AN: sorry for the wait. Hope you like the new chapter. Sorry it's so late, exams killed me...but at least there over!

Lego owns Ninjago

"Yeah, that's the spirit! Okay, so you need to focus on bringing all of your power into your hands. Every last drop." Okemia instructed him, while Akemi still looked sceptical. "Then try to push the power out through the chains. Hopefully, they'll heat up and explode!"

"Wait, what!?" Akemi squeaked in shock, staring at Okemia.

...

"Come on, it'll be fine. I'm sure it won't hurt that much." Okemia's words did little to reassure him, and he cast a doubtful look in reply.

"That doesn't make me anymore optimistic about this." Akemi commented in annoyance, glaring at the chains that held him here. Was it worth trying her plan? It wasn't like he had anything to lose.

"Just try it. What's the worst that could happen? Either you'll be free, or still trapped." Okemia reasoned, looking at Akemi with a smile.

"Or it could blow up in my face?" Akemi responded rhetorically, glaring at the chains. Deciding it was worth a shot, he added. "Well, here goes nothing."

Trying to ignore the grey dragon's pacing, Akemi closed his eyes, reaching for the glow of power that was ever-present in his being. Brushing against it, he felt the energy, desperate to be released, burning like a sun. It scared him, knowing this power was in him, capable of things unknown. But, at that moment, it reassured him. Only he had this power, and he could do good with it, make sure that evil never used it. And, in his current situation, it was the key to his freedom.

Pushing the power to the chains felt a lot like rolling a boulder uphill. He had to hold onto every bit, as it tried to move back to his centre. A few time, he lost his grip on the energy, and had to go back again. He had no idea what he looked like while doing this, but when he opened his eyes again, he felt like he'd just run up a steep cliff. Okemia sat in her cage, watching him silently with bright hazel eyes.

"Okay...uh...okay..." Akemi mumbled to himself as gazed at his hands, which were now glowing a faint gold. The chains felt warm on his skin, but he needed them hotter. Focusing on the vengestone, he crept the golden energy into it, heating the metal.

Gaining confidence, the half-breed wrapped even more energy around the chains, watching in fascination as the metal glowed. The water from the damp floor of the cell rose into the air around him as steam, hissing as it evaporated.

Akemi could feel the heat on his face, but it didn't burn. Common sense told him he should be in pain right now, but he found himself only feeling a mild warmth. It reminded him of his mother's scales when she would coil around him in a loving embrace.

Shaking himself out of his memories that threatened to distract him, he angrily pushed the last of the energy into the chains. The glow of the metal intensified, untill the cell was filled with golden light as bright as the sun. Eyes still open, unable to look away, Akemi saw Okemia throw her wings over her head, shielding her eyes from the flare.

Almost anti-climatically, the metal melted off his arms. The glowing, superheated chains abruptly turned from a solid to a liquid, dripping into a puddle on the floor of the cell. Steam rose from the liquefied metal as it cooled on the colder rock, hissing harshly. Stumbling clumsily back from the molten metal, Akemi blinked his eyes against the sudden lack of light. The glow had died down, and the vengestone only emitted a weak, red light.

He was free! The metal had melted right off his arms, leaving only a few bruises where he'd been tugging on the chains. Smiling almost manically, he turned to Okemia's cell. Her wings were still over her face, unaware that it was over.

"You can look now, I did it!" Akemi exclaimed happily, lifting up his arms to show the dragon as she lowered her wings.

"YES!" Okemia cheered, moving closer to his cell to see the molten vengestone on the floor, which was already starting to harden. "Can you do mine too?"

Akemi watched her twist her left foreleg around to show him the vengestone chain that rested here, keeping her locked here. He also spotted the two clamps that held her wings closed. Now that the vengestone no longer blocked his powers, Akemi merely placed his hand on the chains, opening the cuffs with a thought. The chain clattered to the ground, freeing the grey-scaled dragon. Drawing her now freed leg closer her face, a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. The scales underneath, having been protected from most of the dirt and dust, were a bright silver.

Akemi sat still, watching her take in her new freedom, but worry tugged at his mind still. They may be free of the vengestone, but both were still stuck in the cells, deep under an Oni pyramid.

"What n-" Akemi began to ask, but quickly cut himself off when footsteps echoed down the corridor of cells. Panicking, Akemi sat in front of the now cooled vengestone, hiding his hands behind his back. Hopefully, the guard wouldn't realise he was free. Okemia merely curled up in a tight ball, already glaring daggers at whoever was coming.

Just as Akemi suspected, three guards marched up to their cells, frowning at the inhabitants within. Two held sharpened spears of dragon bone, serrated as always, while the middle one was armed with a large khopesh. The oni looked at Akemi with suspicion, but did not enter his cell.

"What's going on here? We have reports of a bright light coming from your cell!" the oni armed with the khopesh glared through the bars of Akemi's cell, cyan face scowling murderously. The sight should've scared Akemi, but the boy kept his face carefully neutral. The knowledge that he was already free, and could probably beat these guards sat at the back of his mind. It was almost a struggle not to smile.

Clearly, Okemia didn't possess the same self-restraint. The grey dragon flashed her fangs at the guards, jaw parted in a smirk. A roar-like purr emitted from her throat, and it took Akemi a few seconds to realise she was laughing. The guards were a little slower on the uptake, but angrily brandished their spears at the caged dragon.

"Quiet, foul beast!" one guard barked, poking his spear through the cell bars to strike her. But, unlike other times, she didn't back down. Instead, she grabbed the spear shaft, yanking it from his grasp and snapping it in two. It was a second later that Akemi realised she'd done it with her previously chained limb.

Well, that secret lasted almost ten seconds. Deciding that Okemia's actions were the catalyst for their escape, Akemi stood up, revealing his freed hands, deliberately glowing a pale gold.

It had the desired effect of terrifying the guards, who quickly realised their situation and had no desire to fight the dragon and the boy. Taking off down the corridor, the oni raised the alarm with their shouts of panic.

Okemia laughed in a gleeful, almost manic voice, watching the guards run scared. Akemi mumbled to himself about stupid dragons blowing their cover, then opened his cell door. After a pointed look at the laughing dragon, he also opened hers.

"Did you really have to do that? We have no plan!" Akemi protested, glaring at Okemia as she stepped out of her cell. He waited for a reply, then realised she wasn't paying him any attention. Her gaze was locked on her talons, which were touching the stone floor outside her cell. "you're not even listening to me, are you?"

"Um...what?" Okemia mumbled distractedly. When she finally tore her gaze from the floor, her head snapped up to look at him. "sorry, did you say something?"

"Yeah, I did," Akemi exclaimed sarcastically, but quieted at the look on her face. It was a dazed happiness, like relief and disbelief mixed together. It struck him that this was probably the first time she'd been outside her cell in many months. Using a kinder voice, Akemi told her, "we need to get moving. Your little stunt removed our cover."

"Yeah, but it was fun!" Okemia seemed to snap back into herself, and gave Akemi a cheeky grin. The boy rolled his eyes, but smiled back at her. It was quite satisfying to watch.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Akemi started down the corridor, nervous of bumping into other guards. He may be free to use his powers, but he was still reluctant to hurt anyone with them.

So, the two headed along the corridor, past the rows of cells. Many were empty, but others held dragons of various colours and sizes. Some snarled at them as they past, while some just watched them with dead eyes. Few had the energy to plead for freedom.

On impulse, Akemi began silently opening the cages and breaking their cuffs with his powers as he past. It didn't feel right to leave them here. And, even if they didn't escape, they'd still cause the Oni lots of inconvenience. Okemia was silent about her opinion of this action, but Akemi swore he saw her smile.

As the roars of freed dragons rose behind them, the young boy and dragon emerged into a cross roads in the path. Up ahead, Akemi saw stairs leading to the surface. Starting towards them, he was surprised when Okemia's talons held him back.

"What are you doing? We need to leave." Akemi whispered harshly, staring at her in confusion. In reply, the grey dragon held him to the ground and lay her wing over him, pressing herself as far as she could into the side of the corridor.

Akemi opened his mouth again to protest, but snapped it shut when footsteps echoed down the corridor. Peeking under her wing, Akemi saw three guards march past. They didn't even spare a glance at the crouching dragon.

Once the guards had turned a corner and disappeared, Okemia stood up and took her wing off the boy. Scrambling to his feet, Akemi watched in confusion as different shades of black and grey rippled over her scales. Okemia followed his gaze and smiled.

"You can camouflage?" Akemi asked in surprise and amazement.

"Yeah, it's my creation power. I can change my scale colour." The now grey dragon admitted proudly, ruffling her wings. "It'd be more impressive if I was cleaner."

Now that both parties were satisfied no guards were coming, they headed up the stairs. The steps were carved from sandstone, and had been smoothed over time, giving little for talons to grip to, but Okemia managed. Spiralling up, the stairs appeared to go all the way to ground level. He knew hundreds of guards were probably waiting at the top to ambush them, but Akemi couldn't think of any way avoid them. This is going to hurt.

"You ready to toast them and run?" Okemia asked excitedly, looking decidedly too happy about roasting the oni alive. Akemi nodded to her, feeling dread grow in his stomach. Tension and fear ran down his spine, making him feel weak. Furious with himself for letting the Oni make him feel this way, he focused on his power. I can beat them! They shouldn't make me afraid.

Following the dragon's tail, the golden-eyed boy strained his ears to hear what was up ahead. Unlike dragons, he had no enhanced hearing, so only the clip and scrape of Okemia's claws reached his ears.

Cleaner air filled their lungs as the stairs reached their top. Okemia stiffened, talons curled and teeth bared, looking at an enemy blocked from Akemi's view. The clang and hiss of swords being drawn froze the boy's mind. The Oni army was waiting for them.

"Surrender and return to your cells, or you will be forced to!" a loud, commanding voice addressed them. Akemi squeezed through Okemia's legs to get a better view of the enemy. The stairs had opened into a large hall that Akemi had never seen before. On the opposite side of the hall, a legion of Oni soldiers blocked two huge oak doors. No other doors or windows adorned the room.

"Ha! As if." The grey dragon taunted, sounding more confident than she looked. Akemi decided he should say something, or Okemia would just make things worse.

"Let us leave, and we'll not harm you." Akemi called out to the leader of the legion, a tall, heavily armoured, white-faced oni. He tried to keep his voice steady, but it squeaked at the end. Embarrassment rose in his cheeks.

"You do not scare us, foolish child. My army will show you no mercy. Think about your next move carefully." The white-faced oni sneered, pale red eyes glowing with confidence. As if to punctuate his statement, the soldiers struck their shields against the floor, producing an echoing chant.

Akemi stood watching the legion, mind blank. He found all his courage had sunk away at the sight of the army. How can I win this without hurting anyone? Indecision kept his mouth closed and his feet still. Okemia looked at him in confusion, clearly expecting him to do something, but fear had lodged his throat.

The leader of the army smirked, signalling for his troops to charge.

Just as the legion moved forward, a roar split the air, echoing off the walls of the hall. Instinct drove Akemi and Okemia to move to one side as dragons streamed out of the stairway behind them. The freed prisoners snarled and hissed at the sight of the legion, forming into a line to face them. Not expecting to face over twenty dragons today, the soldiers stumbled to a halt. Both sides radiated hatred for the other.

Akemi instantly didn't like their chances. While the Oni legion was well fed and battle trained, the dragons were malnourished and sickly. But what made all the difference in the end was that the Oni were nervous and reluctant to fight, having heard of the half-breed's power and the ferocious dragons that were chained under the pyramid. On the other talon, the dragons were desperate and blind with fury, more than ready to fight to the death if it gave them even a chance at freedom.

Feeling very small and breakable under the flock of dragons that now stood before him, Akemi found himself leaning on Okemia's foreleg. The grey dragon looked just as scared as the boy, but smiled anyway. She looked pointedly at the oak door, lowering her neck to whisper to him.

"When this fight starts, jump on my back. We'll fly out'a here before they even notice." Okemia explained, wings held tense at her side. It sounded like a foolhardy plan, but Akemi was desperate enough to try it.

Snarls and roars filled the hall, the roof clouding with the smoke rising from the nostrils of twenty dragons. The Oni legion used their shields to form a wall against the reptiles, poking their spears through the gaps to create a line of spikes. Every creature held its breath in anticipation.

The dragons, with their blatant disregard for Oni property, started the battle by blazing the tapestries that hung in the hall. Smoke choked the air, panicking the legion and driving them to attack. The battle cry of the Oni mixed with the roars of the dragons swelled as the two sides met in the middle.

Shrinking away from the screeches and growls of the battling beasts, Akemi watched with wide eyes as dragons and oni tore at each others throats. Blood, both dark and light, dripped from the sky as dragons took their battles to the air. The smell of smoke was now mixed with the aroma of burning flesh, as dragons torched the legion.

"-emi! Akemi! Get up, now!" a strong, scaled muzzle nudged the boy in the side. He had the mild thought that such a shove should've knocked him over, before realising he was already crouching on the floor. When did that happen?

The nudge came again, and the boy shook himself out of his daze in time to clamber onto Okemia's back as she rose to dodge the tail of a much larger dragon. The boy gripped the dragon's neck, pressed against her back to stay on-board.

Tears streamed from his eyes as Okemia flew over the battle, hidden in the smoke. Smoke filled his lungs and stung his eyes, forcing him to hold his breath. Okemia seemed less effected; like most dragons, her lungs could cope with large inhalations of smoke.

Being on the smaller side, Okemia was undetected as she travelled over the legion, reaching the doors in a few seconds. Akemi felt a strange rumble coming from her neck, and a few seconds later fire blasted the oak door. Keeping up a continuous stream of flames, the dragon soon burnt a large hole in the door. Without a glance behind at the on going battle, Okemia leapt through the hole.

The first thing that struck Akemi was the clean air. After inhaling dragon smoke, the boy found himself coughing harshly to replace it with the fresh air of the desert. The second thing he noticed, was the brightness of the sun. It appeared to be mid-day, and the sun was burning the surrounding area and his skin with an unforgiving glare.

The last thing he saw, which really should've been the first, was the army waiting for them.

At almost three times the size of the first legion, the army that faced the boy and the dragon covered most of the area. Bristling with spears and archers, these soldiers didn't look ready to back down.

Okemia spread her wings, clearly intending to fly away as fast as she could, but when the army replied with a few warning arrows to the ground in front of her, she lowered them again. Akemi locked eyes with her as she looked to him meaningfully. He reluctantly nodded.

Standing perfectly still, Okemia lowered her head in mock submission. Her acting was pretty bad, no surprises there, but it tricked the army long enough for the archers to lower their bows. That's when he struck.

While the Oni had been focused on Okemia, Akemi gathered his golden energy into his hands, silently preparing to attack. Although he was reluctant to hurt the Oni, he wasn't going to be chained again. Sorry, but I'm leaving now, and you can't stop me!

Before the army realised what was about to happen, the entire legion was stripped of its weapons. The spears, swords, and bows were ripped from the soldiers' hands and tossed far into the desert. Then the soldiers found themselves face down in the dusty ground, tossed there by Akemi's power. In the confusion that followed, Okemia rose into the air.

Wings beat the air around him, ruffling his hair and clothes. Using one hand, he gripped his hat to stop it from flying away. With his other hand clinging to one of Okemia's neck spines, the boy glanced down at the army.

The Oni soldiers were scrambling for their spare weapons, while the panicked commands of their leaders filled the air. A few hurriedly shot arrows glanced past Okemia and Akemi, but none met their mark. Rising higher, they were soon out of range of the Oni.

Slightly unsteady in the air, the grey dragon quickly found a jet stream to ride. Her scales shifted to a pale blue with moving patterns of white, reflecting the sky they flew through.

As the adrenaline faded, the boy rested his head on the warm scales, watching the horizon with tired eyes. They were free, but Akemi couldn't shake the feeling that things were just getting started. As the only half-breed in the realm, life was only going to get harder.

AN: I'm so sorry. My exams finished last week, but life has been a mess. But I got this done as fast as possible. I hope it's okay.

Since it's only a few days till season 9, this fic is soon going to be an AU. I want to continue it, since I have lots of ideas for it. But things will probably veer away from cannon.

This chapter was to free Akemi and get the story moving. The next chapter will be very dramatic and I already have it planned out. The oni masks will start showing up, and the realm crystal quest will start. Hope you want to read it!

Please review and follow

Bye

Wyrenfire