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All my nightmares escaped my head
Bar the door, please don't let them in
You were never supposed to leave
Now my head's splitting at the seams
And I don't know if I can
Here, beneath my lungs, I feel your thumbs press into my skin again
"Lloyd! Lloyd are you ok?!"
Lloyd barely heard Nya's voice through the intercom in his ear. He sat up quickly, realization hitting him like a dagger to the chest. Dizzily, he replied.
"Y-yes Nya, I'm alright," He cringed at the sound of his voice, grating and dry. How long had he been out?
"Pixal was able to get us all back on the Bounty without being noticed, but Jay and Kai are hurt pretty badly. We can't get to you, you're too close to the Tower." Nya reported back.
"It's ok, you guys stay back. I know what I have to do," Lloyd said, his voice quavering.
"Wait! Lloyd no!"
Lloyd shut off his intercom, tapping the device in his ear twice before finally surveying his physical state. He, like the others, managed to land on the roof of a building, and he felt the cracking concrete scratch at his hands. His gi wasn't ripped too much, but if he made it back alive it would definitely need another sewing job.
If he made it back alive. Those words stung Lloyd internally. Normally, he wouldn't worry about that, because he always came back alive and safe. But for some reason, this time he felt conflicted. He would make it back alive and safe and perfectly happy, wouldn't he?
Lloyd managed to stand up, wobbling on his feet, only for the Dragon-Lord to spot him again. Before Lloyd could realize what was happening, he was blasted straight in the stomach by another one of the Dragon's attacks. Not again.
He felt himself get pushed backwards with deathly force, too close to the edge of the building. He lost his footing and felt gravity take over him. In a reflex, he reached up and grabbed the edge with his fingers, then took ahold with his other hand as soon as he felt the strain. He breathed heavily, fear curling up inside of him as he pulled up with all his strength.
He managed to get to his feet, wobbling a bit before regaining his focus. He surveyed his situation once more. Reaching for the crystal, he felt the smooth, pulsing energy inside of it, like a heartbeat. It was growing faster, and that was all Lloyd needed.
He ran, boosting off his right foot and leaping onto the next building. He didn't have enough time to break his fall, dodging blasts from the dragon with sheer luck.
The next jump was tricky. Backing up slightly, he gripped the crystal once more. As if it gave him a boost, he ran forward and jumped, landing just barely on the edge. He broke his fall smoothly, and looked up.
The dragon was right there. The Overlord. Staring straight at him. Lloyd had seen many a face of the Overlord's, and this one he had seen before. But there was something off. Something powerful, more powerful than before, was radiating off of the darkness that formed this horrible entity. Something ancient, something that made Lloyd's blood boil for absolutely no reason.
"OVERLORD!" He shouted up at the menacing darkness looking over him.
"Lloyd, we meet again," the Overlord's raspy voice was laced with pure poison. He laughed evilly.
"WHY ARE YOU HERE?! I DESTROYED YOU!" Lloyd shouted back, refraining from gripping the crystal. He couldn't let the Overlord see it. Not yet.
"Foolish boy, I can never be destroyed. I will always be here. In your shadow," the Overlord's voice sounded layered when he said 'shadow', sending chills up Lloyd's spine.
"I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DESTROY YOU, BUT I CAN KEEP YOU FROM DESTROYING EVERYONE ELSE!" Lloyd's fists balled up with anger, and he braced himself against the strong winds whipping against him at the top of the tower, which might as well be cursed by now.
"I will live forever. You, on the other hand, are a simple mortal. I'm getting a sense of deja vu," the Overlord mocked, and Lloyd could feel the blood trickling down his fingers as his nails dug into his palms. Then, he smirked.
"Oh, I might not live forever, but when I die, I'm taking you with me."
The Overlord just laughed at the threat, less evil on show and more of pure hilariousness, as if what Lloyd said was utterly ridiculous. Oh, he was about to be proved so wrong.
"I'm not afraid to lose my life, but what about you!?" Lloyd shouted, grabbing the Overlord's attention with the pulsating crystal he pulled out. It felt like a heartbeat, he could feel the vibrations creeping up his arm.
"WHAT?! HOW DID YOU GET THAT?!NO. NO!" the Overlord's demeanor changed as soon as he spotted it.
"THIS TIME, IT ENDS NOW." Lloyd threatened with his overused line. He held the crystal up, feeling the power grow and vibrate. He felt raw, pure power course through his veins, pushing out any logical thought. It was like a mind of it's own, channeling itself through Lloyd.
The Overlord quickly charged up a blast of darkness, but it soon dissipated as the crystal grew blindingly bright.
"You are done terrorizing us. Terrorizing me." Lloyd said quietly, not caring if anybody heard other than himself. His vision grew white, and he could hear the screams of the Overlord, dissolving in front of him.
He heard an explosion.
Then, everything went silent.
Until he heard birds chirping.
It took a while for Lloyd to gather his senses, then he realized where he was.
Afternoon sunlight peeked curiously through the talk trees surrounding him. Birds sang on their branches, and wildflowers swayed in the soft breeze. Lloyd saw a golden butterfly, sparkles spilling off of its wings as it flew around. Lloyd focused his gaze on it, until it landed on someone's finger.
He looked up at the person, and grinned. Though his face was somehow shadowed, Lloyd could tell he grinned back.
The person offered a hand, and Lloyd took it.
The butterfly landed on his shoulder.
Lloyd felt true peace for the first time.