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Lloyd and the ninja watched quietly from behind the doors as they watched Aspheera and her army of large flaming snakes slither away to another room in the museum.
His eyes narrowed at the sorceress' burning form as she slithered out of sight. He quickly turned to the others, "They're looking for a scroll. It must have some special kind of power, what do you guys think it does?"
Cole hummed in thought, "Nothing good obviously." Jay sighed as he threw his head back dramatically, "Oh great, yet another ancient artifact we need to keep away from the bad guys." He glanced at Lloyd who in return shot him with a bemused look. "If you ask me, we should ask Sensei Garmadon for a list of artifacts we need to keep track of."
Lloyd simply shrugged, "I'll try asking him that."
Nya shook her head before spotting a monitor a few feet away from them. "Hey look at that." She ran towards the monitor with the others following behind her.
The monitor had a map of the entire floor. She pointed to a specific spot, "There Hall H!" She exclaimed.
Lloyd nodded, "Alright, come on I know where it is." Turns out spending some time with his mom in the museum during the weekends paid off after all.
The ninja hurriedly ran through the halls. Meanwhile, Aspheera and her army were on the run too. Lloyd kept a note on where he was leading them to, take a left turn here, take another left turn there, before finally taking a right. He pointed to a large pair of doors at the end of the hallway, a large letter H sitting on the top. "There!"
He pushed the doors open, in the middle of the room was the scroll, sitting in a medium sized display.
They looked around, noticing that they had beat Aspheera to it. Jay was quick to yell "Kai! Blast the glass!"
He was met with an awkward silence.
Jay groaned, facepalming himself as he remembered the absence of the fire ninja. "Oh right."
Zane stepped forward, his eyes glowing as he scanned the display. "Hm, the security system for it is not activated. Maybe if we—"
He was interrupted when Nya calmly walked towards the display case and casually opened it. She turned to them and shrugged. "What? He said it wasn't on." Nya then took a step back as she let Lloyd approach the display.
The boy's eyes widened as he stared at the ancient scroll. He could practically feel its power radiating from it, as if beckoning him to hold it. Lloyd felt his thoughts going numb as he carefully reached out and took the scroll out of its case.
Lloyd tried to read it but it was impossible. He couldn't understand a single letter but he has a hunch on who wrote it. The First Spinjitzu Master, his grandfather.
The boy was suddenly plunged to a mess of unrecognizable voices screaming at him. His vision blurring as everything was consumed in a bright green blaze. He couldn't see the way the rest of his team jumped away in alarm nor the way they cried out his name.
D҉̣͍̓̎͗͜͜E҉̰̰͎̆͞Ṡ̷̢̫̞̻͈͋͛̓̅͜͜͜͠͠͠C҉͓̟͇̼͕̻ͭ͌ͩ̒͘͜͡͞͠E҉̰̰͎̆͞N̵҉̾͟͞͡D҉̣͍̓̎͗͜͜A҉҉̦̣̤͔̟̩̋̿̏ͦ̈́̍͟͠N̵҉̾͟͞͡T҉̘͙͖̠̓ͦ͑̄͜͜͟͞ O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝F̶̵͖͚̯̮̤̫̿̆͌͋͢͟͡͡ T҉̘͙͖̠̓ͦ͑̄͜͜͟͞H̴̶̵҉̨̡̛̼͎̫͓̒́̔ͩ͜͟͠͞͞E҉̰̰͎̆͞ F̶̵͖͚̯̮̤̫̿̆͌͋͢͟͡͡I҉̡̯̺̜̅́͋̃͢͜R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠Ṡ̷̢̫̞̻͈͋͛̓̅͜͜͜͠͠͠T҉̘͙͖̠̓ͦ͑̄͜͜͟͞
P҉̷̧̥͚̣̉̓̕͟͜͠͞͠͝ͅO̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝W̵̶̸̻̼͉̱̄͗ͭ͟͢͢͠E҉̰̰͎̆͞R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠
Ṡ̷̢̫̞̻͈͋͛̓̅͜͜͜͠͠͠O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝
M̶̶҉̳͈̺͟͢͠͠ͅU̵̶̸̹̮̹̲̻͙̎ͪͣͦ͜͡͞͡͡C҉͓̟͇̼͕̻ͭ͌ͩ̒͘͜͡͞͠H̴̶̵҉̨̡̛̼͎̫͓̒́̔ͩ͜͟͠͞͞
P҉̷̧̥͚̣̉̓̕͟͜͠͞͠͝ͅO̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝W̵̶̸̻̼͉̱̄͗ͭ͟͢͢͠E҉̰̰͎̆͞R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠
A҉҉̦̣̤͔̟̩̋̿̏ͦ̈́̍͟͠T҉̘͙͖̠̓ͦ͑̄͜͜͟͞ L̴҉̴͙͖̞̳̜̖ͣͧ̑̑͜͞͠͞͠O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝N̵҉̾͟͞͡G̸҉̜̜̱̄ͩ͆͜͝͞ L̴҉̴͙͖̞̳̜̖ͣͧ̑̑͜͞͠͞͠A҉҉̦̣̤͔̟̩̋̿̏ͦ̈́̍͟͠Ṡ̷̢̫̞̻͈͋͛̓̅͜͜͜͠͠͠T҉̘͙͖̠̓ͦ͑̄͜͜͟͞
R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠E҉̰̰͎̆͞V̶̝̐̀͟͟͝E҉̰̰͎̆͞N̵҉̾͟͞͡G̸҉̜̜̱̄ͩ͆͜͝͞E҉̰̰͎̆͞
D҉̣͍̓̎͗͜͜E҉̰̰͎̆͞Ṡ̷̢̫̞̻͈͋͛̓̅͜͜͜͠͠͠T҉̘͙͖̠̓ͦ͑̄͜͜͟͞R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝Y̵̡̬͖̠̋ͫ̌ͤ̚͞͞
B̵̴҉̞̠̘̩͍̱́͊͗͜͠͠͠͠U̵̶̸̹̮̹̲̻͙̎ͪͣͦ͜͡͞͡͡R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠N̵҉̾͟͞͡
E҉̰̰͎̆͞V̶̝̐̀͟͟͝E҉̰̰͎̆͞R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠Y̵̡̬͖̠̋ͫ̌ͤ̚͞͞T҉̘͙͖̠̓ͦ͑̄͜͜͟͞H̴̶̵҉̨̡̛̼͎̫͓̒́̔ͩ͜͟͠͞͞I҉̡̯̺̜̅́͋̃͢͜N̵҉̾͟͞͡G̸҉̜̜̱̄ͩ͆͜͝͞
Someone slapped the scroll away from his hands. The boy gasped as his senses slammed back to him in full force. Nya held his arms, her eyes wide in horror at what they witnessed. "Lloyd! Are you okay?!" Cole stood next to her as he looked over Lloyd's head. "The hell was that?!" Zane quickly brought a hand to his back and chest, his eyes glowing as he scanned his vitals. "Give him some space." He commanded.
The ninjas all took a step back, giving Lloyd a minute to clear his head from the chaos. "I- I'm fine. I don't know what that was but it felt as if I was hit by a flash grenade."
Jay blinked as he waved to Lloyd's own head. "Dude! Your head was literally on fire!" Cole nodded, "Yeah! It was crazy."
Lloyd shook his head as he held his hands to his ears and pressed his palms to it repeatedly. "I also heard voices, but I couldn't make out what they were saying."
Nya furrowed her brows, "That doesn't sound good." Zane glanced at the scroll. A sense of familiarity washed over the nindroid. But before he could say anything, another pair of doors was slammed open. Aspheera slithered forward, hissing angrily at the ninjas.
"You?! Impossible! I left you entombed!" She cried out. Lloyd shook off of his daze as he stood defensively, his team following suit. "Yeah? Well, we got out!"
Aspheera's lackey pointed to the abandoned scroll on the floor. "Your highness! The forbidden scroll!"
Lloyd and Aspheera locked eyes. He needs to get that scroll.
Aspheera smiled, her fangs glinting as she pointed her staff towards them. "Attack!"
Her snake army rushed through the doors and the ninja greeted them with fervor. Lloyd and Aspheera met head on. He kicked the scroll up in the air and reached for it but Aspheera used her staff to catch it, making it fall towards her. Lloyd kicked her on the stomach and sent another kick to keep the scroll from her grasp.
The snake hissed as she attempted to stab him. Lloyd dodged the blow and once again sent another kick to the scroll. She used her tail to sweep him off but the ninja took a step back. Aspheera went to stab him again, but Lloyd used her staff to get closer to her, kicking her in the stomach again and flipped in the air to send the scroll flying.
Lloyd watched as the scroll skidded towards the wall. Aspheera's lackey tried to grab it but the sorceress herself suddenly appeared and pushed the lackey away. "That's mine!"
Lloyd kicked her away and briefly grabbed ahold of the scroll. His eyes glowing for a second before being swatted by the snake's tail.
The scroll went flying past Jay who was battling a large snake made of fire. Lloyd ran and managed to catch the scroll, his eyes once again glowing in contact. Before being smacked from behind by Aspheera.
The ninja and the snake wrestled each other. But the clanging from the scroll flying around made the two dash madly towards it.
Zane briefly tore his gaze off the enemy to watch Lloyd roughly pushing Aspheera away before having to focus back on the battle when a large flaming snake suddenly snapped its fangs at him.
Aspheera let out a pained wheeze as Lloyd jumped and used her as a stepping stool to catch the scroll. A fiery green aura enveloped his entire body as he held the scroll high. The ninja could feel a strange energy wash over him. A power that Lloyd has wielded for years now tainted with whatever strange essence was within the scroll.
Aspheera slammed against him, the scroll slipping from his grasp. Lloyd recovered quickly and caught the scroll before her fingers could even touch it. The sorceress rushed forwards and swung him away, using her staff like a bat.
Lloyd yelped in shock but strangely enough felt no pain. He briefly glanced at the scroll before glaring in irritation at Aspheera. He got to his feet, gripping the scroll tightly. He summoned his powers, his element humming with whatever boost the scroll gave him. The whispers came back though not as chaotic as before.
M̶̶҉̳͈̺͟͢͠͠ͅA҉҉̦̣̤͔̟̩̋̿̏ͦ̈́̍͟͠Ṡ̷̢̫̞̻͈͋͛̓̅͜͜͜͠͠͠T҉̘͙͖̠̓ͦ͑̄͜͜͟͞E҉̰̰͎̆͞R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠ O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝F̶̵͖͚̯̮̤̫̿̆͌͋͢͟͡͡ L̴҉̴͙͖̞̳̜̖ͣͧ̑̑͜͞͠͞͠I҉̡̯̺̜̅́͋̃͢͜F̶̵͖͚̯̮̤̫̿̆͌͋͢͟͡͡E҉̰̰͎̆͞
H̴̶̵҉̨̡̛̼͎̫͓̒́̔ͩ͜͟͠͞͞E҉̰̰͎̆͞ W̵̶̸̻̼͉̱̄͗ͭ͟͢͢͠H̴̶̵҉̨̡̛̼͎̫͓̒́̔ͩ͜͟͠͞͞O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝ H̴̶̵҉̨̡̛̼͎̫͓̒́̔ͩ͜͟͠͞͞O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝L̴҉̴͙͖̞̳̜̖ͣͧ̑̑͜͞͠͞͠D҉̣͍̓̎͗͜͜Ṡ̷̢̫̞̻͈͋͛̓̅͜͜͜͠͠͠ Ṡ̷̢̫̞̻͈͋͛̓̅͜͜͜͠͠͠U̵̶̸̹̮̹̲̻͙̎ͪͣͦ͜͡͞͡͡C҉͓̟͇̼͕̻ͭ͌ͩ̒͘͜͡͞͠H̴̶̵҉̨̡̛̼͎̫͓̒́̔ͩ͜͟͠͞͞ P҉̷̧̥͚̣̉̓̕͟͜͠͞͠͝ͅO̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝W̵̶̸̻̼͉̱̄͗ͭ͟͢͢͠E҉̰̰͎̆͞R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠
P҉̷̧̥͚̣̉̓̕͟͜͠͞͠͝ͅR̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝V̶̝̐̀͟͟͝E҉̰̰͎̆͞ Y̵̡̬͖̠̋ͫ̌ͤ̚͞͞O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝U̵̶̸̹̮̹̲̻͙̎ͪͣͦ͜͡͞͡͡R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠ W̵̶̸̻̼͉̱̄͗ͭ͟͢͢͠O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠T҉̘͙͖̠̓ͦ͑̄͜͜͟͞H̴̶̵҉̨̡̛̼͎̫͓̒́̔ͩ͜͟͠͞͞
M̶̶҉̳͈̺͟͢͠͠ͅA҉҉̦̣̤͔̟̩̋̿̏ͦ̈́̍͟͠K҉̿ͭ͘͜E҉̰̰͎̆͞ H̴̶̵҉̨̡̛̼͎̫͓̒́̔ͩ͜͟͠͞͞E҉̰̰͎̆͞R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠ P҉̷̧̥͚̣̉̓̕͟͜͠͞͠͝ͅA҉҉̦̣̤͔̟̩̋̿̏ͦ̈́̍͟͠Y̵̡̬͖̠̋ͫ̌ͤ̚͞͞
Eyes narrowing in concentration, he sent a direct blast of powerful green energy towards Aspheera who barely dodged it by the scales of her throat.
The energy caused a massive hole on the wall making the ninja stare at the damage for a moment. He blinked as the whispers faded away, letting him realize what he just did. Lloyd took a deep breath, the scroll burned in his grasp but he kept holding to it like a lifeline.
A blazing blur rammed him to the ground, the scroll slipping from his grasp. He winced at the contact. He definitely felt that one.
Mad cackles filled the air. The rest of the ninja stopped their fights as they saw one of their own on the ground. They all quickly flanked protectively around him, glaring defiantly at their enemy.
Aspheera attached the scroll onto her staff. Her burning form glowing even brighter as she relished the energy gifted to her by the scroll.
Lloyd slowly stood up as Aspheera pointed her staff at the meddlesome ninjas. "Yes! The power of the forbidden scroll is mine! Mine!" She laughed gleefully.
Lloyd scowled from underneath his hood. The scroll does not belong to her, but him. They need to get it back.
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" The ninjas all ran towards her. Aspheera hissed as she then performed spinjitzu. The ninjas met her with their own spinjitzu.
But it was all in vain, her spinjitzu cloud was much larger and more powerful than theirs combined. One by one she knocked them away, swatting them as if they were all mere flies.
Lloyd groaned weakly from the floor. Before crying out in panic as Aspheera blasted the ceiling, raining debris on the unconscious ninjas.
Aspheera then used her newfound powers to resurrect a mummified snake army. Leaving her large flaming snakes to finish them off.
Lloyd winced at the added weight of the ceiling on his back. He tried to push the rock away but he was too tired from the fight. Just as the snakes were getting ready to kill them, a young child came running, standing protectively over the ninjas. Lloyd wanted to yell at the kid, to tell him to get away that it was too dangerous. But he could only cough due to the dust in his lungs.
As the snakes hissed at the young boy, a red blur came and slashed at the monstrous beings, he then grabbed the boy away from their snapping fangs.
Kai glared at the snakes as he quickly reached for the fire alarm. “Party's over!” Water then started to sprinkle down from the ceiling, making the snakes roar in pain. He saw Zane trying to push himself away from the rocks. "Zane! Ice them!"
Zane nodded and sent a concentrated blast of ice towards the creatures, freezing and destroying them instantly.
Kai then ran towards the others, pushing off the rocks that trapped them. The kid joined him and together, they freed the ninja. Kai dusted his hands as he glanced at the kid, "Thanks for the assist, Jake, I owe you one."
Jake grinned at being acknowledged by his idol, "Your welcome!" This made Kai smile as he patted him on the shoulder. "Seriously, thank you for reminding me that ninja never quit." Jake's eyes watered in joy as he hugged Kai tight. Kai happily hugged him back, earning a wholesome 'aww' from the rest of the team.
The others gathered around them, offering their thanks to Kai and Jake. Zane went to follow them but stopped as he noticed Lloyd staring at the remains of the fight.
Concern graced his features as he recalled his strange vision from earlier that morning. "Lloyd? Are you okay?" Zane kept his voice low so only Lloyd could hear.
The blonde nodded as he was snapped out from his thoughts. "Y-yeah I'm okay." Zane let his skepticism show as he approached Lloyd. "What happened? What did the scroll do to you?"
Lloyd shifted uncomfortably as he turned to face Zane. "I don't know. I can't explain it, but it was like being thrown in a room filled with loud voices screaming at you. And you can't even see who these voices belong to."
"What about the voices? What did they say to you Lloyd?" Zane asked.
Lloyd shook his head, "I can't remember. I can't understand a thing. But when I held that scroll, their voices were the only ones I could hear."
Zane frowned worriedly. His mind raced at what all of this could possibly mean.
'Snow was drifting everywhere, the cold unforgivable as he trudged forwards.
A dragon roared at him.
A fire was lit.
Enemies surrounded them, for a moment they resembled snakes that were bathed in fire, but the next they were strangers covered in ice.
A frightened yell, a green blast and an echo of unintelligible screams.
A figure stood in the middle of an empty room. They slowly turned around revealing nothing but a pair of hollow green eyes.'
"We need to get that scroll, Zane. Before it's too late."
The city was in total chaos. It was decided that the ninja needed to think of a plan before they go and confront Aspheera for the third time.
Kai looked onto the burning city, his hands forming into fists as he watched the fire, his fire, consume everything in its path. Cole stood next to him, nudging him on the shoulder as he silently offered support.
"So now what?" Jay began. Kai huffed as he turned to face the group, "We need to help the civilians. Or at least put out some of these fires." Lloyd nodded in agreement, “Right, but we should also gather more information about Aspheera. We can't let her kick our butts for the third time."
"The fire department must be stretched thin. They won't be able to respond to all these fires." Said Zane.
Silence filled the air until suddenly Jay snapped his fingers as a sudden idea came to him. "What about the serpentine? Maybe they can help us?
"Yeah- no. They're not too jazzed about helping us since the last time we went down there we practically trashed the whole place." Cole replied.
"What? But it's been like a year."
"Skales said that it'd take a disastrous world event for him to even consider allying with us."
Nya frowned as she watched onto the city. "Well, we haven't really reached that level yet." She let out a small sigh, "So we can't ask the serpentine. Is there anywhere else we can go?"
Zane clasped his hands together, gathering everyone's attention. "What about Sensei Garmadon? He ought to know about her ancient origin?"
Lloyd's eyes widened at the thought, "That's—that's not a bad idea.” The ninja clasped his hands as they all gathered around him. “Alright here's the plan, Jay, Cole and Kai, you three head back to the monastery and find some answers. The rest of us will hold Aspheera off and help put out some of these fires."
Everyone nodded in total agreement and they all split up to do the plan.
P. I. X. A. L. scanned the screen as visuals of the city being attacked by flaming snakes came into view. She grabbed her Samurai X helmet, about to run off to help when the screen suddenly alerted her that the ninjas were coming.
She looked at her helmet then to the screen then back to her helmet. With a sigh, she quickly hid the helmet away and pressed a button to hide the mech suit from view.
And right as the panels closed, the ninjas came bursting in. Jay, Cole and Kai came running from their vehicles, heading fast towards the elevator.
She ran along with them, joining them in the elevator to get to the upper floor of the monastery. She's now used to the ninja's shenanigans to know that this is serious. Cole however was nice enough to spare some details. "We need to ask Sensei G about our new flaming friends. We don't have much time until Aspheera gets bored with Ninjago and decides to take her craziness somewhere else."
P.I.X.A.L. nodded as she processed the information. "I am guessing that Zane and the others are left to hold her off?"
Jay nodded in response, "Yep, and probably because ice and water are more suited to put down the fires."
Three pairs of eyes glanced towards the silent fire ninja. His expression looked thunderous as a storm. "Don't look at me like that." He muttered.
As P.I.X.A.L. and the others looked away the elevator pinged and opened up. The four wasted no time in rushing towards Sensei Garmadon's room. Kai slammed the door open but it was empty save for fresh incense still wafting in the air.
Kai paused as he looked around, "Sensei?" He called. Cole headed towards the library, practically kicking the doors open so hard that the hinges almost flew off.
Garmadon was standing in front of the shelves, clutching to a book for dear life. He let out a small startled chuckle as he made his way to a nearby table. "Next time, knock."
Cole let out a low amused huff before calling out to the others, "He's here!"
The others entered the library, relieved to see their sensei. Kai spoke first, "I'm guessing you already heard the news?"
Garmadon nodded as he placed a book on the table. "Yes, and I assume Lloyd and the others stayed behind to cover you?"
The three ninjas voiced their affirmations. "Sensei we need to ask," Jay began, "Do you know who we're dealing with here?"
Garmadon simply sighed as he opened the contents of the book and flipped it to a certain page. The four teens looked in awe as they realized it was a drawing of a young boy and a female serpentine.
Cole squinted at the drawing, "Is that... Aspheera?"
"Yes." Garmadon replied. "That is her."
P.I.X.A.L. pointed to the young boy in the drawing. "Who's that beside her?"
Garmadon took a minute to answer her question. "That boy is none other than my brother, Wu."
The four teens shared a collective gasp of shock. Garmadon simply flipped to another page, "It is time to finally share this piece of history to you all." He showed them a map of a forest, beyond it were pyramids most likely the same pyramids that Aspheera was trapped in.
◤──•~❉᯽❉~•──◥
"In the days of my father, the First Spinjitzu Master, there was peace between humans and Serpentine, but it was a fragile peace. Humans were forbidden to enter the lands of the Serpentine. And the Serpentine were forbidden to enter the lands of men."
A young Garmadon and Wu raced throughout the woods, waving their wooden staffs as they delivered playful jabs at each other. Wu then suddenly groaned as he stopped and tossed his staff away. Garmadon blinked at the action and went to grab it.
"Do we really have to go to the lake today? I don't wanna go swimming." The young Wu complained. Garmadon simply shrugged, "Well what do you wanna do?" He asked as he handed Wu's staff back to him.
Wu poked the ground repeatedly, his expression bored. "I don't know. Anything but going swimming that's for sure.
"What about visiting Aunt Mystaké? I heard she finally has a place to settle down on." Garmadon offered, secretly hoping to ask the oni lady for some treats.
Wu shook his head, his eyes landed on a sign. He then spotted a path pointing to where the serpentine lived. "I wanna go that way." He exclaimed.
Garmadon followed his gaze and immediately frowned, he rushed in front of his brother with his arms raised to stop him. "No way! Are you crazy? That's the Serpentine Valley, Wu! We're not allowed there. Father promised King Mambo, remember?"
Wu blew a raspberry as he pulled Garmadon towards the path. "Don't worry, no one's gonna find out." He replied dismissively.
Garmadon pulled his hand back looking hesitant, " I don't know Wu, are you sure about this?"
"Come on. Don't you want to see the Serpentine? Aren’t you even a little curious?" Wu asked. He clasped his hands together and shot Garmadon his most adorable 'puppy-face look', a look that not even the First Spinjitzu Master is immune to. "Pleaseee? We'll just take a quick look and come right back!"
It only took Garmadon a few seconds to crack. "Ugh okay fine. But if we get in trouble then I'm blaming you."
Wu cheered as he dragged the reluctant Garmadon along the path.
◤──•~❉᯽❉~•──◥
"Never thought Master Wu is the mischievous one between you two." Jay muttered, accidentally interrupting the story.
Sensei Garmadon let out a small laugh at that. "You have no idea how much trouble we stumbled upon because of Wu."
◤──•~❉᯽❉~•──◥
The two children poked their heads out of the bush, muttering in awe as they watched the serpentine work below. They watched as the hypnobrai building structures, hammering on the ground, and dragging supplies back to their homes.
The two spent an unknown amount of time watching them until Garmadon broke out of the bubble and pulled away from the bush. "Okay, now you've seen it. Let's go before someone—"
The two boys gasped as serpentine soldiers surrounded them, pointing their spears to the children's faces.
With no choice but to comply, they were then escorted to the King of the Hypnobrai, Mambo the fifth.
The king looked at the two with disdain. "You…are the children of the First Spinjitzu Master?"
Garmadon nodded nervously, "Yes sir." Wu came forward, looking just as nervous as his brother. "We're sorry! We—"
"Silence!" King Mambo snapped. The hypnobrai slithered down from his throne and slowly approached them. "You have recklessly endangered a peace between humans and Serpentine that has existed for millennia. Your foolishness has put me in... a difficult position."
Garmadon ducked his head down in shame, Wu mimicked his brother but paused as he noticed a young hypnobrai girl staring at him for a moment before ducking out of sight when she saw Wu notice her.
It was then decided that the brothers were to stay in the dungeons until the hypnobrai decided what they would do with them.
Garmadon and Wu spent the next hour bickering back and forth on whose fault it was and who would tell their father. Garmadon rolled his eyes as Wu sulked in the opposite corner of the cell. Just as he was about to yell at his brother again, a sudden hiss alerted the two boys. They watched as a hypnobrai appeared by their door. Judging by their height, they seemed to be the same age as the two of them.
"Is it true?" The serpentine asked. "That you are the children of the First Spinjitzu Master?" Wu and Garmadon shared a cautious look. Momentarily forgetting their little argument from earlier. Wu nodded to the serpentine in response. "Y-Yeah, we are."
The two approached the door, the serpentine raised her neck higher. Garmadon crossed his arms to look as indifferent as his father usually would. "What do you want from us?"
The snake hissed as she replied, "I am called Aspheera. I'm training to be a sorceress in service to the king. Tell me, do you truly know the secrets of Spinjitzu?"
Wu and Garmadon shared another look, this time a look of hesitancy. The hypnobrai squinted her eyes and continued with her monologue. "I could free you from this prison. All you have to do is make a deal with me."
Wu was silent, unsure on what to say. Garmadon stepped forward his expression disbelieving as he stared at the snake beyond the door. "What makes you think we'd want to make a deal with you? Our father would come running here when he finds out we're missing anyway."
Aspheera glared at him in disdain, "Because you wouldn't want the risk of being the reason why the serpentine and the First Spinjitzu Master would wage war with each other." She replied coldly.
Garmadon blinked as he conceded to the thought. Wu patted his shoulder and offered him a small smile. "Maybe it wouldn't hurt hearing her out?"
Wu turned to Aspheera, "Alright what do you want?"
"I ask only for friendship. Who says serpents and humans can't be friends? And between friends, there must be trust, sharing. You must share the secrets of Spinjitzu with me." Aspheera quickly answered, her eyes eager for knowledge.
Wu hummed as he pulled Garmadon away. "Can you give us a moment?"
Aspheera nodded curtly, and the brothers turned away from her. Garmadon whispered first, "Are we even allowed to share spinjitzu? We just started learning it."
Wu shrugged as he whispered back, "She does have a point. Isn't spinjitzu meant to be shared? I mean what's the worst that could happen anyway?"
"Father going ballistic on us if he learns about this?"
"What about father going ballistic on the serpentine because we didn't get back for dinner on time?"
".... Touché."
Wu and Garmadon turned back to Aspheera. The two shared nervous smiles as they approached her again. Wu spoke first, "Alright fine we'll help you. But you need to let us out first."
Aspheera turned to Garmadon and the boy nodded to his brother. "What he said."
Aspheera raised her hand to the lock before giving the boys one final look. "You promise?"
"We promise."
◤──•~❉᯽❉~•──◥
"Aspheera then freed us, shortly after that we ran back home and barely managed to hide from our father." Garmadon narrated.
The teens couldn't help but snicker at their sensei's story. Garmadon simply shook his head fondly as he continued, "This was also the time when my father first wrote the scrolls of the forbidden spinjitzu. But he refused to let us take a peek at it. Claiming that it was far too powerful for us to handle."
Kai nodded as followed along, "What does the scroll do exactly? Well aside from letting revenge crazed maniacs have an enormous boost of power."
Garmadon raised a brow at Kai's choice of words before saying, "The scroll is originally intended for elemental masters. Not only boosting their spinjitzu tornado but gives them the ability to be in a heightened state with their respective elements."
Cole and Jay briefly shared a look of alarm before looking back towards their sensei. "Aspheera has one of those scrolls right now." Said Cole.
Garmadon's eyes widened at the news, rendering the man to silence for a moment.
"We'll deal with that later. Right now, what happened to Aspheera?" Jay suddenly interrupted.
Garmadon sighed, internally thanking his student for the distraction. "Remember the promise we made? Unsurprisingly, Wu was adamant on teaching Aspheera spinjitzu. I only learned after a few weeks of him teaching her when I accidentally stumbled upon the two training deep within the woods."
"I was... admittedly angry at him even though he was only upholding our promise. A promise that I had broken so easily." A melancholic look overtook Garmadon for a moment as he recalled the memory of him yelling at Wu for hiding this secret.
P.I.X.A.L. placed her hand on the table and tapped it softly to gather his attention. "And then what happened?"
"Even as a child, Wu was a great teacher. He managed to teach Aspheera in a short amount of time. I forgot why I was so mad at him for that. Perhaps I was angry that he decided to hide it from me or maybe something else entirely. All I remember is that we never really spoke to each other much when I found out about it."
The teens all shared a look of concern but then Garmadon continued with his story. "One day, Wu came to me crying, apologizing for what he had done. Apparently Aspheera took over the Hypnobrai and planned to march towards the human settlement. We of course settled our anger aside and hoped to undo what was done."
◤──•~❉᯽❉~•──◥
Young Garmadon and Wu sneakily opened their father's room. The man was off to visit Mystaké for some supplies and trusted the two children to behave themselves.
This trust was of course broken when the two stepped into the room and found what they were looking for. The scrolls of forbidden spinjitzu.
The two reached for it and instantly were surprised at the amount of power that coursed through their veins. Power that they still haven't achieved yet in that age.
◤──•~❉᯽❉~•──◥
"How did it feel, Sensei?" Cole asked. "The scroll- like do you still remember what it felt like?"
Garmadon shook his head. "I could only recall the overwhelming urge to destroy everything I could touch. The scroll heightened my elemental powers, therefore the power of destruction literally flowed on my fingertips."
Kai's eyes widened as he listened. Humming softly as an idea formed in his head.
◤──•~❉᯽❉~•──◥
The two children marched towards the pyramids. They hid behind the bushes, watching quietly as a crowd of hypnobrai listened to Aspheera as she showed off her spinjitzu and knocking the former monarch to the ground.
The two boys winced at the impact and vowed to put a stop to this once and for all.
They silently sneaked into the place, taking down guards as they went. Eventually they found Aspheera, monologuing about her plans to conquer Ninjago. They made their presence known and Aspheera immediately called upon her guards to fight them.
Garmadon frowned at the army of snakes marching towards them. He turned to Wu and said, "I'll handle these guys, you take care of her." Garmadon ran off before he could hear Aspheera finish her sentence.
Using the scroll that they tied to their wooden staffs, Garmadon made quick work with his enemies. Using his much more powerful than usual spinjitzu to plow through them.
The boy laughed as he reveled at the destruction he caused. He briefly wondered if this was what his father described as their true potential. Is this how powerful they could be in the future?
A sudden cry of pain from behind him made Garmadon halt, he turned around and saw Wu standing over Aspheera, the hypnobrai curled painfully on the ground as she wailed that she gave up.
But Wu didn't seem to hear her as he raised his staff in the air, the scroll glowing brightly with power. Wu swung to give the final blow when Garmadon quickly tackled him from behind, making Wu drop his grip on the staff. "Wu! What are you doing?"
Wu blinked as he watched Aspheera's weakened figure slumping unconsciously on the floor. He looked to his brother who had a wide-eyed look on his face, he looked past him and saw the damage the room was in.
While they may have been busy dealing with their enemies, they were too deluded with power to even realize the amount of destruction they had caused.
The two brothers watched at the abandoned scrolls on the ground, no longer glowing but somehow still thrumming with power.
That was the last time they ever touched the scrolls again.
◤──•~❉᯽❉~•──◥
"King Mambo was given his kingdom back, Aspheera was imprisoned for her crimes. That was the last time I ever saw her."
Garmadon flipped to several pages of the book. "But clearly not the last time Wu saw her." He shut the book close, revealing that it was one of Master Wu's old journals.
Kai blinked as he gaped at the cover. "Are you sure you're even allowed to read that Sensei?" Garmadon shrugged, "Probably not. But I need some way to know our enemy and what better way to know them than through my younger brother's diary."
Kai could only offer a single huff of disbelief before agreeing to his sensei's point.
"Wait, hold on." Jay cut through, "Aspheera has a huge grudge against you and Master Wu, right? What if she's coming towards here?"
"That is... possible." Garmadon reluctantly replied.
Cole groaned as he waved his hands up in the air. "Can't the monastery get through a year without burning to the ground?!" He cried out loud.
Garmadon then led the teens out of the library, leaving the journal behind on the table. "We need to be prepared for such a possibility. Aspheera needs to be dealt with, for good this time."
They soon found themselves in the living room. Garmadon turned to face them, his expression as serious as a drill sergeant. "Check on Lloyd and the others, see if they know where Aspheera is now." P.I.X.AL. and Jay nodded and went to do just that.
Cole watched the two leave before turning to Garmadon. "Hold on Sensei, you mentioned in your story that your father created two scrolls of forbidden spinjitzu, correct?"
Garmadon nodded in affirmation, "Yes he did. But he hid it after our little stunt, this is the first I've ever heard of it for years."
"Aspheera stole one of them from us in the museum." Kai replied. "Who knows where the second one could be."
Garmadon snapped his fingers as a thought came to him. "Misako joined this little club of archeologists a few months ago. It's possible that the scroll could be found in their possession."
The two younger ninjas raised a brow at the statement. "How do we know that for sure, Sensei?" Cole asked.
Garmadon shrugged, "Misako mentioned that this club is filled with elite figures. Partly the reason why she is absent right now is she's attending an exclusive seminar. If we learned anything from the universe by now, the second scroll should be there."
Kai and Cole can't argue with that logic and they soon took off to find Jay and P.I.X.A.L.
A large piece of a building began to crumble down on the road. A little girl was stuck on the ground, her leg trapped underneath by a pile of rubble. She could only scream helplessly as the building shook and debris rained down on her when suddenly the cool sensation of ice filled the air. The little girl turned to see the ice ninja create a pillar made of ice, the pillar stretched outwards, catching the falling debris. The girl gasped in awe at the sight. The green ninja appeared from behind the ice ninja, who approached her gently. "Don't worry, I'll get you out."
The girl nodded, as she tried to appear to be brave, making the ninja smile from beneath his mask. He counted down to three and lifted the rubble off of the girl's leg. He threw the rubble a safe distance away and went to safely carry the girl out of there.
The girl held on to the ninja tight, her eyes welling with tears but she made an effort not to fully sob in front of him. "What's your name?" The green ninja asked. "Emma." The girl replied.
The ninja nodded and kept holding her tight. She watched as the Water and Ice ninjas put out fires and helped civilians out of the burning buildings. Her eyes widened at their brave efforts, eliciting an awe-inspiring gasp from her.
Lloyd’s expression brightened at seeing the little girl filled with wonder. A few minutes later, he delivered her to a nearby EMT. He settled her down and after making sure that she has no life threatening wounds on her, he left her in the care of a pair of kind firefighters. "I'm gonna leave you here okay Emma? They'll take care of you now." Emma slowly nodded and Lloyd turned to join his friends but a sudden tug on his arm made him stop. "Mr. Green Ninja, wait! What about my parents?"
Lloyd paused and turned to the burning block of buildings in alarm but thankfully a firefighter replied on his behalf. "Don't worry honey, your parents were just looking for you. They're down by the station, my partner and I will take you there when we're finished examining you."
Lloyd let out a huge breath of relief, "Thank you so much Miss!"
The firefighter laughed at his reaction. "Don't worry Green Ninja, we got it from here. You go now and save our city, okay?"
Lloyd nodded and exchanged his goodbyes with the three of them, he then went off to find Nya and Zane. He found the two on a block away standing by the Land Bounty.
He took off his mask as he greeted them. "You guys good?" Nya nodded as she slumped against the wall, "Just taking a quick break before we need to go down there again."
Lloyd frowned as he looked upon the city. "We can't keep running around like this, we need a plan."
Zane handed her a bottle of water. Nya then cracked it open, chugging its contents greedily. "Yeah, but what?"
A sudden buzz rang from their comms. Zane went to check it out in the vehicle itself, Nya and Lloyd followed after him.
A holographic webcam popped up on the controls, showing Jay and P.I.X.A L. on-screen. "Jay! P.I.X.A.L.!" Both Zane and Nya exclaimed gleefully.
Jay offered Nya his trademark smile, making the girl lean heavily against the screen. "Hey guys! How are you doing?"
"Taking a breather." Nya replied as she took another swig on her bottle.
Zane let out a small disappointed sigh. "Sadly, we lost Aspheera. We spent a bit of our time helping those who needed our help."
"That is very thoughtful of you Zane. But do not worry we have a hunch on where Aspheera might be headed." P.I.X.A.L. responded graciously.
Lloyd suddenly appeared between the two, shoving them aside. "Where is she headed?"
"Master Garmadon revealed to us that he and Wu knew Aspheera since they were children. There is a chance that she could be headed to the monastery as we speak."
The three ninjas gasped in shock. Nya threw her empty bottle at the back of the vehicle, "Okay, we'll meet you guys there."
A sudden faint voice then shouted from the background. "Wait, stop!"
The three ninjas stopped and Kai appeared onscreen. "Not just yet sis. You guys need to find the second scroll of forbidden spinjitzu."
Lloyd blinked as he processed Kai's words. "There's a second scroll?"
"Yes, there is." Garmadon said as he emerged onscreen. "We believe it may be in the hands of that club your mother recently joined."
Lloyd rolled his eyes as he slumped against the seat. "Oh, come on! Seriously?! With those snobby jerks?!"
Nya couldn't help but snicker at his reaction. "Are they really that bad?"
"Yes! Even Clutch Powers is in that club. I don't see why mom would want to join it anyway, she's already a great archeologist on her own." Lloyd grumbled as he crossed his arms and sank lower to his seat.
Zane nodded in understanding, "Explains why you didn't like him much during the whole adventure."
"Anyway! How can we be sure that they have it anyway?" Lloyd asked.
"I just searched it up in the club's records. They have the scroll listed in their possession." P.I.X.A.L. answered.
Nya turned to face Lloyd and Zane. "You think if we ask nicely maybe they'd give it to us?"
"Well, it couldn't hurt to try." Zane shrugged.
Lloyd sighed as he straightened up on his seat. "It's not like we have a choice anyway." His expression turned serious as he addressed his team. "We'll find a way to get that scroll. No matter what."
The ones who were in the monastery wished them good luck on the mission. Garmadon looked at his son with a proud look on his face but he couldn't help but feel something was amiss about him. He ultimately decided not to press Lloyd about it. The young boy was probably just stressed from the attack.
The three said their goodbyes and just as P.I.X.A.L. turned the call off, the monastery began to shake as alerts popped on the screen.
Aspheera is here.
Lloyd, Nya, and Zane arrived at the Explorer's club, parking the Land Bounty just in front of the building.
The three ninjas kicked the doors open, the need to be polite thrown out the window because of the time crunch.
They all paused as they watched the empty room filled to the brim with antiques shining in warm light. A large staircase in the middle leading to the second floor. A cough sounded in the corner as they saw an older man standing behind a desk, looking at them with surprise.
Lloyd spoke first, "Sorry for the door, but it's an emergency!" Zane stepped forward, "We need the scroll of forbidden spinjitzu!" Nya followed suit, "We need the scroll to save Ninjago from a fire stealing serpent!"
The man pulled out a book from underneath his desk. Flipping through different pages and muttering under his breath about different scrolls until he found the one he was looking for. "Ah yes we do have it in our possession... In the archives."
Lloyd beamed as he leaned to the desk. "Awesome! Can we have it?"
The man nodded, "Of course, just as long as you'll present your membership card."
The ninjas shared a glance for a moment. "Uh we don't really have a card." Nya replied.
The man closed the book shut, his calm behavior now shifting to something akin to annoyance. "Well then I can't help you."
"Wait! My mom's a part of the club, does that count for something?" Lloyd asked.
The man raised a brow, "Misako Montgomery Garmadon," Lloyd clarified "she's my mother."
The man shook his head dismissively, "I'm sorry but only members are allowed down in the archives."
"B-but the fate of Ninjago is at stake." Zane stammered.
The man simply chuckled as he put the book to its place. "Is it? It's not like the city faces danger every day or anything."
The man walked towards them, slowly pushing them out the door. Zane tried his best to reason with the man but he was not hearing them out until finally they got kicked out from the building, the door slamming loudly as soon as they were out.
"Well, that was a polite way to kick us out." Lloyd couldn't help but remark, remembering the numerous times people would literally just throw them out the door in the past.
Nya was fuming, huffing angrily as she glared at the doors. "Why I oughta— this is why we can't trust rich people! Can't bring themselves to care for others until they actually need help themselves!" She yelled. She cracked her knuckles as she marched back towards the door. "I'll show that pencil pusher that we mean business!"
Zane stepped in front of her, hands raised as he tried to stop her. "No! We don't have time for this. Aspheera might be attacking the monastery right now and we can't waste time by picking unnecessary fights."
Nya scowled but listened to the nindroid attentively, "What do you have in mind then?"
Zane pointed up to the roof. "Maybe there's a way into the building up there."
"Well, we can't think of any other ideas." Lloyd casually replied before following Zane’s lead.
The ninjas skillfully scaled their way up the walls. Arriving at the top easily, they spotted a ventilation fan, large enough to fit them. Lloyd took out his dao and stabbed it into the fan, stopping the fan blades from moving. Zane then froze the dao in place as a precaution. Nya threw a grappling hook on the machine and dropped the rest of the rope down the fan. She tugged the line after making sure it was secure, gave the other two a thumbs up.
Lloyd nodded and descended first, followed by Zane and Nya. The three slowly made their way down, hearing voices echoing as they neared the end.
Lloyd could hear the men talking about something when suddenly a distant creaking noise could be heard in the vents. They looked up to see the fan twitching, the blades repeatedly scraping against the ice. Before Zane could voice his concerns, the ice had shattered. Lloyd’s dao was knocked loose and began to fall, clanging loudly against the walls. The fan blades began to spin, cutting through their ropes and sending them tumbling down.
The ninjas all screamed as they fell fast, landing on a table with a bunch of old men jumping back in shock.
Just their luck, the man from earlier walked into the room to see what the noise was. The ninjas locked eyes with him and knew there was no talking their way out of this one. "Run!" Lloyd shouted. He sheathed his dao back as they all dashed to the nearest door just when security arrived. They slammed the door hard, with Zane freezing the knob for good measure.
Lloyd looked around the room, it was dark so they couldn't see much. But it was clearly large enough to store whatever the club wished to hide. "Could this be the archives the guy was talking about?"
Nya found the light switch, it didn't light the room completely but it was enough that they could see crates and other treasures lying about. "Looks like it, let's spread out. Much easier that way.
Lloyd walked to his right, spotting a strange rubber chicken protected by a glass case. He tilted his head, swearing the chicken seemed familiar somehow. He stepped backwards, accidentally knocking a weird shaped chest to the ground. "Lloyd! Be careful!" Nya whispered.
The Green ninja simply shrugged, "Hey I didn't mean to do that, it's just a weird chest anyway."
Just then, the chest began to glow, a vortex of wind was summoned, sucking everything into the chest. Papers started flying, getting sucked into the chest. The rubber chicken from earlier was sucked in as well.
The book Nya held was sucked from her grasp making the girl yelp in surprise. "What is that thing?!"
Zane held onto a heavy crate, trying to not get sucked in. "It appears to be a chest vortex of the ancient Sybex Tribe!" He answered.
Lloyd gasped, trying to push himself away from the chest. "You say that like it's normal!" He then grabbed the glass casing from the chicken display. Sliding towards the chest, and quickly sealing it with the glass. "Huh that somehow worked." He caught Nya's glare and raised his arms in defeat. "Okay, okay, no more accidentally bumping into ancient artifacts." Before adding, "But don't pretend you knew what that thing could do either."
Nya rolled her eyes playfully before resuming their search.
Lloyd glanced at the crates, finding nothing interesting in them. He spotted a window and took a brief peek outside before jumping to a defensive stance at seeing another person in front of him.
The person had bright purple eyes, white patterns on his skin resembling intricate designs. Purple bursts of energy surrounded the other, circling him protectively. And the strangest of it all, the person looked exactly like Lloyd.
Lloyd faltered in his tracks, realizing that he was looking into a mirror. His reflection looked just as worried as him, but the purple glow never vanished. "W-what is this?"
Nya walked up to him, looking rather worried. "Lloyd? What's wrong?"
Lloyd shook his head, fear beginning to rise the longer he stared into his reflection. "I don't know. It's like— that day again."
Nya looked into the mirror, stepping back in shock at what she saw. "It's me." She waved her arms around, watching as her strange reflection moved like her. "But a version of me that looked... Normal. It's like me but didn't achieve my full potential, like a version of me that didn't become a ninja."
Lloyd looked back to his reflection, the realization hitting him full force. "This mirror... it shows our greatest fears." His voice low as a whisper.
Nya looked at him, "How do you know that?"
Even though Nya was standing in front of him, Lloyd could only see his purple eyed self in the mirror. "Because when I look at it, it shows me when I lost control."
Lloyd backed up, accidentally bumping into Zane. The nindroid heard the commotion and decided to check on them only to freeze as he looked into the mirror. "How is this possible?" Zane stepped forward, eyes wide as he processed what he saw. "That's not even me anymore. Just a silhouette of nothing but code. As if, my humanity has been stripped away from me."
Lloyd let out a small huff, remembering that he needn't not to worry about losing control anymore. He has his father and Mystaké to teach him how to control his other sides. He pulled Nya and Zane away from the mirror, stepping in front of them to block the mirror from view. "Just don't look at it okay? It's not real, you know what you truly are. Hold onto that and not to the copies in the mirror."
Nya let out a deep sigh. Before jolting as she felt something crawl up her head. She felt the sensation of fingers and immediately panicked. She threw the thing away, accidentally throwing it towards Lloyd. They all collectively screamed as they realized it was a bandaged hand. Lloyd threw the hand at Zane who threw it out the window in return.
The three raced to another door, Nya screaming the loudest as the sensation never fully left her.
The sounds of ice breaking stopped their panic as they watched the members of Explorer's club appear from the door and pointed at them accusingly. "Get them!"
Thinking fast, Zane pushed Nya and Lloyd towards an exit and froze it again, this time making sure the entire door was frozen.
The ninjas looked around, seeing large displays of greenery protected by glass. "This must be the entomology room." Zane announced. Seeing Lloyd's confused look, he pointed to the glass. "It's insects, from all over Ninjago."
Nya marched forwards, "Okay, we don't have much time. We need to get a move on." She turned to look at Lloyd, "That means Lloyd, you better not knock anything down—" Her words were cut short when she accidentally knocked a jar over. A jar that was filled with bugs.
Lloyd couldn't help but shoot her a smug grin. "You were saying?"
"Interesting. Venomasicus Tigrus, tiger wasps. Their sting's the second most painful—"
Zane was interrupted when Lloyd was suddenly stung by a wasp. "Ow! Run!"
The three ran as they avoided the wasps’ stings. Both Nya and Lloyd tried to shoo the bugs away with Zane trying to find an escape route. The nindroid then raised his arms out, halting the other two from going forwards as they saw the security guards blocking them from the door.
"Subdue these malefactors!" The older man (let's call him beige suit) cried out.
The wasps surrounded the newcomers, making them all scream. The ninjas paused as the wasps abandoned them. Beige suit rolled away from the horde of wasps, a blowpipe in his hands. "I will place a proper kibosh on this charade! For the empire!"
He blew the blowpipe, a dart shot out hitting Zane's titanium exterior, causing it to bounce around the room. They all ducked down as the dart hit the walls when finally landing on a glass case next to them.
Tiny black spiders crawled out, Lloyd hiding behind Zane as thousands of spiders hit the floor. "Gah! What are those?!"
"Vastodectrus Venemous, the number one most painful sting in the world." Zane replied. This made Lloyd freak out even more as he attempted to climb on the other ninja.
"Hey! In here!" Nya called out. The two saw her standing by another door, they both jumped over another glass case and landed next to her. They hurriedly slam the door shut with Lloyd shouting an apology as Zane froze the door again.
Nya turned around, relief flooding her features at what she saw. "Look! The scroll!"
The scroll of forbidden spinjitzu was displayed in the middle of the room. Raised atop on a pedestal, the scroll was attached to a bladed staff similar to the one Aspheera was holding.
Lloyd quickly reached for the scroll, but Zane grabbed his arm just when he was inches away from it. "Wait Lloyd, remember what happened when you touched it earlier? We need to be careful."
Lloyd looked like he wanted to object before nodding in agreement. "R-right." He nodded. Nya grabbed a large banner displayed next to the staff. Using it to wrap the staff completely. Strangely enough, Lloyd's eyes never left the staff.
The three all raced back outside the building, boarding the Land Bounty. Nya took the lead, tossing the banner-wrapped staff to Lloyd on her right as she took the driver's seat. Zane took the seat to her left, pulling out the Monastery's coordinates. They wasted no time zooming in the streets, leaving the Explorer's club to deal with their insect mess.
The metal doors thudded heavily as Aspheera and her army tried to make it through.
Garmadon watched the footage of the monastery being ransacked, everything was a mess. No room was spared, he's just glad he managed to lock his special things inside a metal box in his closet (a photo album of his family, and a few assortments from over the years).
He had attempted to confront Aspheera earlier, but his students stopped him, going on a speech that they'll face them together and that they're family and they need to stay close. And also, Jay's comment of "Lloyd would probably kill us if we let you sacrifice yourself... Again."
...Which admittedly won Garmadon over. He can't blame his son though, with the number of times their family got torn apart, Lloyd's protective nature is completely warranted.
The clanging of metal made Garmadon look over to his students, they as well as P.I.X.A.L., were busy cramming to make sure their new secret weapon, a giant mech, was ready to face Aspheera. Garmadon wished he could help but seeing as he is the least knowledgeable person when it comes to advanced technology, he instead volunteered to keep an eye on Aspheera and her cronies.
Speaking of Aspheera, the serpentine has changed since Garmadon last saw her. Aside from getting older and more powerful, the sound of her raspy voice repeating "REVENGE!!" The entire time made Garmadon think that she may have lost a few marbles during her imprisonment.
He caught her repeating the words "the great deceiver" as well, no doubt talking about Wu. He wonders what her reaction would be to realize his brother was gone. (Stuck in a time vortex, but basically the same thing.)
Garmadon's face grew grim as Aspheera threw her large snakes to the door over and over again. The more fire snakes she threw, the weaker the door gets. She doesn't seem concerned about losing any of them, sacrificing them all just so she could get the door open.
Garmadon looked away from the screens as another snake hit the door, this time loud enough to make them all pause on their work. Kai noticed him and dropped down from the mech to greet him. "Sensei? You okay?"
Garmadon smiled at his student's sense of compassion. "I'm fine, though admittedly I wondered how Aspheera would react when she realizes Wu's not here."
Kai cracked a small grin, "Probably explode for sure." The old man nodded before a thought came to mind. "Speaking of explosions,"
Just on cue a brief flash of orange appeared behind the doors followed by a loud bang. Kai's eyes dimmed for a moment, Garmadon briefly felt guilty bringing it up but it needed to be said. "You must be missing your element huh?" He began, his voice low making sure only Kai could hear.
The fire ninja crossed his arms. Not meeting Garmadon's gaze, "Missing it is an understatement." He muttered. The ninja snapped his fingers but no flame was found, not even a flicker.
"Sensei... What am I gonna do now? What if my powers don't return? How could I protect my family without them?"
"A true master perseveres through the most difficult of challenges. This one is no different. Remember Kai, we are here to support you in every step of the way."
"Aspheera is mainly a thief parading in stolen treasures. She will fall, we will see to it that she does."
“The element of Fire is your power, your birthright. It will return when the time comes.”
A smile formed on Kai's face, it didn't quite reach his eyes but it was genuine nonetheless. "Thanks sensei."
A sudden beeping from the controls made everyone stop, Nya's voice calling P.I.X.A.L made everyone gather to the screens. P.I.X.A.L. pressed a button and Nya's face came into view.
P.I.X.A.L. took a seat, the boys flocking around her. "Nya? Where are you?"
"I'm with Lloyd and Zane, we got the second scroll. Repeat, we got the second scroll. We're heading back to the monastery now!"
Kai, Jay, and Cole cheered as they heard the news. Hi-fiving each other in the background. P.I.X.A.L. smiled, "That is the most wonderful news." Her voice was polite but even she couldn't contain her excitement.
Nya nodded and passed the screen to Zane. "ETA to the monastery, approximately 5 minutes in the speed we're going."
Garmadon nodded at the news before noticing Lloyd seated behind Zane. The boy was not looking at them too busy staring into a banner in his arms. "Is that...?"
Zane noticed his gaze and looked to Lloyd. A brief look of concern flashed in the nindroid's face but he looked calm as he talked to Garmadon. "We had to secure the scroll Sensei, it was attached to a spear similar to Aspheera's."
"Alright." Garmadon said, but the man remained worried as Lloyd didn't even seem to acknowledge them on the screen. "Just be careful okay?"
Zane smiled graciously and passed the screen back to Nya.
A sudden boom in the metal doors startled everyone. The room shook as if an earthquake had hit them.
Nya looked at them in alarm, "What was that?!"
"The structural integrity of the doors is failing! You guys must hurry!" P.I.X.A.L. hastily replied.
Nya nodded as she pulled a lever, activating the Land Bounty's thrusters as they ended the call.
Zane spun his seat to face forwards, "What was that?"
"They're in trouble, we need to get there now." Nya replied.
Lloyd remained silent through it all. Zane turned to look at him only to see the other unwrap the spear from its protected banner. "Lloyd, I don't think bringing out the scroll is a good idea."
Lloyd frowned but pulled out the scroll anyway. "I'll be fine. I know what to expect now anyway."
Instantly, he was consumed by the voices. Though this was a different scroll, the voices were still the same.
M̶̶҉̳͈̺͟͢͠͠ͅA҉҉̦̣̤͔̟̩̋̿̏ͦ̈́̍͟͠Ṡ̷̢̫̞̻͈͋͛̓̅͜͜͜͠͠͠T҉̘͙͖̠̓ͦ͑̄͜͜͟͞E҉̰̰͎̆͞R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠ O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝F̶̵͖͚̯̮̤̫̿̆͌͋͢͟͡͡ L̴҉̴͙͖̞̳̜̖ͣͧ̑̑͜͞͠͞͠I҉̡̯̺̜̅́͋̃͢͜F̶̵͖͚̯̮̤̫̿̆͌͋͢͟͡͡E҉̰̰͎̆͞
T҉̘͙͖̠̓ͦ͑̄͜͜͟͞H̴̶̵҉̨̡̛̼͎̫͓̒́̔ͩ͜͟͠͞͞E҉̰̰͎̆͞ P҉̷̧̥͚̣̉̓̕͟͜͠͞͠͝ͅO̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝W̵̶̸̻̼͉̱̄͗ͭ͟͢͢͠E҉̰̰͎̆͞R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠
W̵̶̸̻̼͉̱̄͗ͭ͟͢͢͠I҉̡̯̺̜̅́͋̃͢͜T҉̘͙͖̠̓ͦ͑̄͜͜͟͞H̴̶̵҉̨̡̛̼͎̫͓̒́̔ͩ͜͟͠͞͞I҉̡̯̺̜̅́͋̃͢͜N
W̵̶̸̻̼͉̱̄͗ͭ͟͢͢͠A҉҉̦̣̤͔̟̩̋̿̏ͦ̈́̍͟͠I҉̡̯̺̜̅́͋̃͢͜T҉̘͙͖̠̓ͦ͑̄͜͜͟͞I҉̡̯̺̜̅́͋̃͢͜N̵҉̾͟͞͡G̸҉̜̜̱̄ͩ͆͜͝͞
F̶̵͖͚̯̮̤̫̿̆͌͋͢͟͡͡O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠
Y̵̡̬͖̠̋ͫ̌ͤ̚͞͞O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝U̵̶̸̹̮̹̲̻͙̎ͪͣͦ͜͡͞͡͡
O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝N̵҉̾͟͞͡L̴҉̴͙͖̞̳̜̖ͣͧ̑̑͜͞͠͞͠Y̵̡̬͖̠̋ͫ̌ͤ̚͞͞
F̶̵͖͚̯̮̤̫̿̆͌͋͢͟͡͡O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝R̴҉̷̨̖̮̉͑ͯ̑̋͟͠
Y̵̡̬͖̠̋ͫ̌ͤ̚͞͞O̷̵҉̢̭͚̜̠ͫͣ͐͢͟͢͠͞͝U̵̶̸̹̮̹̲̻͙̎ͪͣͦ͜͡͞͡͡
But from Zane and Nya's perspective, Lloyd simply stared ahead, his expression blank through his glowing green eyes. Nya turned to Zane, 'Help him' she mouthed as she focused on getting them to the monastery in time.
Zane stepped next to Lloyd, reaching towards the boy to come back to his senses. "Maybe you should wrap it up again—"
Lloyd suddenly jerked away, his expression twisting to something vile and livid. "I said I'll be fine!" He snapped. His tone dark in a way that never suited him. But there was also something rather odd in his voice, a whisper of an unfamiliar voice intertwined to Lloyd's own inflection.
It seriously freaked them out.
Nya tore her gaze away from the streets. Completely shocked at Lloyd's behavior. Zane looked hurt, his hand no longer touching Lloyd but hovering away.
Through the fog of power, Lloyd realized his mistake. His livid expression turned to one of guilt. "I- I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I-"
"Lloyd," Nya began "just put it away, okay?" She asked softly.
Lloyd reluctantly nodded, Zane spread the banner out as he waited for Lloyd. The boy hesitated, grunting as the fog in his mind grew denser. But he met Zane's encouraging gaze, the nindroid gently patting the banner, helping him to direct his attention to it.
Lloyd closed his eyes as he slowly crouched down and dropped the spear. Zane quickly covered it up and helped Lloyd to his seat. "I'm so sorry for snapping at you like that, Zane."
The nindroid smiled gently as he ruffled his hair, a habit every ninja practiced since Lloyd was 10. "It's alright Lloyd, I forgive you. Besides, it was the scroll. Maybe hold off on using it until we can figure out what it's doing to you?"
Lloyd tensely nodded as Zane returned to his seat. The thought of not holding the scroll was like a punch to the gut. For reasons Lloyd couldn't explain why.
All the while the trio kept silent as the monastery came into view.
The metal doors were now bulging horribly as Aspheera kept ordering her snakes to ram the door.
Jay's teeth chattered as the noises grew more and more desperate. "That door's not gonna hold on for long!"
Cole looked around the room for somewhere they could hide before spotting a large circular vent on the ground. He pointed at it, grabbing everyone's attention. Using his super strength, he pulled the vent cover easily. "In here!"
Cole led Garmadon in first, followed by Jay, then Kai. He looked towards P.I.X.A.L. the nindroid pressing all sorts of buttons on the screen. "P.I.X.A.L.! Come on!"
The nindroid barely spared him a glance as she sped up her pace. "Just give me a few more seconds!" She cried out.
Cole looked back to the doors, the sounds of the snakes slamming it gradually becoming violent. "We're out of time! Hurry!"
P.I.X.A.L. winced as she watched the monitor show the scans of the giant mech. "Just one more—!"
The sounds of the metal doors flying off the hinges rattled loudly in the garage. Smoke wafting through the air as Aspheera slithered her way in.
The serpentine witch scanned the room only to be baffled at seeing no signs of ninja at all.
She hissed angrily as she and her army made their way through the room. She looked around, growing more and more furious as she turned to her lackey. "What sort of trickery is this?!"
Her army could only shrug as Aspheera rolled her eyes at them. She waved her staff around slashing it ruthlessly, "Show yourself Wu! I know you're here you deceiver!"
From underneath the floor, hidden in the vents, was Kai, Jay, Cole, and Garmadon. All holding their breaths as Aspheera yelled loudly above. Jay debated whether not to zap Aspheera from below before realizing that the glow of his lightning would make her find out about them sooner.
Aspheera slithered above them, ashes falling on them as she passed. Some of those ashes landed on Jay, tickling his nose as he breathed some of the stuff in.
Cole immediately knew what was gonna happen next as he quickly covered Jay's nose. They all calmed down for a moment before Jay eventually sneezed. Loudly.
The effects were instant as Aspheera tore the vent open with a wide sinister grin. "Finally! I have waited so long for this!" Only to stop as she realized who it was inside. She pointed accusingly to the old sensei, as if she couldn't believe her own eyes. "You're not Wu....who—?"
But she was then rudely interrupted when out of nowhere a giant hand swatted her away like a fly. "Get away from them!" P.I.X.A.L. warned from the mech's speaker.
The boys all crawled out of the vents with Garmadon coming up last.
Aspheera hissed at him from a distance, picking herself up as she pushed her lackey away from her. "Garmadon... I thought you'd be fully consumed by evil by now."
"Well, you thought wrong." Garmadon replied coolly.
Aspheera's rage reached a whole new level as she pointed to them accusingly. "ATTACK!"
Her snake army rushed in, weapons raised as they let out a mighty battle cry. The ninja threw their masks on and charged with their own battle cry.
Aspheera and Garmadon met in the middle, circling each other as the battle raged around them. “Where. Is. Wu.” Aspheera hissed. Garmadon smirked as he hit his staff against his hand repeatedly. “Wu’s not here sadly. He is currently lost in time at the moment.” He replied, his tone a tad condescending. The sorceress' eyes narrowed dangerously as she pointed her staff towards him. “Lies!”
She tried to blast him but Garmadon dodged it in time. Aspheera continued firing, but Garmadon avoided every blast. The sorceress’s eyes narrowed as she glared at the old ninja master. Then, a realization hit her like a freight train. “That green ninja…he’s related to you, isn’t he?”
Garmadon paused, turning to her as if she said a funny joke. “You met my son?”
Aspheera stiffly nodded, “How is it that you, borne with evil in your veins, are capable to love and nurture a child?”
“Cursed with evil.” Garmadon corrected, not bothering to question how Aspheera knew about that information considering they met way before the Great Devourer incident. “The years stuck in your tomb must not have been great for your memory huh?”
Aspheera hissed in irritation as she focused back on the battle. She tried to close the distance between them. Garmadon flipped away from her, the serpentine gave chase but was forced to stop as one of her own had accidentally cut her off from her path.
The ninja master grinned as he saw this, and he continued to get away from Aspheera, blending into the chaos. The sorceress shoved her own snakes out of the way in exasperation but she had lost sight of Garmadon. “COWARD! WHERE ARE YOU?!”
The sounds of battle filled her ears as she watched the ninja take her army down. She scanned the area but couldn’t find Garmadon anywhere, not even a sliver of his grey hair was visible. Aspheera let out a frustrated wail, her outburst caused the staff to fire at the ceiling, dropping chunks of it on the battle. Both snake and ninja alike dove out of the falling debris and Aspheera swore she saw a brief glimpse of Garmadon’s shocked face before being once again blending to the chaos.
The sorceress hissed and pointed to the ceiling, but instead of making debris fall, she instead pulled a piece of it and launched it towards the giant mech.
P.I.X.A.L. went from helping the ninja by swatting away the snake army to getting herself knocked away by a huge rock. She tried to get the mech working again but Aspheera launched a large blast of pink and orange energy towards her. P.I.X.A.L. managed to raise one of the mech’s arms to block the blast. But it was different from what she expected, instead of the arm being blown up or incinerated, it simply vanished. The arm was swallowed by the pink and orange energy and just vanished.
The nindroid couldn’t believe her eyes, suddenly the mech’s monitor began beeping, glowing red in warning.
Warning: Mechanical failure. Mechanical failure.
She could hear everyone screaming her name, just as smoke blasted on her face. P.I.X.A.L. kicked the chest cavity open as the smoke began pouring out and booked it out of there. Just in time as Aspheera sent another large rock, knocking the mech to the ground.
The ninjas all shut their eyes tight as dust and smoke filled the area while also trying their best to continue the fight but now without the mech supporting them, they soon found themselves surrounded.
Jay was jumped on by a bunch of snakes, Kai tried to get to him but a sword pointed to his neck stopped him in his tracks. Cole was forced to drop his hammer as the snakes pointed their sharp weapons at him. P.I.X.A.L.’s arms were raised as she was forced to her knees. Aspheera smirked as the ninjas fell one by one, she turned to find Garmadon, marching forwards with two snakes gripping his wrists, the rest of her snakes watching him with raised blades. He didn’t let himself look defeated, his eyes narrowing with composed determination. Aspheera smirked as she slithered up to him, “What a pitiful sight!” She laughed. “Now, where is Wu? I do not have all day.”
Garmadon simply turned away from her, if his arms were free he would’ve crossed them with indifference. “I told you earlier, he’s gone.” He answered. He looked back to her, his eyes gleaming as he added, “You’re too late.”
Aspheera stared at him with wide eyes, his students looked at Garmadon with horror, wondering if he had a death wish. The sorceress’ form went blazing, she let out a deafening shriek. “I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THESE GAMES! I WILL FIND THAT DECEIVER IF I HAVE TO!”
She pointed the staff towards the man’s chest, her eyes wide with intensifying rage. Garmadon winced as he braced himself for the upcoming blow. “SENSEI!” His students cried out. Aspheera simply smirked as she asked him condescendingly, “Any last words?”
Garmadon took in a deep breath but just as he opened his mouth the Land Bounty rose up from the floor. Zane, Nya, and Lloyd stood above the vehicle. Their hoods on and weapons raised. The Ice Ninja held an old bladed staff in his hands, his metal body glowing with elemental power as a crown of icy blue energy burned on top of his head, his eyes glowing brightly in a way his nindroid nature could not replicate.
“Aspheera!” Zane called out. He twisted the staff as the trio jumped down from the vehicle. “Let them go.”
The sorceress hissed as she snapped her jaws at them. “Never!”
Zane stood firm, the staff gleaming as he held it defensively. Nya and Lloyd got ready, and in a matter of seconds Aspheera attacked. The serpentine twisted to her spinjitzu tornado, and Zane met her with his own.
Nya and Lloyd split up, each taking down a snake while also helping their friends. Jay saw his opportunity; he kicked away the sword pointed to his face and took down the snake holding it. Cole nodded as he dove for his hammer and began swinging it against his enemies.
Nya reached Kai, the two now standing back-to-back against each other as they got ready to fight. “You good Kai?” Nya asked. Kai laughed as he cracked his knuckles, “Never better.” And the two siblings went and gave their enemies hell.
Lloyd kicked away a snake that held his father’s wrist, Garmadon quickly ducked as Lloyd punched the other snake away towards the wall. The old man stood up, rubbing his wrists as he glared at his captors. Lloyd briefly checked up on him, sighing internally as he confirmed that he was not harmed. “Are you alright dad?” Garmadon smiled as he swiftly pulled Lloyd aside and delivered a punch straight to a snake’s nose. “Yes, I think I’m doing just fine.”
Zane slashed the staff against Aspheera, who blocked and pushed him away. Zane twisted around her, tried coming from above, but the serpentine saw him coming and flicked him away with her tail. “Ha! Even with the second scroll you are still no match for me!” Aspheera cackled.
The nindroid had accidentally let go of the staff, landing next to P.I.X.A.L. With Zane out of the way, Jay quickly took over. He flipped on over to grab the staff, gasping as he felt his powers buzz excitedly in a way he never felt before. He twisted to spinjitzu, Aspheera met him with her tornado. Jay tried his best to overpower her, unaware of how lightning bolts went flying everywhere, as both friend and foe ducked for cover. But Aspheera proved to be just more powerful as she shoved Jay away.
Jay landed face-first on the ground, Sensei Garmadon quickly helped the boy to his feet. The second staff went flying when Cole suddenly caught it mid-air “I got it!” Cole’s body then gave off a mighty orange glow, his elemental powers rising just like the others before him. He and Aspheera clashed blades, glaring at each other as they struck and parried. Cole tried to use Spinjutzu but was sent flying as soon as Aspheera saw it coming.
Cole had let go of the staff, the weapon clattering towards Kai who picked it up hastily. The fire ninja twirled the staff around, pointing it towards Aspheera. Who only smiled as he watched the ninja’s face turn from glee, to shock, to pure-white terror. Still, he held firm as he raised the staff towards Aspheera and ran towards her. The sorceress swiftly twisted to her spinjitzu tornado and got rid of the fire ninja easily. “Kai!” Nya and Garmadon cried out. The ninja landed next to Garmadon, making the old man kneel next to him to make sure he was alright.
The second staff went flying in the air, Nya tried to grab it but was pulled back by a snake. The staff spun in the air for some time when suddenly a green-clad hand caught it. Everyone turned to look as Lloyd soared to the middle of the battlefield, his form glowing just like the others. Garmadon looked at his son with shock, he couldn’t understand why but he felt something odd about him. His energy was still as bright and green as ever, so what could possibly cause such oddity?
“Aspheera! It’s just you and me this time!” Lloyd yelled. The serpentine laughed as she and Lloyd circled each other. “What makes you think you could best me this time?! You failed, remember?! Not even your pathetic friends stood a chance against me.”
To everyone’s surprise, Lloyd simply looked away and laughed. Not in a cheerful and bubbly way he would usually do but the malicious and mischievous way that was reminiscent of any other villain the ninja used to face. It was honestly quite unnerving.
When he looked back to Aspheera, there was a strange glint in his eyes. What Aspheera instantly recognized as malevolence. The serpentine snarled as she sent a pink and orange blast of power towards the Green Ninja. Who simply tilted his head to avoid it, the blast flew towards Garmadon and the others. The old man quickly pulled Kai away as he and the other ninja took cover. The blast made contact with the mech, enveloping it with pink energy and was then blinked out of existence.
P.I.X.A.L. blinked as she watched all her hard work literally disappear in a blink of an eye. Zane weakly rubbed circles behind her back, as an effort to comfort her.
Lloyd, seemingly snapping out whatever funk he was on, gasped at the close call. “Hey! Watch it!” The ninja twirled the staff, green energy dancing in the air as he trapped every one of Aspheera’s army in a prison made out of the same energy.
He then leapt into action, slashing against Aspheera at a speed no one ever saw him do before. Garmadon and the ninja all stood by as they watched the two exchange fierce blows. Aspheera tried to whack Lloyd with her tail, only for the ninja to twirl around and almost chop off said tail.
Their blades clanged noisily as fire and green energy illuminated the entire room. The ninjas all watched in anticipation as they waited for Lloyd to get the upper hand. Though some of them noticed a few things. “Is it me or is Lloyd getting a bit too…” Jay trailed off as he watched Lloyd slash the staff against Aspheera, a few inches away from her neck. “Aggressive?” Cole supplied.
Nya took her hood off, watching the battle intently. “I’ve never seen him go this fast before, have any of you seen him like that?” She asked the group. The others replied by shaking their heads or muttering “No” under their breath.
Kai, now being able to stand on his own, walked a few steps forward. “This is different. Sensei, what do you think?” All eyes went to Garmadon as the old man watched his son closely, noting the way how his son fought rather ferociously against the enemy. “I don’t know what to make of this. The only time I have seen him act this way is when…”
The ninjas all looked at each other with matching grim expressions. “But I thought you and Mystake helped him out?” Jay asked. “We did.” Garmadon answered, “But this is not like last time. This is clearly something completely different.”
Unbeknownst to everyone, Zane and Nya shared a guilt-filled look.
The battle between Lloyd and Aspheera still continued on. But now the fiery serpentine was panting as she desperately tried to keep up. The sorceress sent a blast straight towards Lloyd, knocking him away. And Aspheera took the moment to relax, her hand clutching her chest as she tried to catch her breath.
Only for it all to be in vain as in a flash of green light, Lloyd was suddenly there. His hood down, showing his messy blonde hair being wrapped around with a crown of green energy. The ninja had appeared in front of her, and before she could process it—she was suddenly punched hard. Right on the stomach. The serpentine gasped at the impact, she felt her ribs crying out as she felt herself completely blacking out for a second. And when she came to, she was now trapped in a cage made out of green energy.
Garmadon and the ninjas watched all this unfold with complete and utter disbelief. And when they thought Lloyd was finished, he then waved the staff in the air, sending waves of green energy to every other snake in Aspheera’s army. But in the process, knocked a few pieces of the ceiling loose. Making the ninjas run as they dodged the falling rocks.
Garmadon shook his head as the dust settled, a large rock now sitting on where he used to stand. His eyes landed on Lloyd, his own son with his back facing his father. Garmadon couldn’t see his face but he knew what he was thinking. After all, he had the exact same thoughts merely a decade and a half ago. He ignored the cheers of victory from the other ninja as he called out to his son. “Lloyd?”
Lloyd’s head suddenly snapped up to attention. As if suddenly remembering where he was at the very moment. “Lloyd, give me the staff.” Garmadon’s eyes narrowed as his son stayed deathly still. The room now quiet save for the other ninjas breathing. “Lloyd! Give me the staff now.” He didn’t mean to sound harsh but it seemed to do the trick as Lloyd slowly made his way towards Garmadon. Strangely enough, his eyes never left the staff.
Lloyd’s steps were slow, reluctantly dragging his feet towards Garmadon. The old man held his hand out, “Lloyd… My son, give me the staff.” Garmadon’s confusion quickly turned to concern as he watched his son’s eyes flickering between him, the staff, and to whatever was behind him then back to the staff. His son’s body trembled for reasons Garmadon couldn’t understand why. “Lloyd! Give me the staff.”
Garmadon could easily just grab the staff but from the way Lloyd was holding it in a white-knuckled grip. He’d end up making his son freak out even more. Garmadon’s eyes melted to despair as he tried to talk sense into his son. “Lloyd,,,please…”
The ninja master watched in bated breath as Lloyd slowly reached out to hand over the staff. He noted the way Lloyd suddenly flinched, was he hearing things somehow?
And just as the staff was right by the edge of Garmadon’s fingertips, somebody suddenly yelled out in alarm. “Lloyd! Sensei! Look out!”
Garmadon and Lloyd suddenly turned to see a large ball of pink energy heading straight towards them. Straight towards Garmadon.
Garmadon knew that he couldn’t dodge a blast going that fast. And it seems that Lloyd had the same idea. The grip on the staff was tight as he shoved Garmadon out of the way. The ninja master’s vision was filled with bright pink light, making him shut his eyes close. The man landed on the floor, groaning in pain. He opened his eyes, only to find no sign of Lloyd. His son. His Baby Boy. Lost in that pink haze. Tears fell down his face as the room erupted with panicked and desperate cries for a boy who seemingly sacrificed his own life for those he loved.
“LLOYD!”