Chapter 55- The Hypnobrai

Lloyd's next lesson consisted of learning all about the Serpentine.

More specifically, it was based around the Hypnobrai. Lloyd and Gene headed to class together that day, leaving Brad on his own. It took all of Lloyd's strength to keep himself from apologizing to his old friend. But he knew that apologizing was not something that the son of a dark lord would do.

So Lloyd bit his lip and ignored his instincts, choosing instead to follow Gene's advice.

"As I said, Lloyd, Brad is nothing more than a nuisance. I mean all he's really done is hold us back." Gene uttered these words as they headed towards class. Lloyd pretended to listen, but his mind was stuck in other places. He wondered about Brad, wishing to know how everything had suddenly crumbled with no apparent resistance. "What we need to do is forget about him. With my genius and your attitude we could rule the world"

Lloyd nodded absent mindedly, not really knowing what he had just agreed to, and not really caring. The young boy had begun to realize that Gene's words were made up of the same basic ideas, such as ruling Ninjago, letting people know how brilliant he was, and whining. There wasn't any point in listening to every word out of the redhead's mouth.

"I heard we're talking about the Serpentine today," Gene said, for once shaking up his usual conversation subjects. Lloyd shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts to pay attention. "I can't wait. I mean. . . the Serpentine were truly terrifying. If anyone were to unleash them onto Ninjago. . . they would probably be able to get away with anything."

The two boys stepped into class, plopping down onto the seats closer to the back. Some of the kids stared at Lloyd in awe, and the green eyed kid smirked with confidence, his ego growing larger by the second.

That is, until Brad walked in the room.

There was a certain look in his eyes, a look that sent strong shivers throughout Lloyd's body. It wasn't exactly the redness of his pupils, or the darkness hanging under his eyes. It wasn't even the disheveled look of his clothes and hair, although all of these small details weren't exactly helping.

The thing that made Lloyd's stomach twist upon itself, was the glint shining in Brad's own eyes. Lloyd had seen that look plenty of times. In fact, Lloyd had carried that look around a couple of times himself.

Brad was planning revenge.

Lloyd didn't have a chance to share any of these suspicions with Gene, as their teacher strolled inside with such a powerful presence, that every word shattered into silence.

"Good morning," the teacher nodded, the small hat upon his head shadowing his eyes. "Ah, yes. Quite a great morning it is. That's the problem, you see."

Lloyd elbowed Gene's side, signaling him to move closer. "You seen this guy before?"

Gene shook his head, eyes glued upon the adult pacing back and forth before their desks. "Nope. He must've just gotten here. Otherwise I would've heard something about him."

"There is not enough evil in this world," the man continued. "But there is so much potential for evil to reign. So many ways we can bring Ninjago to its knees, with no hope of resistance."

"Sounds like he knows his stuff," Gene watched the teacher with wide eyes, scribbling everything he could upon his small notebook. "Better than most of the teachers in this place at least."

"One of the greatest evils in this land, is known as the Serpentine. They are a race of snake people that have been condemned to live underground." Lloyd listened intently, imagining what it would be like to be the one to free the Serpentine. There was no way his father would dare call him a "good" boy after that. "Every minute of their lives is spent in hatred for the human race. If they were to be freed, chaos would soon follow."

"One race of Serpentine is known as the Hypnobrai." As his teacher continued to talk, Lloyd's eyes wandered over towards Brad. The black haired boy looked up, smirking at Lloyd when their eyes made inevitable contact. Lloyd shook his head, looking back down at his notes. "Unlike their fellow Serpentine, these snakes prefer colder climates. Their tomb was set up somewhere within the Frozen Wasteland, although there is no one alive who can pinpoint the exact location."

"As their name might suggest, the Hypnobrai are the most persuasive of snakes. With their bright red eyes, they have the ability to hypnotize anyone they wish to. If you want your mind to remain under your control it is best to avoid looking at their eyes when their tails begging to rattle."

"The Hypnobrai first. . ."

The teacher's voice faded into the back of Lloyd's mind, as the boy spent the rest of the class wondering what kind of tricks Brad might have up his sleeve. Once the class ended, Gene and Lloyd walked out together, not without receiving a knowing smirk from Brad's lips.

"We should definitely add 'unleashing Serpentine' to our to-do list," Gene said. "I can create a plan for us. I mean, it wouldn't be too hard. Ever since our teacher started talking, plans have been clicking and twisting inside my mind."

Lloyd nodded without listening once again. He wished Brad and him were still friends more than anything. He hated talking to Gene. It was never a real conversation.

" You're really lucky you still have me, you know? I mean there isn't much you would've been able to do without me. My pla-"

Lloyd swiveled around, pushing Gene back. "Do you ever shut up? I don't need you, Gene! Get over yourself already."

The redhead's eyes widened, and he tried to regain his balance after Lloyd's violent shove. Gene stumbled back, his feet tripping over one another when he reached the stairs. The young boy rolled down, stopping only once his scrawny body hit the wall. All the kids around them burst into laughter, causing Gene's face to light up bright red.

"You need me, Lloyd! You know you do!"

"The only thing I do need, is to have you out of my way." Lloyd's words caused Gene's skin to glow brighter. "So why don't you pretend to be a genius somewhere else?"