Chapter Text
It was 6 months after the final battle. 6 months after the monastery was rebuilt.
Everyone was happy, back to normal. Everyone except Lloyd.
As he tried to sleep, the visions came back. At first, they were just at night, but slowly they started to creep into his daily life, constant and bugging.
Lloyd tossed and turned as he tried to sleep, but sleep wouldn’t come. He was scared—of the visions and who he had become. As he slowly fell asleep, he remembered.
A sudden burst of adrenaline and strength, stronger than anything he’d ever felt before. The power surged through his body, a bright purple spark coming out of his fingertips. The angrier he got, the more you could see the glow of this spark and hear its electrifying crackle. Blinded by this new power, he drove forward, striking blow after blow into the Overlord. This was for everything. For all the times he had to miss out on being a kid to fight. All the times he had to lead his friends and himself, even though they were tired. For his father. The new power shot out of his hands, sharp as a knife. Every step forward, every movement, another hit. Each step forced the Overlord back, forced him to defend himself. He was becoming weak. It was working, the Overlord was going down. He had never felt this—the raw, uncontrollable power. Suddenly, it all came to a halt. Lloyd was terrified. Of himself. He was his father. He was a monster.
Lloyd jolted up, hyperventilating. He was a monster. And he didn’t know how to hide it.
He rolled over, messy hair falling into his face. As he lifted up his phone, the clock said 7:00am. That means at least some of the ninja would be up. He put on a baggy green tee and trackpants, brushed his hair quickly, and went out to greet the other ninja.
Kai and Jay were sitting on the couch playing video games. Zane was in the kitchen, making breakfast, while Cole and Nya were sitting at the bench. That just left Master Wu and Pixal, who were probably in the library looking at scrolls. Surely, talking to someone could distract him from his thoughts.
As Lloyd walked into the room, all the ninja turned to greet him. “Hey guys!” he said, quickly forcing a hint of enthusiasm into his voice.
He walked over to the bench and sat down next to Nya, who was deep in conversation with Cole. They stopped to greet him, then continued on with their conversation.
‘Damn it’, he thought. Now he didn’t have anyone to talk to, anyone to distract him. He started to fall asleep—he was exhausted.
Suddenly, he heard the familiar clack on the floorboards as Zane walked up to him.
"Hello, Lloyd. Breakfast is ready, if you would like any?”
Lloyd jolted up, angry that he had allowed himself to be so careless and fall asleep. He could’ve had a vision in front of the other ninja if he wasn’t careful.
He smiled, thanked Zane, and took the plate. Little did they know he was scolding himself under his breath.
Why could you be so stupid?! The other ninja don’t know about your visions Lloyd, and they can’t know. Now you’re a monster and an idiot, great job.
He sat down, silent, and mindlessly munched on a slice of apple. Hopefully the other ninja wouldn’t notice how tired he was.