Zane felt a little bad about not telling the others about his impending death. He felt bad, but they had enough worries as it was at the moment. Zane wasn't sure how much time he had left, but if he lived long enough to see this through to the end he'd tell them, and if he didn't… well, he ensured that at least one person knew what happened and could help give his brothers closure.
I hope the news did not leave my brother too distressed. Zane wasn't sure what Echo thought of the concept of death. He didn't seem to be all that saddened by their father's passing, but then again, the man had left Echo alone at the lighthouse without a second thought. He'd never even mentioned the other nindroid to Zane…
"Brother?" Echo questioned softly, brining Zane out of his musings.
"Yes, brother?" Zane looked up from the mark he was supposed to be translating to the bronze nindroid.
The other hesitates for a moment, then pulls out something cloth covered and hands it to the master of ice.
"I know you didn't want the others to know, but I told Ronin." Echo motions towards the item he'd given the other. "I asked him for help, and he already found one of the pieces."
Glancing down at the item, Zane carefully unwraps it, revealing the soft cyan glow that was so familiar to him. He feels a pull in his chest, as if it can feel a piece of itself nearby.
"Thank you, Echo." Zane says gratefully, carefully wrapping the piece back up. "Could I get your assistance in replacing it?"
Zane isn't sure if just physical closeness will be enough to fix it, but right now he feels like this is the best course of action.
"Of course." Echo seems relieved. Had he worried about Zane being mad at him? "What do I have to do?"
"First, we'll need a few tools." Zane stands up and motions for the bronze nindroid to follow him.
I am sure that, if he were here, he would be fine with me using his tools. Despite his thoughts, Zane hesitates for a moment in the doorway of Jay's lab. It had always been organized chaos to Zane, but Jay preferred it that way, always saying that he knew where everything was despite the numerous times that Zane had walked in on him searching for one part or another. Now it was all covered in a fine layer of dust…
"Brother?" Echo asks after a moment.
"Come on," Zane shakes himself free of his thoughts and steps into the room, motioning for Echo to enter as well. "we should get started."
Jay enters the next reel and finds himself looking down at his arms in wonder. The purple-black bruises were fading to a greyish hue at the edges.
"You're up already?" He looks up at the sound of his superior's voice. The man steps further into the room and quickly makes his way over. "How are you feeling? Any lingering pain?"
"No I… I feel fine." He felt great, actually. Better than he had in a long time. He never realized just how tired he always was until now.
"Are you sure? It should take at least seventy two hours for the dark fluid to fully leave your system… or, at least, that's what I've estimated."
"I told you, I'm fine." He gives his superior a small smile. "You're 'cure' worked."
"Y-yeah… well, I told you I never break a promise." The man appears taken aback, but covers it up quickly with his usual confidant smile. "Why don't you sit down, though? I need to take some samples to see how well the cure is working."
He turns to do as his superior asks and finds himself stumbling out of the memory.
Alphonse fiddles nervously with the cup of tea he'd been given. Dareth had promised that he was going to call the ninja, but that it might take some time due to them needing to talk about some business matters. That had been two hours ago. Alphonse was seriously reconsidering how useful this man actually was in finding the ninja.
I should have tried harder to get that other guy to introduce me.
"Do you think it'll take much longer?" He asks Skylor. She claimed to know the ninja personally, as well, saying that they met during the events that led up to the Anacondrai invasion.
"I'm not sure." She carefully sets her own cup aside, gets up, and heads for the door to Dareth's office. "I'll ask."
She doesn't bother knocking, she just walks right in.
Once she's gone all Alphonse has is his thoughts. Well, he had tea, but too soon it'd be gone, the heat radiating from the porcelain gone cold (like a tiny body, unresponsive in his arms). The cup hits the desk with more force then intended, causing a loud clack to ring out (such a loud explosion, his ears were left ringing).
Alphonse winces, glancing over at the door the two had disappeared behind. He had to keep it together, he couldn't have a breakdown now, here, when he was so close to… to…. Fixing? No, that word wasn't right. Fixing meant breaking.
Remember what you were told. Alphonse tells himself. Deep breaths, count down from ten…
He gets to four when the door slams open, causing him to jump and go rigid in his seat. His heart pounds in his ears and he does his best to plaster on a smile and force an awkward laugh.
"Next time warn a guy before you enter a room so dramatically."
"Sorry about that." Skylor apologizes on Dareth's behalf and gives Alphonse a worried look. "Are you feeling alright? You look a little pale."
"I'm fine." The words are so practiced he doesn't even have to think about them before they're out of his mouth. "Did you contact the ninja?"
"Yes I did!" Dareth says proudly, cutting off whatever it was Skylor was about to say. "They expect us to go meet them, of course, but what stars don't have demands?"
"What are we waiting for?" He tries to sound excited, but it comes out more reserved than he'd intended.
Dareth doesn't seem to care, as he leads the way to his car. Alphonse does his best to swallow his anxiety about what he knows is to come.
They'll all know what I've done soon enough…
Cole glared down at the recipe book on the counter. Cooking was never Cole's forte, but becoming a ghost had made it a little bit more complicated. Whenever a recipe called for water he'd have to remember to be even more cautious not to spill it or get any on him. He didn't want to have to call in one of the other's because he'd accidentally knocked the cup over, or deal with a stinging hand because he hadn't properly centered the cup under the faucet.
Still, this was one of the few chores he'd insisted that he didn't need to drop because of his status as a ghost. Not that he minded being excluded from having to wash dishes or mop the floor, but it just… He wanted to keep his routine as normal as possible outside of the mandatory changes that had to happen.
"Cole?" Nya calls from the doorway. "Dareth's going to be joining us for dinner. Apparently he met someone who has some important information, although he wouldn't say what, and for that reason he'll be bringing along two other people."
"Oh, uh, alright." The master of earth glances down at the recipe book. "I'll make sure to make enough for everyone, then."
She nods then leaves to, presumably, tell the other's the news.
Cole waits a moment in case she or someone else comes in, and then sighs. Figuring out the measurements for three extra servings wasn't going to be fun.
Maybe I'll ask Zane? The nindroid was the best cook, so no doubt he'd know the exact amount that Cole would have to add of everything. But if I ask him for help, then the others would just assume the food is good because he helped.
No, he'd figure it out himself. He'd been getting better, after all, so how hard could it really be?
Kai watched Lloyd pace back and forth from his perch on the railing of the ship. It had taken forever to convince the green ninja to leave the hospital, and he'd only agreed to leave on the condition that they call him as soon as his dad was awake. Kai understood how the other was feeling. Even with the doctors reassurances that Sensei Garmadon would be fine, until he woke up it still felt like there was a possibility of something going wrong.
"Hey." The master of fire calls out, catching the other's attention, and slipping off the railing. "Wanna spar?"
There wasn't much Kai could do to help, but at least sparring felt both productive and would help get the other's mind off of his dad for a bit. Or he hoped it would, at least.
"…Sure." Lloyd says after a moment of hesitation. "With or without weapons?"
"How aboooout…" Kai pauses, thinking it over. If they spar with weapons, even if they just used the bamboo ones, then they'd have to put on the protective gear. The master of fire didn't feel like fixing his hair after the helmet messed it up. "Without weapons?"
"Alright."
They both move towards the center of the deck, bow to each other, and then get into a fighting stance.
"Hellooooo?!" Dareth calls up at the ship. Skylor isn't sure why he expects the ninja to hear him up on the ship when they're down on the ground. "Don't they know anything about greeting guests?"
Skylor does her best not to roll her eyes at Dareth's antics. He was really a nice guy, and a loyal friend (which the ninja took for granted most of the time), but she wished he wouldn't put on airs all the time like this.
"How do they even get up there?" She hears Alphonse question softly, studying the floating ship with a keen gaze. While it sounded like he was questioning how the ninja got onto the ship in the first place, she got the feeling he was more curious about the ship itself.
"Why don't I go up and tell them we're here?" Skylor offers, heading over to the nearby building.
"That would be lovely, thanks." Dareth gives her one of his usual over the top smiles.
"Don't mention it." She assures him coolly.
It isn't hard to scale the building and jump onto the deck. When she lands, it immediately catches the attention of the two sparring ninja.
"Skylor?" Kai blurts out, then quickly tries to fix his clothes subtly. "Uh, Nya didn't say you were one of Dareth's guests…?"
"Dareth forgot to mention it on the phone." She shrugs. "Speaking of, Dareth and Alphonse are waiting for you to let them up on the ship."
"I'll go lower the anchor." Lloyd says, giving Kai a knowing look before hurrying off.
There's a moment of silence before Kai clears his throat and tries to casually ask.
"So, how've things with the restaurants been going?"
"Good. We've managed to expand even farther than before, there's even been talk about opening up a new branch in Metalonia."
"That's great."
"And you?"
"What?"
"What have you been doing?" Although she knew, partly through what she saw on TV and partly from Dareth, she found it best to hear thing from as close to the source as possible if you wanted accurate information.
"Oh, well, you know… Saved the world a few times, became a superstar… the usual."
She can't help the little bit of laughter that comes out. Kai's face gains a bit of color and he looks like he wants to say more, but Dareth rolls onto the deck and cuts their conversation short.
"Whew… You guys really need, like, an elevator." Dareth says while slowly climbing to his feet.
Alphonse carefully climbs over the railing after the honorary ninja, and checks to make sure his duffle bag is secure before he turns to face them. He adjusts his glasses up when his eyes land on Kai. When he recognizes the red ninja his face quickly shows relief before he turns serious.
"You're… Kai, right?" Alphonse strides forward determinedly until he's standing before the red ninja, and holds out his hand. "I'm Alphonse Walker, Jay's uncle. It's nice to meet you."
"Uh…" Kai looks him up and down, obviously judging him harshly, and ignoring the outstretched hand. "Yeah, nice to meet you."
"You've all arrived early." Sensei Wu's voice says from the doorway leading down into the ship. "I'm afraid dinner won't be ready for a while yet. In the meantime can I interest you in some tea?"
"At least someone here knows how to treat a guest." Dareth says while they all head into the ship.
"I'll make sure to give my students a reminder." Sensei Wu promises.
"Uh, if you don't mind, I was hoping we could get started as soon as possible?" Alphonse grips the strap of his duffle nervously. "We have a lot to go over…"
"Of course, of course. Kai, go get the other's while I attend to our guests."
"Yes, Sensei." Kai says unenthusiastically, splitting off from the group in order to do as he's told.
Sensei Wu leads them to the dining room and brings out a tray with a tea pot and cups. While he's passing out the tea, Alphonse quickly sets his duffle on the table, opened it up, and begins to pull out loose papers and books. He had to hold his glasses up to check them before he set each item aside, and each time he let go of his glasses they slid back down his nose.
Skylor had to admit it was interesting to watch the man work, so absorbed in what he was doing, as it was the closest he'd come to being relaxed as she'd seen him. Skylor had a talent for reading people. It was a skill she'd inherited from her father, one that she hadn't been proud of, at first, seeing how her father used it. But once she lost her other powers, once she started interacting more with her customers, she began to see the more positive side to it. She was good at reading people, understanding how they felt and what kind of person they were deep down.
Alphonse was a good but troubled man. He didn't have any ill will in his soul, only a deep regret and sorrow. She couldn't deny that she was curious about why that was, and if she could help, so she'd deliberately set things up so that Dareth would be forced to bring her along to their meeting with the ninja.
"Geez, leave for a minute and suddenly it's like some conspiracy theorists took over." Kai snorts.
One by one the ninja all show up, along with a couple extras that Skylor didn't recognize. One of them looked like Zane, while the other looked much more shady. There are some quick introductions, and once those are over Cole cuts right to the point.
"You've got some info that'll help us?"
"I think so, yes." Alphonse nods, although he doesn't look certain. "It… well, where do I start? What do you know about soul stone?"
There's a brief pause, then Zane explains everything they know about it.
"Good, that's a start…" Alphonse shuffles through his papers, before picking one up from the pile. "Did you know there was one stone that was shattered, but never faded or crumbled away?" He hands the paper to the person nearest to him. "It was said to belong to an immortal being, the soul stone, and there were many rituals involved with the shards that were meant to imbue the individual with that immortality."
"Ok, this is interesting and all, but in what way does this have to do with anything?" The master of fire scoffs.
"You think whoever's possessing Jay is interested in these shards?" Lloyd asks, looking over the paper with a worried gaze.
"I'm getting there, and, no that… that would be simpler." Taking a deep breath, Alphonse shifts through his pile for another paper. "I did some research into the rituals, as magic and the like had always fascinated me, and I found out many interesting things… The rituals did work, in a sense, but not entirely. How they worked, well, have you ever heard of something called quantum entanglement?"
He glances around the table, getting blank looks from most of the people.
"Okay, well, it's when two objects become… connected. They can change each other, like causing their atoms to spin in the same direction when they normally wouldn't. It's… a very complicated subject, so, I won't go into all the details." Handing the paper he was holding to the next nearest person, he continues. "The rituals essentially caused the shards to become entangled with the subject's soul. I'm sure you've heard of one of the creatures that the ritual was used on, the Great Devourer."
"Wait." Cole stops him. "You're saying that the ritual caused the Devourer? To be the Devourer, I mean, like, endlessly eating and growing?"
"Something like that does not come into existence naturally." Sensei Wu says sagely.
"Yes, well, there was another one, as well. I believed it called itself the Overlord? That one was interesting, as it seemed able to create a form for itself even when it was incomplete…"
"The Overlord, too?" Lloyd shakes his head in disbelief. "Who or what else have we fought that's had one of those shards?"
"Those are the only two I know of for sure…" He looks down at the papers. "There is one more I know of who has a shard, but before I tell you, I want you to know that I had no choice."
"You used the ritual?" Skylor easily surmised.
"I… he was dead. Not dying, but dead. Nine days before his fifth birthday." His hands clenched, and his eyes glossed over. "My brother and his wife had already lost one child, and it nearly destroyed them; how could I let them lose another? How could I stand there and do nothing while my Nephew died before he'd even had a chance to live? A soul doesn't immediately cross over once a person dies. There was a chance, a chance to help them, to save him… so I took the shard I'd found and used it. To tie his soul back to his body, to bring him back from death."
There's a chilling silence in the room, no one is sure what to say, but it's Alphonse's next words that cut through the atmosphere like a knife.
"Soul shards are drawn together. Each time you've destroyed another barer of a shard, I have no doubt they've been attracted to the shard in Jay."
"He didn't choose…" Cole mumbles.
"Cole?" Nya questions, sounding perturbed.
"When I talked to Viperae, he said he didn't choose to possess Jay." Cole bit his lip. "What… what if he really can't leave Jay's body? What if we can't ever get Jay back?"
"About that." Alphonse looks at him sadly. "There is a way to detangle their souls."
"Why didn't you start with that?!" Kai demands.
"Because it would mean his death." Alphonse says sullenly. "I've looked into it, how to reverse it, just in case it ended up hurting my Nephew in some way… but everything I've found ends up the same. His time already came and went, the only thing keeping him alive is the immortal's soul feeding his own… There's no way to separate them without killing him."
"Y-you're wrong." Lloyd says softly at first, but his voice gradually rises with each word. "We'll find a way to save Jay and get rid of that monster. You might not be able to find a solution, but we always find a way!"
"That's why I brought this." Alphonse gestures to the table. "This is my life's work; all the research I've done on the topic. I hope it helps you all somehow."
With that the man turns and begins to walk away.
"Wait!" Cole calls. "You're just going to leave?"
"I'm sorry." The man laughs bitterly. "I don't have much time."
The ninja are silent as the man leaves.
"I'm going to get started on this." Zane carefully begins gathering the papers and books up back in the duffle bag.
"Did you ever finish the mark you were working on before?" Ronin asks.
"I did."
"What was it?" Nya asks.
"It was… a melody, I think."
"What?"
Seeing this as private ninja business, Skylor carefully excuses herself and goes after Alphonse. She finds him on the deck, looking up at the sky.
"Al." She calls softly. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." He doesn't look away from the sky. "I'm as fine as anyone who's cursed their Nephew can be."
"You wanted to help Jay." She says gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He wouldn't be here if you hadn't of done what you did."
"…I didn't mention it before, but, did you know what happened to the people who used the ritual?" He doesn't wait for her to answer. "Their souls were devoured. It consumed them, corrupted them from the inside out. I knew that before I did what I did, yet I still did it."
"Al… I'm sure Jay would thank you if he could." That got the man to look at her, his expression one of pure confusion. "If he'd died then, he'd never have known his friends, and he'd never have saved so many lives. I'm sure he'd find that worth any price."
Alphonse chuckles bitterly.
"It's funny… Ed always told me to keep my voodoo stuff away from his home, but I'd just gotten the shard and I was obsessed with studying it." He pulls a necklace out of his shirt. "In fact, I was searching for immortality for myself. I know better now, living without the people you care for is torture." He holds it out to her. "Can I tell you a secret?"
"Of course."
"I died that day, too."
It's years of honed instinct that wakes up Garmadon in the middle of the night. His senses on high alert, he quickly takes in his surroundings. There was the steady beeping of a heart monitor, the soft breaths of whoever woke him, along with the rustle of clothing. The person was mostly hidden in shadow.
"Oh~, did I wake you?" It's Jay's voice, the shadowy figure of the boy moving a little closer. Garmadon relaxes a bit at the realization that it was just one of his brother's students.
"It's alright." He assures the boy. "What are you doing here at this late hour?"
"I came here to thank you." The boy says warmly, his voice rather lighthearted. "And to make you an offer."
He steps closer, into the dim moonlight that's coming in through the window. Garmadon is shocked into silence for a moment. The other isn't wearing his normal blue gi, or any new variant his brother could have decided to go with, but an outfit of mostly black (which explains how he was able to blend into the shadows so well) that had purple highlights. The whole thing brought out his eyes, which were a vivid shade of purple…
"The Overlord?" He breaths out, stunned. His son had defeated the Overlord, Zane had made the ultimate sacrifice in order to ensure this creature would never blight another soul. Yet now here it was, possessing Jay.
"Aw, you recognize me?" He sounds flattered, his smile widening as he holds a hand over his heart. "You know, I think you're the first person to figure it out on your own."
"Why are you here?" Garmadon demands.
"I told you that already." It chuckles, but there's a knowing glint to its eyes. It knew what he was asking and was deliberately playing dumb.
"Say your piece, then." Garmadon keeps his face and tone neutral. In his weakened state, with no way to contact his brother or any of his brother's students, it would be best not to antagonize this creature.
"You've helped me greatly. Maybe more so than any single person I've had under my command." He pauses, likely to see what reaction his words would illicit from the sensei. He seemed to pout a little when Garmadon showed no reaction. "Because of that, I'd like to offer you a deal. You agree to work with me, and not only will I make sure you're in tip top shape, but I promise no harm will come to your heir."
"My… you mean my son, Lloyd?"
"Yes, your heir, the dragon pup." Garmadon nearly raises an eyebrow at the term 'dragon pup', but ignores it, and instead asks.
"You don't want to steal my son's golden powers?"
"Ah, you see, that was due to the Overlord being… incomplete, so to speak." The creature says vaguely. "I promise you, that is no longer a problem."
"And if my son fights you, would you be able to promise me he wouldn't be hurt?" Garmadon had no intention of accepting the offer, but there was a chance of the other revealing more than it meant to if he kept it talking long enough.
"I've already taken that into consideration." There's an almost sinister edge to his smile. "The dragon pup's hands are tied. I promise you, Jun, you heir won't come to any harm from my hands from this point onwards."
Several things about what the other had just said rubbed Garmadon the wrong way, but as much as the other's wanton use of his first name bothered him, he was more worried about whatever it was that the other had done to his son.
"And just why are my son's hands tied?" He was seething, and it certainly showed in his tone.
"I did the most humane thing I could." The creature is pouting again. It lifts its hand, showing the mark burned into its skin (burned into Jay's skin, as the poor boy would have to live with it when this was over). "I made it so he couldn't use his powers unless he wanted to die. A human's self-preservation trumps all else, after all."
"You…" He grips the bedsheets in clenched fists, does his best to contain the part of him that wants to destroy this thing for even touching his son, let alone using such dark magic on him. "I want you to get out of my sight."
"I take it that's a no, then?" The other asks rhetorically, appearing to be disappointed. "Well, you're a very smart man. When it becomes apparent that I am your only option, know that my offer still stands."
With that he leaves. Garmadon waits a good ten minutes, just to be sure that the other will be long gone, and then pages the nurses. He needed to see his son.
End chapter twenty four