Lloyd saw him. A silhouette in the mist, barely visible through the dark purple clouds that hung in space; varying shades of the black and purple smoke obscuring his vision.
The silhouette was solid. The broad shoulders, the proud posture, and of course, that damn hair. It swayed gently in what little breeze there was, the wind causing the smoke to shift slightly, ruffling Lloyd's gi and sending a sudden chill up his spine.
"You outta cut that." Kai had chided him. Of course, he'd simply wave the fire ninja away dismissively, promising that he'd do it another day.
Another day.
Lloyd took a cautious step forward. He held his sword out in front of him, his entire body tense. Each step he took was like he was wading through a thick aura, like invisible hands were pushing him back, slowing him down.
"No." A whisper in his ear, and a cold, slow exhale on his nape, like someone was breathing against him. Lloyd jumped, whirling around.
No one.
Lloyd's heartbeat was rapid; he could hear it rattle and knock against his ribs, the sound thundering its way up to his skull. The voices came back, multiplying in numbers. All of them whispers, but all had a bleeding edge of urgency to them. They hissed in his ears, filling the space around him.
"Don't do it."
"You'll regret this."
"Please."
Another step forward, and the silhouette came more into view. Lloyd swallowed the lump in his throat, shining his flashlight towards the figure that stood off in the distance. The light managed to illuminate his chest, revealing the black gi, the brown sash that was tied around his waist, and, of course, the mesh shirt underneath it all.
The figure stood, stock still, not reacting to anything.
Another step forward, and it felt like Lloyd was wading through thickly packed snow. He struggled to push through, gritting his teeth tightly as he strode towards the figure.
He tilted his left hand up, shining the beam of light onto the figure's face.
He wished he didn't.
Cole's face was emotionless. His skin was paler, like the surface had been smeared with ash. There were trickles of dried blood running from the corners of his dried lips, down his chin.
His torso was bent awkwardly, at an impossible angle, like his spine had been severed in two and was dislocated from the middle. He still managed to stand somewhat upright, although looking at him made Lloyd's skin crawl.
His eyes were milk white, glazed over like frost on a windshield. However, when Lloyd looked closer, he could see the faded colour of the earth ninja's emerald eyes, barely visible from underneath the thin film of death. A faded colour of purple was on the edges of his eyes.
Another step forward. Lloyd felt like he was going to be sick.
They now stood at least three meters away from each other, and Lloyd had this horrible feeling in his gut, like he knew something bad was going to happen.
Then he realized that there was no sound. He couldn't hear the constant sound of the wind; the gentle crinkling as the breeze claimed litter scattered on the ground. There was no sound of the voices anymore, like they had melted away instantaneously. And worst of all, the green ninja couldn't hear his own breath anymore, like his ears had stopped functioning.
A pause.
"...Cole?" Lloyd asked. He knew that Cole was alive in there. He could feel it. But this wasn't Cole. It was some horrible entity, keeping him barely alive as they used the earth ninja as a vessel.
Another few agonizing seconds.
Then 'Cole' opened his mouth. There was a croaking in the back of his throat as the sounds struggled to form, and Lloyd was sure he was going to be sick.
The sound that came out wasn't very pleasant. It was a horrible drowning noise, like the earth ninja's lungs were full of fluid. Finally, after a five second waiting time, a question.
The voice wasn't Cole's. It was deep, but coarse, the sound accompanied by a multitude of whispers of other people.
"Who's Cole?" It asked.