Chapter Text
Lloyd bent over the toilet, dark red blood spooling out of his mouth. The tiles swam, dark spots covering his vision. It was consuming him, this power, this power that was not his yet took up so much space. But he had to accept it. He'd saved his friends. Those dragons.
But at what cost?
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Seven symbols glowed against the void, circling him, judging him. The floor shattered into glass, and he fell down down down, into what?
He was in a wasteland, barren- except the graves in front of him. That couldn't be...? Zane's mask, his own, Kai's, everyone dead-
A dragon rose over the smoky horizon, silhouetted against the blood moon. A beam of fire bust out of the dragon's mouth and into Lloyd.
Power pierced his body, growing and crawling and carving into him. What was happening? All he could think of was the pain, the pain that made him want to scream and cry and claw his skin out.
His friends... the dragons.... there was something about... what?
He tried to focus on the fleeting thought, but the power demanded all his attention, just to stay whole.
He was crying, he was sure of it. Liquid fell from his eyes, tracing lines over his young face.
'I know it hurts, child,' a voice, barely a whisper, arose from the rush in his ears. Was he imagining it? 'You must focus. Remember what you need to do,'
What he... needed to do?
His friends. The dragons.
They were in danger.
Lloyd opened his eyes. He knew where he was, and what he had to do. A singular, huge eye looked out from within the golden barrier.
'Go,' he whispered to Lloyd.
Lloyd flew through the vents and up the stairs, emerging in the Second Monastery. His gaze turned towards the gates, the gates that promised freedom.
He felt like he could do anything. Vast oceans of power stirred within him. He could destroy the Empress with a mere thought, a whim. He could kill Rapton's entire army just by blinking. He could do anything. But he came here for a reason. To get the dragons to safety.
He channeled the energy towards the gates, summoning all of his strength. They slid open.
Black spots danced above him, and he fell.
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Lloyd's eyes flew open, fear pushing him onto his feet.
"What? Where?" he looked around, adrenaline racing. He was in his room, his golden dao blade hung on the wall. "Back in the monastery?" Our monastery? His brain wondered. His heart rate slowed.
Suddenly, he doubled over, a searing pain making its way from his abdomen to his chest. The power the dragon has gave him, the space- it was still there, eating away at his flesh from the inside. He felt like his nerves were on fire.
He swallowed roughly, his tongue parched. First Spinjustu Master, just how long was I out? He slowly straightened out, hearing the shouts of laughter from outside. He reached for his door handle when he was seized by a string of coughs, the kind where you thought your lungs were going to die and your chest cave in.
Bringing his hand away from his mouth, he noticed small droplets of bright red blood on his palm. Well, that's not concerning at all...
This pattern of coughing continued over the months, becoming more frequent and bloody. If the other Ninja really knew what was going on, they wouldn't let Lloyd out of the house until he was better.
Lloyd knew he wasn't getting better.
The power he had accepted, the power that 'may change his life forever' certainly had. It ate away at him, his lifeforce, and it couldn't be cured. Lloyd knew that, the other would too. But they wouldn't accept it, just like he wouldn't accept it if it was one of them.
So he hid it.
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Lloyd kneeled over the toilet, choking out the last of the vile stuff that permeated his lungs. He stood up woozily, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. He grabbed onto the sink, staring into his reflection. His eyes had large, dark bruises under them and his face looked pale, paler than it had been a few months ago.
Blood trickled down his chin and stained his teeth, leaving the taste of copper in his mouth. His eyes trailed over his form. Weak. Pathetic.
Droplets of blood made a trail leading from the door.
It was no big deal.
He would clean it up later.