them in a matter of seconds. “Allura showed up, then?”

“Yes,” Nya said. The hollow look was still in her eyes. “The others knew not to use their powers, though, and Jay and I were able to distract her so we could load the elementals onto the Bounty. But that wasn’t it.”

“The Bounty? It’s damaged?” Lloyd realized the ship was nowhere in sight.

“No,” Shade said.

“The other Ninja showed up,” Jay said with finality, far from his usual joking nature.

No. No no no no no. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They were supposed to stay far, far away from here.

“What? How?” Lloyd demanded.

“A realm-traveling artifact,” Nya said. “They know, Lloyd. Half the team’s left and joined Kai. Not to mention, the others have signed the ERA. Their job is to hunt us down, with practically every law enforcement officer in Ninjago. We had to abandon the Bounty. We only managed to escape because of Jeremiah’s portals.”

“Oh.” Lloyd took stock, noting who was missing. Skylor. PIXAL. Griffin. Paleman. Neuro. Bobby.

“Show us the Oni artifact,” Jay said abruptly.

“What?” How could Jay know he’d been looking for something of Oni origin?

“The weapon you went for. Show us.”

“I- I can’t.” Fear bloomed in Lloyd’s heart, replacing the warmth of the Peaks. Jay couldn’t see. Or he’d abandon Lloyd too.

“Why not?” Jay ordered.

“Because - I - I didn’t manage to get it,” Lloyd smoothly lied. The years of school at Darkley’s were paying off. “I went to the Oni temple in Primeval’s Eye, hoping for something. But I didn’t find anything.”

Jay was as still as a statue. Then he exploded into action. Despite his small stature, he grabbed Lloyd by the collar of his gi and pulled him close. “That’s what you couldn’t tell us? How stupid are - argh!”

He pushed Lloyd away, running his hands over his face and muttering. “I can’t believe - argh!” Jay paused, and tugged Nya to his side. “Look!” Jay pointed at Nya’s throat. “Kai - Kai tried to choke her! His sister! This?” Jay gestured at the bloody bandage around his thigh. “This came from Cole’s scythe!”

“Jay …” Nya said, reaching out for him.

Jay shrugged her off. “I’m just getting started.” Jay swiped away a tear. “Karloff punched Zane and left a dent. Nya threw PIXAL overboard. I probably gave Cole a concussion.” He let out a mad laugh.

Jay drew his dagger and aimed it at Lloyd. “How much more, Lloyd? How much more are you going to splinter the team? How much more will you drag us along on this path, promising to deliver, while keeping your secrets close to your chest? What. Is. The. Plan?!”

“Jay!” Nya cried out.

How sad they all were. Pointing weapons at each other. Accusing each other.

“Guys!” Lloyd raised his palms. “I swear there’s a plan!”

“What?” Jay hissed.

Lloyd reached up a hand, pushing Jay’s dagger away with a finger. He used Creation to transmute the metal blade into one made of plastic.

“What the-?!” Jay yelped.

“I was experimenting earlier,” Lloyd said. “Haven’t you noticed this building?” He spread his arms. “I built this. With Golden Power and Creation. Here, with the Golden Peaks, I have more power than I’ve ever had before. I know I can use it to defeat Allura.”

Nya’s mouth had dropped. She and Jay exchanged a look.

Lloyd let out a breath. Had Kai gotten to them too?

“Remember how I used to be able to move mountains? I’ll try to use our surroundings to trap her, then I’ll seize her powers with the crystal.”

The rest of the group seemed dubious as well.

What was he doing? He didn’t need their approval.

“Where’s the Portal Elemental? I need to get to the NCN tower.”

______________________________________________________________________________

“I swear, we don’t know where he is or what they’re planning!” Kai exclaimed. “They literally walked through a hole in space and time!”

“And you can’t see through them to where the people are traveling,” Warden Noble confirmed as he leaned back in his office chair with a very loud squeak.

“Right,” said Borg. “However, my temporal anomaly scanners have picked up activity from Kai’s engagement point.”

Borg tapped a button on his tablet, and a map of Ninjago appeared on a projector screen.

The noise level in the room fell as everyone around the massive conference table sat forwards, eyes on the screen.

Mayor Aubrianna, the Police Commissioner, and the entire Ninjago City Council were here at Kryptarium, as well as representatives from Stixx, Prodigo, Metalonia, Astor City, and even Shintaro. Princess Vania’s retinue sat in extra chairs pushed against the wall, ringing the center conference table. The young princess was a far cry from her usual bubbly self.

Gayle Gossip and Erik, much to Kai’s dismay, were also present, with the cameras rolling, first for the historic signing of the ERA and now for the plan to capture the remaining elementals. Allura had all but been forgotten as the major cities focused on apprehending Lloyd’s team.

The rest of Kai’s elementals had crowded into the standing room at the back, and were silent as they tried to process the events that had transpired only a few hours earlier.

“... do you, Kai?” asked Borg.

“What - huh?” He realized he’d been staring into his coffee cup for a bit too long.

The Commissioner patted him on the back. “I know it’s been a rough day, sonny. Hopefully you can get some rest after we figure out what they’re planning.”

Fat chance; if they managed to discover Lloyd’s plan, Kai’s first step was to hightail over there before it all unfolded.

He straightened his posture in his office chair. “Can you repeat that, Borg?”

Borg used his laser pointer to point out a dot near Jamanakai. “This is where Kai and the Nindroid force engaged with the Elemental Alliance on the Bounty. Kai attempted to convince them to return to Kryptarium Prison to sign the ERA, and they resisted and fled through a portal. Now, as I was saying, I have managed to locate two temporal anomalies from the past four hours. One is from Kai’s location, and the other lets out near the Wailing Alps. I’ve sent a reconnaissance force to the Alps, but there is no sign of them. I was asking if you had any idea where they might be.”

“The only place I can guess is the Spine,” Cole spoke up from where he was standing with Zane in the back. “But the Spine is huge.”

Zane chimed in,“Not to mention the snowstorms that occur in the Spine. Without the Bounty, they could not stay there very long.”

“Rather than trying to figure out where Lloyd isn’t, why don’t we try to figure out where he is?” Griffin asked. “He wants to defeat Allura, and he’s got a plan to find an Oni weapon. Where could one be, and where might he want to meet with his team before trying to find Allura?”

“We don’t have much experience with the Oni or darkness,” Kai mused. “The only places I can think of would be the Oni temple in Primeval’s Eye and the Dark Island.”

“The Oni temple was flooded,” Zane noted. “I do not think anything of value would still be there.”

“We don’t know that -”

The door slammed open, and a police officer rushed in. “Sir, we are getting reports of significant seismic activity from -”

“Simon, how many times have I told you to knock?” the Commissioner exploded.

“I’m sorry, sir, but the Nindroid thinks there might be a correlation.”

“I do,” PIXAL said, entering the room with a tablet. Her formerly “broken” arm had been restored to full functionality, and her damaged plates were now replaced and polished. There was no sign of the exposed wires, strewn parts, or shorting Kai had seen when they’d recovered her body.

“Look,” PIXAL said, plugging her tablet into the projector. “There are reports from a small town located here, called Aurelia. The town is called that because it means ‘gold’ and because the town is located only five miles from the Golden Peaks. The entire village has been forced to evacuate due to high seismic activity and landslides. They also claim they can no longer see the light from the Golden Peaks.”

“Okay …” Kai said. “How’s it linked?”

“The First Spinjitzu Master utilized the gold from the Golden Peaks to create the Golden Weapons. There is good reason to suspect there must be a link between Golden Power and the Golden Peaks.”

“I have another report here,” Simon said, tapping at his own tablet. “Just in. The Humanitarian Resources department from Jamanakai is gathering witness reports now. Many saw a group of elemental dragons pass over and land at the Golden Peaks.”

“The Alps are not far from the Golden Peaks,” Borg said. “The Nindroid force is still there. Cryptor, send the reconnaissance team to the Peaks.”

“So the gold from the Peaks augments Lloyd’s powers,” Zane said, stepping up to the table. “But how will he lure Allura to face him?”

“Golden Power doesn’t work against her,” Cole said. “We all know it, and Lloyd knows it too. So what could his plan be?”

“Perhaps -” Zane began, but he was cut off by a ringing phone.

Gayle Gossip leapt out of her seat. “Oh my brick, I’m so sorry!” She fished her phone out of her tote bag, then put it to her ear. She cupped her hand over the speaker as she squeezed her way through the crowded room towards the door.

“What?” She paused at the doorway. “Do we have footage? Run it. Run it now. And send a copy to my phone.”

She turned to address the room. “We know where Lloyd is now.”

The next few minutes passed like hours as Gayle fumbled to connect her phone to the projector so they could all see the security footage of Lloyd attacking the NCN tower.

No one spoke as Shade appeared behind a security guard and knocked him out, stuffing him into a broom closet. Then Ash filled the halls with smoke, obscuring the view of the hall cameras and causing everyone not in the upper broadcasting areas to flee from the building. Finally, as the smoke cleared, Lloyd approached, striding up the halls with the confidence of a god. Over his dark green gi, he wore spiked golden pauldrons, golden bracers, and calf-high golden boots.

He flung the double doors to the main broadcasting room open and waltzed right in. The cameraman jumped, and Gayle’s rival, Fred Finley, leapt out of his chair and hid behind the glass-topped desk.

With the camera still rolling, Lloyd touched Fred on the shoulder and pointed towards the door. Both Fred, the cameraman, and other personnel took the hint and fled. Ash took over the equipment, while Shade shoved the desk out of the way so Lloyd could stand.

He began to speak, but there was no audio since it was only security footage. Gayle shut it off, and then opened a new video that contained the message Lloyd had broadcasted all over Ninjago.

“Allura. Your reign of terror is over. You are responsible for the death of Wu and Pythor. It’s your fault the Monastery and the Temple of the Queen of the Undying lies in ruins. You are the one who killed half your team of elementals in your quest for power.” Lloyd gazed steadily at the camera as he spoke. With a shock, Kai realized that Lloyd’s eyes had again changed; they were now an amber gold, and his formerly round pupils were black slits like a dragon’s. And was that … an ever-so-slightly forked tongue?

Lloyd was still speaking. “Know that wherever you are, I am coming for you. You want Ninjago? Then you can have it, over my dead body. You’re weak. Most of your Immortals are dead or powerless, and you only have half of EVIL’s army, thanks to the betrayal and murder of Pythor, its founder. You need power. You want it? Then come and take it. My elementals and I are at the Golden Peaks. I have twelve elementals here, with more to come. I’ve got Shadow, Smoke, Portals, Distortion, Plasma, Magma, Pulses, Beasts, Destruction, White Fire, Storms, and more. I await your challenge and arrival.” Lloyd smiled, but his smile was not that of Kai’s little brother, savior of Ninjago. It was that of a feral cat, with fangs and cunning to match.

And then the broadcast cut off.

“Well,” PIXAL said drily. “His practice in making speeches has paid off.”

No one laughed.

“He’s at the Golden Peaks.” Kai shoved his chair back and stood up, almost upsetting his coffee cup. “We need to go. Now. Before Allura shows up.”

Borg was already signaling to Cryptor. “I want a force of twenty Nindroids dispatched from Borg Tower and headed that way, equipped with tasers and Vengestone nets.”

“No,” said the Warden, rising. “We need more. Call up every Nindroid you’ve got. Commissioner,” he said, “I need the entire police force. I’ll strip Kryptarium of spare men. Shintaro, Metalonia, we’ll need your forces too.”

“This is our last stand,” Warden Noble said, pivoting to make eye contact with every leader in the room. “Lloyd will be there, as will Allura and almost every elemental in Ninjago. We have a chance to arrest them all, and stop the threat to Ninjago.”

“While I disagree with his strategy, I believe Warden Noble is correct,” Zane said. “We have a chance to strike, but we must be cautious. Your men have never encountered powers like those of Lloyd and Allura, nor have they fought such a large group of elementals at once. The danger will only increase if Allura brings her EVIL army. Here is my suggestion.”

Zane began to outline his plan. Even though they had half a team, no master, and more enemies than he could count, for once, Kai glimpsed the light at the end of the tunnel. The nightmare was about to be over.

Chapter Text

Footsteps alerted Lloyd to their arrival.

“Almost finished,” he grunted, wholly absorbed in carving out “stands” around the circumference of the inside of the Peaks. With only a thought, the stone reshaped itself to his will. Now platforms jutted out over the bubbling gold, with railings to keep people from potential mishaps. Stairs - one on either side of the cliff leading to his throne - allowed people entrance to the mezzanine balconies. Perfect for the show that was about to occur.

He turned around to see Jeremiah, the Portal elemental, standing with Jennifer, Master of White Fire and Jeremiah’s best friend. Such an odd pair, Lloyd mused. Jeremiah was 6’3, with tanned skin, spiky brown hair, and mad skills with a basketball. Meanwhile Jennifer was only 5’ with white-blond hair, pale skin, and a fantastic singing voice. They were opposites, yet they were as close as could be. As close as Lloyd and Chamille had been.

And all of that had been ruined by the ERA. Like Lloyd, they were now elemental teenagers on the run.

“What’ve you got for me?” he asked Jeremiah. “And where’s Shade?”

“Here, Greenie,” said Shade, appearing with a half-eaten protein bar in hand. He shoved the rest in his mouth, and mumbled, “Had to refuel.”

“What’s the status update?” Lloyd asked them.

Lloyd tapped his foot as Shade chewed and swallowed. “It’s as you suspected. The EVIL army was laying low somewhere in the lower part of the Spine, near the Shattered Canyons. They’ve re-emerged and taken over their old hideout. We’ve got Serpentine, Stone Warriors, reclaimed Nindroids, Skulkin, and Ghosts. Oh, and some of those Sons of Garmadon convicts from Kryptarium.”

“Good,” Lloyd said. “How far out?”

“They just started marching,” Shade said. “But they’ve got transport vehicles. I’d say about a day, day and a half.”

Lloyd nodded. “Jennifer,” he said. “Find the others and gather them in the war room for a strategy meeting.” He cocked his head as a dragon shrieked outside. “And see what sort of food Jay managed to scrounge up.” The girl departed, leaving the double doors open.

“Jeremiah,” Lloyd said as he gestured for the others to follow him out of the throne room, “what did you find?”

Rather than take the stairs normally, Jeremiah jumped up all three at once. “Kai, Cole, and Zane are allying with the Ninjago City Council. They’re gathering an army of police, Nindroids, Shintaran Warriors, and more and marching out here. With Borg’s tech, they’ll arrive around the same time.”

“Oh yeah, and they know about the EVIL army too,” Shade added as they ascended the steps. The doors thundered shut behind them. “I spotted Turner doing surveillance, but I managed to disappear before he caught on.”

“Excellent,” Lloyd said, holding out a hand to let the others enter the war room first. Jay, Ash, Karloff, Nelson, Hunter, Raven, and Koji were already present. Newer members, such as Nikki, Master of Plasma, Hiro, Master of Pulses, and Scarlet, Master of Magma, were seated, tapping their fingernails against the stone table or licking their lips or gazing anywhere but at him.

Lloyd blinked in the bright sunlight streaming from the huge window and almost bumped into Nya, who was unpacking bags of groceries.

“Seriously, Jay?” she said. “You and Ash can go almost anywhere on your dragons, and you choose 7-11?”

“We’re in the middle of nowhere, Nya, and that was the least conspicuous place within thirty miles of here,” Jay defended. “Plus, it’s not like we’ll be here long. Once Allura’s defeated, we can return to society.”

Lloyd spotted a candy bar in one of the bags. “Can I have that?”

Nya’s smirk turned to a frown as she regarded Lloyd. She wordlessly handed him the chocolate, then went back to unbagging.

“Thanks …” Lloyd said as he unwrapped it.

So Nya was still salty about NCN Tower. So what? She’d get over it eventually. And if she didn’t, as long as she performed in battle he was good with it. Or so he told himself.

“Ok, everyone!” Lloyd clapped his hands together. “Here’s the plan.”

He went to the stone table, and began to circle it, ducking between people and dodging elbows to tap certain parts of it with his pointer finger. Where he touched, the stone briefly glowed, and then parts of it rose up, until there was a miniature model of the Golden Peaks, including the surrounding areas.

Oohs and ahhs filled the room. Lloyd grinned and bowed, then took control. “This is what we are going to do,” he began.

______________________________________________________________________________

As planned, the armies began to arrive the next day near high noon. Shade and Jeremiah were next to Lloyd at the top of the stairs leading up the mountain, watching as figures and vehicles crested the horizon. Spinjitzu basked in the sun near the doors.

From the west came hovercopters, police cars, tanks, helicopters, and a silver jet featuring a stylized B. The tanks came first, arranging themselves at the front with guns pointing at the Golden Peaks. The other vehicles parked behind. Phalanxes of Shintarans sporting golden wings and groups of Metalonians attired in silver armor poured out of the hovercopters. Police and other forces came streaming out of the rest of the vehicles, setting up tents with speed and efficiency Lloyd never would have guessed could come from this motley alliance.

Finally, to add insult to injury, the Bounty approached, setting down with the majesty and authority of a king. Lloyd’s lip curled as he bared his teeth at it. Kai.

“They’re not going to attack?” Jeremiah asked.

“No,” Lloyd said, squinting in the dust stirred up by the Bounty’s landing. “They’re going to send the other Ninja first as a delegation. But they won’t get a chance.” He pointed towards the south, where EVIL forces were marching towards the Peaks.

The Skulkin and Stone Warriors were first, being practically indestructible, with Venomari right behind them. Ghosts and other Serpentine tribes filled out the rest of the flanks, while most of the Nindroid force took to the skies. Behind the EVIL army came their vehicles: various lime green vehicles with red eyes that had been converted into weapons by Fangpyre soldiers - mostly Rattlecopters and Bite Cycles.

“Do you see Allura?” Shade asked as the EVIL warriors arranged themselves at the base of the mountain and prepared to begin the climb.

“There,” Lloyd said, pointing at a rainbow dragon that had emerged from among the hovering Ratttlecopters. A red dragon, presumably Carlos, and a purple dragon ridden by Trixie flanked Allura. Morphia and Toxikita completed her entourage.

“Oh, boy.” Jay had come up from behind, and was bouncing on his toes. “That’s a lot of bad guys.”

“Hopefully we won’t be fighting them at all. We’re going to let them,” - Lloyd nodded at Kai’s forces - “take care of the EVIL army.”

Lloyd counted heads as the rest of his elemental forces arrived. “Jay, you’re with Koji. Nelson still here?”

Karloff unceremoniously shoved the little boy through the elementals towards Lloyd.

Nelson rushed forwards, wrapping his skinny arms around Lloyd and pressing his freckled face into Lloyd’s gi, mindless of the sword strap or Lloyd’s new armor. “Please,” the kid sobbed, “don’t make me go. Don’t make me fight Cole!”

“Nelson, you always wanted to go on missions with the Ninja,” Koji pointed out, holding his arm out so Jay could tighten his navy bracer. A short sword swung from his waist, coated in pure silver to better conduct electricity. “Now you have a chance!”

“Enough,” Lloyd said. “He doesn’t want to fight, and I won’t make him. Jeremiah, just set him on the outskirts of their camp, all right? Raven, Hunter, you leaving?”

“No,” they both replied. Surprising; Raven generally took the position opposite Lloyd, no matter what it was.

A flash of red from the Bounty’s deck caught Lloyd’s eye. Even from a distance, Lloyd would know the colors of his brothers’ gi anywhere.

“Open a portal right in front of them and send Nelson,” Lloyd commanded. He smirked, imagining the shocked expressions of the others as Nelson landed at their feet.

“Lloyd,” Nya said after Nelson had departed. “Let’s go.”

“Ok. Everyone remember the signal?” At everyone’s nod, he said, “Then it’s go time.”

Both armies were too smart to climb first and risk exposure to the other from behind. So Lloyd’s plan hinged on allowing his forces to be sandwiched, thus tricking the others into charging.

Lloyd whistled for Spinjitzu, and then they descended the mountain, with Lloyd at the head, gripping Spinjitzu’s leather reins.

He eyed Allura above, with her signature spear - the Golden Weapons reforged. He wanted that spear. By prophecy and by birthright, those weapons belonged to him. Not to mention, it would complete his look.

A roar sprang up from Allura’s forces as they charged from the south. Kai, Cole, Zane, PIXAL, Skylor, Griffin, Paleman, Neuro, and Bobby arranged themselves at the front of a line of policemen, weapons drawn and gleaming in the sunlight. As expected, they charged towards Lloyd’s forces.

Lloyd paused before they reached the bottom to mount Spinjitzu. The rest parted around him and continued on, but Jay, Koji, and Hunter stayed back with him too as his air support.

“Now,” Jay was saying to Koji. “Only shock the EVIL forces. The others are innocent.”

“I know that,” Koji said, rolling his dark blue eyes.

Lloyd fingered the crystal, reaching inside himself and summoning up clouds and rain for Koji.

And then the armies were upon them and they were in the fight of their lives.

Kai, Cole, Zane, and Griffin were at the forefront. Their intention was obviously to spare their forces as much as possible from fighting elementals. White Nindroids guarded their flanks.

On the other side, Allura’s plan appeared to be sending the brunt of her forces to overwhelm Lloyd’s and capture his elementals for her. Which would’ve worked, if Lloyd hadn’t been present.

In ten seconds, his Golden Power had reduced half of the Stone Army to chunks of stone. The Skulkin beside them struggled to put their skeletons back together.

Before the Venomari launched their poison, Lloyd shot into the air, the wind whipping at his hair, with Jay’s electric dragon beside him. Hunter morphed into a dragon and stayed by Lloyd’s side, while Jay and Koji flew further out. Together, Jay and Koji worked on pulling lightning from the clouds and sending it into the EVIL army below.

Slowly, Lloyd’s forces drew backwards, inch by inch allowing themselves to be pushed up the stairs. As they retreated, Kai and Allura’s forces inevitably came together. Kai shouted at them to fall back, to continue aiming only at Lloyd’s elementals.

But the EVIL army was not so picky; any elemental was fuel for Allura, and these forces would need to be defeated anyway in order for Allura to take over Ninjago. The Serpentine surged forwards, snapping at the policemen with their fangs. Kai was forced to hold his line and pour Nindroids and elementals into it, lest he be completely routed.

Allura’s dragons divided, circling Lloyd from a distance. Allura herself, however, disembarked with Toxikita to participate in the chaos below. Heading for the elementals, of course.

Behind Lloyd, the Shintarans took flight, forming groups of six with each bearing a spear. White Nindroids equipped with jet packs joined them.

Lloyd flexed his fingers on the leather reins and pressed his legs tighter around Spinjitzu. “Hunter, go for Carlos. I’ll catch up to you.”

He spun Spinjitzu, charging at the Shintarans. Their forces scattered like a flock of birds as he bore down on them; they were no match for a dragon. Molten gold streamed from Spinjitzu’s throat, sticking to their wings and dragging them down. With the help of the crystal, Lloyd reached out, separating charges to create a massive lightning bolt that fried the Nindroids’ systems and sent them plummeting to the earth. When he blinked, he could still see the light of the lightning’s path and hear the booming thunder.

Lloyd turned back to help Hunter. His mouth briefly dropped.

A dozen dragons had appeared on the scene, with a white dragon and a masked figure leading. Kate, the third Animal Elemental.

Her group split, with some going to battle both Carlos and Hunter and others tearing EVIL Nindroids out of the sky. Four soared, wingtip to wingtip, towards the EVIL army and breathed various breath weapons onto the fleeing soldiers.

Kate herself, however, went straight towards Lloyd. “I will kill you,” was all she said, before her dragon crashed into his and both went spiraling towards the desert, clawing and biting. Lloyd had not buckled his legs into the saddle, and so he leapt off before they collided, summoning his elemental dragon to stay afloat.

Kate hurtled off hers too, morphing into a gold and white dragon to pursue him.

“Stop!” he said, blasting a Nindroid in his way to pieces with Golden Power and dodging the shrapnel. “Why me?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Her dragon mouth made it hard for her to form words, but the message was still clear enough to Lloyd.

“I’m sorry!” The smell of burning oil filled his nostrils as he veered entirely too close to a flaming Rattlecopter shot by one of the tanks. “I needed transport!”

“It’s not that,” Kate hissed. FSM, he couldn’t shake her. Now she was on his left, her right wing passing fully through his transparent dragon. Her delicate head snaked over, and her nostrils flared as she took in a whiff.

Her nose wrinkled. “You have dragon eyes and dragon teeth and dragon powers. But you reek of the blood of Oni!” White fangs snapped at him, nearly taking a chunk of his arm.

His dragon disappeared, and for once, fear was his advantage. He dropped like a stone, and she had to flare her wings and dive to catch up.

Lloyd scrabbled for the crystal, cursing all of the heavy weapons he’d strapped to himself. The crystal was solid and cold in his hand. As her talons reached out, her jaws gaping wide, Lloyd shut his eyes and plunged the crystal’s point upwards, towards her chest.

Claws raked over him, ripping his gi and slicing skin that would certainly scar if not for his healing powers. Something like a dagger point - a canine, he presumed - grazed the side of his head as she went at him.

The crystal was now warm in his fingers, and he opened his eyes to find it blindingly bright and her screaming as it ripped her powers away. Her figure shrank, and suddenly she was no longer a dragon, but a girl in costume hurtling towards the desert below.

A dragon-ish roar tore free from her throat, but even that sounded fake without the augmentation of her powers. Her dragon heard and shoved Spinjitzu away to rescue her.

Lloyd whistled for his own dragon and had barely grabbed hold of the saddle horn before Spinjitzu spread his wings. Lloyd’s momentum kept him going, and he unceremoniously crashed into Spinjitzu’s saddle, knocking his forehead against Spinjitzu’s muscular neck.

The world spun before him. “Golden Power,” Lloyd briefly thought. It surged through him, chasing away the black that lingered in the corners of his vision. Just in time to watch Kate’s dragon catch her and spirit her away. Her dragons followed. Good riddance.

Kai’s forces and the EVIL army were fully entangled now. Now to distract Kai even more, so Lloyd could slip away.

Lloyd patted Spinjitzu’s neck. “Attack there. Separate.” He threw an energy sphere in the direction of the Rattlecopters that hovered above the EVIL army. “Now!”

Spinjitzu rocketed towards the Rattlecopters, but Lloyd vaulted off his back, lighting up with power like Thor in Ragnarok.

He didn’t summon his elemental dragon; instead letting the sheer power of the FSM support him as he plummeted towards the EVIL legions. He gathered light around him, letting it explode as he landed. When Lloyd stood and the light had faded, dozens of Serpentine lay dead around him.

No one could miss an entrance as grand as that, he had mused. Jay and Nya had to be putting the next phase of his plan into motion. They were to attack Kai and the other Ninja. And Allura couldn’t miss the very clear signal of Lloyd hacking his way through her army.

It was too easy. Allura couldn’t have cared less about scores of Nindroids shocked to oblivion, or undead Skulkins being ripped apart. Tearing through her live forces, however, was a very different story.

A dragon’s scream rended the air; Carlos bore down on Lloyd, talons outstretched. Lloyd had no time to wonder where Hunter had gone; he rose to meet Carlos, pulling from the crystal’s power reserve. He had watched Carlos and Kate and Hunter and Chamille change forms hundreds of times, but he had never imagined how it might actually feel.

It was like being stretched, like his skin and bones and muscles were elastic and being reshaped, until they hardened into something new.

Lloyd bit into Carlos’s neck with teeth. Real dragon teeth. The metallic tang of blood filled his mouth, and Lloyd was disgusted to admit that in this form, it wasn’t repulsive like he expected.

Carlos’s talons scoured over Lloyd’s dragon hide, tearing off golden scales as he sought to dislodge Lloyd. Something whacked Lloyd on the nose - Carlos’s spiked tail - drawing blood.

Lloyd abruptly let go, and rose on his hind legs to face Carlos. Everything felt different - the scents were stronger, the air colder, and his eyesight was one thousand times sharper.

Carlos bared his teeth, and the corners of his mouth went up, as if he were smiling. He unleashed a firestorm upon Lloyd.

Weren’t dragons supposed to be fireproof? Maybe they were able to survive, but it sure hurt like hell, as if he’d been plunged into a hot tub dialed up way too high.

Lloyd yelped like a puppy and ran. His long legs, covered in golden scales and accented with green, ate up the terrain, letting him easily leap over regiments of Nindroids and Skulkin.

“Let’s take this to the air,” he thought. Lloyd spread his wings - they were a beautiful ombre, with green tips and bright golden spikes. He leapt upwards, furiously pumping his wings. He failed - miserably - and crashed face-first into the dirt.

Carlos laughed, and in this form, Lloyd could understand Spinjitzu and Allura’s purple dragon laughing at him too.

Lloyd spit out earth, cringing at the gritty feel in his mouth. He could still breathe fire, right? With that idea, something like instinct took over, and all he had to do was take a deep breath and exhale. Green fire streamed out, but Carlos only laughed again, even as the fire coated his chest and splashed onto the ground, burning the little bit of shrubbery present.

“I’m a fire dragon, dummy,” he said. Of course. Lloyd knew that.

Carlos was on him again, ripping and clawing and biting, and Lloyd futilely raised a wing, shielding himself. Bad idea. Carlos’s claws shredded right through the webbing, spraying blood everywhere. There went any hope of flying.

Lloyd reached out for the power of the Golden Peaks again. “Playtime’s over,” he said, and he let loose. A monolith burst out of the ground, smacking Carlos right in the snout. Gigantic hands made of rock grabbed Carlos’s legs, pinning them to the ground. More stone surged over him, melting like quicksand and dragging him down until he was encased in solid rock, with only his head above ground.

“Stay,” Lloyd said, and he shrank back to his human form, calling upon his golden elemental dragon. His arm was stinging terribly; when he ran his fingers over it, they came back bright red. “Curse Carlos,” he thought as he healed it.

He hoped he hadn’t lost too much time with Carlos. Nya and Jay’s distraction could only work for so long.

Lloyd resummoned his dragon and aimed for the Golden Peaks. He glanced behind to check if Allura had decided to pursue yet. Nope, but Morphia was headed his way. He laughed - how ridiculous - and with a flick of his wrist, sent three boulders heading her way. All three collided at the same time with her.

Another Immortal dead. Now he had Allura’s full attention. Her rainbow dragon was now behind him, streaking through the crowded airspace. Explosions permeated the air behind Lloyd as Allura used bolts of electricity (likely power stolen from Jasper) to bring down helicopters, Shintarans, white Nindroids, and even a failing Rattlecopter in her way.

Lloyd zipped towards his fortress, his dragon already flickering in and out in his haste to dismount. In one smooth motion, he was off and tearing through the double doors, heading straight for the throne room.

Behind him, Allura roared as she burst through the doors, turning them to dust with another lightning bolt. “Murderer!” she said, just before blasting apart the throne room doors.

“Me?” Lloyd halted in front of his throne and turned. “Did Zena mess with your reality before she died?”

“I believe she messed with yours,” Allura retorted as she raised golden glowing hands. “I thought Ninja were honorable. Yet you kill your own uncle and murder elementals.”

Lloyd resisted the urge to flail as his toes left the ground and he started floating. And this time, he was not in control. It was like when he had gone to space with the Ninja. In the artificial absence of gravity, massive bubbles of molten gold rose up from below, threatening to collide with both of them.

“It’s not my fault they’re dead,” Lloyd said. His skin glowed with Golden Power as he let it flow into him so he could counteract her anti-gravity. “It’s yours. If you weren’t trying to take over Ninjago, your friends wouldn’t be dead.”

Allura had always been collected, like Harumi, hiding her true thoughts behind an impassive face. But now she growled, hissing through her teeth as she took in deep breaths. She was on the precipice. She knew the price of failure, and she would kill like a cornered cat before she accepted it. “You did that! You’re not a Ninja - you’re a glorified killer.”

She pressed her attack, summoning blue fire from Azura against him. Lloyd was ready; he ducked behind a bubble of molten gold with a diameter twice his height. The bubble distorted Allura’s form, making her waver like a mirage.

“Who killed Wu?” Allura taunted from the other side. Green clouds flowed from her hands. “Who kept shooting fireballs, causing the roof to fall on one of their own? I can guarantee you, it wasn’t me.”

She was baiting him, he knew that. But he couldn’t stop himself from snarling and racking his brain for powerful counterattacks.

Allura’s poison cloud diffused around the bubble, floating around him like smoke.

Lloyd hesitated - running would put his back to her and make him an easier target. By instinct, he held his breath, but something was off. Lloyd sniffed, wrinkling his nose at the smell. Was that sulfur? He shielded himself just before the gas exploded, lit by elemental fire.

His heart pounded as he called upon the earth, splitting the rocks around him into pieces and letting them swirl around him, like Aang from Avatar.

Wait for her to drain herself. Easier said than done.

Lloyd lunged over the bubble, launching the pieces of his makeshift shield towards her in a frenzy. “Who tricked me? Who altered reality?”

Lloyd’s hair stood on end as lightning flashed, blowing the rocks to dust. The sharp scent of ozone filled the air.

“Who drove the blade into him?” she probed. “Who came to the Monastery with the intention of killing?”

Allura continued before Lloyd could respond. “If I am to be the killer,” she said, “then you shall be one too.”

She shot herself towards him, and Lloyd fled. He slalomed through the golden orbs as she followed, barraging his energy shield with various elements.

Playing around and testing limits was over. She was moving in for the kill.

Allura’s skill was unparalleled. While he was virtually a god, he lacked the control and the finesse she had. At any one time, she had to be controlling at least ten elements - blue fire, wind, lightning, ice, light, and more. She let them twist around her and then shoot towards him as quickly as bullets.

“Azura!” she yelled as each hit. “Trixie! Zena! Morphia! Dead at your hands!”

His shield flickered, unable to keep up with the sheer amount of power she was sending at him. For a second, his heart nearly dropped out of his chest as he barely avoided careening into a golden bubble. He abandoned his shield, focusing on flying instead.

Was it just him, or - yes! The bubbles were sinking to the ground, joining together and becoming a lake of gold once again.

Lloyd shot upwards, pulling upon the rocks around him, and sending them towards Allura. Rather than blast them, Allura sank to avoid them.

She called upon her Golden Power, and a column of rock rose up for her. Lloyd summoned his own column of rock, and they landed facing each other, ten feet apart, high above a sea of molten gold. Shadows pressed down on them from above, while below, warm light radiated upwards, bouncing off Allura’s gold dragonscale armor and accenting her angled cheekbones and blonde hair, as if she were a goddess.

At Lloyd’s command, tens of pillars began to ascend, with a circle of rock, at least thirty feet in diameter, at their center. They halted only a few feet above the gold. Lloyd thrust out both hands, shoving his and Allura’s pillars downwards to join his structure.

He had created his towers of rock fairly close; it was simple to jump his way to the center stone. Lloyd wiped away a bead of sweat, cursing his decision to wear all this armor. Down here, so close to the gold, it was sweltering - just like the Fire Temple had been all those years ago.

Allura did not move from her pillar to join him, instead glancing up at the cliff where his throne was. Perhaps she realized exactly the situation she was in. A trap.

She released her spear from her back and then leapt to the center stone.

“Don’t you realize? Why should we fight?” she said. They didn’t even have to scream at each other anymore, they were so close. “Light cannot beat light.”

FSM, she had reached the same conclusion as him.

Lloyd skirted the perimeter of the circle, drawing his dao and wrenching a sliver of rock from the Peak’s inner wall into his hand. He transmuted the stone into a golden katana, solid and strong. “Maybe it is impossible. But have you ever fought a god before?”

Allura gripped her spear with both hands. “I’ve had a champion do it and win. I suppose that makes me a goddess.”

Lloyd couldn’t believe she had the gall to refer to him as her champion, as a godslayer, for killing the last Creation elemental. “I am not yours!”

“You do what I want.” She barked a laugh. “So that makes you mine.”

Lloyd charged, slashing and dodging and dancing like he never had before. Again, he lit himself on fire, glowing with the power of the First Spinjitzu Master. Every clang of metal on metal rang through his soul as he battered away her defenses, executing move after move. She couldn’t even attempt to summon elemental power. The tiniest misstep would leave her dead. Five years of ninja training were paying off.

Time to trap her. The rock around her feet melted, drawing her in just as his barrage abated. She attempted to lunge, but barely avoided falling onto her face as the stone hardened. Her spear uselessly clanged onto the ground.

More stone liquefied, rippling around her and coating her up to her neck. Allura struggled, wriggling her shoulders in vain.

Lloyd grabbed the crystal, letting only the stone around her chest disappear so he could touch it to her heart. “Now you’re mine.”

“Not - yet.” Green flickered up around her - a shield, formed from his stolen powers.

Lloyd cursed. “Come on, you can’t sustain it for long.”

“No. But maybe long enough to convince you.”

Her eyes flickered up to meet his. Up close, they were a startling blue, framed with long, dark eyelashes. “You accuse me of crimes,” she said. “But you commit them, too. We are the same, you and I.”

“We are not.” He circled her, forcing her to twist her head to keep his gaze.

“No? You and I seek the same thing. The Elemental Registration Act is a threat to both of us. The Commissioner, the Ninjago City Council - they seek to control us, to eliminate our powers. How will we fight? How will we protect ourselves when Garmadon eventually returns? If another snake sorceress awakens? If the Oni are still alive?”

“You - that’s different! You’re twisting the tale!” He paused in front of her, jabbing a finger at her. “You want to take over Ninjago - and the only reason the ERA is a threat is because you’re using elemental power to do it!”

“Is it? Have you never considered why I want Ninjago?” Despite her circumstances, she was again the epitome of calm, all expression erased from her face.

“Ninjago is the one place that accepted me, when Indigo cursed me and labeled me an abomination. No one deserves to be called a demon, and no one deserves to be extinguished simply for their bloodline, not even by the gods. Wu needed to die. And so will you, if you do not join me. You will burn,” she spat, “as I take over Ninjago and create an elemental utopia, where elementals finally have rights, where they are respected for their powers.”

Lloyd was horrified. Horrified at how right her ambitions were. Yes, the Reflection Masters had murdered the First Spinjitzu Master’s wife, but did that mean every Reflection elemental after them had to die? And Lloyd and the Ninja risked themselves everyday, and what did they get for their troubles? A Vengestone cuff slapped to their wrists and constant surveillance for the rest of their lives.

This couldn’t stand. She was twisting Lloyd, manipulating him into sparing her. He wasn’t going to fall for it.

He reached for the Vengestone dagger strapped to his thigh, raising it along with the crystal. Perhaps it would be able to puncture the shield.

But Lloyd had forgotten Sensei Garmadon’s saying. “Never rest on your laurels, because you lower your guard.”

In a heartbeat, Allura’s shield flickered off, and golden lines threaded through her stone cage, like kintsugi pottery. Then it shattered, knocking the crystal from his hand with such force the chain snapped, and the crystal continued to fly, nearly skittering off the edge of the platform. The dagger plopped into the simmering gold.

Before he could move, her hands had latched onto his forearms, and he was frozen.

Panic raced through him. It was Morro all over again, and he was gasping for breath, drowning in a sea that wasn’t even there, trembling as he asked his body to do something and couldn’t. Tears sprung up, and all he could do was choke and convulse as Allura held him in thrall, controlling him with - what? Mind? Perhaps the Healing element allowed her mastery of his body?

Power left him, and suddenly he was no longer a god, but a scared little boy, sinking into the fear he thought he’d escaped long ago. She let go and lifted a hand, ripping chunks of his armor off him with Metal. The metal melted into spikes, twirling around her in a cyclone of gold and finally solidifying into a dagger.

As its tip came down, Lloyd let out a last burst of power - a shield - that exploded outwards, deflecting the blade and flinging her away. It wavered, like a sick flame about to die.

He knelt on the rough ground, arms pressed to his chest, shivering despite the warm heat of the Peaks.

The stone wouldn’t respond to him anymore. His green powers flickered, the shield vanished, and then all he felt when he called was empty and exhausted, drained completely.

“Now,” he thought. It took all his strength to reach inside his gi for the vial as Allura stood, wiping off the dust on her armor. The platform they were on shot upwards until it reached the cliffs. A walkway extended from it to his throne.

“I could kill you … but I do need your Energy to keep my Golden Power.” Allura tugged something from her pocket - a black bracelet with orange lines threaded through it. Vengestone. “Come, my champion.”

He uncapped the vial, cringing at the sight of its contents. Everything was so wrong.

It tasted like blood.

The … thing that suffused him was not power, exactly. It didn’t glow with warmth like Golden Power or crackle with force like Energy. It was cold and hard and dead. But it still pulsed with … something. It was like staring into a chasm, like gazing down and sensing something there, an ancient and primordial beast that was there when the foundations of the Sixteen Realms were formed.

It escaped him in the form of shadowy tendrils, just like the Oni cloud that had taken over NInjago only a year ago. It twined around Allura’s arms and legs, dragging her forward to Lloyd.

Lloyd stood. He could control this. It was part of him, part of his Oni heritage.

Allura gasped and screamed and tried to escape. Her fingers bloodied from where she scraped at the stone as she was inexorably drawn to him.

Chunks of rock broke from the wall, hurtling towards him with all the force of meteorites. With the wave of his hand, they were crushed into dust.

Lloyd’s shadowy ropes lifted Allura to face him. Her skin began to glow as if she were simply a vessel and was really a star or some other luminous being. She lunged, ready to press her gleaming palms to him.

Solid darkness leapt up, seeping out from his skin and forming a shield that repulsed her, sending her crashing to the ground.

He strode over to her, grabbing her spear from where it had fallen.

The tendrils of darkness gripped her wrists and ankles, then looped around her like a net, pinning her to the ground.

“You’re right,” he said as he approached, wary this time.

The power of the Golden Weapons was almost too much to bear. He couldn’t believe she’d held onto it so long. It stung his hands as if he were holding on to a too-hot cup of coffee, but he kept a firm grip on it.

“Light cannot beat light.”

He stabbed the spear through her. Not once, and not just through the heart. He kept stabbing, over and over again, until her Healing power had run out. He kept stabbing until she was mangled and barely recognizable, and until her screams no longer echoed in his head. He stabbed until she was dead and he knew there was no way of her possibly coming back or even being resurrected by someone else.

Then he sank to his knees and cried.

Chapter Text

It was all Kai could do to not scream and cry like Lloyd was doing below. He gripped the stone banister of the mezzanine balcony that Lloyd had set above his throne so tightly his knuckles turned white.

It was a nightmare. Impossible. The “Oni weapon” Lloyd had left to retrieve? Literally the most dangerous substance in Ninjago. Dark Matter.

Beside him, Cole scrubbed at his eyes with his gloved fingers. “Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?”

“No,” Jay whispered from where he was clinging to Nya’s hand, crouched behind the banister.

Kai turned on him. “This is your fault. You enabled him!”

“Is not! We didn’t know he would do this!”

“Even I could not have predicted this turn of events,” Zane said. “In all the scenarios I have run through my processors, this was never an option.”

Kai glanced downwards at Lloyd. Lloyd, who was now unrecognizable. His eyes glowed Oni red, and his face was now painted with the white tattoos of the Oni. Shadows oozed from his hands.

Kai blinked. How could this have happened?

The last twenty minutes were a blur - he vaguely remembered charging towards the Peaks, hell-bent on getting to Lloyd and convincing him to give up, sign the ERA, and let Garmadon handle Allura.

Somewhere between wiping Venomari spit from his eyes and dodging Skulkin blades, an explosion of light had erupted from within Allura’s ranks. The after-image from the flash had barely faded from Kai’s vision before Jay and Nya were before him, elements at the ready.

Together with Zane and Cole, they’d held off Nya’s tidal wave and Jay’s bolts, while Griffin dealt with Nindroids and Paleman deflected Stone Warrior arrows.

Then Kai had spotted a wispy golden dragon streaking across the battlefield, as bright as a shooting star in the early afternoon sun. A rainbow dragon followed.

At that moment, it didn’t matter that Nya was currently strangling Cole with a water-rope, or that Zane had Jay’s feet trapped in an ice block.

But then came the screams of pure terror. Half of Kai’s army - the northern half, to be precise - surged forwards, heading towards Kai and then crashing apart like a wave as they encountered the battling elementals.

Kai’s flames flashed up, halting Nya’s jet of water just in time. Kai’s palms began to sweat as a black scar spread across the sky - writhing darkness that grew bigger with every heartbeat, slowly blotting out the light of the sun.

“FSM,” Cole whispered from beside him, voice shaking. “The Oni.”

“No,” Zane said. “Garmadon!”

Zane was correct; at the forefront of the cloud soared a black dragon with vibrant red eyes and purple spikes running down the length of its body.

The shadows washed over Kai, and suddenly he could no longer see the tip of his swords, or the glimmer of Zane’s shurikens.

And it was cold. Kai had never felt something like it before. For once in his life, he shivered, despite the warm press of Cole’s back against his. Now he knew what people meant by, “I feel like someone just walked over my grave.”

All sounds were dampened too, with the fog as thick and tangible as it was. Which was why Kai was nearly impaled by a Skulkin blade. He heard the whoosh of the sword next to his head, and had time only to swing one katana up to block and drop the other to light a flame in his hand. The metallic clang of Cole’s scythe against bone came from behind, and Kai knew he and Cole were surrounded.

Kai fanned his flames into a fireball the size of a basketball. If he was going to die, he wanted to die in a blaze of glory. But the darkness pressed close to his light, refusing to be pushed away, as if it were hungry, eager to devour.

At the edge of his tiny circle of light, blue flames sparked, and Cole screamed, dropping his scythe and clutching Kai to him tightly.

Then there was a crackling of ice as the flames died away, leaving Kai’s fireball the only source of light.

“Let go of me,” Kai said, his voice echoing strangely in the unnatural silence. “I can’t breathe.” He shoved Cole off.

Both jumped simultaneously when a voice came out of nowhere.

“Move your butts and stop quivering.” Teal light flared, illuminating an angular face framed by purple hair. Chamille flipped a dagger in her free hand, holding the other’s blaze high to reveal Zane next to her.

The darkness beside her swirled and solidified, and suddenly the Lord of Darkness himself was there, red eyes aglow.

“The Reflection elemental,” he growled, hefting the Skycleaver blade. “Where is she?”

Kai pointed towards what he hoped was the huge stone mansion he was very sure had not been there in Misako’s old sketches of the Golden Peaks.

Garmadon peered in that direction, squinting as if he might actually be seeing something besides shadows.

“Show me,” he said.

“Oh no, you don’t!”

Jay was there, leaping on Kai’s back and tackling him, shoving him down. Kai let out an “oof” as his face hit sand.

“Jay!” Nya gasped.

“You - ” Kai rolled, drawing his emergency dagger, throwing himself onto his attacker, and bringing its point to Jay’s chest in one smooth motion. “What are you thinking, letting him go in there alone? He’s dangerous - unstable!”

“You’re unstable,” Nya murmured, as the shing! of a dagger sounded and its cold blade pressed against the back of Kai’s neck.

Kai froze, knees spread with Jay underneath him, hands shaking as he held the blade to Jay. “You threw PIXAL off the ship.”

“You choked me,” Nya retorted.

“You left us for dead!” Kai bit out.

“You couldn’t be reasoned with,” Jay gasped, blue eyes wide.

Raucous shouts and hisses pierced the darkness. Serpentine.

Chamille waved a hand, and a circle of blue fire sprang up around their group. The thought, “So this is hell,” passed through Kai’s mind.

“You don’t understand,” Garmadon said, summoning a purple crystalline dagger and holding it to Nya’s back. Cole and Zane hovered in the background, apparently unwilling to aim weapons.

“We understand plenty,” Nya said. “You abandoned Lloyd after the Oni invasion. You didn’t watch him cry himself to sleep for weeks on end, after you’d given him hope you could turn. You weren’t the one being interrogated or put under surveillance for letting a supervillain escape. We know what happens when you disappear like that. You plan a takeover of Ninjago.”

Chamille aimed her hands towards Nya. Her wrist was surprisingly bare of the monitoring bracelet. “Drop the blade.”

“... Chamille?” Nya’s voice wavered.

“The one and only. Drop it, or Garmadon’s shadows will turn you to stone before you can slit Kai’s throat.”

Nya’s dagger fell from her fingers, and Kai stood, helping Jay up and then grabbing his swords from where they’d fallen on the ground.

Jay’s brow was creased as he stared at Chamille. “How are you …?”

“It’s a long story,” Kai said. “But right now we need to focus.”

“You believe I am evil,” Garmadon said. “It is true, I am part Oni, and the dark magic of the Oni Masks that resurrected me has only amplified my powers. But when Mother was murdered, we swore to eliminate all Reflection elementals. Evil may again run through my blood, but my brother is dead and therefore this is my duty. I must fulfill my oath and bring my brother to rest.” His voice was rough and low, not cocky or presumptuous like it normally was.

Garmadon met Nya and Jay’s eyes. Chamille’s blue light danced weirdly on their faces, like alien bioluminescence. “If you desire, I will swear an Inferna Copula that I will not take over Ninjago on this sojourn.”

Nya swallowed hard and looked to Jay, then to Kai. “I don’t trust him. But Lloyd never found an Oni weapon. Something is telling me Garmadon’s right.”

“I agree,” Jay said, grabbing her hand. “Even if he does end up taking over Ninjago, the biggest thing is stopping Allura. She’s gone on long enough.”

Garmadon squared his shoulders. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way,” he said, “We must make our way to the Peaks.”

The darkness was clearing, with rays of sunlight peeking through. But it remained thick as soup around Garmadon. Shadows swirled at his heels, following him as dogs did their master as he wove his way through the two armies. The remaining clouds of darkness drew towards him and solidified, forming an impenetrable corridor of inky black that stretched through the masses.

Kai and the others scurried after Garmadon, rocketing towards the stairs two by two.

Outside of their shelter, the armies stirred once again. The alliance of policemen, Shintaran forces, and Metalonians was completely routed, with Nindroid debris and Serpentine bodies left in their wake. Lloyd’s team hadn’t fared much better, having been partially trapped between the two forces.

The remaining EVIL forces swelled forwards, pressing their advantage.

Cole tugged Kai to a stop. “We’ve got to help. The policemen can’t handle the EVIL army alone.”

Nya halted. “I’ll do it. Lloyd’s team will listen to me.”

“Me too,” Cole said. “I’ll get Griffin and the others to work together. We’ll catch up to you guys!” he said as both he and Nya Airjitzued out of Garmadon’s protective corridor and into the fray.

“This way!” Garmadon charged up the steps, finally letting his shadows dissipate. Around them were Lloyd’s elementals, but instead of attacking, they were glaring at Garmadon while listening to Nya. Then they formed into lines and plunged back into the fighting, joining up with Neuro, Griffin, Paleman, and Skylor.

“How did you find him?” Kai panted at Chamille as they climbed. “How did you get the cuff off? What about the emo elemental?”

“Easy. I went with Borg’s intuitions and headed to Primeval’s Eye. Luckily, Garmadon was able to destroy my bracelets with Destruction before anyone checked my location or feed. I told him about Lloyd’s transmission from NCN Tower.” She shrugged. “Who cares about the emo elemental?”

Resourceful. Wish he’d thought of asking Garmadon to remove his when he’d had a chance.

At the top of the stairs, Kai’s heart pounded and his blood roared in his ears and his breath came entirely too fast. He nearly collapsed, but Garmadon kept running through the doors and into a massive room.

Kai followed, skidding to a stop just before he tumbled down the stairs that led down to a throne. He had to admit, Lloyd had a dramatic flair on par with his father’s.

An otherworldly yellow light filled the cavernous room, bouncing off the ceiling with warmth like the heat of the sun. Kai’s heart swelled and the pain of his bruises faded as something distantly called to him. So this was the call of Golden Power.

Garmadon stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing downwards with rapt attention. Far below, Lloyd sparred with Allura on a round stone platform surrounded by a hundred columns of rock. As they watched, the rock around Allura’s feet liquefied, rippling like molten metal, and she was trapped.

“I knew he could do it,” the Dark Lord murmured. “The power to move mountains.”

Zane and Jay’s mouths had dropped, and Kai came to realize his had too. Perhaps Lloyd really could do it. Lloyd patted his chest, grabbing what Kai knew had to be the crystal, when Allura’s stolen shield appeared. They were talking, Lloyd and Allura, as Lloyd paced around her.

“Aren’t you going to help him?” Kai demanded of Garmadon just as Cole and Nya sprinted in, huffing from their run up the mountain. “Your powers could bring down the shield.”

“Wait.” Garmadon held up a hand. “He may be able to pull it off.”

When Kai glanced back, the shield was gone and Allura had Lloyd in her grasp, and even seventy-five feet above, Kai could clearly see the terror written on Lloyd’s face.

“Help him!” Kai shoved at Garmadon, surprised by how warm and human he felt, despite his four arms.

“I cannot!” Garmadon stepped aside, and Kai nearly fell off the cliff.

“The gold is too powerful. If I were to venture that close to it, it could kill me, or at best, prevent me from using my powers. Even now, I am weakening.”

“Then I will!” Kai lunged forwards, ready to Airjitzu down, but Nya grabbed his arm.

“Wait! He can do it! Or at least wait for him to lure her up here. She won’t expect Garmadon to be here.”

Kai chewed his lower lip as his fingernails bit into his palms, and if he hadn’t been wearing gloves, he was sure they would’ve been bleeding.

Allura tore away Lloyd’s armor, turning it into a glimmering golden dagger, and then, just as she brought it down, Lloyd’s shield repulsed her and then died.

Kai’s little brother cowered on the ground, shaking, as the Reflection Master rose and approached him.

“I have analyzed his strategy. He is pretending to be weak so he can use the crystal when Allura approaches him,” Zane said.

“No. You weren’t watching,” Chamille breathed. “He lost it. He’s going to use the Oni weapon.”

She scrambled backwards, tugging Jay, of all people, with her. “Get back!”

The group shot up the steps to a mezzanine balcony and dove behind the banister just as the ground shook, and Lloyd and Allura’s platform shot up, connecting to his throne.

“Go!” Kai hissed at Garmadon. But they were all frozen as they watched Lloyd pull out a vial filled to the brim with purple liquid and down it in one gulp.

No one moved as white lines appeared on his face, as shadows like Garmdon’s curled from his fingers and wrapped around Allura.

Jay drew Nya to him, pressing her face to his chest so she didn’t have to watch Lloyd maul Allura. Cole clung to Zane, who had shut his eyes.

Only Garmadon, Kai, and Chamille watched the entire show, Kai flinching every time metal drove right through Allura’s body to hit stone.

Then Lloyd broke down and started sobbing. And here they were.

The earth rumbled, and a pillar shot up. The shadows surrounding Lloyd multiplied and spread, one snaking out in a rope that snatched something off the column, dropping it into Lloyd’s palm.

“I can’t handle any more,” Kai said, standing up. “Lloyd!” He vaulted over the railing, using Airjitzu to land safely.

Lloyd stood, gasping in horrible, wet noises, and stumbled away.

“Get - back!” he cried out, and darkness exploded around him, forming a dark version of Lloyd’s shield.

“Lloyd!” Kai hammered on it, trying desperately to break through.

Chamille laid a hand on it, and for a second, her palm and Lloyd’s were together, albeit on two sides of the wall. Kai got one last glimpse of Lloyd, his red eyes opened wide, before the shadows swallowed him whole.

Kai wheeled on Garmadon. “Break through! Command the shadows!”

“I - I can’t.” Garmadon’s face was contorted in concentration. “He’s too strong!”

Then the screaming began. The sound bit at Kai’s heart, clawed at the inside until he felt he was bleeding from inside out. When he thought he could stand it no longer, the twirling shadows abated, and Lloyd stood before them.

Only … he wasn’t Lloyd anymore. He was something else altogether.

“What?” Lloyd asked, peering at their stunned expressions.

Zane silently summoned a tablet of ice in his hands, and held it up for Lloyd, like a mirror.

Lloyd leaned in close, squinting at his reflection. Dark grey, almost black horns protruded from his blonde hair, and white Oni tattoos decorated his skin, stripes and swirls, stark against his now bone-white skin. His eyes were blood-red, pupils slit like the Overlord’s, and when he ran his tongue against his sharper-than-normal teeth, it was forked like a snake’s. Or a dragon’s. Alongside the Oni features were also dragon traits; namely claws and shiny green scales that dotted his cheeks and the backs of his hands.

But the biggest change of all - massive wings arched gracefully from his back, bright gold with green spines. A scaled tail completed the look, with a fluffy gold tuft at its end.

Kai stepped forward. “Lloyd? What did you do?”

Lloyd frowned at Kai, tilting his head like an animal. His pupils narrowed, and he scented the air, nostrils flaring.

“It really is you,” he whispered, slinking towards Chamille and running his claws through her purple hair. Chamille stiffened.

“Who are you?” Kai lurched to Lloyd, grabbing him by his gi and shaking him. “What did you do to Lloyd?”

“I am Lloyd!” Lloyd snarled, thrusting Kai back. Kai flailed and tripped over Lloyd’s tail, letting out an “oof” as his palms hit stone.

Lloyd gazed down at him briefly, an injured expression on his face and lower lip jutting out. Then he grimaced and shook his head, sending his blonde hair flopping.

“We can’t waste any more time,” Lloyd said, furrowing his brows. “We have to go.”

“Go? Where?” asked Chamille. “How do we - you consumed Dark Matter, Lloyd, you can’t just walk away from -”

“Dark Matter is of the Oni,” Lloyd said, bending down to grab Allura’s spear and his golden dao. “I am part Oni. I can handle it.”

“Lloyd.” Garmadon moved to block him from ascending the throne room stairs. “Even I, the Dark Lord, feared Dark Matter. It is pure Oni essence.”

“Lloyd -” Kai tried again. “Allura is dead. We completed our mission. We protected Ninjago. Where are you going? What’s so urgent?”

Lloyd flared his wings, growling at Garmadon. “I need to get to Borg Tower. I need to reforge the Golden Weapons!” Lloyd switched the spear from hand to hand, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Let me through!” He jabbed the tip at Garmadon, and the Dark Lord recoiled.

Lloyd rushed past him, but dropped the spear on the steps, hissing. “FSM!” He halted, his fingers hovering over the weapon, clenching and unclenching, He shut his eyes and breathed slowly and deeply. Then he reached out, cringing. And picked it up without pain.

What in Ninjago? Kai was running all sorts of scenarios through his head. He had only ever seen one person affected by Dark Matter - Nya. And she had been under the control of the Overlord.

But Lloyd was fully aware of himself, or so he appeared to be, aside from his incredibly weird behavior. He didn’t seem possessed. It had to be the Dark Matter, but what was it doing to him?

Maybe Garmadon knew how to cleanse Lloyd. But the problem was, only Golden Power could cleanse him, and Lloyd was the only wielder of Golden Power Kai knew, and oh, if only Sensei were here -

“Lloyd, let’s slow down and think this through,” Kai said, holding up two hands like he would if he were trying to tame a dragon.

Jay snorted. “Says the ‘let’s see if it’ll burn’ guy!”

Kai ignored him. “I’m just saying. You just swallowed Dark Matter. We need to find a way to cleanse it. Your appearance is only going to frighten the legislators of the ERA. That’s our next hurdle - signing it and seeing if they’ll allow us some freedoms.”

“And then we’ll deal with this,” he thought, willing himself not to glance at Allura’s remains. Yeah, they were all going to need therapy after this.

Lloyd stared at Kai for a long minute. “If you are not with me,” he said, voice low, “then you are my enemy.”

“Ah,” said Kai. “I … don’t think that’s how it wor - ah!”

A shadowy tentacle wrapped around his leg, pulling him towards Lloyd. Kai’s head would’ve smacked stone, giving him a nasty concussion for weeks, had Nya’s water not coated him, encasing him in a bubble and dampening the impact.

The tendril around Kai’s ankle loosened, and Nya’s water drained away. Kai shot up, gasping for breath, to see Jay and Zane and Cole lobbying fistfuls of elements at Lloyd. His dark shield appeared, repulsing them, and then Garmadon was charging in, raising clawed hands. He swiped them wildly across the dome, and it began to split where he scraped, white lines appearing until it cracked and dissipated into wispy shadows.

Lloyd screeched, and his eyes began to glow gold. As he rose, hovering above the ground, he twirled his hands through the air, leaving trails of gold.

Garmadon gasped. “Get behind me!”

Kai didn’t know what made his body obey Garmadon. Maybe it was the fear that tinged his tone, or the scream Garmadon let out as he summoned a shield wall of darkness. But Kai was glad he and the other Ninja had heeded it, because suddenly they were the center of a maelstrom of gold. Garmadon was yelling, the very gold of the Peaks was swirling around them, as if they were in the middle of a whirlpool, and Lloyd was outside, unbound by gravity, hurling the elements of Creation at them.

His bursts exploded upon Garmadon’s semi-transparent shadows, sounding not unlike hail hammering upon glass. Garmadon’s shield began to fracture where Lloyd was repeatedly hitting, splintering just like Lloyd’s had earlier.

Garmadon grunted. “We cannot remain here!”

“What do we do?!” Jay grabbed Cole, clinging to him like a leech.

Nya squeezed Kai’s arm to her chest with both hands.

“Get - ready,” the Dark Lord gasped out. Their dome began to shrink, the walls becoming more opaque as it grew smaller.

Two out of four hands maintained the shield, darkness streaming out to bolster it, while Garmadon madly sliced the palm of one hand. Blood spilled out like water from a faucet, and he unscrewed the ruby of the Skycleaver blade and jammed his palm over the charging compartment.

“Go! Now!” Garmadon shouted as a portal appeared.

“Where will it take us?” Kai yelled over the howling wind.

“Just go!” Nya tried to shove him in. Jay plunged through.

“Wait!” Cole exclaimed. “Where’s Chamille?”

“I’m staying!” Her voice came out of nowhere, but Kai knew she had to be in the circle with them.

No. She couldn’t stay. Kai knew instantly he shouldn’t have saved her when he’d found her in that rubble. He should’ve killed her.

Kai hurdled forwards, tearing through the space that was shrinking faster than a slice of cake on Cole’s plate. She had to be here somewhere -

Ah ha! His hands grasped her hair, and then he - FSM! Kai abruptly let go, and his hand flew to his upper arm, wet with blood. She’d stabbed him!

“I have to stay, Kai,” Chamille said.

Only Kai and Garmadon had yet to go; the rest of the Ninja had passed through. The space was now barely bigger than a bedroom closet.

“I have to be with Lloyd.”

Kai opened his mouth to reply, and then a heavy hand shoved him headfirst into the portal.

Chapter Text

Lloyd knelt on the ground for what felt like ages, sobbing, clutching the crystal between his newfound claws.

He’d killed her. He’d really done it. That should be reason enough to rejoice.

So why did he feel so empty? One glance at what he’d done, and he vomited right next to it.

“Lloyd!”

FSM, was that Kai? A shiver ran through Lloyd, and he leapt up, wanting to leave, to get far away, anywhere but here -

The other Ninja’s voices echoed in the cavern, and then they were jumping over his balconies, Airjitzuing down to the platform.

And Garmadon was with them.

Lloyd backed away, tripping over the Golden Weapon spear and tumbling to the ground with an “oof” in his haste.

They’d seen it, they’d seen it all, which was exactly what he wanted to avoid, because he’d been planning to quietly remove the body and lie about it if this had happened, and it had, and -

FSM, how in the world was he supposed to scrub himself clean of Dark Matter? He’d never intended for it to go this far, but it had -

Lloyd snarled. “Get - back!”

Darkness burst out from him, churning around him into a swirling dome of shadows. From outside his shelter, Lloyd could glimpse Kai pounding on it, unable to break through, and Nya, a hand over her mouth as she stared in horror. Garmadon crossed his two pairs of arms and rubbed his chin.

Meanwhile, Zane and Cole and Jay were trying to burst through with their powers, but the shadows simply pulsed, absorbing the elements like the Oni cloud.

And Chamille - Chamille?

Lloyd slammed into the inner wall of the shield, rapping his palms against it. “Chamille!”

Then everything went dark.

When he’d swallowed the Dark Matter, he’d stared into the abyss and felt a presence there. Now that ancient presence reared its ugly head and stared back.

He was standing - or floating, rather - in the infinite abyss, while that presence completely surrounded him. The darkness was so thick, Lloyd couldn’t see anything - not even his own hand.

Purple light flared, and then there were two massive eyes staring back at Lloyd, with purple irises and narrow dragon-like slits for pupils.

“Hello there,” it rasped, forked tongue flickering in and out between jagged yellow teeth.

“Overlord,” Lloyd replied, with confidence he certainly did not feel. Acting lessons with Chamille did have a purpose, he supposed.

A wave washed over Lloyd, sending him flailing, as the Overlord beat his dragon wings and swam as easily as a fish through this shadowy yet gravity-less medium.

Lloyd should’ve known ingesting Dark Matter would lead him down this path. He’d seen what happened to Nya, how she was consumed with anger. But he’d assumed … the Overlord had to have a connection with the Oni, maybe even was a super-powered Oni himself, and so Lloyd would have some semblance of control if he decided to rear his face.

Then again, he’d also assumed his Golden Powers would be fully present, so it would be easy to vanquish him like he had in the Final Battle. Lloyd hadn’t known his powers would be blocked off, that they would burn him from inside out as soon as he reached for them.

“Where are we?” Lloyd demanded.

The Overlord cackled. “Your mind.”

“What do you want? To possess me? You can die trying.”

Lloyd reached for the shadows, recoiling at their slimy feel. They solidified, twining around the Overlord’s wings.

“I’ve fought possession before,” Lloyd said. “And I can do it again!”

Yes, he had. The memories he’d fought so hard to oppress were coming back in full force, slamming into him like waves. He recalled days of fighting in this darkness, of being locked so firmly from his body sometimes he couldn’t even see what was happening, only feel the blade in his hand and hear the screams as people ran.

The monster laughed, easily breaking free of Lloyd’s chains and disappearing into the dark.

His voice echoed all around Lloyd. “You act like I am able to die. I can do this for eternity. But can you?”

“How?” Lloyd asked, turning, searching the shadows. “How is that possible? Even the First Spinjitzu Master wasn’t immortal.”

“And therein lies the heart of the matter.” The Overlord resurfaced, his huge face mere inches from Lloyd’s.

Lloyd suppressed a shriek.

“Oh, is this too scary for you? You are only seventeen, after all.”

Lloyd blinked, and they were in the Grasslands. He thought he’d never have to see this piercing blue sky and those grass-coated floating rocks again, at least, not until he died.

He was a dragon again, a four-limbed golden-scaled one, curled up so his forearms leaned over the precipice of one of the floating rocks as he gazed out at the others. On his right, the Overlord, a black wyvern, crouched, spiked tail tucked beside him.

Warm sunlight beamed down on them, and the illusion was so real, Lloyd could actually smell the bright green grass and feel its prickly stems beneath his body.

“Now, as to your question, despite all of my claims, I am not immortal. Only Firstbourne and LastDeath truly are. The other Oni are long-lived, but even they eventually succumb to the ravages of time.” His voice was no longer grating, like nails on chalkboard, but actually dulcet and deep, reminding Lloyd of Scar from the Lion King.

“Last ... Death?” Lloyd’s eyebrows (did dragons even have those?) pulled together.

“The first Oni,” the Overlord supplied.

He continued, “Where there is light, there must always be shadow. When the First Spinjitzu Master was born, he was a creature of both. However, he chose light, and light alone. Another being of both Oni and Dragon had to arise and choose only dark.”

Lloyd’s jaw gaped. “What.”

The Overlord swung his head over to Lloyd, face stern. “Because of the balance, I cannot die, even though I am ancient and broken. I am doomed to be a creature of destruction, to try to take over Ninjago again and again, to restore the balance and stop light from dominating all. That is where you come in.”

Lloyd’s head was spinning. He felt like he was about to float off one of these islands.

“What? You want me to do you a favor and kill you?”

“You have tried and failed,” the Overlord said. “No, what I need is a successor.”

Lloyd stuck his forked tongue out. “No!”

The Overlord ignored him. “I tried Garmadon. He was too short-sighted. Only focused on you and Wu and Misako. And he would’ve been locked in battle for eternity, just like my brother and I, always fighting light. Then he was cleansed, and there was all that resurrection rot.”

The Overlord’s casual treatment of years of trauma irked Lloyd, and he clenched his talons, scraping at the earth in front of him and running the dirt through his claws.

“You, though, you have potential.” A purple tremor of light ran through the Overlord, and he was now a four-limbed dragon. He reached out a foreleg, placing it on Lloyd’s like he was trying to comfort Lloyd or something.

Lloyd’s lips drew back and he hissed. The Overlord quickly withdrew it.

“You have the ability to see the bigger picture, to understand what’s best for Ninjago and to take that path. You are the champion of the First Spinjitzu Master. You are both Oni and Dragon. And you can be my champion, too.”

Lloyd shot up, stalking away, his tail swishing. “I’m done.”

How to escape his mind? When he’d been trapped with Morro, when Morro was in the middle of fighting and couldn’t concentrate on locking Lloyd away, he’d been able to see, hear, feel whatever Morro was experiencing, and all he’d had to do was reach out and try to seize control of his limbs. He’d still been in the real world.

This, though, was something different altogether.

The Overlord was suddenly in Lloyd’s face, and he bumped his snout on the Overlord’s wing. The Overlord slapped him with the other. Lloyd clawed out but the Overlord dodged, then smacked Lloyd on the back of the head with his tail, like an adult swatting a child.

“Stop being so narrow!” he growled. “The First Spinjitzu Master and I battled for ages, because one was dark and one was light. Garmadon and Wu did the same. Don’t you see? If someone with both were able to take over, there would be no more battles! The balance would be fulfilled, and there would be peace!”

The Overlord rocked onto his back legs, sitting upright, and then grabbed Lloyd’s face with both forelegs. His claws dug in, nearly drawing blood, as he pressed his snout to Lloyd’s. “I could have peace. I could rejoin my brother.”

Lloyd didn’t break away, instead staring into the Overlord’s eyes, bristling at the hot breath rolling over him.

“You have the power. All you have to do is appoint yourself the ruler of Ninjago. Then merge the two halves of Ninjago, and allow people to safely inhabit the dark side. Rule Ninjago, keep the balance, and remember to appoint a successor before you pass away.”

“That’s it?” That didn’t seem too hard. He was descended from the creator of the realm, so technically, as he’d thought before, he was a royal and therefore, IF he had wanted to, he could’ve totally been princess-worthy material.

He had the right. He had the power. And he didn’t even have to rule Ninjago, he could simply delegate to his other elementals or even re-establish a royal family.

“I-I’ll do it,” Lloyd said. Screw the ERA. This would rid the land of the Overlord forever. There would be peace. No more dark vs light. Just coexistence.

“Good.” Lloyd’s surroundings began to dissolve into darkness, breaking up like people had during Thanos’s snap. Shadows swirled, and then Lloyd was back in the real world, the dome still surrounding him.

He waved a hand, and it dissipated.

The Ninja were staring at him like he’d grown two heads. Chamille was biting her lip.

“What?”

Zane created a tablet of ice in his hands and held it up for Lloyd. The ice distorted his reflection like a funhouse mirror, but it still served its purpose.

Lloyd examined his appearance, recoiling at how different he looked. He didn’t look human, Dragon, or Oni. He looked like some sort of weird mutant.

He flared his wings. Now these, he could get used to.

Lloyd flinched when a raspy voice reverberated through his head. This is what your grandfather and I looked like. We were both.

Kai stepped forward. “Lloyd.”

Then everything went to the Underworld.

Lloyd knew he shouldn’t have done it. Shouldn’t have attacked his brothers.

But they didn’t see it - the bigger picture. They weren’t gods like him. They didn’t hold the life or death of Ninjago in their hands.

“It’s all necessary,” Lloyd told himself as he battered their shield of darkness with his light.

And he was rewarded with Chamille. Chamille, who remained when all the others had abandoned him.

Chamille was biting her lip, arms wrapped around herself as if she were a little girl, not the deadly assassin who had scaled Borg Tower during a power outage and infiltrated the vault below for Allura. She didn’t look like someone who could take down the Green Ninja himself and steal his power right out from under him.

“But she is,” the Overlord hissed. “She is dangerous and you cannot trust her. She was with the Ninja.”

“No,” Lloyd transmitted. “She is under my protection.”

He held out a hand to Chamille, slowly approaching her. “Chamille.”

“Lloyd,” she whispered, and then she was in his arms, crying. Lloyd ran his fingers through her hair, untangling any snarls with his claws.

“How?” he breathed against the top of her head. “How are you here?”

Chamille drew back, summoning a blue ball of energy. “I’m a Protector. I can also summon a shield.”

Lloyd gaped. How dumb of him, of course there had to be more to Azura’s power than flashy flames, just like there was to his, but - the fact that he hadn’t thought of that, that he’d abandoned her -

Chamille put a finger to his lips. “Don’t think about that.” She tilted her head downwards, then peeked up at him through her lashes while running her fingers over his arms. “I’m here now. The others don’t understand what you’re trying to do - that you’re trying to secure peace for everyone. That’s why I’m here.”

Her eyes glittered. “I want to be your queen.”

A smile graced his lips. Classic Chamille. Always wanting the very best. And if she couldn’t have it, then she’d spend years plotting and scheming to get it anyway.

“Then you shall be her,” Lloyd said, touching a finger to her shoulder and trying to summon Golden Power. He winced as it singed through his veins.

“You want to use the Golden Power without pain?” the Overlord asked.

“Yes,” Lloyd replied.

“What?” Chamille raised a brow.

“Imagine holding Dark Power in one hand and Golden Power in the other,” the Overlord intoned. “Then wrap your Golden Power around the Darkness. Obscure it and let only Golden Power flood you.”

Lloyd obeyed, scrunching his face up in concentration as he did.

“Lloyd - your Oni tattoos …”

Lloyd effortlessly turned her leather catsuit into a black off-the-shoulder ball gown overlaid with lace. He yanked rock from the ground and transformed it into a delicate gold crown embellished with amethyst gems, which he set on her head.

“Ta da,” he said, bowing dramatically. “What about my Oni looks?”

“They disappeared,” Chamille said. “Never mind that.” She frowned, brushing her palms over the skirt. “I don’t like dresses.”

Lloyd held out an arm, and she laid her hand on it. “But you want to look the part, right?”

“I suppose,” she said, rolling her eyes. Purple light flowed through her, and now her hair was down, purple locks framing her face, and her eyelids were dusted with purple and gold eyeshadow. Her lips were painted plum. “Now I’m a queen.”

“You want to hide your heritage too?” whispered the Overlord. “You remember shifting into a dragon with the crystal’s help. Now do it, but without the crystal.”

It wasn’t easy, but Lloyd managed. He examined his hands. Fully human now.

“Wow,” Chamille commented.

Lloyd and Chamille headed outside, where the battle between the EVIL army, the law enforcement officers, and the remaining elementals was in full swing. Lloyd blinked rapidly in the bright sunlight, cringing at the piercing clanks of metal against metal.

The entire EVIL army was shoving its way up the mountain, attempting to capture elementals for Allura, while the Shintarans, Metalonians, and police officers feebly tried to assault from the back.

At the top of the staircase, just behind the elemental lines, Lloyd summoned his Golden Dragon, pulled Chamille behind him, and lifted into the air, raising Allura’s spear high above his head. He dove, the wind shrieking at him, then pulled up at the last minute, streaking across the battlefield and commanding his dragon to spew out molten gold. The gold solidified into an amber-like substance, blocking the majority of the EVIL army from the elementals. He waved a hand, and a wall of stone rose to barricade EVIL from the policemen.

“Allura is dead!” he shouted, perching his dragon on the golden wall to face the EVIL army.

The din fell, and the EVIL army glared up at him, while the elementals behind him cheered, raising their weapons and tossing elemental blasts into the air. Half of the police were scratching their heads, while the other half slowly raised Borg-issued blasters.

“EVIL, your leaders are dead! You will allow yourself to be captured,” he said. “Or you will die like Allura.”

The Serpentine hissed and booed, with a group of Constrictai even trying to strike the wall with their spears and crack it. Chamille’s dagger thudded into the heart of one, the blade sinking in up to the hilt. The others backed away quickly.

Lloyd Airjitzued off and landed in their midst, Chamille at his side. He strode through the EVIL army until they reached where Carlos was still struggling to pull himself out of the earth. He’d shifted back into a human, but the rock now had a dragon-shaped hole, and he was failing miserably at climbing out of it.

Lloyd leveled Allura’s spear at him. “Do you yield?”

Carlos growled. “Never!” He spit at Chamille. “Traitor!”

In a flash, Lloyd had rock wrapped around Carlos’ neck, choking him. Carlos’ face turned red, his eyes bulging, as he wheezed, slamming his palms over the rock hand in an effort to break free.

Eventually, he shut his eyes and tried to nod, tears leaking from his eyes. Lloyd let him go.

“Anyone else?” he asked. “No?”

Lloyd brushed his hands on his gi. “Good.” He touched his gi, transforming it into black and purple, with a design much like the Deepstone gi. Gold armor and buckles added the finishing touch. Lloyd reveled in the crowd’s gasps.

He Airjitzued back onto the golden wall. “Who will follow me?” he asked of the elementals. “Who will come to Borg Tower with me?”

“No!” a voice came from someone who had ascended the rock wall and now teetered on its edge. The Commissioner, with his outrageous mustache and twitchy eye. “You’re supposed to sign the ERA at Kryptarium! Kai said after you defeated Allura -”

“Kai knows nothing!” Lloyd roared. “Kai fled. Kai didn’t defeat Allura. I did.”

He stalked towards the Commissioner, shifting into his dragon-like form and then winging his way to land gracefully on the wall. He might have cheated with Golden Power to keep his flying steady … but no one noticed. Instead, they cowered, quivering.

“I am the grandson of the First Spinjitzu Master,” he said, enjoying the swish of his tail against stone as he paced along the wall, stopping to gaze at each person who dared to meet his eyes.

“Ninjago is mine. And my people, the elementals, are my guardians. Not your servants. We are going to Borg Tower, to deal with threats you people could not possibly imagine. You want us to protect you?” He paused in front of the Police Commissioner. “Then let us do our job.”

“To me!” Lloyd shouted, shifting back into human form and summoning his Golden Dragon.

“Shoot him - shoot him now!” the Warden of Kryptarium ordered the prison guards surrounding him. No one moved a muscle.

Lloyd’s dragon exhaled a stream of gold, encasing the Warden’s lower half in resin. “Try again, Warden, and you’ll be an entire statue of gold.”

Lloyd turned away, a brilliant idea forming in his mind. He pointed his spear at the Warden and the Ninjago City Council that hid behind the lines of police. “Attack! I want them captured.”

The elementals rose into the air on a glittering flock of transparent, jewel-toned dragons and plunged into their ranks.

____________________________________________________________________

“First things first. We are splitting the population of Ninjago into half,” Lloyd said from his throne of translucent, amber-like gold. Chamille perched beside him on a throne of amethyst crystals.

“The crooks, those with criminal records, those in the Ninjago City prison or Kryptarium - I want them all put in transports and shipped to the western coast.”

“Why?” asked the Borg Industries intern standing in front of Lloyd, clicking her pen constantly and clenching her clipboard with shaking hands. She adjusted her glasses, brushing aside hairs that escaped from her brown braid.

“Because,” Shade said from behind Lloyd. “We’re getting rid of them.”

“What do you mean?” asked Mayor Aubrianna from where she stood at the side of the room, huddled with the rest of the Ninjago City Council, along with the Police Commissioner, Warden, Cyrus Borg, Princess Vania, and the Metalonian representative.

Lloyd lifted a hand, and the marble floor of Borg’s former office rose, creating a table-sized model of Ninjago, with the Dark Island, Ninjago, and the Endless Sea clearly visible.

Lloyd rose, striding over to it. “We all know the Overlord. I fought and killed him right here. When he returned, Zane took up the duty. The Overlord continues to return and plague Ninjago ever since - and why? Because he is effectively immortal. Because of the balance, he cannot die. The Ninja have tried too hard and too long to keep darkness from overtaking Ninjago. That’s wrong. That’s not balance; it’s a domination of light. To stop the Overlord from returning, we have to create a safe space for darkness.

“That’s where my idea comes in - we have to rejoin the halves of Ninjago and place half of the inhabitants on the Dark Island. Only then will there be balance.”

“Oh. Ok. I will make sure that gets done,” said the girl, scurrying off as fast as her kitten heels would let her.

Lloyd stepped back, surveying his handiwork as he retook his seat. The room was still gunmetal grey and there were still floor-to-ceiling glass windows looking out over Ninjago City, but he’d ripped out all of the computers, smoothing the holes over with a marble floor, and he’d hung white banners with purple and gold yin-yang symbols over the walls.

The twin thrones were on a raised dais, facing the room, backs to the windows. Every major leader in Ninjago clustered in small groups, shaking, as his elementals whirled in and out, executing Lloyd’s orders. Lloyd liked to think of it as a modern-day royal court.

It had been all too easy to fling open the doors of Borg Tower and take over, especially with Borg captured. The people of Ninjago were aware of (and fearful of) his occupation, but they couldn’t do a thing, not when he had every leader firmly under his control.

Mopping up the mess at the Golden Peaks was simple, and now the sentient parts of the EVIL army were locked in Kryptarium, about to be shipped to the Dark Island. Carlos had deactivated the Nindroids.

Now Carlos stood with Shade, obeying every one of Lloyd’s orders a little too quickly. Hoping for handouts, of course. Lloyd wouldn’t give him any, not after the hell Carlos had given him while he’d been with the Immortals. But it was always fun to lead him on.

The only problem had been Skylor, PIXAL, Griffin, and Neuro. They refused to join Lloyd’s quest, and their protests had been so vocal Lloyd was forced to remove them from his entourage and imprison them on a lower floor with Toxikita to guard them.

“Not the only problem,” the Overlord reminded Lloyd. “Kai and the others are still at large.”

“Yes,” Lloyd replied. “And we have dozens of search parties looking for them as we speak.”

“Lloyd.” Virtuoso stood before him, fists clenched and body taut. But even she would not dare to defy him, not after Carlos, one of Allura’s favored, had crumbled. “Someone is here to see you.”

“Who?”

“His name is Ronin.”

Lloyd waved a hand. “Let him enter.”

The doors swung open, and Ronin strode in, spurs clinking. He tipped his maroon bamboo hat at Chamille and then dramatically bowed to Lloyd. “Pretty fine establishment you got goin’ on here. Mind if I join in?”

Lloyd rubbed the bridge of his nose. “What do you want, Ronin? I’m not giving favors like candy. I’ve got important things to do.”

Ronin straightened. “I heard you were splitting Ninjago. Which part am I in?”

Lloyd bit his lip. “Um … the other?”

“Yeah,” said Ronin. “I don’t much fancy that. Suppose I join your crew, do some jobs for you. I get to stay, right?”

“I suppose so … ” Lloyd said. Ronin had, after all, transported him to the Dark Island. “Here’s your first assignment. Go ….” - Lloyd tapped his chin in thought - “ … track down Kai!”

This was perfect. Lloyd should’ve thought of this before. Ronin was one of the most qualified bounty hunters Lloyd could’ve asked for.

Ronin gripped the polished handles of his revolvers. “Alright. Where was he last see -”

The doors slammed open, and Ash and Gravis dragged in a certain white snake. If his snout wasn’t bound, Pythor would have been snapping like crazy at his captors. As it was, his pink eyes glowed with hatred.

Chamille sat bolt upright.

“Found him near Jamanakai. We thought he might want to have some last words,” Ash said. “Before we ship him off. This whole mess is his fault anyway.”

“Yeah,” Jasper said from Chamille’s side. While he was elementless, Chamille and Carlos had begged for Lloyd to let him serve, as he had excellent skill with weapons. “You were the one who revealed EVIL and recruited Allura.”

Ash and Gravis clamped chains on Pythor’s wrists, then removed the bindings over his mouth and stepped away, pulling the chains taut.

“She was supposed to be my champion,” Pythor growled. “Not betray us. I didn’t betray you,” he bellowed at the former Immortals. “She did!”

“Enough,” Lloyd said, standing, gesturing for Chamille to join him. He circled Pythor. “You orchestrated the raid on Borg Tower. You gave Allura the idea of giving herself Golden Power. You set the events in motion. And now you’ll pay.” Lloyd held out a hand for his dao. “Chamille? Consider it a gift. Please do the honors.”

Lloyd pressed the hilt into Chamille’s hand.

Chamille swallowed hard. Then plunged the tip into Pythor’s heart.

Chapter Text

For the second time in the same number of days, Kai plunged face-first into sand. At least Cole wasn’t behind him this time; Cole actually grabbed Kai’s arm and pulled him up, brushing the sand off.

“Kai - you’re bleeding!” he said.

“Allow me,” Zane said, wrenching Kai’s arm from Cole’s and examining the slice Chamille had left. Blood dripped all over Zane’s white gi, but Zane paid no attention.

Zane unknotted the belt of Kai’s gi and wrapped it around his wound so tightly Kai imagined he could feel his fingers throbbing. “That will have to do for now. We need to find a location with proper medical supplies.”

Kai spat, “I could kill her right now.” He kicked at the sand, throwing up a mini-cloud of dirt. He needed to throw something. Or punch someone. Namely Chamille.

“Yeah,” Jay seethed, his mouth in a hard line. “I think she knew. She knew exactly what Lloyd was going to do.” There was a humming in the air - like that of high voltage lines - coming from Jay. The others promptly backed away. “And now she’s claiming her place at Lloyd’s side,” Cole added.

How long had she been orchestrating this? How long had she been pulling the strings? Probably ever since she’d given Lloyd that crystal, Kai reasoned. Heck, she could’ve even staged her own death to drive Lloyd insane.

Garmadon scooted beside Kai to peer across the vast expanse of sand. Small dunes and cacti popped up here and there, but it was mostly flat.

Still gazing into the distance, Garmadon casually reached over and wiped his bloody palm on Kai’s makeshift bandage.

“Hey!” Kai exclaimed. The belt was red, sure, but how rude -

“Many say revenge is a dish best served cold,” Garmadon said without acknowledging Kai’s stutters of outrage. “I concur. When you take the time and plan it well, you’re unstoppable. Look at Harumi’s example.”

Jay blinked. “Okay … ”

Cole shook his head at Jay’s confused expression, then turned serious. “Where are we? The Sea of Sand again?”

“I believe we are actually in the Desert of Doom,” Zane said.

“Oh no!” Jay leapt into Cole’s arms, draping his arms around Cole’s neck. Cole grunted. “Is Bernie around?” shrieked Jay.

“No. We are quite far from where we encountered Beohernie,” Zane said, scanning the area. “His natural habitat seemed to be in the eastern part of the Desert of Doom, while my internal GPS says we are on its western perimeter.”

“Very peculiar,” Garmadon said, rubbing his chin and squinting at his feet, which were now coated in sand. “When I was a child, this was a lush valley full of Serpentine.”

“Oh my brick what’s that?!” Jay asked, pointing at a dark shape in the distance.

Heat waves distorted its figure, but it was most definitely a human. Birds circled around the person, some pecking at the black robes wrapped around his body and head. The person did not swat them away, instead continuing to lie still, curled into a ball as if to shield himself from the sun.

Cole stated the obvious. “Looks like a person. We better see if he’s okay.”

They scrambled down the dunes, kicking up orange dust. Garmadon took his time, saying, “I think this is a waste of time. Our next move-” The Ninja ignored him, crowding around the person. Zane said, “I believe he is severely dehydrated.”

“Who says it’s a he?” Nya objected. “What if it’s a she?”

“Hey, bud -” said Kai, leaning down and tugging down the hood of the figure so they could see who they were dealing with. Cole readied his scythe in case it was a murderer or something.

“MORRO?!” Kai exclaimed, jumping back as if he’d been spit at by a Venomari.

“Bleegghhh!” yelled Jay. Then, raising an eyebrow, he poked Morro’s pale arm with his nunchucks. “Do you think he’s for real?”

‘Morro’ certainly looked real to Kai. Same jet-black hair, same slim frame, same dark circles around his eyes that marked him as cursed. But he was unmistakably human, which he had not been the last time Kai’d seen him.

Garmadon crunched to a stop at Kai’s side. “Looks dead to me.”

Kai knelt, ready to press his ear to Morro’s chest. “Is he even breathing?” At least if he was already dead, Kai wouldn’t have to bother with hunting him down later.

Kai laid a hand on Morro’s forehead, and Morro’s hand shot up, gripping vise-like around Kai’s arm. It was cold and clammy, despite the intense afternoon sun beaming down on them all. Kai’s chest jerked, but he did not scream.

“I’m - alive - bitches,” Morro panted out. Then his eyes rolled back into his head, and he was dead to the world once more.

“Language!” Jay crowed.

Cole frowned. “Sounds like him.”

Kai wanted to claw Morro. FSM, this could not actually be happening. Kai already had Lloyd to deal with, and now one of his sworn enemies was apparently alive and right in front of him. Well, he’d just have to get in line - Kai had Chamille to deal with first.

“Nya, can you summon some water for him?” Zane had pried Morro’s hand from Kai and was pressing his thumb to Morro’s wrist. “His pulse is weak. His breathing is very shallow. Oh no.” Zane’s eyebrows pinched together. “His fingernails are blue.”

“No.” Nya fisted her hands on her hips.

“Nya,” said Zane, standing to block the sun from Morro. “He is in grave danger -”

“Can’t you just pull water out of the air?” asked Kai.

“There is no water in this air!” Nya exclaimed with a huff.

Kai facepalmed. “All right, well …”

“We need to find a hospital as soon as possible,” Zane said. “He is going into severe hypovolemic shock.”

The Ninja stared at each other. They were on the eastern side of the desert, but Prodigo City, located somewhere near the Corridor of Elders, was still an hour’s flight from here.

“Ahhh I think it’s Bernie!” Jay screeched, interrupting the silence.

Nya looked at him. “Jay, Zane already said Bernie shouldn’t be around here.”

Jay didn’t reply. He pointed a finger towards a large cloud of dust just at the horizon.

“What is that?” Kai squinted. Whatever was stirring up the sand seemed to be fairly large - like Bernie - but very slow, unlike Bernie.

“I do not know, but perhaps one of us should fly over and find out,” Zane suggested, holding up his hands to summon his elemental dragon. “They could help us.”

“No need,” Cole said. Figures were emerging from the cloud, kicking up smaller puffs of sand. It appeared to be a group of four-legged animals with riders. Upon a closer look, Kai realized they were Serpentine riding scorpiohorses.

There were six Serpentine in all. Some had black or brown scales, and others had tan or silver scales. They all possessed flared hoods like cobras, wore heavy golden jewelry and flowing white robes, and carried spears or bows. The riders surrounded the Ninja, their mounts skidding to a halt. The Serpentines’ mounts swished their scorpion-like tails and stamped their hooves, chewing on the bits with sharp canine teeth.

One with glossy black scales - and worn leather armor that marked him as the leader - edged his scorpiohorse closer. “Hail!” he said, hefting his spear.

“Hey!” Kai vaulted back when one scorpiohorse’s stinger swayed a little too close for comfort.

The armored snake hissed,“I am Bomani, Captain of the Sand Vipersss and ssservant of King Mambo the Tenth. Who are you, and what iss your businessss?” He hauled on his reins, preventing his bloodthirsty mount from surging forwards and taking a bite out of one of the Ninja.

“We are travelers lost in the desert,” Zane said, holding his hands up in surrender and motioning for the others to do the same. “We humbly request medical supplies for our injured friends here. We are prepared to offer payment in exchange.”

Kai and Jay exchanged looks. They all were broke as heck. And Kai was pretty sure credit cards did not work out here.

Garmadon lowered the Skycleaver blade’s point to the ground to show he was not a threat. “If I recall, in the times of King Mambo the Fifth, the Sand Vipers’ laws of honor required you to take in any type of traveler. We appeal now to desert hospitality.”

Bomani snarled at them, his pupils narrowing to slits. “Those rulessss do not apply currently. We are in unprecedented timesss.”

“Then I would like to speak with King Mambo myself and appeal,” Garmadon said coolly.

“You may not. We are a war company. We are engaged in highly sssensitive matters and we will not allow possible ssspies into our rankssss.”

Garmadon took a breath and squared his shoulders. He had somehow removed his ‘warrior lord’ vibe and now Kai could see a trace of who he had been, even before he was Sensei Garmadon. He was a diplomat, a god who visited realms and either shattered them or brought the peace and favor of the First Spinjitzu Master.

“I am the son of the First Spinjitzu Master. You will remember my father once dwelt peacefully beside your people years ago. My brother and I restored the throne of King Mambo the Fifth when Aspheera the Betrayer attacked. The Sand Vipers owe us a blood debt. Allow us to speak with your king, and I will consider it fulfilled.”

The other Serpentine warriors watched as Bomani struggled to find a comeback. He finally relented. “Give us your weaponsss, then.”

“The law allows us to keep our weapons,” Garmadon said. “So that we may protect ourselves.”

Wrong words. The Serpentine seethed as a unit, tongues flicking out.

“You dare,” said Bomani, “to insssinuate we are not trustworthy? I will remind you it was the humans who whispered of attack first during the Serpentine Wars.”

Kai glanced at Cole for his opinion. Cole shrugged and drew his scythe. The rest did the same, dumping their weapons into a pile before the Serpentine riders.

The sun mercilessly bore down on them. The Serpentine gathered the weapons, strapping them onto their scorpiohorses, but otherwise they did nothing. They appeared to be waiting for the rest of the caravan to approach.

“I’m afraid you do not understand,” said Zane after a minute. “This friend is in grave danger.” Zane pointed at Morro.

Bomani’s eyes slowly flickered over to Morro. “Do not worry. If our king findsss you worthy,” - his expression said, “You won’t if I have anything to do with it,” - “our ssshaman will be able to fix him.”

“Shaman?” Zane looked offended. “Chanting about a fire will not help him! He is suffering from severe dehydration and - ”

Bomani handed Zane a waterskin in lieu of a reply. Jay rushed for it, but Kai slapped him away.

“Ow!”

After Zane had poured a little down Morro’s throat and the others had all had their share, Kai tilted some into his palm and splashed his face, which alleviated the heat for two seconds, and then it was back to sweating and being roasted alive.

“If only we had the Bounty,” Zane muttered as he let more droplets trickle into Morro’s mouth. “Its medical room would be enough.”

In the distance, the cloud of dust slowly became more distinct. First, a line of guards approached on scorpiohorses. Behind came a chariot decked out in gold and drawn by two white scorpiohorses, presumably pulling King Mambo. More riders, these unarmed, herded along a flock of wallopers. A group of slithering Serpentine brought up the rear, bearing packs and leading more scorpiohorses burdened with tents, food, and water.

At Bomani’s wave, the chariot struck off towards the Ninja, four more mounted guards following.

“Hail! Introducing King Mambo the Tenth,” said Bomani, bowing and gesturing to the Serpentine in the chariot. His scales were charcoal black, like Bomani’s, but he wore even more jewelry, golden shoulder armor, and earrings. He gripped a glaive in his right hand.

“Bow,” Garmadon growled, sinking to his knees in the soft sand. The others followed his cue. Morro remained a useless lump, of course.

“Rissse. What bringsss you to my realm?” His voice was deep and calm, like the rumble of the ocean.

Zane repeated his earlier message, and the king motioned for Bomani to approach him.

Kai fidgeted, bouncing on his toes while they whispered. He assumed the bleeding had stopped, but the bandage was wet and sticky on his arm, and his gloves and face were crusty from blood he hadn’t had a chance to wash away yet.

The king pulled away from Bomani. “Are you not the Ninja?”

Kai reeled, already thinking of escape routes. In fact, depending on how far along Lloyd was on his journey to Ninjago City, the Desert of Doom wasn’t a far distance from his position.

Zane shared a furtive glance with Cole. “We are,” affirmed Zane.

Bomani looked outraged. “They - I had no idea - they lied! How wasss I to know the Oni’s companions were -”

Mambo held up a hand to shush him. “If you are truly the Ninja, sssshow me your elementsss,” said the king.

Kai summoned his flames, and everyone else also summoned their respective elements. Garmadon did not.

“They are the Ninja,” whispered the Serpentine guards surrounding the Ninja. A few glared at Bomani, drawing back their lips to display their fangs. Kai had a feeling the Ninja were being tested in some way.

“If you are the Ninja,” continued the king, “then why do you travel with a being touched by the Oni?”

Garmadon’s blood-red eyes met the king’s amber ones. “I am not just any Oni. I am Garmadon, the eldest of the First Spinjitzu Master’s sons. When I was bitten by the Great Devourer, my Oni blood manifested itself.”

The whispers changed to adoration. “It issss Garmadon, the Desssstroyer of the Devourer!”

“I ssssee. I thought he was the ssson of the First Spinjitzu Master.” Mambo gestured to Morro, who was still lying unconscious at their feet. “Who isss that, then?”

“Another member of our Ninja team,” Cole said. Kai shoved him with his shoulder, but, of course, being the Earth Ninja, Cole barely budged.

“And finally, who issss the King of Gold to you?”

“King of Gold?” Jay whispered. Kai shrugged.

“We are not at all allied with him,” Zane said.

The king nodded, as if he’d expected these answers. “Your needssss are grave. I will asspeak to you plainly, but once we have made camp,” said the king. “We will give you sssanctuary. The closest oasissss is only a few milessss from here. You will ride with usss and break bread in our tentsss.” He raised his glaive and clicked to his scorpiohorses. “Come! We will depart.”

“What about -” asked Zane.

“I will take him.” An older snake with matte black scales covered in faint gold designs slithered up. Two more adolescent snakes - covered in grey scales and almost identical to each other - were with her. They lifted Morro, carrying him to another chariot.

“Ask for Khaldunna at the oasisss,” the elder Serpentine said to Kai, glancing at his injured arm. Her voice was rough like gravel.

Three guards dismounted and handed their reins to the Ninja, doubling up with others.

Jay handed the reins to Kai. “You control the horse.”

“Me?” Kai thrust them back towards Jay. “I’ve never been this close to a scorpiohorse in my life!”

“Well, I lived in a junkyard. I’ve never even seen one before!”

“Fine,” Kai groaned, sticking his foot in the stirrup and hauling himself up. The horse stamped its foot impatiently, nearly bucking Kai off as Jay slung himself onto its back.

Nya paired up with Zane, and Cole with Garmadon. Probably best, considering Cole was the least likely to annoy Garmadon into disintegrating him.

Kai nearly fell off three times, and their horse’s only special ability seemed to be that of lagging far behind the others. The rocking motion wasn’t helping his woozy head either. Twice Bomani had to circle back and lead their horse to rejoin the caravan.

His narrow eyes and his gleaming fangs made it clear he was not too happy with the Ninja. A silver-scaled Serpentine joined him the second time.

“So,” said Kai, trying to make some pleasant conversation despite the fact that the heat alone, not to mention the blood loss, was about to make him pass out. “Do you guys just roam around all the time?”

Bomani looked at Kai with simmering hate. He did not reply, instead continuing to pull on the bridle of Kai’s horse.

“I am Amun,” said the second Serpentine. “Second-in-command of the king’ssss guard.

“As to your question, the Sand Vipersss prefer the term ‘migrate.’ We often move between oasesss, herding our walloperss to the best groundss to keep from depleting one area of resourcess. Sssometimes we enter other towns and trade with our milk and meat, but we generally keep to ourselvesss.”

“Do you guys ever go farther into the Desert of Doom?” Jay leaned over Kai’s shoulder. “Ever meet Bernie?”

“He means Beohernie,” Kai supplied.

“Oh, yesss,” she said. “We offer sacrificess to him, and to the sand dragonss too. That keepss them from getting too hungry.”

Jay clung extra tightly to Kai after that comment.

Finally, they reached their destination - a body of water about as large as the Monastery’s footprint, filled with clear turquoise water. It was ringed by palm trees and other greenery.

A pavilion and tent were set up for the king to rest in while the camp was constructed. The rest of the Serpentine spread out, with some pounding in stakes and others rolling out canvas to create huge white tents. A few unpacked wood and began to make cooking fires.

Jay dismounted first, somehow managing to land feet-first. Kai had him hold the reins while he dismounted. Bomani silently collected the horses and departed.

Amun stayed with the Ninja. “As the king’sss guestsss, you may join him in the pavilion for ssshade and later dinner. I will lead you there.” She turned to Kai. “First, pleassse follow me to the medical tent for treatment.”

Like most of the tents, the canvas of the medical tent was white, but this one had strange symbols painted on in vibrant colors. Kai spotted a design that looked strangely like an Oni warlord.

“They are ssscary to ward off evil spiritsss,” Amun explained. She held out a scaly hand. “Our ssshaman is inside.”

Kai didn’t like the sound of that word. He hoped Khaldunna wasn’t doing as Zane had implied shamans did. But once he pushed aside the tent flap and smelled incense and, better yet, rubbing alcohol, he felt a little better.

Lidded baskets woven of dried grasses were stacked along the edges of the tent wall. On a small table rested a wooden mortar and pestle, along with various glass canisters of different sizes filled with herbs. Three dyed rugs of walloper fur were laid down, covering the entire floor and keeping out sand.

Kai seated himself at the edge of the tent and waited for the older Serpentine to finish treating Morro.

The former ghost was lying on his back in the middle of the room, wrapped up in thick blankets, hands resting on top. His expression was now peaceful, or, at least, smirk-less. He actually looked … younger than twenty, which Kai had assumed was his natural age.

Kai shook off the illusion. Lloyd was the same; Zane had commented that it was a common phenomenon for people to look younger in sleep.

Khaldunna was filling a waterskin with some sort of liquid. She stuck an L-shaped pole into a base, hanging the waterskin by its wrist loop on the pole. Then she punctured the skin with a fang, connected to a rubber tube. The tube’s other end was connected to another fang, which she stabbed into Morro’s arm.

Kai chewed on his lower lip to avoid chortling. On one hand, watching Morro get stabbed with Serpentine fangs for needles was laughable, but on the other hand, it was just gross. It was a good thing his wound only needed cleaning and antibiotics.

“He sssshould be better sssoon,” said Khaldunna, moving to wash Kai’s wound with water. She then pouring rubbing alcohol onto it. Kai held his breath as the liquid burned its way through.

“I do not believe it will need ssstiches,” she said, wrapping it in gauze. “I will take you to the pavilion. Your friend will remain here to ressst.” Khaldunna held open the tent flap, gesturing for Kai to go first.

“He’s not -” Kai bit his tongue. He’s not my friend, he wanted to say.

A raspy voice said, “Don’t go.”

Kai glanced back. Morro was staring at Kai from his position. He began to adjust his blankets, pulling them towards his chest and then stuffing the extra fabric underneath his head, like a pillow.

“What’cha staring at?” he muttered after finishing.

Kai gave him a disgusted look. “I thought you didn’t want me to go.”

“What?” Morro returned the look, with added sass. “I didn’t say that.”

“Yes, you did.” Kai might be slightly light-headed from blood loss, but he knew he hadn’t imagined that. “Liar.”

“Pfft. No way. I don’t care what you do. Go off and eat food and leave me to wallow in my stupidity,” Morro said, flicking a hand in a ‘shoo’ motion.

“Sorry.” Kai smiled sympathetically at Khaldunna. “Is it too much trouble to ask you to come back in fifteen minutes?” Kai’s stomach protested, but Khaldunna nodded. “I will send Nura to fetch you.” She departed.

“Why are you really here, Morro?” Kai demanded as soon as the tent flap shut. Morro was incapacitated. Perfect conditions for grilling.

Morro lazily opened an eye. “I’m touring the desert, like you.”

“Some tour. You realize you almost died, right?”

“All right. I’ll admit it, I underestimated the desert’s conditions.” Morro shrugged. “Being a ghost makes you forget about physical problems like hunger and thirst. And that town out there really wasn’t nice about sharing its water.”

Kai gaped. “You’re the ‘emo’ elemental?”

“One and only.” Morro winked.

“Why the desert?” Kai stalked closer to Morro.

Morro didn’t reply. He pointed at something beside Kai, just out of his reach. It was a pockmarked metal cup full of water. Kai narrowed his eyes but handed it to him. Morro swirled it and then sipped from it.

“I was … ” - his hair swooped down to block his eyes as he kept his gaze on his cup - “looking for you guys.” He mumbled the last part.

“For us? Why? We - you -”

Yes, there had been that one time Morro had warned them about Sensei Yang’s plan. That had been a fluke. And maybe, as Wu had told them, Morro gave the Realm Crystal to Wu, but Morro was still … not their favorite of Wu’s old acquaintances.

Morro put the cup down, pressing his lips together. “I’m sorry. Can I talk to someone else?” he said to the tent wall. “Maybe the green runt? I don’t like the overprotective one. I think he’s about to punch me.”

“You -” Kai spluttered. To have the audacity to mention Lloyd, as if he even had a right to speak to Lloyd -

One and a half years since his possession, and Lloyd had refused to even look at Morro on that particular Day of the Departed. No way, no how. Kai doubted he’d feel any different, even four years later. Lloyd still jumped at shadows.

“Lloyd’s not here,” Kai said, way too smoothly for what he was feeling. His insides vacillated between ‘triumphant’ that Morro couldn’t speak to Lloyd and ‘terrified’ that Lloyd might not be fixable.

“Oh.” Morro’s expression soured. “Too bad. I was hoping to … apologize.”

“Apo-lo-wha-NO!” Kai exclaimed, striding closer, stabbing his pointer finger in the air at Morro to accentuate his words. “You don’t get to apologize! You don’t deserve to be forgiven!”

“Ouch,” Morro said. “Some good guys you are.” He grimaced, as if what he was about to say pained him. He cleared his throat, pointedly glaring anywhere but at Kai. “I. Came. Looking for you … because … I wanted to know what happened to Wu.”

Kai blinked. This conversation was not going where he wanted.

Kai’s voice came out clipped. “You don’t ask the questions. I ask the questions. And my first one is: how are you alive? You’re supposed to be in the Departed Realm.”

Morro laughed, pushing away his makeshift pillow and sitting straight up. “Oh, classic Sensei. He didn’t tell you?” Morro spoke as if Kai was a child, slowly and with a knowing smile. “One day, he opened a rift to the Departed Realm. You guys weren’t there, for some reason. But the Preeminent herself escaped, and that robot girl had to chase her down. I snuck out myself, and had a little chat with Wu.”

Vaguely, Kai remembered Sensei discussing an ‘incident’ that had occurred while they were in the Never Realm. Some beast had escaped from a realm but luckily Wu and PIXAL sent it back.

“The Preeminent?!”

“Can you stop repeating everything I say?” Morro looked annoyed. “Yes, her. Wu agreed to keep my return a secret, and I agreed to disappear until he had broken the news to you and I’d thought some more about life. He hoped we might be able to reconcile. I hoped to join the team.”

This had to be a lie. Sensei would never keep something this big a secret from them. Lloyd would have gone ballistic -

Kai focused on the last part of what Morro had said, clenching his fists. “You can never join the team.”

Morro shrugged. “Fine. I’ll just be a lone wolf. Shouldn’t have too much trouble with that. Been alone all my life.”

“Now,” - Morro’s eyes hardened - “what happened to Wu? I only came because I heard on the news a monk discovered his body. I even tracked down the funeral home you guys dropped him off at - how careless, by the way - and they wouldn’t let me in so I could see if it was him. Is it true? Or some illusion? Oh, by the way, you guys are in trouble with the government; for your information, I wouldn’t have gotten accused.” Morro let out a laugh.

Morro had done all that for Sensei? Tears threatened to blur Kai’s vision. How disappointed Sensei would be in them all for letting things fall apart so spectacularly.

“Wu is dead,” was all that came out of Kai’s mouth.

Morro’s eyes jerked to Kai’s as he exhaled. “So it’s true.”

He glanced away, tracing his fingers over the dyed swirls in one of his blankets. “Give me the coordinates of the grave,” Morro demanded.

Kai didn’t even remember where they’d decided to bury Sensei. They thought it’d take them a few days to defeat Allura. So they’d dropped his body off to be preserved at a funeral home, intending to hold the funeral as soon as the threat of Allura was gone.

Kai didn’t even know how long the body would keep - if they’d even get to honor Sensei at all. First, they had to help Lloyd.

“He’s -”

Morro’s expression grew stormy; black strands of his hair slapped at his face. The tentpoles creaked as the wind outside picked up, battering the side of the dwelling. “FSM, you didn’t even bury him?”

“We - we were busy!” Kai spat, his face growing hot. “Lloyd drank Dark Matter!”

“Dark Matter?” Morro recoiled. The wind died. “How.”

“He … felt guilty about Sensei’s death. So he set off, abandoning us to travel to the Dark Island for Dark Matter and the power to defeat Allura.”

“Guilty?” Horror dawned on Morro’s face. “So the rumors are true. The little brat did do it.”

“Yes, but you don’t understand - something’s wrong with him, and we need Golden Power to fix him -” Kai ran a hand through his hair.

Morro stared at Kai, mind obviously elsewhere.

Kai stopped. “What?”

Morro blinked and the moment was gone. “FSM. It’s not fair.” He turned away under the pretense of another sip from his cup.

“What’s not fair?”

“Everything,” Morro said. He threw the cup, now empty, to the side of the tent, where it banged against the baskets and then rolled back towards Morro, coming to a stop halfway. Morro pulled the blankets over his head. “Now go away.” His voice was muffled.

Kai stepped forwards, ready to pull the blankets off Morro and demand answers. “Hang on a minute - what’s not fair -”

“Excussse me?” A Serpentine - the same grey one who had helped carry Morro to the chariot - stood in the doorway of the tent. “Are you ready to eat now?”

Kai scowled at Morro. “Yeah.” Unproductive. Kai couldn’t figure out what was a lie or the truth. Hopefully the others could help parse it out.

The Serpentine led Kai outside, weaving through the virtual village that had sprung up while Kai was inside. Serpentine children darted between the tents, yelping, “Boo!” as others ran past them. The smell of meat roasting on spits wafted through the air, making Kai’s mouth water. Wallopers bellowed in the distance.

At the center of the camp was a massive white tent, set apart from the other tents on every side by ten feet of sand. The king’s, Kai presumed.

Metal poles had been driven into the ground and fabric stretched between them to create a pavilion at the tent’s entrance, which was drawn shut. Folding tables filled to the brim with food lined the edges of the pavilion, and rugs covered its ‘floor.’

Kai seated himself by his brothers at the center of the rug. Bomani glared at Kai from his guarded position by the tent’s door. King Mambo himself was nowhere to be seen.

“Well, well, well,” said Cole, slapping him on the back. “What took so long?”

Zane offered Kai a plate filled with meat and roasted vegetables mounted on skewers. “Try this. It is very delicious.”

Kai took a couple, holding it away from him to keep the juices from dripping on his gi.

“I talked to Morro in the medical tent,” Kai whispered. He quickly recounted their conversation.

“So, what’s he saying?” asked Jay. “He went off into the desert on a hunch he might find us? Just so he could ask how Wu actually died? I find that hard to believe.”

“Psychologically, it makes sense,” Zane said. “Remember, Morro is much older than he appears. Sensei is the only constant in his life, and the only person who truly accepts him. Morro has not made his appearance until now because he must be afraid of the judgement he will receive from us. The way to fix this is to be kind to him so he is not scared of us.”

“Scared?” Kai scoffed. “He’s not scared. He just needs an attitude adjustment.”

“With Sensei dead, we are now Morro’s only familiar connection to this life. We should at least be civil. Sensei would not wish for us to be hostile to his former pupil.”

“I am NOT going to pretend like he’s my brother!” Nya voiced exactly what Kai was thinking. “He violated my brother and tortured him - he doesn’t deserve to be treated like family.”

“Morro holds onto his grudges.” Cole looked worried. “What if he goes after Lloyd, since he now knows Lloyd’s responsible? Or did you explain how Allura was controlling him?”

“Whoops,” Kai said. He might have forgotten that. “I’d like to see Morro try. I think Lloyd would obliterate him.”

“That’s one way to get rid of him,” Jay said.

“‘It’s not fair,’” Zane mused, tapping a finger against his chin. “What could he possibly be referring to?”

“Life,” said Cole. “Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, life just ain’t fair.” He had a faraway look in his eyes. Perhaps he was thinking of Lilly, who had died much too soon.

“The question is, what are we supposed to do with him?” asked Jay, tearing flatbread into pieces and stuffing them into his mouth. “We gave him an answer about Wu. Is he just going to go now?”

“I don’t like that idea,” Kai said. “Who knows what kind of havoc he could wreak? But I don’t want to bring him either.”

“Didn’t you say he wanted to join the team? I think he wants to come with us,” Cole said.

Kai let out a bitter laugh. “No. Way.”

“Have you considered that Morro might genuinely be trying to reform?” asked Zane. “It appears that he is suffering from the psychological phenomenon known as ‘guilt complex.’ He appears desperate to make amends, however, due to his pride, it seems he is unwilling to admit that as his actual intent.”

Garmadon had been silent the whole time, but now he spoke. “This entire discussion of who’s ‘on the team’ and who’s not is pointless. We need to discuss what we are going to do about Lloyd.”

They were interrupted by the tent flap opening.

“Ninja!”

They couldn’t believe who slithered out of the tent.

Chapter Text

Before them stood Skales, General of the Hypnobrai, Skalidor of the Constrictai, Acidicus of the Venomari, and Fangtom of the Fangpyre. A fifth snake, with navy blue scales and light aquamarine highlights, strode after them. Mambo brought up the rear.

“You!” Kai said, leaping up, glaring at Skales. “Your Serpentine -”

The Serpentine had allied with Allura. Visions of them swarming and sacking the Monastery flashed through Kai’s mind.

Skales held up his hands in a ‘halt’ motion. “We are here,” he hissed, “because Pythor is a fool for creating the Golden Massster.”

“You already know usss,” Skalidor boomed, sweeping a hand towards the navy Serpentine. “This is Nathaira, a Maaray. They are distant underwater cousins of the Ssserpentine.”

“We were to meet Mambo at Ouroboros,” said one of Fangtom’s heads with his typical nasally voice. The other said, “But once the Golden Massster took over Ninjago City, it was such an emergency we flew out on a Rattlecopter to meet King Mambo.”

“Now you underssstand why I testssed you,” said Mambo. “I had to ensure you were not Oni, and were not allied with the Golden Master, even though he isss your brother.”

“I had believed that prophecy was fulfilled when the Overlord stole Lloyd’s Golden Power,” Zane said.

“Unfortunately,” said Skales, his red eyes glowing in the red of the setting sun - “We were all wrong. In two hourssss he has already come closer to dominating all of Ninjago than the Overlord ever did. He hasss not only physical power over the people, but emotional power asss well. He isss holding their leadersss over their head, forcing them to not jussst cower, but to obey.”

“He’s adopted,” Jay quipped.

The other Ninja glared at him.

“In the beginning,” said Acidicus, waving a green-scaled arm and gesturing for them all to sit, “when the writerss of Cloud Kingdom scryed that prophecy from the very fabric of the Sixteen Realms, they bestowed it upon us.

“We misused it and caused sssuch fear among the humansss they drove us underground. We retreated. But we were wrong. Now, we sssshall not remain ssssilent any longer. The Serpentine are to sssstand against the Golden Master.”

Kai’s jaw dropped. Now he understood why Bomani was so protective of their secrets, why Mambo was concerned about the Ninjas using their elements to prove they were not Oni. Because he was planning a dangerous insurrection against a Serpentine figure of legend who held all the power of the First Spinjitzu Master, plus some.

“It issss not often we ask for the help of surface dwellers,” Skales said. “But we know you Ninja have protected Ninjago again and again. We trussst you have a plan.”

“And we are willing to commit our forcesss to your cause,” Mambo finished.

Kai had thought it might all be lost. But with this army, they could match Lloyd’s elemental masters and have a fighting chance.

Cole was nodding, eyebrows furrowed. Zane said, “We are thankful for this offer and we will gladly accept it.”

“But we don’t have a plan,” Cole concluded.

“I do,” Garmadon said. “Allow me to briefly try to explain. Lloyd gained Golden Power when he reclaimed what he had given to the Ninja long ago. However, because he drank Dark Matter, he is now corrupted. He can use both light and dark almost simultaneously, with all the power of the First Spinjitzu Master.”

The Serpentine generals tittered.

Skales said, “I wassss fond of the little boy. I do not want you to ssshy from doing what is right, but it appearsss the only way to stop him is to kill him, sssince you do not have Golden Power and you cannot use Garmadon’s power on him.”

“No!” Kai exclaimed. “We are not killing him!” Nya looked just as horrified.

“I am not suggesting that,” Garmadon said, shooting a glare at Skales and Kai. “We will use Golden Power.”

“But we don’t have any,” Cole protested glumly.

“Right,” Garmadon affirmed. “But Golden Power is made from the four elements of Creation and Energy. You four have the elements, so all that is missing is Energy.”

“Yeah, but he’s the only Energy elemental we’ve ever encountered!” said Jay.

“Right again,” said Garmadon. “But Lloyd possessed an elemental crystal, correct? All you have to do is sneak in, grab the crystal, steal his power, and then shoot a combination of Energy and your four elements at him. They will blend and create Golden Power.”

“Yeah …” Kai murmured. “Also nearly killing him in the process! Are we sure there isn’t another way?”

Garmadon opened his mouth, then paused. “ … that is just a risk you have to take,” the Dark Lord said.

Unbidden, memories of the ERA began to pop up. Kai had stood in front of Mayor Aubrianna, ready to smack sense into her and the other council members for not understanding the danger the ERA posed. Others just didn’t understand what they were risking. It was always the Ninja who ended up bleeding in the end, just so the law could shove it back in their faces and punish them for sacrificing their time, their homes, their comfort, and even the lives of their friends.

Kai had seen what Lloyd did when he was given power - he’d forced others to pay for their crimes. But sometimes, Kai secretly thought it would be nice to watch the world burn in its unfairness.

Zane said, “I do not think we have the skill, numbers, or power to attempt stealing the crystal right from under Lloyd’s nose.”

“No,” Cole said. “But now I sort of have a plan-”

“Hail!” Amun interrupted, cantering up on a scorpiohorse and dismounting, kneeling at Mambo’s feet (er, tail).

She thrust a fist to her chest and spoke. “King Mambo, an envoy from the King of Gold isssss here, demanding to sssee you. They want permission to sssearch the camp. They ssaaay we are harboring fugitivesss from their kingdom. The Ninja.”

The Serpentine leaders went into a frenzy, baring their fangs and swishing their tails.

“How could Lloyd know we are here?” hissed Fangtom. “We are in the middle of the desssssert.”

“Perhapsss they followed usss from Ninjago City … ” Skalidor mused.

“No …” Kai said, eyes widening. “They tracked us. With the Skycleaver blade.”

Garmadon scoffed. “That is impossible.”

Jay gasped, holding up a finger as the pieces clicked into place. “They have Borg’s technology … it allows them to track temporal disturbances.”

“Great. So we can’t use it to escape,” Cole said, crossing his arms.

“King Mambo,” Amun interrupted. “They are preparing for battle. They sssaay they will dessstroy us if we do not give them what they want.”

King Mambo’s eyes flared with fire. “It is not yet time for us to strike. We will tell them the Serpentine are gathering to celebrate a religious holiday. Double my guards, Bomani. I will meet them at the edge of camp and tell them there are no Ninja here.” He glanced pointedly at Amun.

“Yesss, Your Majesty.”

Both Serpentine warriors rose, with Bomani mounting a scorpiohorse and riding off to procure more guards. The Serpentine generals left with Mambo.

Amun went to the Ninja and hissed, “You musst not be discovered here.” The female Serpentine whistled, and her scorpiohorse trotted over. “Your enemiesss are surrounding the camp as we ssspeak - ssso you will have to sssneak through the camp, go to the edge of the water, ssswim without them ssseeing, and emerge on the other ssside, where I will meet you with the herd. You will then escape on horssseback through the desert.”

A horn blew, clear and deep, and she cocked her head. “Intrudersss. The sssearch has begun.”

Amun nodded at them, mounted, and rode off.

“Alright,” Kai said. “Cole? What’s the plan?”

“What about our weapons?” Garmadon asked. “We cannot leave a priceless relic like the Skycleaver blade behind.”

“I do not wish to introduce further complications, but what about Morro?” Zane asked. “I understand he is our enemy, but as a Ninja, I cannot contemplate the idea of leaving him to be at the mercy of our enemies.”

It was a terrible thing to do - even Kai would admit that. So, leave Morro behind? Or go back for their worst enemy and risk the fate of Ninjago?

The choice was, unfortunately, all too clear.

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Cole said. “We know where the oasis is.” He extended a hand in its general direction. “That’s our rendezvous. Half of us will find the weapons tent and retrieve the weapons. The other half will go for Morro. If he’s still weak, we may have to carry him out. If you reach the oasis first, swim. Don’t wait for the others.”

Cole pointed at Zane, Nya, and Jay. “You guys go for the weapons. Garmadon, Kai, and I will go for Morro.”

“But what about -” protested Garmadon.

“No buts,” said Cole. Cole’s expression boldly proclaimed, “We are not having a repeat of last time.” Kai silently applauded Cole’s wisdom. Even if Garmadon could be tracked, it was a lot easier for one to disappear than for six. Cole wouldn’t even let Garmadon get close to abandoning them.

The Dark Lord stared Cole down, then relented.

“Alright, split,” Cole said.

They almost stepped out, but Nya dragged them to the center of the pavilion. “Hush!”

Above, the deep whoosh of a dragon flapping its wings sounded, and the dragon screeched.

Kai peered out just enough to see. Shade, Tox, and Karloff circled above on their dragons, watching the camp for any sign of the Ninja.

“FSM, things just got a whole lot harder,” Kai said.

“We can still do it,” Cole encouraged. “Maximum stealth.”

Luckily, the sun was now almost down, and the grid of tents blocked much of the light, creating deep, thick shadows for the Ninja to blend in with.

Kai asked, “Should I lead? Since I know where the med tent is?”

Cole nodded, and Kai crept into position.

Every hair on Kai’s body stood up as they snuck through the camp. Every crunch of the sand, every whoosh of wind, every flap of dragon wings had him on edge.

He peeked round a tent, only to see Karloff with his huge metal gauntlets.

Kai jerked away, putting his back to the tent’s wall. “Karloff,” he hissed.

Cole’s eyes widened. “Where do we have to go?”

“He’s three tents back from the med tent’s entrance.”

“FSM.” Cole scratched his head. “Can we go around? We can pull up the stakes or something and sneak through the back.”

Kai gave Cole a thumbs-up, then silently led them through. From Karloff’s location came a screech, and then a “Thissss is my home!”

Kai shook his head. They were going through each tent - even the family tents - one by one. In two tents, Karloff would be tearing through the medical tent.

The dwellings were neatly arranged to form rows, so that the backs of the tents were to each other and the entrances facing outwards. They slipped through the alley, silent as cats, and then were at the back of the medical tent.

The Oni paintings on its canvas grinned at Kai with malicious ferocity. A shiver ran through him.

“Garmadon, can you -”

Cole had already ripped out the stakes with his super-strength, and now held the bottom flap of the tent up. “You’ll have to slide through on your belly. Get Morro out.”

Kai was the smallest of the group, so it made sense. He slithered through, dragging himself through by his arms.

The familiar scents of herbs assuaged him. The baskets were not yet disheveled like he would’ve expected if someone had already searched it. But the Master of Wind himself was nowhere to be found. His blankets were left in a heap, the bamboo staff and knives he’d had with him missing.

Figured. They had tried to extend a hand and help him out, but he’d abandoned them first.

Kai crawled back out. “He’s gone,” he growled.

“I can’t believe -” said Cole. “Where could he have gone?”

“I do not know,” Garmadon said. “But we need to go to the oasis now. Morro is not yet a proven ally to risk ourselves for.”

That was true, Kai thought. But if he were found, Lloyd would probably torture him just for fun. And what if he spilled he’d met the Ninja? Lloyd was smart enough to suspect a Serpentine-Ninja alliance.

Cole took the helm, leading them through shadows and helping them dodge other various elemental masters. Ash, Carlos, Jasper, and more. It seemed Lloyd had pulled out all the stops, but the King of Gold himself was not present.

Cole paused at a gap between tents. Virtuoso paced by. Cole leapt first, tucking himself into a roll and then blending once again into the shadows. Only the glimmer of his eyes revealed his location.

It was full dark now. Many carried flashlights or even just cell phones with the flashlight feature on.

Kai withheld a snort as he copied Cole’s roll. Didn’t they know it caused night blindness? They couldn’t see anything beyond where the light was actually shining.

Cole held up a hand to signal the group to stop. They pried apart - with painfully noisy rustling - the grassy reeds at the edge of the oasis. The water lapped at their feet. Above stretched the branches of date palms. Tiny bugs buzzed around them. It smelled of damp plants and strangely, Juicy Fruit gum.

Like a wall, at least ten tents rimmed this side of the oasis, their backs to the water. There was no sign of the others. They were too good to leave signs of their passing; hopefully they’d already crossed.

On the other side of the oasis, wallopers and scorpiohorses snorted. A couple of dark figures stood among the animals, staffs in hand for herding the animals.

“Let’s go,” Cole said. He slowly sank into the water, feet first, without making a splash. Kai and Garmadon did the same.

They mostly waded - the oasis was not that deep. The moon hasn’t yet risen and the starlight was too weak to light the water. The darkness was suffocating.

Kai tried not to let his fear of water resurface. Nothing monstrous could lurk in a little pond like this. He wasn’t going to drown, not when the water reached only to his chest, he told himself.

But underwater plants kept snagging at Kai’s ankles like slimy eels. He paused to take off his shoes - they were hopelessly soaked anyway. The mud squeezed up between his toes. Kai breathed shallowly and wished for Nya.

Something whooshed, and Kai tensed up. A dragon was coming closer and closer from behind, its wingbeats monstrously loud in the quiet of the oasis. But if the rider chose to shine a flashlight …

Cole ducked first.

The water had been warm at first, heated by the desert sun, but now that Kai was fully soaked, it seeped in with a chill.

Kai kept his eyes shut as he crouched and focused on anything but the burning in his lungs. Per his training, he’d inhaled half his lung capacity - just enough to survive, but little enough to prevent from inadvertently floating to the top.

Someone grabbed his arm, pulling him upwards with gentleness, not force, and he stood back up, resisting the urge to gasp for air.

Then they were climbing out of the water, trying not to splash. Wind blew through, sticking particles of sand to Kai’s clothing and sending a shiver through his body. Kai put his shoes back on. They were cold and squishy, and were soon crusted with sand.

Cole plunged deeper into the herd, staying low to the ground. The animals milled around them, lowing at their intrusion.

A horse snorted on Kai’s shoulder. A walloper might have tried to lick his face.

“There you are!” Amun stood before them, wet scales glimmering like silver stars in the faint moonlight. “It’sss about time.”

Three scorpiohorses - black stallions - were saddled up. She handed the reins to them. “You’ll have to double up.”

Then she hissed angrily, as if just realizing all of them were not present. “Where are the otherssss?”

“Getting our weapon,” Kai said.

“Oh,” said Amun. “Thesseee?” She gestured at the horses, and sure enough, their weapons were sheathed and strapped to the saddles. “I wassss to retrieve them.”

Kai breathed a curse.

In the distance, engines roared as an airship rose, twin spotlights roving. Kai’s heart stopped. The airship was none other than REX, Ronin’s airship.

Garmadon shoved Kai down, and they all ducked among the animals as the ship prowled towards them. The animals pressed close, bodies soft and warm. One snuffled at Cole’s hair.

“I’m sssorry I forgot to mention the weapons. I’ll find them,” Amun whispered. “You three ssstay here.”

Kai’s hand shot out to grab hers. “With all due respect, we are Ninja. We can find them.”

“But I promised the king I would help you esscape-”

Garmadon had already disappeared into the darkness, taking the Skycleaver blade with him.

“FSM.” Cole dragged a hand over his face. “Someone needs to stay, in case the others get here and turn back for us.”

“You’re right.” Kai clapped Cole on the shoulder, letting a grin slide over his face. He pulled one of his katanas from its sheath, leaving the other strapped to the horse. “Thanks for volunteering.”

“I-” Cole sighed. “Fifteen minutes. Then we’re leaving without them.”

Kai huffed but gave a salute, turning away. He was not creeping through the water - he’d rather skirt around the oasis and make a mad dash back towards the shelter of the tents. If someone passed over the open area between the herd and the camp and happened to shine a light, so be it.

Cole was right, Kai thought, as he sprinted across the sand and then ducked into the shadows. This was a bigger threat than anything they’d faced (it was Lloyd, after all) but it still felt wrong to even think of abandoning the others. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust them … he knew Nya was perfectly capable even if he’d rather wrap her in bubble wrap and shove her in a closet where nothing could harm her.

But to Kai, the guilt of leaving a team member behind felt like rubbing salt in a wound - something better avoided. He didn’t want anyone else to feel how he had felt when Lloyd left them in the Temple of the Undying.

Now, where was Garmadon? Kai peered around the edge of a tent. There were no more wingbeats, no roving lights. Even REX was now stationary, hovering right where the king’s pavilion was, its spotlights aimed down.

Oh no. Kai raced towards the center of camp, remaining silent and staying in the shadows. If Garmadon was smart, he’d notice the gathering too. Or perhaps the Dark Lord had already fled and was deep in Hiroshi’s Labyrinth or the City of Stixx.

Kai paused at the hard line between the darkness of the night and the blinding artificial glare of REX’s lights that beamed down upon the camp’s epicenter. Sand Vipers gathered around it, their faces almost white in the bright light.

In front of the king’s pavilion were the Serpentine Generals, minus Skalidor. Shade held a blade to Mambo’s throat. Tox and Ash stalked around the Generals, eyes on the shadows, while Bolobo, Karloff, Jasper, and Carlos guarded Jay, Nya, and Zane, now in Vengestone cuffs and chains. Ronin stood by the Ninja, gun aimed at Nya, his signature red bamboo hat tipped lopsidedly on his head in his carefree way. Though Mambo’s warriors still retained their weapons, they remained still with their king in imminent danger.

Kai held his breath as he analyzed the situation. Attacking as a lone Ninja, against seven elementals? Not a chance. Even with Garmadon’s Oni powers at his side, Kai doubted they’d be able to free the Ninja. And with the blade at Mambo’s throat? No way - they couldn’t risk it.

“You lied to us,” Shade said to Mambo, his voice carrying across the clearing. Mambo’s Vipers murmured and hissed loudly, hoods flared. “You said there were no Ninja. What are these?”

“I confessss,” said Mambo, baring his fangs in a snarl. “I live in the desert. How would I know what a Ninja looksss like?”

“You,” Shade said, pointing a finger at Skales. “You have encountered the Ninja. Yet you remained silent. Do you want to face the wrath of the King of Gold?”

Skales spat venom at Shade’s feet. “I will bow to no Golden Massster.”

Ronin whispered something to Shade, who whispered to Carlos, and the Animal Master nodded. He grinned as he shifted into a red fire dragon. And set the surrounding tents on fire, lighting up the entire cursed circle.

The Sand Vipers screamed and scattered to save their possessions. The majority of Lloyd’s elementals took to the skies, obviously hoping the fires would flush out the remaining Ninja. Meanwhile, REX’s spotlights shut off and the airship descended, its glass side sliding sideways so Ronin could escort the other Ninja inside at gunpoint.

The sky was now dark red and the surrounding tents crimson with hellfire.

Kai waited, analyzing the situation for the right moment to strike. There wasn’t one.

Flashes of what had happened at the Temple of the Undying came to Kai in vivid detail. The smell of the thick smoke was the same. The same crackling energy ran through Kai, begging him to utilize the heat of the fires. There was the same tenseness - a sudden awareness of every muscle in Kai’s body. And then Lloyd’s scream as Chamille fell.

Kai wouldn’t let it happen again. Another person was not going to get hurt on his watch.

Just as he came to the realization it was now or never, the glass door on the side of REX slid shut, and the Ninja were gone. The ship’s engines roared as the ship prepared to lift off.

Kai drew his sword with shaky hands and bated breath, retreating farther back into the shadows to ensure Shade couldn’t spot him. Someone’s heavy hand thumped down on his shoulder, and Kai twisted and hacked the sword downwards, towards where the person’s torso should have been. His sword met something with a metallic clang, and then, in the firelight, Kai spotted the flickering outline of Garmadon, his bracers crossed like an X so that Kai’s sword lodged between them.

“Don’t reveal yourself,” Garmadon said.

“Why? Don’t you see - they’re leaving!”

“Because I saw General Skalidor take Mambo’s chariot out into the desert.”

“And that’s significant why?”

A Serpentine woman carrying a baby dashed down the aisle, ramming into the Dark Lord. He helped her up, grabbing her shoulders and telling her, “Take only your family. When the beast comes, get a mount and get to the Eternal City!”

Garmadon turned back to Kai. “Skalidor is the only Constrictai here. Our only chance is for him to burrow into the sand and try to summon a Greater Sand Dragon. It will cause enough distraction to allow us to rescue the other Ninja and the Serpentine can then flee to Ouroboros.”

Kai’s mouth dropped. “Are you nuts?!” he shrieked.

Sand Dragons were massive tan lizard-like creatures that burrowed deep beneath the sand, surfacing every once in a while to eat. The Sea of Sand boasted crocodile-size dragons that might devour a person if they lived long enough to grow that large. The western Desert of Doom’s Greater Sand Dragons, however, grew as big as actual dragons, rivaling Bernie, and could devour rogue travelers, wallopers, and possibly entire settlements. Not to mention their corrosive acid-like venom that could dissolve any organic material it happened to splash upon.

As if on cue, the ground began to shake.

Garmadon’s face grew stern. “Our first objective is that vehicle.” He pointed at REX. “I trust your black Ninja will be able to find us?”

Kai only nodded.

“Good.”

The ground was rumbling even more. The tents that were not burned or knocked over in Carlos’s wanton destruction or the Serpentines’ haste to flee were now vibrating, their tent poles falling over as the sand loosened and the dragon neared.

Kai picked his way forwards again, eyes on the airship that hovered above the center.

Shade’s smile grew less triumphant as Mambo puffed out his chest, flaring his hood wider. “Have you met my good friend - the Greater Sssand Dragon?”

At the center of camp, just in front of Shade and the Serpentine generals, the ground collapsed into a sinkhole, and a massive beige beast (or at least its head and neck) charged out like a beast of the Underworld. Its head was as big as a school bus, its yellow teeth as tall as Kai. Its face was triangular-shaped and pockmarked with dozens of bumps and scars; its neck long and coiled with muscle. One of the creature’s eyes was cloudy white, with a scar running top to bottom. The dragon reared its head back and screamed, its call so violent and loud it echoed in Kai’s ears long after it had ceased.

Shade, who was still guarding the generals, had turned white - white than his normal pale color, at least. Acidicus spit venom into Shade’s eyes, and he screeched, scrubbing at his eyes in vain. Kai wasn’t sure what Shade began to hallucinate or whether the venom could possibly make the Greater Sand Dragon scarier. The Shadow Elemental disappeared into the shadows, presumably fleeing to safety. Mambo and the other generals took the opportunity to flee.

“Now!” Garmadon rushed forwards, using purple Airjitzu to ascend to the airship. Kai followed with extra power in an attempt to ‘overshoot’, as he could see REX was ascending to avoid the Sand Dragon’s thrashing head.

The other elementals shot back to the center of camp on their glowing elemental dragons, circling around the Sand Dragon like bees around a bear. Below, more tents collapsed and a few Serpentine screamed, but Kai spotted a fairly large group kicking up dust as they fled north to Ouroboros on scorpiohorses and wallopers.

Garmadon punched through REX first with Destruction, turning the glass into ash that drifted away on the wind. Kai landed shortly after, sword brandished in a defense pose.

“Hello there,” Kai said with a grin.

Zane, Jay, and Nya were still cuffed, sitting on a built-in metal bench in the back. Jay scoffed, saying, “I suppose it does reference Starfarer, but really, that’s the best you could do?!”

At the same time, Ronin said, “Hey!” Ronin swiveled his seat from where he was sitting in the cockpit. The mercenary, surprisingly, was indignant instead of frightened.

Alarms blared, the lights in the cockpit flashing red.

Kai pointed his sword’s tip at Ronin. “Let them go.”

“No can do, gotta get outta here before the Sand Dragon gets us first!” said Ronin, sliding a lever to ‘max.’ The ship thrust upwards, glueing Kai’s feet to the floor for the brief seconds it ascended.

On the unbroken glass window on the other side, green venom arced up, splashing on the glass and hissing as it attempted to burn through. Luckily, Sand Dragon venom didn’t work on metal or other industrial materials.

The dragon outside screeched, and the doorway leading to the cockpit framed its face perfectly from Kai’s view as it jammed its nose forwards, nearly ramming into the front of REX. Ronin swerved.

Jay screamed as he, Zane, and Nya, with their hands trapped, skidded towards the gap Garmadon had left in REX’s side.

Kai lunged forwards onto his belly, his hands grasping one end of the doorway, his feet pressing him upwards at the other, blocking his friends from sliding out. Then REX was jetting off, leaving the monster far behind as they fled west towards Ninjago City.

Garmadon, somehow, despite all of the airship’s intense movement, had made his way to the cockpit and now had two hands on the doorway and another two hands holding daggers to Ronin’s throat and back.

“Kai, guard him and take the ship so I can destroy the others’ handcuffs!”

“No, you don’t understand!” Ronin switched to autopilot, then held out one hand while unbuckling his gun belt with the other, dropping the two revolvers onto the ground with a clank. His knife bracers, which, according to Darreth, also doubled as flamethrowers, followed soon after. He slowly turned to face Garmadon, his back to the control console.

“I’m here to rescue you.”

“Some rescue!” Jay spat from where he was still chained. The three Ninja scooted backwards to the other wall, far from where the air threatened to pull them out any minute.

“I’m not with Lloyd. I went to him to try and figure out what he was up to, and in the meantime, he assigned me to go after you. Obviously,” - Ronin shrugged - “I’m not trying too hard. Unfortunately, I don’t have the key.” He gave Jay a sympathetic grin.

“So you have information about Lloyd?” Kai lowered the tip of his sword, and Garmadon began to tap the cuffs of the others, turning them to ash. Meanwhile, Ronin pressed some buttons, and the alarms stopped. A metal door slid over in place of the broken glass door, blocking off the wind. The sudden reduction of noise made Kai realize how much shouting he’d actually been doing.

Ronin drew in a breath. “I’m the one who took Lloyd to the Dark Island. He said he was heading to Digger’s Deep. I didn’t know what that meant, so I didn’t say anything. Now I know. Whatever he got on that island not only gave him power. It turned him into a monster.

“He’s rounded up every leader in the city - Vania, the Police Commisioner, the mayor, the Metallonian delegation, and forced them to his will. He thinks that Ninjago isn’t balanced and that he needs to create two societies: one of good people, and one of bad. And he forced Chamille to kill Pythor.”

“Pythor’s dead?!” Jay screeched.

“Yep. He was chained and unarmed. Lloyd gave her a sword and Chamille went -” Ronin twisted his wrist like one might twist a dagger - “and he died. Lloyd gave Chamille some fancy jewelry as a reward.”

“You mean the crystal?” Cole’s question faded as Kai’s head started to pound.

It had been six hours since the battle at the Peaks. Six hours since they’d fought Lloyd and fled, and Lloyd had already disrupted society and made himself a king. Something was wrong. This was not Lloyd.

Garmadon confirmed it. “Digger’s Deep is the graveyard I uncovered when I inhabited the Dark Island,” Garmadon said. “It is a place of great evil, where many Oni bled and fell in their crusade against the First Spinjitzu Master and his elemental alliance. It is where the Overlord himself bled as the First Spinjitzu Master broke Ninjago into half, imprisoning him for thousands of years. By drinking the Overlord’s ‘blood’, Lloyd must have formed a connection with the Overlord and become possessed. It is not just darkness, but evil incarnate infecting him. It is now even more imperative now that we cleanse him with Golden Power.”

“Dark Matter is Oni blood?” Jay looked scandalized.

Ronin interrupted. “Anyway, his ultimate goal is to join the two halves of Ninjago together.

“But … ” Kai said. “Doesn’t Lloyd remember? Clouse tried to do that by filling the Temple of Light with Dark Matter, and he almost did join Ninjago, but both halves were going to be flooded with darkness.”

Ronin shrugged. “Yeah, but Lloyd’s convinced because he has Golden Power, he’ll be able to cleanse half of Ninjago for his plan.”

Garmadon was muttering to himself. “This is bad … very bad…”

“No, you know what’s bad?” asked Jay, running his hands over his wrists where the cuffs had rested. He took a deep breath, and Kai knew he was about to have a signature Jay freak-out.

Zane inserted, “Cole is missing, and we are traveling at approximately 60 miles per hour. At this rate, and without Cole knowing where we are, it will take him approximately six hours for him to get to our location, assuming we do not move from here on out.”

The four Ninja exchanged glances.

“We forgot Cole!” shrieked Jay. “What if he got eaten?!”

“Or possibly spat on,” said Zane.

“Turn around! Now!” Jay rushed to the controls, fingers hovering over the console as he tried to figure out how to steer.

Nya was biting her lower lip and wringing her fingers with her ‘guilt’ expression on - the one she’d carried for hours as they’d rocketed away from the NCN Tower, leaving Cole to the Oni cloud. “We can’t leave him behind again,” she whispered to Kai.

Ronin shoved Jay away, grabbing onto the Y-shaped controller that Jay had fruitlessly been yanking on. He clicked a button, and the controller unlocked, allowing him to steer the ship around. The ship began to turn, but then it stalled. Instead of continuing to fly forwards while turning, the ship simply began drifting to the side in the direction they’d come.

“What in Ninjago?” said Ronin.

He flicked more switches, and the engine’s humming grew louder, straining, but it ultimately did nothing. The ship inexorably floated east, and, of course, they had turned so the metal cargo door blocked the view of the direction they were heading.

“If we were five miles above Ninjago, I would suggest that we were caught in some sort of jet stream; however, we are currently only half a mile above Ninjago, so that is not a plausible explanation,” said Zane.

There was an earsplitting crash as something heavy thunked into the other glass side of REX, cracking it. Another object - a trident - jettisoned through, bursting the glass and shattering clear shards all over Garmadon, who was closest. The tip of Nya’s trident embedded itself in REX’s metal door, its handle quivering. Cold night air rushed through the new gaping hole.

The ship wobbled, tilting beneath them. The other Ninja scrabbled for handholds, grabbing onto a metal bar hanging from the ceiling, like a subway hold. REX’s alarms began to go off again.

Then a figure shot through the hole - one clothed in black with a very familiar streak of green in his hair. Weapons - Jay’s nunchucks, Kai’s other sword, and Zane’s shurikens - surrounded him, floating in the air like they were possessed. Finally, a dragon roared, and a second dark figure vaulted inside, a scythe in hand.

Cole brandished the scythe. “Let them go, Ronin!” He then took in the sight of Jay, Zane, and Nya freed, and Kai and Garmadon with their weapons sheathed. “Huh?”

Morro sheathed his double daggers and rolled his shoulders, then waved a hand. The ship shot forwards, and everyone was thrown backwards as it suddenly accelerated. Morro was unaffected, floating delicately in the air, weapons circling him.

Jay groaned from underneath Zane and Nya; Garmadon and Cole had been thrust on top of Kai. Ronin had luckily strapped himself into his pilot’s chair before Morro released the ship from his hold.

Morro then strode over to the Ninja, grabbing each weapon and handing it to its respective owner. Nya’s was left in REX’s wall.

“You’re welcome,” he said as he flipped Kai’s second sword, presenting it handle-first, along with his double sheath.

Kai snatched it back, strapped the blades on, and sneered at the former ghost. “I think we were doing just fine on our own.”

“Oh, yeah, I suppose Cole could’ve felt the wind and detected a 10,000 pound airship traveling at 60 miles per hour towards Ninjago City.” Morro rolled his eyes; green like Lloyd’s, Kai noticed. “Admit it, he would’ve wandered for days if I didn’t drop him off.”

“Hey, he’s smart enough to have figured out where we were heading,” Jay protested.

“Wait a minute, is that Morro? How’s he alive?” Ronin slowly rose, but didn’t exit the cockpit, as if the doorway was the magical line warding Morro away from him. He reached down for his gun belt, but it was next to Cole, having slid all over the ship with everyone else.

“Look. Obviously, Kai and Garmadon aren’t holding you at swordpoint,” Morro said to Ronin. “And the others are free. Which means you’re allies. I’m their ally, so we’re all allies.” He spread his arms and grinned like one might when he was calling, “Drinks for all my friends!”

“We are not allies,” Nya said, shoving past Morro to press a keystroke. A second metal door slid over where the second glass door had been. The alarms were disabeled again.

“That’s a lotta damage,” Ronin muttered, rising to run a hand over the metal door. His eyes were still glazed over as he tried to process the logistics of Morro’s return.

“Both Lloyd and Skales mentioned Ninjago City. We are heading there to stop Lloyd,” Kai said to Morro. “You are leaving.”

“Excuse me?” Morro stalked over to Kai, bringing his face close to Kai’s. They were the same height. “What right do you have to forbid me from joining you? Last I recall, the green runt was in charge, and right now he’s not here to stop me.”

“No, but we are,” Nya said. “You’re not even getting close to him.”

Morro flicked his gaze over Nya, eyes blank with feigned disinterest. “I don’t have to beg from you,” Morro said, turning away and grabbing his bamboo staff from his back. “I will avenge Sensei, either with you or without you. Trust me, you don’t want me as an enemy.”

“Allura’s dead,” Jay said. “Where does that leave you?”

The wicked smile Morro returned could have awakened Stone Warriors or poisoned gods. “That’s right. I’ll go for the real killer.”

“You wouldn’t,” Kai growled, charging forwards, weapon drawn. Screw Sensei’s feelings; he was going to murder Morro.

“Ah ah ah.” Morro spread his fingers, slowly pushing his hands down and out, and suddenly Kai and his brothers were attempting to wade through a literal wind tunnel towards the former ghost.

“Let’s make a deal,” Morro called over the whooshing wind. He held up a finger.

“Hey!” Ronin was shouting something.

Kai had been slowly edging through the wind towards Morro, hunched over, but when the ship began to plummet, he could no longer do so. Weightless, all five of the Ninja were thrust to the side, the winds pounding their bodies against REX’s walls.

“I get a favor,” Morro said with a vicious grin. His voice rang clearly through the space, but the voices of Kai’s teammates were drowned out. “You let me on the team. I get your forgiveness, redeem myself, and pay for being absent during Sensei’s unfortunate demise. Meanwhile, you get my help with your little green runt situation. Deal?”

“Fat chance!” Kai tried to shout over the wind. Morro somehow heard him, his knife-like gaze zeroing in on Kai. He cocked his head like a predatory hawk.

“Tick tock.” Morro pointed towards the cockpit, where Ronin was rapidly trying every control imaginable. Despite his efforts, the ship tilted, pointing nose-down at the dark ground below.

“Swear it on Lloyd’s life!” Morro shouted. He was no longer a teenager their age. He was an ancient, manipulative being of legend.

From the shapes Cole’s mouth was making, Kai assumed he was swearing up a storm, which was not Cole at all; Lloyd technically swore more than Cole, even though he got punished twice as often by Wu for it.

The Ninja made eye contact with each other. Kai gave Cole a firm nod just as the others did too. “We swear!” Cole shouted.

The wind abated. The ship stopped its nose-dive of death and leveled out. Ronin stopped screaming and gripping the controls with white knuckles. All of the Ninja collapsed onto the ground with a thud.

Nya rose, wrenching her trident from REX’s wall and bringing its tip to Morro’s face. “As soon as this is over, I will murder you.”

“Get in line, sis,” said Kai.

Morro was unfazed. “I’m on the team, aren’t I?”

“Didn’t anyone teach you that is not the way to redeem yourself?” asked Jay.

Zane informed Morro, “If you believe this destructive behavior will make us trust you, you are sadly mistaken.”

“You’re on the team,” Cole said, hands on his hips. “But that means you follow Lloyd’s rules, and by extension, mine, as I’m in charge due to Lloyd’s absence. You’re bottom of the list. You want our forgiveness? Then you’re gonna do everything I say and earn it.”

Kai scoffed; Kai would only forgive Morro if Lloyd did, and Kai knew the chances of that were in the negatives.

“All right,” Cole said. “We need Lloyd’s crystal. Zane? Any ideas?”

Chapter Text

While Ronin hunted, Lloyd plotted. He plotted while his elementals loaded supplies onto the Bounty in preparation for a trip to the Dark Island. He alternated between listening and plotting while the Overlord whispered in his ear how he was supposed to join the two halves of Ninjago. He frowned as thoughts of what the Ninja might do intruded upon his planning for how the new government of Ninjago, both the dark and light half, were supposed to run.

Tensions rose as the prisoners of Borg Tower constantly sent messages to Lloyd, requesting that he hear them out. He ignored them. Skylor had again tried to escape, and she’d taught the other elementals to use their Vengestone cuffs as weapons. Half of the policemen Lloyd had recruited to guard the prisoners were now out with concussions. Lloyd had actually had to go down to the 91st floor yesterday and sort it out by creating separate cells for each, and then leaving both Toxikita and Ash to supplement the police guard.

“Do you really believe this ‘Ronin’ will come through?” the Overlord hissed as Lloyd lay awake on the huge bed in the Borg Tower penthouse, where Borg apparently used to stay when working on huge projects.

“Yes,” Lloyd said. “It just takes time.” Only two days ago, Lloyd had killed Allura and the Ninja had fled. Only a day ago, Lloyd’s elementals had arrived at the Tower, beaten and bloody from their encounter with the Ninja in the Desert of Doom. The Serpentine had disappeared into the Sea of Sand without a trace. The Greater Sand Dragon was dead, its massive carcass now presumably crawling with flies and vultures. And the Ninja had disappeared, as had Ronin on his untrackable REX.

It was Lloyd’s hope Ronin was just taking his time delivering them. Jay, Nya, and Zane had been captured, but Ronin might not want to return until he had all five in tow, as he’d promised he would. But with REX in stealth mode, Lloyd couldn’t send any transmissions to the ship, or even attempt to track it, as its advanced AI allowed it to completely disconnect from satellite and navigate solely by the memory of its downloaded maps.

Streaks of red and orange bled from the horizon, streaming through the wide glass windows and marking the dawn of the third day.

“Those Ninja are trouble. They always have a way of coming through. You need to find them as soon as possible.”

“I know, I know!” Lloyd ran his hands through his hair. Beside him, Chamille, dressed in sweatpants and his Fall Out Boy tee, moaned and pulled the covers over her head.

They were just friends, he’d said over and over again. But now they were something else, something Lloyd couldn’t define. Not friends with benefits. King and queen. But what kind of king was he when he needed a queen to chase away nightmares?

Lloyd slipped out of bed, heading to the bathroom and shutting the door to shower and dress. He emerged to find Chamille gone, back at the quarters he’d built on the 99th floor for her and the other elementals, he assumed.

Back to plotting and trying to anticipate the Ninjas’ next moves, after two hours of sleep.

“We need to find out where the Ninja are,” Lloyd declared as soon as he sat down with the others for breakfast in the common mess hall and began to plan the day.

Shade shoveled cereal into his mouth. “Ronin’s still out there.”

“I know, but -”

Chamille swept in, dressed in leather, with daggers strapped all over. She handed Lloyd a BorgPad. “Prodigo City and Metalonia are sending delegations today. They’re concerned about their ‘missing’ ambassadors.”

Lloyd glanced over the message, then handed the tablet back to her. “Tell them not to bother. Either they swear loyalty to me, or their people remain imprisoned.”

Chamille tapped out a response and grabbed a bagel from the buffet counter, sliding into place beside him at the large dining table in the center of the room.

Lloyd gulped down his coffee after stirring in plenty of creamer and sugar. “I’m suspecting the Ninja are plotting something. Ronin may be after them, but by the time he finds them, it might be too late. We need to anticipate their move and make plans to stop them.”

“Assaulting Borg Tower is definitely out,” Carlos said. “They don’t have the numbers. Especially if it’s just Kai and Cole.”

“If they managed to free the prisoners, then they would,” Chamille said.

Shade pointed out, “But they barely have enough to even free the prisoners first. And with Lloyd here, they wouldn’t risk it.”

“What else they go for?” Karloff asked.

Chamille began, “Maybe -” but was cut off as Toxikita and Ash ran in.

“The Ninja are here!”

Lloyd shot out of his chair. “What? Where? What are they doing?”

“They’re -” Ash stopped talking as the Tower trembled and a terrible buzzing filled the air. Lloyd tensed as electricity crackled and the appliances shut down. The lights flickered off, some of the fluorescent bulbs shattering.

Lloyd blinked in the sudden dimness. Luckily, most of the rooms had huge glass windows, so it wasn’t completely dark, but the corridor was. They all rushed to the windows to peer out.

Jay and Nya’s elemental dragons circled the Tower, bombarding it with elemental blasts.

They were supposed to be captured …

“Where are the others?” Carlos wondered.

“It must be a distraction,” Chamille suggested. “Where else could they be -”

“The basement!” Ash exclaimed. “Cole must be below, trying to break into the Tower via the vault.”

“What good would that do? He’d have to use the elevator to get into the main building,” Shade said.

Carlos raised a finger. “They must be trying to break in through the ventilation!”

“Useless, they’d still have to climb up a hundred stories -” said Chamille, shoving Carlos with a shoulder.

Lloyd’s eyes widened as the Overlord growled, “Stupid boy! Can’t you see? Ronin has allied himself with the Ninja!”

His plans. They were all going to the Underworld.

Lloyd’s phone rang, snatching him out of his unpleasant reverie. It blared out Fall Out Boy’s Sugar We’re Goin’ Down. Lloyd snatched it from the table when he saw the caller ID was Gravis. “Yes?”

“The Ninja are at the harbor!”

“Which Ninja?” Lloyd asked as he watched Jay and Nya whirl and take another shot. Distantly, glass shattered and someone shrieked.

Lloyd jerked the phone from his ear. “FSM, guys, stop staring and get out there and do something!”

They froze, and almost in unison, asked, “Who?”

“I don’t care!” Lloyd snapped. “Chamille, deal with them!”

He stepped away from the window, cupping the speaker so he could hear Gravis better over Chamille’s shouting. The others fled from the room.

The Ninja must have split their forces. One was a distraction, while the other was the main target. The question was, which one was the distraction? And where in Ninjago was Ronin? “Who’s at the docks?”

“Kai, Zane, and Garmadon.”

That settled it. Kai loved to be at the forefront of the action. Wherever Kai was, that was the main target. Jay and Nya must be trying to distract Lloyd. But they hadn’t anticipated that Chamille’s power, aided by the crystal, nearly matched his own.

“What are they aiming for?” Lloyd shoved open the emergency staircase door, leaping up two at a time and then rushing into the penthouse.

“The Bounty.”

Lloyd swung ajar the door to the balcony. “Any report of Ronin?”

“No.”

FSM, where could he possibly be, if the Ninja were at Lloyd’s doorstep? He either had to be allied with them, or they had escaped and he was currently trying to recapture them. Despite Lloyd’s best hopes, he had a sinking feeling it was the former, as the Overlord had suggested.

The harbor was ten minutes away on the western side of the city, by the Endless Sea. Protecting the Bounty was their biggest objective. If the Ninja got a hold of it, they’d be able to launch hit-and-runs, and it’d be harder to catch them if they had a mobile base to live on. They could hide literally anywhere in Ninjago.

The one question was - why was Garmadon helping the Ninja? He’d been at the Peaks, defending them and then somehow helping them escape through a portal. But he was selfish and capricious. What stake did he have? Were the Ninja promising him something? Or did he have a more sinister plot in mind ...

From behind, the elevator distantly dinged, and then Lloyd’s other elementals poured out onto the balcony.

Lloyd began issuing orders. “Karloff, Toxikita, Bolobo, and Shade, you’re with me. To the Bounty. Chamille, you stay here and defend the Tower with Carlos, Ash, Virtuoso, and Jasper. Don’t hurt them, but don’t let them get away. And contact Ronin and ask him where in Ninjago he is!”

Lloyd climbed onto the balcony railing. This high up, the morning air was still cool and slightly damp from the clouds that crossed through. Below stretched Ninjago City, hundreds of feet below. “For Ninjago.”

_____________________________________________________________________________

Kai was actually a little surprised they’d been able to come up with a plan.

They’d sat on the floor, huddling by each other, chomping down on Ronin’s slightly expired granola bars as REX’s autopilot brought them across the Sea of Sand, closer and closer to the east coast and Ninjago City. All the while, they discussed what they’d do when they got there.

Half of the team - Jay, Nya, and Cole - were going to Borg Tower and attacking it. A few minutes later, Kai, Garmadon, Zane, and Morro would strike at the harbor in a half-hearted attempt to steal the Destiny’s Bounty. The hope was that Lloyd would believe the Bounty was the main target and divert his resources there. As soon as he reached the harbor, Garmadon would travel via the Skycleaver blade to support the team at the Tower, and they would capture the crystal from Chamille. Afterwards, Garmadon would retrieve them, and transport them with the Skycleaver blade to the Monastery, where they would rendezvous with Ronin and REX, and then fly to Ouroboros.

Foolproof … as long as Lloyd took the bait and Morro played the role Cole had assigned him to perfection. Despite the team’s misgivings, Morro, with his mastery of wind (and being Lloyd’s arch-nemesis) was the only one who could distract Lloyd and keep him at the harbor for the length of time they needed.

The familiar surroundings of REX faded away as Garmadon’s portal spat Kai, Zane, Morro, and the Dark Lord himself out at the Ninjago City Harbor.

Seagulls shrieked as they wheeled and dove for litter left by ignorant patrons. Ocean water lapped at the base of the dock pilings, with occasional waves rushing in and whooshing as they crashed upon the beach below. The air was thick with moisture, the sky grey and flat above.

The harbor was empty except for one ship. At the biggest dock, a few spaces over, rested the Bounty. Its white sails were furled. The scratches from the dragon attack at the caves had been painted over. The hole in its side from Jasper’s lightning was patched, with only the different wood grains telling the story of its disastrous encounter.

Unfortunately, it was swarming with people. Gravis stood at the helm, yelling orders down to people. Some were dressed in business casual, looking much like the interns Kai had seen at Borg Tower in the past. Others were clearly Shintaran guards or policemen. Most loaded crates onto the Bounty, carrying them belowdecks, while a few policemen waited to bring Serpentine and a few former members of the Sons of Garmadon on board.

“It appears as if they are preparing for a departure,” Zane whispered, as people finally began to take notice of the four figures who had appeared out of nowhere. Gravis’s voice cut off and the workers’ activity ground to a halt.

“... Kai…?” asked Gravis.

“The one and only!” Kai called back, lighting up his fists. “We want that ship.”

The game was on.

Kai and Zane rushed forwards, elements in hand, weapons drawn. The Borg Tower interns fled around them, scattering down the docks and back towards the city. The Shintaran guards and policemen glanced once at their captor and then revolted, raising arms and charging Gravis.

Gravis raised a hand, and Kai’s heart jerked as his feet left the ground. Around him, everyone else flailed as Gravis lifted them higher.

A hand grasped Kai’s arm, and if not for a rapidly hissed “Stop! It’s me!” in Morro’s voice, Kai would’ve slashed the person attached to it with his katana. Admittedly, he still wanted to.

Morro said, “I can counteract Gravis’s gravity with wind. You and Zane get the civilians out of the way.”

Morro shoved Kai away. Kai withheld a scream as he rocketed towards Zane with no control whatsoever over his own momentum.

Then Morro rammed Gravis, and the weightlessness was removed. Kai and Zane gently floated to the ground with the others.

Above, Morro and Gravis chased each other. Gravis threw a collection of crates at Morro, but they parted around Morro, ripping apart and spewing splinters of wood and dried fruit snacks all over the dock.

Kai had anticipated that if he were here, Lloyd would believe the docks were the main target and thus clear Borg Tower for Jay, Nya, Ronin, and Cole to infiltrate. However, there was another reason he’d come. Despite Morro’s obsession with joining them, and Cole’s supposed authority over Morro, Kai did not trust the Wind Elemental.

Kai grabbed civilians by the arms and shoved them out of his way, herding them away from the Bounty and urging them to flee into the city. Zane did the same. The farther these people got, the better the chances of Lloyd not finding them and forcing them to serve him.

The policemen and Shintaran guards would not be swayed, however. Some of the policemen raised their tasers, and the Shintarans their spears.

The Police Commissioner wasn’t present, but his son, Jimmy, explained that although their leaders were imprisoned in Borg Tower, he and the others were determined to at least help the Ninja get away safely, despite whatever punishments might be inflicted.

“Make way!” Garmadon shouted, just before a cloud of darkness descended on the docks like fog. Kai managed to not panic this time, although it was hard to resist the temptation to rub his hands together in the now freezing air.

The darkness cleared, revealing Gravis, jerking in the hold of Garmadon’s shadowy tendrils. Morro hovered beside him.

Kai whooped and raised a fist into the air.

“Do not be so fast to celebrate, Kai.” Zane pointed towards the city.

Five elemental dragons winged their way towards the docks. Karloff’s silver, Toxikita’s neon green, Shade’s black, and Bolobo’s foresty olive. At the tip of the arrowhead formation rode Lloyd, his golden dragon gleaming like the sun.

Morro landed next to Garmadon as Kai and Zane drew beside them. Gravis gasped as Garmadon’s shadows forced open his mouth, slithering down his throat. Kai recoiled as Gravis’s skin turned ashy. Garmadon laid him down on one of the farther docks.

“Remember the plan,” Garmadon said quietly as Lloyd approached. “Hold out until I retrieve you.”

Garmadon cut a portal with the Skycleaver blade, and then he was at Borg Tower with Jay and Nya and Ronin and Cole, fighting to seize the crystal from Chamille.

“All right,” Kai said, nudging Zane with a shoulder. “So we’ll try to steal the ship, and -”

“Hey!” Morro yelled, shooting up into the air to face Lloyd. Why he didn’t summon a dragon, Kai didn’t know. It would have been so much more impressive.

“Bet you weren’t expecting to see me, were you?” taunted Morro as he veered out of Lloyd’s way, but stuck near him.

“It’s a trick!” Shade said. “Send no reply.”

“An illusion,” Lloyd hissed, and then that was all Kai heard, because he was now sprinting across the docks, heading for the now empty ship. Zane followed close behind, but split off on his dragon to attempt to distract the rest of Lloyd’s group.

Kai reached the ship and surged over the gunwale, taking the ladder rungs to the holder deck by two. He pressed buttons on the Bounty’s dashboard, but they remained unresponsive. Of course, it was too easy for someone to leave the keys out. He opened the cabinet beneath the dashboard, scrabbling around until he pulled out a clump of wires. Kai gritted his teeth as he tried to remember which ones would hot-wire it.

“Ah ha!” Kai said as the engines sputtered to life. The screens lit up blue. “Let’s chop-sockey this lemonade stand!” Kai smashed the big red button by the steering wheel, and the Bounty began to lift into the air.

Shouts came from outside, and the ship shuddered as some sort of green liquid hit the deck out front. There was a sizzling noise as the acid began to eat through the wood.

Lloyd cursed loudly, and Kai heard him shout, “Don’t damage the ship, Tox!”

Kai grinned: that was one more weakness on their part. While he didn’t want to destroy the Bounty either, if they were holding back it’d be a whole lot easier to distract them.

Kai steered the Bounty forwards, towards the city. Computer screens on either side of him displayed the Bounty’s blind spots, and consequently, also the battle outside.

Karloff, Toxikita, and Shade flew just behind the ship, inching closer to the deck with every heartbeat.

Karloff landed first with a thud, and then the others were on board.

Ohhh, how outmatched Kai was. Karloff yelled a greeting as Kai rapidly input coordinates to Jamanakai Village, fingers shaking in his excitement.

Yes, he knew the crystal was the most important part. But he also thought that while they were creating this plan, they should’ve anticipated that if Lloyd thought this was the real attack, that Lloyd would also send a lot more people than they’d actually planned for. Where in the world was Zane? Bolobo wasn’t that big of a threat.

Shade raised his strange garrotte/dagger/nunchucks weapon. “Stop! Now!”

Kai drew one of his katanas from his back. Loading, loading …

He twisted around just in time to block Shade’s first strike with his sword. Karloff hoverd in the back; Kai assumed Karloff didn’t want to risk damaging the sensitive equipment.

Toxikita carried no weapon, but her physique and knowledge of hand-to-hand combat made up for it. Or would have made up for it, if she was facing anyone other than a Ninja who weighed at least 35 pounds more than her and had spent over five years of life facing supervillains.

She tried to punch, but Kai grabbed her fist, pulling her in, and then he slammed his forehead perfectly into her nose, putting her out of the fight instantly. Both of Toxikita’s hands flew to her nose, coming back bloody.

A ding! came from the computer. Kai grinned and slammed his fist onto a large green button. Kai bent low, anticipating the Bounty’s acceleration, but the others were unprepared and slid backwards as the ship rapidly gained speed, autopiloting itself towards Jamanakai.

It would’ve been nicer if they hadn’t seen where it was going, but at least now Lloyd’s team would have to spend time tracking it down while it was going full-speed.

Kai flamed up his fists, and as expected, Shade and Karloff’s natural instincts forced them to recoil. Kai took advantage of this split second of indecision and launched himself to the side, escaping their circle. He leapt off the poop deck, landing with a roll on the main deck.

The ship had automatically rerouted to avoid ramming into downtown Ninjago City. Below, there were clouds and the faint outlines of the tips of skyscrapers.

Kai lifted a hand and mouthed at Shade, Karloff, and Tox: “Bye.”

Then he vaulted off, trusting the others to follow.

Toxikita was in no condition to try to commandeer the ship, leaving only one person in pursuit if they chose to try to reclaim the ship. Easy peasy.

Kai’s dragon burst into existence with a fiery flare. He was still on the western coast of the city, the harbor in one direction, the city in the other. He estimated Borg Tower was five minutes from his position.

Behind, two dragons screeched. Shade must really not want to let him go.

Kai checked his watch. Seven minutes. Had it been enough for Garmadon to seize the crystal yet? He’d better lead his pursuers back to the harbor just in case, to buy more time. Also, he’d need to be there when Garmadon came to retrieve them.

His wrist-comm flashed.

“Hey guys … ” said Morro. “We might have a problem.” His voice trailed off again, then hardened as he spit out, with angry reluctance, “Lloyd’s heading towards the Tower.”

Ronin’s voice came through. “Garmadon said he’s run into a snag. You’ve got to keep him distracted for another five minutes.”

“Can you hold out for one minute?” asked Zane. “I will join you.”

“Whoops,” Morro said through pants. “I’m - already halfway - to Borg Tower.”

Kai’s eyes nearly bugged out. This was most definitely NOT the plan. Morro was supposed to keep Lloyd at the harbor the entire time. If Lloyd got to the Tower before they had the crystal, it was game over and the entire plan was for nothing.

Kai wrenched his dragon from its path to the harbor and towards Borg Tower. On closer inspection, the harbor was completely empty and he should’ve noticed it from a distance.

“This is not the plan,” Kai growled into the comm.

“We will make a new plan,” Zane said, ever the picture of calm. Kai spotted a flash of movement through the cloud layer that permeated the upper floors of the city. Zane pulled his dragon beside Kai’s as they raced to the Tower, Bolobo, Shade, and Karloff close behind.

“The new rendezvous point is the Tower,” Zane continued. “I will immediately plunge into battle and attempt to hold them off so Morro can flee. Garmadon will have to hold off Lloyd while the rest escape into Garmadon’s portal.”

Borg Tower’s outline solidified ahead into a solid construct of glass and metal.

Below, on Borg Tower’s penthouse deck, Chamille crouched on the ground, bleeding from various wounds as Virtuoso, Ash, and Jasper circled a disarmed Cole, Jay, Nya, and Ronin. Garmadon was wrestling with an invisible beast, presumarly Carlos. His shadows wrapped around its form, revealing a dragon’s struggling outline. To the left, a tiny figure in black zoomed towards the Tower, a huge golden dragon behind.

Morro was faltering. No wonder - as a ghost it was easy to use Wind to carry himself, but a physical body required much more effort. Morro barely swerved upwards to ascend the Tower. Lloyd was so close behind he almost slammed into its glass before veering, urging his elemental dragon to carry him vertically.

Kai thrust his dragon into a dive towards the penthouse, slamming his heels into its side. Fire burst out, and Virtuoso, Ash, and Jasper fled to dodge it. Zane leapt off his dragon, skidding to a halt. He pulled his shurikens and moved to block Jasper, Ash, and Virtuoso. Nya, Cole, Ronin, and Jay joined him.

Garmadon shoved the Skycleaver blade upwards, and Carlos shrieked, turning visible. Garmadon rose, throwing Carlos’ limp body halfway across the deck.

Then the Dark Lord sprinted across the rooftop, summoning a wall of darkness that Morro punched through, landing behind Garmadon. Kai alighted next to Morro, sword in hand.

Lloyd shrieked - an unnatural, almost dragon-like cry - and slid to a standstill, hovering just beyond the wall of shadows. Over the top of the wall, Kai could see the beating of the wings of Lloyd’s golden dragon.

Lloyd himself peered over the cloud, eyebrows pulled low as he raised a hand, bringing his fingers together like claws. His eyes hardened as he took in Chamille’s state. She was still on the ground to Kai’s left. Slices from the Skycleaver blade were carved into her face and arms, dripping red profusely.

Lloyd refocused, ripping his gaze from her. The darkness began to swirl. Garmadon grunted.

“You think this can stop me?” asked Lloyd, even as Garmadon backed up, Kai and Morro beside him. The darkness began to thin.

“I am Oni, too,” Lloyd said, bringing his dragon so that he stepped right from its back onto the parapet, striding through the cloud. White tattoos - Oni tattoos - appeared on his face, along with purple horns that arced backwards gracefully. He grinned, revealing fangs, as a crystalline spear - similar to Garmadon’s daggers - appeared in his left hand.

Their two groups pressed together, Zane and Cole at the back facing Virtuoso, Jasper, and Ash, while the rest faced Lloyd. Ronin raised a two-handed blaster gun, Cole, his scythe. Jay and Nya readied their elements.

“Shall we see who is stronger?” asked Lloyd, swirling the remaining darkness around their little group.

Jasper, Ash, and Virtuoso backed away.

Garmadon dropped his hands, letting Lloyd have control over the shadows. “This is not you, Lloyd.”

“Everyone keeps saying that,” said Lloyd, letting shadows drip like water from his fingers. “But I am a creature of dual nature. I am not just light. Neither is Ninjago. Ninjago is equally light and dark.”

“You are not to be both, son!” Garmadon said. Two of his hands splayed outwards, gesturing, and most importantly, distracting, while the other two unscrewed the top of the Skycleaver blade.

“Get ready,” Kai told himself as he tensed, ready to flee into the portal to their designated safe spot.

“You are the champion of the dragons - of the First Spinjitzu Master. I am supposed to be the champion of the Oni - the evil to your light.”

“And why can’t I be both?” Lloyd twisted his fingers, and the darkness spread like ink billowing at his feet. “I will right Ninjago. I will bring it into balance and bring eternal peace. I will rid Ninjago of the Overlord. Forever.” His eyes were Oni red.

Kai’s heart seized. His baby brother. They must have the crystal - otherwise Garmadon would be attacking. But he couldn’t ask if Garmadon had successfully retrieved it - not without risking drawing Lloyd’s attention to it. Nor could he suggest they use it against Lloyd, although it would be brilliant if whoever was holding it thought of that.

“Do not do this,” Garmadon warned Lloyd as he held his palm above the Skycleaver blade, letting blood drip into it. “Do not merge the islands. Do not bring darkness into Ninjago. You do not know realmatic theory. You do not know what you will unleash!”

Kai barely restrained himself from asking. Was Garmadon referring to unleashing darkness as a whole? It almost sounded as if he was implying there was some sort of creature that might be unleashed …

Nya clutched Kai’s hand with her right. Jay’s hand was in her other.

“Don’t bring darkness,” mused Lloyd, running a finger down the tip of his amethyst spear. “By that logic, I should defeat you. I do need to hone my Destruction.”

His red eyes shot up. He blinked at Kai.

Then slammed his foot down. All of Borg Tower shook. Lloyd began to pace, keeping his slit pupils trained on Garmadon.

“Should I summon a Colossus too? Should I terrorize Ninjago like you did?” His voice rose with each phrase.

He halted in front of Garmadon, nose to nose. He was so close, Kai could’ve spit on him. Despite the height difference - Lloyd was a foot shorter - Lloyd’s presence overwhelmed.

“Lloyd -” Kai tried to say.

Lloyd ignored him.

It was Kai’s fault. It was Kai’s fault for letting Chamille get so close. Kai’s fault for not persuading the other Ninja to do something before it got this bad. Kai’s fault for hitting Chamille and forcing Lloyd to go rogue.

“Your advice,” said Lloyd as wispy darkness swirled around him and Garmadon, engulfing the team, “is hypocritical and inaccurate. You believed you needed evil to defeat the Oni. You were wrong. Darkness cannot defeat darkness. So it’s a good thing the King of Ninjago has light too,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd clapped, and Kai was blinded.

Garmadon was screaming.

“Stop, Lloyd!” Despite the fact that he was effectively blind, Kai found his body rocketing forwards, eyes shut, and seizing Lloyd’s forearm - outfitted in hard gold. The power of the gold surged through him, electrifying him like the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu. The Golden Weapons, reforged.

Kai shouted, “He’s your father!”

“We’re your family,” echoed Kai silently.

“I have no father,” Lloyd snarled, kicking out at Kai.

The light and extreme heat abated, but Kai still could not feel a thing.

“Here!” A cold hand had Kai’s arm, tugging him backwards. It was Zane.

Kai blinked rapidly - he could see blurred outlines now. Zane pivoted Kai, shoving him away. Ahead, the portal swirled in its many colors.

Garmadon was still screaming.

“Where’s Nya?” Kai shouted.

Zane’s eyes were not baby blue or sky blue or ice blue. They were darkened - his built-in sunglasses had slid over his lenses. “She and Jay have already left!”

“Morro?”

Zane tilted his head towards Garmadon. The Dark Lord had his eyes shut. His body appeared to be smoking. But he still held the Skycleaver blade in one hand and three purple daggers in the others. Morro had the fourth dagger, and he was attempting to get behind Lloyd.

Zane drew his katana, keeping two shurikens in one hand, and went to meet Virtuoso, Ash, and Jasper. Cole charged in beside him, dust swirling around him, his eyes orange with power.

It was time to go. Kai should’ve fled. But he couldn’t leave Garmadon and Morro. Not because he had any sentimentality for them. No, he was ready to chew Morro out for ruining this entire situation.

Much as he hated to admit it, they were the most powerful allies Kai and the others had, and they were integral in their next plan for using the crystal.

Lloyd’s eyes narrowed as Kai joined the attack. It was his calculating look - the one he used when he encountered a hard algebra problem, or a dragon behavior phenomenon he wanted to explain. Or the one he used when formulating a counterattack.

Lloyd formed a solid wall of shadows at his back, effectively blocking off Morro. Then he lunged forwards, holding up his spear. Garmadon thrust all three daggers towards him. Instead of blocking, Lloyd let his spear disappear, slid on his back underneath Garmadon’s guard, and then thrust both hands upwards at the Skycleaver blade. His palms slammed into the weapon. The four elements of Creation, combined in disharmony.

The blade turned black, and then crumbled into ash. Garmadon cursed and let go of it.

A priceless relic, destroyed. A key part of their next attack, destroyed. Their escape, destroyed.

Kai skidded to a halt.

Lloyd had his hands on Garmadon’s forearms. The Dark Lord’s mouth was open in a silent scream. Yellow light seeped through the gaps in his armor. His veins glowed golden against his black skin. Behind them, Cole and Zane held off the others.

“Go! Now!” Cole ordered.

Morro was at Kai’s side in an instant. “We have to flee now.”

“And how will you do it without your artifact?” asked Lloyd, a smirk on his face as he clenched Garmadon’s arm harder and bled more light into him. The Dark Lord collapsed.

Morro simply tugged Kai with him to the side of the balcony. Kai leapt. Morro leapt. Lloyd leapt.

Morro let go of Kai, summoning a burst of wind to carry himself. Kai summoned his elemental dragon.

“How are we supposed to get rid of him?” Kai asked as they swerved through the downtown, Lloyd right behind them.

It was obvious they were going to lose. Lloyd was the superior dragon rider. He raced against Hunter day and night. Flew through literal lightning storms and supercells for fun. Free fell for minutes, with nothing to catch him but his own element.

“I can slow him with Wind!” Morro shouted.

The Monastery. They needed to get to the Monastery.

“No, we need to -” Kai bit it off, despite the fact that he knew, logically, that Lloyd could easily pinpoint where the others had emerged. He tried again. “We - need - a dragon to get there!”

Morro gave Kai a look, the lost kind that Kai had seen six-year olds give their parents when they had climbed up the diving platform but didn’t know how to get down.

“I’m out!”

Of energy? It was true - Morro was using all his energy just to stay afloat. And maybe he’d used a lot just getting from the harbor to the Tower.

Kai held back his groan. He was going to hate himself after this. “We’ll combine!” He extended a hand to Morro. Morro acquiesced, grabbing his hand and letting Kai pull him in so he plopped in front of Kai. It was a good thing Kai was fairly tall - but Morro’s longer hair slapped at his face, making it hard to steer.

“Ready?” Kai asked, reaching out with his elemental power. Wind fueled Fire - it should be easy to combine.

“No!” screeched Morro.

Lloyd was catching up. Ash, Shade, and Karloff had joined him.

“Why not?” yelled Kai.

A pause. Then: “I. Can’t. Summon!”

An elemental master forty years older than Kai. Sensei Wu’s prized pupil. Possible Green Ninja. Couldn’t. Summon.

“FSM! You gotta conquer your fears!”

“What fears? I don’t have any!” Morro snorted, pretentious to the end.

What fears? Kai felt as if he were grabbing boxes and turning them upside down, dumping all their contents on the floor in a scrambled mess as he searched his brain.

Morro wanted to be the Green Ninja. But he’d made peace when he “died.”

Morro wasn’t afraid of Lloyd. He laughed at Lloyd and had even tortured Lloyd.

It hit Kai. He was afraid he had no one. He was afraid that no one would ever trust him - that he’d never have a found family like the Ninja - that Wu had never really forgiven him of his crimes.

Kai wasn’t the one Morro should be asking for forgiveness.

But he still had to do it. Even if he had to lie through his teeth.

Kai leaned to Morro’s side, just trying to see around him. The NGTV building loomed up ahead, marking the end of Ninjago City and the beginning of the Sea of Sand. If they hadn’t lost Lloyd before that, they were going to run out of steam and there were no places to hide until the Scattered Canyons, a forty-minute flight from here.

“Morro!” Kai hissed into his ear. “You have to believe me!”

Morro twisted round and raised a brow, his gaze telling Kai, “What are you trying to say?”

“Sensei forgave you!” Kai poured out. “And so do we! We see you’re trying to reform! We know you’re trying to help! And we believe you!”

Every word tasted foul in Kai’s mouth. He did not believe Morro. He, in fact, wanted to strangle Morro. Kai finished lamely with, “You have to trust me!”

Morro stared at him for a second, not comprehending.

“Come on!” Kai practically begged him. “You can do it!”

“I’m trying! It’s not working!” Morro roared back, with extra ferocity, as if he knew everything Kai had uttered was a lie.

“FSM!” Kai cursed. They were cold. “I’ll do it myself! Just slow them down and make us go faster!”

Kai’s dragon shot forwards with a roar, its wings beating double-time. Sweat poured down Kai’s face as he thrust every bit of energy he had into his dragon.

The wind sang, pushing them faster and faster. Buildings and street signs and traffic lights turned to blurs.

Lloyd and the others were left in the dust. Lloyd’s strange dragon cry echoed behind them.

They were now adrift in the Sea of Sand.

Chapter Text

Kai was silent for the first thirty minutes after they’d lost Lloyd. There was no noise except for Morro’s breathing, the boom of the wings of Kai’s dragon, and the whooshing of the wind against Kai’s face. He was waiting. Waiting to pounce on Morro like a dragon once they stopped.

Huge monolithic rocks loomed ahead - the beginnings of the Scattered Canyons and subsequently the Corridor of Elders. In a voice that left no room for argument, Kai said, “We’re stopping here to rest before we fly to Ouroboros tonight. We’ll hide in the canyons in case Lloyd’s sent patrols to find us.”

Morro did not have a sarcastic reply.

They set down in the Corridor of Elders without incident. The statues loomed above them, their wise faces serene. They had no idea what sort of figure of legend was gallivanting around the western coast of Ninjago, calling himself a god. Kai made himself a mental note to ask the others about the idea of commissioning a statue for Sensei at the end of this.

Kai groaned and flexed his fingers. Every inch of him was sore and drained. He wanted to flop down on the couch in the Bounty’s living room and curl up with one of Lloyd’s fluffy blankets and sleep for days. Alas, he had plans.

Morro apparently had an inkling of those plans, because he immediately struck off, heading down the Corridor and then Airjitzuing up to land at the top of the canyon, by the head of Garmadon’s statue.

Kai cupped his hands around his mouth. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“To find water,” called Morro. “Don’t wanna get dehydrated, ya know?”

Kai growled. He was not going to pretend they were civilized strangers and be polite. No, Morro was technically on the team, and thus, as a team member who’d royally screwed up, he deserved to be chewed out.

Kai forced the last bit of his energy into his Airjitzu. The elemental particles swirled around him, carrying him to Morro’s position, and then they were gone. He was completely, utterly drained.

The air didn’t even heat as he said, with all the venom he could muster, “I hate you.”

“The feeling is mutual.” Morro didn’t even bother to look at him as he shaded his eyes and scanned the horizon, which was really just more canyons, except for the eastern and western Sea of Sand to either side.

“You’re a ‘member’ of the team now, Morro.” Kai specifically made sure to add air quotes when he said ‘member.’

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Morro had already taken off the black robes he’d been wearing when they found him in the Desert of Doom. Now, Morro swiped his hair out of his face and peeled off his black t-shirt, wadding it into a ball and shoving it into the pocket of his black jeans. He left his robes wrapped around his waist like an overly long jacket. Sweat gleamed on his neck and arms. A slight wind rippled, ruffling Kai and Morro’s hair, and then that was it. Perfect. No resistance.

“You’re going to get sunburn.”

Morro shrugged. “It’s the middle of the day. It’s too hot to think.”

Kai rolled his eyes. Time to get this over with. “Members,” Kai said, getting right in front of Morro, “don’t completely change the plan, or, if they do, they at least apologize. Do you even realize what you did? We lost Zane and Cole. And Garmadon? Lloyd’s probably torturing him! We had a literal ONI on our side, and you led Lloyd right to the Tower! All you had to do was keep him at the harbor. I had three elementals on my tail! Zane had Bolobo. And you only had Lloyd!”

Morro stayed silent during Kai’s rant. He crossed his arms, tilted his head, and schooled his expression into a bored one. “Okay.”

“Okay? Okay?! We lost half our team, Morro! The least you could do is apologize for screwing up literally everything!”

“Why should I.” Morro’s reply was a statement, not a question. “Why should I, when I probably saved everyone’s butts and gained like, at least five new elemental allies?”

Kai gaped at him. “What are you -”

“That’s right, Kai.” Morro squared his shoulders and lifted his head, looking down his nose at Kai. “For once in your life, think, Kai! It’s not all about you.”

“Excuse me-”

Morro held up his index finger, counting off as he named each team member. “You were busy stealing a ship. Zane was busy keeping the others off my tail. Garmadon was at the Tower. I was the only one who saw the prison transport van drive into the harbor. I was the only one who kept Lloyd distracted while using Wind to tip it over. I ripped it apart from the outside so the occupants could escape. Then I led Lloyd away from the crime scene. You know who was inside? The members of your precious Elemental Alliance.”

Kai exhaled, running his hand through his sweaty hair. “Then why didn’t you just say so?”

Morro barked a short laugh, then threw up his hands and turned away. “See?” Morro snapped. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. You guys don’t trust me. You don’t trust that when I do something, I mean it for the best. You just automatically assume it’s the worst. You don’t even believe we’re on the same side - that I’ve changed.” He stopped at the edge of the cliff, inches away from the 50 foot drop.

“No, that is -” Kai cut himself off from denying it, as any nice person might do. “That may be true, but look at how you got yourself on the team. You literally threatened Lloyd -”

“Yeah. Because I was hoping, maybe once I was on the team, you guys would be a little nicer to me. I stupidly thought it was some magic solve-all solution!” Morro swiveled around, his face in a sneer. “Don’t you think that if I had anywhere else to go, it sure wouldn’t be with you losers?”

“And that -” Morro added, marching over to Kai, “is exactly that I mean by ‘it’s not fair.’” Morro stepped forwards so he was looking straight into Kai’s eyes. He was so close Kai could feel his hot breath on his nose. “It’s not fair that your precious baby brother always has a place - that you guys always forgive him and love him, no matter what he does. It doesn’t matter that he killed Wu. It doesn’t matter that he left you and took a team to the Peaks. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t consult you before consuming Dark Matter and letting in the freaking Overlord!”

Kai opened his mouth to reply, but Morro’s fingers clenched, and he brought his fist up, the muscles in his forearm taut.

Kai had thought Morro was drained. Apparently not.

All of a sudden, Kai couldn’t breathe. His sight blurred, the corners of his vision turning red, then black. He opened his mouth, gasping like a fish out of water for air and finding none. Morro was sucking the air from his lungs. Now Kai knew what it felt like to be force-choked.

“And you know what’s worst of all?” Morro’s voice rose, almost hysterical. “Sensei’s dead!” Morro screamed, loud enough to send a flock of vultures nesting in the canyons careening into the sky. “Sensei’s dead, and he’s never coming back!” Morro hastily swiped a hand over his watering eyes, his chest heaving. “There is no amount of quests I can help you with, no amount of enemies I can stop for you - that will bring him back! Do you realize that?”

Kai only collapsed on the ground, clutching at his throat. Darkness crowded in, Morro’s face wavering at its center. He was going to die. In the desert, at the hands of his worst enemy.

Before he lost consciousness, Kai heard Morro gasp out, “FSM!” Hands grabbed Kai, laying him on his back. Blessed air rushed into his lungs. Kai laid there, eyes shut, focusing only his next breath and the scorching heat of the rocks below him.

The wind kissed Kai’s face, relieving the desert heat as Morro continued, voice rising as he went on, “All I did was take what I thought was mine. And I admit I was wrong. But Lloyd hasn’t yet, and we’re all accepting what he did and going to save him. Think on that. It’s. Not. Fair!”

Kai’s eyes shot open to see Morro stalking away, heading down the top of the canyon. Kai, still gulping down air, feebly lifted a hand. “Morro!” he wheezed.

Morro ignored him. “I’ll prove to him that I’m a better teammate than he ever was -” he was muttering.

In his mind, Kai let out a string of curse words. What sort of Ninja choked other members? Although, Kai would admit, part of it was on him for not pulling his sword and stopping Morro in the first place.

Morro’s silhouette blurred in the heat as he continued to walk away, presumably getting as far from Kai as he could. FSM, it was hot out here. They needed water, or they at least needed to get into the shade and rest until it was cool enough to make it to Ouroboros.

The former ghost leapt down into the canyon next to the Corridor of Elders. Good riddance. “I’ll be around here when you get back!” Kai yelled at him. If what Morro said was true, he needed them more than they needed him.

Kai felt for him, he really did. Zane was right; Morro was suffering from guilt complex due to not being able to return and stop Sensei’s death in time. But that didn’t change the fact that this might only be an angle. Morro could be trying to gain sympathy just so he could turn around and backstab them later. Kai wouldn’t put it past the former ghost. Not to mention, every time Kai even said anything, Morro replied with sarcasm and snark that made it hard to remain calm.

Kai ran a hand over his face, wiping sweat out of his eyes. He was sure Morro would return. And that was the problem. Somehow, Kai had to figure out the right response to Morro’s outburst. It looked like apologizing, but Kai hated that answer. If only Kai had the guts to up and abandon him right now … but he knew he wouldn’t do that though. If Sensei had genuinely wanted his pupils to reconcile, abandoning Morro was a bit disrespectful of Sensei’s memory. He’d have to grin and bear it.

Now, to find some shade. Kai squinted at the horizon. The heat was so blessedly warm. He felt like Spinjitzu sunning in the courtyard. He wanted to stay here forever.

No. Kai forced himself up, shading his eyes to peer at the horizon. That was the heat talking. Kai and his element loved warmth … sometimes more than his body could actually withstand.

Kai squinted. There was something - a group of somethings - flying from the west. Oh, no.

“Morro!” Kai vaulted into the canyon Morro had disappeared into, using a bit of Airjitzu to slow his fall. They were too vulnerable out here. Kai had his swords and Morro his knives and staff, but elementally, they were no match for any of Lloyd’s allies.

“Morro! Where’d you go?” It was early afternoon, so the sun wasn’t right overhead. Half of the canyon was dark with shadows, the other bright with light. “Morro?”

Maybe Morro was already hiding; there were dozens of overhanging rocks and cracks big enough to squeeze a person into. Kai peered into one. “Hello?”

Maybe he should just hide too. A dragon’s roar echoed off the canyons. Kai recognized its screech; it was Spinjitzu. Kai’s fatigue disappeared as adrenaline shot into his body. Spinjitzu was a tracking dragon, and he was already very familiar with Kai’s scent.

Kai hated to admit it, but he needed Morro now. Only Morro could blow their scent elsewhere and throw Spinjitzu off their trail. Although, if Lloyd wasn’t present, Kai might have something up his sleeve … ah, who was he kidding? Lloyd went everywhere Spinjitzu went.

“Morro!” Kai hissed.

Ahead, the canyon widened, ending in a box canyon. Above, among the cacti growing along its edge, was Morro. He’d cut off the top of one of the cacti and was dipping a handmade cup - the hollowed-out top of a smaller, less spiky cactus - into it.

“Hello, hello. Figured out you needed me after all?” said Morro.

Oh my brick. Didn’t Morro know cactus juice was poisonous?

“Stop!” Kai screeched. “Get down here right now.”

“What’s the magic word?” Morro cupped a hand to his ear.

“I said so! We’re in danger!”

“Danger? Where?” Morro drew a dagger, glancing at whatever was above the rim of the canyon.

“In the skies. Lloyd’s coming. Which means you need to get down here.”

Morro sighed, but floated down, cactus ‘cup’ still in hand. “Did you see him?” His face clearly said, ‘No way Lloyd could find us that fast.”

“Yes,” Kai said. “Er, I heard something. I didn’t confirm it was actually him,” he admitted. “But I’m 99.9% sure it’s Lloyd,” he said, snatching Morro’s ‘drink’ out of his hand and sniffing it before tossing it to the ground.

“Hey!”

Just Kai’s luck. As a ghost, Morro had traveled the realms and learned how to kill a man in at least ten different ways, and yet he had died so young - completely oblivious to dangers of the real world. Of course Morro had almost drunk from the hallucogenic kind that made its consumers act like they were drugged. The same kind Jay had consumed in the First Realm, in fact.

“Everybody knows you can’t drink from cacti. Didn’t you ever watch Avatar?” Kai had watched too many dumb episodes with Lloyd to count.

Morro gave him a blank look. “There were no plays called ‘Avatar’ when I was alive. And besides -”

Kai gave an exaggerated sigh. “Come on!” He grabbed Morro’s bare arm, pulling him towards him.

Morro shrank back. “You know, since you were so rude, maybe you don’t deserve my hel-”

Kai clapped a hand over Morro’s mouth. “Shh!”

Morro let out another muffled screech. The wind began to pick up, flapping at Morro’s cloak.

FSM! Morro was only blowing their scent farther. Kai rapidly let Morro go, wiping Morro’s drool on his gi. Spinjitzu roared from behind, his familiar deep roar higher than normal; it was probably distorted by the canyons. He didn’t sound too far away.

“Look,” Kai said. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry you feel that way. But right now, we need to focus on surviving. You know how much Lloyd hates you? A lot. You will be in eternal pain if he captures you. So we need to put aside our differences and work together.”

Morro ran a hand through his hair and exhaled. “Fine. It’s not the apology I deserve, but -”

His face became serious, eyebrows lowering in focus as he took a step forward and shoved both hands through the air, as if he were pushing something in front of him. A breeze began to blow again. “I’m blowing our scent in the other direction,” said Morro. Kai blinked. He’d thought the earlier wind was a fluke. This was impossible - Morro was as drained as he was.

“How?”

Morro tapped a foot and crossed his arms at Kai’s confused expression, then pointed up at the cactus. “Just trust me. Drink the juice, and let’s go.”

Kai gave him a look. “Excuse me? I am not going to drink that.”

“It’s dragon juice. It’s perfectly safe, except for -”

Kai threw up his hands. “You already drank that, didn’t you?” Kai guessed. Morro nodded. “When you knew perfectly well -” said Kai.

“If you’d been listening,” began the former ghost, “it gives you -”

A loud growl from above sent pebbles tumbling down. Both of them froze, glancing up to see a white dragon with a golden underbelly crouching at the rim of the canyon, wings spread.

Kai cursed.

Gaze still on them, the dragon glided down, landing on its haunches at the entrance to the box canyon, closing them in. Then someone jumped off the dragon, dressed in golden armor and a dragon mask, with a painted shield in hand. A cape of ivory dragonscales adorned her back.

Kate.

Her dragon growled, snaking its head and baring its teeth at them, while Kate strode ahead, removing her mask and tucking it between her elbow and her body.

She paused a few feet away. “What a catch, Prophecy,” she said to her dragon, her odd accent making her words seem delicate in a way. “The brothers of the Oni spawn.”

FSM. It wasn’t Lloyd or his elementals after all … but Kai couldn’t decide whether Kate was easier to deal with or not. The last he remembered, she’d brought at least ten dragons to the Peaks to stand against the EVIL army and then she’d gone for Lloyd. But she had fled just as quickly as she’d arrived, for what reason, Kai couldn’t fathom.

Kai stiffened, hands itching to draw his katana. But he didn’t, not with Prophecy’s lips raised in a snarl, ready to breathe gold onto him and Morro, rendering any chance of escape impossible.

They were on a knife’s edge. Kai was sure he hadn’t imagined that roar. Spinjitzu was here. Kai had two options: try to turn Kate to their side, or delay until Lloyd himself showed up. Kai might end up captured like Zane and Cole, but at least he wouldn’t be dead, if that was Kate’s intention. He knew how much she hated Lloyd - and subsequently, anyone related.

Kate flicked her hand, and black claws - at least an inch long - shot out from her fingers. She lifted a finger, gesturing for Kai and Morro to step forward. Kai did, keeping his fingers splayed and hands away from his weapons in case she got any ideas.

“What do you want with us?” Kai asked.

“The Oni spawn has stolen something from me,” Kate said. “I want it back. And if trading you off to him will get it back, then …” she shrugged and grinned, revealing elongated canines like Lloyd’s. “I have learned from your own how to be ruthless.”

Morro leaned in close to Kai. “On my cue, we run.”

Kai gave him a poisonous look laced with “that’s absurd.” In their state, they wouldn’t make it very far. Not with a shapeshifting fire-breather on their tail.

“Lloyd might trade,” Kai said to Kate. “But not because he wants his ally back. Because I am a dangerous threat to him. Trust me, you don’t want to trade us, not when we could be a valuable ally to you instead.”

Kate raised a brow. “So you are not allied with the Oni spawn, then?”

“No,” Kai said. “Here’s the thing. We have similar goals, don’t you think? Our teammates have been captured by Lloyd. We’re looking to get them back. So maybe we could come to an agreement. You hate Lloyd … and we’re against him too, so …”

A vicious smile rose on Morro’s face. “Yeah, we hate him.” Kai glared at Morro.

Kate barked a laugh, raking her gaze over their disheveled appearance. “Suppose I actually believe you are against him. The fact remains, whether you are an ally or foe, he is very interested in you. So,” Kate continued, “the question is, does the Oni spawn care enough to trade what is rightfully mine for you?”

“Why bother trading for them?” asked a voice from nowhere. “When we’ll just take what we want for free?”

Carlos materialized as a red dragon to one side of Kate. Shade guarded the opposite side, the two of them forming a blockade at the only entrance to the canyon. Spinjitzu let out a roar as he appeared at the opposite end of the canyon at its rim, blocking them from flying out. Surprisingly, there was no rider upon his back. Kai’s mind began to whirl. Perhaps …

“Looks like we have a bonus,” Shade said. “It’s a small world after all, isn’t it, Kai?”

While Kate’s dragon hissed at Shade and Carlos, Kate herself did not turn to face them. Instead, she suddenly lunged forwards, wrapping her claws around Kai’s throat. She traced them along Kai’s neck as she rotated until she stood at his back, facing Lloyd’s elementals. Her nails pressed into Kai’s throat, drawing thin rivulets of blood. Morro froze.

“I heard the Oni spawn wants them alive,” she said, her breath tickling Kai’s shoulder.

“You wouldn’t,” Shade said, lowering the daggers in his hands.

Carlos only snorted. “You can kill them,” Carlos said. “But you wouldn’t get away with it for long. Give them up, and we’ll let you go. Unless you wanted to have a rematch, so-called Animal Elemental?” Carlos grinned, his dragon tongue flickering out.

Kate made a series of noises, and her dragon snarled at Carlos, slinking back to stand beside Kate. Something was off about Kate. She still sounded dragon-like, but her growls lacked the depth and the ferocity they’d had before.

Carlos laughed and morphed into a human, flicking his fingers so that claws like Kate’s extended. “Hard to call upon your fleet of dragons without your element, isn’t it?”

Kai’s eyes slid over to meet Morro’s. Now Kai understood what Lloyd had stolen - her element. But Kate had lived with the dragons for so long she could still communicate with her personal dragon, even without her powers.

“You really should’ve drank that stuff,” Morro whispered to Kai as his hands inched towards the daggers strapped to his thighs.

“Hush,” Kate ordered. “Or he goes.” Her claws dug in further, and hot liquid dripped down Kai’s throat and onto the neck of his gi.

Morro, surprisingly, shut up.

“Let Morro go,” Kai said to her. “I’ll go with them.”

“Walk, and he dies,” Kate said to Morro. “Both of you only go if they give me what I want.”

There was a slight metallic ring as Morro attempted to withdraw his daggers, but Prophecy swept behind Kate to rumble threateningly at Morro. The wind nudged at Kai, drying the blood on his throat and jerking at the edges of his gi.

Kate nodded to Carlos and Shade. “Your call.” She kept one hand at Kai’s neck, but pulled up the sleeve of his gi and traced an index finger along his upper arm, leaving stripes of red in its wake.

Carlos and Shade stalked closer, further penning them in. “I don’t think so,” Carlos said. He roared, and Spinjitzu launched off the cliff, pausing just out of the older dragon’s range.

Kate didn’t even glance at the threat of Spinjitzu behind her.

“Attack, and he is dead,” Kate said, running fingers along Kai’s other bicep now. The iron tang of blood filled the air, even as Kai tried to breathe as shallowly as possible with those deadly claws at his throat. Rivulets of red dripped onto the ground.

Shade and Carlos eyed her, and then Shade snapped his fingers, signaling Carlos to come closer. They began to whisper.

“You have to realize they’re not going to agree,” Kai said to Kate.

“Then you’re going to die,” Kate replied with deadly calm.

“Look. Carlos has his full shapeshifting abilities, and Shade can disappear into shadows. Either you or Prophecy would have to guard us while you go against them, not to mention their dragon. Admit it, that alliance looks a lot better now, doesn’t it?”

“You have nothing I want.” Kate retracted the claws of one hand to wipe his blood from the arm of her leather armor. “You cannot help me.”

“I have knowledge,” Kai said. “I know how Lloyd stole your power, and I know how to get it back.”

A pause and an intake of breath. “How?”

Carlos had shifted back into a dragon, and Shade had his weapons raised. They had apparently decided to call Kate’s bluff.

“Go ahead and kill them,” Carlos said, his dragon mouth making a few of his words harder to understand. “They’re enemies to the crown.” The two inched closer.

Morro tensed beside them. “Kai, I can -”

Kate’s eyes stayed on Carlos and Shade, but she tilted her head to catch Kai’s words. “Continue.”

Kai spat out the words frantically. “He has a crystal - one that allows him to steal power, including yours. They are after us because we stole it. Come with us, and we will use it to give you back your power.”

She didn’t need to know she could only have it after they used it to take Lloyd’s Energy and cleanse him.

Kate’s lips lifted in a growl as she weighed Kai’s words. Carlos, Shade, and Spinjitzu prowled closer, stopping just ten feet away. Then, Kate whispered, “When they charge, we will attack.”

“Hold my tea,” said Morro, closing his eyes just as Lloyd’s team pounced.

Carlos surged forwards like a cheetah, teeth bared as he roared, signalling Spinjitzu to attack. Kate withdrew her hands and shoved Kai to the side, out of her way. Then Kate readied both claws and sprinted towards Carlos, a tiny figure to a huge dragon. It would have been humorous, had not Kai been running right beside her, katana raised. Shade disappeared, reappearing in Kai’s shadow. Kai twirled, meeting Shade’s daggers with his sword.

Behind them, Kate’s dragon dashed the opposite way to meet Spinjitzu. Spinjitzu lunged down from the top, and the two dragons tangled in a mess of blood and talons.

Meanwhile, Morro simply stood in the middle of the canyon, one arm in front of him in a vaguely bent position, the other hand making circles within it. The wind began to blow.

Kate was faster than Carlos, but it was only a matter of time before Carlos’s huge claws sideswiped her, putting her out of the game. Her claws were barely making scratches in his hide. They needed a second person to distract him.

“Morro!” Kai shouted as he slid under Shade’s thrust and drew his second katana. Morro ignored him. Probably entering some sort of cactus juice trance.

“You wouldn’t kill me,” Kai said. “We were allies. Remember!”

“I do remember,” Shade said. “But I would like my rights too.”

He thrust his garrote/dagger/chain contraption into an ‘X’, blocking as Kai stabbed his katana forward. “Lloyd’s methods work. He will release the city when he fixes our broken government and abolishes the ERA.”

They withdrew, stalking around each other like predators around the edges of an invisible circle, ready to raise their blades in a moment’s notice. “You know there’s something wrong,” Kai pressed. “He’s planning to literally join the two halves of Ninjago together. He drank Dark Matter. That doesn’t give you any concern at all?”

“Dark Matter?” Shade looked surprised.

How much was Lloyd hiding from them, Kai wondered.

“Yeah,” Kai said. “You need to rethink your position. It’s not just about Allura anymore. It’s about Ninjago and stopping the Golden Master from destroying Ninjago -”

Shade laughed. “Okay. Dark Matter. So? He’s not destroying Ninjago. He’s bringing about a new era. Elementals have lived in the shadows too long. We deserve to rule.”

So THAT was what Lloyd was promising them. No wonder they were so committed.

“Shade, we’re friends. We called the Alliance back together to stop Allura, not introduce a greater threat!”

“The only threat is the citizens of Ninjago to us!” Shade pounced, his two blades aimed at Kai. Kai intercepted them with his katanas, but something cold pressed against Kai’s back, a shadowy arm holding a dark katana to his throat. Shade had used Kai’s own shadow against him.

“Smart,” Kai managed to pant out, as the katana’s blade moved closer to his neck. Kai had brief flashes of Garmadon’s shadows facing him in the Fire Temple.

Shade pulled Kai’s katanas from his grasp, dropping them on the dusty ground. Kai glanced around wildly. Morro was nowhere to be seen. Had he somehow flown off? That didn’t seem right; if he really didn’t care, he would’ve flown off and left Kai to die at Kate’s hands.

Keeping one dagger aimed at Kai’s throat, Shade pulled with the other hand a silver drawstring bag from his pocket. He held it out to Kai. “Put them on. The King of Gold summons you.”

Then Morro screamed.

Shade glanced up. A huge tornado was bearing down on them, silt and red dust spiraling upwards, turning the tornado the color of earth. The wind sucked at them, pulling the Vengestone cuffs from Shade’s hands and into the cyclone. The wind flickered, and then the bag containing the cuffs shot out like a cannon projectile, launching over the rim of the canyon and thudding down somewhere out of sight.

Shade’s mouth dropped, and then he rushed into Kai’s shadow, disappearing. Kai let out a yelp, snatching up his katanas and running for his life. The tornado mercifully turned, heading towards Carlos and Kate.

Kate was frozen, right in the tornado’s path, her mask abandoned when Lloyd’s team had charged. Carlos used the opportunity to swipe at her, his six-inch claws gouging right through her leather armor. Carlos then charged at the tornado, teeth bared, wings spread wide, as if he thought he might be able to bite right through it and seize the elemental inside. His talons made it halfway through the dirty brown funnel, but then he was sent rocketing away to crash into the canyon wall like when children grasped hands and swung around only to rapidly let go and tumble apart.

Carlos morphed into a human at the shock, tumbling to the ground. Kai cringed; he hoped the teen wasn’t beyond help. Shade revealed himself, teleporting out from a shadow at the far end of the canyon. He began to shake Carlos.

Meanwhile, Spinjitzu has been thoroughly routed by Kate’s dragon, who was larger and more used to dragon fights, according to the scars that laced his chest and neck. Spinjitzu whined and retreated to guard Shade.

Now was their chance to escape; Kai halted just beyond the tornado’s reach, the winds tugging at his clothes but lessening as the funnel grew transparent, revealing Morro. Morro winked at Kai and gave him a “rock on” sign, pinkie and index fingers sticking up, middle fingers bent inwards like Oni horns.

But then his eyes rolled back in his head and he began to fall.

Kai vaulted forwards, pulling whatever he’d regained in the last few minutes into an Airjitzu bubble. He tackled Morro, slinging the former ghost over his shoulder like a sack. They landed with a thud that buckled Kai’s knees and sent Morro tumbling over his head onto the ground.

“Santa?” murmured Morro, eyes glazed.

Kai scoffed at Morro. “No. Can you walk?”

“Dur, can’t everyone?”

Kai didn’t bother lecturing Morro on correctness; he was busy analyzing the situation. Carlos was down, and with him, Spinjitzu. Kai could try to seize Spinjitzu right now and flee with Morro. That cactus juice … perhaps Morro was right, it certainly had done something for Morro’s element. But now the side effects of the ‘dragon juice’ seemed to be taking effect.

“Come on, we’ve got to go!”

Across the canyon, Shade drew his daggers, ordering Spinjitzu to attack. Despite Shade’s threats, Spinjitzu refused to re-engage. Just as Kai had suspected; without Carlos, Spinjitzu would not obey.

“Spinjitzu!” Kai whistled, snapping his fingers and pointing at the ground at his feet. “Come!”

Spinjitzu ignored Shade’s protests, bounding over and waiting for Kai’s next command. While Kai figured Shade would probably flee now, having lost both Spinjitzu and Carlos, Kai decided to make the decision crystal-clear for him.

“Spinjitzu? Dracarys.” Kai pointed at Shade. Despite the absence of the laser pointer Lloyd often used, Spinjitzu traced Kai’s finger to his target and took flight, his raspy inhale echoing through the canyons as he prepared to fire upon Shade.

Shade, realizing he was outmatched, yelped, lifted Carlos in his arms, and fled on his dragon.

“Let’s go,” Kai said, calling Spinjitzu back. He had no saddle on; they’d just have to make do.

“Wait,” said Morro. “What about Kate?”

“What about her?” She’d tried to kill them. Despite the fact that she too was against Lloyd, Kai suspected that if it suited her, she’d betray the entire Ouroboros base just to get her element back. Not to mention, his arms were still coated with the blood she’d left. “She’s dangerous.”

“She’s hurt.” Morro stared defiantly at Kai, legs spread apart and arms crossed like a child. “If that were me, you’d leave me.”

“That’s not true -” Kai protested. “You’re -”

“Yeah, I mean, I guess I did help you back there.” Morro let out a crazed laugh. “You need me now! See, I CAN be useful!” He began to cackle.

Kai glanced at Kate.

Kate was pressing bloody fingers to her chest. Three long gouges had been swiped across her ribcage, tearing right through her leather armor and revealing muscle and even the white of bone. Kate’s dragon paced around her, snarling at Kai. From where he was standing, her wound didn’t appear to be fatal, but she could possibly bleed out.

“Sucks to be you,” Morro commented.

Who was Kai kidding? He had no love for Kate, and she had no army to bring to the table, but … he knew that if he left Kate, injured as she was, she would either die or one of Lloyd’s patrols would find her and murder her for upsetting their plans to capture Kai and Morro. Leaving her made him no better than Morro.

Against his will, Kai hustled his way over to Kate. At her growl, her dragon drew back.

Kai would help her, but first, he’d use a bit of that ruthlessness she had demonstrated so well against him.

“I will help you, but only if you promise to not kill Lloyd. Or I will hunt you down. A life for a life.”

“I -” Kate grimaced. Spinjitzu danced in the background, drawn by the scent of her blood. “The Oni spawn will not die at my hands,” she said, somewhat reluctantly.

“Deal,” Kai said. “Betray us, and you die.”

“Yeah!” Morro chimed in with glee, patting his hip, where his dagger was sheathed.

Now, Kai turned to her wound. He was guessing he’d have to do something he hated. When injuries like this happened, the others would all wait as long as possible before asking Kai, because they knew how sick it made him, how nauseous he felt after breathing in the smell of burnt flesh …

Kate took one look at his face, and she knew what he had to do too. She gave him a firm nod. “A life for a life.”

Kai discarded his gloves and briefly lit his hands up with fire, sanitizing them. Then he bent over Kate, and used a single finger to seal each gash, holding his breath as the bleeding slowed with every inch he traced his burning finger over. Funny, he didn’t feel satisfaction even as his actions mirrored what Kate had done to him only minutes ago.

Kate screamed at first. Then fell into blessed unconsciousness.

Morro was now twirling and waving his arms in the air as he sang, “92,898 bottles of tea on the wall, 92,898 bottles of tea! Take one down, pass it around- ” His bare chest and arms were turning red now.

Kai rolled his eyes. “Spinjitzu!” Kai called the young dragon over to Kate’s unconscious body.

They needed to hurry. It was only a matter of time before Shade met another patrol and attempted to pursue. And Kate needed treatment.

Kai hefted Kate onto Spinjitzu, positioning her in front of him and wrapping an arm around her stomach, mindful of her wound. The muscles were still torn, and there would be scars forever. But at least she’d make it to Ouroboros.

“Morro!”

Morro had dumped his cloak on the ground and was now trying to summon wind. “I’ll get my dragon!” he yelled. “You just watch - you’ll be amazed!”

With some finangling and fake promises, Kai finally got Morro to climb on behind him, and they lifted off, Kate’s dragon following. Kai urged Spinjitzu as fast as he dared.

But they were on their way. They were headed to the Eternal City

Chapter Text

Chamille had been in the Library of Domu for hours. She sipped the last of her mocha as she picked up another scroll, comparing the ancient symbols in it to those in the translating keys and ancient Ninjargon lexicons spread before her on the large desk crammed into a dark corner in the back of the library. She scribbled the translation she’d gotten into a spiral notebook, noting, to her disgust, that it was utter nonsense. She wasn’t sure if it was her translating skill again or perhaps her exhaustion.

Chamille tensed as footsteps sounded. She shoved her metal thermos between her calves and scooted her backpack closer to her legs to hide it. If it was another one of those Domu monks and he started another lecture about having food and drinks around the ancient scrolls, she was going to either smack him with a tome or kill him with one of the many hidden weapons hidden in her leather jacket.

The person strolling among the towering shelves stuffed to the brim with archaic texts was a monk, but not a monk of Domu. It was instead a young monk wearing a grey hooded cloak, not the brown of the Domu monks. He had the hood pulled down to reveal a brown bowl cut and a face that was currently pinched in a frown as he browsed the heavy tomes and scrolls. He smiled when he caught sight of Chamille.

“I see you are also interested in the ancient history of Ninjago. I have seen no one else in this section besides you. I suspect you believe the stories of Wojira, the Overlord, elemental masters, and the Oni are not only myths, then? Or perhaps you simply enjoy reading the legends.”

He squinted at her scribbles. “Heavy reading for someone who is not a scholar, don’t you think?”

Chamille rolled up her scroll and leaned back in her seat with a smirk. A monk of the Cloud Kingdom. She was very lucky today.

“Hello.” She extended a hand to him. He gazed down at her leather fingerless gloves before shaking it with a sheepish smile.

“I’m Chamille,” she said. “What can you tell me about Dark Matter?”

His eyes widened, and he glanced around, as if he thought someone was watching. “We do not speak of the Oni,” he said in a whisper.

“Look, Mr. …” Chamille trailed off, waving a hand.

“Nobu.”

“Nobu.” She gave him a demeaning smile. “I am a member of the Elemental Alliance. We are currently fighting a villain who is attempting to utilize Dark Matter in some way, and I need to know everything about it. Again, what can you tell me about it?”

Nobu began to stutter. “An - an elemental master?! What is your element? What can you do with it? What sort of physical attributes do you have as a result of it? I’m assuming your purple hair is natural?” He reached out as if to brush his hands through her locks, but he luckily thought better of it.

She gave him an exaggerated sigh, but said, “Yes, I’m the Master of Form. I can change my appearance at will by manipulating my body, but I can’t shift into other types of creatures. That’s what the Master of Animal Form does. And yes, my hair is completely natural.”

Nobu pulled out a notebook, inkpot, and quill pen from the deep pockets of his robe, sitting down at the chair opposite her to scribble down her words. “Wow! You mean you completely alter your molecular structure? Your body physically changes? You don’t manipulate an illusion to appear different?”

“No, illusions are ….” Chamille trailed off, frowning. “I think I read about a Master of Illusion from one of Master Wu’s personal scrolls. Either that, or the ability belongs to Reality or Mind ...”

She cut herself off. “Anyway, we need to focus on bigger -”

“You don’t understand!” Nobu paused, his eyes focusing on her in obvious adoration. “I’m here on the business of the Cloud Kingdom to study the elementals. We have knowledge about almost everything, except elementals. We know the legends, but no one’s ever studied how they actually work. Did you know, though, that the elementals originated from the dragons and the First Realm? Not from Ninjago. The First Spinjitzu Master didn’t give them their elements, they -”

Chamille’s phone buzzed, then began to ring with Fall Out Boy’s I Don’t Care. Chamille glanced at the caller ID and then snatched it up before a Domu monk could come shush her.

“Hello?” she said.

It was Shade. “I’ve got a report.”

“Great. Did you already tell Lloyd?”

“No, that’s the problem.”

Chamille gave another sigh and leaned forwards, lodging her phone between her ear and her shoulder so she could stack her books and gather up her notes to shove into her backpack. “What’d you do?”

“Spinjitzu tracked Kai and Morro to the Scattered Canyons. Carlos and I had an encounter there with them and the Animal Elemental. Morro summoned a tornado and basically beat us up. Carlos is out cold - I think he’s got a concussion - and without him, Spinjitzu wouldn’t obey. Kai took him and the Animal Elemental, and then they headed north. I already contacted the other patrols and told them to head after them, but you didn’t respond.”

Chamille glanced at her comm watch. “Oops. No connection.” She’d turned it off to avoid Lloyd tracking her.

“Chamille, where are you? I need you to meet us at Scattered Canyons, in, like, thirty minutes.”

Impossible. The Library of Domu was on the eastern coast of Ninjago, an hour north of Stixx. Two hours from the Scattered Canyons.

Chamille pressed the ‘mute’ button and tapped her nails on the table, looking up at Nobu. “I need to go. Like, now. Give me everything you’ve got. I literally don’t care why you’re here or what the origins of the elemental masters were. I’m trying to save Ninjago.”

Nobu stopped babbling. “I’m sorry, it’s just so exciting to meet a real elemental; they said that after Sensei Wu’s death, may the First Spinjitzu Master watch over him, you all disappeared -”

“Okay!” Chamille snapped her fingers in his face. “Dark Matter?”

“Dark Matter is the blood of the Oni.”

“So if you were to consume it…”

He grimaced. “Gross, but if you were a normal person, it would probably destroy you from the inside and kill you.”

“If you were part Oni?”

He frowned. “Unlikely.”

“Okay, if you were a Dragon-Oni hybrid?”

“Even more unlikely. But because Dark Matter is pure Oni essence, it would overwhelm the dragon side and theoretically corrupt the hypothetical person.”

Chamille scrawled down notes. “Okay. So would the person just behave weirdly, or? How do you stop the effects?”

“Only the combined power of the Dragons can cleanse pure Oni essence.”

Golden Power. So that was why the Ninja wanted the crystal. Her fingers traced where Garmadon had sliced her with the Skycleaver blade. Lloyd had healed her, leaving no scars, but the memory of Garmadon threatening her for the crystal was still present. Lloyd had arrived just in time.

Nobu bit his lip as he thought. “It could possibly open the person up to be possessed by the Oni whose blood he consumed. Or at least controlled, if that Oni was still alive.”

The air began to feel thin. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that Dark Matter is not just blood, but a substance that can be used as a gateway to allow -”

Her head spun. Possessed. She knew there was something off about his behavior.

In the silence, Shade’s voice came through. He was still on the phone. The phone made his voice tinny, as it was on low volume, not speakerphone.

“Chamille? Chamille? Are you still there?” He began to curse. Chamille tapped ‘unmute’ and brought the phone to her ear. “I’m still here.”

“What are you doing?”

“Gather the others at Scattered Canyons and meet me there. Do not pursue.”

“Actually, I’m the captain of the Alliance, so, I’m pretty sure Lloyd wants -”

“I am your queen. Do what I say. If Lloyd objects, tell him to take it up with me.”

Shade began to list objections, but Chamille only half-listened to him. She pressed ‘mute’ again and dropped the phone on the table with a clatter.

“So,” Chamille said. “What would happen if someone with the power of the First Spinjitzu Master tried to rejoin the islands of Ninjago and flood them with darkness?”

“That would have disastrous consequences, according to realmatic theory. You see, Ninjago is a realm of light. Uniting the two islands and forcing them to be dark would cause the entire realm to go dark, disrupting all of the Sixteen Realms, undoing the work Firstbourne did and unleashing LastDeath -”

Chamille’s mouth dropped. This was huge. This was realm-destroying type of huge.

Chamille shot out of her seat. “If this is so bad, why don’t you stop it? Rewrite destiny?”

“Excuse me, miss.” A monk of Domu stood near her seat, wringing his hands. “I”m going to have to ask you to be -”

Chamille pulled her dagger, pressing its long edge to his throat and forcing him against the wall. Nobu shrieked.

“The entire Sixteen Realms are about to go to the Underworld,” she growled to both Nobu and the Domu monk. “Hell, if Lloyd succeeds in joining Ninjago together there might not even be an Underworld!”

“Wait.” Nobu looked scared. “You mean we weren’t talking theoreticals?”

“Nope.” Chamille flashed a wicked grin. “So can you change it? Take it back to the Writers in the Cloud Kingdom and -”

Nobu shook his head. “Fenwick misrepresented us to the Ninja. We don’t write destiny. We only read the fabric of the realms and discover the future through scrying. What we write is only what’s going to happen. So, in a way, we do write destiny, but only what has already been foretold.”

Chamille blinked, then threw herself into action.

“Shade?” She activated her speakerphone. “I’m heading there now.”

She hung up and thunked a second heavy dagger into the plaster of the wall, trapping the Domu monk’s cloak. He struggled, but remained silent with her first dagger still at his throat.

“Thanks for the help, Nobu.” She turned away, snatching his notebook and quill pen from him. She flipped to a new sheet and wrote down a short letter along with Borg’s personal address. “Bring this note to this address after I save the world. Then get ready to have the time of your life.”

She signed it with a flourish, then pulled her dagger from the wall, freeing the now sniveling Domu monk.

“Bye.” She turned invisible as the monk began to scream a warning, and alarms started blaring, but, the idiots they were - er, being peaceful and all - most first swarmed the Domu monk to find out what kind of threat was present, instead of looking for the threat themselves.

Outside the library, Chamille summoned her dragon and zipped into the sky, the weight of her new knowledge heavy in her pack. Chamille turned her comm watch back on and called Virtuoso with it. “I need you to do something for me,” she said to the Tech Elemental.

“Finally decided to betray Lloyd? Consider it done.”

Chamille disappeared into the evening.

________________________________________________________________________

Kai was trapped.

Problem #1: Kate wasn’t going to make it if he didn’t head to Ouroboros. Despite Kai’s cauterization, she was still leaking something wet and warm all over his gi, and she hadn’t stirred once, even though the motion of them rising and falling with Spinjitzu’s wingbeats had to be causing her unbearable pain. Perhaps that was the reason she did not stir - the pain was so much her body chose to keep her in oblivion.

Kai must have missed an artery. He had only run his finger where he knew the major blood vessels to be, instead of attempting to close the wound, as he knew it had to be disinfected and then stitched for full recovery. But there was just so much blood … Her dragon, Prophecy, flew as close as he could get to Kai’s dragon, snaking his head over every few minutes to check on her.

Problem #2: Morro wasn’t much better. In a rare moment of lucidity, Morro had tried to explain the mechanics of dragon juice - apparently it “gave an elemental heightened powers by forcing the body to quickly metabolize any latent nourishment, but at the cost of hallucinations and a lack of inhibition due to low blood sugar.”

Kai knew nothing about artificially accelerated metabolism or low blood sugar, but he assumed Morro was trying to say it was the cause of his crazy behavior. Morro had then proceeded to snuggle up in his cloak and put his head on Kai’s shoulder. But falling asleep was the absolute worst thing Morro could do. Kai suspected that as low-energy as he was, if he fell asleep, he might never wake up. So every few minutes, Kai checked on him.

“Morro. Are you there? Morro, stay awake.” Over and over again. Kai might hate him, but it was the least Kai could do, considering Morro had risked his life to consume the dangerous substance for that extra boost of power that had ended up saving their lives.

Kai had been praying, hoping against hope that the Sand Vipers had made it safely to Ouroboros. That perhaps Skales had managed to smuggle his Serpentine out of Ninjago City and Lloyd’s clutches. That after Jay and Nya had leapt through Garmadon’s portal, Ronin had fulfilled his promise and taken them from the Monastery to the Eternal City. That possibly, Zane and Cole had actually managed to escape Lloyd.

Problem #3: Lloyd’s elementals were everywhere in the Sea of Sand and Tox and Karloff had spotted him and were giving chase. Because of problems #1 and #2, Kai was being forced to lead them to the army at Ouroboros.

Yes, Kai could’ve technically kept going. Could’ve kept fleeing to the Spine to lose Lloyd’s elementals. But with Kate and Morro in such critical condition … they would’ve died. He could’ve even tried to cross realms and possibly make it to Tressa, if Spinjitzu remembered where to exit the Ethereal Divide. Alone, Kai could’ve done it. But without a saddle, and with two practically unconscious passengers in critical condition, he would’ve failed to ramp up enough speed to realm-travel. Ouroboros was Kai’s only option, and he wasn’t going to back down.

So here he was, totally drained, riding Spinjitzu with his two invalid passengers, Kate’s still mostly unfriendly dragon at his side, and two elementals behind, with more to come.

The city materialized on the horizon, a dark circle of weather-worn stone.

Kai urged Spinjitzu faster, faster. Kate, slouched against his chest, moaned as he wrapped his arm tighter around her to keep her from slipping. Prophecy sped up too, tossing a growl back at Tox and Karloff.

Toxikita’s green dragon screeched like a wraith from behind. She was close enough to easily call, “Give up now, Kai!”

The Eternal City came into focus. Kai leaned forwards, resting his palms against the sun-warmed scales of Spinjitzu’s neck as he peered at the city ahead. Apparently, the ancients had been very obsessed with eight, the number of infinity. The massive city was shaped like an octagon, with eight sides, eight sections, and eight entrances that all funneled into the main circle at the city - an arena for the Serpentine to display their skill and host Slither Pit fights to settle arguments. The city had once been glorious, but was now falling into ruin; most of the roofs of the trapezoid-shaped structures had caved in, and piles of sand were encroaching at one side of the city, threatening to bury it once again.

By all logic, it looked abandoned and, frankly, probably should’ve been left abandoned. But there were hundreds of Sand Vipers down in the street of the city, armed with spears and scimitars and longbows.

On one of the outer buildings, there were four silhouettes on the rooftops. A flash of light, and then the figures were soaring to meet him on elemental dragons.

Two dragons were familiar - one a clear water dragon, and the other crackling with lightning. The third was ridden by Nathaira - surprising, Kai wouldn’t have guessed she was an elemental - and the fourth bore a silver-scaled Sand Viper with delicate golden jewelry decorating her neck. Nathaira’s dragon was clear like Nya’s, but it had white chunks of ice floating in its transparent body, like Jasper’s Storm dragon. The other’s dragon body was a pale orange.

The four dragons shot past him towards Lloyd’s elementals, teeth bared and claws extended. Kai risked a glance back. Tox hauled her dragon to a halt only a hundred feet from the wall, snarling, “You won’t get away with this! Reinforcements are coming!”

The silver Sand Viper wheeled and guided her dragon beside Kai. “Follow me!” she called, leading him farther inwards while Nathaira, Jay, and Nya pushed forwards, blocking Tox and Karloff from the base’s airspace.

The circular arena at the center of the city began to grind open. Four lines ran across it, splitting the circular arena’s floor into quarters. The quarters folded downwards, revealing a round metal chamber beneath. The entrance to the underground bunker of Project Arcturus.

Kai turned Spinjitzu towards it. “Dive!”

The dragon folded his wings and plummeted through the opening. Kai gripped Spinjitzu’s neck spike and pressed himself as close to the dragon as he could without squishing Kate. Morro yelped and hung on to Kai’s shoulders for dear life.

Inside, Sand Vipers filled the cylindrical room, donning armor and hefting spears and scimitars. They bustled around sleeping rolls spread across the cold metal floor and crates stacked as tall as Cole. Metal doors at the sides of the chamber had been flung open, revealing corridors where even more Serpentine glided in and out. They were preparing for battle.

At the center was a huge metal platform - the one the Arcturus rocket had lifted off from. Spinjitzu and Prophecy thumped down on it, the silver-scaled elemental behind them. The hangar doors above stayed open, sunlight bouncing off their metal rim.

“I am Nura, Elemental Master of Ssssand, General of the Sand Viperssss, and humble sssservant of King -”

“Where’s Khaldunna? They’re hurt.” Kai slung Kate into his arms and slipped off Spinjitzu, landing on the hard metal of the platform with a thud.

Nura scanned Kate’s injuries with a critical eye. “Come.” She turned and walked away.

The mob of Sand Vipers only gave Nura passing glances, but they immediately cleared a path for Nura.

Kai wasn’t so lucky. Morro wasted precious seconds trying to climb off Spinjitzu with his lack of coordination. Kai ordered Spinjitzu to stay and charged into the crowd, the flash of Nura’s silver scales the only thing that kept him from losing her in a sea of beige and black.

Kai caught up when she paused in a section of the bunker with a red cross spray-painted on the wall. Khaldunna glanced up from a worktable where she was grinding herbs with a mortar and pestle. They fell from her hands with a clank, and then she whirled into action, ordering other Sand Vipers around her to bring supplies.

“Do not leave this area,” Nura ordered. She disappeared into the congregation of Sand Vipers. Kai rolled his eyes. Like he was going to take his patients all the way to Ouroboros and then suddenly abandon them.

At Khaldunna’s orders, Kai laid Kate on a cot and used his dagger to slice off her remaining armor. A healer forced a foul-smelling mug into Morro’s hands and ordered him to drink it all.

‘Out of the way,” Khaldunna said as soon as Kai had finished slicing off everything that restricted the healers from working.

Kai stepped back, along with Morro, but he remained in the general area. Morro wrapped his cloak tighter around him and lifted his cup. “Can you believe this stuff? Smell it, it’s insane -”

Kai had already caught a whiff of it, and he was in no hurry to try another. It smelled like vomit and pee mixed together.

“Make way!” Nura returned, with King Mambo, Amun, and Bomani in tow.

Bomani stalked forwards. “Do you underssstand what you have done?” hissed Bomani, lips curled back into a snarl. His orange eyes were like fire against his inky scales. You have led the Golden Massster straight to our army!”

Kai bristled. If he had his powers, the air would’ve heated in an instant. “I-”

“Thisss is not the time for thisss. What issss done is done,” Mambo interjected with a pointed glare at Bomani, who was clenching the hilt of his scimitar so tightly Kai thought it might snap. “We were going to have to face the Golden Massster sooner or later.”

“Not without half of our alliessss and a broken city! Thissss location is indefensible and we are but one tribe. Skalessss will not even be able to support usss if we are surrounded!”

Mambo flared his hood, baring his fangs at Bomani, waiting to reply until Bomani ducked his head. “Then we mussst hope Skalesss reaches usss before their reinforcementsssss do.”

Nura ordered, “Tell ussss everything about our enemies. Who will we be facing? What are their powerssss? What are their weaknessess?”

Morro sipped from his mug and swallowed hard with a grimace. He held up four fingers, counting down as he said, “Too many elements to keep track of. We need Vengestone. Lloyd knows where we are and more are coming. If we don’t abandon this city, Lloyd’s going to come and make it lost again.”

Nura flashed her fangs at Morro and hissed. “You -” She stilled when Mambo held up a hand.

“We sssshould retreat,” Amun said.

“We can’t!” Bomani growled. “Where would we go?”

“The Spine?” asked Kai. His body itched for a weapon. Itched to fight somebody. To go out there and drive away Tox and Karloff, no matter the fact that he was drained.

Kai couldn’t have violated himself - couldn’t have willingly let people on his hands die. Yet, at the same time, he had selfishly sacrificed an entire base to free his conscience. There had to be a solution - a way out.

“We will not flee,” Mambo said. “Skalesss is still out there. We will not abandon him to Lloyd’s forcesss. Close the city. Pull every civilian into the main base and assss deep into the tunnels as possible. Every warrior to the wallssss. We musst hold the ground above or we’ll be sitting targetsss in a hole. But if you know of any weaknesses, Kai … ”

Morro took another sip and gagged, then said, “It’s a long shot, and they might have been destroyed,” he said. “But during the Serpentine Wars, the Anacondrai were building weapons that could utilize Vengestone. That’s why the Elemental Alliance sank the city.” Morro would know - he had lived during the Serpentine Wars.

Mambo contemplated Morro’s words, tapping a clawed finger against his chin. “Arcturus did mention it when he tried to convince me to join the war.” He squared his shoulders. “Bomani, come with me. We are going to search the tunnelsss. Those weaponsss may be our only hope.”

“Yesss, Your Majesty.” The two left.

“I am going back to the wallssss,” Nura said to the remaining people. “Amun, I want you to organize the phalanxes.” Nura turned to go, but a shadow fell over the bunker, cast by a familiar dragon above. Spinjitzu scrambled to the edge of the platform to make room for Nya’s landing. Despite her short height, Nya easily cut through the crowd with her venomous glare and her tight grip on her trident.

Kai’s muscles twitched, begging him to embrace his sister. She was here. She was safe. But Nya’s lips were set in a frown, her brows drawn downwards.

She paused before Nura, dipping her head in defence. “General, the elementals retreated, but more arrived and they’re circling in the distance. Should we pursue or not? ”

“How many?”

“Nine elementals.”

“Too many. Let them attack; we have the advantage of the wallsss.” Nura glanced between Nya and Kai, a faint squint on her face. “Ten minutesss, Nya. Then I need you back at the wallssss in case they make a move.”

Nura glowered at Kai. “Get some rest. You’re going to need it.” Her dragon ascended into the blue sky.

Nya gave a curt nod to Kai. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad you’re here, Kai.” Her jaw clenched as she turned to Morro.

“You, on the other hand? You’re off the team.”

“What?” Morro’s jaw dropped. “But -”

“You can stay and fight with the Sand Vipers, sure.” Nya’s fingers were white where they were wrapped around the shaft of her trident. “But I’m not fighting next to you in battle. I’m not trusting my life to you, ever. And give up on marching with us to Ninjago City. You’re going to be air support for the army, if anything. Kai and Jay and I will be the ones walking into that throne room with the crystal.”

“Why? What did I do?”

Kai glanced between the two. “Don’t you think this is a little extreme -”

Nya jabbed a finger at Morro’s chest. “You know exactly what you did. It’s your fault the others aren’t here. It’s your fault we failed to get the crystal -”

“Wait, we don’t have the crystal?” interrupted Kai.

“No, not unless you’ve got it stashed in your gi or something,” said Nya. “And even if we had it, it wouldn’t help, because we’d be missing Earth and Ice!”

Morro’s jaw clenched. “You guys keep blaming me for that, and I told you, I did it because I was trying to release your allies!”

Nya crossed her arms, tapping her foot as Morro told her what he’d told Kai in the Scattered Canyons. At the end, she gave a huff at the end and threw out her arms. “Really? Well, I don’t see them anywhere. We have a tribe - half a tribe, if you count only the warriors, and possibly Skales, if he manages to show up before Lloyd calls an entire army down upon this place. That’s it. And if we even survive this, we won’t have enough of an army to march upon Ninjago City.”

Morro, seeing he wasn’t getting through to her, looked to Kai. “Kai, you - you can’t let her do this! I’m a valuable member of the team!”

“Not yet, you aren’t,” snapped Nya. “You want our trust? Then earn it. Stop lying and stop scheming and stop spinning tales until we don’t know who you are! Prove yourself to me!”

“He has proven himself,” Kai found himself saying. “He could’ve flown away and left me in the hands of Shade. I would’ve never gotten to Ouroboros if it weren’t for him driving Carlos and Shade away.”

Morro’s eyes widened as he stared at Kai. He looked more shocked than he had when Nya had declared he was off the team.

Nya’s nose scrunched up as she digested Kai’s words. “I will give you one more chance. Twenty-four hours to see if you told the truth. If you lied about the elementals, then you’re officially off the team.” She held up a hand as Morro started to protest. “I don’t care what Sensei said about us trying to get along. Having a liar on the team will only get us hurt in the long run. For now, you’re on hiatus as it is.”

Nya ran a hand through her hair and turned to Kai, her tone softening. “Maybe … maybe we’ll be able to figure out a plan to rescue Zane and Cole. But right now you need to eat. Drink. Rest.”

Her eyes flicked over the bloodstains on Kai’s gi, the gashes in his clothing where Kate had traced her claws. “For when Lloyd shows up.” She stalked away, giving Morro a shove with her shoulder on her way out.

Morro just stood there, his cup forgotten in his hands. After a few seconds, he said, “Kai … thank … you.” His words were slightly strangled, although Kai wasn’t sure if it was because they were new to Morro, or because his eyes were slightly watery. “I won’t disappoint you.”

“Huh?”

“Thanks … for sticking up for me.” Morro’s face was bright, like the kids’ were whenever Kai showed off his fire or skill with katanas. “No one’s ever done that for me. Except for Wu.”

“You can make it up to me by praying really hard to the FSM that those elementals show up,” Kai said, patting Morro on the back and moving away to wash off the blood caking his arms. “Because we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

______________________________________________________________________________

Lloyd’s elementals did not attack. For three hours, Lloyd’s elementals had camped outside of Ouroboros, watching and waiting. Waiting for Lloyd. With his powers, Shade had been able to transport inanimate objects - and he’d brought back a large pavilion which most of them were resting under comfortably in lawn chairs. They even had drinks - drinks in little martini glasses with cherries in them.

The message was clear: We are not scared of you. Come and get us.

And why should they have been scared? They had eight elementals: Shade, Ash, Tox, Karloff, Gravis, Bolobo, and two new ones - a blond girl and a tall brunette guy wearing black in the desert. The Serpentine had a thousand Sand Vipers and five elementals, and no Vengestone weapons, even though Mambo had combed the entire base.

But Lloyd’s elementals didn’t have Chamille or Lloyd, thank the FSM. Yet.

Kai stood beside Jay, Nya, Nathaira, Nura, and Bomani, looking out upon the desert from one of Ouroboros’s roofs. Morro was off to the side; Nya refused to stand next to him or even associate with him. She would only talk to Morro through Kai.

The humans were all robed in billowy white robes to reflect the heat of the sun, but Kai personally thought it made no difference; he was soaking wet from sweat and frankly, slightly light-headed even though he gulped down water from his canteen every two minutes. Kai might be a fire elemental, but he honestly didn’t know how the Serpentine could live full-time out here. Good thing the sun was setting. In half an hour, it would be gone.

“What if Skales arrives before they attack?” Kai asked as he peered through a golden handheld telescope at Shade and the other elementals. Shade shot them a vulgar gesture. “Couldn’t we flee to the Spine then?”

Nura gave a laugh as she took the telescope from him to peek through it herself. “You think the city is bad? Trying to move an army that far before they catch usssss is asking for certain doom.”

“We don’t even have a wall,” Kai protested. “We have eight entrances and no gates.”

Bomani scoffed. “You’ve never waged war before, have you, Ninja?”

“If only we were closer to the Endless Sea,” Nathaira said softly. During their three hours of waiting, Nathaira had mentioned that she was the third-born princess of the Maarays and thus had an entire army of them at her disposal. But even if distance wasn’t a factor, the underwater Maarays couldn't have trekked across the rough conditions of the Sea of Sand. The forces at Ouroboros were stuck waiting for Skales, or waiting until Lloyd himself arrived and the elementals began their siege.

Nura pointed a clawed finger at the dunes and said, “Something isss happening.”

Sure enough, Lloyd’s elementals were stirring and creating their elemental dragons. They zipped off, so far that only Nura, with her telescope, could tell what they were circling above.

“What is it?” Kai asked.

Nura inhaled sharply. “It’s Skalesssss.”

“What? Let me see!” Kai grabbed for the telescope, but Bomani took it first.

Kai groaned and resorted to squinting. Now he could make out a line of four green Serpentine buses.

Nura stalked across their rooftop to face the inner portion of the city. “Amun!” she called down to the hundreds of Sand Vipers stationed below. “Get the mounted archers ready! We’re going to charge!”

To Nya and Jay, Nura said, “Hold the wall. I am going to lead the horsemen to Skalessss.”

“But what about the other elementals?” Kai asked. She would be totally outnumbered. Horsemen were no match for people who could rain elemental blasts from above upon them.

“You and Nathaira will be with me,” Nura said.

Three people against nine elementals. Not much better.

Nura formed her elemental dragon and circled above the city. Horses pranced and snorted, ready to finally go into action. The Sand Vipers collectively hissed and struck the head of their spears against their metal shields.

“Do not let your fear show,” Bomani said as he peeped through the telescope. “But look.”

Kai and the others followed his finger to the horizon. He didn’t even need the telescope now. Eight elemental dragons were now in the air, in addition to Lloyd’s nine. They circled above Skales’ buses, which were racing flat-out for the city.

Kai’s heart pounded. The rest of the elementals from Kryptarium? Kai didn’t have a list of them, but Lloyd had released a lot of them …

“Kai! Nathaira! Now!” Nura’s orange dragon spread its wings, shrieking like a phoenix as it stormed forwards, quickly outpacing the hundreds of mounted Sand Vipers trailing below. Kai leapt off the wall alongside Nathaira. He coughed as the horses churned the sand beneath their hooves, forming beige clouds. With a press from his legs, Kai’s dragon swerved upwards, ascending to Nura’s level.

Lloyd’s elementals, still dashing towards Skales, scattered instead of joining the dragons currently circling above Skales. Half of them engaged with the new dragons, while the other half circled away to try and rain elemental blasts down upon Skales’ procession. Skales’ drivers swerved wildly, managing to dodge each one.

Kai inhaled sharply as he realized it was not Lloyd’s reinforcements hovering above the buses after all, but Kai’s allies. Bobby. Nelson. Hunter. Raven. Griffin. Paleman. Neuro. Koji.

Lloyd’s elementals circled and wheeled like vultures, trying to claw their way through the wall of dragons the Elemental Alliance had formed over Skales.

The sweltering heat was no longer a concern; now it fueled Kai, making it unbelievably easy to light a spark. Kai leaned forwards, flaming up a fist and gripping the reins of his dragon in his left hand as he charged Lloyd’s forces.

Nura slowed, realizing too that these new elementals were allies. “Each to their own!” she shouted. “Chase them off!”

Kai wheeled and slashed with his katana and threw fireballs at Lloyd’s elementals like no one’s business. His sword and flames were an extension of his mind, working in perfect harmony with his body.

For a second, Kai thought Lloyd’s elementals were backing off. Then Shade disappeared into Ash’s shadow, and the first bus swerved wildly, then braked suddenly, screeching to a halt. He must’ve gotten inside and attacked the driver. The second bus rear-ended the first, and the third followed. The fourth was the only one intact - now speeding so quickly that it was just a green blur. The dragon formation above them fell apart too. They spread out, with some landing to help those in the crash and others charging alongside Kai towards Lloyd’s elementals in an all-out melee.

“Kai, Nathaira, make a line!” shouted Nura. “I will help them get to the city.”

Kai and Nathaira retreated, paving the way for the rest of the elementals in the air to reform battle lines. Though it was a waste of energy, Kai set his dragon on fire. A little menace never hurt.

“Guess what, Shade?” Kai said when the elemental reappeared via Tox’s shadow. “Kate is safe and recovering. Can you say the same about Carlos?”

Shade gathered darkness in his hands. “When your leader has the power of a god and can heal instantly, injuries are no problem.”

“Well, then, it’s too bad your leader is hundreds of miles away in the city.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. He’s minutes away,” Shade said.

Shade’s elementals charged forwards with such ferocity that Kai and Nathaira, despite Neuro, Paleman, and Hunter’s assistance, were forced to give ground and fall back, inch by inch.

Behind them, Nura’s horsemen finally reached the scene and stopped to help those involved in the crash. Hundreds of Serpentine - Hypnobrai, Fangpyre, Constrictai, and Venomari - were helped onto the horses and borne away to the Eternal City - to safety.

As soon as the last person was pulled from the wreckage, Kai turned tail, racing for the walls of the city, Nathaira and the others right behind.

Shade’s elementals did not pull back to wait any longer for Lloyd, because ten Ninjacopters full of Nindroids appeared on the horizon, their red cockpits glowing in the semi-darkness.

Kai’s elementals passed into the city, flaring their wings and slamming to a halt to form a barrier with Jay and Nya against Shade and his elementals. They barreled forwards as a wave of death.

“I told you!” Morro was crowing to Nya, despite the threat. “I told you!”

Nya only grimaced and brandished her trident, readying for the onslaught.

Lloyd’s battalion fought like animals. They did not retreat an inch. Sand Vipers lifted bows and tossed spears, but the elementals were too fast. They swarmed the walls, taking down Serpentine with poison and choking shadows and vines and white fire. With every fallen Serpentine, another bravely stepped forwards. The sun set and darkness fell and the Nindroids joined the fight, and they kept coming.

All the while, Bomani yelled at his soldiers. “Hold the walls! Hold them!”

“Break through!” Shade shouted on the other side. “Break through!”

Kai would not let them. He fought and tossed flame beside Paleman and Griffin and Skylor and Bobby - bless him, he was too young to know war - who was tossing bombs and felling dozens of Nindroids. Two more elementals - one with a glimmering violet dragon and the other with a lighter royal purple - joined the army amassing in the darkness.

“Maybe we should’ve risked the Spine after all,” Nura dared to whisper to Kai as the NinjaCopters’ floodlights came on, illuminating them like deer in headlights. There was nothing to do but fight and wait some more, because though right now they had the numbers to defend the crumbling walls, they were fish trapped in a pond and the shark was about to make his arrival.

______________________________________________________________________________

Chamille had arrived at the Scattered Canyons exactly two minutes ahead of her estimated arrival, and there was no one here. No one except for Virtuoso.

Chamille crossed her arms and tilted her head, planting her feet firmly on the rocky ground at the bottom of the box canyon.

Ouroboros. That was where they had gone. She knew, because Shade had requested Lloyd bring himself and as many of his forces as he could afford to Ouroboros to capture the remaining Ninja and bring an end to the Serpentine while he was at it.

Alas, little did he know that Virtuoso had manipulated all of Lloyd’s communications, so that anytime Lloyd placed a call, Chamille pretended to be the other person, or that anytime someone called Lloyd, Chamille faked his voice.

“What are your plans?” Virtuoso asked. “How do you plan to take Lloyd down?”

Chamille fingered the crystal at her neck. “Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

Her phone rang. “I! Don’t! Care! What you think, as long as it’s about me …”

Chamille stiffened when she tugged it from her pocket.

Incoming: Lloyd. Outgoing: Chamille. So he genuinely meant to call her.

She tapped the green phone icon. “Hello?”

“Chamille.” His voice was calm. “Did you get them?”

“No. Not yet.”

“Carlos here says that he and Shade fought them, but they got away. Kate was severely wounded and Morro wasn’t much better. It’s been two hours since you guys last saw them. What gives?”

He was with Carlos, Chamille realized. What else had Carlos shared? Did Lloyd know about her unsolicited trip to Domu? Did he know that Virtuoso had hacked into Borg Tower and emptied its basement of all the Nindroids who had been put into storage after Lloyd claimed them at the Peaks?

“We ran into a little situation. We are pursuing them now,” she said.

“Ok.” Lloyd gave a sigh. “I have an update.”

Chamille shifted her weight and moved the phone to the other ear.

“What is it?” she asked.

A snarl burst from the phone. “That transport van I sent with the elemental masters and the leaders to the harbor is gone. Someone ripped it apart and they escaped.”

Oh. She knew that already. Jasper, relegated to a ‘manager’ without his element, had first noticed it and reported to her, not Lloyd. If her guess was right, they’d been with that suspicious line of buses that had departed Ninjago City at the same time Chamille left to follow Shade.

“Operations are delayed here,” Lloyd said. “I only have the Serpentine from EVIL and the Skulkin, and even their loyalties are wavering. But not to worry. A very special shipment of Dark Matter has recently arrived that will allow me to supplement my forces. And I’ll be at Astor City in two days for the merging. Meet me there with my elementals and the captured Ninja."

Chamille’s breath seized. FSM. If Lloyd managed to build an army of Stone Warriors out of Dark Matter, or even an army of regular citizens corrupted by the Dark Matter, he would be unstoppable. Even all the troops in the world couldn’t stand against Stone Warriors; only elemental masters could. And the Ninja were too good to even contemplate injuring mind-controlled citizens.

Chamille managed to force out, “Got it.”

“Don’t fail me. I want them.”

“I won’t,” Chamille assured him.

Chamille ended the call first.

“Virtuoso. Don’t give me away.” Her body tingled, as if often did when she morphed. She grew taller, her hair shortening and turning into blonde curls. Her dragon was a glimmering gold.

“It’s time for the King of Gold to arrive.”

______________________________________________________________________________

It was fully dark, and the line of Nindroids was never-ending. The Serpentine had fallen back to the heart of the city, leaving the outer buildings to Shade. Now they fought on the inner rim, the circle of buildings just before the arena.

Inside the Arcturus bunker, standing on the metal platform, Kai tipped his head back, pouring the rest of his water into his mouth. Nya and Jay were with him, taking a short reprieve before heading back to the front lines. Skales slithered back and forth, carrying water bottles and small snacks to other fighters with the arm that wasn’t in a sling. In attacking Skales’ bus, Shade had completely ruined any chances of Skales himself joining the battle, but Skales’ Serpentine made up for it by fighting with every fang and drop of venom they had.

The medbay’s borders had been extended, filling the majority of the lower room with healers, injured Serpentine, and the smell of alcohol.

But the leaders of the Ninjago City Council huddled in one corner, whispering to each other. Aubrianna’s hair was mussed. In another area, the Police Commissioner offered Vania a cup of tea; he was trying to do everything to soothe the young girl while Hailmar and his warriors battled on the front lines. The Prime Minister of Metalonia couldn’t hide his shaking hands or his nervousness; he paced back and forth through the room, dodging healers and wounded warriors.

Morro hadn’t just broken free the elementals; he’d set free the leaders who had sent allies to the Golden Peaks. Now, if only they could win this battle, they’d be able to gather those forces, triple their army’s size, and march upon Ninjago City with much better chances.

But Kai already knew they weren’t going to win. During a short war council, Griffin had suggested pulling a few elementals from the front lines and having them transport all of the leaders to Shintaro. Bomani supported it, saying they would have better chances of winning the war.

Skales resisted, pointing out that if they withdrew the leaders, and the soldiers found out, a loss of morale was deadlier than any elemental blast. Skales had won the argument.

Then Kai heard the chant, and he knew the battle was officially lost.

“Lloyd! Lloyd! Lloyd!” the elementals outside intoned. “Make way! Make way for the King of Gold!”

Their time had come.

Kai and Nya and Jay grabbed their weapons and soared out of the base. The dark horde of Nindroids swarmed like flies. The glow of Skylor’s fire, Bobby’s explosions, and Paleman’s blasts of light illuminated the city. Beyond the front lines, the red eyes of Nindroids gleamed, the short blonde elemental dripped hot white fire, and one of the new arrivals wielded what appeared to be purple plasma.

But above all, Lloyd’s golden elemental dragon cut through the darkness like a blinding blade as he descended upon the city.

“Stop!” he yelled. “Halt!”

Shade called his elementals back, and the Nindroids simply froze on the front lines. Some of the Serpentine continued to hack at them, but for every Nindroid injured, a frozen one would reactivate and shoot back with its laser, felling its opponent. The Serpentine quickly quieted as well.

“I request a parlay,” Lloyd said, his voice unnaturally amplified so it echoed over the battlefield. “Every elemental and every Tribe Leader. The leaders of Ninjago, too. I know they’re here somewhere.”

“Don’t parlay,” Kai heard Jay mutter. “He’s possessed.” Nya gripped Kai’s hand as if he were her only lifeline.

The suspended Nindroids came to life to shuffle aside and make room for Lloyd’s dragon to land at the front lines, on a section that wasn’t missing any roof tiles or large chunks from its walls. His golden armor gleamed, reflecting the floodlights of the NinjaCopters and making him hard for Kai to look at after fighting in dim darkness.

Against Kai’s will, the Elemental Alliance left their positions in the army and gathered around the edges of the roof, careful to not step too close to Lloyd. Morro elbowed his way through Hunter and Neuro to stand with Kai, Nya, and Jay. Nura joined them.

At the same time, Lloyd’s elementals clustered at his back, weapons raised. Still drawing the lines, although now Lloyd was at their center.

The linchpin. And Kai’s baby brother. Lloyd wore his purple-black Oni horns like a crown, his white Oni markings faint against his pale skin. Lloyd let his dragon dissipate, his lips moving but his voice too soft for anyone to hear.

Nathaira and Nura brought the Serpentine generals from their posts to meet with Lloyd, while Griffin and a few others flew the Metalonians, the Police Commissioner, Mayor Aubriana, and Vania to the front lines.

Lloyd spread his arms. “Welcome. You’re probably wondering why a god is parlaying and not attacking.”

Before anyone could reply, Lloyd sucked in a loud breath, drawing a dagger from his bracer and aiming its tip at air. The air undulated, and Paleman became visible, a knife in his hand, pointed at Lloyd’s neck.

Kai gasped; evil or not, that was his brother, and Paleman had just tried to murder him. A desperate move for a desperate people.

Paleman’s eyes twitched back and forth, but otherwise, his body was frozen. At his feet, a rune glowed purple. Dark Magic.

“Oh, we’re playing that way, are we?” said Lloyd, baring his teeth. “You didn’t know I had a circle of protection, did you?”

Lloyd grabbed the collar of Paleman’s jacket, pulling him from the rune’s circle of influence. His dagger clattered onto the tiles. “Hold him,” he said, thrusting Paleman into Karloff’s arms.

“If you wanna do it that way -” Lloyd stomped a foot, and cerulean flames leapt up along the parapet of the roof Kai was standing on, blocking in both the Elemental Alliance and Lloyd’s elementals. The flames rose higher and higher, until they were twice as tall as Cole, making it impossible for anyone but an elemental who knew Airjitzu to get out.

Blue flames. Blue.

“You’re not Lloyd!” Kai said, storming forwards to point a finger at his pseudo-brother.

Lloyd arched a brow and let out a laugh, his elementals joining him with awkward chuckles.

Kai’s face heated. How stupid - what if Lloyd had the crystal and he’d used it to take Chamille’s element to make himself even more powerful?

“You’re right.” The voice emanating from his brother was feminine now. “I’m not Lloyd.”

Lloyd’s body shimmered, and then he had turned into Chamille.

“Oh my brick!” Jay screeched into Kai’s ear.

Shade’s jaw dropped. “You -”

“Is she less dangerous?” Nura hissed to Kai. “Should we attack?”

Kai gripped the hilt of his katana, everything in him begging him to rush forwards and try something. If they could only get the crystal from Chamille …

“Wait,” he reluctantly replied. Not until they had assessed the situation first.

Chamille held up a hand. “Before you attack, Shade, I am your queen, and you will still obey. And before you attack” - she aimed this at the Elemental Alliance - “remember that in addition to the elemental crystal, my powers are as deadly as Lloyd’s.” Chamille murmured again, and dozens of glimmering purple runic symbols appeared on the ground around her, forming a ring of protection.

Nura stiffened and dropped her hand from the hilt of her scim.

“Dark Magic, Storms, a bit of Reality, and Animal, are in my crystal,” said Chamille, confirming it was on her person. “Not to mention I have Form and the element of a Realm Protector.” Her blue flames snapped at their backs, threatening to freeze them all. “Would anybody else like to try? Risk their element and life? No? Then let’s begin.”

Chamille slung a black backpack off her shoulders and let it thump onto the ground. She knelt and dumped out the contents of her backpack.

“Why are we not pressing the attack?” demanded Shade. “Why are we playing around with ancient scrolls?”

“Shut your mouth. We’re not playing,” Chamille retorted. “And you wouldn’t dare to attack, would you?”

She aimed this comment at Nura, who had slipped to the front, tight as a drawn bowstring, despite Kai’s warning. “Not when I could freeze you all. Not when I could press my ring and alert Lloyd of our location.”

“What do you mean? Lloyd doesn’t already know where we are?” Kai dared to ask, pulling Jay, Nya, and Morro to the front with him.

“No. But I could just as easily tell him.”

“Issss she on their sssside or not?” Nura whispered into Kai’s ear, her breath hot.. “And do we have a chance of defeating her if ssshe isss not?”

“I don’t know,” Kai said to both questions.

Chamille was still rifling through her stuff, and she pulled out a notebook. “Pass it around.” She tossed it into Gravis’s hands, as he was right behind her. Gravis scanned its pages with a frown.

Chamille stood and addressed the entire crowd. “We all know that Lloyd drank Dark Matter. And ever since, he’s been acting very weird. So I went to the Library of Domu to figure out what exactly it does to a person. And a monk of the Cloud Kingdom told me that Dark Matter is Oni blood and that by drinking it, Lloyd opened himself up to possession by the Overlord.”

A few sharp inhales, but otherwise there was silence except for the shuffling of papers as Gravis flipped through the notebook. He handed it to Tox next.

“How we know that monk not trying to trick us?” said Karloff after a few seconds.

“He has no stake in the game. He’s here only to study elementals,” said Chamille.

“Let me see that,” Shade demanded, ripping it from Karloff’s hands. Thirty seconds of examining, and then he passed it to Bolobo. “Possessed,” he said flatly.

“I already told you that,” Kai snapped. “And you didn’t listen.”

“Yes. He’s possessed,” Chamille said. “And he’s trying to join the islands of Ninjago together and turn them dark. According to the monk, that would disrupt all of the Sixteen Realms and basically cause the end of existence as we know it.”

Bolobo scratched his head. “So the promises of a new world for elementals is all a lie?”

“Bingo! Need I remind you of the Staff of Elements?” asked Chamille, her lips curving into a cruel smile.

Karloff handed Chamille’s notes back to her. “Ok,” said the Metal Elemental, banging his metal gauntlets together. “We stop Lloyd.”

“What. In. Ninjago.” Shade was still scratching his head.

Chamille pulled the crystal’s chain out from inside her shirt. “You want this,” she stated, pointing at Kai. To Shade and those behind her, she declared, “This is what the Ninja attacked Borg Tower for. If they steal his power and combine it with their elements, they can cleanse Lloyd.”

Chamille tucked it back inside her clothes. “Here is my deal. I will give it to you,” - she pointed at Jay, Kai, and Nya - “with Lloyd’s element included. All you have to do is go to Astor City with an army to counter his Stone Warriors, preferably before he merges the islands on the spring equinox, which is in two days. I’ll deliver it to you then.”

“And I suppose we’re supposed to trust you,” Kai said.

Chamille flashed a grin. “Exactly.”

“It isss a trap,” Nura hissed.

“No trap,” Chamille said, spreading her hands, palm upwards.

“Then what can you give usss to prove you are on our sssside?”

“Would you swear an Inferna Copula?” Morro demanded from Kai’s side.

“As much as I’d love to bind myself in another death vow, I just got out of one, so no thanks,” Chamille said, the light of her flames lighting her face with a ghastly glow. “Ask a few years later, ok?”

“Don’t trust her,” Nya said to Nura. “Tell the generals to press the attack.”

“They can’t even support us with these flames surrounding us,” Nura pointed out. She shut her eyes and grimaced. “We have no chance of driving them off. Their army is robotic. They do not tire.” A sigh. “We ssshould’ve at least sent the civiliansss away to the Spine.”

“Trust me or don’t,” Chamille called. “But we’re going. Now.”

“What - but - but the Overlord - we can’t return! We can’t return and help him!” Shade exclaimed.

Chamille slowly pivoted to face him. “Poor Shade - he’s switched alliances so many times he doesn’t even know what he’s saying.” She drew a dagger, pinning him against Gravis and Ash, and growled, “Would you like to lose your head? Then please, by all means, join the Alliance, and broadcast to the Overlord you’re aware of his plan.”

“I -”

Chamilel rolled her eyes at his ignorance and turned away, gesturing for Karloff to let go of Paleman. Her flames died out, leaving ice in their wake. “We are leaving now, and we are going to pretend nothing has happened. As far as Lloyd knows, we spotted Kai and Morro, and they disappeared into the Spine, taking Spinjitzu with them. Without Lloyd’s tracking dragon and without the Skycleaver blade, we have no way to pick up their trail.”

“You can’t - you can’t expect to -” said Nura. “You killed our Sand Vipers, our Serpentine!” She pointed at the bodies littering the field.

“Ah, about that,” Chamille said. “A few are truly dead, killed by our elementals. I am truly sorry for your loss. I traveled as fast as possible. Those shot by the Nindroids? They are in stun mode only. Lloyd does not know they are missing, and I would suggest you give Dr. Borg a computer and let him hack into his Tower’s mainframe to reclaim them. Virtuoso’s backdoor should still be open.”

Bomani lifted his scimitar. “Why should we trust you?”

Chamille tossed her notes to Nya. “Because if you don’t, LastDeath will be released.”

Morro’s face paled.

“What’s LastDeath?” Kai demanded.

Chamille only pointed at her notes in answer. She summoned her dragon - purple now - and lifted into the air, her elementals following on their dragons. The Nindroids remained petrified; the NinjaCopters set down in the dunes outside Ouroboros.

Then they were gone, the brilliance of their dragons disappearing into the night.

Chapter Text

“So. Chamille,” Kai said as the glow of Chamille’s elemental dragon vanished over the horizon, leaving them in relative darkness except for the twinkling of stars and the gleam of the half-full moon. “Should we trust her?”

“We have no choice,” Mambo declared. “If what ssshe said is true, and the merging of the islands will happen in two daysss, we must begin moving our forcessss to Astor City tonight.”

“Why leave now?” asked Aubrianna. “Why can’t we send a scout or someone to verify? What if it’s a trap?”

“Yes!” said Jay. “We could send Griffin!”

“I may be the Master of Speed,” Griffin said, bringing a fist to his chest, “but even I’m not that fast. Astor City is half a continent away. It would take a day for me to go and get back.”

“I did not sense any animosity in her,” Neuro said, tapping his forehead with a finger. “She wasn’t thinking about lying on the surface. Unfortunately, though, I wasn’t able to get close enough to read her underlying intentions.”

Morro sauntered forwards, slamming the butt of his bamboo staff on the hard tiles of the roof. “We can’t risk waiting,” Morro declared. “The spring equinox is in two days. It is a time when the day and night are exactly equal, meaning it’ll be slightly easier to merge the islands. If we decide to chance it and hope Lloyd doesn’t merge the islands, we risk releasing LastDeath.”

“We don’t even know what LastDeath is,” Jay said. “I think we should risk ‘LastDeath’s’ release. What if she just made it up to scare us into her trap?”

“Agreed,” Aubrianna said. “We don’t want to rush into anything.”

Kai remembered he still had Chamille’s notes in his hands. He held them to the light of the moon and skimmed through the pages, stopping on one colored like a neon sign with various highlighter inks.

“Realmatic theory,” Kai read aloud. “All studies have shown that the realms are balanced. For one realm to go dark would result in them becoming imbalanced, causing all of the realms to go dark and thus unleashing … LastDeath.” After ‘LastDeath,’ Chamille had written, “????? Ask Garmadon.”

“Look, even Chamille doesn’t know what LastDeath is,” Jay noted.

“We can’t wait!” Morro exclaimed. He drew a shuddering breath. “I know who LastDeath is. You don’t want him released, trust me. Wu said even the First Spinjitzu Master feared LastDeath.”

Morro had said he knew who, not what LastDeath was.

“Who was he?” asked Kai. All of a sudden, he was much more aware of the darkness they were standing around in - as if it were a tangible thing now. The wind whistled, blowing the chill of the desert air over them. Nya shivered beside Kai. The other leaders fell silent.

Morro snapped his fingers at Paleman and Kai. “Light, please.” His voice was soft, as if he too was aware of it - the frigid fingers that slithered through Kai’s bones and pervaded the air. The only noise was that of clanking weapons and armor as the Sand Vipers and Serpentine down in Ouroboros trudged back into the bunker of Arcturus, unaware of the shift in the atmosphere.

Morro gestured for the leaders to come closer, so that everyone squeezed into Paleman’s yellow circle of light. It flickered - Paleman had spent a lot of his strength - so Kai supplemented it by cupping his hands and summoning flame.

Morro’s eyes scanned the sky and its constellations, as if someone might be up there, before starting.

“In the beginning,” whispered the former ghost, “there was only the First Realm, the Ethereal Divide, the Oni, and the Dragon.”

“We know of the origins of the Realms,” Jay snapped.

Morro glared at him a second before resuming. “There was the Oni, and the Dragon. Firstbourne … and LastDeath.”

Kai sucked in a breath. The name tasted like a curse upon his lips. “LastDeath … was the first Oni?”

“The very first. Firstbourne and LastDeath were the only true immortals to ever exist. They are as eternal as existence itself.”

“What happened?” Nya breathed.

Aubrianna, the Police Commissioner, and the Prime Minister looked very confused. Griffin and a few other elemental masters began trying to whisper explanations about the Oni and Dragons without interrupting Morro’s tale. They wisely left off the fact that Lloyd was part god.

Morro continued, the orange light of Kai’s flames dancing in his eyes, “Firstbourne possessed all the power of Creation, and LastDeath all the power of Darkness. They created and gave powers to their children, but they still remained the only true immortals. Their war was never-ending.”

Somehow, speaking of this felt like a violation, a secret that could end worlds. One of Kai’s hands kept the flame going, while he gripped Nya’s cold hand firmly with the other.

“The dragons would create, and as soon as they did, the Oni would come and destroy. There were no Realms then. There was nothing but the Divide and the First Realm, a sanctuary from chaos … until Firstbourne summoned all of her strength and sacrificed her power to create, her capacity for intelligent reasoning, and her ability to speak in order to imprison LastDeath in the Divide. Her children expended the rest of their powers to create the other Realms, and now all dragons are limited, unable to speak or create, but as long as the Realms remain in balance and Firstbourne does not reclaim her power, the first Oni will stay imprisoned until Ragnarok, Judgment Day, the Twilight of the Gods, the End of Worlds - when he is released and the Realms are destroyed, returning to chaos and the Ethereal Divide.”

Everyone was quiet.

“We have to march,” Morro declared, breaking the silence. “Now. Or not just Ninjago will end, but everything as we know it,” Morro said.

“Then we musst decide,” said Mambo, voice hard. “My Sand Viperssss and I leave in two hours for Asssstor City. Who will join usss?”

Skales gestured at himself and the other Serpentine generals. “We will come, of courssseee.”

“I must fly for the coast to rally the Maarays,” Nathaira said. “Once we arrive, we can coordinate with you to attack from the sea while you attack from the land.”

“I will go with Nathaira,” Nya said, letting go of Kai’s hand to stand beside the cobalt Maaray.

Kai’s mouth dropped. “Nya -”

Nya came back, taking his hands in hers. “I’m the Master of Water, Kai. It only makes sense.”

Kai swallowed hard. “I understand.”

“Don’t worry,” Morro told Kai. “I’m definitely not going to the sea. No water for me!”

Borg interjected, “If Lloyd has abandoned Ninjago City for Astor City, we can sneak in and reclaim Borg Tower. From there, I can reboot the mainframe and take over my Nindroids, and Mayor Aubrianna and the Police Commissioner can gather the police.”

“Sounds good,” boomed the Police Commissioner. Aubrianna’s eyes darted over to Kai, but she nodded at Borg alongside the Commissioner.

“Hailmar and I will fly to Shintaro,” Vania said. “I’ll try to get the Geckles and Munce to join us too.”

“If I could get transportation to Metalonia,” said the Prime Minister, “I can attempt to convince an army to go to Astor City.”

“I want to go to the Dragon Caves,” Hunter said.

“But you’re so -”

“Young?” Hunter rolled his eyes. “This entire war, we’ve barely done anything. If I took Kate with me, she could help me convince the dragons. We’re fighting against an Oni, so …”

“He’s right,” Morro said. “The dragons may not be able to create, but they would still be powerful allies. Especially against Stone Warriors.”

“I’ll go with him,” Jay said. “Together, Koji and I can control the skies well enough to help them escape if necessary.”

Kai licked his lips, then nodded. As if he had a say. He hated this. Hated splitting up the team.

Morro took Kai’s hand, squeezing it tight. Kai squeezed back.

“Then we are decided,” Mambo said. “Gather your suppliessss and arrange your ridesss. We will all rendezvous in Astor City in two daysss.”

The elemental masters began to ferry those without elements down into the base.

Kai drilled down into his powers, stirring the flickering embers at the bottom of his reservoir just to get enough energy to summon his dragon. He couldn’t imagine how the Sand Vipers would feel once Mambo told them they had to march across the desert at midnight.

“Excuse me? Kai?” asked Mayor Aubrianna.

Kai resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Just his luck. He gripped the saddle horn of his dragon with one hand and slipped his foot out of the stirrup, leaning down to help pull her up with the other hand. “Climb aboard.”

Aubrianna grunted as she clambered on, and then she rested her hands only where she absolutely had to in order to avoid falling. Kai’s dragon snorted, and they lifted into the air, drifting down into the bunker.

“I wanted to discuss something with you,” Aubrianna said. “And with the other members of your team, if possible.”

“What about?” Kai steered his dragon onto the landing platform. He needed to re-sharpen his sword. Gather food and water. Maybe catch a quick nap before the Sand Vipers up and left the bunker.

“It’s about the ERA.”

Kai paused. Then exploded.

“For FSM’s sake, Aubrianna!” Kai snapped. His dragon vanished, and Aubrianna gasped, tumbling onto the ground with a viciousness that would certainly leave a bruise in the morning.

Kai, who had of course landed on his feet, didn’t care. “We played your FSM-forsaken game.” Kai jabbed his finger at her, still crouched on the ground in her rumpled suit. “We signed your stupid papers. We wore your Vengestone bracelets. We went bounty hunting for you! What more do you want?”

A few other elementals froze in their tracks, water bottles in their hands, armor half-unbuckled, to see what the commotion was about. Even Mambo and the other generals stopped shouting at their Serpentine. The flapping of wings and jangling of armor and weapons quieted. Jay and Nya edged their way over and stood supportively at Kai’s back. Morro inevitably tagged along. The rest of the activity slowly resumed as the Sand Vipers continued their methodical evacuation.

Aubrianna rose, gazing only at Kai. “It’s not about what I want. It’s about Lloyd. Deep down, you know that he will be punished. For defeating him, you and the other elementals will most likely be commended and the rules of the ERA will not affect you. But for Lloyd? You know what he’s done.”

She held up delicate brown fingers, folding them down as she listed events. “He has violently killed a villainess without trial. He has taken over a private business and blackmailed the Ninjago City Council to take over its entire police force. We watched him kill dozens of Serpentine and threaten an entire FSM-forsaken army at the Peaks.”

Aubrianna paused. “Then there’s the situation of Sensei Wu’s death. It’s hard to be mistaken when multiple witnesses tell us Lloyd went after him and when Wu’s wounds matched that of Lloyd’s dao, not Allura’s spear.”

Nya’s brows raised, her fingers covering her lips. Even Morro had a frown.

“But you have to understand!” Jay exclaimed. “Lloyd’s under the control of someone else!”

Aubrianna didn’t flinch at his outburst. “I do understand. You saved me and the other leaders. I believe you are on the right side. But will the people of Ninjago see the same?”

“It’s not going to happen,” Kai said. “Lloyd’s saved the people of Ninjago many times over. He was the Golden Ninja!”

“Regardless of being our green savior,” Aubrianna said, “Hundreds of Shintarans, Metalonians, police, and Serpentine have been brutalized by Lloyd. He made a show out of killing Pythor at Borg Tower. After this is all over, the people will want to try him for his crimes.”

“Then stop them!” Kai said. “Like Jay said, he was under someone else’s control!”

Aubrianna replied, “And yet, as I understand it, he willingly put himself under that control.” Morro bristled, his fingers casually brushing the hilt of the katana slung at his waist.

“To save you!” Nya pointed out. “To save Ninjago!”

Aubrianna’s expression was somber. “I know. Believe me, I don’t want him to be punished either. He is so young, so young to be given a life sentence.” She scanned the room, lowering her voice. “That is the only reason I am daring to violate my vow as Mayor and telling you despite the better interests of Ninjago City. If you win, you must take Lloyd and run. He might not have a home in civilization, but he would be free.”

“That’s not a life,” Morro said, finally interjecting and looking at Kai. “You can’t do that!”

“The alternative is that Lloyd can have a fair trial, and perhaps the jury will find him innocent. But if he’s found guilty, he could spend the rest of his life in Kryptarium.”

Kryptarium. Lloyd would die in Kryptarium. Spending time in that haunted place, without the wind in his hair, the sky at his fingertips, his element at his beck and call. Walking past that sealed hole in the wall everyday … left to suffer in his nightmares without his family to comfort him … his spirit would be broken beyond repair.

“Don’t misunderstand me,” Aubrianna said. She extended a hand as if to comfort them, but then thought better of it. “I wouldn’t wish this upon my greatest enemy. I just … I want you to know how this is all going to play out if you win.”

Kai only nodded and shut his eyes. If they managed to actually get that crystal and create Golden Power. If Lloyd even survived that. Then Lloyd would either be tried, or he could flee civilization, or even move realms. But never again could he come back to Ninjago City.

“Thank you,” Kai managed. There was a glob in his throat. “I will keep that in mind.”

Aubrianna’s heels clicked against the hard metal floor as she walked away to rejoin the rest of the leaders and secure her ride to Ninjago City.

“Are you insane, Kai?” Nya glared at Kai. “What are you saying? That you want Lloyd to flee Ninjago? His home?”

Kai wheeled on Nya. “Look, she’s right. Lloyd has done too much to simply be forgiven.”

“He’s a child, Kai!” Nya grabbed the neck of his gi, tugging him closer with her fingers curled into a fist, as if she were going to punch him. “He’s fifteen in an eighteen year old’s body!”

“Nya -” began Jay.

Kai wrenched away from Nya’s grip, utilizing every bit of his height to tower over his sister. “That’s right, Nya! Fifteen, and he’s facing a lifetime in prison! Do you want him to live in Kryptarium? Lloyd would rather die than go to Kryptarium!”

Nya glanced at Aubrianna’s retreating back, a hand moving to finger the dagger strapped to her thigh.

Kai grabbed Nya’s wrist with force enough to possibly leave bruises. Jay cried out. “Don’t even think about it, Nya,” Kai said. “We are not threatening her.”

“That’s what Lloyd fell to,” Morro muttered from the side.

“Excuse me?” asked Nya.

Morro whispered, “Power does not beat power. That’s the lure Lloyd fell to - the lie he believed. Power called to him, and he answered.”

Morro was right. Everything Lloyd had done - Betrayal, lies, wrecking their team, ignoring morals. It was all in the pursuit of power to defeat Allura. And then he’d fallen under the lure of that power and let in the Overlord.

“Aubrianna is right, Nya,” Jay said softly. “Lloyd has to deal with his actions. He’s not a kid anymore.”

Nya froze, and all of the fight drained out of her. She choked in a breath, a shudder running through her body as her eyes watered.

“I know you’re right.” She buried her face in Kai’s shirt, hugging him close, her chest heaving. “But I don’t want to accept it.”

Jay patted Nya’s back awkwardly, then wrapped an arm around her waist and rested the other hand on Kai’s shoulder, leaning into their huddle.

“I’m - I know,” said Morro. “I know you guys don’t like m-”

“Join in,” Nya said, voice rough and muffled against Kai. “You proved yourself. You told the truth about the others. You’re officially a member.”

Morro’s eyes were wet too now. “I’m … honored. Really. Thank you.”

His cool body pressed against Kai’s as he took a spot opposite Jay, embracing Nya on one side and Kai on the other.

“Don’t worry,” Kai murmured to them. “We’ll get through this. Together.”

__________________________________________________________________________

When Chamille and her entourage of elementals arrived at Astor City, it was thundering and pouring rain - apparently very typical for this city, being off the western coast and all.

It wasn’t very hard to tell where Lloyd was. At the northern quadrant, in Uptown, long white banners with Lloyd’s purple and gold yin-yang sigils had been hung like ads from the tallest glass skyscraper. Lights shone up from below, gleaming through the heavy rain and the dark of night.

And on the roof, the silhouettes of hundreds of stone beings lined the roof of the skyscraper. They were all mini-Colossi, with stone bamboo-style hats, moss growing on their head and shoulders, and glowing purple matter that threaded through their chests and arms, holding them together. Even stranger, some of the mini-Colossi were exactly the same shape and size as the dark ones, but with golden cords holding them together instead. As if Lloyd had somehow found … Light Matter somewhere to construct them?

Carlos was holding an umbrella and waiting at the top of the building with Lloyd’s warriors.

“Chamille.” He nodded as she and the others landed, completely soaked, and he gestured towards an elevator. The inside was downright gaudy, with a plush red carpet, mirrors on opposite sides, a third mirror on the ceiling, and gold molding and paint everywhere else.

“Feeling better?” Chamille asked Carlos as the elevator began to descend.

“Yeah. Lloyd healed me.” Carlos straightened the lapels on his black leather jacket. “Lloyd wants to see you.”

“All of us?” asked Shade.

“No. Just Chamille. I’ll drop her off at his room, and then take you guys to dinner. There’s a really nice restaurant just a few floors down.”

Chamille fingered the dagger at her hip, ignoring the unsettled feeling in her stomach. She was sure it was not from hunger.

The elevator bell dinged, and they opened to reveal a very nice hallway that extended perpendicular to the elevator. Ostentatious golden double doors were straight ahead. Forest green velvet covered chairs guarded each side, offsetting the buttery yellow of the trim and the blood-red of the floor.

Chamillle had a feeling that before Lloyd had seized it, this skyscraper had not been an office building, but a very nice hotel. Shade held the ‘open’ button while Carlos escorted Chamille across the hallway to the double doors, which was frankly a distance of five feet only, and then he didn’t even bother to open a door for her.

Instead, he smirked with his sharp animal teeth, and said, “Good luck, cousin. And try to hide the scent of your fear.” Then he left, retreating back into the elevator and quickly shutting the doors.

Chamille had to shove open the heavy door on her own.

The room was completely dark. Chamille could only tell roughly how big the room was because there were huge mirrors on one wall and because the far wall was completely glass. Neon lights from the city shone through, except for where a dark, tall-ish figure stood, looking out.

Lloyd held a hand out to her without turning around. She crossed the room slowly, wary in case there were objects in the dark. She took his hand, entwining her fingers with his. His grip was cold.

They stared out the window together for a few seconds.

“Did you get them?” he asked.

“No,” Chamille said. Time to weave her lie. “We reconvened at the Corridor of Elders, where Shade spotted Kai and Morro and then we spread out from there. But we didn’t find anyone. Without Spinjitzu or the Skycleaver blade, it’s almost impossible to track them.”

Lloyd turned his head. His eyes glowed red in the darkness. “You mean to tell me,” he said slowly, “that Kai managed to take my dragon, a bleeding girl, an injured elemental, and somehow escape the claws of ten elementals?”

He let go of her hand and faced her, towering over her. “Think, Chamille, where could they have gone? Kai’s a bleeding heart - he wouldn’t have gone too far without stopping to treat them. Shade said the girl was close to dying. Where?”

Chamille’s chest heaved as she took in a steady breath.

“To Ouroboros,” she admitted.

“And you didn’t think to check it?”

“We suspected they would have kept fleeing for the Spine,” she lied. She itched to turn invisible, to flee. She was an antelope cornered by a lion.

“Yes?” Lloyd goaded.

“And so we did not check the city. It was in ruins.”

“You idiot.” Lloyd stormed forwards, the fingers of one hand wrapping around her neck and lifting her off the ground. There was a snick, and then his claws had extended, puncturing her neck, but not going deep enough to kill. Still, warm, sticky blood leaked out.

“She was close to dying. They wouldn’t have made it to the Spine.” Lloyd’s eyes had turned again. To purple this time - the purple of a pure-blooded Oni.

“I told you - I know I did - about Arcturus. I told you all about the Void and the Delta V comet and retrieving the Golden Weapons. I know I told you about how Kai was captured and brought to the bunker in Arcturus.”

His claws squeezed ever-tighter. She couldn’t breathe. “You idiot - they were hiding in the bunker!” His voice was a rough rasp, so unlike his soft, gentle voice that could melt even hearts as hard as hers.

Chamille gasped and held in the tears of pain that slid down her cheeks. Her legs flailed; her fingers fruitlessly reached up, scrabbling at his hold. Blood dripped from her neck onto his fingers, her fingers, her leather armor, the ground… was he going to kill her?

Mercifully, Lloyd snapped his hand open, and Chamille fell to her knees, choking in air, sounding for all she knew like a retching dragon, but she didn’t care, there was air, and -

Lloyd grabbed her chin, jerking her gaze up to face him. “I wanted the Ninja. And you failed me.” He sighed. “You are not stripped of your rank. You will retain all of your rights as queen. But if you mess up again … do not underestimate my wrath.”

“Understood,” Chamille wheezed, rising slowly. Her hands were covered in blood. She was in such a dark room. Her head began to spin, and suddenly, she was standing in another dark room over a bed, a bloody knife in her hand, a cold body below, and -

A slap resounded through the room, and it took a few seconds for her cheek to start stinging and her mind to process it. Her fingers brushed where Lloyd had slapped her, to shock her out of it. Her first kill. It had been years since she’d hallucinated like that, felt such fear, smelled the iron tang -

Lloyd did not pull her into his arms or stroke her face or simply sit beside her like he normally did. Like she normally did when he had nightmares. No, he stood aloof, waiting for her to regain control. The bruise was sure to show up in the morning.

This is not Lloyd, Chamille reminded herself. This is not him.

“What do you plan to do about the Ninja?” demanded Lloyd.

“Should - should we send forces after them?” wheezed Chamille. “Perhaps, with Carlos’ shapeshifting, he could try to pick up -”

“No,” Lloyd said, as if he’d been expecting her to say the wrong answer.

“We are going to let them come to me,” Lloyd said. “I suspect they’re gathering their forces. So I’m going to lay a trap for them.”

Chamille swallowed hard, watching the fat raindrops race down the glass. His guess wasn’t very far off. “Very good. Should I arrange the trap?” She needed to do everything to stay in Lloyd’s good graces. To prevent him from suspecting any more disloyalty.

“No. You and I will be merging the islands. I’ve already picked the perfect location.” He pointed towards where the coast was, even though the skyscrapers of Uptown hid it. “There.” He grinned. It was as if he’d completely forgotten that he’d strangled her a few minutes ago.

“What is your plan, then? For dealing with their army?” If she could somehow get this information to the Ninja, they could come up with a plan to foil it before arriving.

“I might have lied about your rank. You are no longer privy to that information. Consider it a surprise.”

Curse him. Whatever his plan was, it would be devastating. Lloyd knew the Ninja almost better than they knew themselves. And as leader, he’d been the one coming up with their strategies all these years.

“I am going to be leaving,” Lloyd said, stepping away to pace before the window, his arms behind his back. “It will take them days to march their army here. I want to go back to the Golden Peaks and collect more gold. Did you notice my new warriors? The golden ones?”

“Impressive,” she managed to say, even though her mouth had suddenly gone dry.

“They are made from the gold at the Peaks. Did you know it is the blood of Dragons - the direct counter to Dark Matter, the blood of Oni?” He glanced at her, the corner of his lips pulled into a grin like it always did when he poured forth useless trivia only he truly cared about. “The Peaks are where the First Spinjitzu Master and his alliance of dragons stood and fought the Oni for Ninjago.”

“Wow,” Chamille breathed, pretending to be interested. “Where did you learn this?” Lightning flashed, blinding Chamille for a few seconds.

Lloyd lifted his head, looking down at her. “Chamille.” Her name was a purr from his lips. “There are lots of things I know as the Green Ninja from Sensei that the others don’t.”

He was doing it on purpose. Trying to provoke her. But she’d seen his nostrils flare. The Overlord must have told him.

It’s not Lloyd. It’s not him. Over and over again she repeated it to herself.

“I am leaving for the Peaks in the morning.” Thunder boomed as more lightning arced through the sky. “You will be in charge. There are five hundred soldiers here, in case Kai sends the Elemental Alliance ahead to attack. Use any and all force you deem necessary to hold the city and prevent them from rescuing their allies. Do not fail me.”

Cole, Zane, and Garmadon.

“Where are they?” she asked. “I would like to interrogate them.” I would like to ask what LastDeath is.

“Already done,” Lloyd said. “They wanted the crystal, hoping to steal my powers so I couldn’t access Golden Power anymore.” He raised a palm, watching golden sparks drift across it.

A smart lie. Again, dancing close enough to the truth. Unfortunately for him, Kai had all but confirmed their true plans for the crystal.

“Garmadon, too?” Chamille asked carefully.

“Garmadon only kept saying that he is trying to save his son. I laughed and said I’d never heard of him. No one is to speak to them. They’re dangerous.”

Dangerous? Why? Because they knew Lloyd was possessed by the Overlord and wouldn’t hesitate to tell your elementals?

Chamille gave him a look. “They’re imprisoned.” she said flatly.

Lloyd let go of her hand abruptly and pressed a hand to her upper arm, almost shoving her away. “Look, you’re tired,” said Lloyd. “Go get something to eat. Your stuff is on the 60th floor, room 605. And tell Carlos to come here.” His tone brooked no room for argument.

Chamille found Carlos showing off for the other elementals in the luxury restaurant a few floors down. He had skewers stuck in a pineapple, with alcohol (which he was not old enough for, by the way) in a decanter to the side. The waiter was supposed to pour the alcohol over it and flambé the dish, but instead of letting the waiter do it, Carlos had halfway shifted into a dragon so he could breathe fire onto it instead.

All of the tables and chairs were empty except for where the elementals were sitting. A couple of waiters whisked around them, clearing off empty plates and then escaping into the kitchen with sighs of relief.

Shade and the others were quiet and somber. Only Carlos was actually having fun.

Chamille went to Carlos’ chair and drummed the back of it with her fingers impatiently.

“Chamille!” Carlos exclaimed after he finished cooking his meal. “What happened to you?”

Chamille had gone straight to the restaurant, refusing to clean off the blood. She lifted her neck, displaying the punctures like fine jewelry. “Lloyd happened,” Chamille replied casually.

Shade lifted a brow at her state. Ash clenched his silverware, and he probably would’ve bent it, if it weren’t so expensive and well-made. Tox’s shoulders tensed. The others were caught between various stages of horror and anger.

Chamille shook her head at them, then briefly glanced at Jasper and Carlos - the only two elementals who did not know of Lloyd’s possession.

Jasper’s powers had been stolen; she was wagering that he would be eager to help Chamille steal the crystal and break it afterwards to regain his element. But Carlos? Carlos was a sadist; he had enjoyed torture and killing, while the other Immortals did it to survive. They could not reveal their newfound loyalties in front of him.

“I’m fine,” Chamille said to them.

Carlos offered Chamille a skewer. “Want one?”

“No thanks.” She narrowed her eyes at him.

A trembling waitress came over to Chamille. “The chef has said he will personally make whatever dish you require.”

“I’m not hungry,” she said. “Carlos, Lloyd wants you.”

Carlos abruptly dropped his skewer and departed.

Chamille said, “I’ll see you all tomorrow. I’m going to bed.”

She went down to the 60th floor and entered Room 605. Lloyd’s hoodies and gis were hung in the armoire alongside her jeans and t-shirts, she noticed. Chamille opened the window, letting in wind and rain, and then shut it. On the notepad provided by the hotel, with the pen provided by the hotel, she wrote, “Went flying. Be back soon.”

Then she went back to the garish elevators and rode to Lloyd’s floor - the top one.

The doors hissed apart. And then Chamille was standing in front of the door to the prison room while Lloyd and Carlos’s murmurs filtered into the hallway, muffled by the closed door.

Despite Lloyd’s firm ‘no,’ Lloyd’s stone Colossi still moved aside to allow her entrance into the sitting-room-turned-prison. She had command of the army, after all.

Chamille took a breath, twisted the knob, and entered the room.

_____________________________________________________________________________

The sun was peeking over the horizon, and Kai was tired and sore. Never before had Anakin Skywalker’s famous sand quote ever related to him more. It was coarse and rough and irritating and all in his shoes.

Kai's thighs burned with every step of the black stallion he and Morro were riding. Morro was behind him, arms wrapped around Kai’s waist as he dozed against Kai. Kai had taken two brief naps of his own, but he hadn’t been able to catch more than a wink all night.

Lucky Nya. She was flying to the coast with Nathaira and taking a wonderful trip underwater. Jay probably wasn’t so faring well; Kai suspected Jay was getting roasted by dragons.

If Jay had been with them, he would’ve been asking, “Are we there yet?” Unfortunately, no one would be able to say, “Yes,” to that question until tomorrow; they had walked all night and still had another day ahead of them.

Behind Kai and Morro rode (or slithered/walked) the rest of the Serpentine army. There weren’t enough horses or chariots for everyone, so the Serpentine traded out, with the riding ones taking naps atop their mounts while the others guided their horses. Even Mambo and the generals were not immune; Acidicus was currently taking a turn in the chariot while the rest slithered side by side.

As the first rays of light began to shine, turning from the promise of sun to actual sun, Mambo, thank the FSM, finally called the caravan to a halt.

Kai shook Morro’s shoulder. “We’re here.”

“Hmmm?” Morro blinked awake.

Other riders were being shoved or poked to consciousness, and Mambo ordered the tents to be pitched so they could sleep out the heat. Even though they’d left the Sand Viper civilians, because of Skales’ Serpentine,, there weren’t enough tents for everyone, so it looked like many were going to have to share.

“Save a spot for me in the tent,” Kai said, slipping off their horse. “I’m joining the first watch.” He waved at Griffin, who was tossing shurikens in the air as he moved to the perimeter of the camp.

“Kai. You didn’t sleep at all,” Morro said, leaping off and unstrapping his bamboo staff from their stallion.

“Neither did you,” Kai pointed out. “You only closed your eyes.”

Morro pursed his lips. “Touche. But I’m older than you. Adults don’t have to sleep that much.”

“I am an adult.”

Morro only fisted his hands on his hips.

After the events at Ouroboros and their talk with Aubrianna, Kai and Morro had been consumed with their thoughts. They hadn’t said much to each other except for the most basic topics, such as, “Want a drink of water?” or “It’s your turn now.”

Kai had been thinking of Lloyd; of what was going to happen if they managed to beat him. If he even survived the cleansing. He didn’t know what in the world was on Morro’s mind, but during the times Kai had controlled the horse, he hadn’t felt the tension leave Morro’s body once. He suspected neither of them were fit for taking a guard shift, but neither could be left to sleep with their thoughts either, so.

Morro ran a hand through his hair. “I was going to wait until we were fighting Lloyd. So you didn’t have as much time to think about it. But -” Morro sighed, rubbing his eyes. “We know there’s a chance of Lloyd dying from the cleansing. And I know this is going to sound really weird and kinda mean, so don’t hate me, but - I will take the shot for you.”

Kai’s sleep-deprived brain didn’t have a response. He just stared at Morro for a few seconds, then blurted, “Are you - are you saying you want to be the one to kill him?!”

“No, no, no!” Morro waved his hands. “I’m just trying to say, if it makes you feel any better, I’ll take the final shot so, if something really happens to him, you guys don’t blame yourselves. Or not. I mean, I’m pretty messed up, maybe it’s not as nice as I thou-”

Kai laid a hand on his arm, stopping him from babbling anymore. “I understand what you’re saying. Thank you. But he’s going to survive.”

Kai knew he trusted Morro. He didn’t think that after all this, Morro would kill Lloyd. But some part of him refused to entertain the possibility of Lloyd dying. Lloyd would not die. Letting Morro take the shot was almost like admitting that Lloyd was going to die. Kai or Nya or Jay or Zane or Cole were going to take the shot, and Lloyd would survive.

Kai let go of Morro. “I’m taking first watch,” he said, and he stalked away from Morro to join the others at the edge of camp.

Lloyd would survive. Because if he didn’t, Kai didn’t know what he’d do.

______________________________________________________________________________

Lloyd was drowning. Lloyd was drowning in his own mind - in a tide of his own making - and there was nothing he could do.

The Dragon blood of the Peaks swirled beneath him, glowing with all its power and heat.

But Lloyd just stood in the cavern of the Golden Peaks, the ruins of his stone castle around him. There was a wine-red bloodstain on the stone platform that extended over the gold. Somebody had removed Allura’s body.

Lloyd should’ve been gathering gold. Should’ve at least manufactured a few Golden Warriors. But he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Instead, he was frozen in front of Zane and Cole. He was breaking Zane apart and replacing him with counterfeit parts. He was running tendrils of darkness along Cole’s arms and laughing as Cole’s fear of Oni consumed him. He was surrounding Garmadon with flashes of Golden Power and watching the Dark Lord scream. Yet none of his work had yielded answers - none of them would give up information on their allies or reveal their plans.

He was standing in that empty room of the hotel, lightning flashing and thunder booming all around him, and he was smelling that blood with his heightened Dragon/Oni senses. Her blood. On his claws and his fingers and his boots -

“Stop this,” the Overlord hissed. “Stop this sulking. We need to be building an army.”

After moving to Astor City, the Overlord had shoved him down until he couldn’t even see anymore. Until all he caught were glimpses and blurs, and all of that happened.

Carlos had been in front of him, too, at one point. He’d … his lips had been moving and he’d been ordering Carlos to do something, but what? Carlos left and time passed and suddenly he was here.

In control again. Complete control. Or so Lloyd told himself.

“I have just regained control of my body,” Lloyd seethed. “Forgive me if I want to bask in it.”

Internally, he was thinking this was supposed to be a partnership, and his fingers clenched. If the Overlord had been physically in front of him, he would’ve torn out his throat.

“I’m doing what you want,” Lloyd said. “So … what gives?” He would laugh and spit in the Overlord’s face when he gave some half-baked answer.

“It was necessary,” the Overlord hissed. “Necessary for peace.”

Lloyd did not laugh or spit at the Overlord.

His body was locked into place again, held firm by the Overlord. “If you do not cooperate, boy, I will have to seize control permanently.”

Lloyd reached for his Golden powers, wanting to flood the Overlord out of his body, but they slipped out of his reach. Lloyd kept struggling, kept swimming for the top, for clarity, for control anyway. The Overlord only cackled as he tried.

Lloyd hadn’t thought it would go this far. That the Overlord would actually dare to take control of him, when he knew Lloyd feared this - the inability to move, to control himself. Reduced to a spectator … it was a miracle he wasn’t kneeling on the ground, heart pounding, lungs racing, caught in the throes of a panic attack. Maybe the Overlord could control that, too.

Lloyd had wanted to go to Chamille and comfort her. But after talking to Carlos and regaining slight control, he hadn’t been able to find her. She’d fled the hotel. Because of the Overlord.

Lloyd shouldn’t have drunk the Dark Matter. Shouldn’t have formed this connection. Shouldn’t have let himself be convinced by the Overlord. He might desire peace, but torturing his brothers for information …. choking his best friend …

No sort of external peace was worth that.

Lloyd was starting to realize this was not a partnership after all.

The Overlord released him again.

“I don’t want this,” Lloyd declared, watching the gold lap against the rocks. “I don’t want this burden. Pick someone else to be your champion.”

“Ah, but you have gone too far to turn back now. Stop, and you return to the ERA. Stop, and your brothers never see the peace and balance you were striving for. Stop, and elementals do not find respect in society.”

It was true. He’d already done so much that if he stopped now, the consequences would be more extreme than if he succeeded and was able to show his brothers.

“You’re … right,” Lloyd said, every part of him hating it. And he stopped swimming and let himself drown in that tide of his own making. Better than facing the disappointed looks on his brother’s faces.

______________________________________________________________________________

Astor City. The third biggest city in Ninjago, after Ninjago City and Prodigo City. Shaped like a star, surrounded by pristine white beaches, filled with glass skyscrapers that rivaled Ninjago City’s. Home to the famous Imperial Palais Hotel. Now Lloyd’s new base.

Stone Warriors surrounded the city, creating a veritable wall. But they were different; these were purple and gray and shaped like Garmadon’s Colossi, instead of red and black like the Stone Warriors Kai had encountered on the Dark Island. Some of the mini-Colossi sported white marble with golden light holding them together instead of dark threads.

Morro said that if Stone Warriors were made from Dark Matter - Oni blood - these Golden Warriors must be made from the stuff at the Golden Peaks - Dragon blood. Making them impossible for the elementals to defeat; they needed Raven to destroy them or Garmadon. Somebody with powers that naturally combatted light.

“You guys could destroy them,” Morro said as he stood with Kai on a sandy ridge, peering at them through a telescope. Behind them, the morning sun rose, illuminating the tired army camp at their back and marking the dawn of the third day. Today was the equinox.

Morro continued, “If the four of you united the elements in disharmony, you could make your own Destruction and destroy them. But you guys will be busy with Lloyd.”

“Issss there anything elsssee that will work against them? Something our Sssserpentine can use?” Nura asked from beside them. Mambo, Skales, and Bomani were also present, while the other generals had opted to stay behind and help the soldiers set up the war camp. There was no sign of their allies.

“Vengestone is solidified Oni blood,” Morro said. “Or if we managed to break apart a Stone Warrior, we could possibly use its pieces to fight the golden ones. But neither make great weapons. Unless you wanted to bludgeon your enemies.”

“FSM,” Nura cursed.

“At least most of the warriors are made of Dark Matter,” Morro pointed out. “If we spread the elementals out, the Serpentine should be able to hold them down while the elementals finish them off. But we’ll have to make sure there are enough elementals to combat the Warriors and distract Lloyd so the Ninja can get the final shot in.”

A white elemental dragon materialized in the distance, with a black dragon and green dragon behind. Using his speed, Griffin zipped over the Stone Warriors and up to Kai and Morro’s ridge of sand. A cloud of sand appeared as he thumped to the ground. Behind him, Tox and Shade paused at the boundaries of the city and hovered above the Stone Warriors, watching them.

“How many?” asked Nura. They’d sent Griffin into the city to scout out Lloyd’s defenses.

“Five hundred. Plus their eight elementals.” Griffin began to dig around in the pockets of his white gi.

Bomani cursed. “We are outnumbered by two hundred. And our warriorssss are exhausted from marching all night.”

“We have more alliessss coming,” Skales said.

“Yeah,” said Morro, handing the telescope to Bomani. “The question is, will they arrive before the merging? The equinox is today. Noon would be the most optimal time, but Lloyd might decide to move sooner.”

Kai bounced up and down on his toes. Despite his exhaustion, he wanted desperately to attack, to storm the city and find Lloyd. “I’m a little surprised Lloyd hasn’t made an appearance. Maybe he’s thinking his FSM-damned army is enough to scare us away.”

Griffin pulled a rolled-up scroll from his pocket and held it out, not quite sure who to give it to. “From Chamille through the Portal elemental. Maybe this will explain.”

Morro snatched it up first, unfurling the scroll with such ferocity Kai thought he might tear the paper. “It’s all in chicken scratch,” he complained.

“Let me see.” Kai edged over, taking the paper from Morro’s fingers. “It’s not chicken scratch. It’s in ‘runes.’ Lloyd and Chamille’s personal secret language.”

“Can you read it?” asked Nura.

“I can, but not fluently.” Kai glanced up, where Shade and Tox still hovered. Shade sent them an obscene gesture, then turned his dragon and flew into the city, Tox behind him.

Kai began to read - haltingly. “Three things you must know. First, Lloyd has left Astor City to go to the Golden Peaks. You will know when he returns.”

“If the Golden Masssster isss not present, we ssshould attack now,” Nura said. “Even if we are outnumbered, we could make enough of a dent in hissss forcesssss so that when he and our alliesss arrive, he will be the outnumbered one.”

“Keep going,” Skales said, flicking his clawed fingers.

Kai ran his finger down the paper to keep up with where he was. “Second, the Immortals are not to be trusted. Jasper’s loyalty to me remains yet to be determined. Virtuoso believes I am undermining Lloyd so I can become the next Allura. Carlos is a savage and he will serve whoever inflicts the most pain upon others.

“Third, if you dare, you may attack the Imperial Palais Hotel to rescue your friends, but know that Lloyd and Carlos have left the city to test me and my loyalty to Lloyd. If you charge, I will NOT hesitate to order the Stone Warriors forwards to keep up my ruse so that I can eventually steal the crystal from Lloyd.”

Kai didn’t artificially stress Chamille’s “not” - she had boldly written it in all caps.

“So we can attack,” Morro said. “But we’ll lose warriors in the process. The only thing we’ll be doing is destroying some of the forces he has now.”

Kai clenched his fists; he needed action. All of this waiting was agonizing. Morro felt it too; the wind picked up, blowing sand around them.

“We are outnumbered,” Mambo said. “And Chamille hasss already made it clear that ssshee cannot risk sending Lloyd’s elementals or ordering her Warriors to stand down. We ssshould wait until our alliesss arrive, and then we’ll have the advantage.”

Nura looked to the eastern horizon, blank except for the silhouettes of clouds. “Then let’ssss hope they make it before the Golden Master arrivesss. Otherwise, we’ll have to begin the attack by ourselvesss.”

But Zane … Cole … Chamille had confirmed they were imprisoned in the Imperial Palais. If Lloyd wasn’t present, it would be much easier to break them free.

He opened his mouth to say so, but Morro jerked his head up, body stiffening. “Someone’s approaching.” He wiggled his fingers through the air, and the wind picked up. “There.” Morro pointed towards the eastern horizon.

FSM. It was a golden dragon. Lloyd had arrived.

Mambo gestured for Bomani to come close. “Get Amun and alert the other Generalssss. Tell them to form the battle linesss. Summon the other elementalsss here.”

Lloyd was not flying into the city to prepare his warriors to attack their army. No, he was flying straight for Kai and the Serpentine. Lloyd’s elementals lifted off from the Imperial Palais and flew out to meet him, a purple dragon at their head.

“Uhh, guys?” said Kai. “I think he’s coming here.”

FSM. This was not how it was supposed to go. Lloyd was supposed to be in that city and they were supposed to be sieging the Imperial Palais with their armies. They weren’t supposed to have only a quarter of an army, no crystal, and only one of the four elements of Creation.

Lloyd landed in front of them, his dragon stirring up huge clouds of sand. His elementals were at his back, weapons drawn and at the ready. “Hello, brother. Where are Nya and Jay?”

Lloyd was absolutely horrendous in his golden armor and black gi. Dark claws protruded from his fingers. His onyx Oni horns were atop his head like a royal headdress. Kai knew, according to reports, that Lloyd could change how much Oni he wanted to show. Obviously, he wanted to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies, and if Kai was being honest, he was doing a pretty good job. Finally, Lloyd’s eyes were no longer red, but purple. Interesting.

“They’re busy,” Kai said with coolness he did not feel. “Too busy to come and see whatever you’re doing.”

Lloyd was unfazed by Kai’s insult. He lifted a hand, and the sand swirled into pillars and then a roof over them. With a snap of his fingers, the sand had transformed into a pavilion, complete with a woven rug and round pillows for cushions.

“Come. Let us parlay,” said Lloyd.

Such powers. How could they hope to stand against it?

Nura trembled. The rest of Kai’s elemental masters, who had just flown up from the camp with the Serpentine Generals, gazed at the new white pavilion with dropped jaws and wide eyes.

“I am here to offer you one last chance,” Lloyd said, holding up a finger. One of them - a tall elemental with navy blue eyes and spiked brown hair - handed him a clear glass filled with … Kai hoped it was iced tea.

“I am making Ninjago a better place.” Lloyd sipped from the tea and inclined his head. His elementals took spots on the cushions. Kai and the others reluctantly did the same.

Only Lloyd remained standing. “If we join the islands, we will be rid of evil forever. The problem with Ninjago is that it is a realm of balance. Good has dominated Ninjago for too long. If we make a safe space for evil by joining the islands and then sending evil people to a Dark Kingdom, we won’t struggle with evil anymore. We can let elementals live free and at peace, too. No more ERA.”

Lloyd was genuinely convinced. Or Kai would have been convinced Lloyd was genuinely convinced if his eyes weren’t purple. The Overlord’s signature color. The Overlord was using his baby brother - symbol of hope, to sway Ninjago more easily to his side for whatever nefarious purposes he had.

Kai scanned the crowd of elementals as Lloyd continued to prattle. The navy-eyed elemental was peering at Kai intently as if he were some sort of rare specimen. Kai froze and jerked his gaze away when they locked eyes, moving on to Chamille. He willed her to understand his expression. The crystal. He didn’t dare mouth it, but he raised a brow and glanced at her neck.

It was laced with claw marks and dried blood.

Kai barely stopped himself from letting out a gasp. Chamille stared back at him, giving him an almost imperceptible shake of her head. The elementals around her glanced at Kai and the Alliance with tight lips and furrowed brows.

Carlos was the only one grinning, his claws extended. “I know you rescued my sister, Fire Elemental. Where is she?”

Sister. The word hit Kai like a wave.

“I knew it when I smelled her blood,” Carlos said, sliding a Serpentine-like tongue along his razor-sharp teeth. “It only makes sense, considering we both share the element. I thought my family had all died when the Oni invaded our realm. Apparently not.”

Chamille’s brows had risen, and she tore her gaze away from Kai to face Carlos. “That makes her my … cousin?”

“Enough, Carlos,” said Lloyd, holding up a clawed hand. He looked to the Elemental Alliance. “I came to see if you would join us. You can swear an Inferna Copula and join us right now. Or you can lay down your weapons and let us capture you. You’ll get a first-row seat to the merging. Third choice - you can refuse to surrender and you can all die. Which option would you like?”

All of the options stunk.

Morro stood, crossing his arms. “How much of you is left, Lloyd? How much of you is the Overlord and how much is the scared little boy I met five years ago?”

Lloyd snarled at Morro. “Enough of me is left that he still wants to murder you.”

“We will not bow to the Golden Masssster,” said Skales. The other Generals nodded.

“Your realmatic theory is off,” Morro snapped. “Don’t you know that by turning the islands dark, you’ll upset all of the realms and unleash - ”

“You are not fit to speak his name!” In a flash, Lloyd turned his glass of “iced tea” to ash and lunged forwards, claws aimed at Morro. If not for an invisible shield of solid Wind, his throat would’ve been ripped out.

Lloyd pulled back to stalk in front of the shield, baring his fangs. “I’m assuming you don’t want options 1 or 2, then?”

“Go. To. The Underworld,” Kai growled, moving to stand beside Morro.

Lloyd growled. “I will enjoy destroying you.”

Lloyd lunged forwards, running his claws along Morro’s invisible shield. Morro cried out. Then dark tentacles grabbed Kai’s feet, pulling him forwards to Lloyd. Kai let out a scream as he was dragged on his back to Lloyd’s feet.

From Kai’s view, the Elemental Alliance was upside down. They shot to their feet, drawing their weapons and powers. Morro had a look of horror upon his face. Lloyd’s Immortals rose behind him, elements at the ready.

Aim for Lloyd. Still on his back, between Lloyd’s legs, Kai reached for the dagger at his thigh. Get that crystal. Why wasn’t Chamille moving? Why wasn’t she trying to -

Morro had his bamboo staff out, and he was rushing for Kai.

But Lloyd shielded himself with a bubble of Golden Power, making it impossible for any elemental but Garmadon or Raven to break in. And Raven was half of Garmadon’s expertise and power. Still, Kai could see her faint outline as she tried to lay her hands on the shield and break it. Then Lloyd’s elementals surrounded it, blocking her off.

Morro was screaming Kai’s name. A battle broke out between Lloyd’s forces and the Elemental Alliance and the Serpentine, but Lloyd thickened the walls of his shield so that Kai couldn’t see or hear anything. They were in their own little world.

Lloyd flicked his fingers, and his claws grew longer, like Carlos’s. He ran them along Kai’s neck, then paused, claws digging in. Wet, warm liquid trickled down his throat. Just like the puncture wounds adorning Chamille’s neck. “Tell me where Jay and Nya are, and I’ll let you live.”

“I know you’re still there, Lloyd! I know you wouldn’t kill me!” Kai said, even though he was on his back, a flimsy dagger in his hands, at the feet of a virtual god.

A gutteral, raspy laugh came from Lloyd’s throat. One that was not him. “Lloyd might not. But I will.”

The Overlord. Kai flipped his dagger in his hands and moved to stab Lloyd - telling himself Lloyd would forgive him, and hoping maybe the Overlord would be shocked, giving Lloyd a chance to rise to the surface - but shadowy coils seized Kai’s arms and legs, pinning him to the rug. His dagger clattered uselessly onto the rug.

Golden Power twisted around Lloyd, blasting through the top of the pavilion, creating a cyclone of Golden Power. Lloyd glowed, and he began to float. Kai struggled, but to no avail.

The power climaxed above them with a roar, then shot down towards Kai with all of its might.

Kai didn’t dare shut his eyes. The light barreled towards Kai, obliterating everything in its path and then -

A shield of green stopped it. A shield of Lloyd’s own making that surrounded Kai, pulsing with energy. The Golden Power rained down around them; faint screams sounded from outside. Lloyd’s eyes flashed red, then green for a few seconds.

“Kai - go! Go now!” It was Lloyd’s voice - the same lost little boy voice he’d used to be Kai to help him when Morro first possessed him.

Kai scrambled to his feet, the dagger forgotten.

Lloyd’s Golden Power fell away and he dropped the shield. The full mayhem of the fight outside hit them. A dragon roared; sand blew about, nearly blinding Kai; plants were growing up out of the barren soil and trapping Serpentine.

Lloyd threw his head back, letting out a scream. “Let - them - go!”

Then the Overlord regained control of Lloyd, staring at Kai with utter hatred. “Fine. Fight if you want. You may die glorious deaths in battle instead, if that is what you wish.”

Kai stumbled backwards, not daring to take his eyes off Lloyd. He slammed into Morro’s chest; Morro held him firmly by the arm, a solid presence at his back.

Even though Lloyd was surrounded by the Alliance - and his own elementals were unknowingly against him - no one dared to lay a hand upon Lloyd. Lloyd shapeshifted so that he had wings - golden dragon wings.

“Let’s go!” he barked at his elementals, turning the pavilion back into sand. His elementals retreated, shooting pained glances at the Alliance.

The Alliance stood still, wiping sand from their shoulders and watching Lloyd and his elementals fly back to the city on their dragons. Nobody suggested they pursue. Nobody wanted to go after a god, not without that FSM-forsaken crystal and a good amount of luck.

As soon as the elementals were out of sight, hidden by the skyscrapers, the Stone Warriors began to march forwards towards the Serpentine, rock scraping against rock with each step.

Their allies had better arrive soon, Kai thought, wiping thin rivulets of blood from his throat and then reaching for his katanas. Because otherwise, there wouldn’t be an army to rendezvous with.

Chapter Text

There was an army approaching from Astor City - an army of purple and grey mini-Colossi. Then there was another army advancing from the northeast - from the Golden Peaks, having been right behind Lloyd. Five hundred strong, composed completely of Golden Warriors.

FSM. They had no Vengestone, no Garmadon, no Zane and Cole. The Serpentine were outnumbered by seven hundred. Chamille either could not or would not send support. And they were practically sandwiched, with only the south as an escape route.

“We’re doomed,” Morro whispered.

“Shussssh!” Nura drew her scimitar. “We cannot afford to lose the morale of the troopssss. If we are confident, they will fight until their lassst breath.”

Nura pointed the tip of her scim at Griffin. “The elementalssss go to the front, to fight the Stone Warriorssss. I will rally the Serpentine and we will defend our right flank from the Golden Warriors assss well as possible.” Nura’s orange eyes met Kai’s. “You will gather a team and go to the Palais to rescue your Ninja. That crystal and those elementalsss are our only chance. We will try to hold them off until our alliesss arrive.”

Kai nodded. “Got it.” The Serpentine generals and elementals murmured agreement and began to disperse.

Morro was immediately beside Kai. “What’s the plan? Who are we taking?”

Kai shouted, “Skylor!” She twisted around, knives in hand.

“Do you think you could copy Golden Power?” Kai asked, sprinting to catch up to her.

Skylor raised a brow as she kept power-walking to the edge of camp, the other elementals flocking along with them. “I’d have to get close enough to touch him,” she said.

“She couldn’t,” Morro informed them. “Golden Power is a composite. Allura could do it because she stored power and generated none. Skylor would have to generate five elements at once. She can combine elements, yes, but no Amber elemental is that strong. We need a different plan.” Morro glanced at the skies, at Astor City’s gleaming glass buildings. “Lloyd’s too powerful to just barge in on.”

Kai chewed his lip as he thought. There was an army pressing down on them, and Kai needed to be at the Imperial Palais right now. But he wasn’t Lloyd. He wasn’t the leader, as much as he liked to pretend and preen and flaunt. He had no plans.

“We need to sneak in,” Kai stated. “There’s no way we can fight Lloyd ourselves until we’ve got that crystal. We’ll need Paleman, or Skylor, or someone who can turn us invisible -”

Skylor glanced up from checking her weapons as they walked. “Can’t. I’ve got to go to the front lines, Kai.” She jerked her chin towards the edge of camp, where the Stone Warriors inevitably marched closer and closer to their lines of Serpentine. The other elementals had already taken flight and were making lazy circles above the battlefield.

“Besides Raven, I’m the only one with Destruction,” Skylor said. She laid a hand on Kai’s arm. “May the FSM bless and guide you.”

“I wish the same to you,” Kai said, hoping his words did not come out too bitter. Skylor formed her orange dragon and shot into the air.

Kai grimaced and rubbed his eyes. “Morro, we don’t have a plan. What are we going to do?”

Kai stared at the silhouette of the Palais Hotel, its roof jutting above all of the other skyscrapers. He didn’t even know where in the Palais his brothers were, and Lloyd was still in there, and Jay and Nya were miles away in who knew where -

“Kai!” said Morro. Kai jumped, drawing his dagger and twisting around. There was a portal next to Morro, swirling with navy blue and dark green.

The lanky elemental - the one with the spiked hair and the indigo eyes - stepped out of it, hands up, facing Kai. “Before you shoot, I’m Jeremiah. Master of Portals.” He crooked a thumb at Astor City, the portal whooshing shut behind him. “Lloyd -”

“How did you get here?” Kai blurted, raising his weapon.

Jeremiah frowned. “By locking onto your signature. That’s why I was staring at y-”

“Just in time,” Morro shoved in. “We need you to get us to the Palais.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” said Jeremiah. “Lloyd is currently occupied with Chamille on the roof of the Palais. Your friends are in Room 7002, but it’s locked and the walls are reinforced with Vengestone, so I can’t portal in there.”

Jeremiah pulled a small glass flask filled with a lime-green liquid from his pocket and he handed it to Kai. “From Tox. Don’t let it touch you - it eats through metal. Guards are already disposed of. Try not to make too much noise rescuing them - Lloyd’s one floor above.”

“Thanks?” Kai slipped the flask into an inner pocket of his gi. Slip in, slip out. Time was of the essence. But some part of him was still yearning for his team. For his brother and sister.

Jeremiah snapped his fingers, and another portal appeared. He gestured them towards it. “Lloyd’s elementals are fighting to disable as many Stone Warriors as possible. But they’re realizing we’re a threat. Half of us have already been captured. Tell the Alliance not to attack if we have to flee to your lines instead.” Jeremiah held out a hand, gesturing at the churning circle. “After you. You have ten minutes, and then I’m coming bac-”

A low snarl resounded, and then Jeremiah was thrown backwards, his head knocking into one of the tent poles with a nasty crack! His portal disappeared. A red dragon materialized above him, teeth displayed.

“Not so fast,” said Carlos. He growled at Jeremiah’s unconscious body. “Trying to betray Lloyd? You’ll pay.”

No one paid any heed to the red dragon at the center of their camp who was tearing down tents with his tail and wings as he stood over Jeremiah. They were all at the front lines, battling against Stone Warriors and Golden Warriors. Kai and Morro were on their own.

Kai reached for heat. It was easy - they were at the edge of the Sea of Sand. Flames rose in Kai’s palms and encircled his feet.

“I’m fireproof, dummy,” Carlos said, amber eyes gleaming.

“But are you tornado-proof?” asked Morro, hefting his bamboo staff. Twin katanas made a V-shape at his back. Daggers glittered at his chest, his thighs, his gauntlets.

Carlos flinched.

“I beat you once, I can beat you again,” said Morro, stalking forwards. The wind picked up.

Carlos’s lips lifted, and there was a hissing sound as he inhaled, ready to spew fire.

“Hey!” said a familiar voice. “Pick on someone your own size!”

A large white tent at Carlos’s back collapsed, its poles snapping. Then the air over it wavered, revealing a jet-black dragon with green eyes. The new dragon flared its wings and emitted a growl. A challenge of dominance.

A white dragon with gold accents thumped down in front of Carlos, felling the last tent and thus clearing a huge circle. Kate was atop it.

“Hello, brother,” hissed Kate from Prophecy’s back. Her claws snapped out.

Hunter and Prophecy circled around Carlos, backs arched, teeth bared. Kai let his flames burn out, and he and Morro rushed to drag Jeremiah’s unconscious body out of the way and to the sidelines.

A few guttural growls, and then the three dragons locked claws and horns and teeth.

Kai jumped as an ear-splitting roar rocked through the air - one that resounded deeply in Kai’s chest and did not come from one of the dragons battling in front of him.

Kai glanced up and froze in wonder.

Above, an aerial legion of twenty-five dragons flew, with Spinjitzu included and Jay at their forefront. Two hundred Shintaran warriors, all equipped with golden wings, followed, black and orange Vengestone daggers glittering in their hands.

From the south, a contingent of a hundred warriors outfitted in silver mail and helmets and carrying massive war hammers marched from Metalonia. From the sea of Astor City, at least two hundred Maarays arose, their wet black scales glimmering in the late morning light. Nya’s dragon circled above, letting out a roar.

Helicopters and sirens sounded as the police of Ninjago City approached from the north, with NinjaCopters and hundreds of flying Nindroids above them. The Munce and Geckles were with them.

Their allies had arrived.

Morro was behind Kai, shaking Jeremiah by the shoulders. “Jeremiah! We need to go!”

Jeremiah blinked awake wearily. A bruise was already forming on his forehead from where Carlos had smacked him into the tent. “What - huh -”

“Kai, come on!” Morro shouted. He grabbed Jeremiah’s face, looking him straight in the eyes. “Jeremiah, can you portal us?”

Jeremiah gritted his teeth, but nodded. “Ten minutes. Then I’m coming back.” He hissed as he pushed himself to his feet. Morro rose, snatching up his bamboo staff.

“Wait,” Kai said to Morro. “I want Jay and Nya with us.”

If Kai was going to face down a god, he wanted his team by his side. Once Chamille managed to get the crystal from Lloyd and once Kai and Morro broke Zane and Cole free, the jig was up. Lloyd would know exactly what they were doing, and Kai would rather have all of his siblings at his side when Lloyd figured it out.

Kai turned back to the battlefield, summoning his dragon. He let it flare up like a beacon.

His dragon screeched, loud as a jet engine, while Kai called out, “Nya! Jay!”

The forces from Ninjago City were slamming into the Golden Warriors, driving them against the Serpentine. The Metalonians advanced through the war camp in orderly lines, going up to reinforce the Serpentine. The Maarays, having come from the sea, attacked the Stone Warriors from behind, forcing them to fight the elementals and Serpentine at the front and the Maarays in the city at the back. The wispy dragons of Lloyd’s elementals supported the Maarays.

And all the while, the true dragons and the winged Shintarans swooped over them, with the Shintarans distributing hundreds of weapons fashioned from Vengestone to those allies fighting the Golden Warriors.

“Are they coming?” Morro yelled up at Kai.

Kai was waving like mad, his dragon turning from red to blue as it became hotter and hotter. He glanced down to yell, “Not yet!”

“Kai!” Kai jerked his gaze up again, looking again to the skies. Nya’s water dragon zipped through the aerial battlefield and over the Stone Warriors. Jay’s dragon did a loop-the-loop over Nya’s dragon, then joined her to fly to Kai and Morro.

“Kai!” Nya’s dragon landed, stirring up an impressive amount of sand with its wings. She grinned at Kai, shaking her head and sending droplets flying from her sopping wet hair.

“What’s happening?” asked Jay, glancing warily between Jeremiah and the new portal he had summoned. It hummed with energy.

“We’re going after Cole and Zane,” said Kai, pointing at the portal. “Chamille’s distracting Lloyd and getting the crystal. Then we’re going after Lloyd.”

Nya scanned the battlefield, then nodded at Kai. “Let’s go,” Nya said, hefting her trident.

Jay pulled his nunchucks from where they were clasped to his belt. Kai reached for his katanas. Morro twirled his bamboo staff.

Kai and Jay and Nya and Morro leapt through the portal. _____________________________________________________________________________

The hallway was silent. And filled with way too much red and gold for Kai’s tastes. They were facing a door coated in midnight-black with orange veins running through it. Vengestone.

The remains of Stone Warriors littered the hallway around them, the stones looking as if they’d somehow been melted.

Morro held out a hand. “Give me the acid.”

Kai unstoppered it and handed it over. Slowly, carefully, Morro tipped most of it out, letting the green liquid drip down the Vengestone-coated handle and eat away at it. It hissed and bubbled, sending up a toxic smell. They collectively stepped back, Morro recapping the vial.

“Ten minutes is too long,” whispered Jay. “Lloyd could come back downstairs any second.”

“We don’t know how long it takes this stuff to work,” said Nya. “And maybe Jeremiah’s got other things to do than sit around with us.”

“He got hit pretty hard earlier,” Morro noted. “Let’s hope he’s still able to pick us back up.”

They lapsed into silence. Disclosing the fact that there was a muffled voice inside yelling, “No! Don’t open the door!”

“Cole?” Nya stepped forwards, looking as if she wanted to press her ear to the door. But she didn’t, not with that acid on the door. Kai wouldn’t be surprised if it was actually Sand Dragon venom.

“Don’t open the door! It’s a -” There was a thud. And Cole was silent.

They glanced at each other.

“Four elementals,” Kai said, clutching the hilts of his katanas tighter.

“But the room is Vengestone,” objected Jay.

“Four Ninja,” Morro corrected. “First objective is freeing the others. Then they can help us fight whatever the threat is.”

Every second they waited, Kai’s itch to fight grew worse. Nya had turned around, guarding their backs in case Lloyd appeared. Morro watched the lock like a hawk.

The ground began to rumble. Cracks appeared in the golden walls, peeling wallpaper and forcing sconces to clatter to the floor.

“What’s happening?” asked Jay.

“The islands,” Kai said as another tremor rocked the hallway. “We have to hurry.”

Even though only a couple of minutes passed according to Kai’s watch, it felt like an hour before Morro declared the door safe. The handle mechanism had completely melted away, leaving a hole, so Morro simply sent a gust of wind at the door, opening it.

They were not prepared for what they saw.

Zane was before them - freed - his shurikens in his hands. The room was rectangular, with a stretch of floor-to-ceiling glass along the farthest wall. Double doors to a white marble bathroom were left open, and a king-size bed was on a raised dais opposite it. There was no sign of Vengestone on the walls; it must be hidden inside them.

In the middle of the room, Cole stood, his feet barely touching the ground as Vengestone chains attached to the ceiling held him up by his wrists. A fresh bruise bloomed on his cheek. Garmadon was imprisoned in the same manner, only his chains were golden, fashioned out of Dragon blood.

“Hello, intruders,” said Zane, his eyes as cold as glass.

With inhuman speed, he lunged forwards, nearly stabbing Morro with a shuriken. Morro barely blocked with his staff.

Jay sent lightning at Zane, but Zane ducked. Nya and Kai took the opportunity to slip through the doorway and behind Zane, surrounding him.

“Zane, what are you doing?” Kai demanded. “We’re here to rescue you!”

“We don’t want to hurt you if we don’t have to, Zane,” said Nya, lifting her trident. “You need to snap out of it!”

Morro waved the rest of Tox’s potion in the air. “Kai, here!” He tried to throw it over Zane’s head, but the Nindroid’s hand flashed up. Zane didn’t catch it, but he threw off its trajectory, and Kai dropped his katanas and dove for it, landing on his stomach with an oof. Zane was busy blocking Nya’s thrust of her trident.

Kai clambered to his feet, uncorking the vial and moving to drip it on Cole’s chains. Cole lifted on his tiptoes and tried to move his body to the side as much as possible.

Tears shimmered in Cole’s eyes. “You came,” he said with wonder.

One of Cole’s chains snapped free, letting Cole freely touch the ground. Kai moved on to the second one. “Of course we did.”

“You don’t know what we went through,” Garmadon said as Cole’s last chain broke and he collapsed to the ground, massaging his wrists - rubbed raw. Kai went to the Dark Lord.

“I have been at war longer than all of the years you Ninja have lived - combined. Cole and I are human, and with my advice, we managed to survive Lloyd’s interrogation techniques.” Garmadon looked to Zane, whose face was a mask of indifference as he battled Morro, Nya, and Jay. “Unfortunately, Zane could not resist when his very programming was cracked open.”

Horror bloomed in Kai as Garmadon’s feet landed firmly on the floor. Lloyd had tortured his brothers for information. Had broken them open and torn them up and somehow -

“Yes,” said Cole while Kai unstrapped his extra daggers and handed one of his katanas to Cole. “But he was careful to keep us alive.” Cole paused from donning weapons and held out an arm, pulling down the collar of his gi with the other. There were no scars - not even the ones Cole had from rock-climbing or former battles. “He would run his claws over us and laugh and then heal us and then do it all over again.”

Garmadon’s red eyes were filled with … feeling, if that was possible. “We must save your robotic friend. Either that, or steal his Ice element with the crystal.”

Somehow, Jay and Nya and Morro had managed to immobilize Zane. Morro was floating above him, pressing Wind down on him, while Jay and Nya grabbed his arms and sat atop him, trying to keep him down. Zane panted and kicked out at them, but Morro grunted and increased the pressure so Zane’s legs were completely immobilized.

“I can’t keep him down for much longer,” Morro warned. “I need to conserve my energy for the battle against Lloyd. So what’s the plan?”

Jay shrugged. “Deactivate him?”

This was not supposed to be like this. Their team was supposed to be united, not torn apart with brother vs. brother.

“Can you help?” Kai looked at Garmadon.

Garmadon’s eyes flickered over Zane. He stroked his chin. “Your friend was not corrupted by Dark Matter or by Golden Power. His mind was breached by the Tech elemental and he was given alternate programming. You can hope that Borg is able to fix him, or you can take him to Virtuoso.”

“I don’t know, but can we at least deactivate him?” yelled Morro, arms shaking.

Zane would be hard to carry if he was deactivated; his titanium body weighed double what any of the Ninja did.

Kai watched in frozen shock as Jay flipped open Zane’s wrist controls and flicked a switch. The blue light in Zane’s eyes sputtered and then died. Kai’s breath caught.

Cole broke the silence first. “What do we do next?”

“A Portal elemental should be back in … ” Morro checked his watch. “About now. We’ll escape and take Zane with us to the war camp. Borg should be there. Or Jeremiah can fetch Virtuoso for us.”

Cole’s eyes widened. “War camp? What?”

“It’s a long story,” Jay said, slapping Cole on the back. Cole flinched, although he tried to hide it. The scars Lloyd had left wouldn’t be leaving for a while, then.

Just on time, Jeremiah’s portal whirred into existence and the elemental stepped through. “Got them?”

Jay and Cole lifted Zane’s unconscious body together, with Jay at Zane’s head and Cole grabbing his legs.

Everyone froze as a high-pitched scream echoed down the hallway.

______________________________________________________________________________

There was an army at their doorstep, and all Chamille did was stand beside Lloyd on the roof of the Imperial Palais, her hand in his, and gaze at that rippling sea of armor and scales and flags.

The golden dragon of Shintaro against white. The multicolored battalion of true dragons. The silver fist of Metalonia and the sigils of the Five Tribes of Serpentine, including that of the Anacondrai. In honor of Pythor, Chamille assumed. A few other unknown symbols dotted the crowd, too. But most prominent were the elemental symbols of the Ninja, combined into one flag to be carried at the front of the Serpentine army.

The people of Ninjago, united against the terror of Lloyd.

The sea wind tore at Lloyd and Chamille from behind, whipping at clothes and snapping hair. Waves smashed themselves against the white sand of Astor City with dying roars. The sun was high above, beaming down on them and almost making Chamille regret the beautiful, dark armor she had donned over her black leathers.

Still, Lloyd and Chamille stood on the roof, still as statues despite the armies around them and the faint rumbling of the earth. Lloyd was pouring power into the very foundations of Ninjago, and it was responding.

Lloyd glanced Chamille’s way as he grimaced, and one of the buildings in Astor City shuddered and then fell, glass tinkling. Their Stone Warriors were unaffected by the shower of shards.

“It’s almost noon,” Lloyd said, voicing exactly what she was thinking. “At noon, everything will be - should be exactly equal. However, because I have already affected the balance, the equinox will do the work for me and the two halves will naturally be drawn together.”

Chamille nodded and pretended to be interested. Yes. It was almost noon. And it was almost time for her to steal his element. She had waited, delayed, lagged as long as possible to keep Lloyd from suspecting her plan. Also, so that when the time came, he would give up on pursuing the crystal and focus on completing the merging. If she had stolen his element sooner, he would’ve had more time to rampage through Ninjago for it.

She mentally braced herself. She had manipulated herself into one’s heart in order to steal too many times to count. She should be cold and unfeeling with a heart of stone. But there was a hole in her heart every time she imagined what she knew would happen. Him in her arms, only to look back at her with betrayal. Lloyd should’ve never let his best friend back in.

Chamille tightened her grip on Lloyd’s hand and turned to him, making her voice meek and beseeching. “Lloyd -”

Lloyd brought his index finger to her lips, shushing her. He took the hand he was holding and lifted it, gently kissing the top of it. One of his arms wrapped around her back, pulling her closer. His vambraces were hard against that of her soft leathers.

“In case we never see each other again,” he whispered.

Then he was kissing her, and Chamille was caught in an event she had only ever experienced once. She automatically thrust her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes, leaning into him. She was tempted to savor the warmth of his body, the soft scrape of his canines against her lips. This was her plan, but she hadn’t initiated it, so -

A screech of metal as a knife was drawn from its sheath. Lloyd pressed its tip against her belly.

“Doesn’t feel so good to be the betrayed one, does it?” he breathed, grabbing a wrist and holding it so tight she almost swore she could hear the bones cracking.

His signal was clear. Try something, and you die.

She shouldn’t have let him get so close. When you played with dragons, you should expect to get burned. Yet she knew there was no way she could’ve stopped this outcome. She, too, had counted on him drawing her close. Good thing she had a backup plan in case something like this happened.

“How long?” she asked as purple light shimmered over her, turning her leather catsuit to a black gown with a plunging v-neckline.

Lloyd was too smart to fall for her beauty now. “I knew you were plotting against me when you returned with the Ninja. You are too deadly a person to fail. So I sent Carlos to spy, and what did I find? You actively encouraging the elementals to turn against me.”

So that was why Carlos had been called to Lloyd’s room two nights ago. Then "sent away" on a mission by Lloyd. To lower her guard so he could sneak back invisibly.

“Well, I’ve been plotting against you far longer than that,” Chamille hissed back in a proud voice, as if they were comparing video game scores. “In Domu, I met a monk from the Cloud Kingdom who explained everything. Tell me, Overlord, who is LastDeath, and what will he do to Ninjago?”

Lloyd snarled, and the raspy voice that poured out of him was not native to Ninjago. “You are not fit to say his name!”

Chamille only laughed and - eyes still on him - reached for the charm that had been exposed by her low neckline. “I’ll have you know it was worth the risk,” she purred, pressing the cold crystal to his chest.

They struck at the same time, both screaming in pain. Lloyd, as his very essence - all of his elements - were ripped out for the second time, and Chamille, as Lloyd plunged that dagger deep and twisted. It was a gut wound; she wouldn’t die straight away if she could stop the bleeding and get stitches. No, what would kill her was sepsis, and Lloyd knew it.

“Thank you very much," he said as he pulled back, letting her blood pour onto the ground as she collapsed to her knees. “Oh, and I’ll take that, too.” He leaned down to snap the crystal’s chains from her neck.

Chamille could only watch in stunned silence as the world began to blur around her. Where was Jeremiah? She didn’t even have the strength to check her watch to see if she was too early or he was late. Black wavered at the edge of her vision, and Chamille found herself lying on her side. A tremor rocked her body, and she could barely make her burning throat work well enough to say, “Jinx,” as a portal opened behind Lloyd and Jeremiah tumbled out.

Thank the FSM. It was about time. She hoped Jeremiah knew where the Ninja were so he could get the crystal away from Lloyd and to them.

But the portal stayed open, and then Jasper sprinted through. He kept charging, using his momentum to shove into Lloyd and knock him to the ground. The crystal clattered out of his hand.

Jasper had come. Her big “brother” had actually answered her secret notes and pleas for backup and plotted with Jeremiah to arrive fully outfitted with Carlos’s stolen shield - the one dipped in Vengestone - and a katana fashioned out of Dragon blood, stolen from a Golden Warrior. In case her mission failed.

Two weapons, to fight two power sets. One brother and one love to buy Jeremiah enough time to save both her and the crystal. Lloyd’s claws raked across the Vengestone shield with a screech. The ground rumbled beneath her again.

Chamille let the blessed darkness, free of pain, take her.

_____________________________________________________________________________

“That was a girl’s scream,” Garmadon said, thick eyebrows drawn into a frown. He summoned his purple crystalline daggers.

Kai met Morro’s eyes. “Chamille.” Kai hefted his second katana. “Garmadon, Nya, and Morro with me. Cole and Jay, get Zane to camp with Jeremiah’s portal. Jeremiah, can you get Virtuoso to the camp and bring Cole and Jay back after they drop Zane off?”

The earth shook, and somewhere, the sound of breaking glass cut through the air. The frequency and severity of the earthquakes was increasing. Was it already noon? How close were the islands?

Jeremiah said, “I can get the three down there, but I’ve got to make a stop and get someone else somewhere.” His eyes widened as he checked his watch. “Like, now!”

“Do it,” Kai said, leaving them to work it out as he, Garmadon, Nya, and Morro barged through the doorway into the hallway and up a stairway labeled “roof access.”

One foot after another. Up what felt like hundreds of steps. The roof door slammed open, and Kai paused to take in the scene.

Chamille was on the ground, eyes shut, arms spread wide, as she laid there in a puddle of her own blood. The crystal was abandoned beside her.

And Lloyd stood against Jeremiah and Jasper. Jasper was outfitted in armor and carrying a black shield with orange streaks and a golden sword. So this was the “someone else” Jeremiah had to pick up.

Jeremiah had two hilts in his hands, and he flicked them, extending silver blades. Jasper surged forwards, swinging his golden sword. Jeremiah charged alongside him, delicate swords raised.

Lloyd staggered back. He had no weapons except for two small daggers on his bracers and a heavier dagger sheathed at his waist. Darkness bled from his fingers, and he thrust it upwards like a shield. Jeremiah paused, but Jasper kept going. His sword cut right through it.

Lloyd cursed as he ducked. He summoned a purple sword - like Garmadon’s daggers - for himself, and metallic noises rang out as his blade and Jasper’s clashed in an intricate dance. Garmadon and Nya joined the battle against Lloyd. Jeremiah left the three to it and portaled away.

Meanwhile, Kai and Morro shot towards Chamille. Kai snatched up the crystal and shoved it in the pocket of his gi while Lloyd was occupied.

“Chamille?” Kai leaned down and shook her shoulder. She had truly been on their side - had played with her best friend’s heart to save Ninjago, and this was how she was repaid. Morro dropped his staff on the ground and peered at Chamille’s wound. It was lower, meaning it had not penetrated her heart or lungs. But it was deep, and her internal organs had not been spared. She would bleed out soon.

“Is she okay?” asked Jeremiah from behind.

Kai jumped. “FSM, a little warning?”

At the same time, Morro said, “We’re working on it,” to Jeremiah.

“I just checked on the others and they are coming,” Jeremiah promised. “Having a bit of a problem with Virtuoso and Carlos at the moment. But I’ll go see if I can help.” He portaled away again.

At Kai’s knees, Chamille let out a gasp and her eyes shot open. She grabbed Kai’s arm so tightly she left little crescent moon shapes. “Do it!” she hissed, dark pupils wide. Kai readied a flame.

Morro’s hand snapped out, stopping Kai before his hand plunged downwards. “You’ll only stop her from bleeding out. There’d be scars and sepsis if she doesn’t get antibiotics soon. Give me the crystal.” He held out his hand to Kai, palm up.

“Why?” asked Kai.

“Because it’s already got Golden Power in it - all of the elements Lloyd naturally carries. It can heal her.” Creation. Fire. Ice. Earth. Lightning. And Energy. Now all contained in this crystal. Kai hadn’t known Chamille’s crystal would steal everything - but now they didn’t need the other Ninja, right? They could use it, right here and right now against Lloyd.

Kai withdrew the crystal from his pocket, dropping it into Morro’s waiting palm. The crystal started glowing yellow. Chamille moaned as Morro aimed a golden beam of light at her. Her wounds began to knit themselves shut.

“If there’s Golden Power in that crystal, we can use it now against Lloyd,” Kai said.

“Possibly,” Morro answered, watching the light work its magic. “But right now, he’s lost his Golden Power and the islands are still moving. Which means if we don’t do something to stop that first, they’re going to combine. So right now, we just need to stop the islands from joining. Lloyd’s a second priority. LastDeath is our main threat for now.”

The ground shook with Morro’s last words, as if for emphasis.

Kai nodded and turned away, gripping the hilt of his remaining katana tightly while Morro helped Chamille up. She was pale, but alive. Chamille pulled two daggers from her thigh sheaths and let out a feline growl.

Behind them, Jasper and Lloyd and Nya and Garmadon were still engaged. Lloyd hadn’t managed to break Jasper - not yet, even though he was elementless. Nya was still going too, water tentacles splashing around her, shielding her from Lloyd’s advances. Garmadon had shadowy tendrils around him that acted in much the same manner. The four of them drew back and circled, looking for each others’ weakness.

“Enough!” said Lloyd, summoning darkness - only darkness - in his hands. “You are all - all of you - beneath me!” Lloyd said as he let it blast out.

The world turned to shadows.

Kai thrust up a shield of fire, letting it encircle him completely in a sphere. He flared his powers, turning them to hot blue fire, but the darkness threatened to devour him. It pressed down on his shield with the weight of a thousand pounds.

Something told Kai this was not just shadows. This was pure Oni darkness. The type that could petrify people. If Kai let this shield go down, he would die. Kai suspected he was protected only because his element was one of the four elements of Creation. Which meant - Nya … Jasper …

A metallic clang echoed through the cloud, along with a yell from Garmadon. Otherwise, the darkness swallowed sound.

Kai held on, pouring his energy into his shield and praying Nya was okay. Hoping she had summoned her own shield in time. That her element would protect her from the Oni darkness, as elements were technically from the Dragons …

A bright blast of golden light cleaved the darkness, dissipating it. Morro stood a few feet away from Kai, holding the crystal high in one hand, with Chamille beside him, encased in a blue shield of flames.

But Jasper was a statue of stone. His golden sword had fallen from his grey hands. And Nya …

“Nya!” Kai screamed. She was frozen, her arms lifted high above mid-twirl, ready to stab the tip of her trident downwards. Her skin was ashen. Dark veins - like cracks - had appeared on her face and arms.

Kai’s fingers clenched into a fist as he dropped his shield. His sister. Turned to stone by his little brother. He would free her if that was the last thing he did.

“Look here!” Morro yelled at Lloyd. Garmadon and Lloyd - unaffected by the Oni cloud - paused from their fighting. “If you want your Golden Power back,” shouted Morro, “then come and get it!”

The city had stilled. The crashing of glass and cracking of concrete no longer echoed through it. Morro gritted his teeth as the crystal’s light flared brighter and brighter.

Lloyd’s expression warred between fear and anger. Then he snarled and threw blades of shadow at Morro. “You are blocking the merging!”

A shield of Energy sprang up, blocking Lloyd’s spears of darkness. Morro grinned through his grimace.

It figured. He was a natural at wielding the powers of the Green Ninja.

Lloyd panted and growled at Morro. Darkness swirled around Lloyd, and then massive black dragon wings extended - six feet long on either side.

“You cannot hold the islands forever. Stand down if you want to live, Ninja,” Lloyd said in that unnatural voice. Lloyd turned and leapt off the building.

Kai rushed to the parapet, peering over the side. Lloyd’s silhouette flashed between the buildings, heading towards the sea. A deafening crack! reverberated, and Kai’s jaw dropped as a massive fissure appeared in the city, snaking through it and almost completely dividing the city in half. Seawater rushed in. A skyscraper - only two buildings away - collapsed, its glass and steel falling right into the new gap.

Morro was screaming and cursing, but Kai blocked him out. Lloyd. He was getting away … Kai clambered onto the railing, about to jump off -

“Stop!” Garmadon yelled from behind. Kai twisted back around to his allies on the roof.

Garmadon was snatching the crystal away from Morro while Chamille resheathed her daggers and joined them. “The islands will move whether we like it or not,” the Dark Lord declared to them all, letting his purple blades dissipate into black smoke. “We must get the Ninja now and have them cleanse Lloyd so he can stop them.”

Kai jogged over to them as Morro fisted his hips and glared at the Dark Lord. “But we have the crystal. Can’t we combine its powers with the Ninja and use it to stop the islands? Or even … we could use it right now. It has enough power!”

“It does,” said Garmadon. “But to wield that much, especially when it’s not your power … and to use it for such an extended time … It would drive the user mad. Do not let your hubris overshadow your weakness. Despite the fact that you are a prodigy, Morro, you do not have the strength to wield it.”

Morro scowled and sent a vulgar gesture Garmadon’s way. “Try me. I already stopped them once.”

Chamille interrupted before the two could get into a fistfight. “Trying to stop the islands won’t help,” she said. “They’re naturally drawn to each other now because Lloyd flooded them with Dark Matter. If we cleansed the Temple of Light, the islands wouldn’t have enough momentum to keep going.”

Garmadon declared, “Then we must use a portal and send someone with Golden Power to the Temple to cleanse it. Afterwards, we can deal with Lloyd.” The Dark Lord glanced around the roof. “Where is that Portal elemental and those Ninja?”

“Jeremiah said they’d encountered problems with Virtuoso,” Kai said, sheathing his katana. “Maybe she’s refusing to help.”

The screech of a dragon resounded through the air, loud enough to shatter glass. Or maybe the earthquake - which had caused yet another building to collapse - had just happened to coincide with the dragon’s scream. Either way, elemental dragons began to leave the front lines where the Stone Warriors and Golden Warriors were fighting against Kai’s allies. The elementals flooded the city, passing through it and heading wherever Lloyd had been.

They all had pale grey skin and purple eyes. Bolobo. Gravis. Ash. Virtuoso. All infected with Dark Matter.

“Guys!” Kai called out to them, rushing to the parapet along with Garmadon, Morro, and Chamille. Virtuoso … they needed her to restore Zane …

But the infected elementals ignored Kai, following the call of their new dark Overlord.

Then Hunter and Kate showed up, joining the end of the procession with their dark hair and pallid skin tones. How had they -

A dragon shrieked from behind, and Kai whirled around. Carlos’ red dragon hauled itself over the opposite parapet, wings spread wide, teeth bared. Carlos morphed into a human, a dart gun in his hand. “And the jaws of the trap close around you,” he said, lifting the gun and firing at Kai.

Morro’s Wind gusted, sending the dart far away from Kai. It shattered against the concrete parapet, revealing a dark purple liquid inside. Dark Matter darts.

“You stole my design!” Chamille shrieked at Carlos.

“Hey, what works, works,” said Carlos with a shrug.

Chamille grinned as a portal appeared behind Carlos. “And what doesn’t work, doesn’t.”

She blasted blue fire at him, and Carlos leapt out of the way. Apparently, he wasn’t fireproof when the flames were as cold as Zane’s ice.

Cole and Zane and Jay flooded out of the portal, with Zane’s eyes a familiar blue.

Zane flung ice at Carlos, freezing his feet to the roof, while Jay shocked him. Carlos’s body vibrated. There was a wet gasp from him, and then he fell to the ground. He did not move.

“Nya!” Jay exclaimed, rushing over to Nya’s statue and running a finger against her cheek. “Nya …”

“We’ll get her back,” Kai told Jay. “But right now, Lloyd’s become a second priority. First, we need to cleanse the Temple of Light from Dark Matter to stop the dark islands from rejoining and releasing LastDeath. Where’s Jeremiah?”

Cole’s bushy eyebrows went up in surprise. “Lloyd turned his elementals against us by infecting them with Dark Matter and giving them dart guns full of it. The complication we ran into was them swarming the camp.” He bit his lip. “They got Jeremiah and Virtuoso.”

“Then our only choice is to go after Lloyd,” Garmadon said, resummoning his daggers. “Only a cleansed Lloyd can hold the islands back until the equinox is over.”

“Let me get this straight,” said Kai. “Lloyd’s flooded the Temple of Light with Dark Matter, forcing the islands to join and because it’s the equinox, they’re joining even easier. We have Lloyd’s Golden Power in that crystal” - he pointed at the crystal still in Garmadon’s fingers - “but we can’t use it to stop the islands because we’ll go mad. So our only chance is to cleanse Lloyd, break the crystal, and hope he survives so he can hold the islands back for us until someone cleanses the Temple.”

“That’s about it,” said Morro, grabbing his bamboo staff from the ground and twirling it in the air.

The five Ninja exchanged glance with Garmadon, Morro, and Chamille. They drew their weapons together. It was them against Lloyd.

Kai summoned his dragon and leapt off the roof of the Imperial Palais after his brother.

Chapter Text

Lloyd was here. Here in all the technical senses. His body was here, dragon-like wings extended, as he slalomed through Astor City’s Uptown. His mind was here, or at least it was engaged enough to control his black wings and keep him fleeing away from the Ninja.

But his soul was with his brothers.

The Overlord kept a firm grip on his body, steering him away from the Palais and towards the sea.

“We must keep away from them,” the Overlord stated. “Since they now have Golden Power in their crystal, they can remove your ability to control darkness. We must play ‘keep away’ until the islands have merged. Then there will be nothing they can do.”

“No, if they get to me, they’ll be able to remove you,” Lloyd retorted. “And that’s the big clencher.”

“You will not be able to bring peace if they stop the islands from joining,” said the Overlord.

“Oh, are we still playing that game?” Lloyd asked. “The charade’s up. I know exactly what you’re up to. Everything you’ve been spouting is lies.”

Up until the Overlord had seized his body and used it to torture his brothers and choke Chamille, Lloyd had floated along with the Overlord’s desires and done everything the Overlord had asked.

Then all of that had happened and Lloyd began to suspect and watch whatever the Overlord did.

And now? After making Lloyd kill his best friend? Lloyd was absolutely sure the Overlord had ulterior motives. Nya and everything on the roof of the Palais had been an unfortunate casualty, caught during the time he’d been reeling from the feeling of his own fingers sliding that dagger into Chamille. The Overlord had been able to take complete control then.

But now? Lloyd was fully aware of himself. And he would fight to his last breath to prevent the Overlord from winning.

As the ocean approached, Lloyd gathered his strength and pushed back against the darkness in his mind. It began trying to swallow him whole.

_____________________________________________________________________________

The Dark Island was almost here.

The ocean was a constant roar in the background as its waves repeatedly battered the white sand of Astor City. No birds shrieked; it was as if they knew there was impending doom and they’d fled. Faint mist wavered over the ocean’s surface, the noon sun dissolving most of it.

Revealing the silhouette of the Dark Island.

At first, Kai might have taken it for a giant monster or perhaps a group of very spiky sea stacks. But no, if he paused and watched closely enough, it was a massive land mass that was most definitely moving, slowly but surely, its familiar dark spikes ready to impale. Ready to infect Ninjago with its evil.

“Based on the speed of the Dark Island, it will join Ninjago Island in approximately ten minutes,” said Zane from his elemental dragon as he flew alongside Kai and the rest of his brothers over the last buildings of West Village towards the beach.

The rest of the Elemental Alliance - those who had not been infected with Dark Matter - glided at their side. Four Ninja, one Oni, one former ghost, one realm protector, four of the kids, Griffin, Karloff, Neuro, Tox, Skylor, Paleman, Shade, and even the Serpentine elementals - Nura and Nathaira.

Two hundred feet ahead, Lloyd soared on his dark dragon wings over the ocean, giving orders to his elementals. They formed battle lines, with Lloyd and the Dark Island at their back. Bolobo, Ash, Gravis, Virtuoso. And Kate and Hunter.

They did not attack. They did not sneer or make rude gestures. They only hovered on their dragons - just past where the ocean met the sand - as still as statues. The grey of their skin only added to the illusion.

“They have guns of Dark Matter,” Cole said as the Elemental Alliance halted and spread out, forming their own battle line with the Ninja at the center and Garmadon and Chamille on either side. “Watch for them and don’t let them hit you.”

Lloyd’s gang remained still on the other side of the beach; the only movement of Lloyd’s elementals was the bobbing of their dragons in the air and the beating of wings. They were waiting for the Ninja to make the first charge. Most likely so they would have a very clear shot at the Alliance.

Eighteen elementals against six (with one’s element stolen) and a veritable god. They should have had the advantage. But all of Lloyd’s elementals carried those deadly black guns full of Dark Matter darts. It was going to be close.

“The Overlord will want to keep Lloyd away from the battle lines,” Morro said to the Alliance. Being unable to create a dragon, he was riding at Kai’s back instead. “Since we have the crystal, we could cleanse him. So he’ll try to hide behind his elementals.”

“Because you four Ninja have the elements of Creation, you are mostly protected from Dark Matter as long as you summon your shields in time,” Garmadon said, his words slightly garbled due to him being in dragon form. “It’s the others who are in danger.”

“I’m not,” said Chamille. “I’m a realm protector.” She summoned a spark of blue flames to accentuate her point.

“I can direct darts away.” Morro flicked his fingers, and a gust of wind ruffled Kai’s hair.

Garmadon rolled his purple dragon eyes. “Save your energy so you can protect the others,” he told them.

“Let’s talk strategy,” Chamille whispered as she locked eyes with Lloyd. He snarled at her, but did not order his elementals to attack. Chamille continued, “The Alliance will engage Lloyd’s elementals so you can get through them to Lloyd. Only one Ninja can be spared to take the crystal to Lloyd and cleanse him. Who will it be?”

“Kai,” Jay blurted in unison with Cole and Zane.

“That was a quick decision,” Kai said, raising a brow. At least it worked out for his goals - he had vowed to save Lloyd and by the FSM he was going to do it.

“I’m scared of him,” Jay said.

“Jay has put it in layman’s terms for us,” Zane inserted. “And … you were the one who warned us about this path.”

“I’ll do it,” Kai said. Garmadon tossed him the crystal with a talon, and Kai looped it over his neck.

The other members of the Alliance gritted their teeth, summoning elements and drawing weapons. Thunder boomed as Nathaira called down clouds alongside Koji. The sand on the beach below stirred at Nura’s command. Shadows writhed around Shade. Tox had clouds of green in her hands. Morro left Kai’s side, floating beside the Alliance’s dragons in a personal cyclone.

“Ninja …. Go!” the four Ninja yelled together as the Alliance charged Lloyd’s living shield of dragons. His elementals finally moved, calling forth elemental power and raising their Dark Matter guns.

“Lloyd!” Kai shouted. “You know you want this!” He waved the crystal. His plan was to taunt Lloyd to get closer.

Lloyd hovered, his muscles twitching as he stared at Kai, a sea of translucent wings and talons between them. Then Lloyd fled across the ocean, towards the Dark Island. Too smart for his own good, then.

Kai hissed and urged his dragon faster, diving underneath Lloyd’s group of dragons while his brothers engaged with them. The Alliance had so many that they easily surrounded Lloyd’s.

Lloyd glanced back at Kai and waved a hand, darkness streaming from his palm. A cloud of Oni darkness formed, but Kai flared up his dragon, letting its flames surround him. He burned through the cloud.

Lloyd dove, tucking his wings in tight to accelerate and then flaring them just before his stomach hit the ocean. Now Kai had the height advantage, but Lloyd was moving much faster. Kai had his dragon plunge too.

Lloyd did not bother to look back; he was too busy focusing on his speedy departure. If it could really be called that now.

Ordinarily, a dragon beat both their wings in unison unless they were banking or performing some sort of twisting maneuver. However, Lloyd’s wings faltered, spasming and slowing him down. Lloyd roared and plummeted into the ocean.

Not a graceful dive with his arms extended above his head and wings tucked tight. No, an outright crash. Kai recoiled; the slap of Lloyd’s body against the water had sounded very, very painful.

Lloyd’s head burst out of the water with a wet gasp. He was scared of water like Kai; falling into the river in the First Spinjitzu Master’s tomb and nearly drowning in a cage at Harumi’s command would have created that fear in anyone, in Kai’s opinion.

But Kai’s hand inched for the crystal. Lloyd was bogged down by the water. It was a golden opportunity. Lloyd wasn’t going to die from that huge influx of power, Kai told himself.

“Kai!” Lloyd screamed, arms flailing. Kai paused.

It was Lloyd’s child’s voice again. Kai noticed then that his eyes were green.

“Kai, help me!”

“I will,” Kai told him silently as his fingers grasped the crystal and pulled it forth from inside his gi. Kai had never used the crystal before, but he had carried a Time Blade before.

The power was separate from Kai, but he drew it out, convincing it to do his bidding. It felt glorious. It felt like the entire world was at his fingertips. Like he was a god.

Kai aimed it at Lloyd.

A distorted roar exploded from Lloyd. “NO!”

A shield of shadows sprang up, diverting Kai’s flow of Golden Power around Lloyd like an umbrella deflected rain drops. Kai pushed harder, willing the Golden Power to break through.

As he used it, it filled him all the way. He kept coaxing its mighty power into his body, to utilize it for his own good. But it kept filling him. Filled him to the brim, and then some.

It began to burn, and Kai knew what the others were talking about. The combined power couldn’t leave his body fast enough. It had to be released elsewhere - in a catastrophic event - or it would burn Kai up.

Kai let the stream of Golden Power fade away, and Lloyd’s shield dissipated too.

His eyes were purple again.

“As the islands grow closer together, I grow more powerful,” said the thing in Lloyd’s body. “I am inevitable. You cannot stop me. It is not your power to wield.”

The Overlord sent darkness hurtling for Kai, and Kai blocked with Lloyd’s shield of Energy.

He could break through. The Golden Power was enough - technically.

But to pull that much power and batter through the Overlord’s shield would take more time than Kai could handle. Perhaps that was why Allura had gone mad in her quest for power. Perhaps the power had burnt out her heart.

“It looks like we are at a stalemate,” the Overlord hissed. “I cannot hurt you. You cannot hurt me. For the sake of your brother, I will make a deal. Give me that crystal and let me have your powers. And in my dark empire, you may have positions of glory.”

“Never,” Kai breathed. And then, despite his normal strategy of “throw everything you’ve got at it” and “charge first, ask questions later,” Kai turned tail and fled, leaving Lloyd treading water in the ocean. He knew what he had to do.

The battle lines at the beach had dissolved into complete chaos. Jeremiah was present, hopping from portal to portal and person to person with his grey skin and purple eyes. He had a dart gun in his hand. And half of the Alliance was now poisoned by Oni blood.

Kai swiveled and flipped through a storm of claws and horns to get to Neuro, who had somehow avoided Jeremiah’s carnage.

Behind Kai, Lloyd swooped onto the battlefield. It wasn’t really Lloyd anymore … it was a golden dragon like Spinjitzu, only larger, with golden wings tipped in forest green. But the purple eyes made it clear this version of Lloyd was not as friendly as Lloyd’s pet.

“Neuro, broadcast a message to the rest of our Alliance,” Kai ordered even as the Elemental Alliance paused and a shiver ran through them at Lloyd’s reentrance.

“What do you want me to say?” Neuro replied through his mind while his dragon struck out at their enemies with a flurry of talons. Kai hurled out a gigantic blast of flame to divert Bolobo’s creeping vines.

“Stop them!” Lloyd shrieked at his elementals.

Lloyd knew that Kai couldn’t break through his shields with the crystal as it was. So he was going to steal the crystal back before Kai could get enough power into it to stop him.

Chamille’s dragon plunged through the ranks, locking claws with Lloyd. “This isn’t you!” she screamed at him. “Stop!”

“Of course this is me!” Lloyd screamed into her face, his jaws snapping at her and nearly cleaving her in half. They would have, if Lloyd hadn’t pulled his head back a split second before. He grimaced, his expression warring between furrowed brows and wide eyes.

Chamille’s dragon shoved against Lloyd’s. Chamille leaned over from her saddle and punched Lloyd’s snout with a fist full of blue flames. Lloyd reared his face back again, but his claws dug more firmly into her dragon, dragging her down. They began to plummet, clawing at each other with the ferocity of cornered cats.

Lloyd’s eyes flickered from purple to green to red and back to purple. “Your … brother … is … gone!” he shrieked in that unholy rasp.

Black bled over Lloyd, turning his scales from a warm gold to an onyx black. His wings were tipped in purple now. As Chamille and the Overlord fell, the Overlord opened his maw and black spilled out, luckily bouncing harmlessly off her shield. Garmadon’s black form hurtled through the battlefield to join Chamille.

Bolobo - who was still going for Kai and Neuro - took advantage of Kai’s distraction, sending vines creeping over Kai’s dragon that bound him to Bolobo’s dragon. Kai flared up his dragon, singeing Bolobo’s vines away. Bolobo screamed as the flames reached him too. Ash drew two swords with curved blades and began phasing through elementals as smoke, heading to reinforce Bolobo.

Skylor’s voice screeched through Kai’s consciousness. “Try not to hurt them! It’s the Overlord, not them.”

Kai caught a physical wince on Neuro’s face from Skylor’s mental volume. The other members of the Alliance were gritting their teeth too.

“Note taken,” the Mind Elemental replied. His gaze traveled across the beach to where Jeremiah had shot Nelson. The teeth of Nelson’s dark dragon barely missed Bobby’s small figure.

“If we don’t do something soon, we’ll be the ones getting hurt,” Neuro said. “Someone needs to take down that Portal elemental.”

“I can do it.” Skylor’s voice faded, and a couple of elementals over, Kai watched her lunge for Jeremiah, disappear into smoke, and then brush her fingers against his shoulder. She plunged into a portal of her own, reappearing over Jeremiah and falling with twin daggers aimed at him.

A link still remained open between Kai and Neuro. Kai tried to send thoughts down it while he summoned flames, blocking Ash’s dragon from plunging its teeth into him. Bolobo, who had still not retreated, dug his fingers into his temples and let out a scream as Neuro sent a psionic blast of power at him.

“Tell the other Ninja I need them here, now!” Kai said to Neuro. “The crystal needs more power. We need to put our elements in it.”

Garmadon’s voice filtered through. “The crystal is too much to wield?”

“Too much to use as a stream to break through Lloyd’s shields. We need a one-and-done.”

“Seven minutes until the islands are joined,” said Zane. “We will need to make this as quick as possible.”

“Putting your elements into the crystal is risky,” Morro informed them. “For a few minutes you wouldn’t be able to summon a dragon or protect yourselves from Lloyd’s darkness.”

“Paleman, where did you -” Tox’s voice exploded through and then cut off. Kai watched her green dragon plunge towards the beach, darkening with purple as it fell. She’d been hit. Deep chanting - like that of the Oni - began flooding through the mental lines, but Neuro cut her off.

“Garmadon and I are working on holding off Lloyd for now,” Chamille said. Her blue flames danced at the corner of Kai’s vision, holding off the newly evil Toxikita. She then whirled and swiped her dragon’s claws along Lloyd’s flank. With his teeth, Garmadon scored a hit on Lloyd’s neck, drawing blood.

“Get the elements, and get them fast,” said Chamille. “Everyone else, once the Ninja get their elements into the crystal, focus on blocking Lloyd’s elementals and flying the Ninja to Lloyd.”

Zane spoke for everyone. “Affirmative!”

Jay was at Kai’s side first, his electricity clearing a wide berth for him. Koji was with him.

“I’m ready!” Jay declared. “Take it!” Jay leapt from his dragon onto Koji’s smaller one.

Kai veered closer and pressed the crystal’s tip to Jay’s chest. Jay screamed as the power left his body, and then he snapped his fingers. Nothing.

“Go, Ninja, go,” said Jay, drawing his nunchucks. He pointed Koji towards another section on the battlefield.

Zane was there next, his dragon darting into Kai’s path. The Nindroid remained stoic as the power left his body. Kai only knew his element was gone as the blue of Zane’s eyes slightly dimmed. Zane caught a ride with Paleman.

Next was -

Toxikita had broken away from Chamille, veering upwards. Now, her dragon spewed poison at Kai from above. Kai thrust flames upwards, burning up the poison.

On Kai’s left, Ash disengaged from Neuro, passing through him as smoke to dive at Kai with his gun. But Kai threw a fireball at him, forcing Ash to dissolve into smoke. Kai called up flames at his back too; he knew Ash’s signature move was phasing and then aiming for an opponent’s exposed back.

With his shield up, Kai slammed his heels into his dragon, searching the battlefield.

Go, go now, where was Cole …

“Five minutes!” Zane shouted through the mental link Neuro still had up between the Alliance.

“Here!” Griffin shouted from beneath Kai, holding out a hand. Kai hesitated, but Griffin pointed across the battlefield to where Cole’s dragon was ramming into an infected Karloff.

Kai ripped the crystal from his neck and tossed it to Griffin, then moved his dragon to block Ash from following Griffin. As Kai and Ash’s dragons tangled, Jeremiah and Skylor flashed in his peripheral vision.

They were leaping in and out of portals like rabbits popping in and out of warren tunnels. In the blink of an eye, they traveled across the aerial battlefield. One moment both clashed weapons near Lloyd and Chamille and Garmadon, and the next they were five hundred feet above, falling towards the ground at terminal velocity.

Ash’s eyes widened, then he went on the offense, sending a veritable cloud of darts at Kai. Kai didn’t dare look away; his attention was focused on pouring every bit of his power into burning up the Oni darts. But Kai heard Cole’s scream ricochet across the battlefield.

A few seconds later, Lloyd’s cursing rang in Kai’s ears, and Shade appeared at Kai’s side, dropping the crystal into Kai’s hands. Shade faded into mist and darkness again, reappearing beside Cole - on Raven’s dragon - just in time to help block Karloff’s deadly barrage of darts.

Kai gripped the crystal so tightly its facets cut into his palms, leaving red marks. He dropped the shield of flames surrounding him; destroying the Dark Matter darts had taken too much to allow him to sustain it. But Kai still had enough to send a huge fireball at Ash, finally driving him away.

Now to find an ally he could ride with before taking his own element -

“Three minutes!” Zane shrieked through their mental link.

Lloyd’s black dragon form was tangling with both Garmadon and Chamille high above as they tried to hold him off to buy Kai time to gather the four elements. Only the purple tips on the wings let Kai distinguish one Oni from another. They ripped and shrieked at each other like beasts, plunging downwards, breaking apart at the last second, and then rocketing up to collide once more.

“Lloyd!” Kai waved the crystal high in the air, sending up a blast of flame to signal Chamille and Garmadon to let Lloyd go.

His flames were like blood in the water. Lloyd’s elementals - like sharks - immediately redirected all of their attention to Kai, if they hadn’t already been focused on him. But the remnants of the Alliance caught on too, and they formed a living shield around Kai to hold off the tide of Lloyd’s infected elementals.

The only problem was consolidating the power to create Golden Power. But if Kai used just one element … he wouldn’t be affected.

At Kai’s command, a disk of earth - twenty feet in diameter, perfectly circular - rose up from the sand. Kai dropped down onto it, letting his dragon disappear. The others might joke about Lloyd being the dramatic one, but Kai had been the first drama king.

Despite the Alliance’s best efforts, Paleman hollered and his dragon sank to the beach below, its colors turning dark like Toxikita’s. Koji followed soon after. Jay launched off Koji’s dragon, joining Nathaira instead. Others cried out as they were hit by the Dark Matter darts.

Chamille and Garmadon were still fully entangled with Lloyd. Kai sent up another flare of fire, and then pointed at his newly created platform.

Listen to: The Final Battle by Jay Vincent

“Llo-yd!”

The power called to Kai, begging him to try and put the islands back. But Kai resisted; if even Morro, an elemental prodigy, the potential Green Ninja - couldn’t do it, Kai didn’t want to risk it.

A screech erupted from the Overlord. The dramatic platform had been enough to catch his attention. In his desperation, the Overlord easily shoved off Chamille and then clawed Garmadon’s face. Garmadon screamed and drew back, blood spraying. The Overlord dove towards the platform, wings coordinated perfectly now. He briefly spun, and portaled - like the dragons could - across the battlefield, skidding to a stop right in front of Kai.

And Kai pressed the tip of the crystal to his chest.

It was like a volcano had exploded inside him. All that power … it burned as it came out, as it left him and his heart turned to cold embers. The warmth of his element … gone. The hypnotic call of the desert heat … gone.

Then Kai aimed that crystal at Lloyd, focusing on pulling the four elements and Energy from it.

Faster than he could blink, a portal appeared before Kai. He felt the sting before his brain registered what had happened. Kai tugged a dart from his thigh as Skylor, Cole, and Jay stepped through the portal with pallid skin, empty stares, and loaded Dark Matter guns.

Someone slammed onto the platform behind Kai. Wind whooshed in his wake. Morro.

Zane leapt from Griffin’s dragon to face off against Skylor and Cole and Jay, shurikens raised. No elements; it would be weapon to weapon and fist to fist. Chamille and Garmadon regrouped, joining the last vestiges of the Alliance to block Lloyd’s elementals from the platform.

The crystal was still in Kai’s hands, fully charged. But he knew what he had to do. The poison was already leaking into his body. Dark whispers filtered into Kai’s mind. Follow me. You will be safe here. Don’t fight anymore.

The Overlord was motionless at the edge of the circle, his dragon wings tucked tight against his side. He stared at Morro and Kai, the corners of his lips tugging up into a smile as he poured his lies into Kai, focusing on bending Kai to his will.

Kai pressed the crystal into Morro’s fingers.

“I trust you,” Kai breathed. Then he pulled his last katana and joined Zane for those last few minutes of lucidity.

Morro was a glorious storm.

The elementals of Lloyd who slipped around Chamille and Garmadon’s defenses all had guns full of Dark Matter, but not one dart touched Morro.

A shield of hard air encased him, and he flew forwards, a pale green elemental dragon at his back. Lightning flashed; and the Overlord dug in his talons, preventing Morro from blowing him right off the platform.

Seeing the guns were useless against Morro, Lloyd’s elementals stopped shooting and went for it. Morro whirled and danced, routing them with lightning and wind and fire and ice. The Overlord breathed purple fire on him, but Morro blocked with Lloyd’s energy shield. Then the Overlord charged for the former ghost, but his jaws froze only half a foot above Morro’s head.

Purple runes glowed at Morro’s feet; he must have drawn them while dodging elemental blasts.

Meanwhile, Kai fought with everything he had, but his three brothers, despite being controlled by the Overlord, knew his moves. They easily subdued him. Kai barely noticed when his brothers plunged a second syringe full of Dark Matter into him. For a second, Kai was proud it took that much Dark Matter to subdue him. He held on. The creeping cold did not force him to tear his eyes away from Morro. Not yet.

The Overlord’s whispers had briefly ceased - as he was currently very occupied - but the darkness still threatened at the edges of Kai’s vision.

Before Kai went under, a massive shield of blue encircled the platform, blocking off the horde of grey-skinned elementals outside.

Chamille shouted as her cleansing light washed over all four Ninja, and Kai returned to himself. Safe.

The Overlord thrashed against Morro’s magic runes, his tail slapping the platform and breaking massive chunks of rock from its edges. But his jaw was still fixed, caught in that magic spell.

Morro sent the golden light from the crystal over the Overlord’s dark dragon body.

And he shrunk into a human figure with blond hair and green eyes. No horns, no wings, no Oni tattoos.

Lloyd collapsed onto the ground of the platform and did not move.

______________________________________________________________________________

A voice was calling Lloyd. Calling him out of the Overlord’s darkness and towards the light.

It was that gentle whisper he’d heard just after the Tornado of Creation at the Monastery. The one that rang in his ears and called to him. Not the First Spinjtizu Master’s smooth baritone.

Come. Follow me to peace and rest.

He was so tired. He wanted desperately to follow it.

But a different familiar voice was also calling. Lloyd followed that one instead.

______________________________________________________________________________

The islands were still moving. But Kai didn’t care.

Kai lunged forwards, shoving aside the other Ninja in his panic. He didn’t even notice as the crystal fractured and then exploded. Morro cursed; apparently it couldn’t channel that much power and survive. Kai didn’t notice as Chamille’s blue light expanded, washing over all of the elementals and cleansing them. Now that the Overlord was gone, Chamille didn’t have to fight tooth and nail against both his physical and mental control. Kai didn’t respond even when the familiar shriek of Nya’s dragon sounded.

Instead, all of Kai’s attention was on Lloyd. Kai laid a hand on Lloyd’s chest, feeling for that rise and fall. He was still warm, but no breath came from him. FSM. Was there a heartbeat? Kai began unbuckling Lloyd’s golden armor, hissing at the power that sang through it.

“Is he okay?” Cole helped tug the armor off Lloyd’s motionless body.

“I think you killed him,” Jay said to Morro.

“No! He’s going to be okay. He’s okay.” Morro kept repeating it like a mantra, like saying that would make it better.

“What happened?” Nya rocketed up to the platform of earth. “What’s -” her words choked off as she gasped.

The other elementals were gathering around the platform, many dropping onto it and slowly approaching as Zane checked Lloyd’s pulse. He shook his head.

“I’m pumping,” said Kai.

“I’ll breathe,” Morro volunteered.

“Um, guys,” said Cole. “The islands are still moving!”

Indeed they were. Kai counted the seconds between pumps. Never mind that he was also counting the seconds until the merging of the islands at the same time.

“I can try to hold them back,” Chamille said.

“No,” Garmadon said. “Chamille, you might be a realm protector and be able to banish darkness, but your powers are not able to create like Lloyd’s.”

“One and a half minutes until merging,” said Zane sadly.

The ground rumbled. A metal shriek sounded as yet another building succumbed to the results of a shifting foundation.

Kai was pumping and Morro was focusing on bringing air into Lloyd’s lungs but nothing was happening. Lloyd could only survive so long.

What had gone wrong? What had Kai done? Maybe he should’ve used the crystal himself. But no, he had been about to slip under, he couldn’t have … maybe Morro had done something wrong. But Morro had sworn …

What if Morro wanted to kill the Green Ninja so he could be him? No, Kai had seen Morro be good, that couldn’t be -

Tears started slipping from Kai’s eyes. This couldn’t be how it ended. Ninja never quit.

“Ninja don’t last forever, Kai,” Nya said, echoing what Kai had said when Lloyd was dying on that table in Mistake’s tea shop.

“Allow me,” said Zane, stepping in to pump for Kai so Kai could wipe his eyes.

A sob broke from Kai’s chest. His throat was tight. Nya slipped her hand into his and squeezed hard.

“I’m sorry, Kai,” Morro said. His eyes were wet too, but he kept wiggling his fingers, moving air for Lloyd.

And Lloyd still did not respond.

______________________________________________________________________________

Lloyd was in the Grasslands again.

The First Spinjitzu Master was before him, with his golden dragon at his side. Lloyd’s grandfather adjusted his bamboo hat and smoothed his black gi.

“Lloyd.”

“Grandfather.” Lloyd dropped to his knees and bowed his head. The green grass crunched under him.

“Do you understand what you have done?” asked the First Spinjitzu Master, stroking his long white beard and then crossing his hands behind his back. His voice was sharp and accusatory.

“I - I’ve done a lot of things since the last time I saw you,” Lloyd stuttered, looking up at his grandfather. But Lloyd had fought with everything he had against the Overlord. Why should he be reprimanded?

“The Sixteen Realms are balanced,” said the First Spinjitzu Master. “Each realm has a sister. One sister is dark, the other light. The Cursed Realm and Djinjago. The Realm of Madness and the Cloud Kingdom. Ninjago and the Underworld. Each realm is also balanced. You will notice that when I divided the continent of Ninjago, I made it into a yin and yang. The realm must remain in balance so that the sister realms may remain in balance so that the Sixteen Realms may remain in balance. Do you understand yet?”

“I - I do? But the Overlord …” Lloyd mentally cursed himself for bringing up the Overlord’s name. He had been a trickster. Obviously intent on manipulating Lloyd. But it had made so much sense …

Lloyd said, “The Overlord said that there is too much Light in Ninjago and that he wanted me to be his successor. To be a figure of both dark and light. So that he could finally pass away.”

The First Spinjitzu Master hummed. “There is some truth to that.” He laid a hand on Lloyd’s shoulder, gesturing with the other for Lloyd to rise. Some stems of dried grass clung to Lloyd’s gi.

The First Spinjitzu Master kept a hand on Lloyd’s shoulder as they walked together through the mid-calf-high grass. “It is true that the Overlord must have a successor in order to pass away. Garmadon was to be it. However, my son’s love for you brought him to defy the balance many times. Your powers took after me, and he could not bear to be on the opposite side.”

Lloyd watched yellow dandelions sway in the wind as he took another step. “Then … is the Overlord still not gone? Will we ever be rid of him? Or could I still be his representative?”

The First Spinjitzu Master chuckled. “You could, although you are not needed. My brother already has a successor. You know her.”

“Who?” asked Lloyd.

“Raven. As I had children, so did my brother. You already know this, deep down. Her element is as strong as Garmadon’s, but she is only sixteen. It is not the element of Destruction - the four elements combined in disharmony - but the power to destroy. From the Oni.”

“Raven?!”

“Yes. Although she has been raised on the good side.” The First Spinjitzu Master pulled them to a halt and left Lloyd’s side to gaze out at the other floating islands in the Grasslands. “Your friends managed to drive away my brother with your powers. Today, she will have to take up her mantle as the representative of the Dark. However, she will most likely not attack Ninjago. She must rule the Underworld instead. Although the balance must be kept within Ninjago, it must also be kept between the sister realms. The Overlord’s attempts to rule Ninjago are him stepping out of his natural boundaries.”

“So … if she rules the Underworld, do I rule Ninjago?” Lloyd didn’t fancy trying to rule again anytime soon. And he suspected if he tried now, the people of Ninjago would most certainly rebel.

“As a protector. Not a conqueror. However, she may choose not to go, and then the Overlord might resurface again. But if she accepts her duty, the Overlord’s immortality will not last. Just as mine did not when Wu rose to the occasion.”

“So, does that mean … your successor - me - I would be immortal?”

“Patience!” The First Spinjitzu Master held up a hand. “My brother was right about needing a successor to die,” he continued. “You could have done it. However, he was wrong in forcing you to merge the islands through darkness. You could have done it with your Golden Power, and they would have remained in balance, as Golden Power gives one the ability to manipulate matter and entire realms. That is how I raised the islands. Combining them in darkness also works, but it turns the entire realm dark. As I said before, that unbalances all of the realms. And by doing so, you would have released LastDeath.”

Lloyd’s brows rose. “The Overlord said something about LastDeath …”

The First Spinjitzu Master let out a breath. “Yes, he told the truth there too. LastDeath is the very first Oni. My father. And he is imprisoned in the Ethereal Divide by Firstbourne’s power. When the realms go out of balance, he will be unleashed and destroy the realms. Chaos will reign again. I am glad today is not that day.”

The First Spinjitzu Master’s words hit Lloyd like a sledgehammer. Lloyd’s jaw dropped. “You mean that … that I … nearly destroyed all of the Sixteen Realms?”

The First Spinjitzu Master nodded, and Lloyd dragged his fingers - no, claws, - through his hair. Lloyd winced as he untangled them from his hair.

“I … ” All of the Grasslands, destroyed. Ninjago. His home. His friends. Gone. Lost in the Ethereal Divide as specks of matter in chaos. Lloyd bit the bullet and said, “Grandfather, I can’t say anything but I’m sorry. I’m sorry I nearly destroyed your realm and all of creation. What can I do to fix it? To make up for it?”

The First Spinjitzu Master put a finger to his lips, and Lloyd shut his mouth. “You were ignorant,” his grandfather said. “You had no idea what your actions would cause.”

He took Lloyd’s hands in his. Lloyd noticed that his withered hands were tipped with black claws too. The First Spinjitzu Master flicked his fingers, showing Lloyd how to retract the claws. They were a physical part of him - not shapeshifting, not elemental, not magic. A physical extension of himself just like a dragon's tail was an extension of the dragon. Yet something he had never known how to trigger until after that Dark Matter.

“But your actions were pure,” the First Spinjitzu Master continued. “You wanted to bring justice and avenge my son. You wanted to kill Allura, and you did. Well done.”

Lloyd’s cheeks heated. Should he say thank you? He was not proud of that. He had let his quest for vengeance consume him. Allow him to commit unspeakable acts against his family.

As if reading his mind, the First Spinjitzu Master replied, “You vanquished a tyrant. You stood against evil. You deserve praise for that.” His tone sharpened and he let go of Lloyd’s hands.

Green eyes - the color of jade, and also as hard as jade - stared at Lloyd as he stroked his beard again. “But you let go of your morals to gain power. You thought power stands against power. To a certain extent, that is true. But people always search for physical power. They forget the power here.” The First Spinjitzu Master laid a hand over Lloyd’s heart.

“You are my grandson. You are my champion and the savior of Ninjago. But even saviors make mistakes. I made a mistake when I ordered my sons to chase down all of the Reflection Masters. Yes, they were dangerous and they were conquerors and they wanted power. But I also should not have targeted innocent children. All of the Realms almost suffered for my mistake.”

The First Spinjitzu Master took both of Lloyd’s hands again. They were warm. “You will not be punished. Not by me. I suspect that the people of Ninjago itself already have a plan for you. However, I regret to inform you of the negative consequences of reaching deep into your heritage.”

He sighed. “Ordinarily, you and Raven would not be immortal. It was only because the Overlord and I were brothers and part Oni that we lived that long. However, you are both Oni and Dragon. Only ⅛ of each. I had hoped that certain aspects of your heritage might remain dormant, but … if you are able to shape-shift, breathe fire, and control darkness, then I suspect you also inherited the other aspects.”

“The darkness?” Lloyd frowned. “I thought that was a result of the Dark Matter.”

The First Spinjitzu Master shook his head. “No. That was all you. The Overlord gave you more power than you might have, but it was you. The Dark Matter only triggered the awakening of your Oni side. Which means … that you, like my sons, are almost immortal. Because you do have more human, you might only live a thousand years as opposed to our thousands. However, the fact remains that because you have awakened what might have remained dormant, you most likely will outlive all of your friends, except for the Nindroid.”

Lloyd stared blankly at him. “You mean …”

Lloyd was, for all intents and purposes, immortal. Even the word “immortal” rang in his ears like the coolest title of all time. Like the Fae from Throne of Glass or the vampires from Hotel Transylvania. But -

The skin around the First Spinjitzu Master’s eyes crinkled in a grimace. “Your punishment - if you survive long enough - will be much worse than spending a few years of your life in a prison. It will be watching each of your friends succumb to illness or old age or perhaps an enemy, if they are lucky. It is the curse my sons and I bore, and it is the curse you shall bear as well.”

Lloyd sucked in a breath. “I understand.” Immortality was not glorious. Perhaps for the first few years it was. But fifty years later, he would look the same and his friends would not. And then, maybe about a hundred years later, the ramifications would truly hit.

But this was his curse to bear. It had been his fault. He had gone down that path. And by the FSM, he was going to pay that penalty.

He hadn’t realized he’d said it out loud until the First Spinjitzu Master chuckled. “It is good to know that the people of Ninjago still remember me.”

He placed a hand on Lloyd. “I will go with you, for the first few minutes. But after I am gone, remember. Continue protecting this world as a realm protector. Because Ninja never quit.”

The wind picked up, and for once, Lloyd was not scared of it. It whooshed around him, grabbing the golden petals of the flowers dotting the field and then wrapping around him.

Lloyd opened his eyes.

________________________________________________________________________

Lloyd gasped for breath.

“Lloyd!” In a blink, Kai was at his side again, but Lloyd grabbed his forearm and shoved him away. Kai, being the Fire Ninja, was used to heat, but he let out a shriek - Lloyd’s hand was as hot as Torchfire Mountain.

Lloyd clambered to his feet, his eyes completely white so that Kai could not tell where he was looking. They glowed like they briefly had when Lloyd had unlocked his True Potential.

“Ninja.” The voice emanating from Lloyd was certainly not Lloyd. Even if Lloyd’s voice had somehow dropped a few more notes, it still wouldn’t have sounded like him.

Kai halted. “Who in Ninjago are -”

Lloyd held up a hand. “I am the First Spinjitzu Master. I cannot stay long; I must move the islands. But I want to commend you all for the work you have done. I have watched tens of generations of elemental masters pass, and you have performed above and beyond many of them. Your courage and your dedication and your heart bring me joy. Keep fighting. Ninja never quit.”

And with that, Lloyd rose into the air, his head thrown back, arms spread wide, and he was enveloped in a golden ball of light.

The islands rumbled, and Lloyd’s light exploded outwards, washing over Ninjago. The Dark Island began to slowly retreat. Stone Warriors and Light Warriors alike toppled, crumbling into chunks of rock. And even the Shintarans’ daggers of Vengestone turned to a useless purple sludge.

Lloyd sank back to the platform, his eyes green and fully human. Er, as human as a Dragon/Oni’s eyes could be.

“Lloyd!” Kai sprang towards him, wrapping Lloyd into a hug. The other Ninja did the same, with Chamille and Garmadon included.

“Careful, guys, I - can’t - breathe!” Lloyd exclaimed. The Ninja drew back, patting him on the back instead and checking him over for injuries. Kai was the last to let go.

“What happened? What did you -”

“The First Spinjitzu Master?”

“I don’t think it was really him,” said Jay. “Lloyd’s trying to pull one on us.”

Lloyd glared at Jay. “No, I swear, it was him! I’ve seen him before! I told you guys I wasn’t lying the first time!”

Kai barked a laugh. Now that they knew Lloyd was okay, it was time to get serious. “Maybe you’re not lying this time, but you’ve sure got a lot to explain.”

Lloyd immediately became solemn. “I do. And -”

The thrum-thrum-thrum of helicopters cut off his next words as three heavy-duty helicopters ascended to the platform, hovering in a circle just beyond its edges. All three were full of Nindroids. One of them had its door slid open, with Mayor Aubrianna holding onto a handle with one hand and shouting through a megaphone held by the other.

“Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, you are under arrest by the Ninjago City Council and you are being charged for numerous crimes!”

The Ninja readied their elements. Kai flared up his flames - back now that the crystal was broken. Even the elementals of the Alliance began to strike fighting poses.

“Say the word, Kai,” said Morro, pulling his bamboo staff from his back.

For a second, Kai was struck by the loyalty of the Alliance and the Ninja. They might have believed Lloyd’s lies and gone with him, but only because they truly trusted him as the Green Ninja and as their friend. And even with all he’d done, they’d still protect him. Even Cole was prepared to shoot clods of earth at the helicopters full of Nindroids. All to prevent Lloyd from going to Kryptarium.

“No,” said Lloyd, surprisingly. “Stand down.”

“But Lloyd - your life, you - Kryptarium!” Kai protested. Lloyd would die in Kryptarium. Kai couldn’t - wouldn’t - let Lloyd go to that dark place -

But Nya had a proud smile on her face.

“No,” said Lloyd, lifting his lips in a snarl at Kai. “I committed the crimes. And I deserve the punishment.” The Ninja paused and withdrew. Chamille, surprisingly, hadn’t disappeared. Perhaps she was hoping her actions at Astor City would make the authorities turn a blind eye towards her former crimes.

The Alliance backed away, making room for Aubrianna’s helicopter to set down. The Police Commissioner was also with her. The two of them approached Lloyd, Vengestone handcuffs dangling from the Police Commissioner’s hands.

Kai finally let his flames disappear.

“Thank you,” whispered Aubrianna to Kai. “I will do all I can to ensure he is okay.”

And they snapped the cuffs around Lloyd’s wrists and took his little brother away.

Chapter Text

The trials lasted all spring. The elemental masters of the Alliance were tried first. Those who had sided with Lloyd were first charged for violating the ERA and then for breaking prisoners out of Kryptarium. And then they were almost immediately pardoned or declared “not guilty” for their heroic actions at Astor City.

After the Alliance came the various elementals who were not officially members of the Alliance - those who had been temporarily imprisoned in Kryptarium and then rescued by Lloyd. They too were pardoned, as they had joined Kai’s army against Lloyd’s Warriors.

Next came the Immortals: for allying with the Ninja at the end, Jasper, Toxikita, Virtuoso and Chamille were counted as members of the Elemental Alliance and thus pardoned, despite being found guilty of stealing the Golden Weapons from Borg Tower and other miscellaneous crimes. And, although rumors abounded that Chamille had worked as an assassin for Chen and Pythor, no one could prove she had actually murdered anyone. (Kai hadn’t asked, but Chamille bragged in private that she was too good to have records).

However, evidence was brought up against Carlos showing his involvement in numerous assassinations and his smuggling of advanced technology. Because he had been loyal to Lloyd to the end, he was sentenced to Kryptarium for fifty years.

Then came the Ninja. Their trials had been combined into a single one so that they could explain as a team what they had done and the reasoning behind it. There were no dry eyes when Kai and Griffin - as a witness - recounted Sensei Wu’s death.

The Ninja, being the de facto leaders of the Alliance, were charged with sedition and insurrection against the ERA, as they had fled from the police at the EVIL headquarters. Kai was additionally charged with arson for the hospital and found guilty, but of course, the Ninja were all pardoned for stopping the threat of the Overlord at Astor City.

Surprisingly, Morro wasn’t even tried. Seeing as he’d died and gone to the Departed Realm, all of his charges had been dropped automatically and nobody could do a thing to bring them back. He hadn’t committed any new crimes, except for not signing the ERA, and, as he’d helped out the Ninja and actually vanquished the Overlord, he had to be pardoned, too.

Despite being a former inmate of Kryptarium, Garmadon was additionally pardoned, both for his actions during the Oni invasion and for his help at Astor City.

As the elemental trials closed out, the judge read to all the legalities of a revised ERA. The main components of it, as far as Kai understood: (1) They could not act in any city other than their own without the express approval of that council. (2) Their descendants had to be monitored and if they were elementals, they too had to agree to the ERA or give up their powers by constantly wearing Vengestone. (3) The section about elementals being commanded by the government to protect Ninjago had been erased, although it was socially expected that elemental heroes would rise up in the face of a threat.

Finally, the first day of Lloyd’s trial arrived. He had been saved for last, to allegedly allow people to calm down about his actions. While his trial didn’t occur in a different city, his jury was sequestered.

It was May - the day Lloyd would have graduated. As it was, Hunter and Raven were finishing up their sophomore year, and Bobby, Koji, and Nelson had completed sixth grade. Due to them being underage, the government had decided not to press charges.

Nobody had slept that night. At least three times, Kai heard Jay rush to the bathroom aboard the Bounty and retch out of nervousness. Cole almost made them late; Jay’s bathroom hogging made it almost impossible for Cole to shower and wash away the sweat he’d worked up after spending almost all night training. The kitchen was filled with new culinary sweets Zane had whipped up so he could have something to do with his hands. Nya had disappeared into the deep hull of the Bounty to mess around with some new machine. And Kai? He couldn’t stop pacing.

At 8 a.m. the Police Commissioner and Borg came to pick the Ninja up in the limo and escort them to the courthouse.

None of the Ninja had talked to Lloyd in-person, up close, for at least two weeks, having been busy with the other trials. The one kindness was that Lloyd was almost always called as a witness for most of the elementals’ trials, so every morning he had been escorted from Borg’s maximum security prison cell at Kryptarium by four policemen.

Lloyd was marched into the courtroom in his Vengestone chains, black sports coat, and dark jeans. With his short height and mussed hair, he looked like a teenager pretending to be an adult. Which he essentially was. No matter that he was technically still a god and had Energy, Creation, and the four elements back, now that the crystal was broken.

At first, Kai could barely tell the difference between this trial and the other trials he’d watched. He filed into the room with his brothers, taking up the first two pews on the left side of the courtroom.

But this time, Lloyd sat in the defendant’s seat, with his lawyer - one of the best in Ninjago, paid for by Borg - at his side. Misako did not bother to show up.

Nya was on Kai’s right and Morro on Kai’s left. They gripped each others’ hands as the charges were read. Lloyd’s eyes darted around the room, his sharp teeth chewing his lower lip. He jerked his chin up at Kai in a silent hey.

Kai inclined his head slightly and gave a faint smile.

The judge began. “Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, you are being charged with sedition and insurrection against the government of Ninjago City. You are also being charged for the murder of Allura Fontaine. How do you plead?”

“Guilty.”

Kai inhaled sharply. Of course Lloyd had to plead guilty. Trying to plead innocent would’ve resulted in him having to lie his whole way through or him taking a lot of liberties in telling his side of the story. The one consolation was that the government had dropped the charges against Lloyd for Wu’s death after hearing the Ninjas’ recounting of it.

The trial proceeded mostly unhindered. Lloyd got up to speak for about thirty minutes. He had no notes or papers; he only spoke from his own memory to explain to the jury what had happened. Griffin and Kai were called to the stand to describe what Allura had done to trick Lloyd into killing Wu (as this established Allura’s character as a very dangerous villain). Zane rose to speak about the wounds Chamille and Lloyd had sustained from Allura, and Skylor explained why Allura’s element made her more dangerous than the rest combined. Neuro told the jury how he had figured out Allura was going to the Midnight Realm and what Allura had done there.

Morro went to the witness stand to fill the jury in on Dark Matter, Golden Power, and the Overlord. The jury gasped and stared at Lloyd as if he might still be possessed.

Chamille testified next, claiming that Lloyd had only done what he thought was best and that everything he’d done was excusable except for him consuming the Dark Matter. After that, she claimed he was technically possessed, and so he couldn’t really be guilty of “acting against the citizens of Ninjago.”

It took three days - and they were so tension-filled Kai actually thought he might die of a heart attack. Court started promptly at 9, they had a lunch break from 12-1, and it resumed and went on until 4. Thirty-six hours of stress. Jay’s fingernails were all bitten off.

Finally, after the District Attorney had exhausted his list of evidence against Lloyd, every witness had spoken, and the closing arguments were given, the jury left the room to deliberate.

They came back in only fifteen minutes.

“Guilty.”

Whispers spread through the court. A guilty verdict had to be unanimous.

The judge began to speak, but Kai sat in shock. Nya gripped his hand with white fingers. Morro squeezed his other hand.

Lloyd had decided to take this punishment, maybe naively thought the people loved him enough to spare him. Half of Kai - the mean, sensible part - wanted to leave Lloyd to his fate and spit that this was what happened when one trusted regular people to make decisions.

The other part - the loving brother - said that he had better go see Lloyd.

The judge cleared his throat, and Kai’s attention returned to the front of the room. “Court is adjourned. Sentencing is tomorrow. The defendant may prepare an apology to be read tomorrow before sentencing.”

People immediately began standing up and grabbing their handbags or cell phones.

Kai just sat there. “We should’ve taken him and run,” he mumbled.

“He’s most vulnerable right now,” Morro whispered. “Think about it. It would make the most sense to attack during transport because otherwise he’d be at Kryptarium. And here, if the twenty-or-so elementals in the crowd did nothing as we took him, their pardons would probably be taken back.”

Cole stared at Morro for a few seconds. “Are you … saying we should break him out?”

Morro shrugged and got up, grabbing his black hoodie from where it was slung over the back of the pew. He’d refused to dress formally. “That was Kai.”

“We are not breaking him out,” Nya hissed, rising. “Lloyd is an adult now. He wants to face his actions.”

“We don’t even know what kind of sentence he’s going to get,” Jay said, slumping back and wrinkling his blue sweater. “There’s no precedent.”

“We know what the sentence for murder is,” said Zane, his gaze distant. “Life.”

There was a beat of silence.

“But there was a case where a man attacked and killed a lady’s daughter. She murdered him in retribution because the court let him get away,” Chamille interrupted. She had been sitting in the row behind them. “The lady was declared ‘not guilty’ even though she did it in broad daylight. So maybe Lloyd could get away with Allura.”

The court was almost empty now. Borg was the only one left in the room. He was tapping buttons on his BorgWatch, trying to avoid eavesdropping.

“I believe that if Lloyd truly wanted to, he could break out,” said Zane. “My processors say that Vengestone is no match for his Golden Power.”

“True,” Kai mused. The authorities did not know that Lloyd’s Golden Power wasn’t technically an element, but an elemental essence.

Nya rolled her eyes, sticking her hands into the pockets of her black blazer. “If he didn’t flee at Astor City, I doubt he would flee now. He wants it to be fair. We all know Lloyd. He’s so desperate to please. If things aren’t fair, he fights for it. He wants this. It’s the only thing that will give him closure.”

“But at the expense of his life? Or even a major chunk of his life?” snapped Kai. “How will he live with himself when the next big threat comes and we’re all risking our lives and he’s still stuck in Kryptarium?”

“If he writes a really good apology, he might convince the jury to give him a less severe sentence,” Jay said. “It would still be fair. And there’s no way he would be sentenced to death. He’s just a kid.”

Kai looked to Borg, who was still patiently waiting to escort them back to the Bounty in Ninjago Harbor. “Can we make a stop? I want to visit Lloyd.”

Borg nodded. “I’ll have Cryptor ready the jet.”

______________________________________________________________________________

Lloyd stood in Cell One of Kryptarium Prison, his back to the door, staring through the glass of his cell and into the darkness all around him. It did not scare him, not after he’d stared into the abyss of the Overlord’s darkness and survived. The single fluorescent light bulb over his head buzzed noisily.

Lloyd twisted around to survey the other side of his domed cell. The curved glass distorted the upside-down T-shaped grid of red lasers that served to block the one door to the rest of Kryptarium.

The lasers were there just in case he somehow managed to break out of this hanging Clearstone dome and jump across a FSM-knows-how deep pit to the rounded platform twenty feet away. And then there was a circular door hidden behind the lasers, reminiscent of a bank vault, constructed from titanium, and only unlockable if he could make his eyes match the Warden’s for the retinal scan. Lloyd briefly wondered how much of the Ninjas’ taxes had gone towards this.

Lloyd focused on his reflection instead. It leered at him. Horns and claws and sharp teeth. Cold and cruel and inhuman. Oni.

Lloyd’s dragon-like tail twitched, rubbing against his ankles. It was scaled and green, but the end was tufted with golden hair. He flared his wings slightly, imagining what it would be like if he called up the destructive power of the Oni and broke the cell to fly down and see what exactly was at the bottom of the void surrounding Cell One. It would be easy. Just as easy as breaking the Vengestone cuffs that scratched and chafed on his wrists.

Lloyd might be unable to access his elements, but he could still access his Oni side. Shapeshifting was easy. He didn’t dare try a dragon form again (the circular cell was only ten feet in diameter), or breathe fire, but he often played around with his Oni/Dragon features. Flicking his claws in and out and hearing the snick was amusing. For five minutes, at least. He would’ve tried his claws against the Clearstone, except the resulting scratch marks would’ve raised too many questions.

Lloyd sighed and resigned himself to reading more of the fantasy books his family had sent him. It was hard, though, to keep his attention on Temeraire when he had no idea what time it was thanks to the ever-present darkness, and when guards might walk in any minute to drag him off to court again. No one had bothered giving him a clock; he only knew it was a new day when he was escorted outside of Cell One into an armored car and taken to that FSM-forsaken courtroom.

There was a loud beep, and Lloyd grabbed a book from his metal cot to hide his face while he shapeshifted. First went the horns and Oni tattoos. Next, he removed the teeth too; while he’d been proud of them as a child, it was probably best if he appeared as friendly as possible. Finally, the claws slid back into hiding.

Lloyd peeked over his book to see the grid of lasers disappear and the vault door swing open. Eight figures were outlined against the bright light streaming from the open doorway. Not four, like normal.

“I will leave you here,” came the Warden’s gruff voice. “You have fifteen minutes. Good day.”

The figures were herded farther out onto the half-moon platform and the metal door slammed shut. The lasers buzzed back into place. One of them shoved forwards a lever that made a metal gangway extend out from their platform to Lloyd’s cell. A few more lights appeared, lighting up the new walkway.

The eight figures made their way across the gangway, and now Lloyd could see that it was his family, plus Morro and Chamille.

“Hey,” said Kai. He was wearing blue jeans and had his hands tucked into the kangaroo pocket of his red hoodie. The others were also dressed in similar casual wear.

Lloyd dropped his book onto his bed and wiggled his fingers. “Hey.”

He tried to ignore Morro. Tried to ignore the feeling that he’d already been replaced by the person who still haunted his dreams to this day. Today wasn’t the day for picking this fight.

“Look, Lloyd …” said Kai, glancing around the room … er, the void of the massive, dark room that encompassed Cell One. Kai lowered his voice. “We all know you could get out of here if you wanted.”

He was referring to Lloyd’s dark capabilities. Lloyd hadn’t said a thing about being able to break the cuffs to his family, but … for anyone who knew Oni/Dragon lore, it was very reasonable to assume.

Lloyd crossed his arms. “No. For the last time, I won’t. I deserve this.”

Cole ran a hand through his hair. “Lloyd, you’re a kid. I mean, I know you did a lot of bad stuff, but if we can all forgive you -”

“I’m not a kid,” Lloyd growled at them, letting his Oni teeth snap down. “I haven’t been a kid since I took that Tea.”

“Yeah, and you’ve paid for it since,” Jay said. “You’ve been in here for, like, two weeks! Isn’t that enough?”

“I’m guilty. And I haven’t gotten my sentencing yet,” said Lloyd. “If they sentence me to death, then maybe I’ll run. For now, I’m going to stick it out.”

It wasn’t that Lloyd was foolishly hoping that the people of Ninjago still had goodwill for him. No, although he wished that was the case, he knew that if he ran or got a full pardon, he was telling elementals everywhere that because they could control elements and others could not, they were more important. However, if he made this sacrifice for all elementals, he could greatly diminish the backlash from everyone else getting pardons.

But yes, he did deserve a punishment, too. Lloyd didn’t like to think about how long that punishment would be.

“Lloyd, I do not condone breaking the law,” Zane said, his blue eyes glowing brighter in the dim lighting. “But perhaps if you write a really good apology, you can get a lesser sentence.”

Lloyd brushed a hand through his hair, missing the tiny bumps that had poked through before the Ninja arrived. “Don’t worry, I have it covered,” he said. It was true; he’d had his apology written for days.

Kai raised a brow. “Can we hear it?”

“No,” said Lloyd shortly. He hadn’t written it on paper; despite his requests for art supplies, the prison had not acquiesced. Probably wise. In his hands, even a pen could become a deadly weapon.

Jay cursed, and Nya slapped his arm.

Kai’s expression didn’t change, but his fingers curled into fists. “Lloyd. What are you planning on saying?”

“The right thing,” Lloyd said.

Zane attempted to talk sense into Lloyd. “Lloyd, it is in your best interest to read a nice apology. If you do not word it the right way, your sentence could be life. Is that what you want? For the majority of your life to be wasted here? If we arrange this the right way, you may be able to get away with house arrest, or Vengestone cuffs. I know you want things to be fair, but you don’t have to stay here to pay off your debt.”

Against his will, Lloyd’s eyes began to sting. “You don’t understand. It doesn’t matter if my sentence is for life. I have ten lifetimes to pay for it.”

Cole’s eyebrows went up. “What are you saying? That you’re …”

“A cat!” Jay inserted. No one laughed.

“Immortal.” Chamille finished.

Kai moved to stand directly in front of Lloyd, his nose centimeters from the Clearstone. “You may be immortal,” Kai growled. “But we are not. And we want you back.”

Kai turned on his heel and marched back across the walkway.

He didn’t see the tears dripping from Lloyd’s eyes or hear Lloyd’s sob as he realized exactly what sticking out his punishment meant.

______________________________________________________________________________

“Of course Lloyd might be immortal,” Garmadon whispered to Kai from the row behind as they all rose for the judge. “He is my son, after all, and Wu and I lived thousands of years before we met Misako. If he managed to awaken his Oni blood like that, then I can imagine he might live longer than you. The question is, how did he figure it out? He’s only eighteen. Not long enough for him to figure out he’s aging slower.”

“Lloyd told us he saw the First Spinjitzu Master,” Cole said, eyes on the front as the judge climbed the stairs to the bench. “Maybe there was some truth to that.”

“I still think he was joking,” Jay muttered from Cole’s side.

“Joke or not, he probably is immortal,” said Kai. “And the fact is, he wants to waste his first hundred years without us. What does he think it’s going to be like when he finally gets out of prison?”

“You may all be seated now,” said the bailiff, glaring at the Ninja. They shut their mouths and took their seats. “The defendant may now read an apology, if desired.”

Lloyd’s lawyer rose. “It is desired.”

Lloyd was escorted to the front - not the witness stand - by two policemen. A microphone and stand had already been set at the front. Thumps from the microphone echoed through the large room as Lloyd adjusted the stand for his height.

Kai got his first good stare at Lloyd for today. And he realized that Lloyd’s nose was red and his eyes rimmed with pink and silver. Nya’s sharp inhale indicated she had noticed the same thing.

Lloyd had finished messing around with the microphone. He waited until all shuffling had stopped.

“I am not sorry for Allura,” began Lloyd, voice hard as steel. Kai’s heart dropped. Lloyd was going to blow it. Thanks to his stupid pride and his idea of justice. Kai snorted, and Nya glared at Kai.

Lloyd pointedly cleared his throat before continuing. “Allura betrayed her former master, Pythor. She killed the only blood family member who ever truly loved me and raised me. She stabbed my best friend, Chamille, and she nearly killed me. Allura was dangerous and she needed to be stopped. I am not sorry about her death and I will never be.”

Morro pinched Kai, and Kai realized he’d been squeezing his teammates’ hand very hard. Kai let go and began twisting his hands instead, keeping his eyes on Lloyd.

Lloyd paused, taking a deep breath. “But what I am sorry about is what I did to kill her. Power called to me, and” - his voice broke - “I am ashamed to say I answered.”

Kai let out a breath of relief.

Lloyd’s lime-green eyes scanned the crowd, resting on Kai for a split-second longer than everyone else. “I hooked myself on power’s lure. Allura was powerful, and I needed to be even more powerful, or so I thought. In the past, I’ve relied on my friends to defeat powerful villains. This time, they didn’t answer. They rightfully weren’t willing to go the distance. They did not want to sacrifice allies and morals to stop Allura.”

Lloyd’s voice had begun to waver. A tear rolled down his cheek. Lloyd slid the sleeve of his sports coat over his hand to swipe at his watery eyes. “That was the trap.” Another pause.

“I drank that Dark Matter.” His voice rose in pitch and intensity. “I let in the Overlord. I nearly unleashed LastDeath and destroyed Ninjago.”

He stopped, making no moves to wipe away the tears now trailing down his face. “And for that, I am truly sorry. I deserve whatever punishment I am given.”

The judge - a middle-aged man with short greying hair, blue eyes, and black wire-framed glasses - had a faint smile on his face. He removed his glasses to swipe at his eyes.

“But … here’s the thing … because of my bloodline, I am immortal.”

The judge and audience gasped. Lloyd spoke over them. “If I don’t die in battle, I’ll live at least a thousand years.” Another pause. “A thousand years to pay back my time. And if possible … I want to spend the time I have with my family, who doesn’t have that luxury.”

Lloyd laid a hand over his heart. “I’ll wear a tracker all my life. I’ll come back to Kryptarium when the last of them is gone. But what I ask now is that I be allowed to enjoy the time I have left with them. That I be allowed to keep serving Ninjago with them now.”

Lloyd started to walk away, then froze and quickly said, voice shaking, “Thank you.”

The room was silent, except for Lloyd’s jerky breaths and the footsteps of his guards as they moved to escort him back to the defendant’s table.

“We will have a recess of fifteen minutes,” said the judge. He abruptly got up and left the room.

Kai immediately turned to Zane. “Will it be enough?”

“That is up to the judge,” said the Nindroid. “Although it was a very heartfelt apology. I detected in the majority of the jury an increase of opioids in their brains.”

Jay squinted at Zane. “And that means? Aren’t opioids -”

“It means that they felt sad,” PIXAL supplied as she squeezed into the Ninjas’ row, entwining her fingers with Zane’s and leaning in to him.

Nya frowned at Zane. “Please don’t do that anymore. That’s intrusive.”

“I am sorry my scans made you feel uncomfortable, Nya. Your cheeks are flushed, indicating -”

Nya held up a hand. “Just st-”

“I apologize,” PIXAL interrupted. “After having to deal with Lloyd and Chamille’s severe injuries, Zane began working on creating medical software that equips him to deal with all sorts of ailments. He has been testing his diagnostic capabilities all morning. As you can see, he is very excited about it.”

“I will now limit my scans of humans to those not in my immediate family,” Zane said.

Jay facepalmed. “Better than nothing.”

“Well, I, for one, am glad Lloyd at least tried to apologize,” said Kai, steering them back onto the most important topic, in his opinion.

“I suppose,” Chamille said, glancing at Lloyd. Lloyd was, of course, being guarded by his four policemen at the defendant’s table, so the Ninja couldn’t talk to him. Lloyd flicked his fingers at her in response.

“I mean,” continued Chamille, “he did end up saying he wasn’t sorry for Allura.”

“I’m not sorry for Allura, either,” Kai said. “And I doubt anybody could be sorry after hearing what she did. I mean, she violated Lloyd and forced him to kill Sensei. Nobody’s going to miss her.”

“And he basically told everyone he was guilty anyway,” Chamille pointed out. “Based on his words, he said he’ll take whatever’s due to him, which isn’t too helpful. But based on his physical delivery and his promise to pay it back later? Well, he’s a -” Chamille inserted a colorful word - “good actor.”

The bailiff’s voice overshadowed Kai’s reply. “Recess is over. Will the audience please be seated?”

The Ninja quickly rearranged themselves, with Nya and Morro closest to Kai and Garmadon, Chamille, and PIXAl behind, as before. It wasn’t that Morro was suddenly a better companion than Kai’s other brothers … it was that Morro (despite his vehement denials) was a little clingy, in Kai’s opinion. He always managed to squeeze past the others and stick close to Kai.

The judge’s cheeks were slightly red, and he shuffled papers loudly for a few awkward seconds before banging his gavel and asking for attention.

“Ahem!” he said, even though the room had already been quiet.

“Umm, for sentencing …” he trailed off. “Lloyd was technically found guilty of all three charges by the jury. However, seeing as Lloyd is the grandson of the First Spinjitzu Master, and that his father testified that the First Spinjitzu Master commanded him and his descendants to hunt down the Reflection Masters … I do not see why Lloyd should be charged for the ‘murder’ of Allura Fontaine when he was only fulfilling his hereditary duty. Additionally, seeing that Allura was not shy about using lethal force, it only makes sense that Lloyd had to use lethal force himself and therefore she could not have been captured easily. The DA and I have spoken and the third charge has been dropped. Therefore, Lloyd cannot be found guilty of it.”

Wait, what? Was that even legal? Kai shot forwards in his seat with such speed that even Griffin, who was across the aisle, whistled.

Nya squeezed Kai’s arm, and he reluctantly slid back, resting the ankle of one leg atop the other knee.

“Second, the ordinary sentence for both sedition and insurrection is generally twenty years, which I would recommend to be served concurrently.”

Kai let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. Twenty years. Not bad. A long time … but not life. Kai suspected this judge was trying his best to reduce the severity of Lloyd’s sentence. Perhaps Lloyd had personally saved this man, one time or another.

“However, considering Lloyd’s … uncommon lifespan and his extraordinary plea - which I have personally never heard before - and additionally when taking into account his rather exemplary record, I am inclined to offer him a unique offer.”

Lloyd sat ramrod straight.

“Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon’s sentence is this: he may live with his family and operate in society with most of his benefits, however, he is technically on probation. This sentence is contingent upon some factors. These are: he must wear Vengestone bracelets full-time, which will allow him to be tracked and prevent him from accessing his powers. As he is a Ninja and a protector of Ninjago, he may still train but he is not allowed to use any type of weapon. He will also be shadowed full-time by a task force approved by the court and he will attend weekly therapy sessions with an approved psychologist. After a year of this proposed situation, Lloyd may return to the court and his behavior will be evaluated with the possibility of full parole.”

One year. One year, and Lloyd could be reinstated. No Kryptarium. Kai was on the edge of his seat.

Lloyd whispered something to his lawyer, and then said, “I accept.”

The judge had to bang his gavel several times to silence the Alliance’s cheering.

______________________________________________________________________________

Listen to: Light of the Seven by Ramin Djwadi

“Lloyd! Hurry up, or we’re going to be late!”

“Coming, Kai!”

Lloyd rapidly dabbed some of Chamille’s stolen concealer on his nose and under his eyes. No need for Kai to see how much he was struggling. With Morro. With the full complement of guards following him constantly. With this whole shebang that was about to go down.

Lloyd cursed; the shade was a bit too dark for his pale skin. He’d seen Chamille use a makeup sponge to dab the makeup on so it looked less obvious. Seeing as he didn’t have a sponge, he just used his fingers, then wiped them on a towel, leaving a beige/orange stain. He’d just blame it on Nya or Chamille if anyone asked.

“Lloyd! You can’t take that long in the bathroom!” yelled Kai. The handle jiggled.

“Cool it, Kai!”

A knock sounded, and a deep voice with a faint Metalonian accent asked, “Are you trying something in there, Lloyd?” It was Lars, the head of ERA 1, the task force assigned to guard Lloyd during his probation.

“For the last time, no! I’m just -” Lloyd yanked the door open to see Lars, dressed in all black, towering over him, and Kai at Lars’ side in a familiar brown suit.

“Hurry up,” said Kai. “Nya’s already fired up the engines.”

Lloyd needn’t have bothered with the concealer. Kai’s eyes were lined with red and there were faint purple marks under his eyes.

“Thank the FSM. Let’s go.” Kai grabbed Lloyd’s hand, then rapidly let go. “Ew. What is this?” A bit of the concealer left on Lloyd’s hands had rubbed off on Kai’s.

“Nothing. Come on,” said Lloyd, winding through the hallways of the Temple of Airjitzu and out towards the Bounty. Sabine and Francois, the other two members of ERA 1 on duty today, followed, leaping aboard the Bounty just before it pulled away from the floating island and began jetting southwest, into the setting sun, towards the old Monastery.

Lloyd surveyed the deck, noting the expressions on his teammates as they gave nods of acknowledgement to him and then climbed up to the control deck with Chamille, Garmadon, and Morro.

Vacant stares. A few sniffles. Watery eyes. Concealer, indeed.

Chamille waved at Lloyd. “Are you coming up?”

Lloyd followed the rest to the control deck, keeping a far distance from Morro. Lloyd trusted Kai’s judgement. If Kai said the former ghost was reformed, then he was. But that didn’t change the fact that, on some primal level, Lloyd was still scared of Morro. Or, at least, his body was, what with its pounding heartbeats and tremors.

Kai had assured Lloyd it would take time and that he wasn’t obligated to forgive Morro, not after his … violation of Lloyd. But Lloyd couldn’t help wondering if he’d ever get to have time with his family without the shadow of Morro hanging over them.

“How are you doing?” asked Chamille, grabbing Lloyd’s hand and tugging him to the back of the control deck, underneath the roof and out of the wind. “Are you okay?”

“As okay as the rest are,” said Lloyd noncommittally, noting absent-mindedly that the many screens in the control room made Chamille’s skin look blue.

Chamille didn’t let go of Lloyd’s hand. “I know it hurts. I wouldn’t be surprised if you guys didn’t want to rebuild there.”

Lloyd fidgeted with the buttons of his green-and-white plaid shirt. “We spent way too much time digging out the Samurai-X cave. It would be a waste to just leave it.”

“I suppose so,” Chamille admitted. They lapsed into silence.

Lloyd and Chamille hadn’t been back to the Monastery, not since .... what had gone down with Allura and Master Wu.

It had been a week since the trials. A week for Skylor to organize Wu’s memorial service. A week for the elemental masters to stay in Ninjago City and help complete rebuilding after the damage Lloyd had done to it. A week for Lloyd to fully grasp his punishment and what he had done.

Lloyd didn’t know what to make of his therapist: a sharp-tongued older lady who goaded him with tough questions he didn’t like to think about. Not even after breakfast. She was no Mistake, that was for sure. Chamille liked to supply Lloyd with sarcastic quips about what he should say next time he saw her.

To Lloyd’s side, Lars shifted his weight on the floorboards of the deck, pointedly making his presence known. Don’t try anything.

Lloyd wouldn’t. He couldn't even summon up snark against his therapist. No, he was focusing on healing and sticking out his punishment - for now.

Chamille remained at his side, his hand still in hers. “It’ll be okay,” she murmured, as much to herself as to him. They stood in silent solidarity for thirty minutes, until the Bounty docked beside the Monastery. Lloyd and Lars were the last to clamber over the railing.

The Monastery’s ruins had been cleaned up. The rubble was cleared away, leaving only the cobblestones and the elevator to the Samurai-X cave, sealed off with yellow caution tape. There was no trace of red blood, and without the ruins framing the Monastery’s old footprint, Lloyd couldn’t glean where Allura’s daggers had driven into the cobblestones. Nor where his own had slammed into Sensei’s hand.

A shudder ran through Lloyd, and Kai was at his side in an instant. “Are you good?”

Lloyd bared his teeth at Kai. “Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

“Geez, dude,” said Kai. As he backed off, rejoining the others, Morro stared at Lloyd with unnerving emptiness. Not anger. Not hate. Just … coolness.

Chamille clenched Lloyd’s hand tighter, and Lloyd realized his black claws had sprung free. He sheathed them with a snick.

The other elemental masters gathered on the top of the mountain backed away, giving the Ninja deference as they approached the center of the former courtyard.

There. Sensei’s coffin. Lacquered in a mustard yellow-orange with sparkles that glimmered in the fading sunlight. Gilded with gold. Laid on a green velvet catafalque. And shut. Because the body was too terrible to display. Because of what Lloyd had done.

Lloyd couldn’t stop the sob that wrenched from his chest as he beheld that expensive box. This was not like Zane’s death. Despite the hopelessness every Ninja had felt, they had the wisdom of their Sensei and they had not suffered for more than two months before Chen revealed that Zane was alive. It wasn’t like Garmadon’s death, either. Garmadon had been sent to the Cursed Realm, and he had given Lloyd his last words before he peacefully departed. And even now, the Dark Lord was back, and his memories of his stint as Sensei Garmadon seemed to be returning.

No, this was a death that there was no coming back from. The body was here, and it wasn’t going to move. Ever again. Worse, it hadn’t been on Sensei’s terms. He had not died gloriously in battle. He had died at Lloyd’s hands. And Lloyd hadn’t even been able to say goodbye.

Lloyd let go of Chamille’s hand to wipe the tears from his cheeks. Chamille’s too-orange concealer came off with it. Should’ve read the label to see if it was waterproof or not. Lloyd wiped the resulting mess on his tan pants.

“Lloyd?”

If Lloyd had a dagger, he would’ve drawn it and stabbed the person speaking. But as it was, all he could do was flinch and bring his fists up. Lars and the other members of ERA 1 tensed, but Lloyd just stared at the person in front of him.

Morro held up a white candle in one hand and a lighter in the other. “Do you want one?”

Lloyd nodded and took it from him. It was on a small metal plate with a ring to slide a finger through, most likely so the wax wouldn’t drip. Morro lit Lloyd’s candle and handed another to Kai. The two of them slid into place beside Lloyd, while Chamille briefly left his side to get another candle.

The rest of the elemental masters were also distributing candles to others who had been invited. The Police Commissioner. Vania. Garmadon. Faith of the Dragon Hunters. Queen Murtessa of the Munce and Chancellor Gulch of the Geckles. Cyrus Borg and even young Unagami and Milton Dyer. All of them, come to pay respects to the Master of Creation who had protected Ninjago for thousands of years.

Lloyd inhaled, savoring the familiar scent of black tea and Sensei’s favorite incense - burning in a holder laid before his coffin. He glanced behind him. Even Lars, Sabine, and Francois were holding candles out of respect for the great master who had fallen. But if Lloyd pulled something, there was no doubt they would drop them in an instant and raise their Vengestone guns.

Of course, they didn’t know that Lloyd could flick a finger and turn the liquid Vengestone compound into Dark Matter and concrete sludge. They knew he was part Oni, but they didn’t know what all that entailed.

Cole broke the silence first, after politely elbowing his way through the crowd to the front. The others followed, making a line in front of Sensei’s coffin, with Chamille at the end and Lloyd on her right.

“When Sensei found me,” Cole said, “I had just lost my mother and I was climbing the Interminable Mountain in the Mountains of Impossible Height. I asked him why he had climbed the mountain. And he told me, ‘To find you, Cole.’”

Cole shut his eyes and took a few breaths. His eyes were lined with silver wetness when he opened them. “Ever since Sensei found me, I had a home. I found my brothers - the best friends I could ever ask for.” Cole gestured at the Ninja standing beside him. “We went on wild journeys together. Sure, we lost members here and there, and even Sensei at one point, but we always found each other again. And now … ” Cole sniffed, re-adjusting his grip on his candle. “Now Sensei’s gone. Permanently. But we’re not going to let that stop us.” Cole glanced at Kai, who was to his left.

“Because Sensei taught us all,” said Kai, voice steady and comforting. “He taught us to harness our elemental powers. He taught us how to fight for what is right.” Kai raised a fist. “And we are the ones who remain to carry on his legacy. If he taught me anything, it was that Ninja never quit. He may be gone, but like Cole said, we’re not going to let that stop us. Because we will never quit fighting for what’s right.”

Nya squared her shoulders and took over next. “Sensei Wu encouraged me. When he took me and Kai in, I learned that you don’t have to be a guy or be strong to make a difference, as long as you try your best,” said Nya. “As iron sharpens iron, so sibling sharpens sibling. And he sharpened me plenty.” She wiggled her fingers, and droplets of water responded, pooling in her hand.

Zane spoke after Nya. “My father, Dr. Julien, told me I was built to protect. But it was only with Sensei Wu’s guidance that I learned just how to do that.” Zane looked to PIXAL, who had come to the front with him. He squeezed her hand. “We will miss him dearly.”

“I was just a kid from a scrapyard trying to learn to fly,” Jay said. He sniffled loudly. “I was really surprised when I crashed through a billboard and he was waiting for me. But I think that’s the thing. He was so wise. He always knew exactly what to do, even if we all thought he was crazy. He waited for all of us. Because he knew that when he brought the six of us together, we’d be unstoppable.”

Lloyd opened his mouth to add something, but, surprisingly, it was Morro who interrupted. “I was dumpster-diving when Sensei found me.” Morro wiped away a tear. “I was a little brat. I thought he’d hate me and kick me out and cut off my food soon enough. Just like everyone else did when they saw the real me. So I did everything I could to get him to stop caring about me on my terms. And when that didn’t work, when he drew me closer and asked me why I was so rude, I told him. He said that was my choice. But he’d at least teach me to defend myself while on the streets. And then, when I showed myself to be an elemental prodigy, he started training me to be the Green Ninja.”

Morro snorted. “We all know how that turned out. But for the short time I lived at the Monastery, I had a father figure who cared about me and who saw to my needs. When no one else bothered to get to know the little boy who was abandoned on the streets. And now?”

Morro glanced at the Ninja standing by his side. “Thanks to him, I know six other elemental masters of amazing character who have formed a family despite sharing absolutely no DNA. And now, I can have a family, too.”

Lloyd bristled. For Morro to call his brothers his family …

“I can finally fulfill Sensei’s wish of seeing his pupils reconcile,” Morro finished.

All of the fight drained out of Lloyd. This was Sensei’s last wish. To see Morro make up with the Ninja. And Lloyd knew, in that moment, that even if Lloyd didn’t feel like it, his job was to forgive Morro. It might take time. He might never fully forgive Morro. But he could sure start trying now.

Lloyd cleared his throat. “Mistake, one of Sensei’s closest friends, told me to ‘endure’ when I thought the Ninja had died in their battle against my father’s Colossus. I think that’s a fitting thing to say now.” He scanned the crowd - hugging each other and brushing away tears and choking in breaths.

“It hurts,” Lloyd said. “It feels like there’s a gaping hole in my chest. He can never be replaced. I’ll never get to drink tea with my uncle again or hear him nagging at me about my stance or sword grip. But I guess all we can do is ‘endure’ and keep living. Because we were meant for life, not death.”

The others nodded at Lloyd’s words and Kai gripped Lloyd’s hand. Chamille squeezed his other. And they began setting down their candles beside the incense holder. Jay was the last, and then the seven Ninja stepped back, letting the others flood in and set their candles beside the Ninjas’.

Lloyd licked his lips and stared at the flames until they blurred from his tears. His brothers crowded around him, each sniffling and wiping away their own tears. Lloyd leaned his head against Kai’s shoulder and gazed at the glittering sea of candles illuminating the darkness that threatened as the sun inched towards the horizon.

And so they all said goodbye to a legend.

______________________________________________________________________________

The sun was warm on Lloyd’s face, and the grass so soft. It would be so easy to doze off. Spinjitzu’s slow, heavy breaths at Lloyd’s side indicated the true dragon had already succumbed to the heat.

Lloyd itched to shift and spread his own wings to soak up more of that late-summer warmth. But now was not the time. Not when Lars was only a few feet away, hands clasped, sunglasses on.

“Yo! Lloyd!”

A strong breeze gusted through, and Lloyd flinched as a shiver ran through him goosebumps sprang up. He rapidly sat up, his claws instinctively shooting out. A few brown and orange leaves - the harbingers of more to come - crinkled underneath him.

Morro stood before him, a smirk on his face and a hammer in his left hand. “Slacking off again, are we?” Morro clicked and shook his head. “Any more of this, and I’ll be more worthy of the Green Ninja title than you.”

“Oh, buzz off!” Lloyd slumped back to the ground, his claws sliding back in. “I’m taking a break. Lars, do something.”

“It’s not in the contract,” Lars said, as he always did whenever someone was bothering Lloyd. He simply re-adjusted his posture and nodded at Sabine and Francois. They were leaning against a cherry blossom tree. Ordinarily, they might have pushed off and stood nearer to Lloyd, but they just jerked their chins upwards and kept up their quiet conversation. Three months with Lloyd had taught them that he wasn’t going to go anywhere near breaking his rules.

“If you don’t get up and help the others,” said Morro, leaning over Lloyd, “your room is going to look very different from what it was.”

Lloyd clambered to his feet, and Morro scrambled back. “No!” Lloyd said. “Anything but that!”

“Green bean! Are you taking another ‘break?’” Kai descended the stone steps from the Monastery, hands cupped around his mouth. He paused, seeing Lloyd and Morro.

“Kai,” Lloyd whined, pointing at Morro. “This guy’s bugging me.”

“Maybe if you did more working and less sleeping, he wouldn’t bother you so much,” Kai said. “Monastery ain’t gonna build itself.”

“See, Kai, I’m only trying to help you out!” Morro grabbed for Lloyd’s arm, to pull him up onto the stairs and back towards the Monastery, but Lloyd stepped backwards.

It was their silent dance. Over the past few months, Lloyd had gradually accepted Morro’s presence (with lots of help from his therapist and from Kai), but Morro never touched him and never spent time with Lloyd alone in an enclosed space. If Lloyd hadn’t moved, Morro would’ve used Wind to push Lloyd instead. Lloyd would’ve never admitted it out loud, but the former ghost was actually surprisingly thoughtful. And it was very fun to show Morro all of the improvements society had made since his death. Like driving. And Starfarer. And phones.

“Why build?” Chamille asked, appearing beside Morro out of thin air. “When we can fly?” Chamille gestured at the clear blue sky. “It’s a very nice day.”

“Chamille!” Lloyd rushed forwards, slamming into her with such force that she toppled over.

“Lloyd!” Chamille protested. The members of ERA 1 exchanged looks. But only Lars stepped forwards.

Lloyd scrambled to his feet and held out a hand for Chamille.

She dusted off her black leathers. “I’ve only been in Indigo for two weeks!”

“But two weeks is too long,” said Lloyd. “Especially considering how dangerous the realm is.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Chamille. “But if I don’t protect the realm, who’s going to?”

Garmadon’s black dragon form swooped over them, casting a massive shadow. He landed with an earth-shaking thump, causing Spinjitzu to snort awake. Garmadon then shifted back into a human, with two backpacks in his hands.

“So boring!” the Dark Lord said. “Without me, I mean. If you didn’t have me to liven things up, you all would be as emotionless as fish.”

After seeing Lloyd teleport, Garmadon had decided to try to use his own Dragon blood to crack open the Ethereal Divide and realm-travel. It worked - but only when he shape-shifted into a dragon form. He and Lloyd had concluded that, like the dragons, it required speed and spinning, which could only be achieved when flying.

Garmadon handed a purple backpack to Chamille. “I believe this is yours.”

“Thanks,” said Chamille, slinging it over her shoulders. “Anyway, I’m planning to stay for a while. Indigo’s pretty dry right now. Hope you guys haven’t given my room on the Bounty away. I saw Gravis and Karloff at the Monastery when I flew over.”

“Yeah,” Kai said. “They were investigating some rumors about that shipment of Vengestone stolen from Kryptarium.”

“Really?” Chamille said. “Hadn’t heard.”

“It was a couple of days ago,” Lloyd said. “The Commissioner pulled Cole into it, too. They think it has to do with the person buying Vengestone from Vania’s dad.”

“Yo guys!” Cole yelled from the top of the stairs, hands cupped. “Are you coming to help or not? We’ve still got two hours before quittin’ time!”

Lloyd and Lars exchanged glances. Chamille’s eyebrows lowered and she squinted at the two of them.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” said Kai, marching forwards. But it was too late.

Lloyd was already scrambling towards the cliffside, yelling, “Spinjitzu! Catch me!”

The golden dragon popped up and lunged towards the vertical drop, using his wings to propel himself faster.

Lars, with his long legs, easily caught up to Lloyd. He didn’t have a hand on his weapon; he knew exactly what they were up to. They’d practiced this move - thanks to days of Lloyd begging - just for this situation. For the captain of ERA 1, Lars was actually a pretty cool guy.

Spinjitzu dove off the cliff, and Lloyd and Lars were right behind. Lloyd grabbed the saddlehorn as they rocketed downwards, only feet away from a wall of rock, and Lars seized Lloyd’s shoulders. Once both were secure, Spinjitzu flared his wings, and the three of them zipped away from the mountain.

Lloyd spotted Chamille’s purple dragon close behind and he grinned. He knew Cole wouldn’t bother to chase after them, and Kai …

Morro’s pale green dragon zipped up to Spinjitzu, and then Kai and the Wind elemental sailed past, buoyed by Morro’s personal jet stream.

“Eat my dust!” Morro yelled.

“Oh, you’re on!” Lloyd retorted.

“Mountain of a Million Steps and back,” Kai said. “No elements. Go!”

Lloyd roared, and pressed his legs tighter to Spinjitzu. “Sovetes, Spinjitzu!”

Fly.