Thanks to floydgarmadork on Tumblr for giving me another angst idea based off of the song Gold by Imagine Dragons and the story of King Midas
WARNING: Not to spoil anything but character death and uh, Lloyd wanting to die a whole lot
Lloyd Garmadon would often have dreams about the color gold, either he had a dragon made of golden energy, or he, himself, was made of gold. Other times, it's both of those things and he's fighting some giant dragon or an entity who calls itself the Overlord. He would always wonder why though, an alternate dimension where he fights something other than his father and his excuse of an army, that's a bit peculiar.
Perhaps it's because he bears the color gold in his eyes.
Lloyd's eyes used to be green. Most doctors thought that it was due to an underlying disease, others thought that it was because of his father, Lord Garmadon, then some just pitied him. Going on from the disease, Lloyd had been feeling sick lately, sick of the color green, sick of people, sick of himself, sick of his weak heart. Lloyd isolated himself every day, he avoided talking. It could be a disease, to be antisocial and ignoring everything but yourself. No one knew at this point.
When he and his mother, Koko, went to see the doctors that talked about such a disease, they referred to King Midas, a Greek Myth. King Midas loved gold so much, that he was granted a wish to turn everything he touched into gold. They laughed and joked and called it the Midas Disease because not only was his eyes gold, but there was gold running through his bloodstream that glowed from time to time. One even called it contagious.
"Is it deadly?" Koko had asked the doctor who called it contagious one day. The doctor only burst out in laughter and wiped a tear from her eye once Koko gave her a look. "What about this is so funny?"
"Nothing, nothing," The doctor then checked her clipboard and then looked to Lloyd, who was busy staring at the ground. "We're still learning of this Midas Disease, as so it is called. I'm not sure of the results from the test we've run, it has yet to be seen as-"
"That's not what I asked," Koko's lowered her voice to a whisper. "Is it going to harm my son,"
Lloyd wasn't sure of what happened next, he was stuck on the idea that he was contagious and possibly deadly. Lloyd never dared to get close to others anymore in fear that he might accidentally kill them. When was the last he's hugged his mother? Lloyd wore gloves, coats, long pants, sunglasses, anything that could cover him like Medusa, another Greek Myth. It hurt, it really did.
Walking to school instead of taking the bus had become a hassle, people often stared at him, wondering why a teenager like himーas if there were any who wore what he did. Lloyd looked away, distraught that if he touched anything, they'd be nothing but gold. But he kept walking, past his apartment, his school, his friends, everyone and anyone. He had no idea where he was going but it was there.
Lloyd just needed to think, just needed to think, just needed to think, just needed to think, just needed to think-
All he could think about is the color gold and could only wonder what symbol it meant. There were many things that gold could be and yet Lloyd could never bring himself to ask why. Right now, his legs hurt and felt stiff as he reached his destination, the beach. Lloyd wished that he could feel what the sand felt like when it was damp, or the water, or feel the cool beach air. There was no river that could ever wash the gold from his hands.
Sitting down by the pier, Lloyd let himself rest and took off his sunglasses. He'd been crying golden tears. His heart hurt, his head hurt, his body hurt. The world was a whole lot of hurt, and if there really were an alternate version of the Green Ninja, then he was hurting and it was projected onto him. Lloyd saw himself fighting an army of ghosts and possessed by one who wanted his power, he saw himself being trapped on an island by a madman who wanted his power, fighting against another version of his father who wanted him dead. Midas Disease made him see in only gold.
Lloyd's phone buzzed, he forgot to turn it off.
[Fiyaah]: bro, where are u? you've never missed school
Lloyd almost didn't want to text back.
[Me]: Sorry. I'm not feeling well.
That was the partial truth.
[Fiyaah]: that's a lie and u know it
[Fiyaah]: r u still thinking about your eyes again?
[Me]: Yeah.
[Fiyaah]: bro it's ok to feel insecure about it
Lloyd's veins glowed faintly, no, it was not okay to feel insecure about it. In fact, he hated feeling things, anything, everything. Was he even human? Probably not!
"Hello young man," Said a voice from behind. "I can't help but to wonder, was it you that had caused a trail of gold?"
Lloyd fumbled for his sunglasses but released his tension once he decided to not put them on. Turning around to face whoever was talking to him, the voice gasped. Shock or fear, either one was fine.
"Young Lloyd Garmadon," The voice came from an old woman, grayed hair and wore a hat of bamboo. Lloyd immediately recognized her. "Fancy seeing you here."
"I wish, Mystake," Lloyd looked away, watching the waves rise and fall on the beach. "All I can see is gold,"
"Still having dreams about that again?" Mystake sat down on the pier with him, she too, stared off into the distance.
"They say it's a part of the Midas Disease," Lloyd's eyes let out another rush of gold tears. "I don't even know if it's going to kill me or not, they laugh it off as a joke."
Mystake looked at the golden trail behind her, it started once Lloyd had walked past Ninjago's tourist trap. It came from Lloyd's uncovered hands, radiated like the sun, fell in a liquid-like state. The gold-eyed boy truly had the Midas Touch. Mystake watched as Lloyd ran his hand his across the base of the pier, leaving marks around it that swirled around in graceful patterns.
"My mom and I tried seeing doctors that tried to help me, even after getting 'treatment', it still pains me,"
"This is something that cannot be fixed, King Midas," Mystake said. Before Lloyd could say anything, Mystake continued. "You will continue to feel this way, forever, perhaps."
"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" Lloyd scoffed.
"Not particularly, I just wanted to make sure that you aware of your situation." Mystake hummed.
"Gee thanks, I guess I'm dying then,"
Mystake said nothing for a short while as Lloyd spilled onto the water nothing but gold.
Lloyd flexed his fingers before putting his gloves back on.
"Are you not going to school?" The old woman suggested. Lloyd shook his head.
"I'd rather die," Putting back on his sunglasses, Lloyd stood up. "Why bother when I avoid everyone? I don't even look at them as much as I should anymore."
"Maybe you aren't trying hard enough, Lloyd," Mystake stood up as well. Lloyd took notice that she was holding a basket.
"You're really killing me here, Mystake." Lloyd glared.
"I'm just speaking the truth, Young Garmadon." Mystake shrugged and left.
Lloyd was back to thinking again when he looked over the pier, gold was puddled at his foot, onlookers gave him pitying looks. Lloyd was tempted to take off his sunglasses again but put his hands down in frustration. Checking his phone, it was already past eight, he'd been out here for an hour, his messages were blown up from his friends and his mother.
[Mom]: Lloyd, where are you? Kai texted me and said that you weren't at school, is everything alright?
[Fiyaah]: texted ur mom, she's worried for you, bro
[Motor-Spider]: Hey, are you coming to school?
[SpacezOut(Jay)]: The whole school's in a panic because you aren't here, you okay?
[Coal]: dude, we miss you, what's up?
[Not a Robot]: As a normal human teenager, I am concerned for your well-being :(
There was even a missed call from his uncle, Wu.
It was nice of them to all check up on him. It was nice of the citizens of Ninjago to pay no attention. It was nice of Mystake to show up and make cryptic comments. It was nice of his father to plan a possible attack. It was nice of himself to have those horrid dreams.
And what was it all for? To torment him? To taunt him? To mock him? To kill him from the inside out? Because it was surely working well.
Lloyd looked to the sky, he still had time to disappear, somewhere out of the city. He'd be alone, just him and whatever disease he's contracted. Lloyd would let it do whatever it wanted, hurt him, drown him, tear out his insides slowly. Heck, he'd even be fine if it erased him from existence.
Lloyd's jaw hurt when he took another step across the crosswalk to the sidewalk. Who could he even trust anymore when he had been the one to lie in the first place? Questions, questions, ruined him. Who could he even trust when he didn't even trust himself? He was dying to feel again.
With every step he took, Lloyd was sure that he was leaving another trail with his tears because the townsfolk are staring at him and quickly looking away as if he'd turn them into statues. They made him a clearance as he walked. They wanted him to do something, anything worth getting judged for. Anything to oppress him. He didn't even have a choice.
King Midas learned that he didn't need gold to feel happy, his curse got lifted, Lloyd's did not.
He realized that he was standing in the middle of the street in Central Ninjago, cars honked at him while others went around. When did he get there? How did he get there? It was amazing on how long he could think and get completely lost in his thoughts.
"Hey, kid! Get out the road!"
"Do you want to get ran over!? There's the sidewalk right there!"
"What are you deaf!? Move!"
"I'm this close to hitting you!"
"I suggest that you get out the road before you get hurt, kid." A hand fell on his shoulder and Lloyd jumped, his sunglasses fell off. Spinning around, the person connected to the hand screamed just as Lloyd did. An officer of the law was frozen.
"He's freak!"
"He just murdered him out of cold blood!"
"I told you that his disease was contagious!"
But he wasn't dead. His pupils were gold, they looked like Lloyd's, but just dull of their color. Lloyd could only stare when the man bowed in front of him. Lloyd eyed his sunglasses and the man picked it up.
"I believe these are yours," He said and handed them to him, all while smiling like he wasn't talking to the son of Lord Garmadon.
"Please leave me alone," Lloyd whispered under his breath.
"Of course, my king," The man just bowed again and turned on his heel, leaving Lloyd to ponder. That never happened before.
Lloyd's knees felt weak and he leaned against the object closest to him, a honking car. There was a scream from the driver's who car turned into gold. Lloyd yanked his hand away, it was getting stronger and he couldn't stop it. He didn't feel it leaving his body, he just couldn't. The pangs in his chest hurt.
Truly seeing gold was a curse and it was deadly. Focusing on one thing did not help. Lloyd needed to disappear, he needed to disappear, he needed to disappear, he needed to disappear-
Lloyd stepped out into the street again and removed his shields for one last time. Cars passed back and forth and Lloyd hoped at least one of them would hit him. They didn't. They avoided him like the plague he was.
There was a truck, coming at full speed, unable to make a turn. So Lloyd just stood. It didn't hit him. Instead, it merely missed him and flipped over as soon as it came into contact. The chaos in front and behind him proved to be a chain reaction of bad luck. He couldn't seem to die.
The Green Ninja cried as he felt so horrible. His death was closer than it appeared yet it was so far away. And Lloyd craved for it so much, just as men craved for the touch of gold.
Lloyd caught glimpses of his other self again, shouting unknown words out of a spellbook and opening a portal, captured in a cage surrounded by ancient tribes that called themselves the Serpentine, fighting the ghost who overtook his body, thrown down by a monster who he used to call his father, betrayed by a girl he loved, hurt and survived through several near-death experiences.
Lloyd stood like a deer in headlights another truck neared him and did he ever hope more that it made him disappear.
It seemed that if the color gold brought misfortune to those who were cursed with its power.
Lloyd was just the unlucky bearer.
He took King Midas' touch with him.
"Gold makes monsters of men."~Erin Bowman
"Gold opens all locks, no lock will hold against the power of gold."~George Herbert
"If a man has gold, he lives with the terror that someone will take it away from him, so he builds walls around it. Then everyone knows where the gold is, so they come and take it. That's the way it always goes, brother. Fools and gold, together."~Conn Iggulden
"Gold's father is dirt, yet it regards itself as noble."~Yiddish Proverb.