Lies…Pain…Abandonment…That's the only way I can describe how I feel…Lies; I was adopted and never knew for a long time. Pain; my mother died soon after I was born. Abandonment; my father left me here and is letting Bounty Hunters come after me. Two days ago, around the middle of the night, I found out that I was half Grim Reaper also known as Prince of the Dead. I was the first Grim Reaper ever to have human blood in me. I'm being chased by Bounty Hunters from the Underworld and the only way to not get captured was to train. By who? The one and only Lord Garmadon…During one of our training sessions, I had to decide someone's fate and while doing so, I got myself a Shadow Spirit. A Shadow Spirit is a soul that will forever wander earth. But not only are they that; they are also servants to Grim Reapers. Mine, though, just so happens to be different. She's chained which means that she can only go so far away from me, other Shadow Spirits, though, are free to go as far as they want. But, I don't care really…She's a nice person. It wasn't easy explaining who she was to my other teammates, because they had no idea that I'm a Grim Reaper and plus she looked like a regular human, as well.

Right now, Jane and I are running back to the Bounty, because we are being chased. We have no idea by who, yet, but they looked suspicious, considering they had leather vests and boots and were staring at us. Jane threw daggers at them, but they still kept going. You see, I wanted cake, so Jane and I went to the bakery in Ninjago City, thus making this happen. We're jumping from tree to tree and looking for the ship at the same time.

"Man…" I said, dully. "Where the heck is it?"

Every day, it seems that I lose more and more emotion. Now, I feel like some Goth kid, with the exception of rage, though. I always have this strange craving to kill someone and I realized that I am getting more and more ticked off for no freaking reason. And I think my teammates noticed it as well. I asked Sensei Wu about it and all he said was that I'm only fitting into my Grim Reaper ways. I say that's bull, but then I asked Lord G and he said the same. Of course, I wanted to use my scythe and kill the nearest person, but I held it in and punched my pillow later on.

"I want to kill someone!" I said through gritted teeth.

"Hold on, Cole…Remember what I told you: The more strain you put on yourself, the more exhausted you'll get…" Jane said.

I sighed, "I remember, Jane. Sorry."

"COLE! WATCH OUT!" She then yelled and pushed us both out of the way.

At first I was confused by her action, but then I heard a few gunshots. I panted and Jane and I were back on our trek. My body started getting more and more weak. I had no idea why, but all I knew was that I needed to get to the Bounty…And fast.

I wiped sweat off my brow. Jane noticed and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Just…a little weak…" And just like that, I collapsed.

I woke up in my room. I collapsed; I remember that much…And I'm guessing that Jane brought me here after she somehow got away from those Bounty Hunters. My head hurts, like, bad. As I struggle to force myself up into a sitting position, I feel an awful pain go through my shoulder. I gasped and grabbed it, trying to feel what was happening. Then I feel something around my shoulder…It felt like gauze…I looked down at my right shoulder and see a blood stain on the gauze.

"What…?" I asked to no one.

I pushed myself off the bed, though my legs shook the way. I felt weak. Very weak. My heart thumped hard in my chest, and I felt so tired. Using the wall as a crutch, I walked towards the living area. Jane and everyone else were in there. They looked like they were sleeping, and that's when I checked the window and noticed it was dark out. I then made a coughed that was loud and sick-sounding…I woke up everyone.

"Cole!" Nya beamed.

Kai walked up to me, "Are you okay…?"

In all truth, I had no answer. I had no idea if I was okay. I felt numb more than anything. I leaned on the wall, my back lain on top of it as I heaved. I covered my mouth with my hand as I felt something churn in my stomach. Then whatever churned in my stomach somehow rose in my throat.

"Cole?" Jane said, slowly standing up from her seat.

Sensei Wu was the first to act. He rushed me to the nearest bathroom, where I ran to the toilet and vomited. Sensei brushed back my black hair, making sure it wouldn't get in the way. I felt tears come out of my eyes as I continuously threw-up. I was soon done and I let my body fall back on the bathroom floor.

"Master Cole!" Jane yelled as she ran in the bathroom. Yes, sometimes she calls me 'Master.' "What is wrong with him?"

"It might be his wound…" Sensei said as he picked me up. "Let me examine it closely! Come!"

Being picked up once again, I was lead into Sensei Wu's room. He laid me down on his bed and slowly took off my bandage. Jane, who was right next to him, gasped. I closed my eyes. I didn't want to find out what was wrong. Sensei rubbed his mouth, not sure of what to say.

"He's been poisoned," He finally said. "When the one of the Bounty Hunter's hit him, I'm guessing the bullet was poisonous."

Jane nodded, "Probably so. I wouldn't be surprised. Is there a cure, though?"

Sensei got up and went to his bookshelf. He pulled out books upon books and read through them like lightning speed. He shoved the books that he was reading off the desk. I'm guessing that he couldn't find anything. He went out the room for a minute and called Lloyd over. Lloyd ran towards the room and looked at Sensei.

"Summon your father, Lloyd. Now, please," Sensei said in a calm, yet commanding voice.

Nodding, Lloyd took a step back and closed his eyes. He said a few words that must've been in a different language…Or possible regular English…My ears were ringing and were blocking everything else out. When Lloyd opened his eyes, they glowed a bright green that lasted for a second. Then dark smoke appeared on the ground and it soon formed Garmadon.

"Dad!" Lloyd said and pointed towards me. "Please, help him!"

Garmadon walked over by the bed I was upon and examined my wound. He touched it and it felt like a thousand knives were stabbing me in that one area. I yelped and that only made Lloyd run over by me and Jane look away.

Sensei Wu looked at his brother, "Is there a cure?"

Lord Garmadon answered as he stared at me, "There is. But it's much too dangerous to get it."

"Please, Brother," Sensei pleaded. "Where is it?"

"The woods that are filled with monstrous creatures, the woods known as Bosque de Suicidio, which means Suicide Woods, because people think that if you go in there, you are basically doing suicide. The creatures in there are very much dangerous, that not even you, nor I, can kill them without getting a broken bone. Think about your ninjas. They can get killed."

Sensei smirked at his brother, "You doubt them too much, Brother."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing…I was poisoned, then there's a cure, but you had to go through a forest filled with monsters that could even break an arm off of Sensei Wu and Lord G. That's very bad! It's almost impossible to even leave scratch on them! How can such monsters supposedly break their arms!? My goodness! And Sensei wants to send the team, with the exception of me, out and find my cure!?

"Okay, Lloyd, get your things read-" Sensei was cut off.

"You are not sending my son to these woods!" The darker brother protested.

"I am, Dad!" Lloyd said. "Cole's my friend!"

Sensei placed his hands on his hips, "If you don't feel comfortable, then you may go with them."

I never, in my life, thought I would see the Lord of the Underworld stutter so much. Then, with a simple sigh, he agreed. I felt like a burden, though. They all have to risk their lives to save me…Just then I started to coughing fit and the taste of iron filled my mouth. I leaned over the bed and, luckily, a trash can was there, so I vomited blood, basically, in the trashcan.

"Yep," Lloyd said. "We're leaving right now. I'll go get the guys."

And with that, the blonde left. Jane walked over by Sensei Wu and talked in a low voice, one that I couldn't hear. He nodded and went to a cabinet that held medical supplies. I couldn't really see what he was doing, because my eyes were getting blurry.

"Okay," Jane's voice sounded like an echo. "Everything will be fine…"

I felt a needle pierce my skin, right next to my wound and all I remember was screaming, cursing, and sobs all coming from my mouth. I remember clutching one of my eyes for some reason. It hurt like I just go stabbed by a huge knife that was on fire.

The pain soon went away and I couldn't even feel my arm anymore. I knew that the others left and it was just Jane, Sensei, Nya, and I on the Bounty. It was quiet. I didn't like it… Nya and Jane were in the room that I and Sensei were in. They said that they were back-ups or nurses. An IV was pierced into my hand and a new bandage was on. Though, the whole thing that was going through my mind was the others…I don't want them to die for me. Especially me.

Kai's POV

Once I heard that we were going on a mission to find a cure for Cole, all I could do was leave the room, put on my ninja outfit and my sword and walk out the building. I was ready for this! Cole is like a brother to me, if he dies, I would have to kill Jay. Why? I don't know, but I just feel like that's the thing to do… I was totally confused of why Lord Garmadon was with us. He told us that he would explain in the future and Lloyd convinced us to take our trust in him. Well, he convinced the others, I wouldn't trust him if we were the last people on this earth!

Earth…I wonder how Cole is doing. When Jane carried him in the ship earlier, we all panicked when we noticed his bleeding. Sensei told us to calm down and he wrapped up the wound and had let him rest. Though, when he woke up, I noticed how pale he was. I didn't like it. He had dark circles around his eyes and if I didn't know he was, I would have thought he wasn't alive.

So, now we're in Suicide Woods (boy, doesn't that send chills up your spine) to locate Cole's antidote…Jay, for once, was acting serious and wasn't getting distracted. It scared me, but he was only feeling the same way we were all feeling. Sadness. Cole was our leader and if he went away, who would be our next? Who would steal our money just to buy cake? Who would beat us at video games and arm wrestling? Cole was our friend and even though he sometimes got on our nerves, he was still there for us. We can't lose him. Not now! If he died, in a way, we would all die…

"Kai! Behind you!" Lloyd shouted.

I looked behind me and saw this wolfish looking creature. It did look like a wolf, but it had a small, tiny difference…It was on fire. My type of K-9. But it didn't look like man's best friend. In fact, I think it would be man's best murderer. Reaching out for my sword, I ran up a little bit before turning around to face the creature.

"Be careful, Kai," Garmadon said. "That's a hellhound."

I nodded and ran up towards it. I attacked with my sword and, boy, did I feel stupid. I used my sword that has the power of fire to attack a demon's dog that was already on fire. All I did, was give it power. I feel freaking stupid it's not even funny. Okay, for you guys it is, but not for me.

"Run, run, run!" I yelled as I started running back towards the guys. "Zane! A little help!"

Using his power, Zane tried his best freezing the hellhounds, but all it did was melt, turning it to water, which you would think let the flames out but it didn't. I looked at Garmadon and asked how to defeat them.

"Maybe if I…" He didn't finish his sentence fully, but he stepped up and said a few words that were unknown to me. Suddenly, a huge, dark sword appeared in his hands. He then commanded us, "Go!"

I turned around, gave him another glance, and soon picked up the pace. I ran, along with the others, until we found a safe zone…for now, at least. I panted, but I couldn't give up now. I looked at the others. Lloyd was leaning against a tree, closing his eyes for a few minutes to relax. Jay was standing on a tree, looking around to make sure nothing was following. Zane was on the ground; it looked like he was thinking…He was, actually.

"Do any of us know where the cure is? Or even look like?" Zane asked.

He had a point, "No. Lloyd?"

He shrugged, "I think the antidote is a potion…Yeah, that's what Dad said. I think he also said that it was…inside of a tree where the birds sing and the monsters are away. Dad calls it 'The Tree of Mother Nature.' So it should be something like that…"

"So, I think we should split up," Zane said.

I nodded, "I agree. But we must be careful. If you're in trouble and need help, send a flare with your power, got it?"

Everyone nodded and we went our separate ways. It was going to be tough, but we need to do this! For Cole! I started walking, well, somewhere and wondered if I was going in circles, because I kept seeing the same bush over and over again, but the background was different.

Why are you trying to save him?

I turned around on my heel and saw some type of monster. It was a huge black crow. It's eyes glowed red and it gave off a dark aura. I readied my sword and threatened the creature with it.

"Who are you? Better yet, what are you?" I asked.

I'm you.

"What?" I said, not understanding what it meant.

I'm you, Kai…You don't recognize yourself?

I furrowed my eyebrows, "I look at myself twenty times in the mirror every day and I can swear to you that I don't look like a big crow!"

Heh. You look more on the outside then what's in.

As it said that, it opened it's wings that were folded and I was taken aback. It was me. I was wearing a giant crow's skin. My eyes were glowing red and the bird's skin somehow managed to connect with my body. My body was clothed in my red ninja suit, but it was dirtied and had some holes in it. My hair grew longer and reached my shoulders.

"The heck…?"

You're seeing your future self, Kai…This is what you will look like.

I lowered my blade, "I don't believe you."

Am I, Kai?

"You asked me why I wanted to save Cole…"

Well, why? I mean, what has he done for you? The voice coming from my mouth was rough and almost demonic. He has been lying to you. In the future, he will do nothing but cause fear and chaos. He has hurt many people.

I shook my head, "Yeah right! Maybe in your future, buddy, but Cole could never do something like that."

Oh, don't act like you know him, Kai. Cole is keeping secrets from you and the rest of the team. You can't trust him. Believe me.

"Listen, I don't care if you look like me, but I can't. Cole is my friend and even if has secrets that's his privacy, not mine."

But, Kai, the secrets that he is keeping will eventually hurt someone.

I narrowed my eyes, "What do you mean…?"

My other-self smirked, He's a-

He was cut off by a flare. Then I heard someone yell, "I found it! I found it!"

As I went to see my other-self again, he was gone. I shook my head and ran towards the flare. It turns out that Jay found it. I smiled and nodded at the others. Soon, Garmadon appeared and we all left. We transported with Lord Garmadon's magic.

When we ran to the room that held Cole, I gave the antidote to Sensei Wu. I looked down and saw the wound. In all truth, I was horrified. The wound itself was disgusting, but the poison made the flesh around it purple and you can see it enter some of his veins. Sensei Wu told us to exit the room while working in Cole's wound.

But while we were waiting, I was trying to think about what the other me was trying to say…Could I even trust him? I mean, we were in woods where there were millions of creatures in that forest. So it could just be a monster trying to trick me…Then again…Cole has been acting strange lately.

After a while, we were finally able to see him again, though, it wasn't for long. He had to do his 'special' training. I asked him about it already, but he would change the subject. He would say that he has to go or something of the sort. But don't worry, I'm gonna find out what's going on…

Cole's POV

"So, you do know that I just recovered from a life-threatening wound, right?" I asked Lord Garmadon.

He nodded, "Yes. And that was because you weren't trained fully."

I groaned, "What is it now?"

"I want you to decide someone's fate again, but this person…I want you to give her a…terrible fate…I want you to give her terminal c-"

"Garmadon," I said, getting angrier. "If you finish that sentence, the only life I'll be ending is yours!"

He sighed, "But you don't understand, Cole. The more you learn this, you can use it on Grim Reapers as well. Although, it's against their rules, but then again, you're already human so…"

I bit my lip, "Who is it?"

"A little girl name Blight Andrews. You'll know the way," He said.

I looked at him, "How old?"

"…Eight…"

I clenched my fist and punched Garmadon in the face, "Garmadon! I don't want to do this!"

"You have to Cole!" He yelled. "You'll have another bullet in your shoulder again if you refuse! And this time, you'll probably die!"

I gritted my teeth, "Fine! But I decide how long she lives!"

I walked out of the Bounty and he was right. I knew the way to the little girl's house. I saw her playing and she looked as happy as can be. She was small and when I put on my glasses, it said that she was born premature. She had long strawberry blonde hair. Her eyes were a pretty green. She looked sweet and nice. But the Garmadon…That stupid Garmadon…How can I do something like this to a small child? How…?

Okay! I'm done with this chapter! The new OC, Blight Andrews, is made by Storm the Ninja. Thank you, by the way for letting me borrow your OC. I feel awesome when people want their OC in my story! Anyway, review nicely, and see you next chapter!