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Chapter Text

Lord Garmadon sat upon his throne as his Skulkin generals prattled onto him about pointless business of the living world. As long as his primary mission was completed in a timely fashion, he didn’t care what the rest of them did. 

“The students have taken to evil doing quickly. Here I have a list of all the potential children that will bring your army glory!” Another one talked about some… school? He took the paper, raising an eyebrow towards the Skulkin at the envelope instead of a normal scroll. “Ah, s-sorry sir. The brat probably put that there, he thought he was your son, as if the great dark lord would have time to entertain a snot nosed-” the Skulkin stuttered out, trying to salvage the situation.

“Quiet,” Garmadon quickly silenced him, taking the letter in his hands. Garmadon hurried out the door while trying to keep his dignified image intact. “All of you are dismissed. Frederick come back in an hour!” he commanded.

“My name is Patrick,” Frederick says.

“Whatever.” Garmadon slammed the door behind him and went to his study. He looked at the letter in his shaking hands. Could it truly be his son? Why would he want anything to do with him? He took a deep breath and opened it.

To: Lord Garmadon

From: Lloyd Garmadon

Hello Father! It is I Lloyd Garmadon, your son! Headmaster Torus told me stuff about you like how your super Powerful and the Destroyer of Realms. Im going to be just like you and rule the world and have a bunch of minions that do everything for me! Im actually basically a ruler here at school right now with how Popular I am. I know the most about the school since Ive been here since I was 4, so Im a Master of the place! I know All the hiding spots and shortcuts to class. None of the big kids even try to come after me anymore beacuse Im so sneaky. Dont worry Im gonna get really Strong and Powerful like you and put them in their place! And maybe then I can help and stay with you  I ll be a strong Warrior and destroy all your Enemys!!

Garmadon grasped at the sheet, running his fingers along the messy handwriting. His son wants to talk to him! He wants to be like him! Wait, that's not a good thing. Honestly there were a lot of concerning things with this letter. First and foremost, his sons dream of following in his father’s footsteps. Misako would kill him if he let their son succumb to evil. But then again, it would be nice to have somebody around him. Being evil was extremely lonely, the Skulkin were too boneheaded (ha) to be good company.

Speaking of Misako, why wasn’t she with Lloyd? He was certain that children do not start school until they are at least 6. He flipped the envelope to see the stamp of Darkley’s School for Bad Boys. That doesn’t sound very promising. A quick look through Frederick’s old reports shows that that was an accurate assessment. The school was horrible. Why would Misako ever put their child through that? He knows that he left them enough money that they couldn’t be struggling that much, unless… she couldn’t choose what happened to Lloyd. Garmadon dispelled that thought immediately, he would not waste time worrying about his wife. Even if she had… met her demise (which she hadn’t, she couldn’t have), Lloyd would have been under the care of his brother who would have been even quicker to put out the notions of evil. And there was no way that Wu could be gone, he was much too stubborn for death.

His worry continued with the last line. ‘I’ll be a strong warrior for you,’ what an innocent phrase to bring back so many unpleasant memories. How many times had he told his father that when he was left to his own devices while Wu got specially trained. How many times did his own son feel as alone and abandoned as he had? Garmadon knew he was not a good person, the venom coursing through his vein was a constant reminder of that, but he could try to at least be a half decent father.

And so, he began to write.

-----

The Skulkin had taken over Darkley’s School for Bad Boys over a month ago. The school had definitely changed under their control, not that Lloyd was complaining. They encouraged all of the naughty behavior that the school used to try and snuff out. Sure that meant that the older students didn't have to sneak around to beat him up (not that the teacher’s would have done anything anyways) but it was better than the suffocating rules and punishments for so much as breathing in an ‘evil’ way. 

In Lloyd’s opinion, the best part is the new respect he got. Now the name Garmadon wasn’t something that would give teachers a reason to dish out punishments, but a sign of respect with his peers. All of the old lessons have gone down the drain. Now Darkley’s hierarchy is about who’s the meanest and causes the most trouble for anyone trying to mess with them. Lloyd was practically guaranteed to succeed, he has the blood of the evilest person ever and all of his old teachers would tell him about how much trouble he is. 

Lloyd had heard one of the Skulkin teachers (though he is more like a guard, all he does is glare at them and make sure no one leaves the class) talking about “order from Lord Garmadon”. That was his dad! That means that there is a way to contact him. Lloyd could tell him about all the stuff he was doing so that Lord Garmadon knows that his son is working hard to fill his shoes.

He snuck the letter into the Skulkin’s bag with super sneaky skills. Lloyd knew that someone as important as Lord Garmadon was probably really busy and didn’t expect a letter. It was a status update, whyt would a general have to reply? But Lloyd still hoped, no matter how hard he tried to stop himself, that his father was reading his letter and preparing a letter to him. That maybe there was someone out there that cared for him and prayed for him to be okay.

He could barely stop himself from crying in the middle of class when the Skulkin gave him a letter signed by his father.

Dear son,

I have gotten your letter and I must say it is quite impressive. I enjoy hearing about you and your accomplishments. From what I can tell you are clever and determined in your goal to be a destroyer such as myself. I would be honored to conquer all of Ninjago with you at my side, however I find that destruction is a dreary life to lead. There is nothing wrong with choosing to live in peace and kindness, your mother had always enjoyed it. Though I would regret never being able to join you, I will be proud of you no matter what life you choose to follow. 

I am concerned about your comment of being at school since you were four. I was under the impression that you have been living with Misako, your mother, or even your uncle, Wu. I apologize for not being able to be there for you if they are not. From what I have heard, Darkley’s is not a very prestigious school. I hope you are well taken care of and getting an adequate education there, but if anyone happens to be giving you a hard time you are more than welcome to reference my reputation to the offenders. News travels like a snail on a dirt road in the Underworld so I would be grateful if you told me what you know of the situation.

As I mentioned before, I enjoy hearing from you. It is quite lonely here in the Underworld so I hope that we can continue being penpals. Hopefully one day when I escape from this place, I can meet you in person and take you out to the park or any other things that children enjoy these days.

Sincerely, 

Lord Garmadon, Destroyer of Realms, Eldest Son of the First Spinjitzu Master, Father of Lloyd Garmadon

Chapter Text

Dear Father,

You actually like hearing about me! ======================================== I ll try to help on your misson! Its recon like in Starfarer chapter 12! I asked Headmaster Torus about them but he just says that he only knows Misako beacuse she signed the papers when leaving  dropping me off hear. Im sorry I dont know anything else. Sometimes we go to the Village so maybe I can look for them there! I looked in some books but my old History book doesnt tell me about stuff after the time people were Settling. I try really in my  edcua educaiton education but we stoped useing books so I dont know if Im adaq  ade quate I dont know what that word means or what penpals are. Sorry. Maybe you could - Can you tell me stories about I ll be able to find them quicker if I knew who they were. Could you tell me about them please

Sincerly,

Lloyd Garmadon, Son of Lord Garmadon, Future Ruler of Ninjago

Lord Garmadon smiled at his son’s take on his request from the previous letter. Lloyd was still a child, the grammatical errors clearly showed that, it made sense for him to take it as a ‘mission’. Well Garmadon certainly has experience in missions on both sides so he can play along. (This is also  the closest thing to playing games with his son that he can get). Garmadon doesn’t know who this “Starfarer” is but he will do much better in this mission than them!

Garmadon supposes he should have expected the request of stories. For the many that he has throughout his millenia of life, there are few that he wishes to relive and less that he can tell an 8 year old. Especially with Wu, their relationship has always been… rocky. They had good memories during the Serpentine War, the trauma had kept them close. But otherwise there was always someone getting between them, their father, Chen’s training, his curse . Their relationship was doomed to be nothing but opposition. 

Their opposition got in the way of his relationship with Misako as well. Sometimes he regrets sabotaging Wu’s chance with her so he could get together with Misako. He had tried to ignore how they would stare at each other for longer when he began to transform. But Misako had chosen him, and no matter what hidden feeling they may have used to have, Misako and him loved each other, that’s why they got married. 

One thing did make him frown (he hoped this wouldn’t be a recurring expression with the letters). “Frederick-”

“Patrick.”

“-what is the education like in the school you obtained,” Lord Garmadon asked the Skulkin. 

Patrick shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, unsure of what the dark lord wants. “W-well you see, my lord, we decided to ignore the studying thing to make the kids, uh, focus more on evil doing? So they will be perfect for your army later, of course,” he says.

Garmadon’s displeasure only grew with each word. His son must have an extensive education. “Do you plan for me to have stupid soldiers? How can I rule Ninjago if my army does not have even basic knowledge!” Garmadon raged. 

Patrick shrinked in on himself. “O-of course, Mr. Lord Garmadon, sir!” Patrick stuttered out. He quickly saluts and scurries away. Garmadon scowls, he will need to keep a better eye on the status of the school.

Dear Lloyd,

I can see now that some of my language would be beyond your current knowledge, I will add definitions to advanced words at the end of my letters from now on. I thank you for your effort in getting information about our family. It seems that Misako is alive, which is a relief. I will try to gain information on my side as well. I do not know what a “Starfarer” is but I hope you can tell me about it in your next letter in exchange for stories about your uncle and mother.

Wu and I have been close for most of our life. We were joint at the hip as children, always running around and playing make-believe games with each other. As we got older we would train together and fought numerous battles at each other's side. You probably have not learnt about the Serpentine War yet, but that is our most famous adventure together, the others were too old to be remembered by history. It was a grand battle but it could not hold a candle to our prank wars. For years we would use practical jokes to exact revenge. I still remember the time when I had managed to dye his hair neon orange while he slept or when Wu created a beard out of cat hair and glued it onto my face. 

I met your mother before the war. Back when Wu and I were still training, Misako had been a scholar that stayed at our monastery to study relics of the First Spinjitzu Master. She was headstrong and though she looked unassuming, her rage was something to be feared. She was stubborn and would argue for hours if you tried to question her knowledge of the ancient world, even to those who lived through it. I was always quick to try to rile her up and start an argument. Surprisingly, it was those arguments in which we fell in love with each other.

Those are all the stories I have today, but when you get older I can tell you more stories of my battles.

Sincerely,

Lord Garmadon, Destroyer of Realms, Eldest Son of the First Spinjitzu Master, Father of Lloyd Garmadon

Adequate- acceptable quality

Penpals- friends who communicate through letters

Numerous- many

Headstrong- strong-willed

Unassuming- modest; not arrogant

Lloyd giggled to himself as quietly as he could. It was late at night and Lloyd had to sneak a flashlight under his covers to read the letter. There was no way that he would let any of his classmates see the letters. They would definitely bully him worse for it. But his dad said they were penpals! Which means that they are friends! He didn’t get some of what it said but he explained them which was so nice. Not that Lord Garmadon could be nice, he was totally evil!

Lloyd looks around at the dark, silent room. He creeps out of the room, carefully avoiding the creaky floorboards so his sleeping classmates don’t wake up. He sneaks past the Skulkin guards up to the library and sits with his flashlight illuminating a book under the bookshelf.

Lloyd spends the rest of the night reading books on the Serpentine War with a dictionary beside to define the advanced words. He whispers the words to himself, slowly sounding out all the difficult words to himself. In the morning he wakes up to Gene whacking him with a stick in the library. Lloyd ignores the snickering, making sure to tuck the book away before anyone could see it, and hurries off to class where they start learning division.

Chapter Text

Dear Father,

Starfarer is a comic about a space samurai called Fritz Donagan has to fight against the Imperial Sludge who is eating all the planets in the Nebular Star Chart. He can control light from the stars in his samurai style fighting that blasts away the Sludge. Its super powerful and explodes everyone that is close to it the only reason it doesnt to him is beacuse his armor is magic from Black Hole Ore. Commander Kiflin was the champion of the Imperial Sludge and had been fighting for it against Fritz all the time. They had to team up a few times when the Terror Twins tried to steal the Orbon but she betrayed him. I dont like Kiflin shes annoying and mean even though in the latest issue ======== sorry spoilers. Fritz is so cool, he is my Hero! one day I want to meet him!

Sincerly,

Lloyd Garmadon, Son of Lord Garmadon, Future Ruler of Ninjago

Garmadon read his son’s ramblings of the Starfar thing which is apparently a… comic? He really wishes he kept more up to date with the new trends. It sounds like a story of sorts, Garmadon knew all about stories from the tales Wu used to spin or the scrolls Misako read. How different could it be?

Garmadon orders one of his minions to obtain every edition of “Starfar” and sets himself up to learn everything about it. However it proved much more difficult than he thought when the “comic” got to him. It was… odd. The words were tiny and blocky, it’s impossible to read it with all the illustrations getting in the way. Not that the writing told him anything, it was just dialogue! How was he supposed to know the setting or the plot from that? And the paper quality was disgusting . Why is every sheet stuck together? It just makes you put in extra effort in flipping the pages. Scrolls never have that problem. He couldn’t believe Lloyd was stuck with such cheap quality “comics”. Garmadon sighs, he must endure it if he wants to understand his son’s life. 

That’s how Patrick found the dark lord glaring at some children's comics while surrounded with stacks of every other volume in existence. “Um, sir?” Patrick says, clearing his throat in the doorway. 

Lord Garmadon snapped his head to the Skulkin. “Ah Frederick, just the minion I needed. You spend a lot of time with children Above, correct? Decipher these texts for me,” Garmadon ordered.

Patrick looked at the comic confused, “Um, I'm pretty sure these are about the adventure of the space ninja.”

“Samurai, but yes,” Garmadon says exasperated, “Now how do I read this!”

“W-Well comics mostly tell the story with the pictures. The bubbles just say what they are saying. See, they point at the person who is saying it,” Patrick says pointing at the sheet. “Top, right is said first… or is it left? No, definitely right. Then you just flip the page to the rest of it.”

Patrick watches nervously as Garmadon scans the page. “The writing is still trash. Why do they assume I know what the Orbobo Incident is, amatuer,” he grumbles.

Patrick glances at the cover, “Wha- Are you starting with the 34th issue?”

“Of course, it’s the biggest number I’ve got. Why would I start with the worst scroll?” Garmadon scoffs. Patrick resists the urge to sigh, this would take a long time.

The next day, Samukai was glaring at Patrick. What could be so special about a bunch of brats that made Lord Garmadon neglect his army to spend hours on that instead?

Dear Lloyd,

It is nice to see something you are so passionate about. I took it upon myself to research the comic. I can see why you would enjoy it. It is similar to some of the stories I heard as a child. It is good to see hero tales are still somewhat the same. However, I think Kiflin is a great character. Donegan needs the reminder that he is not that cool. He is reckless and never faces consequences for ignoring others for his personal agenda . Also the colour design on his armour is just tacky. On the other hand, Kiflin is tactical, witty and stylish. Her jokes are hilarious.

You know, I always like to have an organized court to hear about the proceedings of my army. I listen to all the minions with good ideas before decisions. All of my strategies are so meticulously planned that no one can outsmart it. I have never lost one of my minions in battle like Donegan . All of my minions are very well taken care of and relish my victories with me. If anyone says otherwise, do not listen to them.

Sincerely, 

Lord Garmadon, Destroyer of Realms, Eldest Son of the First Spinjitzu Master, Father of Lloyd Garmadon

Passionate- to have strong feelings toward something

Agenda- a plan usually discussed in a meeting (but not in this context; he kept the plan to himself)

Tactical- the mental ability to carefully plan strategies

Witty- quick and inventive humour

Meticulously- attention to detail

It was their day out in Darkley’s and Lloyd knew exactly where he was going. Lloyd broke off from the group and made his way to Doomsday Comix to get the next edition of Starfarer with the money he swiped off an old lady passing by. He burst through the door, stalking up to Rufus. “Mother Doomsday! One issue of Starfarer thank you very much,” Lloyd announces at the man behind the counter.

Rufus rubbed the back of his neck looking at Lloyd sadly. “Look, little man, I’m really sorry but some skull people came and took all of ‘em. We don’t got anymore Starfarer comics,” he apologizes. Lloyd’s face fell, all the high hopes of the day disappearing with it.

“Wha- but the new one was supposed to come today! They are supposed to come today, I was waiting for months!” Lloyd shouts. Rufus winces as he watches the kid try to hide his upcoming tears by stomping his foot. He only saw the kids from that school once a month but he knew that they weren’t very nice. He knew Lloyd didn’t have much, it seemed he only smiled when reading those comics. Rufus didn’t want to take this from him too, the kid deserves one good thing in his life.

“You know, I hid one from them that they didn’t get to take. I had to be sneaky about it so don’t tell anyone I got it,” Rufus whispered to Lloyd, handing him the comic he saved for himself before they went on the shelves. Lloyd held it with gentle hands and eyes full of childhood wonder. It reminded Rufus of the first time Lloyd entered the shop.

“This one is yours though. What will you read?” Lloyd asks. Rufus cursed internally, why is the kid so smart?

“Don’t worry about it little man, I heard all the spoilers online anyways. I basically read the book already,” Rufus jokes. Lloyd contemplates his options, biting his lip as his eyes flit between Rufus and the comic. He really wants the comic, but how can he let Rufus suffer? Rufus is his villainy supplier, Lloyd has to take care of him like Lord Garmadon does to his minions.

“Don’t worry Mother Doomsday. I promise to not let those meddlers stop you from reading the new Starfarer, if my name isn’t Lloyd Garmadon. Muahahaha!” Lloyd declared, leaving the shop before Rufus could get a word in and set out on his mission.

Lloyd scoured the city, checking every bookstore for the latest Starfarer but to no avail. Each store ended up with only the first 10 issues on the shelf or a snotty adult telling him to “read a real book and not rot his brain”. As if Lloyd would ever let himself become boring enough to read adult books about taxes or kissing . He’s going to rule the world and win a bajillion fights so he needs to learn important things that aren’t stupid.

Lloyd was about to give up hope and had to reach desperate measures. Stealing his resolve, Lloyd stalked over to the biggest comic store in the city. He kept to the shadows, slipping under the radar of his classmates milling around the building. Luckily, most were distracted by the flashing action figures and cheesy pizza. Lloyd scoffs, the place was just a bunch of cheap manipulation tactics. It didn’t have any authentic comic store experiences like Doomsday Comix.

All the latest comics were on the front shelf where most of the kids were. Lloyd took a deep breath, okay he can do this. It’s not that different than normal pickpocketing, just bigger and around more people. But Lloyd was a master villain so he definitely had this in the bag. Lloyd ran his hand along the comics before stopping at the Starfarer section. As smoothly as he could, Lloyd turned his back to the camera, blocking its view, and slipped the comic into his jacket. Lloyd turned away and walked quickly out the door. He tried to focus on his shaking hands in his pockets and keeping the jacket loose enough that the comic isn’t visible instead of his heart pounding to get out of his chest.

  Lloyd kept briskly walking away from the store, but no matter how many times he checked over his shoulder, it didn’t seem like anyone was following him. Finally letting out a breath of air, Lloyd took out the comic. He did it! He succeeded in his first heist! This was his first big step on his path to being a supervillain. And most importantly, he had gotten the comic for Mother Doomsday and saved him from having those meddlers ruin Starfarer for him. Dad would be so proud of him right now.

 Lloyd opened the door to Doomsday Comix once more and threw the comic onto the counter. “Here you go Mother Doomsday, the newest Starfarer comic,” he proudly declares. Rufus stared shocked at the comic, he didn’t know this is what Lloyd meant by his earlier promise. He thought the kid would just pretend to fight bad guys or something. 

“Wow, little man, this is great. How did you manage to get it for me?” Rufus asked, truly amazed even if he was slightly suspicious.

“Don’t worry about it. Lloyd Garmadon always takes care of his minions,” Lloyd says. His eye catches the clock, stopping his evil declaration. The bus was going to leave in 5 minutes! 

Rufus watched the kid panickedly hurry out the door. For the son of an evil overlord, Lloyd was one of the kindest kids he knew. Rufus couldn’t do much but he hoped the kid had a good future, he deserved it. But the comic was also very obviously stolen, so Rufus has to go to the only comic bookstore in walking distance to pay for it.

Chapter Text

Lloyd scrambles off the floor and sprints through the halls. Passing through doors, lockers, classrooms, going faster and faster away from the voices behind him. Lloyd ignored his blurred vision, keeping a steady pace as his breaths turned to pants. Unfortunately, it meant that he didn’t see the door slam open and hit him on the side of his head. 

Lloyd looked up at the 6th graders standing above him. Shit, they caught up. “Stop staring at the floor, idiot. Look at me when I’m talking to you,” the leader yelled at him, fisting his uniform and pulling him off the floor. Lloyd tried to look in his general direction, but it was hard to focus on his face. Black dots spotted his eyes and something warm rolled down his temple. Please, don’t be blood, that’s always a pain to get out of his clothes.

“HAH! You really thought you could escape. Some devil incarnate you are, I bet Lord Garmadon left you because of how useless you are,” Gene yelled from behind the older kids. His classmate leading the bullies to him was nothing new, luckily he hadn’t tried to do anything other than say some mean words for now. The leader cut in, shooting a glare at Gene, and continued his rant, similar insults that Lloyd had heard his entire life thrown in his face. Demon Spawn. Mistake. Worthless. Pathetic. Abandoned. Lloyd got used to tuning them out. 

Lloyd tipped his head to the person who opened the door. All the usual bullies were in front of him, if someone new decided to join then he should know who to look out for. But standing there was… Brad. Little Brad that told him how to get red ants out of his ears when someone put them in his pillow, the one who Lloyd explained all the complicated topics to after class, the kid that Lloyd would almost consider a friend even if he kept his distance whenever his bullies cornered him. That Brad was the one that pulled the final move to leave Lloyd at the mercy of his bullies.

Lloyd stared at Brad as he watched Lloyd cower from the assault of hits. Lloyd should have seen this coming, Brad has always watched in silence, Lloyd just thought that it was from his side not theirs.

Dear Lord Garmadon,

I dont know   what to write about. Today wasnt goodday. My head hurts I wanl to sleep but then I have to washthepillow and I dont wanna. Also do you knowhowtogetblood out of sweaters. Its hard. My friend used tohelp  me but I dont think hes actualy my friend. Ibet you have LOTS of friends. Youre so cool IwishIwas cool like that thenpeople would want to   be my friend too. The nurse (I didnt know we have one) says I  have a concashun. I get to notgoto school but I have to stay in a  office and its verry dark. I dont like it its scary and hard to seee the leters. Please write back if youdont wa nt to thats fine I getit.

Sincerely,

Llyod

Garmadon crinkled the paper in his hands. It took every ounce of control he had to dampen his rage enough to not destroy the letter. How dare any of those lowly, peasant brats touch his son. Whoever harmed Lloyd would be crushed from the full force of his army and dragged into the Underworld for Garmadon to deal with himself. 

Garmadon stormed out of his office, ready to assemble his army for their mission when he froze in his tracts. He already had control over the school through Frederick’s division. So they had been present when who-knows-what was happening to Lloyd and yet they did nothing. They may have even been the ones to hurt his son and he wouldn’t know.

Garmadon was increasingly aware of how useless he was in this situation. He had no way of going Above to ensure any of his threats. Any promises of protection would be empty if he couldn’t count on his army to actually listen to him when out of his sight. There isn’t much pain he can use to motivate them when they are already at the state beyond pain.

But he wasn’t the dark lord for nothing. Garmadon would keep his son safe one way or another.

Dear Lloyd,

Of course I planned to write back to your letter, and I will for every other letter you send me. I care about you, I hope you know that. You sounded very injured in your last letter, are you okay? Please reply to this and tell me you got better. 

I know I’m not the best father and can’t be with you in times like this but I can help. Inside there is a pocket watch. DO NOT LOOK AT IT’S FACE . It is a cursed artifact that I acquired that forces whoever looks upon it to be transported into their worst nightmare. If anyone “friends” of yours are giving you trouble then use this to thwart them. Your enemies will cower beneath you, my son!

Also to get blood stains out, put lemon juice over the stain then rub it off under water.

Sincerely,

Lord Garmadon, Destroyer of Realms, Eldest Son of the First Spinjitzu Master, Father of Lloyd Garmadon

Lloyd looked at the package his dad gave him. It looked like a pocket watch, a black, spiky, old pocket watch. He wasn’t sure if he should be using a cursed item but if his dad said it was okay then it must be. His dad knows how to deal with bullies better than anyone. He is Lord Garmadon afterall! And Lloyd was his general so obviously he would trust him with a powerful watch.

Later when Gene approached him and all the older kids were circling him, Lloyd knew what he had to do. In a moment of geniusness and definitely not panic, Lloyd chucked the watch at the leader and squeezed his eyes shut.

“HA! You think this can stop us-” the leader started before crumbling onto the floor. His eyes went glassy as he screamed at a scene no one else could see. The rest of the group backed away as the toughest one of them was reduced to a sobbing mess. Lloyd grasped at the watch, holding it in front of him like a shield, daring anyone to approach him with it. They, predictably, all scattered, though Gene turned to snarl at him before bolting. Except for Brad.

The two stared at each other. Lloyd almost wanted to say something. To yell at him for betraying him and force him to look into the watch. He wanted to quietly ask why , and maybe if they could still study together tomorrow. And by the way Brad stood there mouth hanging open, maybe had things he wanted to say too. Lloyd wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear them, he wasn’t sure about anything right now.

Lloyd gripped the pocket watch, covering the face with his palm as he turned his chin up at Brad. “Get lost,” Lloyd snarled, stalking to who knows where. Glancing over his shoulder, Lloyd saw Brad doing the same.

Chapter Text

Dear Lloyd,

I have a few ideas for things you can do during your break. I have had many adventures with my brother in Jamanakai as a child. The forests are riddled with tunnels hidden under the trees that lead to many treasures. I found most of them and still keep them in my possession, though some I had left in their spot. I do not doubt that there are more that I have not found yet in there. Maybe you can discover those treasures for yourself.

This is your adventure so I will not tell you exactly where to find the tunnels. However, we hid clues to the different treasures so no one could find them. The clues are color coded, the dangerous ones are purple, moderate are green and safe are blue. Only do the blue ones, there is no way to get help once you start this so I do not want you to be injured. Follow the ❇ markings. There will be a word or image beneath it assisting you to the next marking.

The first clue to start you on your journey is as follows: “Midnight at noon, chased away from the sun” . Wu always had a flare for dramatics, he had a lot of fun making the clues. I have no doubt that you will be able to decipher his cryptic messages.

Have fun on your expedition, my son.

Sincerely,

Lord Garmadon, Destroyer of Realms, Eldest Son of the First Spinjitzu Master, Father of Lloyd Garmadon

Riddled- to be full of something

Possession- to own something

Lloyd left with all the other kids going home for the break, but instead he went towards the forest by the village. He had a backpack filled with survival tools; flashlight, rope, headlight, the cursed pocket watch, a water bottle and a lot of cookies. Dad’s suggestion was perfect! Discovering secret tunnels is way more fun than sitting alone in his dorm for a month, and he was prepared for anything.

Lloyd barely contained himself from sprinting to the forest, nothing could ruin this adventure. Except maybe the fact that something was following him. Lloyd approached the rustling bushes, hoping it was a rabbit hopping behind him and not Gene looking for revenge. He pushed away the leaves and found… Brad? Both boys shrieked and scrambled away from each other.

“Brad?!? What are you doing? Why are you following me? Is this a trap? Are your new friends going to pop out?” Lloyd accused him, frantically looking for any other intruders.

Brad’s face went red as he brushed himself off. “No!”, he quickly interjected into Lloyd’s accusations. “I just… There’s no one else with me, they all went home. Why are you sneaking into the forest anyway? You’re acting suspicious so I wanted to know what you were doing.” 

“It’s a secret mission, so you should just go back to your parents. It’s probably too dangerous for you anyways,” Lloyd says.

Brad flinches at the mention of his parents before quickly composing himself. “Can I come?” he asks hopefully.

Lloyd huffs, this was his adventure and he wasn’t going to share his treasure when it was done. But Dad did say that it could be dangerous since no one could come help him, with Brad there Lloyd could always just send him to get help. Brad was fast, he always was close to Lloyd during races, he would make for a great distress beacon. Plus, Lloyd needed minions to do his bidding on his adventures like all evil masterminds do. 

“Fine, you can come. But if you try to betray me again then I’m throwing my watch at your face,” Lloyd threatens. Brad ignores the second part, brightening a little as he follows Lloyd into the forest.

They were walking for a long time, Lloyd glared at the clue he was given. It was noon yet he couldn’t find midnight anywhere! This didn’t make any sense. Was he supposed to look for a moon shaped tree? 

“Lloyd, what are we even doing here? Is the mission to get lost,” Brad groans. 

“Wha- No! I know what I’m doing,” Lloyd snaps. Brad side-eyes him, but doesn’t push Lloyd more than annoyingly shuffling his feet. Lloyd looks back at the clue, as if the answers would come to him now instead of the thirty times before. Brad is his minion, and minions are supposed to do all the work. So it doesn’t mean Lloyd can’t solve the riddle if he asks Brad, it is just too below a dark lord like him to bother with it.

“I’m looking for a treasure and this is the first clue to find it,” Lloyd says, showing Brad the letter. 

Brad’s eyes widen as he scans over the letter. “Is this from Lord Garmadon ? You talk to him?” Brad exclaims. Lloyd snatched the page away, quickly tucking it away in his pocket. God, he’s so stupid! Those letters were his and now Brad saw them and will tell Gene and everyone else. He’ll be in hell when he has to go back to school.

“If you tell anyone I’ll hang my watch over your bed every morning,” Lloyd threatens, and his voice absolutely didn’t crack or shake because Lloyd is a terrifying overlord. 

Brad raises his hands and says, “I won’t say anything, I swear on my entire pudding supply.” Lloyd relaxes, everyone knows you don’t joke about sweet things like pudding at Darkleys. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t keep a firm grasp on the paper in his pocket. “Um,” Brad clears his throat, breaking the awkward silence, “The clue said to look for midnight far away, right?”

“‘Midnight at noon, chased away from the sun,’” Lloyd recites.

“Then the next clue is probably in a dark place with a lot of shadows. It’ll be dark like night time and away from the sun. I think,” Brad states.

“Obviously, I was waiting to see how long it would take for you to figure it out,” Lloyd scoffs. Brad rolls his eyes but Lloyd ignores it because he is a benevolent ruler (Dad taught him that word!). 

They both glance at the tall tree looming over all the others in the distance, casting a shadow over them. They glance at each other and shudder. “W-well I think I-I know whe-where to go,” Lloyd gulps, heading to their destination.

The kids stare up at the huge tree in front of them. Its base was wide enough that even if there were 3 more kids, they wouldn’t be able to wrap their arms around it. It extended so far up that Lloyd couldn’t see the top, though that might be because of the darkness shrouding everything around them. 

“Holy shit,” Brad whispered. Lloyd jumped at the sound, clutching onto Brad’s hand like a lifeline… to make sure he didn’t get lost of course. He doesn’t think Brad minded, he was clutching Lloyd just as hard. 

“Let’s look around the tree for this symbol,” Lloyd says, steeling his nerves. They both fan out around the Big Tree (that’s what Lloyd decided to name it) to search for it, without going too far from the others line of sight. Lloyd inspected every extremely shadowy part of the tree. Which was hard to find since most of it was already shaded.

“I found it!” Brad exclaims. Lloyd whips his head to where Brad is crouching on the ground. “ ‘Chased away from the sun’ so it’s far from the sun. It’s at the bottom of the tree, look!” Lloyd peers over his shoulder at the symbol exactly the same as the one his dad drew. Lloyd frowned, brushing off the coat of dirt on it. Maybe he saw it wrong…

The boys jumped back as the ground opened up beneath the symbol to a dark tunnel. Lloyd looked from the symbol back at the letter. It’s purple but that was supposed to be too dangerous. Maybe that’s why Dad gave him this mission, because he knew that Lloyd could do the dangerous one. Telling him go after easy ones was probably a joke, it’s hard to tell in letters.

“So,” Lloyd says, gesturing to the tunnel, “You ready?”

Meanwhile, in the Underworld Garmadon checks a frayed scroll of the clues he scribbled down as a child. He wrote for Lloyd to go to the creek, right? He pushed his worries away, none of the traps were too dangerous. If anything they would build character.

The two boys make their way through the dark tunnels only illuminated by their flashlights. Well, Brad had a flashlight, Lloyd is wearing a headlight because it is way cooler. The tunnel kept going for what felt like hours (30 minutes), twisting and turning until Lloyd wasn’t even sure which way  was up or down. They both kept one hand dragging along each wall walking in silence until Lloyd felt a familiar indent in the wall. He exclaims grabbing Brad’s attention to the same symbol from the tree.

Brad squints at the clue beside the symbol, “Is that it? A really bad drawing of a leaf? What is that even supposed to mean?” Lloyd shrugs, his dad and uncle were either really smart or really annoying. Couldn’t they have made clues that make sense?

Before they could ponder it any longer the floor began to rumble. Brad points his flashlight at the floor ahead of them to see the dirt floor was replaced with tiles that were sliding across the floor under their feet. Brad panicked and jumped from tile to tile in an awkward looking dance. He was luckier than Lloyd though, who didn’t notice until it was too late and was rammed into a wall. Lloyd barely has time to shout before he is being shot in another direction.

“Make it stop!” Brad screams, struggling to keep himself upright.

“Do I look like I know how to do that?” Lloyd yells back as he faceplants on the ground.

“It’s your adventure!” Brad says. Lloyd ignores him, staring at the tile he fell on confused. He wasn’t moving. He sits up and takes a good look at the floor now that he has a still view of it, noticing two important things. 1: The tiles were all painted in faded colors, though they were hard to make out in the dark. 2: Some of them were not moving.

“I know what to do. Brad,” Lloyd says turning to look at the other boy, “the green tiles! That’s what the clue is, leaves are green, those are the ones that don’t move.” Brad looks at the tiles and shakily jumps to where Lloyd is standing. 

“That was crazy,” Brad huffs as Lloyd catches the out of breath boy. They both gaze at the path paved in green ahead of them. They leap to safety, stopping to check on the other after each tile. 

The boys collapse on the unmoving floor, gasping for breath. Lloyd sits up and giggles at the sight of a bewildered Brad. Brad shoots him a glare. They both start, “That was-”

“Awesome.”

“Horrifying.”

Brad wrinkles his nose, “You’re weird.”

Lloyd scoffs, “Yeah well you didn’t have to come. You can go back if it’s too scary for you.” 

“It’s not that simple,” Brad whispers. Lloyd furrows his eyebrows, they almost died back there. He wasn’t sure how long they would have been stuck jumping from tile to tile or if the next time one of them hit the wall they couldn’t get back up. It struck Lloyd that this was dangerous for someone who isn’t prepared.

“I’m not going to stop you if you want to go home. This isn’t something you should do if you don’t wanna,” Lloyd says.

“No it's not like that, it's just,” Brad says, fiddling with the flashlight. He ducks his head, avoiding Lloyd’s questioning stare, “I don’t want to go home. I can never do well on tests, I’m too stupid to understand the lessons and none of the questions make sense. My mom doesn’t like that. She yells a lot and I dunno, it’s scary I guess. Gene was helping me by changing my score on the school computers but one good grade isn’t gonna make her nicer to me. I can’t deal with all that right now, I wanted to hang out with someone I like.”

Everything Lloyd was thinking stopped. “You like me?” he asks.

“Yeah, I’m sorry for the, ya’ know…” Brad trails off. Lloyd’s thought process was still lagging but he was sure about one thing, Brad was his minion, it was his job to keep him safe. No meanie was going to force his minion to feel bad about himself.

“I’m not letting your mom be mean to you anymore. I destroy people that hurt my minions!” Lloyd declares, standing up in a hero pose that definitely was not from Starfarer.

Brad snorts, “That’s not how it works.”

“Yeah, well I’ll… uh, I’ll sneak you food and you can live in these tunnels,” Lloyd says. Brad bursts out laughing, turning Lloyd’s face a deep red. “Hey, it can work!” Lloyd shouts defensively.

Brad’s laughter dies down as he gets up to stand beside Lloyd. “Are you really not mad about me helping Gene? That was a pretty shitty thing to do,” he asks.

“Nah, I get it, ‘Survival first for Darkleys’,” Lloyd says. “Now we have treasure to find!” Lloyd announces as the two friends travel down the dark tunnels.

---

Lloyd leans against the wall panting heavily. Brad wasn’t doing any better. He was drenched in sweat and would have collapsed on the floor if it weren’t for the chance of another trap getting them. Their constant stream of chatter faded away a while back, they didn’t have energy to do much else than put one foot ahead of the other. They were both trying hard not to complain. They were too tired to carry on but neither would be the first to give up. 

Lloyd focused on keeping his breath steady, it was a trick from his dad to help his ‘endurance’. It was kind of hard when something kept tugging on his hoodie. Wait, what. He turned to face where Brad was standing, slack-jawed. Following his gaze, Lloyd’s jaw dropped as well as they both stared in amazement at the treasure ahead of them.

Any precaution of traps they acquired on their adventure was thrown out as the boys sprinted to the pillar it rested on. The treasure was a pure gold bracelet that’s as long as Lloyd’s forearm. It is covered in an assortment of gems and jewels that were so heavy the two boys struggled to lift it. They held the bracelet between them, staring at it as the excitement of finding treasure faded away.

“So,” Brad starts, “what does this do?”

Lloyd shrugs, “Maybe it's magic?” Lloyd pokes at the gems but nothing happens. He squints at the bracelet, for everything they went through to get this, it’s kind of underwhelming.

“Looks like it’s just a bracelet,” Brad says. Lloyd huffs, well that’s useless. What are they supposed to do with a bracelet?

An idea struck Lloyd. “Girls like bracelets and stuff, right? Why don’t you give it to your mom and say that our teacher gave it to her because of how amazing you are,” Lloyd says. Brad brightens, nodding enthusiastically at the idea. The boys lug the bracelet back to Darkley’s and hide it in Brad’s suitcase. They flop onto their bunk beds, finally getting some rest.

Gene enters the room. “Of course you two are just lying around. You’re so lazy,” Gene snarks. Lloyd and Brad make eye contact before breaking into giggles. Brad tries to smother his laughter, unlike Lloyd who is loudly laughing in Gene’s face. Though it only takes a glance at Gene’s sputtering face makes them roar with another round of laughter that doesn’t stop as Gene stomps out of the room.

Dear Dad,

I did the adventure and it was AMAZING! Brad taged along and we figured out you first clue easypeesy and went under the Big Tree (I’m calling it that) and walked forever. Then we went to the Dancing Tiles and I figured out that the green one’s don’t move and helped Brad go jump to them. We swinged over the Sanke Pit which was suuuuper scary and there was this really heavy door and I could totally open it but Brad used some mathy things to open it before I could. It was so great and magnicant and scary sometimes but still awsome. Brad is really cool and fun he’s my minion now. His mom is mean to him but the treasure I found is pretty usless its just alot of gold and shiny rocks so Brad is going to give it to his mom so shell be nice to him.

Sincerely,

Lloyd Garmadon, Son of Lord Garmadon, Future Ruler of Ninjago

Patrick was panicking, so was most of the Skulkin but he is a lot more. Lord Garmadon is with the healers after some sort of human heart failure. Patrick is certain it was caused by Lord Garmadon’s contact with some unnamed officer at Patrick’s school. Every time he brought his lord a letter from them he did something unreasonable. It’s ridiculous to suggest that something so mundane as a written letter could do in the great Lord Garmadon but he is suffering a mortal illness right now. Who could that fiend be to cause Lord Garmadon so much trouble? 

(When Garmadon woke up the first thing he did was order someone to get him a book on how to parent children who get into stupidly dangerous situations.)