Chapter Text
The sky over (New) Ninjago City was stained with the deep, sickening violet of crystals. The atmosphere vibrated violently with the raw power of the Overlord. At the top of the floating island, all hope was lost. Garmadon lay motionless. His Oni form had been shattered to pieces by the final blow of the Crystal King. After Master Wu’s sacrifice during their previous battle—where the Sensei had given his own life trying to defeat the Overlord—the loss of Garmadon felt like the ultimate, crushing defeat. The Overlord had become truly invincible.
With a dark, booming, and sarcastic laugh, the Crystal King raised his shadowy fist. A blast of pure, crystalline energy erupted from his hand, striking Lloyd directly. The Green Ninja, severely injured and unable to fight back, was thrown violently over the cliff of the floating Oni island, screaming in pain as he plummeted directly into the abyss towards the ruined city below.
Harumi stood frozen, watching the horror unfold. The words about the Great Devourer still echoed fiercely inside her mind. The shattering truth that the Overlord was the real monster responsible for destroying her life and killing her parents had paralyzed her. She had been too terrified to react in front of the King.
But seeing Lloyd getting thrown off the edge broke something inside her.
"NOOOOO!"
Her desperate scream tore through the battlefield. Without a single second thought, turned and bolted towards the edge of the cliff. She dove straight into the open air after him, stretching her arm out frantically to catch Lloyd as they both fell towards the shattered streets.
Behind her, the Overlord’s eyes flashed with pure fury.
"Ungrateful mortal..." he roared, with his voice shaking the skies.
The Crystal King now turned his attention entirely towards the central crystal. He began channeling and gathering all his dark energy into its core, preparing a final strike that would wipe out the last remaining traces of light from the face of Ninjago.
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The fall was violent, choked with thick smoke and sharp shards of shattered crystal. Harumi, utilizing every single skill she had perfected during her time as The Quiet One, somehow managed to break her fall. The impact sent a jolt of agony through her entire body, but she didn't care. She dragged herself across the scorching asphalt, her eyes frantically searching the area.
"LLOYD!"
A few meters away, Lloyd lay completely still. His green gi was torn to shreds, covered in heavy dust and blood.
Harumi ran and dropped to her knees right beside him. Her face went pale, filled with sheer desperation and dread.
"Lloyd! Lloyd, can you hear me?" she cried out, grabbing his shoulders, shaking him gently.
"Please, talk to me... Tell me you're okay! Lloyd!" pleaded loudly, her voice cracking.
The Green Ninja did not move. His eyes remained shut. His breathing was so incredibly weak that it was barely visible.
Panic seized her. Harumi tried to lift his heavy, unconscious body into her arms to move him away from danger, but he was dead weight. Gritting her teeth through her own physical pain, she began to drag him by herself, moving towards the sounds of the ongoing battle.
As she neared the main avenue of Ninjago City, the situation became clear. The Ninjas, heavily aided by their allies who had rushed in from every corner, were finishing off the remaining remnants of her Vengestone army.
In the center of the street, the battle was already decided. The entire Council of the Crystal King was sitting defeated on the asphalt, locked tightly in Vengestone handcuffs. Aspheera, Pythor, the Skull Sorcerer, and the Mechanic were surrounded by the Shintaro army and 2 Shintaran Ridgebacks. Mister F wasn't among them. Standing guard right beside were Killow and Ultra Violet, inside their giant mechs.
Harumi moved herself out from the shadows of the collapsed buildings, still pulling Lloyd’s limp body.
"Help!'' she screamed, ''Please, help him!"
Harumi’s voice cracked as she stumbled into the open view of the avenue. The Ninjas turned abruptly at the sound. The moment Nya, Kai, and Zane saw the former Jade Princess, their bodies tensed up instantly. Their elemental powers flared in their hands, ready to strike down the girl who had broken their trust so profoundly before.
However, their fury instantly turned into pure shock when they realized who she was holding.
"Get away from him! Back the fuck off NOW!" Nya screamed hysterically, rushing with all her speed towards them, her eyes wide with terror for Lloyd.
Harumi didn't fight back. With trembling hands, Jade carefully left Lloyd’s heavy, injured body on the asphalt. She took a couple of steps back, raising her hands up and showing she was surrendering.
Instantly, the Ninjas swarmed around Lloyd to take care of him. Zane immediately began scanning his weak vital signs, while Kai and Nya did everything they could to stabilize his breathing, desperately calling out his name.
Right behind the group of Ninjas, Queen Vania walked forward. She gave a curt nod to the Shintaro soldiers. Two of them stepped up, grabbed Harumi’s arms, and handcuffed her behind her back tightly with Vengestone cuffs. Harumi didn't resist at all. She didn't even look at the guards or flinch as the handcuffs clamped hard around her wrists. Her tear-filled eyes remained glued to Lloyd, staring in silence as the Ninjas frantically took care of him.
Nya lifted her head, face completely soaked in tears of anger and pain. She stared directly at Harumi and screamed with all the strength in her lungs:
"WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?!" Nya cried, her voice breaking. Jay immediately rushed to her side, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly.
"Calm, Nya... please, just calm down" he whispered, trying to soothe her panic.
Right beside them, Zane took care of Lloyd, utilizing his scanners to define the kind of his injuries. Cole was right there helping him, holding Lloyd's body steady on the asphalt. Kai, unable to contain his fury at the sight of his brother in such a state, turned towards the Shintaro army and yelled at the top of his lungs:
"Take her the fuck away from here!"
The guards hesitated for a second, looking back at Queen Vania. She gave them another firm nod, and they immediately moved. Grabbing Harumi by her shoulders, they began taking her away from the Ninjas. Harumi did not say a word as they flew her towards the rest of the captured Crystal Council sitting on the asphalt.
The guards pushed Harumi down onto the rough, dusty asphalt, forcing her to sit with the rest of the captured villains.
Harumi slowly lifted her head. A few meters away, she saw Ultra Violet standing inside her giant mech watching after her. Harumi looked in the eyes of her former companion from the Sons of Garmadon. But Ultra Violet quickly turned her view away, refusing to make eye contact.
She lowered her head, sitting next to the other Crystal Council members, who were all handcuffed with Vengestone cuffs just like her, surrounded by the Shintaro army.
"Look who joined us!" Vangelis said sarcastically. The Skull Sorcerer scoffed, his chains rattling as he shifted slightly on the asphalt. The eyes of the entire Council were fixed on her, filled with pure hatred and contempt for the one who had led them into battle, only to abandon their King at the very end.
Aspheera’s hissing voice was heard piercing the sky.
''Traitor!''—her gaze full of hatred—''You promised us REVENGE! You promised us that we would conquer Ninjago! Look where we are now!''
The Mechanic was heard from behind, ''Because of you, we are going to rot in a shithole for the rest of our lives, if they don't execute us on the spot!''
"I-I am sorry'', Harumi stammered, lowering her head. ''I should have realized who the Crystal King really was. He is a monster, pure evilness, a... a devil. He doesn't care about anyone, not even us. He only cares about destruction!''
She lowered her head even further, covering her face with her long, white hair.
''I'm sorry for everything, for dragging you all into this mess. I-I am extremely sorry...''
Her bound hands started shaking behind her back.
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Up in the sky, the Overlord continued gathering all his power into the central crystal, making the entire atmosphere crackle with dark electricity. Down on the asphalt, Pythor let out a mocking, hissed chuckle.
"And why, pray tell, did you save that little green bastard?" he asked, his long neck twisting as he sneered at her. "We all saw you bring him to his colorful friends!"
Harumi lifted her head, her voice trembling but full of absolute certainty.
"B-Because he was going to sacrifice himself for us all," she replied passionately. "He wanted to save everyone. He is a hero... and he is the only hope of Ninjago. I-I thought he was responsible for the Great Devourer, but I was wrong". She took a deep breath at the last sentence.
Pythor suddenly burst out laughing hysterically, his loud, snake cackle echoing across the avenue.
"Oh, yes! Good ol' times! The Great Devourer... a fond memory, and a brilliant plan!" he hissed, shaking his tail with pure malice. "The Serpentines would have ruled Ninjago if that little stupid boy, Lloyd, hadn't switched sides. Sad that he did, or we would have won..."
Harumi froze. The blood in her veins turned ice-cold. She snapped her head towards him, her face twisting into absolute shock. She never actually thought about why Lloyd, who unleashed the Serpentine tribes, fought side by side with the Ninjas against the creature he had brought.
"W-What...?" she choked out, her voice dropping into a horrified whisper. "But... wasn't he the one who freed the tribes?"
Pythor continued laughing hysterically, his long body shaking with wicked satisfaction. "Of course that stupid child did!" he hissed with pure contempt. "But not alone, of course! He couldn't even steal some candies back then! So, who was the mastermind? ME and only me! The closest to ever taking over the city—after Garmadon, of course. Glad that now this bitch is dead, as I heard from his voice-cracks! Thanks for bringing back THE memories, Quiet One!"
Those words broke something permanently inside Harumi. The devastating truth that Pythor was the mastermind behind the Great Devourer's release—the monster who truly destroyed her life and took her parents—filled her with an unforgiving, murderous mania. With a violent, sudden movement, despite the tightly cuffed hands, Harumi sprang to her feet, roaring.
"I WILL KILL YOU!" she screamed, her voice losing all human resemblance.
She lunged directly at him with blind hatred. Before the Anacondrai could react, Harumi raised her foot and stomped with all her strength, pinning his throat to the asphalt.
Pythor instantly choked, his eyes bulging out as he gasped for air. He couldn't breathe.
"H... H... Help!" squeaked as he terrified stared up at the insane and crazed look in Harumi’s eyes.
''You destroyed my life! I lost everything, all because of YOU!"—she yelled, pressing her foot down even harder on his windpipe—"You will die right here, right now!"
Harumi continued, adding all the strength she had left, pressing her foot down hard on Pythor's throat. Her face was twisted with pure vengeance.
Meanwhile, Killow, watching the entire scene from inside his mech, looked in doubt of what to do. He hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to protect Pythor or let his former leader take her revenge. Realizing that the situation was getting out of control, he opened his comms and called Pixal for help.
"Ninja! We need assistance over here, now! The Quiet One has completely lost it!''
Pixal and Skylor, who were nearby securing the perimeter, rushed in immediately. Skylor, with her lightning-fast reflexes, stopped Harumi. She grabbed her by the cuffs and pulled her back with force, forcing her down to her knees on the cold asphalt.
With that sharp movement, Harumi's foot finally freed Pythor's throat. The Anacondrai collapsed onto his side, coughing violently and desperately trying to get air back into his lungs. Pixal knelt down next to him right away, helping Pythor to breathe and taking care of his damaged throat to make sure his airway was clear.
Harumi, now kneeling beneath Skylor, had tears streaming down her face. Her breathing was dangerously shallow and fast as she stared at the snake.
"He will... He has to pay!" she sobbed, her voice cracking with a mix of hatred and absolute sorrow.
Skylor kept her grip unyielding, pinning Harumi's arms down, but her voice was calm and steady:
"All of you will anyway spend the rest of your days in Kryptarium, in solitary confinement," Chen said, looking around at the defeated Council. "There is no need to kill each other here right now."
Harumi, weeping quietly, was helped by Skylor to get up. Her entire body was shaking with uncontrollable tremors.
"I want... I need to speak to Lloyd," Harumi choked out, her voice breaking into a desperate plea. "P-Please, let me see him..."
Skylor looked her straight in the eyes with a stern, expressionless face.
"No chance," Skylor replied flatly. "There is absolutely no way."
Without wasting any time, Skylor passed her over to the Shintaro guards who had rushed to the scene.
"Move her from here. Now," Chen told them. "Take her away from the others and keep under strict watch. She is dangerous, at this point primarily to herself."
The soldiers gripped Harumi by her arms and began taking her away. She didn't resist at all, but her eyes remained glued right behind her, trying to catch a glimpse of the Green Ninja, who lay unconscious some meters away with the Ninjas still around him, before the armor of the Shintarians completely blocked her view.
Skylor turned her back and walked quickly towards Pixal. She knelt down next to her to help take care of Pythor, who was still gasping for air on the asphalt, clutching his bruised throat after she freed his wrists from the handcuffs.