A/n: Hello, everyone! This is my new story; The Magician's Grave. It's kind an alternate version of Day of the Departed. However, Hurumi is in this one, and she's good. Also, Cole is still a ghost, Hutchins and the royal family are alive, and PIXAL is Samurai X. If you've read my other story; Our Little Past, Code will not be in this one. Also, Cryptor and PIXAL are still practically siblings, but Cryptor is evil. Here we go.
Disclaimer: I don't own Ninjago.
Day of the Departed was coming up, and Lloyd had been invited to a dinner party at his girlfriend, Hurumi's palace. He had no idea what to wear, and the dinner would be that night. He was running through the Bounty, trying things on, looking in the mirror, and then throwing them on the floor to try something else.
"I have nothing to where!" Lloyd screamed when he got on the deck, where everyone else was waiting.
"Funny; most of the time, I'm the one saying that." Nya said.
"Right?" Skylar laughed.
"Perhaps, if you are having trouble, we could assist you?" PIXAL suggested.
Skylar and PIXAL were staying on the Bounty with them for the holidays and, like Nya, Lloyd thought of them as sisters. Not only did they boss him around, but they looked out for him, too.
"Really?" Lloyd asked, "You'd do that?"
"Of course." Nya told him. The girls took him downstairs, and after fifteen minutes, they'd found him the perfect outfit. Lloyd was wearing a black tuxedo with a green tie and a clover flower in his pocket.
He looked ready to dine with royalty.
"Thank you." Lloyd smiled.
"Of course." PIXAL said, "We are happy to help."
"Wow, you did a great job, you even managed to fix his hair." Kai said when he saw Lloyd.
"Thanks." Nya replied.
Lloyd could not have been more nervous when he approached the palace. What if he made a fool of himself in front of Rumi and her family? What if her parents didn't approve of him?
Lloyd shook those thoughts off. He shouldn't worry, it would be great. Just like Hurumi had said. He took a deep breath as the guards opened the doors to the dining room.
"Introducing Lloyd Garmadon, the green ninja!" One guard said. Hurumi and her parents were already seated at the giant dinner table when Lloyd came over. He bowed to each of them.
"Your Majesty." He said.
"It's wonderful to see you again." The Empress told him.
"Hi, Lloyd." Rumi smiled as Lloyd sat down next to her.
"Hey." Lloyd said, kissing her on the cheek.
They talked for a few minutes, before Lloyd finally noticed that a TV was playing the local news at the head of the table.
"…Sadly, Cyrus Borg has not been heard from in the last week. The Commissioner was in charge of investigation, but has now also disappeared. Police suspect it was a kidnapping. And, in other news, The Magician has struck again, killing yet another young girl. Riana Christine, a sixteen year old girl in Ninjago City, was taken earlier today. A few hours ago, her body was found on a boulder in the woods just a few miles from her house, with a single stab wound." Gale Gossip said.
"The Magician? Who's that?" Lloyd asked.
"Oh, he's a new criminal in the city. He kidnaps people for an unknown reasons, but always kills them less than ten hours later, and leaves their body on a large rock near their home." Rumi explained, "But, I suspect he's the one that took Cyrus Borg and the Commissioner. He might've even taken Ronin and Dareth last month. But they haven't been found dead on any rocks yet."
"So, shouldn't he be called The Boulder or something?" Lloyd asked.
"No. They call him The Magician because he's been seen on several security feeds, grabbing poor girls and somehow putting them in a trance-like state so they won't fight him. You can tell it's a trance because their eyes turn blood red. Then, he just makes them both disappear. Himself and the girl." The Empress said, "He reappears later near a large rock, and leaves her body there."
"That's horrible!" Lloyd exclaimed, "How long has it been going on?"
"About two months now." The Emperor explained.
"I promise you, my ninja and I will find this Magician and put him behind bars, magic or not." Lloyd said.
"Thank you." Rumi sighed, and Lloyd could tell this was really worrying her. Suddenly, a picture of Riana Christine appeared on the TV, and Lloyd was horrified.
She looked exactly like Hurumi. She had the same white-blonde hair, dark eyes, and sparkling smile. Her name even sounded similar. Rumi and Riana. Was The Magician trying to find his girlfriend? Not wanting to worry Rumi or her parents if it was nothing, Lloyd didn't bring it up. They ate the rest of their dinner in silence, listening to Gale Gossip explain the rest of the news.
When they were done, Hurumi walked Lloyd to the door. However, just before getting in his car, he stopped, remembering Riana Christine's picture.
"Um, Rumi?" Lloyd asked.
"Yes, Lloyd?" Rumi said sweetly.
"Can you do something for me?" He inquired.
"That depends; what do I need to do?" Rumi asked.
"Can you get some extra security on the castle? Just until The Magician is captured." Lloyd said.
"Sure." Rumi replied, "But why? He hasn't ever come in this area."
"I know." Lloyd said, "But, it's just…Never mind."
"What?" Rumi asked.
"That girl; Riana Christine." Lloyd said, "She looked just like you."
"So?" Rumi asked.
"What if The Magician targets you next?" Lloyd asked.
"Why would he do that?" Rumi inquired.
"Well, as a ninja, I make a lot of enemies. This Magician could be going after you, in order to hurt me." Lloyd explained, and Rumi was touched that he cared.
"Alright." She said, "I'm sure it's fine, but I'll do it to make you feel better."
"Great." Lloyd smiled and got in his car.
As he drove off, Rumi noticed an odd chill to the air. A ghostly chill. Like the one she felt when she was around Cole. She shook it off, thinking it must have been nothing. She went back into the palace, and checked her watch. It wasn't time for her to give food to the poor yet, and truthfully, Lloyd had scared her a little with the talk about Riana Christine.
Maybe if Hurumi did a little more research on the Magician and his victims, she would see that it was just a coincidence. She went to her room, and spent almost two hours on her computer, trying to find any information about him that she could.
When Rumi got done, she was even more terrified than when she'd began. Every single one of the Magician's victims looked like her. The ones that were dead, at least. How had she not noticed before, every time she saw them on the news? There was no evidence that he tortured them, but he still didn't let them live for more than ten hours. What if Lloyd was right? What if she WAS next? She couldn't go out tonight. It wouldn't be safe.
No. Those people were counting on her. She had to. After all, she had no way of knowing whether she was being targeted or not. Rumi gathered her food in a bag, and threw on her green hood. Just in case, she wouldn't stay out for more than an hour.
Hurumi left the palace, and went to the closest neighborhood. She spent a half hour handing out food, before she finally started to feel safer and took off her hood. She knew the citizens wouldn't tell anyone about her, because they so heavily relied on her visits.
Hurumi now had fifteen minutes left, and wanted to make the most of it. She decided to feed the elderly, as well as the children. However, just like the kids, they were grateful for what they were given. Just before her hour was up, Rumi saw an old man sitting in a rocking chair.
He was wearing a black hood, and Rumi couldn't see his face. Nonetheless, he looked hungry. She walked over, and handed him a banana.
"From me to you." Rumi said.
"Thank you, Princess." The man said in a raspy voice. Rumi nodded, and turned to walk away. However, the man spoke again. "Might I request one more thing?" He asked.
"What is it?" Rumi asked, putting a comforting hand on his.
"You!" The man said, grabbing her wrist and throwing off his hood. Rumi instantly recognized who he was.
"W-What?!" she stuttered, "You're The Magician?!"
"Indeed." The man said, pulling a vial out of his pocket. The vial contained a red liquid, and Rumi knew what it was.
"No! Please!" She shouted, but it was too late. The man had already opened the vial, and the liquid was floating up into the air, wafting into her nostrils. Rumi could feel the will to fight leaving her body. She no longer wanted to resist him; She was too tired. She wanted to give up, and go to sleep.
The Magician watched her eyes turn the familiar shade of red before taking out a leaf of Traveler's Tea he'd stolen from Mistake.
"Oh, the others will be very happy to see you, my dear." He laughed, "You will make a wonderful addition to our graveyard."
With that, he dropped the leaf on the ground and took Hurumi through the portal.
A/n: How was it? Who is The Magician, and what does he want with Hurumi? We'll find out soon!
