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"Nya? Jay? It's been fun guys."
"It has been an honor."
"Let's go out with a bang."
"Yeah, let's give them..."
In the middle of a vast crisis, Lloyd was actually stuck on a plan for once. Usually, he could come up with things quickly, whether or not they actually made sense, but that was a whole other topic. A sudden loud scream following Kai's words broke Lloyd out of his stupor.
"AAH!"
Lloyd's head snapped back to the commotion. The monastery gate was practically in shambles as the black misty tendrils seeped through the cracks and over the wall. He could hear Oni growling and banging on the gate. The rest of the Ninja had their attention facing elsewhere, however. The tips of golden blades pointed at the target of focus. A short, smaller Oni was standing cautiously near the wall, head tilted slightly, leaving its tail limp by its legs. Lloyd recognized this Oni immediately.
"Wait!"
Lloyd jumped in between Kai, who had lifted his blade up to strike at the Oni. Kai immediately lowered his sword, while Lloyd earned multiple confused looks.
Lloyd turned around to face the Oni. It perked up, face forming into a grin, if a grin on an Oni's face could even be identifiable. It took a small step forward, glancing over at the rest of the group, as if to make sure it was okay to come closer.
The Oni didn't have to take any more steps, because Lloyd ran straight into its arms in a tight hug.
"I thought you were dead!"
Mystaké showed shock for a moment but hugged him back gently. She had barely survived at all, and she knew what was going on. She wanted to keep the realm of Ninjago safe, and she still had a chance to make it the last thing she did.
Lloyd was sobbing quietly, head buried in Mystaké's scaly-armored shoulder. She had made too many mistakes. She was going to help fix them.
Garmadon recognized who this Oni was. Mystaké. Wasn't she dead? He had killed her. So how was she here? And why did he feel a tinge of jealousy when Lloyd ran up to hug her? He shouldn't care. Lloyd hated him anyways. His son would never hug him.
He almost felt like an imposter. Lloyd was always talking about "his normal dad." His purified father. The one who had no evil. And now all he was was evil. And now his son was hugging some other Oni, some old woman who was out of place. Some Oni who had made just as many mistakes. Some Oni who had evil nature. Some Oni who had to be against Garmadon. Some Oni who fought against Garmadon. His enemy. So why was Lloyd so fond of her?
Nya stood behind the others, watching the events unfold. Her glance moved from the gate to Lloyd, who was now hugging some random Oni without getting attacked. Somehow Lloyd knew this Oni. Maybe personally? Was the Oni on their side?
Then it hit her. She realized who that Oni was. She could feel both relief and dread inside her, as the banging on the monastery's walls grew louder. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.
She shoved the others out of the way, running towards Lloyd and Mystaké. She threw her arms around them, giggling and crying at the same time. She couldn't believe it. This sassy old woman was alive and thriving.
A few confused glances were thrown around. They were quickly wiped away with realization as purple particles surrounded the small Oni. They faded away, as Mystaké shifted into her human form.
"What are you doing here?" Lloyd said as he stepped back, wiping his face. Nya followed suit.
"I came to help you. I'm not going to die so soon. You can count on that." she said, smirking, "I will make sure the last thing I ever do is protect this realm. And since I'm still alive, let's make it count."
Lloyd smiled, glad to have another ally to fight this battle with.
A sudden loud crash sounded, as a huge piece of the gate fell to the ground. Black smoke poured inside the walls.
"Let's do this," Lloyd said.