Chapter Text
Corvus Serpentem
The Crow Has Caught The Snake
Lloyd shifted on the run-down couch, its springs creaking in protest beneath him. He chewed on the end of his pencil, eyeing Cole who sat directly to his right.
Nya, Jay, Zane, and Kai sat in a semi-circle around the couch, utilizing blankets, pillows, and their backpacks as something to recline on. (Couch privileges are first-come first-serve, after all.)
Each of them were engrossed in the class topic of their own choosing. Lloyd puzzled out an essay on his own; flooded in a sea of reference papers and documents. Jay and Nya pored over a set of algebra sheets, trading notes and breaking down the equations together.
Lloyd wasn’t quite sure of what the rest were working on—he chose to dive headfirst into his homework, needing to focus especially hard since this was an assignment he’d put off for a straight week. Who knew a city-saving ninja couldn’t get a few days of leniency?
He sighed, glaring at the blank page as if it had insulted him personally. Though it was mind-numbing, working several hours out of school, he greatly preferred it over the day’s training.
Each of them were working on honing their individual elements, practicing control and harmlessly sparring between sessions. Master Wu stressed the importance of mastery—particularly because his students were still rather finicky and inexperienced.
The progress Lloyd’s team was making was impressive, no doubt. He couldn’t be any prouder. And yet…
The control of his element— ‘Green,’ or whatever, wasn’t all there, if at all. While his friends were progressing each and every day, Lloyd couldn’t even generate a spark. He’d never speak ill about his uncle’s methods, but he was still stuck at the beginners’ level, which consisted purely of meditation and hours of posing.
Perhaps it was all a game to the old man, keeping him so far behind the others. No amount of ‘you’re not ready yet’ could possibly make him consider otherwise. For heaven’s sake, Lloyd was meant to be their leader!
He couldn’t help but feel simmering frustration, especially when his friends looked at him so… pityingly. On their off time, they’d offer him help—methods they’d learned that had been foolproof in unlocking their elements. And yet, no matter what Lloyd did, nothing worked.
So, saying that he was relieved that training was canceled that day was an understatement. Master Wu, behaving a bit more unconventional that day, decided that they needed to ‘not only develop their bodies, but their minds.’
Sure, homework was a mind-numbing concept conceived by the very devil himself, but Lloyd preferred it over sitting and meditating for five agonizing hours straight. The others hadn’t shared the same sentiment, but at least Lloyd wouldn’t have to sit and watch them make so much progress without him.
He glanced up from his work, eyes narrowing in the orange hue of the setting sun. The water beyond the old warehouse doors glimmered appealingly, catching the last few beautiful rays as the sky gradually descended into black. Stars dotted the horizon; scattered like bits of white glitter.
The Destiny’s Bounty gently bobbed in the waves, a figure clad in paper-white sitting unbothered at the bow. His fingers slid skillfully across the flute-holes of his staff, playing a melody too distant to hear.
Lloyd sank further into the couch, spinning his pencil in his fingers. “Does anyone else have that Serpentine assignment for Miss Chell’s class?”
“That fairy-tale turned history lesson? ‘Course I do,” Kai shrugged with an irritated twinge in his voice, eyes flicking up from his phone. “Still not done with the essay?”
“Not even close,” Lloyd sighed. All he’d gotten around to were a few doodles of his dragon mech on the corner of the paper. The assignment was relatively simple in theory. It requested that the student evaluate multiple sources arguing for and against the existence of the mythical creatures known as the Serpentine. Then, to draw a conclusion taking one side over the other, using evidence to explain one’s reasoning.
Lloyd had accumulated evidence from a handful of articles, but his predicament was particularly over how he’d word his essay. Both sides had a plethora of evidence he could draw upon, and yet he just… couldn’t choose a side.
“My mom used to tell me those stories when I got myself in trouble,” Jay noted, peering up from the stack of math worksheets. He pushed his mass of curly brown hair aside, shrugging. “But snakes still give me the creeps,” he shuddered. “Those… beady eyes and sharp fangs… the stuff of nightmares!”
Nya laughed, patting his shoulder affectionately. “It’s a good thing the Serpentine aren’t real, then. Besides, even if they were, we’re ninjas! Elemental ninjas! We’d take them down without even having to blink, right, Green Leader?”
Lloyd snorted, propping his feet on the edge of the couch, drawing his knees up. “Master Wu says we’re hardly acceptable ninjas, much less elemental masters. But the city seems to think differently.”
The surge of popularity in recent weeks was quite astounding. Of course, Lloyd had always been popular, but for all of the wrong reasons. And now, he feared that he’d never get used to people treating him so… kindly. Especially after sixteen straight years of pure ridicule.
It all felt very double-sided, if not a little fake. One day, he’s a loser—the laughingstock of his school, and the next he’s the Green Ninja. The coolest guy in the city. Like a magnet that flipped polarity, drawing people in instead of pushing them away.
“We have an entire fanbase now,” Cole chimed in with a chuckle, pulling away his headphones. “I can’t believe saving the city made us more popular than we had been before. Girls might as well be lining up!” He snickered. “Bet our identities took them by surprise.”
“Tell me about it,” Nya groaned, flipping her hair. “People only talk to us because we’re ’famous.’ Like, do you even know my name or are you here for the selfies? The first few weeks were unbearable. I couldn’t have a moment to myself!”
Lloyd shifted, rolling his eyes. “Okay, okay! Back on track. The Serpentine assignment asks to defend the existence or non-existence of the Serpentine. What do we think?”
“Well,” Zane interjected, “A vast majority of ancient myths will always have an element of truth buried beneath a combination of exaggeration and symbolism. For example, perhaps the Serpentine were not literal serpents, but a misunderstood warrior tribe that utilized scaled armor,” he explained, eliciting nods from the group. “It would also explain the ‘fangs’, which could have been dental prosthetics intended for intimidation.”
“That’s plausible,” Lloyd agreed, dragging the pencil eraser beneath his chin. “That’s exactly what the source material suggested—it’s a popular theory, apparently,” he said, dragging out a slip of paper. “Particularly amongst archaeologists and historians. Ancient scrolls and texts usually exaggerate features when it comes to descriptions. Or are mistaken altogether.”
“That means the Serpentine myth must be a tall tale,” Kai shrugged, crossing his legs and leaning forward. I mean come on, snakes using weapons? Making civilizations? It sounds like a fancy campfire story made to scare some Boy Scouts.” Kai shook his head. “It definitely has to be an old legend that was blown out of proportion over the centuries.”
“Pretty valid. And you, Nya?”
“I think I’m going to have to agree with Kai there. I mean, seriously, let’s be real. Snake people? It’s not plausible. Everyone in Ninjago knows about it through childhood stories, so the idea could have sprouted from cautionary tales. After all, we were told that if we misbehaved, we’d be bitten by a Fangpyre and turned into snakes!”
“I remember that story,” Lloyd chuckled. “What do you think, Jay?”
The boy in question shuddered, hugging himself. “They’re probably myths, but the references do say that ancient ruins were discovered with unique serpent-like symbols on the walls, right? And some tunnels and caves near the mountains are way too big for any animal to have burrowed through.” Jay scrunched his nose. “So fifty-fifty! But I’d much rather prefer them to not be real, if there’s any chance at all. Normal snakes are creepy enough as it is.”
Cole nodded, folding his arms. “Personally? I’ll go with fifty-fifty too. You can’t really deny the archeological discoveries, but at the same time the idea of intelligent snakes sounds way too unlikely. What Zane said might be a little more reasonable.” He raised a finger. “But we’ve also seen some weird stuff. Like, for example, Garmadon looks the way he does ‘cause he was bitten by a snake.”
“Allegedly. I still doubt that…” Lloyd muttered.
“And! Master Wu and Garmadon are living proof that some century-old legends are true. Heck, I bet we could ask one of them!”
“Yeaaah, let’s not,” Lloyd frowned, tracing his pencil down some of the reference material. “It says here that according to legend, following some sort of Great Serpentine War, the five tribes were supposedly sealed into individual tombs. They’ve sat undisturbed, and not even the best archeologists can locate them.”
“Ninjago is pretty big..” Cole mused.
“Snakes can live for quite some time after a meal,” Zane pointed out. “But not for over two years at most, much less several decades. Of course, their physiology would be vastly different compared to genuine serpents. Hypothetically, if these tombs did exist, then the Serpentine would have died of hunger long ago. Or resorted to cannibalism to survive.”
“So hypothetically,” Jay swallowed. “They could very well be alive, sprung up behind those tombs just waiting to exact their revenge on the people who imprisoned them in the first place. Isn’t that terrifying!?” Jay clutched his arms as Lloyd gave him a deadpan glance.
“Both sides are compelling, but I still don’t know which I should choose,” Lloyd groaned.
"Well, think about it this way." Nya folded her arms, leaning back. "If you side with the 'yes, they're real' argument, you're taking a bit of a risk, since it's the less popular opinion and you'll have to back it up better. But if you side with the 'no, it's a myth' argument, you have lots of evidence to support you, and you get to look smart for going with the majority opinion."
Lloyd hummed, scratching his neck. “Or we can do some exploring on our own and prove whether or not the Serpentine exist ourselves,” he joked.
“Dude, there is absolutely no way I’d ever walk into a tomb full of snakes just for an A! I’d rather write ten whole essays!” Jay shrieked, frantically shaking his head.
“It’s like a movie,” Kai grinned. “A group of kids walk unknowingly into some ancient tomb and then..” he raised his hands. “Boom! Tragedy strikes! Half of them are bitten and are converted into creepy, half-human-half-snake abominations!”
“You have a very vivid imagination,” Zane noted dully, wincing a bit as he shuffled away from his red-clad friend.
“Maybe I’ll take this home, then,” Lloyd sighed, pulling his fingers through locks of blond hair. “It might be easier to think there—and I wouldn’t want to worry my mom.”
“She still doesn’t trust you despite the whole ninja thing? Seriously? Hard to believe,” Cole scoffed, taking the liberty to pack Lloyd’s backpack for him, slipping into it a few reference books.
“It’s not about trust, she just gets..” Lloyd shrugged. “Anxious.” He reached for his backpack, slinging the worn thing onto his back. With a stabilizing shimmy, he extracted himself from the little study group.
“Good luck man,” said Kai, holding his fist out for a fist bump. Lloyd returned the gesture, nodding confidently.
“I’ll see you all tomorrow, yeah?”
He was met with a mix of enthusiastic farewells from his friends as they collectively waved him off.
Lloyd wasn’t quite leaving—not yet. He sprinted the remainder of the hangar, the floor beneath his feet gradually morphing into the planks that made up the pier.
Sunset had long departed, dragging along with it the glorious oranges and pinks of its dying sun. The water easily took on the inky darkness of the sun, no longer shimmering as beautifully.
As he departed, the chatter from his friends faded into the background—and was quickly replaced by the simple melody of Master Wu’s flute.
The old man didn’t seem to notice—or maybe didn’t care to react as Lloyd stepped onto the Bounty’s sturdy wooden deck. It hardly bobbed under his weight as he moved silently across, approaching his uncle from behind.
In an instant the music paused, suddenly flooding Lloyd’s senses with a comfortable silence. The old man peered briefly over his shoulder, white brows raised as he patted the space beside him. “Come sit, Nephew,” he urged.
“I need to start heading home now, Sensei,” Lloyd muttered as he inevitably obliged, taking his place on a small pillow beside his uncle. “Is there anything you’d like to talk to me about?”
“Can’t an old man have a moment of peace with his nephew?” Wu chuckled, settling his staff horizontally over his folded lap. “There’s nothing in particular, no. But it seems like I should be asking you that question, since you bothered to approach me. What is it Lloyd?”
He frowned, interlocking his fingers. Yes, there was something itching at the back of his mind, but now it didn’t seem like an appropriate time to voice his concerns. Especially because it entailed criticism of Wu’s teaching methods. Lloyd didn’t want the old man to react adversely, after all.
Master Wu tilted his head, stroking his beard and humming wisely. “I see your mind has been preoccupied. I arranged today as an opportunity for study and learning, and yet despite your satisfaction with the provision, you did not write a single word.”
“How did you..?”
“You’re uncertain,” Wu waved his hand. “Always hesitating to put into words what you’d like to say to me. So, in a quite literal sense, spit it out.”
That was his uncle. As annoyingly perceptive as ever.
Lloyd sighed, thumbing at his backpack straps. “When will I be ready to use my element, Sensei?”
“When you are ready. Haven’t I told you that before?”
“Fine, then when will I be ready?” He swept a hand out, gesturing to the entirety of the warehouse. “They’re making so much progress without me. Am I doing something wrong? Is there something I need to address? Whatever it is, tell me. I’m tired of your cryptic explanations. It’s not helping!”
“You’re impatient,” he noted. “I cannot determine when you’ll be prepared to take on the full responsibility of the Green Ninja—your troubles will not end merely because your father changed his ways. And yet, your destiny will be a long time coming. Take advantage of this era of peace, Lloyd.”
“But—”
“The other ninja have progressed because of the path destiny has laid out for them. Each of them will reach their goals in their own time, including you. It is not something that can be rushed or hurried along—we cannot bend destiny to our own whims. Rather, we must be the ones to bend accordingly.”
“But what if something does happen? Something that threatens the city? I can’t lead. I can’t fight properly without my mech. What if I’m not ready?”
“Your worth as a leader has nothing to do with your mastery over your element. You, Lloyd, are levelheaded and strong. In turbulent waters you think with clarity. You are the bond that keeps the team together, and eventually, you will see your true potential for what it is. It isn’t a matter of whether or not you’ll be ready, but rather how you will rise to the challenge when it comes.”
“All this talk of destiny…” Lloyd sighed. “And it gave me a warlord as a father.”
“Everything happens for a reason, nephew. It turned out fine in the end, did it not?” The old man shifted, using his staff as leverage as he stood. “I hope I satisfied your question.”
Honestly, Lloyd expected… a little more. It felt more like the old man was deflecting, chalking it up to ‘destiny’ rather than taking the responsibility himself. In reality, destiny was a lousy thing that had brought Lloyd vast amounts of pain and frustration.
He was used to being singled out. But this felt like a slap in the face, especially coming from something that he was supposed to be good at. If he was so special, then why wasn’t this coming easy?
“You’re adequate, Lloyd. But be patient, and it will come to you.” Wu held his staff out, gently poking Lloyd in his chest. “If that is all, then you should head home now, nephew.”
“I guess I should. Thank you, Sensei.”
Filled with more questions than answers, Lloyd rose from the cushion and dusted off his hoodie. He bid his uncle farewell with a respectful nod of his head and sprinted down the pier, rounding the expanse of the warehouse and heading deep into the city.
On his way home, Lloyd loitered for much longer then he should have. On nights like these, the stunts he’d perform to scale the city faster came as easy as breathing. But tonight, it seemed that the enthusiasm had been drained from him.
Lloyd pulled his hood over his head, taking to to streets as discretely as possible. A light shower of rain had begun, so Lloyd remained close to the shop awnings protruding from the buildings lining the walkways.
Like this, amongst the buzz of the ever-shifting city, Lloyd allowed himself time to ponder. He attempted to think reasonably over Master Wu’s words, but all it did was summon a fresh wave of anger and frustration.
Destiny, destiny, destiny. Perhaps his uncle should think more reasonably before sitting back and letting invisible forces guide the paths of his students. Maybe, if he were a little more hands on, Lloyd wouldn’t be struggling as much as he was.
Lloyd attempted to shake the criticisms and negative thoughts from his head as he shifted into a sprint, crossing the numerous canals by leaping from gondola to gondola. The idea of heading home and sorting his thoughts out suddenly seemed increasingly appealing.
Finally, once arriving at the apartment complex, Lloyd swung through the open window at the end of the hall. He landed on the tiles silently, shuffling past the line of doors so as not to disturb any of his neighbors. His feet shimmied out of his sneakers once he arrived at his door, transitioning into a comfortable set of slippers.
Lloyd jiggled the doorknob, somehow finding it unlocked. He raised a curious brow but nevertheless creaked the door open and slipped inside.
What awaited him was quite the sight.
The former Lord Garmadon stood towering over the kitchen counters, white brows furrowing as he read aloud the pages from a propped-up cookbook. He turned frantically to open the windows, waving a rag with his upper set of hands in order to cast out the smoke emanating from a pan on the stove. In his hurry, he hardly noticed his son walk in and hang his backpack by the door.
“Dad, what in the world are you doing!?” He sprinted over, slapping a cover over the smoking, bubbling pan. With one hand he reached out and adjusted the temperature knob, moving the pan away from the heat.
“La-Loyd! You’re home! I was making dinner, you see,” His father chuckled nervously, pearl-white teeth shining. He leaned over the pull the window back down, securing it as he wiped his sweaty brow with the rag. “I was handling it just fine, Son.”
“Lloyd,” he corrected with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And you nearly burned the apartment down! You could have eaten the leftovers in the fridge.”
“I know, I know, but this wasn’t all for me!” Garmadon explained, lips continuously stretched into a pleased grin. He urged Lloyd to step aside as he uncovered the pan, its contents still hissing and spitting with an ungodly amount of heated oil. “It’s for you and your mother! And me, of course.”
“For… us?” Lloyd jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “Don’t you quite literally live down the hall? Why spend your night here?”
“It’s family night, duh,” Garmadon rolled his eyes as if the concept was the most ordinary thing in the world for their family. He grabbed hold of a set of metal tongs from a container near the backsplash, fishing out bits of fried shrimp from the pan. “It’s what ordinary families do, right? Eat a meal together, cuddle on the couch watching scary movies… you’ve done that, haven’t you?”
“Yes…” he said tentatively. “When it’s just my mom and I.”
Garmadon appearing in his apartment was an increasingly common occurrence. Usually uninvited, he’d make a fool of himself for the better part of an hour, unnecessarily injecting himself whenever he pleased. Perhaps Garmadon’s element was chaos with how frequently he disturbed the peace at home.
Of course, Lloyd should know better than most that he was still acclimating to everyday life. He was steadily learning how to make it up to his family as a better husband and father. Lloyd knew he should do more to make him feel welcome… but it was difficult to be so… normal around him.
At the very least, Garmadon had taught him a great number of things over the past few months. Catching, of course, being one of them.
All in all, they were getting along just fine. Only, Lloyd was exceedingly uncomfortable with how overbearing his father had become. Sure his ‘paternal instincts’ had been bottled up for the better part of sixteen years, but Lloyd wasn’t quite ready to forget his ignorance during that time. (Even though just over a week ago, Garmadon organized a mega-party meant to celebrate all of the birthdays he’d missed.)
At the very least, Lloyd was working towards being able to accept him completely—quirks and all. Did he love his father? Honestly? Yes. But was he ready to admit that aloud? Absolutely not.
“Does Mom know about this?” He questioned skeptically, watching his father fish out the last of the shrimp. He hurriedly whisked the pan away when Garmadon nearly dumped the oil down the sink, smiling nervously as he set the heavy thing back onto the stovetop.
“Of course she does!”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
Garmadon merely rolled his eyes and pulled on a mitt, crouching to access the oven. “I wanted it to be a surprise! Koko told me that you get home right around sunset, and this was supposed to be done by the time you arrived.”
Lloyd shimmied out of the way as Garmadon swung the oven door open, releasing a brief wave of warm air; the delectable yet fishy scent of cooking meat accompanying it. His father pulled out a casserole pan, revealing its contents.
“A salmon bake?”
“Yeah! Isn’t it your favorite?”
“No, it’s… it’s actually dumplings, Dad. Nice try though.”
“Bah, I’ll get it right,” the former warlord shrugged, combining the salmon with a heaping of rice and a downright insulting amount of kewpie mayo. “Eat this with some seaweed and you’ll have the best comfort meal ever.”
“You’ve got an affinity for seafood?”
“When you live on a volcano in the middle of the ocean? Pfft, well duh. But I never got tired of it. Hey, you know what? Some tea would go nice with this. Why don’t you whip some up for us?”
“Sure..” Lloyd rummaged through the overhead cupboards, pulling out a teapot and filling the porcelain vessel with water from the faucet. He left it on the stove to boil and moved on to picking out a few tea packets.
Garmadon, meanwhile, fretted himself over the presentation of the food. He placed a set of trivets onto the coffee table, laying out a few small sheets of seaweed on individual plates.
Lloyd drummed his fingers on the counter, quietly eyeing his father as he moved about. He’d never before pictured the man in such a domestic setting. For years, he only ever knew Garmadon as the man he had been—a warlord bent on conquest and destruction. Being a proper, loving father was far from the person he was.
“What do you do every day outside of school? I mean seriously, I watch you come home at seven, eight, nine in the evening like it’s normal!”
“Of course you do..” Lloyd muttered beneath his breath, shrugging in response. “Didn’t I tell you? Uncle Wu usually tends to train us after school a few days a week.”
“Riiight, right right right,” Garmadon waved a hand. “You ninja learned all of your skills from him. No wonder I couldn’t beat you,” he grumbled. “Wu bested me in every tournament we ever had. And I’m older!”
“He’s a good teacher.”
“Heh, maybe let me tag along some time to see how he runs things. Personally? I think he’s a little too soft on you kids. He needs to treat you like soldiers!”
“It’s a good thing we’re ninjas and not soldiers then,” Lloyd snorted. “Come to think of it, we didn’t do much physical training today. Uncle Wu pretty much organized a study hall for us.” Obviously, he chose to omit his growing frustration over his grasp on his element. Surely, his father could never understand such a predicament. And this was Lloyd’s problem alone to solve.
“A study hall? Bah, that’s pointless!” Garmadon scoffed.
Lloyd merely shrugged. “It was a good opportunity to catch up with school work, that’s all.” Once the teapot began to temperamentally hiss, Lloyd removed the vessel from the heat and poured the boiling water into their respective mugs.
“Well, speaking of school, I never ask about what you’re learning! Tell me, do they teach world domination or how to take apart a bomb?”
If there was something Garmadon truly wasn’t good at, it was taking genuine interest in his son’s education like a proper father should. In fact, he was only ever interested, if not a little amused, by the drama and stories Lloyd would retell from the day.
But it was nice to retell his day to someone that wasn’t his mom.
“Well…” recalling the discussion with his friends from earlier, Lloyd set his jaw. “I’ve got some homework on a certain history topic. We’re debating the existence of the Serpentine.”
“The Serpentine?” Garmadon raised a brow, skepticism in his voice. But he seemed to be listening now. No longer obsessively arranging the trivets, Garmadon straightened to better listen to his son.
“Yeah, you know, like the myths. Mom used to tell me about them when I was little—cautionary tales, you know?” He raised the tea packets, repeatedly dunking them. “The serpent-men that can turn you into a snake with a bite. Or the ones that spit liquid hallucinations.”
Garmadon threw his head back and laughed heartily, shaking his head. “Myths? Son, those legends are more than fables—they aren’t mere children’s stories! The Serpentine are very, very real.”
“You’re pulling my leg.”
“I would never lie about such a thing.” Garmadon approached Lloyd, folding his lower set of hands behind his back. “Decades ago, the Serpentine roamed Ninjago, the same as us. But the five tribes grew haughty.” For a moment, his eyes flashed with a sort of remembrance. “It was during a time I fought alongside my brother. The Great Serpentine war was a bloody affair, but they were sealed away long ago.”
“But.. if you’re right, and they did exist, why don’t we have a lot of evidence on their history?”
“To an extent, we do. Scrolls, books, ruins. But we made sure to reduce their existence to mere products of myth and legend—mainly so that there wouldn’t be an idiot poking around looking for said tombs.” Garmadon laughed. “But it’s embarrassing to be reduced to a child’s fairy tale.”
“So the snake that bit you..?”
“Nah, that’s a totally separate story.”
“I see..” Mystery debunked. As easy as that, somehow.
Maybe his father really was an untapped source of wisdom—the same as Wu. He just had… a little trouble expressing that side of himself.
Lloyd should’ve been surprised after Garmadon confirmed his suspicions, but a small part of him did hold out on the slim chance that the Serpentine were real. Was it that hard to believe when his father of all people had two sets of arms?
Well, at least he now knew which side on the essay to choose.
The moment was promptly cut short with the low creak of the door. Garmadon immediately perked up and went to meet Koko excitedly at the entrance.
Lloyd watched his parents stroll into the apartment together, and he couldn’t help but notice how… at peace his mother looked.
She’d always yearned for a true, happy family dynamic, but it simply wasn’t possible. For sixteen straight years she was a struggling, single mother with a less-than ideal history behind her. The fact that she was even related to Garmadon’s name stole so many good opportunities from her.
Garmadon had so much to make up for, as a father and husband. If he’d made the change earlier, Koko wouldn’t have had to struggle for so long on her own. She wouldn’t be stranded at her office job, bending to every little policy because no one else would hire her if she was fired.
Seeing them together like this—as if the past had never happened, inevitably stirred something unpleasant within Lloyd. He should be happy that his father wanted to change. He should be happy that the city no longer despised him.
But nothing was going to ever undo what he and his mother had gone through.
Swallowing thickly, Lloyd took a hold of his mug and moved across the apartment, scooping up his backpack from the wall hook.
“Hey, mom, you’re home! You’ll need to excuse me, I just realized I have this extremely time-sensitive school assignment I totally forgot about. So I’ll be in my room in case you need me, okaybyebyeloveyou!”
He offered her a brief hug before hurrying toward his bedroom, careful not to slam the door behind him. After a moment of listening to their voices from the other side of the door, he dropped his backpack and slumped onto the floor. For whatever reason, his pulse pounded in his ears, shutting out not only their voices but, for a moment, his entire world.
It was silly to run and hide like this—his father had the best of intentions with dinner. But seeing them together so carelessly forced Lloyd’s stomach to unpleasantly flip.
He knew that his mom, the same as him, was having a rough time with getting used to Garmadon’s presence in the apartment. But unlike Lloyd, she hardly showed it.
Of course Lloyd felt bad about skipping out on this so-called ‘family’ night his father had so carefully put together, but he just couldn’t bear the sheer normalcy of it all. His happy family act, no matter how innocent, was slowly but surely beginning to grate on Lloyd. He knew the importance of moving forward, but it wasn’t at all easy to forget their history at a whim.
Eventually, when the sensation in his gut finally subsided, Lloyd stood and dragged his backpack across the small bedroom. He emptied out the contents atop his cramped desk, flicking on the lamplight and rolling up the blinds for a good view of the city.
Focus, Lloyd. Working on that essay will keep your mind off things, he chided to himself, pulling out a few sheets of notebook paper. Lloyd began with the header—Serpentine: Myth or Menace? And pulled out the reference material, popping his knuckles in preparation.
The hours flew by without much notice. Lloyd managed to burn through about three pages, back to back, and now was in the process of scrutinizing his conclusion paragraph.
The voices beyond his door had since quieted—perhaps his father departed without bothering to bid him farewell. A tiny part of Lloyd was relieved purely because he didn’t want to be confronted with his sudden disappearance.
Though, when the door inevitably did open, Lloyd bit down on his inner cheek and twisted around in his chair, relieved to find that it was only his mother.
“He’s gone?”
“Just left, actually.” Koko approached, pursing her lips and peering over Lloyd’s shoulder, eyes flicking his schoolwork. “You were in quite the hurry to leave earlier. Why was that?”
Lloyd simply shrugged, turning back to the essay on his desk. “I had schoolwork to do, didn’t I say that?”
“Family night was meant to include all of us. Garmadon decided not to pry because he figured you were in one of your moods.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
His mother turned, pushing away the shoji screen bordering the bed and sitting near the headboard. She interlocked her slim fingers, resting her elbows on her knees. “It feels like I’m asking you this question way too often.. but what’s wrong, Lloyd? You’ve been getting along with your father just fine.”
Damn his father for marrying such a perceptive woman.
Lloyd sighed, pushing his fingers through his hair. “Why do you treat all of this like it’s normal?”
“Sorry?”
“It’s taken both of us time to get used to him being here, I should know that. But these days, you don’t bat an eye at all about him being here. What’s changed?”
Koko blinked. Her lips pursed, and she swirled a finger around in a lock of orange hair. “Nothing has changed, Lloyd. I still see him for the person he was… but also as the new person he’s striving to be. Nothing is really normal between us—not yet, at least.”
“It’s just..” he shrugged. “I know that. I know that he’s trying to be a better person. But I see you two together, and suddenly I remember the years of pain we’ve gone through just because we were barely associated with him. He never thought to wonder if what he was doing affected us in any way.” Lloyd shook his head. “When we went on that journey after I accidentally summoned Meowthra, I discovered a part of him I had no idea existed.”
“Oh, Lloyd..”
“I couldn’t help but wonder where that part of him had been all my life. How could you not show interest in your own son for the better part of sixteen years?”
Koko shook her head, clicking her tongue softly. “I know exactly where you’re coming from. When I came to Ninjago City with you, I was heartbroken to know that he decided not to change for you.” She stood from the bed, dusting herself off. “But that doesn’t mean he never loved you in the first place. In fact, he loved you even before you were born.” Koko sighed. “It’s difficult to let go of a lifestyle that’s all you’ve ever known. And yet, sixteen years later and he’s finally decided that it’s worth it to try. It was never too late for him to change. And believe me, he knows he can’t rewrite the past.”
“So why does he try so hard to pretend that it never happened in the first place?”
“Sometimes, it’s difficult to own up to something that was your fault. And maybe he will never be able to properly make up that lost time.. who knows, maybe it’ll catch up to him no matter how good of a person he’s becomes. Believe me when I tell you that he’s full of so many regrets.” She shifted, settling down on one knee in order to crouch in front of Lloyd.
He felt like a young child again, crying and running to his mother—asking, begging her to answer his impossible questions. But this time, it wasn’t about why he couldn’t fit in. Rather, it was about why he couldn’t let go of his bitter feelings after all this time.
And unlike when he was a child, he was receiving genuine answers. Only, he couldn’t find comfort in any of it.
“Do you still love him, mom?”
Koko blinked, surprise briefly flashing across her features. Perhaps she’s asked herself that question before.
“I always have, Lloyd,” she whispered. “For the longest time, my love was clouded with resentment for what he’s put you and I through. And yet… underneath that tough skin, I can see the genuine man I fell in love with. Before, I thought I’d lost that part of him.”
Koko took Lloyd’s hands in hers, rubbing her fingertips over the various creases and callouses marking his skin. “And maybe, just maybe, you’ll find that very same man inside of him soon enough. At the very least, he deserves our patience, doesn’t he?”
“I…” Lloyd pulled his hands back, folding them into his lap. “I guess he does.”
“Attaboy.” With a smile, Koko reached up and tightly embraced her son, pressing a firm, loving kiss to his forehead. “It’s a new era, for both of us. I can see just how hard you’re trying, and I couldn’t be any prouder of you, Lloyd.”
“Yeah, yeah..” a smile of his own tried at his lips. Lloyd smothered it in his mother’s shoulder, returning her hug with a firm embrace of his own. “…love you.”
After an eternity, Koko pulled away with a fond look on her face. She affectionately ruffled Lloyd’s hair as she made her way towards the door. “Don’t stay up for much longer, alright? But in case you want it.. we left some leftovers in the fridge.”
“Thank you, mom.”
“Anytime.”
With that, his mother slipped out of the room, gently shutting the door behind her.
Lloyd slowly turned his head back towards the window, pondering deeply over his mother’s words. She was so, so optimistic. So much so that Lloyd wished he could take some of her enthusiasm for himself.
Eventually, Lloyd came to the unpleasant realization that her words weren’t at all comforting.