Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Morro was so close.

He’d made it past the first trial easily, the second took less than a minute thanks to the Sword, and now only one stood in his wake between himself, and the Realm Crystal.

So Morro should have been happy. Ecstatic even, that he was now only a mere maze away from claiming his rightful prize, to completing his ultimate goal by releasing Her upon this cursed land. He’d have everything. 

So he truly would have been all those things and beyond, if it weren’t for the constant, irritating, pest of a child stuck in at his side, refusing to give up every waking moment they were together.

Morro gritted his (technically Lloyd’s) teeth as the brat gave another push for control. Morro stood tense, pushing him back down with as much force as his soul could muster, then pressed on across the ice, Sword in an iron grip.

You’re almost there. You’re about to win, he told himself, blocking out the protests in the back of his mind, continuing to trudge forward, with his head held high.

But FSM, was he just tired.

Now, Morro wasn’t stupid. He’d never expected possession to be something easy, per se, but it was never like Morro did anything “the easy” way throughout his whole life (and after) anyways — and he sure was a master at figuring his way around difficult obstacles.

Besides, he should be proud, if anything. How many other spirits could say they were strong enough to stay in a vessel for weeks on end without needing to leave, and while staying in control? Especially some prophesied “savior?”

But Morro had underestimated just how long, and hard Lloyd would fight. 

He was doing so right now, and had been ever, ever since Morro had first possessed him. Currently, it made Morro’s movements incredibly more sluggish than they’d been that first day, even if he was still technically in control. It pissed the wind master off beyond belief. He wasn’t sure how it’d come to this, as Lloyd’s presence had been nothing more than a depressed splinter those first few days (besides pulling the rug out from under him with the red one at that dumb tea shop). 

But it was ok. It was ok, because soon, he’d be able to move on and ditch the body in this frozen wasteland. He only needed it for a little longer, then Morro would never have to look back. What happened next to the kid wouldn’t matter, because Morro would be the Green Ninja, and he’d have everything, just like She’d promised. 

Just as Morro began smirking at the thought, a pounding force of thunder clapped against his skull.

He lurched forward, nearly tumbling onto his face. He watched as the world flipped upside down and a hiss of sudden pain seethed past his lips.

A similar cry that wasn’t his bounced across the inside of his head. He clutched at the black locks with his free hand, nearly dropping his sword, all while feeling as though a sledgehammer had rammed him from behind.

He blinked rapidly and forced an attempt to regain his senses and stand tall. Morro growled, lips curling into a snarl — as frustration hot enough to melt the ice he stood on — boiled through the base of his chilled fingertips. 

No, he thinks . He was not about to lose after all these days — weeks — of nothing but constant work and fighting. Morro did not lose, no matter what destiny said. He’d been beating Lloyd this whole time, proving his clear superiority. He wasn’t about to let that change now. It wasn’t like this was the first time something like this had happened, and everytime, Morro had successfully pushed Lloyd back down and continued forward, no matter the backlash.

“Stop it,” he then growled aloud to the person in his head.

Morro didn’t realize his mistake until it was too late.

He’d felt Lloyd’s reaction to their shared pain. It’d caught him off guard too, and the boy had wanted it to stop just as much, enough that he’d even backed off a bit, also wanting to regain himself. 

But Morro had just told him to do something.

And the first thing Morro learned when possessing this body — the one thing he took a frustrating note of…

Was that Lloyd Garmadon was childishly stubborn. 

He felt anger that wasn’t his burn into his heart.

There still wasn't a way he could prepare himself for the absolute mental beating that came next.

And yet, Morro attempted to continue walking, to push Lloyd back down as if he wasn’t he wasn't even there, just like Morro had done so many times before, and once again, shrug any pain off.

But after decades of being dead and periods of nothing but numbness, Morro had forgotten what mortal pain was like; the constant headaches and fatigue which so casually came with being alive. He'd forgotten about the excessive need for food, and water, as well as the amount of pain a mortal body could take in one go.

Said pain still hadn't stopped, and it was getting to a point where he could no longer even walk, having to use the sword as a support to keep himself from collapsing altogether, all while pouring every ounce of his soul into keeping himself in control, even if that meant not moving.

He then began to gasp and gag, nearly keeling over onto his knees numerous times, watching as the floor became the ceiling and the ceiling became the floor every few seconds.

Yet he held on.

Morro wanted to scream, to cry out in pain, but refused. It would be admitting weakness, and could possibly alert the ninja, depending on how close they were. They were fools, but stubborn fools, like their friend, which seemed to get them stupidly far.

When another hammer of agony bashed into him, Morro had to clamp his teeth over his tongue in order to keep in a wail of torment from echoing all across Ninjago. How. How in the name of the FSM, was this worse than everything he’d endured in the Cursed Realm? How was this more painful than his own death? Right now, it felt as though he was being burned a million times over from the inside out, while having some scared kid screaming at the top of their lungs in his eardrum. He realized then that despite this, Lloyd wasn’t even slowing down. The shoves for power came down harder and harder each time, and most likely wouldn’t stop any time soon. 

Still, Morro refused to let go.

Now, Morro certainly wasn’t panicking, but he did begin running through his options rapidly as his breathing began escalating to dangerous levels, heartbeat thundering like banging echoes. 

Another phantom pain washed over Morro, as if going from a large wave, to a roaring tsunami. It now felt akin to every part of his body and soul being continuously stabbed with heated swords, deeper and deeper with each hit.

And this time, Morro couldn’t hold back the scream.

Ok. That was it. It wouldn’t be running, he reasoned, and getting out of a runt’s body would do nothing to damage his pride. The brat would be weak, unable to even stand, and escape would be impossible throughout these corridors. Morro would be a ghost. He wouldn’t feel any of this. He just had to get out and gather himself, clear his mind. Just for a moment, just for—

He hears the sound of metal clattering to the icy floor as nails scrape through his head, breaths picking up at the agony threatened to split his skull open.

He fell to his knees as he felt both of his hands begin clawing at his head.

Suddenly, breathing in any kind of air became incredibly strenuous, feeling like there was thick, hot mud entering his lungs. A fog began covering his vision, limbs going from fire to numb, the area around him changing—

He’s in a cramped closet, hiding from a flock of mean, older boys who’d caught him stealing their sweets from under their mattresses (the oldest trick in the book). His small size came in useful for once, since there was no way his tormentors could squeeze through here and get their sweets back. Served them right anyway, for stealing all of his a week ago. Those jerks. 

Speaking of the scuffle, he rubbed at his sore eye, feeling lucky that they’d only been able to score one punch. Hopefully, he could get some ice soon and prevent it from bruising over too bad.

The boy grunted, sweeping his blond bangs out from his—

NO.

No, FSM, no. Not again. Not again.

Out. Out. Out out out out. Morro doesn’t care anymore, all he knows is that he has to push, concentrate, has to—

Morro freezes.

He can’t get out.

It's suddenly quiet.

They both sit there in complete silence, that screaming finally gone. 

Too in shock to continue. 

Yet it’s replaced by a worse feeling of utter dread.

Morro takes his chance, and pushes again. He’s sure he did it before, but it's like a hot, searing muck is rapidly pushing him in back from outside, as if some invisible force was snapping him straight back inside each time Morro felt at the edge of escaping. 

But he doesn't have time to think about why it isn't working, because there the other force again, back in a complete panic, screaming at him to get out. What are you doing? What’s happening? GET OUT.

So he pushes again, harder — and this time his chest burns. So much so, it causes him to recoil back, hand on said chest, gasping desperately for air.

But he’s still here.

He can’t pull himself out of the body.

He’s trapped.

He suddenly stops breathing.

The realization is as clear as glass, and cut as deep as its shards.

There’s a moment of an echoing silence throughout the caverns as the world slows to a crawl.

They're both petrified into silence again.

No.

He’s hyperventilating. 

No.

He can’t. He can’t be trapped, he couldn’t. He wouldn’t allow it, not when he’d just gotten…

He was… he’d just...

Wait, why was he-

Morro. 

The name comes to him like a slap. Yes. Yes, that’s right. That’s his name. He’s Morro, and he has a goal, a mission. He had to-

Whatever presence he’s with snaps out of its dunce and comes back with a vengeance. And FSM can it screech. It sounded terrified. Desperate. In pain, like a scared, caged animal. It won’t stop, and the horrendous cries alone are enough to make him feel like he’s about to be torn apart. They can both feel it, like two beings becoming stitched together at the side while hysterically trying to crawl away from one another.

Lloyd, he somehow tells himself through the anguish. Lloyd. It’s Lloyd who’s fighting him, and has been since… or…wait… was he...

Then something. Something touches his shoulder, and no. No no no no no, they were going to trap him. Away. Get away. Get away, get away, get away-

He spun around with a raised fist, feeling his knuckles connect with something soft, then sending it flying.

He’s now back on his feet and shaking legs. There are more noises all around him, colliding with one another in a noncoherent blur of sound, and they won’t shut up. He blinks blearily, seeing multi-colored shapes and figures mixed in with black. It was the red one he hit.

He heaves, watching as the others then begin to step closer. Slowly. He feels himself back away like a feral animal, hands outstretched as if they were claws, eyes flailing around wildly at his pursuers. 

Who are they?

What do they want? 

What did they want from him?

Were they here to hurt him too?

They’re saying something — he’s sure of it — but can’t make out anything coherent from them, the two screams in his head rising above all else. He could no longer tell if he’d been trying to get in, or out of this body. He just wants whatever this is to stop. For them to go away. For the screaming to shut up, shut up.

Suddenly, the red one is back up as if he’d never been hit, and moving forward, and charging at him at full speed.

The others yell, and so does he.

Some kind of instinct takes over, and a blast of air bursts from his palm like an explosion, knocking the red one back just as he was about to tackle him to the ground. The others are sent back flying as well, every single one of them slamming hard against the icy wall.

But any sense of relief is short-lived.

He could not stop the wind or energy emanating from him either.

The sudden gust of wind transforms into a cyclone in a matter of seconds. 

And he’s in the center of it.

The pain is immediate and worse than everything else combined.

He forgets about whoever had been coming closer. His fingers find their way to his scalp, then pull and tug and yank at his hair, unable to make the voices go away, mind like a furious storm itself. He can’t calm down the raging hurricane around him, as it only seems to grow more enraged by their anguish. It swirls and swifts beside him in a sporadic flurry of motion, whipping his hair and drying his tears in an angry dance, growing stronger and stronger each grueling second.

The feeling that comes with the sudden burst of power tears across his mind and cuts through his lungs, and right then and there, he’s sure he is about to explode.

Yet the searing, growing pressure inside him never leaves.

He then screamed like never before.

He screams. He screams and screams and screams because he doesn’t know what else to do. He can’t hear himself through the blood roaring like its own hurricane throughout his eardrums. Only the wind and its shrieks were present, carrying his mind to the brink of madness. 

Then as quickly as it came.

It stopped.

Everything was still and silent.

Something felt caught in his throat. He coughed.

He stumbled forward.

Everything went black.

Chapter Text

“Oh, it’s a maze!” Jay whooped once he seemed to gather his surroundings. “I’m great at mazes!”

Kai moved forward, holding back shivers, with Zane and Cole right behind him. It seemed Jay was right; the whole place was a completely frozen cavern with thick walls of ice narrowing their path, then branching out into different directions. Kai strained his neck, abruptly feeling his eyes bulge as they glossed over the many sharp, gleaming icicles with a wicked tip hanging above the cavern’s high ceiling. Kai quickly put his head down, deciding it’d be best to look anywhere but up.

So he glanced to the side, only to immediately flinch back when he made direct eye contact with a much older man right beside him.

For a moment, Kai didn’t recognize the person as himself, but it didn’t take long to realize as the man in the mirror flinched back exactly how Kai did, then struck the same battle stance, before his face morphed into the same dumbfounded expression (man, did he always look like that?). Kai relaxed just a bit, then took a hesitant step forward, as did his supposed reflection, and it was then when Kai could notice the more obvious similarities. 

“Huh… wow,” he whispered. 

The hair, for one, was the most obvious. It still stood extremely spiked in ways older people claimed broke the laws of physics, yet didn’t appear to have a single strand of gray. There was the same tanned skin, even if it was noticeably wrinklier, with prominent cheekbones and crow's feet pricking out from the corner of his eyes. Speaking of, those were exactly the same too. But he was wearing completely different clothing than his gi, like something akin to what Wu or Garmadon would wear.

Without a doubt, that was him, just many, many decades older.

Hopefully.

Kai took a step closer, so both hands settled on the wall’s frigid surface. The only clear thing he could see on the ice was said aged reflection. Despite being ice, the walls could hardly be described as giving a clear picture of what lay behind the other side than just more ice. 

“If my reflection means anything,” he started hesitantly, yet loud enough so the others could hear. “I’m starting to think we won’t be breaking out of this maze any time at all.”

It was meant to come out as a quip, but the idea suddenly felt more real to Kai once he heard it with his own ears. This was the very last trial set by the First Spinjitzu Master, right? There was no telling how far these caverns stretched, or if there was anything waiting for them, but if Kai had to guess, it wouldn’t take long to begin seeing each icicle as the same one, before eventually going mad with solitude.

Before he could ponder on it any further, Zane spoke, apparently having realized the same thing.

“Is that… me?” he questioned aloud. “I look older, but our attire is different.”

How Zane of all people would be able to look significantly “older,” Kai didn’t really know, but decided it’d be best for everyone not to interrupt Zane when was analyzing something.

“I don’t believe these reflections reveal our inability to escape, but a mere glimpse of ou—”

Zane’s evaluation was abruptly cut off.

By a scream.

At first, it’s distinctly Morro’s, but before Kai could even feel some sort of surprise because he’d never heard Morro scream in fear, instantaneously the cry shifted into someone else wailing completely, and Kai feels his heart drop.

Lloyd’s scream.

All at once, four heads whip up like a snap from their slight trance, facing the exact direction where the original outcry had come from.

The scream didn’t stop right then and there. As quickly and suddenly as it came, it was all Kai could hear. Every part of him amplified the exact same wail in his own mind as it bounced off the cave walls, each repeat blaring from Kai’s eardrum to the side and core of his skull, as if it were the only thing flying through his thoughts. 

Before he knows it, Kai’s running.

Sprinting. Kai is sprinting at full speed, straight across the glassed ground.

He ran, any and all curiosity about the possible groundbreaking fortune-telling reflection wiped from his mind. The others are right behind him without protest, as another cry of pain quickly cuts through the air.

Kai pushes, running even faster, and it’s not only a miracle that he (nor the others) manages to at all slip, but how Kai could suddenly navigate through each turn and corridor as if this were his childhood home, as he turned and lept and bounded through each closest possible route from where he heard the screams.

It’s also incredible how Kai, and each of his teammates, accomplish stopping without sliding and crashing into the wall, but as soon as Kai turns another corner, his eyes land on what he’d been looking for, and he’s struck speechless.

What the fuck?

Now, Kai hadn’t been sure what exactly he’d been racing towards, just who. He hadn’t really been thinking. Just acting (not like that was new to him), but the fact that none of his typically more cautious friends objected to him taking off – and in fact followed him without question – told Kai he hadn’t exaggerated the torment he heard in Lloyd’s voice. They hadn’t needed to talk or think about any of it. Kai didn’t know what picture the others had in their head of what they thought was going on just down the corridors, but if he had to pinpoint something he thought he may see, Kai would say some kind of all-out brawl between the two based on the screams from earlier.

But that wasn't what was actually happening. 

Instead, Kai had in front of him a scene that was the last thing he’d expected to see.

Morro(?) was crouched on the middle floor, in a spot not any different from where the group had just run from, fingers scraping themselves through his hair, almost appearing to be yanking at chunks like he was about to rip them out. The Sword of Sanctuary lay just a couple feet away from him, where he could easily snatch it back up right now and charge, yet it seemed like picking it up was the last thing on his mind.

For a single heartbeat that feels like minutes, Kai’s at a loss of what to think, adrenaline continuing to pump through his bloodstream, mind unable to slow down. He half expected Morro to then jump up, snatch the Sword and laugh in their faces about how stupid and moronic or whatever they were for falling for his trick, and coming right to him to be “taken care of.”

But that’s not what happens. They stay in the same place, completely unaware of the four ninja standing just a ways away from behind, only continuing to clench Lloyd’s head as if it was about to fall off his shoulders. His entire body trembled horribly, and Kai had a feeling it wasn’t from the cold.

He eyed the Sword, and felt his fingers twitch at how close it was to Morro’s grasp. Just a couple feet away, but maybe if he was quick enough, Kai could sprint, grab it, and— 

And a sob unlike any other escapes from Lloyd as he lies there by himself in fear and pain, and suddenly the ice blue of the seemingly endless cave melts around him into molten red rock.

Kai grit his teeth.

Kai should know better by now. He really should.

Without any consultation from the others, Kai feels himself slowly creeping forward, footsteps not making a single sound against the sleek ground beneath his toes. 

He’s stopped abruptly by a hand grabbing his shoulder. Kai snaps his head back, seeing it’s Zane holding him with a worried expression. Jay’s to his right, looking absolutely freaked, and Cole seems at a loss of what to think, but he looks about as concerned as Zane.

Kai tries to communicate with his eyes what he’s going to attempt to do, and Zane seems to understand just a bit too perfectly. He frowns, and tightens his grip. For a moment, Kai thought Zane was going to drag him away, but just as quickly as it tightened, it loosened, and Zane’s hand is back at his side. His expression turns into that of understanding, yet worry, but what exactly he’s trying to say is obvious.

Be careful.

Kai gave a nod.

This time, he feels nobody pull him back, making no sound as he cautiously stepped forward. Brotherly instincts scream and berate him for not immediately running to Lloyd’s side to give him the comfort he needed. It was so different from his usual style of doing things, especially on missions, but Kai can’t forget he’d also heard Morro, and Morro was still in there, and at any moment, as Kai had learned before, the switch could flip in a blink.

Yet the closer Kai got, it seemed to only grow more apparent that whoever was in control didn’t know he was there. In fact, Kai could hear faint mutterings to no one besides themselves, as Lloyd’s body rocked back and forth, back and forth, hand continuing to grind itself over his scalp, looking as if he was legitimately about to rip a large tuft out any second. The muttering then turned into what was clearly crying, then wet, incoherent blubbering. 

And it all feels like too much for Kai’s heart to handle. Powers or not, he’s about to burst into flames any second if he does nothing.

Kai glanced at the Sword, realizing he was close enough to see their reflection at its sharpened edge.

It showed nothing different than what Kai could see happening in front of him.

Kai swallowed, still tensing his muscles in preparation, but not making a move for the Sword. He knelt down, so he could at least be eye-level if Lloyd decided to turn his head.

“Hey,” he whispered.

He didn’t respond. No wind, no snap of the head. Nothing. The muttering and rocking pressed on as if no one was now right beside them.

“Lloyd?” he tried this time, voice still soft, as he somehow managed to shift even closer without touching.

The crying continued, and only seemed to be growing harder, as if he were gasping, his breathing clearly uneven. It almost sounded like he was talking, though hardly any of it was coherent, where Kai could only make out faint repeats of “Out out out out out,” or “No no no no no no,” before he went back to muttering gibberish or just pained breathing.

Kai slowly uncurled the hand he’d been keeping in a tight fist, lifting it up, bringing it closer to his shoulder, as if Lloyd would shatter on impact from his fingers brazing his gi.

“Hey,” he tried one final time. “Lloyd, it’s just me. Kai.” Kai hesitated briefly, before carefully lowering his hand atop Lloyd’s shoulder, hoping—

Kai doesn’t see what bashes into the side of his face, but he feels every bit of it. The edge of each hardened knuckle chafed against the soft skin like a steel anchor, scraping the interior flesh of his cheek against his molars and gums. Kai feels his head spin as he tumbles back what had to have been several feet. He can barely make out the sound of his friends crying out in shock at the same time he flew back, crashing down onto his shoulder.

Kai lies there. 

His shoulder throbs. His cheek throbs. Kai tastes blood. He vaguely realizes after a beat that he’d just been punched, and now currently laid on his stomach, face flat against the glacial surface, yet his eyes are wide, mouth still agape with the shock of it all.

A beat passed.

Kai breathed in.

Kai breathed out.

That bastard.

Kai felt his fingers clench into fists, his face heating up despite lying on the bitter sleet. He had no powers, yet soon he was aware of every part of his body suddenly sizzling and popping like a firecracker about to go off, for falling for that act so easily. Hot blood rushed upstream to his head like a boiling flashflood, the veins on his temples beginning to throb with rage.

Forgetting about the pain, forgetting about how his vision was mostly red and spinning head, the next second, Kai pushes himself up and leaps on his feet. He glares, his fiery gaze locking onto Morro, who was now slowly backing away from the other three, his hands out in front of him like he was about to blast one of them out of the cave. They each seemed to be saying something, but Kai couldn’t make out what they could even be saying with the pounding blood roaring through his eardrums. 

But Kai didn’t care about the what anyways. He only cared about the who that stood in front of him. The bastard, the bastard who had the gall to use Lloyd’s face as a means to fool him.

Judgment clouded by a storm of searing rage, as soon as he’s on his feet, Kai is moving. Adrenaline like no other pumps through his body as he races past the others. They yell, but Kai doesn’t stop. Instead, he leaps, and sees Morro. Morro with Lloyd’s face, his eyes popping with shock and fear as Kai hurdled toward—

Kai is flying back. Again. Except this time, his whole body feels the force. He’s flying. Sailing across their corridor, only being stopped by his entire back slamming against a dense surface. His head takes the impact too, causing everything to go fuzzy, even a bit dark. But then, before he could even gather his senses, above the pain, above the anger, the ice, the cold, Kai feels it.

Wind. Wind. Wind wind wind. That was all Kai could notice. All he could hear. Kai couldn’t open his eyes without them immediately drying up. He squeezes them shut without much choice, the few tears leaking out from the corners flying straight off his skin. The blast pushes him back, flattening him against the maze’s wall like a steamroller. Kai can’t move anything. The pressure is too high, and is only growing. Fast. So fast. He suddenly can’t breathe, the air leaving his lungs, leaving him with nothing but a swirling mind. He’s going to pass out, he–

A scream.

A scream, nothing like he’d ever heard before, not even the one from five minutes ago, ascends above the cyclone, blasting past Kai, but... wait, no. That wasn’t it. The scream. Then suddenly there was wailing.

It was all Kai could hear.

It shot through his ear, soaring around and around his skull like a bullet. Kai couldn't even make out his own thoughts. It was Morro. Morro’s scream, but– no. Now it’s Lloyd, then Morro, then Lloyd. Morro, Lloyd, Morro, Lloyd, each of their pained and agony-filled screeches now carrying the hurricane as if they were part of the wind, as if they were the wind.

And Kai. Kai can’t take it. Kai’s going to burst. It hurts. He’s being ripped apart from the inside out, but he can’t move, he can’t think, can’t hear, can’t do anything. He was going to burst, the wind was going to tear him open, the screams break his mind until he was nothing but a husk until–

Until…

It all stopped.

The wind. The gust. The screaming. The pain that had spread throughout his whole body.

It was gone.

As if it’d never been there. 

It took Kai several seconds to realize his eyes were still closed, nor was he breathing. It all felt impossible, but Kai slid open his eyes, and took in a gasp of air, immediately feeling his heart begin to pump vigorously. His vision was blurred, and he still couldn’t think straight, but his surroundings quickly became less fuzzy, tears filling his eyes as a means to rehydrate them. Kai let them fall without complaint, too stunned and frozen to care.

When he realized he could now move, Kai looked up, and there, several feet away, stood Morro.

Except, he’s swaying. He sways more, and more, then coughs and puts a foot forward, and before Kai could process anything that had and was happening, he’s falling. Falling fast. Lloyd was plummeting head-first toward the ice and its shards and Kai–

Zane caught him.

Kai stared, still unable to move. It’s silent, making it feel as though time had stopped. Everything inside feels colder than the ice, as if the wind itself had carried out all his anger. All Kai could feel now was shock.

“He has a pulse,” Zane said, shattering the perception of frozen time. “And he’s still breathing.”

Kai snapped out of his dunce, and focused back on Zane, who was now standing and facing them, gently holding Lloyd’s body in his arms like a baby, especially making sure his head stayed put and didn’t loll itself over to the side. Kai’s then moving, taking a step with shaking legs. Cole and Jay soon followed, though they looked just as haunted. Their hair (somehow even Cole’s) was an absolute rat’s nest, and even with Kai’s gel, his probably looked exactly the same, but that’s the last thing on his mind right now.

Kai said nothing as he stepped closer and closer. He feels dizzy, but all he can see is Lloyd. He can still hear his screams echoing with the wind.

Before Kai can fall over, Cole and Jay quickly grab each underarm and hoist him up. Cole’s telling him to “Take it easy,” and “Breath, Kai. You need to slow your breathing.” But Kai’s not listening, suddenly feeling as if he was about to burst into tears, even though he was technically crying. It certainly doesn’t feel like he’s breathing.

He looked at Lloyd. Lloyd’s body. Not Morro. The hair was still black, his skin still a sickly, pale green, but it’s Lloyd’s face that had twisted into agony, Lloyd’s face that now appeared completely calm and tranquil as he slowly breathed in and out, as if he’d merely fallen asleep. And it was Lloyd’s scream Kai had heard carry through the air.

Kai realizes then that Jay and Cole are still holding him. Kai shook his head before prying them off and rubbing the tears off his face. Neither looked happy, but didn’t stop him. Kai stood planted, staring at the sleeping boy in Zane’s arms.

“It’s… alright,” Zane says, to Kai, even though what had just happened was certainly not alright. “His vitals are normal and he’s breathing regularly now. He… won’t awake for some time.” 

It’s meant as a comfort, but Kai can hear the waiver in Zane’s voice. Jay’s rubbing his arm and only looking at the ground, Cole doesn’t seem like he’s staring at anything in particular, mouth a thin line, and none of them are making eye contact. 

“So.” It’s Cole who breaks the silence. “Do we… head back?” the question sounded completely genuine.

Kai opens his mouth to answer, but Jay beats him to it.

“What about the Realm Crystal?” Jay’s looking up at them now, shuffling nervously.

Who gives a fuck about that now, what about Lloyd? Kai wanted to snap, yet he found no sound could move past his tongue. He swallowed, tasting blood rather than spit as it slid down his dried throat.

“I…” Cole started, then abruptly cut off. They waited patiently, as he took a deep “breath”, seeming to gather himself, then spoke slowly, in an even tone. “We should try and find it. We’re already this far, and it’ll be easier to move ahead than back. We find it, grab it, take it with us, then put it somewhere new, just in case…” his voice trailed off as his eyes landed on Lloyd, and Kai knew what he meant. When Morro woke up, and if he somehow managed to escape, he would undoubtedly come right back here, and then they’d have to do the same song and dance all over again. He didn’t like it, but Kai agreed with everything else Cole said. R.E.X. had ditched them anyways (thanks Ronin), which meant they had no means back even if they did make it to the top.

Jay, probably thinking the same thing, nodded. “I’ll get the Sword,” he said before turning to where the weapon lay, and in all honesty, Kai had completely forgotten about the damn thing, now wishing he could just melt it away with his bare hands for all the trouble it caused.

After Morro, of course.

“Here,” he then hears. He looked over, and sees Cole, who had a large piece of ice in his transparent hand. At first, Kai didn’t realize what it could possibly be for, almost worried it’d fry his skin like water, until Cole pointed at his own cheek, and Kai realized, oh. Yeah. He’d been punched. And that cheek hurts like the Cursed Realm right now.

“Thanks,” he muttered duly, immediately regretting it didn’t come off more grateful as he put the object against his sore cheek, which was way more swollen than Kai had thought. But Cole seemed to completely understand, giving Kai a nod of reassurance.

Jay’s then back with the Sword in his grasp, holding it with about as much interest as if it were a plastic toy he could discard at any moment.

“What was the last Trial clue?” Jay asked.

Kai immediately bit his tongue before he could ridicule the question. He’s a little more than pissed that caring for Lloyd isn’t their top priority right now, but the hard truth was, they had no supplies, no clear means out, and no way to eject Morro out from his body. All that added up meant they couldn’t help him, besides, ironically, making sure he didn’t wake up, so Morro didn’t also wake up.

“To move forward, don’t look ahead,” Cole answered.

Jay began walking forward, holding the Sword over his shoulder, carefully scanning the area. “To move forward, don’t… oh.” He stopped, now staring at the ground. Specifically, however, the cracks, and a cool, blue light emanating from the splits in the ground that Kai clearly hadn’t noticed before. They blended in with the already ice blue environment so well, it would be incredibly easy to miss if you weren’t looking for them.

Kai frowned, already guessing what they’d have to do. And guessing by everyone else’s face, they knew too. They all glanced at Lloyd, who still laid completely out in Zane’s arms. Kai felt his heart twang with sadness, then quickly anger, and he wanted to rip that stupid edgy black cloak straight off and burn it with the rest of Morro.

“Well, is there any way to tell how far the drop is?” Cole asked, breaking Kai out of his potential spiral.

“Negative,” Zane replied with a sigh. He looked down at Lloyd, then back up. “But, I can certainly calculate our combined weight, and should then be able to safely Airjitzu both of us down.”

“Should?” Kai questioned with a hard scowl. “We just learned it.”

“If you have a better idea, I am more than open to an alternative.”

Kai felt his mouth snap shut at that. He looked away and back at the cracks, mind coming up with nothing that wouldn’t potentially put Lloyd in more danger.

“Well, you should stand back then,” Cole suggested, and Zane did just that, carefully stepping away from the largest cracks so he and Lloyd wouldn’t potentially fall through.

Jay and Cole began to dig, with Jay stabbing the ice with the Sword, and Cole just using whatever natural (could they be considered natural now?) muscles he had in his arms to claw through.

Kai hesitated, briefly looking at Lloyd, then Zane, who gave him a nod of reassurance.

As soon as they got out, they could help Lloyd, Kai reminded himself.

So, Kai set his ice down (cheek already numbed) and began digging.

It took way less time than expected to dig through the ice. It was apparently much more fragile than it appeared since before any of them could prepare themselves, the ground completely gave out.

Kai yelled in surprise, only to have the air knocked out from his lungs. Again. He wheezed and gasped as his entire body rattled with pain. He groaned, opening his eyes. Then Kai felt his mind snap with realization, and despite the soreness and (possibly) cracked bones, he was up and searching around wildly, half expecting to see Lloyd’s broken body crushed beneath the ice.

He finally brought his attention up, and saw Zane, with Lloyd still clutched firmly in his arms, staring down at them from more than ten feet above. Kai nearly passed out in relief, but the need to see Lloyd safely make it down kept him wide awake. He kept his eyes completely trained on Zane and his analytical eyes, more than likely calculating the distance, velocity, their combined weight, and probably every minor factor they had in order to make it down safely the best possible way, completely missing Cole (who was completely fine) help Jay to his feet, Sword still in hand.

They waited, for what felt like hours to Kai, until Zane’s expression shifted into that of surety, and he was backing away from the hole. Kai waited with bated breath, fully ready to jump in and break the fall.

(Not that he didn’t trust Zane of all people’s calculations, but his mind wasn’t exactly in its clearest state).

Then, suddenly, Zane was there again, except he was jumping, Lloyd now clutched even tighter against his body, and just as he began to fall, Zane’s pose shifted, and a bright stream of air formed around them both as they gracefully floated down, Zane’s face devoid of anything but pure concentration.

Kai only began breathing again when Zane landed on both feet with Lloyd in tow, with Jay and Cole looking just as relieved as they could be in this situation. 

“Hey,” Cole said, still helping to hold Jay up. “You, uh–”

“I am alright,” Zane said with a smile, though he appeared tired, even with the titanium skin. He relaxed his grip on Lloyd, shifting him into what appeared to be a more comfortable position, yet still firm. He brought his gaze to each of his teammates. “Shall we move on?”

“Yeah,” Kai replied before anyone could protest. “Let’s.”

Without another word, they all allowed Cole to lead the way, with Jay insisting, yes, he was fine to walk on his own, and Kai staying right beside Zane. They said nothing as they then moved forward, past stair-like rocks. The scenery would have been jaw-dropping under normal circumstances, with the dark, navy blue rock and a seemingly glowing river flowing down the cavern. 

Kai could give less than a damn. He hardly saw any of it anyways, since his eyes were trained almost entirely on the person in Zane’s arms.

Lloyd never stirs, and Kai makes it his duty to watch his chest like a hawk and make sure it moved up and down in a steady rhythm with each breath, even with Zane’s advanced sensors probably picking up each pulse in his wrist, though he never objected. 

Finally, they came up to a formation of rocks that had clearly been purposefully placed. Cole stopped in his tracks, as did Jay. Kai halted, then peeked over Jay’s shoulder, and saw what they were looking at. Or rather, who. 

Kai hadn’t known what he expected to see, but a bare corpse without any covering probably wasn’t that. It laid out on the slab in front of them was nothing but a skeleton now, any trace of mildew, skin, or human remains gone besides a complete skeleton, and weathered, conical hat still atop his head.

Kai stared, realizing exactly who he was staring at.

This was him.

This was the corpse of the First Spinjitzu Master.

The one who’d created their Elements.

Kai was standing before the man who’d created his home.

And…

And Kai…

Kai felt absolutely nothing.

Nothing but his familiar anger, honestly, burning inside his chest for even having to come here. It may be the most underwhelming moment Kai has ever had. This was Sensei Wu and Garmadon’s own father. The creator of Ninjago. Yet all Kai could do was stare blankly. He was just… tired. Tired and completely pissed off, feeling as if he were walking dead on his feet. Kai only had one goal in mind, so Lloyd, and subsequently Morro, were the only things he could think about.

(Though there was a small part of his chest which tugged at him for having a bigger reaction to seeing Morro’s corpse)

The others looked about how Kai felt. Jay had developed dark circles under his eyes and hadn’t told one joke since they entered the maze. He looked solemn, which didn’t fit his face, while also using the Sword as support to stand. And while Cole and Zane couldn’t really get physically tired, it was evident that the events in the last thirty or so minutes had been emotionally draining for them especially.

Cole turned towards Kai. “You should take it,” he stated bluntly.

Kai jolted back, not wanting anything on hand to distract him from Lloyd. “Me?”

“Well, yeah,” Cole said, like it was obvious. “Those two got their hands full, and, well…” Cole brought up his transparent hands with a shrug, and suddenly Kai got what he was saying.

“I…” he gave another glance towards Lloyd. Still unmoving. He sighed. “Yeah,” he said, turning back to Cole, whose face now had a sympathetic softness to it. “Yeah, ok.”

Not bothering to hesitate, Kai stepped up to the open grave. The Crystal sat right in the center of the FSM’s chest, his fleshless hands wrapped around the bottom in what must have been originally an iron grip. Kai brought his hand up, careful to make sure his fingers touched the gem’s top. When he had a firm enough grip, he pulled.

The Realm Crystal broke apart from the Master’s skeletal hands with little to no resistance.

Kai blankly looked down at the Crystal. One of the most powerful artifacts in Ninjago now sat in the palm of his hand.

Well.

They had it now.

No whoops or cheers of victory are even thought of. Now, they could finally resume their actual goal, which was getting out of here as soon as possible. They seem to agree with this silently, as Cole, now the only one not carrying something, again takes the lead with no comment, pressing the only way they could go; forward.

They’re back to complete silence as soon as they begin walking. At first, Kai preferred the quiet, but soon he felt his mind begin to wander, and fly right back to the moment before Lloyd had fallen into Zane’s arms. He could almost hear it again.

They all have the same thing on their mind. They’d all felt it, heard it, right? It was certainly burned across Kai’s mind now. The question of: Should we talk about what just happened?

None of them say anything as they continue to travel. It would be best to tell Sensei, Misako, and Nya anyways before opening that can of worms. Kai’s too afraid three out of the four of them here will jump to the worst scenario, and Kai can’t take that right now. Pain is beginning to resettle in his cheek, and the pulsing of his head only grew worse as more time passed. 

Still, Kai doesn’t take his eyes off Lloyd, the whole trek, while also keeping his hands wrapped so tight around the Crystal, his fingers hurt as he held the gem right up against his chest, continuing to stare. Lloyd never moves, or even twitches, and Kai wonders if maybe that’s actually worse.

But before he can ask Zane, something enters his peripheral field of vision, and Cole is saying something that Kai hadn’t been paying attention to. Kai looked up, eyes falling to the direction where Cole was pointing.

Light. Dim, but certainly light, shining at the end of the cave.

They all began to pick up the pase.

As soon as he stepped out and his vision readjusted to the sudden light change, Kai can tell it's evening. The entire sky was filled with various yellows, pinks, and oranges as the sun began sinking below the ocean. Tall rocks casted black shadows over the sea. Kai squinted, watching as their boat suddenly appeared out from the shadows.

The ship immediately turned their way, the sails falling, allowing the breeze to sail them smoothly across the water towards the exhausted group.

The wind.

Kai clenched the Realm Crystal until it felt like his hands would shatter if he held any tighter.

He again turned to Lloyd, who’d look completely dead if not for the rise and fall of his chest.

Everything was suddenly sinking in all at once.

They had successfully passed all three trials crafted by the First Spinjitzu Master himself. The four of them had gazed upon his own sealed tomb, maybe the first people to ever do so. They now had the item which made it simultaneously possible to travel between all realms in the back of their pocket. Nabbed one of the most sacred weapons in all the realms. The villain who’d been trying to kill them was now knocked out cold and in their grasp. It meant they could find a way to get him separated from Lloyd, then make him pay. And now their friends and family were coming to bring them to safety.

They had done it. They’d done everything they’d come here to do.

And it felt like the most hollow victory in Kai’s life.

Chapter Text

In the next moments that follow, Kai doesn’t feel present.

There’s a certain numbness in his body that he hasn’t felt for a long time, and as such, the next hour or so are hazy in Kai’s mind. It felt as though something inside him had been extinguished, whether that be exhaustion, stress, worry, or something he probably couldn’t even name. Whatever the case, the pit in Kai’s stomach hasn’t left, even when Zane goes with Misako and Wu to find a better place for Lloyd to be.

The best way to describe Misako’s reaction was “stunned silence,” as she slowly and quietly took in the state her son was in.

Kai couldn’t bring it in himself to look her or Wu in the eye as they came running to them across the deck for momentary relief, only to see the frail looking condition Lloyd currently resided in, now completely passed out in Zane’s arms, and clearly not free of Morro’s possession. 

Neither of them had asked what happened, surprisingly, maybe because they could see that none of the four of them had the energy to explain. Kai didn’t think he could ever put into words the emotional pain and distress Lloyd had sounded like he was in the entire time they were down in that cave, even if he could still hear the anguished screaming in the back of his mind. 

So instead, the two simply turned to Zane – Misako gently caressing her son’s hair – and exchanged a few quiet words with him, which ended with the three of them then walking away from the main group, below the deck, with Lloyd in tow.

Without even thinking, Kai had immediately attempted to follow, but then before he could even take a single step in, Nya snatched his arm and began practically dragging him in the other direction.

Kai almost protested. He wants to, even feels his mouth open as he turns, argument ready, but as soon as his vision met Nya and her tired eyes, anything else he’d wanted to say is killed like a boot to a bug. 

His sister looked absolutely exhausted, and for Nya, that was saying something; she had a flushed face with beads of sweat rolling down to her chin and matted hair sticking wetly to her head, and her mostly drenched suit made it appear as if she’d just run an entire marathon. It looked like the last thing she needed was a heated argument with her stubborn older brother.

And as much as Kai wanted to storm in there and force himself to help keep an eye on Lloyd, for now, he trusted Zane, Wu, and Misako out of everyone here to find the best place for him to rest and keep him safe, even without Kai’s supervision. At least for a time.

And as hard as it could be to admit, deep down Kai also just… didn’t have enough energy to put up an actual fight in general, adrenaline finally wearing down, and wearing down fast. All his muscles and bones felt where he’d fallen with each movement as Nya began silently leading him to the kitchen, making him sit down on the nearest kitchen chair chair (with Cole and Jay going to a different room with the Sword), and only then did Kai realize how lightheaded he’d been feeling, and if he’d stayed standing, he probably would have passed out.

He hardly even felt Nya gently pry the Realm Crystal from his palm. She anticlimactically set it down on the kitchen table next to them, before she stalked over to the freezer, took something out, then replaced the missing relic with a fresh ice pack. Kai felt his hand automatically rise up to the cheek that had been punched as he stared out at nothing, with Nya silently leaving the kitchen.

Punched hard, he realizes, as the swollen flesh aches against the sudden contact.

He hadn't even seen it coming.

It wasn’t long until Nya returned, with a haul of medical supplies in her arms. She set the supplies down on the kitchen table next to the Crystal before scooting a chair up for herself to sit on, directly in front of Kai.

Neither of them says a word, as once Kai’s cheek feels numb enough, he slips the top half of his gi down to his waist, allowing for Nya to silently begin cleaning and bandaging his wounds up. The worst of the damage is mainly to his back and a couple of ice shards that managed to cut his arm, all of which are quickly cleaned and wrapped up.

He glances back at his sister as she’s finishing up the last of the bandaging. She’s not nearly as flushed anymore, but her expression is now eerily blank, which Kai knows that means there’s a lot going on through her mind. 

Kai can’t imagine what he looks like right now if his sister of all people isn’t questioning anything.

“Hey,” she says, voice quiet, yet snapping Kai out of his own thoughts. He glances down at his wrapped body, and only then does he realize that she no longer has her hands on him.

“You have something on your mind.” There’s nothing accusatory in the way she says it, yet there wasn’t a shred of doubt in her tone.

Kai cast his eye down to the floor. 

“Yeah,” he admitted in a small voice.

Nya remained silent, and Kai recognized it as a quiet gesture to see if he was ok with admitting to anything.

He took a deep breath.

“Back down there…” Kai began, not sure how much he should (or could) explain, any and all possible words giving off a bitter taste.

He swallowed it down.

“Back down there, something felt… off.”

“Off how?”

“I…” Kai went quiet for a moment, recalling the screams he’d heard from both Lloyd and Morro. “I dunno, just… at one point, they both started screaming, and…”

Nya’s face scrunched a bit in confusion. 

“Both?”

Kai swallowed another lump, nodding.

“Yeah, it uh… I mean at first it sounded like Morro, then Lloyd, until… I could clearly hear both of them. At the same time.”

That explanation was a bit of an understatement, since really, it sounded as if both Morro and Lloyd’s screams of pain had been twisted together into one.

“Hm,” Nya simply said. 

“That… shouldn’t be possible,” Kai quietly asked, more-so to himself. “Right?”

Kai saw Nya’s lip tighten, clearly thinking it over.

“I don’t know,” she eventually admitted. “I mean… it’s not like we know much about ghosts in general, even with Cole. Do you think it could’ve been some kind of fighting for control thing?”

“I mean... maybe, but…” Kai thought back to the tea shop and boat chase. “When I saw them fighting before, it wasn’t anything like that. It was either one or the other, not… both.”

And definitely not in that much pain.

Screams of tortured agony cut through Kai’s eardrums. Wailing and shrieking like the two were being dragged together to the Underworld over a bed of needles. They twisted and knotted together, one overlapping the other until Kai couldn’t even differentiate Lloyd’s scream from Morro’s.

Kai felt his nails dig past his gi and into his legs. If he had just gotten there sooner maybe he could have—

“Hey,” Nya said, noticing, then taking both his hands into hers, making Kai meet her tired yet determined eyes. 

“You’re scared. We all are, but no matter what happened down there, remember that we have Lloyd safe here with us now. You guys did not fail.”

Kai couldn’t help but purse his lips, his teeth clenching together as immediate doubt began crawling at the back of his head. 

“Yeah, but—”

“And we are going to save him, yank Morro out, then kick his ass, right?”

Despite the heaviness that still resided in his chest, Kai couldn’t help the small smile that creeped onto his face.

“Yeah,” he said, trying to sound as confident as his sister did. “Sounds like a plan.”

Nya smiled as well, though there was still that tiredness to it. Kai glanced at her fancy new gi, which was still considerably wet.

“So…” he began. “It seems like you were pretty busy while we were gone.”

Nya let out a humored sigh, allowing herself to finally sag against the chair. 

“Yeah, you could say that.”

Kai opened his mouth to question further, but a robotic voice suddenly sounded. Kai and Nya turned. 

“Friends,” Zane said, now standing at the kitchen doorway. “If you’re both not busy, I would appreciate you following me up to the deck. There’s something we need to discuss.”

The seriousness of Zane’s tone made Kai sit up straighter.

“What?” Kai asked, feeling involuntary panic rise up. “Is it about Lloyd?” he felt himself automatically asking, despite feeling like he already knew the answer.

Before Zane could give any sort of answer, however, Nya cut him off.

“We’ll go get changed into something not in tatters," she said. "Then meet you up and you can explain.”

Zane simply nodded. Before turning to leave, however, his eyes caught sight of the Realm Crystal where it sat on the table.

“May I take that as well?” he asked, pointing at the blue gem.

Nya stood and picked it up off the table, going over to where Zane stood and putting it in his palm.

“Where are you going to put it?” she asked.

“A vengestone enclosement, same with the Sword of Sanctuary,” Zane answered, eyes still on the Crystal before turning to Nya. “Misako and Sensei told me about the other of Morro’s lackeys on the ship. You didn’t see them sink into the water with the boat, did you?”

Nya shook her head. Kai frowned.

Zane simply nodded in response, then glanced back at Kai.

“I’ll elaborate further later. I’ll see you two up on the deck.” And with that, Kai watched him leave.

A moment passed before Kai took in a deep breath, attempting to calm his frantic mind down of everything he’d just been told.

He glanced back to his sister, who now faced Kai again. 

“Well,” she then settled on, without much else to say. “You heard him. Let’s go get ready.”

“So what’s wrong with Lloyd?” Kai immediately asked once they were all gathered.

They had all (with the exception of Cole and Zane) changed out of their damaged gi, and into fresh, clean ones, including the new vengestone armor. Now the entire five of them stood on the Bounty’s dark deck. By the time they had all come up, the sun had completely set, leaving nothing but the moon and the stars above to light the sky. 

“What about the other ghosts?” Jay questioned instead. 

“One thing at a time,” Cole cut in, his arms folded.

“Thank you,” Zane said to him, before shifting his gaze to the entire group. “Yes, it’s true that the two other spirits Morro summoned have yet to be found. I sent out the Falcon a bit ago, but he’s found nothing.”

“Maybe they just sunk into the water with the rest of their ship,” Nya suggested.

Zane nodded. “Based on our surroundings and the fact neither have been spotted, that seems to be the most likely outcome, but it would still be best to remain cautious.”

“Um, but can’t they fly?” Jay pointed out with a halfway raised hand.

“Technically yes, but based on our previous encounters, it seems there are still laws of gravity they need to follow and a solid surface they need to float on, which is most likely why they had a ship in the first place.”

“So they most likely just sank and poofed away anyways?” 

Kai caught Cole rolling his eyes. 

“Correct,” Zane confirmed.

“Great,” Kai said while crossing his arms, ready to cut to the chase. “So will you tell us how Lloyd’s doing now? That’s what you actually wanted to talk about, right?”

Every eye there flashed back to Zane.

“Yes,” he admitted with a bit of sigh, and Kai immediately felt his pulse begin to spike. 

“However,” he continued, tone even, “I’m going to need you all to promise to remain calm and not lose control or go look for him.”

He said it like it was a group thing, but Zane’s glowing eyes remained transfixed on Kai nearly the entire time he spoke.

Kai simply felt his lips make a thin line and his hand tighten around his arm at that, annoyance he couldn’t help now ebbing its way through him.

“I’m sorry, but if I’m gonna be honest, I think that’s going to depend on what exactly the problem is,” Cole admitted, making Kai snap his head over towards him in surprise.

Nya nodded in agreement. “Yeah,” she said, shooting Kai a split-second glance. “I mean, it probably wouldn’t be best to storm in there, but if he did something to Lloyd, then we want to be there to teach him a lesson.”

“Zane, please just tell us what’s wrong,” Jay added. “Maybe if we know, we can help."

Nya and Cole looked at Zane expectantly., 

Zane's analytical eyes met at them all. He stared, jaw clenched in a way that said he was internally debating, then he let out a defeated sigh, his face falling.

“Lloyd is still unconscious, and Morro is still in his body. I should have clarified that,” he began.

“So what’s the problem then?”

“It is a different matter than the possession itself that I wanted to share,” Zane explained. “It’s the state of Lloyd’s body.” 

“What… what’s wrong with it?” Kai felt himself asking.

Because had there been something wrong? Kai had watched Lloyd as intently as possible, and… well, he hadn’t noticed anything that looked wrong physically (not counting the black hair and pale skin).

Then again, Kai had mainly been… occupied with agonizing over what was happening internally. But still. Was Kai seriously too incompetent to notice something obviously not right?

Before Kai could wonder about it any further, Zane spoke.

“He’s malnourished.”

Kai felt his beating heart drop. 

The words cut across him like a knife.

Zane continued on.

“I noticed it almost as soon as I caught him back down in the Tomb,” he explained. “He was noticeably lighter than he should have been, and his frame didn’t feel right. Furthermore, when Pixal and I did a scan of him for injuries, I could see he’d lost practically all his former muscle mass.”

“Wait wait wait,” Kai said, realizing something then looking at Zane incredulously. “You knew back down in the Tomb and didn’t tell us?”

Zane regarded him calmly. “We were all under high level stress and in a place with no resources to help Lloyd’s condition. It wouldn’t have done any of us – including Lloyd – any good to find something to start panicking about in a hostile environment.” 

Kai opened and closed his mouth, waiting for the argument that wouldn’t come, instead, thinking back to the Tomb and wondering how he'd managed to be oblivious to Lloyd's apparent diminishing physical condition.

He had watched Lloyd so attentively that entire time.

“So how come you’re telling us now?” Cole piped in.

“So you’re all not too taken aback when you eventually see the current state of physique. It wasn’t exactly noticeable to the human eye under Morro’s cloak and Lloyd’s gi, ” he shot a reassuring glance at Kai, then turned his attention back to the group, continuing.

“But while Misako and Sensei were changing him out of his damaged clothes, it became immediately apparent just how much weight he’s lost by examining his torso, and..." he hesitated, and a genuinely sad and almost resentful look that was nearly crumbling to the forefront passed over Zane’s face.

Kai felt his hands begin to shake.

"And... he’s currently teetering on the edge of being dangerously underweight.”

For a brief moment, everything around Kai seemed to slow down to a crawl, before a realization suddenly snapped him back into the present.

Oh, holy shit, Kai was actually going to kill Morro, ghost be damned.

Kai didn’t wait to hear anyone else’s response. Any sense of control began leaking out, his breathing picking up speed.

“So… so what?” Kai then demanded, heat rising to his forehead, fists clenching into balls. “You’re telling me Morro just starved him for weeks on end?”

“While that was my first initial guess, and unfortunately isn’t something I cannot put past Morro yet, after doing a thorough scan I mentioned, it’s something I currently doubt.”

Oh no, Kai thought, dread sinking into him, knowing in that instant it was going to be something worse.

“When further scanning more thoroughly back here, I received data of traces of stomach acids and other digestive fluids still residing in his mouth for at least the past few days.”

What.

“What?” Cole said, shock immediately evident. 

Kai just stood there.

“So he’s…” Jay began, the question dying out.

“He's been throwing up?” Nya finished.

Zane gave a solemn nod, grimace evident. “Correct.”

They all fell silent.

“But… why?” Jay then asked, his quiet voice masked with horror and confusion. “Was Morro seriously making him…?” he didn’t finish, looking like he was genuinely trying to figure out how even someone like Morro could stoop so low with what would just be pure torture. 

“I do not know,” Zane admitted, eyes downcast. “There’s no signs of any viruses or bacteria, but none of us know what exactly happened or why, except for Lloyd.” 

“Where is he?” Kai suddenly asked. 

All eyes turned to him.

“Kai–” Zane immediately started.

“No,” Kai cut off. “I didn't promise anything, and Zane, we’ve been patient long enough and listened to what you have to say. Where is Lloyd?”

“I am not trying to deny you access to see our brother in pain,” Zane regarded him, voice raising a bit, which only made Kai feel more pissed. “I just believe it would be better to wait for–”

Kai heard a shuffling coming from downstairs. They all froze.

The door to the lower half of the bounty opened, light engulfed the dark deck, and Sensei Wu stood at the doorway.

“Students,” Wu greeted, after a beat of silence. “I see you’ve already gathered.”

“Yes, Sensei,” Zane says. “I was informing them of Lloyd’s current circumstance.”

Wu nodded. “Thank you, Zane,” he said. Zane dipped his head in response.

“Well,” Wu then continued, his old eyes gazing over all of them. “If you can all promise to behave, then I would appreciate you following me below the deck.”

Kai stepped forward, in front of Zane. “Sensei, Lloyd, is he…?”

Wu acknowledged Kai, giving a single nod.

“He’s beginning to wake up.”

Chapter Text

So the deal was – explained as they made their way below the Bounty’s deck – Sensei would allow them to see Lloyd so long as they followed three simple rules.

1. Let Wu and Misako do the talking first.
2. Do not touch him unless he manages to break free of the vengestone chains.
3. Don’t try to force Morro out from Lloyd’s body in any way. They didn't want to hurt Lloyd.

On paper, they seemed like pretty fair rules. Hell, Nya was surprised he was letting them all see Lloyd in this state, but she didn’t know how well they’d be able to abide by them, especially Kai, for obvious reasons. Trying as he may to keep his cool, it was clear just how incredibly antsy he’d become, constantly flexing his fingers and grinding his jaw as they walked down the hall while Wu explained the conditions. 

Though it wasn’t as if Nya could fault her brother– far from it, and if anything, Nya thought Kai was being treated a bit unfairly, as impulsive as he could be. Nya knew they were all stressed and on guard – even Zane, as much as he tried to be the calm one in the situation, and she especially was itching to get her hands on the ghost and wipe off his smug grin as soon as possible.

However, simply blasting Morro with water felt too simple after all the bullshit he’d put them, and their little brother through. Even without considering her Samurai X suit, Morro had paraded around in Lloyd’s body as if Lloyd was some sort of puppet on strings for nearly a month now. Not only that, but from what Zane and Kai had described, he had put Lloyd through practically torture – and hadn’t just left his mark on him either. Nya had gotten a full view on the damage done to her brother, with marks that would definitely become hefty bruises in the upcoming days, not to mention a swollen cheek.

But, as pissed as she was, Nya knew she couldn’t just jump in there, water powers ablazin’ and demand Morro get the hell out. For one, she respected and understood Wu’s terms and reasoning (for now) enough to let him and Misako do the talking. Seven people interrogating all at the same time probably wouldn’t heed good answers. 

Second, Nya didn't even know exactly what happened down in that tomb with them, but apparently it was enough that even Morro couldn’t take it. Whatever took place also left the boys visibly rattled. The way Kai described it, the two of them had been in some kind of intense pain during a battle for control before passing out. 

Nya was brought out of her simmering thoughts by Wu stopping in front of the training room’s door. She supposed the choice made sense if they were all going to gather together. They’d need the extra space in order to not feel cramped.

His eyes passed each of them. 

“I trust you’re all going to abide by the precedents I set?”

One by one, they each nodded or let out a, “Yes, Sensei.”

Wu gave them one final glance–over, as if to make sure they meant it, before pushing open the door, and entering.

The rest of them followed, and as Nya stepped into the room, she was immediately greeted by Lloyd in the middle of it.

It was an upsetting sight to behold. Lloyd currently sat in a chair, but with his arms and legs chained down to it with vengestone. Misako was already there, nervously playing with her sleeve, and standing just a bit aways from her son, who appeared to still be mostly unconscious, with his head slumped down and body limp. And just like when the boys had arrived with him, Lloyd’s hair was still jet–black and his skin sickeningly pale. He no longer wore Morro’s cloak or his gi, but at some point had been changed into a white t-shirt and gray sweatpants.

And… oh wow.

Zane had not been kidding about Lloyd’s current physical condition.

Now, let it be noted that Lloyd had never been someone you would describe as exceedingly “buff,” or “ripped,” even after his sudden growth spurt. And they’d never wanted that of him, nor anyone on the team. Lloyd was only a teenager after all. Despite what the media may portray, a strong, healthy body doesn’t equate to huge, protruding muscles or a flat stomach with rock–hard abs. All of them looked different and had different body types that suited them, and the same went for Lloyd.

However, there was a noticeable difference between how Lloyd looked a month ago compared to now.

Any and all of the muscle mass Lloyd had gained was completely gone, and in its place were a pair of bony, thin arms and legs. The white t–shirt and gray sweatpants hung off his body loosely like rags, and his collar-bone jutted straight out.

First Nya felt horrified, but that quickly melted into lividness. What in Ninjago’s name had Morro actually done to him?

Nya didn’t get the chance to further speculate the answer, because the body in front of her let out a noise, then stirred. Despite the restraints, she immediately felt herself tense up, not knowing what to expect.

Lloyd… Morro… or whoever was in control, groaned. He lifted his head up in a way that suggested it was being weighed down by rocks as he blurrily peeled open his eyes.

“What’s… going on…?” he slurred, his speech quiet and groggy. 

Nya is... a bit taken aback. She finds herself frowning, because despite him now talking, she still can’t tell who this is. Was she mishearing? It doesn’t sound like either of them. But... that must just be because he’s speaking so quietly, she reasons.

Still, Nya glanced about the group, just to make sure she wasn’t going crazy; however, everyone looked about as bewildered by the voice as she was. Kai specifically gave her a wide–eyed look that asked if she had any idea what this was. Nya could only mouth a silent “I don’t know,” in return.

It was Wu who spoke up. “Who… am I speaking with right now?”

His eyes narrowed in what appeared to be legitimate confusion as he slowly processed the words. He tilted his head and squinted up at Wu.

“Wha…?” It seemed he was still in the process of waking up and not all the way there. His eyes drifted over and he proceeded to mull over each member of the group one–by–one -- noticeably staying on Cole and Zane for a bit longer -- yet he didn’t appear any less lost, and if anything, only looked more confused, like he was genuinely trying to figure out who they were.

He frowned, then brought his attention back to Wu. 

“I don’t—” he attempted to stand up, but was caught. Taken off guard, he brought his attention down to the bindings around his wrists and ankles, and seemed to realize in that exact moment of their presence. 

Like a bucket of cold water, that seemed to fully snap him awake. His head whipped back up, and his expression held nothing but utter shock and horror.

“Why am I tied up?” he then demanded, jostling in the chair before gaping at all of them desperately. “Why am I tied up?”

He’s finally speaking loudly and clearly, enough so that they could now undoubtedly hear exactly what he sounded like.

In hindsight, it couldn't have been long, but Nya knows that for a moment, they all had fallen dead silent. Nobody answers his question.

Everyone seems at a loss for words, because…

Because that…

That was not Morro’s voice.

But it’s definitely not Lloyd’s either.

Nya’s suddenly frozen, stuck mauling over each word, her brain trying to slowly make out who was speaking based on the voice, but came up with nothing. 

It had a bit of a rasp like Morro’s, but it wasn’t nearly as deep enough to be him, yet also lacked the young and boyish pitch to be Lloyd’s voice either. 

The best way to describe it was…

Nya swallowed.

Was as some kind of weird in-between.

What was this?

Despite himself, Kai spoke up, breaking the silence and stepping forward. “Why are you—”

“Let me go!” he screamed before thrashing about in the chair. “L–let me go! Let me go! Let me go!”

“Lloyd—” Sensei tried.

“NO!” Lloyd or whoever hollered at the top of his lungs. “Let me OUT!” 

And Nya could only stare in complete and utter bafflement as… whoever this was, continued to thrash and struggle as though he’d been dropped in a lake. He wailed and kicked and ripped at the chains with all his strength, but nothing was enough to break free.

Zane put a hand to his mouth, Cole’s jaw dropped to the floor, Jay took a step back, and Kai stood still as a statue, apparently so stunned he forgot he was angry.

Nya found herself in a similar disposition. She didn’t know what to think, didn’t know what to do. Nothing could have prepared her for this. 

But what she was afraid of was Lloyd dislocating something if he kept at this. He was fighting that hard.

“Zane!” Sensei called out above the yelling. “Who is this? Can you tell?”

Zane snapped out of his shock, his eyes flicking to Wu, then back to possibly Lloyd, who was still attempting to violently set himself free. 

“I…” his face scrunched in befuddlement as he put his hand to his temple, staring daggers at him, analyzing. “I don’t…” Nya had never seen Zane appear so genuinely lost and uncertain as he tried to work something out. “It… doesn’t appear there’s… more than one?” He sounded as if he were just realizing it as he said it.

Nya’s mind whirled. Huh? What? But that… that made no sense! Lloyd was clearly still possessed! His hair wouldn’t be black, nor would he be so pale otherwise! It was clear as day!

“That can’t be right!” Wu shouted back, echoing what they were all probably thinking. “Are you sure—”

Then, a figure is rushing forward. Misako. She slid to the ground in front of the chair, and threw her arms around Lloyd, embracing him into a tight hug.

Lloyd lurched, and — in what must have been in the heat of his panic and trying to escape — attacked in the only way he knew he could, and bit down right into Misako’s shoulder.

The eruption was instant. They all yelled, with Cole and Kai being the first to actually make a move towards the pair. Everyone else was right behind and ready to jump in, Nya included.

“Wait!” Wu cut–in out of nowhere, throwing up a hand and halting all of them in their tracks. Nya couldn’t believe it.

“Sensei—!” Kai first tried to argue.

“I said wait!” Wu’s tone and stare was absolutely unmoving.

The sheer volume and intensity of the command shut him up. It seemed Kai could only gape, flabbergasted at what he was being told. Everyone appeared just as baffled and ready for an argument, but Wu’s stoney expression alone shut down any they could make. He was completely serious about this, and it was clear he physically would not let them make a move. Nya glanced at the pair, and saw Misako staring back at them as well, a determined expression on her face. She didn’t want them to interfere either.

If anyone had reservations, they didn't act on it. Lloyd had stopped screaming, but he was still clamped down onto Misako’s shoulder in an iron grip, huffing and puffing like his life depended on it. It looked like he was actively trying to make the bite hurt as much as possible. 

Misako, however, remained completely unflinching, keeping her arms wrapped around her son's body. Nya kept still, her body poised and tensed as she didn’t allow herself to look away from the scene unfolding before them.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” Misako then promised gently. “Nobody is going to hurt you.” She began gently stroking his hair. “I’m so sorry— I know this must be terrifying, waking up like this, but you’re safe here.”

Lloyd didn’t move, but he didn’t argue either, and if that was any indication, then he was listening.

“You’re safe,” she repeated. “I promise, we all want to help you, but first we need to know what’s happening, and that involves talking with you. Will you let us do that?”

Seconds went by without him saying anything, and remaining clamped down on Misako’s shoulder. His eyes met the group, and suddenly Nya hoped they all didn’t look too threatening or hostile so as not to scare him into a panic again.

However, slowly, yet surely, he began releasing himself off Misako and slid back until he was sitting back against the chair.

He wasn’t looking at her, or anyone for that matter, but instead kept his eyes and head entirely down.

“Thank you,” Misako said anyway, her hands still on his shoulders. “I’m going to let go and stand up now, alright?”

Again, he didn’t respond, but that must have been ok for Misako, as she stood back up and took her place back towards the group. They all gaped, silent.

“Wu?” she started. Their master jumped in response. Misako gazed at him expectantly.

“I believe there are some things we need to clarify?”

“I…” Wu cleared his throat, then nodded, regaining himself. “Yes— yes, Misako, you’re right.” Putting on a calm face, he regarded the kid.

“Young man,” he began, keeping his tone gentle and even. “...who is it we are speaking with?”

Seconds went by without him moving or saying anything. He then huffed, and brought his head up, just enough that he could make eye–contact with Wu.

“I… I don’t…” he appeared just as muddled by the situation as the rest of them as he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly.

“We’re not going to be mad at the answer,” Wu reassured. Nya couldn’t guarantee that, but she’d try to put up the front.

 However, he seemed to realize something, as abruptly, his eyes popped open in disbelief.

“I don’t… know,” he finally answered, and he said it as if he were just now realizing that. “I don’t know,” he repeated, and now seemed to be talking more–so to himself.

“What?” Nya found herself blurting out loud for the first time since they got here. Kai gaped, still remaining silent, while the rest of the boys began to murmur amongst themselves.

“What do you mean by that?” Misako questioned.

“I just don’t know!” he insisted, defensive. “I don’t remember anything before waking up here.” He jostled in his chains, turning his head away again while Misako and Wu shared a worried look with one another.

“Well is there anyone you’re… familiar with?” she continued with.

“No. I don’t know who any of you are,” he muttered, still glaring at the floor.

Silence. They let the words sink in.

Then—

“You’re lying,” someone hissed coldly. Kai. All eyes fell on him.

“Kai…” Wu warned.

“No!” Kai yelled back. “Sensei, he has to be lying! This has to be a trick!” Kai sounded desperate as he said it, like he was trying to convince himself that had to be the case. Nya bit her lip. She wanted to believe that too, but…

“Kai, I don’t think—”

“I’m not lying!” the kid screamed back, cutting her off. “You all just— tied me up, and– and started screaming at me—” he choked on his own breath, and looked like he was desperately trying to hold back tears. “I just… I don’t…” his breathing became harsher, and his face crumpled in pain as he let out a whine.

“Hey, hey what’s wrong?” Cole spoke up, genuinely concerned.

“M… my head,” he groaned, panting.

“I’ll go retrieve some water and pills,” Zane said. Wu gave him a nod of permission before he left.

“Ok, I'm lost, what’s even going on?” Jay then demanded, frantically looking amongst the group. “Is he actually lying?”

“He has to be!” Kai insisted. “Look at his body! That freak would totally do this!”

“Kai,” Cole whispered warningly, glancing at the kid. “This isn’t helping.”

Kai scoffed. “I’m not helping? Look, we have him here, so what we need to do now is get him out of Lloyd's body and—”

“Kai, stop talking like that,” Nya hissed, despite her similar frustration at the situation.

Now, Nya knew her brother better than anyone on this planet. She knew Kai had nothing but the best intentions, and believe her, Nya was angry at all of this as well. This wasn’t even an unreasonable response, but the last thing they needed right now was to scare the kid and set him off again, then they'd get nowhere.

“We’re going to resolve this peacefully,” Wu added on. “And figure out what exactly is going on. That is the best way to handle this.”

Kai looked like more than anything he wanted to argue, yet couldn’t, so he just folded his arms and glared, looking away. With Morro in Lloyd’s body, they couldn’t exactly do anything to him that wouldn’t then hurt Lloyd.

The door opened, and in came Zane, now with a glass of water. He paused.

“Is everything going alright?”

“About as well as it can be,” Cole admitted.

Zane nodded, then went to kneel in front of the kid, who flinched, and tried his best to shimmy away.

“You’re…” he eyed Zane up and down.

“I’m what you would call a nin— well, a robot,” Zane explained. “Are you… familiar with that concept?”

He seemed to have to think it over before giving a curt nod.

Zane put on a smile. “Good.” He held out the glass and a few pills in his hand. “These will help your headache go away.”

He eyed the contents with suspicion, holding his mouth into a tight, thin line, as if he were afraid Zane would try to force it down. 

“It’s as your— it’s as Misako said,” Zane reassured, catching himself. “Nobody here is going to harm you.” And if anyone besides Misako could say it genuinely and get someone to trust them, it would be Zane.

He glanced over Zane’s shoulder and looked right at Kai, who glared back. Oh great.

But the pain of his headache must have won out the distrust, because after cringing again, he gestured to the glass.

Zane smiled, then plopped the pills into the water and brought it up to his lips. It started as a sip, before he must have realized how thirsty he actually was, because he soon downed the water in a few large gulps.

Once done, he gasped, licking his lips as water dripped down his chin. 

“It’ll take a bit before you feel the effects, but it should help.” 

Like with Misako, he didn’t respond, but that didn’t perturb Zane as he stepped back in line with the rest of them.

“Zane, is your analysis… the same as before?” Wu asked.

Zane’s mouth formed a thin line as he grimly nodded. Wu sighed.

“We’re going to set course back to the teashop,” Wu proclaimed, running a tired hand through his beard. “I think after everything today, we could all get some sleep. We’ll discuss it again in the morning.”

“I’m not going to sleep,” Kai unsurprisingly stated, practically digging his heels into the ground. 

“Yes, you are,” Wu snapped. “This is not up for debate. You have all had an exhausting day and you won’t be able to help if you are dead on your feet. You are all going to bed.”

“So then are you going to untie me now?” a voice spoke up before Kai could argue. Nya flinched at it.

That… would raise several problems. If he was telling the truth, then… did he even know he had powers? Nya didn’t want to take the chance, but realistically, they couldn’t just leave him tied to a chair the rest of the night. That would do terrible things to Lloyd’s body and neck. They couldn’t make it even worse for him.

“We’re not going to leave you like that overnight,” Misako answered. “But we still need to watch over you. We’ll figure something out.”

“If we kept a part of him tethered to a bed, then I could watch over him,” Zane offered. “Even if I participate, I don’t exactly need sleep, and I can make sure his vitals remain stable.”

The kid didn’t look at all happy with that suggestion, but he didn’t argue, and simply scoffed, turning his attention away.

Wu nodded. “Thank you, Zane.” He addressed the blue ninja. “Jay, the Bounty should be able to navigate itself back, correct?”

“Oh uh— yeah, I can set its course.”

“You don’t want any of us to help with him at all, Sensei?” Cole questioned.

Wu considered this. “Cole, you can help us set–up and stand by until he’s situated, just in case something ah… happens.” 

“Yeah, you got it,” he replied.

That left Kai and Nya.

“You two have done plenty today. Please go get some rest.”

Nya bit her lip then took a deep breath. In and out. Wu was right, Wu was right, she told herself, trying not to let her feelings overwhelm her. Staying up after such an exhausting day would be nigh impossible, even with her and Kai's unshakable willpower. This is best for all them, including Lloyd.

But while she and Jay turned to leave, Kai hesitated. He was still staring at Lloyd’s body.

“Hey,” Nya put a hand on his shoulder. “C’mon. You can't stay awake forever."

Zane also gave him what was probably meant to be a reasurring smile, even if it didn't quite meet his eyes.

"We'll be alright, Kai," he assured.

Kai said nothing, but instead took in a deep, deep breath.

"Kay," he simply said. "But don't you dare leave me out if something happens."

"Will do," Zane replied.

The kid had kept his eyes trained on Kai the entire conversation, his expression unreadable. Kai gave him one last look-over in return before he turned away and exited the training room, and made his way down the hall with Nya.

“Something’s up,” Kai immediately said when they were by themselves in one of the bunk rooms.

“Yeah, clearly,” she muttered back.

“He’s lying, right? That was an act. He’s waiting until we let our guard down.” It sounded like Kai was talking more to himself than Nya, but she considered.

“You… don’t really sound like you believe that,” she answered honestly. Truth be told, Nya also wished that Morro was putting up an act, because it sounded easier to deal with than… whatever this was. 

“I— shit.” He sank down onto the bottom bunk and ran a hand down his face. “It’s so fucked up. Why would he do that to him?”

“I… I don’t know,” she found herself saying. "He's just... really messed up I guess." Nya felt disgust coil up in her chest, and the strong urge to strangle that ghost. She supposed she really couldn’t put anything exactly past Morro, but this went beyond revenge. She took a deep breath.

"Something happened down in the Tomb," Kai whispered in a voice so small that it sent chills up Nya's spine. It was delivered like a haunting thought you never wanted to think about.

“We’re gonna get to the bottom of this in the morning,” she asserted, hoping to convince both of them. “We’ll all be in a better state of mind. Maybe he’ll be back to normal and let this go if he sleeps.”

Kai huffed, shaking his head. “You think I’m gonna be able to sleep after that?”

“Ha, no. But we gotta at least try before one of us passes out.”

Kai didn’t have a retort. He rubbed at his face again and bag–ridden eyes. Yeah, he wouldn’t be able to stay up even if he wanted to. His cheek was also considerably less swollen now, so at least that was good.

“Need more ice?”

Kai waved her off. “Nah, it’s uh– it’ll be fine.”

Nya accepted that and the two then changed into their pajamas (it took a bit of coaxing to convince Kai he didn’t need to stay in his gi in bed). With the lights flickered off, they then crawled under the covers, with Nya on the top bunk and Kai on the bottom. She supposed Jay had chosen a different room.

“We’re gonna figure this out, Kai,” Nya assured after a few seconds of silence. “We always do.” She hoped it would boost his confidence like their talk in the kitchen.

Kai didn’t reply, and Nya could only make out the sound of him adjusting in bed.

“Night, Nya,” he whispered instead.

“...night.”