AN: Hope you like the new chapter.

Lego owns Ninjago


"Well, well, well, it seems the Traitor can still follow orders. You have made your father proud, Revon. I may even consider letting you re-join Wydeath clan!" The huge oni boomed, chuckling at a private joke. His voice took on a darker tone as he looked down at the golden-eyed boy under his claw. "now, lets see what you brought us. I'm sure the Queen will love this new weapon."

...

Akemi's cheeks flushed with indignation and frustration as he was marched towards the centre of Oni territory. He'd been locked in chains made of a strange metal he didn't recognise, and was being forced to march in the middle of the patrol. The Oni soldiers surrounded him on all sides, with the huge oni at the front, and Revon trailing at the back.

The sting of his father's betrayal was fading, leaving a flame of anger. The more he thought about it, the clearer his stupidity became. Of course Revon betrayed him, that's what Oni do! Akemi had been foolish to ever believe that his father actually cared. Mother was my only ally. I'm truly alone now.

They'd been marching across the rocky wasteland since just before dawn. Akemi's feet, still sore from yesterday, screamed in protest. The boy wanted nothing more than to lay on the ground and sleep, but the oni that held his chains didn't let him even stand still for one second.

Just as Akemi thought that the rocky, grey landscape would go on forever, they reached the crest of a small hill. Looking over, the boy saw that the hills slopped down on all sides, towards a massive circle of dry grassland. The grassland, long bleached yellow by the sun, stretched as far as Akemi could see. If he strained his eyes, he could just make out the ridge of the rocks on the other side of the basin.

The whole view was impressive, but the part that really caught his eye was the structures in the middle of the grassland. Stood in the noon sunlight, were four huge hills of rock. They all stood at different heights, with the largest towering higher than most dragons could fly. Unlike normal hills or mountains, these structures seemed to be made of millions of identical rectangles of rock, stacked on top of each other to form the pyramid structures. It was a truly impressive display of architecture.

"Quit staring. Keep moving!" barked out one of the guards, tugging sharply at Akemi's chains. The boy huffed in anger, but followed along without further protest.

The group made their way down into the basin, with the occasional slip or bruised knee. Akemi discovered that climbing down a steep slope of rock was made ten times harder without the ability to use his arms. Tied in the chains as they were, they were more of a hindrance than a help. After his sixth tumble, the Oni decided to just carry him, which wounded Akemi's dignity even more.

Slung over the shoulder of one of the guards, Akemi's view of their destination was blocked. Every step the oni took caused a jolt of pain to hit the boy's stomach, making him mildly nauseous. Oni didn't smell particularly nice, and their shoulders were very bony and sharp. I'm going to either throw up or get bruises. I hope it's not both.

When the patrol finally reached the bottom of the basin, with the grassland stretching into the distance in front of them, the oni put him down. Disoriented for a few seconds by the sudden change in position and altitude, Akemi stumbled and rubbed his head. Uh, that wasn't fun.

Without giving him a second to recover, the patrol was on the move again, setting out for the distant pyramids. The guards tugged harshly on his chains, forcing him to keep up. Already exhausted by lack of sleep and the events of the last three days, Akemi found himself plodding mindlessly after them, lost in his thoughts.

The sun was still high in the sky, but was showing signs of setting. Now that he was on the grass, Akemi's feet felt much better, even if they were still bruised. Looking closely at the grass, he could see that it was dead, or close to it. Sand was mixed with the dust, rising into the air as it was disturbed by the patrol's march. Coughing on a cloud of particles, the boy tried to see how far they still had to go. He was disheartened to see that the dead landscape stretched for miles till the first pyramid.

Despite the adverse conditions, the Oni seemed to be fine with this landscape. The dust clouds caused them no grief, and the burning heat from the sun showed no sign of causing them discomfort. The same could not be said for Akemi, who was coughing and nursing a headache from the sun's heat. Dehydration was becoming a concern for him, as he couldn't remember when he last drank. His mouth was as dry as the land around him.

Revon, still trailing at the back of the group, seemed to notice the golden-eyed boy's struggles. The orange oni called out to the leader, careful to keep his voice even and passive. "Should we let the boy rest? He isn't used to these lands, and needs water."

"You dare suggest that we delay delivering this gift to the Queen!" roared the huge oni, his pale red face contorted with rage as he swung round to face Revon. Revon, to his credit, didn't even flinch.

"He will be dead before we get there if you keep him moving at this pace." Revon negotiated, trying to display the logical reasons for the rest. Akemi himself didn't really understand why his father was trying to help him, but also didn't really care. Revon added in a mock-concerned tone. "you don't want to kill the Queen's new weapon, do you?"

"Fine!" the pale red oni huffed, glaring daggers at Revon. He turned to one of the guards, roaring in their face. "give the brat some water, but not to much. We don't want him to be comfortable."

The nervous guard fumbled to untie his water skin from his cloak. Once he freed it, he threw it to the boy, unwilling to get close to the strange creature.

Akemi reached down to pick up the water skin, with difficulty. He'd never seen anything like this before, since he'd never needed to store water. Quickly realising that he needed to unscrew the top, Akemi was soon drinking the water. It was uncomfortably warm and tasted like leather, but he was so thirsty that he didn't care.

After only a few painfully small gulps, the water skin was snatched away from him. Half tempted to ask for more, Akemi grudgingly began following the patrol again as they marched on. The water had helped, but the boy still dreaded the journey they had ahead of them.

Hours past, the sun gradually sinking into the horizon. The sight of the sun setting behind the pyramids was the only highlight of the trek. Dust stung his eyes, and filled his mouth with every breath. As the day cooled, wind whipped up and tossed the sand and dust into the air, making travel even harder for the boy. At this point, he thought he'd almost be glad to reach the Oni pyramids.

When they finally reached the first, and biggest, pyramid, Akemi wanted to just sleep, but clearly that wasn't going to happen. The soldiers stood at the foot of the temple turned to the patrol, spears raised in warning. The pale red oni sneered at them.

"Take us to the Queen!" the huge oni commanded, startling the guards into pointing their weapons at him.

"State your name, clan, and business with her Majesty." one of the braver guards barked, using his spear to block the patrol's path.

"How dare you! I'm a clan leader, you can't ask me that!" the oni growled, glaring daggers at the guard. The guard didn't flinch, and Akemi felt a grudging respect for him.

"It is protocol, sir. It's to defend against intruders." the guard explained calmly, like he was speaking to a child. This only enraged the huge oni, but he seemed to think it wasn't worth it anymore.

"Raiden of Wydeath. I bring a gift for the Queen." the pale red oni snapped, pushing Akemi forward for the guard to see. The boy stumbled slightly, looking stupidly small next to the tall Oni and their temple.

"Oh, a snack?" the guard asked Raiden, peering at the golden-eyed boy, expression doubtful.

"No, a weapon." Raiden corrected harshly, pushing past the guards as they lowered their spears. The guard still looked confused, but let the patrol pass.

Up close, Akemi was once again struck by the beauty and strength of the pyramid. The huge, pale yellow marble had been perfectly shaped and stacked, making him wonder how they did it. The marble had been shined till it gleamed, shining like a moon in the fading light. Stairs were formed in the sides, leading to a small temple on top.

Akemi feared they'd have to climb it, but Raiden just lead them to a entrance at ground level. While much smaller than the other entrances, it was still immensely impressive. The door was surrounded by black marble, carved with strange drawing and sketches. As they stepped into the pyramid, the air got noticeably cooler, which was a great relief to Akemi. Walking down the wide hallway, the boy gazed in amazement at the lines of marble pillars, with gold and jewels embedded into it, forming images of Oni killing dragons or standing majestically.

Seeing even more of the strange lines of sketches, Akemi's curiosity overtook his sense to stay quiet. He turned to Revon, who was walking near him. "What are those images?"

The oni looked momentarily surprised, then quietly replied. "They're writing. It's how we communicate with future generations, and how the past talks to us."

Akemi thought that sounded interesting. He'd never heard of writing, but would definitely like to learn. Imagine being able to see what everyone used to think, or tell the future a story.

Soon, he realised the floor was slowly sloping down into the ground. The decorations on the walls got even more elaborate and expensive, and burning torches lit the way. The seriousness of his situation sunk in, making the boy regret not trying to escape before. He was about to meet the leader of the Oni, and she wasn't going to let him leave here alive.

Too soon, the hallway opened into an immense throne room. The ceiling rose into the air, decorated by elaborate carvings of the sun and the moon, both surrounding a huge snake, which seemed to be trying to eat them. The floor was polished black marble, filled with white flecks that reminded Akemi of stars. The walls were covered in scenes of battle, of oni killing thousands of dragon, except the wall behind the throne. That one was covered by a massive portrait of an oni, who he guessed was the Queen. Her purple face was made of millions of amethysts, with sharp yellow gems for her eyes. Black obsidian created her cloak, making her bright face stand out. Akemi hadn't even met the Queen yet, and he was already intimidated by her.

The throne itself was just as impressive, formed from gold and silver. Beautiful images of swords and snakes covered the back of the seat. It sat at the top of a tall podium, towering over the guards that stood at the bottom.

And, of course, on the throne sat the Queen herself. She was just as, if not more, impressive as her portrait. Her cloak was bejewelled with rubies and amethysts, and on her purple head sat a gold and platinum crown. Black pigtails of hair rose from her head, where horns normally stood on a male oni. Despite this, Akemi decided that female oni were much scarier than males.

"Your Majesty, Raiden of the Wydeath clan wishes to speak with you." a Speaker announced their entrance, bidding them entrance to the room.

Raiden stepped towards the throne, bowing deeply. He spoke in a surprisingly humble voice. "Your Majesty, my gracious queen, I bring you a gift, to smooth over the crimes of my own son, who I still denounce."

"Very well, let's see it. I don't care for idle gifts from lesser clans." the Queen scoffed, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. Raiden bowed again, and grabbed Akemi's chains sharply, dragging him forwards and placing him before the Queen.

"This is the freak of nature that resulted from my son's traitorous actions." Raiden announced to her. On seeing her displeased expression, he added. "though he is unnatural, we have found out that he holds great power. He could win us the war!"

"Hmm..." the Queen studied the boy, a hungry interest growing in her crazy yellow eyes. Akemi shrunk under her gaze, feeling like she was burning him away to reveal a weak, scared child. "he could be useful. Did you capture his mother, the dragon?"

"I regret to say that, no, we did not capture her. She was killed by the first patrol I sent." Raiden apologised, head bowed submissively. Akemi found it strange to see the proud and harsh oni submit to another.

"And this 'first patrol' didn't capture the child?" she asked, looking down on him.

"No, your Majesty. They were scared away after the freak killed one of them with a glance." Raiden explained, adding extra emphasis on Akemi's display of power. The boy hated the reminder of his most regretted action, and was now fearful that the Queen would see his potential as a weapon.

"I see..." the Queen nodded, rising from her throne to walk towards Akemi. As the Queen approached, the boy was forced to his knees by Raiden's clawed hand, till he was bowing to the oni leader. Fear sent his heart racing.

She grabbed his arm and lifted it up, inspecting the strange hands, that sat where claws would on an oni or a dragon. Queen seemed to find him disgusting, and dropped his arm like it was a snake, but a cruel smile entered her face.

"I'll take him as payment for your clan's traitorous member. This is your last chance, Wydeath clan." she told Raiden, looking at him after studying Akemi.

"Thank you, your Majesty." Raiden bowed deeply again, stepping back to join the rest of the patrol. Akemi looked back for a second, and saw his father's conflicted expression. Bit late for him to start having doubts.

"Guards, take this creature to the dungeons. Keep him locked in those chains." the Queen commanded, pointing at the boy.

Akemi felt a indignant anger rise in him. He wasn't going to be a weapon for this cruel queen! His mother told him to never fight someone else's war! He wasn't about to break that promise. This sudden anger made him act out without thinking.

Bringing his power to his hands, Akemi thought desperately about knocking the guards away. He was careful to not wish to kill them, not wanting a repeat of last time. He felt the power leave his hands in a blast, but nothing happened. Instead, he was suddenly filled with a sharp pain in his stomach. The pain brought him to his knees, gasping with shock. The chains on his hands glowed a faint gold.

"Ha, ha, ha!" the Queen laughed with sick enjoyment, aiming a sharp kick to Akemi's side after he collapsed. She spoke scornfully to the boy, a smirk on her face. "I take it you've never seen Vengestone before. Very strong and useful metal. Very good at blocking the powers of prisoners."

Akemi blinked his eyes open again, not sure when he closed them. The pain had faded, leaving him feeling weak and shaky. The guards holding his chains dragged him to his feet, marching him out of the throne room. As they entered a small door to the left of the room, he could still here the Queen's scornful laughing.

The guards led him through a maze of corridors, passing servants and maids that bustled around. Since they weren't meant for visitors, the corridors had no jewel or gold, just plain marble with the occasional tapestry.

The dungeons were even less decorated, consisting of cell made of granite with thick metal bars. They past a few other cell before they reached Akemi's, but it was too dark for him to see their inhabitants.

The guards shoved him into the cell, tying his chains to a lock on the wall. Then they left, slamming the door and locking it in one motion. Looking around his new home for the foreseeable future, Akemi felt hopelessness wash over him. The cell was furnished only by a pile of straw and a bucket, and he didn't want to think about the use of that.

Crouching in one corner, Akemi let his head rest against the cold rock. I've let my mother down. I'll be forced to fight dragons, I'll live my life in this dark, lonely cell. Why did I ever think anyone, other than my mother, would protect me? Everyone just wants my power...

Thinking he was alone in his misery, Akemi let out a soft sob of grief, wishing his mother was still here, alive and protecting him. He'd never felt more like a child, lost in this cruel world of war. So when something moved in the cell next to him, the tearful boy jumped sharply.

"Who's there?" Akemi asked nervously, hating how his voice wavered. He turned to gaze into the dark cell, straining his eyes to see the creature within.

"I'm here. And could you keep it down, your sadness is too loud? We're all sad here, but some of us are trying to sleep as well." the voice was weak from disuse, cracking as she spoke. Akemi's vision was suddenly filled with the face of a dragon. Its scales were a dull grey, not shiny like other dragons. The face was thin from long periods of hunger, and the eyes were sunken with depression. She spoke again, in a joking tone. "so, how long you in for?"


AN: Hope you liked that. Sorry it's two days late.

So, Akemi is with Oni, and we got our first look at the Queen. I hope you liked the Oni pyramids. The description was fun to write. The pyramids are a mix between Egyptian and Aztec.

I know I promised an update for 'trials of a ninja life', but life got in the way. I have lots of half finished oneshots just lying about that I need to get finished. Hopefully I'll update tomorrow.

Also, this is to Skrillinator99 or lesa90stu. Please check your private messaging inbox. If you don't know how to do that, just click on your name at the top of the screen when you're logged on to fanfiction .net. then you can talk and ask me questions that I can answer.

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Bye

Wyrenfire