Lloyd watched Lord Garmadon leave. A bearded head had popped in for but a moment to tell the dark lord that something worth checking out had gone down.

As soon as the door was pulled and latched, Lloyd began inspecting the cuff on his arm. He gave it a hard yank.

"Agh!" His hand went to his ribs as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"You-you really should be careful." Sensei Garmadon warned, hovering nearby and fretting all the while. If only he could help his son...

"Thanks, but I gotta get out of here." Lloyd remarked quietly.

"Well I know that." There was a bite of snark in his voice, only to mask the ever resent worry. "I just... I feel useless."

Lloyd paused. "You're not... useless. You're the only thing restraining one of Ninjago's most dangerous criminals."

"I am one of Ninjago's dangerous criminals!"

"That makes two of us then... but we aren't those people anymore. You're not him."

"About that..." Garmadon sat down and stared at the ceiling in deep thought.

"You don't deserve to die."

Lloyd's breath constricted in his throat, eyes wide. "Wha-"

"You were delirious, rambling a bit... You said you deserved to be destroyed... and I know that kind of thinking... only comes out when we're our most vulnerable."

Lloyd's cheeks flushed red in complete humiliation as he looked away. Sensei Garmadon put a ghostly hand on Lloyd's shoulder... and for a moment Lloyd could almost swear he felt it.

"You made mistakes; but in the end, you owned them and became one of the greatest heroes Ninjago has ever seen."

"None of it makes a difference." Lloyd replied sadly.

"In your own eyes, it never will... but in the eyes of the people you helped, you're indispensable."

Lloyd shook his head. "You're just saying that because I'm your son."

"I don't say things that aren't true as a form of encouragement. That would be stupid."

They lapsed into silence.

"I can't say your name."

"What?" Garmadon blinked.

"Your name... I had a vision... or something... Harumi brought me to the cursed realm... and ever since, I haven't been able to say your name."

Sensei Garmadon crinkled his nose. "She was most unpleasant, that one."

"I created her..."

There was a brokenness in Lloyd's voice that left a bad feeling in Sensei Garmadon's chest.

"And I created you... literally and figuratively."

"Father!"

Sensei Garmadon chuckled at Lloyd's horrified expression.

"What?" He laughed. "It's true.

Sensei Garmadon sobered, studying his hands slightly. "I'm not going to tell you that you didn't screw up royally. You did. But you've more than paid for it. As far as anyone is concerned, the only person... in this realm... who still blames you... is you."

Lloyd looked away. Could his father be right?

"Stakeouts are officially booooring." Tox groaned as she flopped into the folding chair they were sharing.

"We know. You've only told us eighty three times so far."

"Not nearly enough in my opinion." Tox replied.

"Oh come on, Tox!" Dareth grinned enthusiastically. "Haven't you ever considered that all this boredom is leading up to the chase?" Neuro rolled his eyes as Dareth waved his arms dramatically. "That all this hard work will eventually lead to the rescue of the century?"

"We don't even know if this is the right building."

"Pixal was very clear." Skylor assured, checking her watch for umpteenth time. "This is the correct location."

"So we're just gonna... sit here?"

"Yes, Tox. Until we get a clear reading on what we're dealing with, we're just going to sit here."

Garmadon came back in looking irritated. Sensei Garmadon gave him a weary look.

"Your friends are busy saving the city. I guess they finally gave up on you."

"Not a chance. Haven't you heard? Ninja never quit."

"So I've heard." Garmadon sat down and stared at Lloyd. He felt strange emotions lurking in the kid's mind. Before, he had felt confusion, anger, even guilt... but it had all vanished, replaced by an overwhelming sense of duty, love, and honor... these were things Garmadon had worked hard to disassociate with.

"I know there's good in you."

Garmadon speared Lloyd with a look. "I beg your pardon?"

"I can feel the war. My being here has awoken feelings you've worked hard... are working... to keep at bay. You're losing the fight... It makes me wonder, how it all still exists... Harumi supposedly brought only the worst of you back."

"You don't know anything."

"Don't I? There's a link... remember? I know that no matter how hard you work, there'll always be good in you.. I can see it, your own evil ancestors can see it, Wu can see it. It's time we both stopped lying to ourselves. I'm not all good; you're not all bad... We are who we are, and pretending to be something else only makes us miserable."

Garmadon clenched all four of his fists. "Don't pretend you understand anything."

"Oh I'm not pretending." Lloyd assured calmly, a determined spark in his eye. "Far from it."

So... the internal turmoil continues. Stay tuned for more chapters! Now for shout outs
Hypothetical Alien24: I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I do have more planned, and yes, Sensei G is indeed salty... he has every right to be.
Watcher321: Yeah, the team's not doing too great...
Bookkeeper2004: Chen escaped the cursed realm through the same portal Garmadon did. That was referenced in chapter... 2... I believe. And sensei Garmadon is having it pretty rough. That I will say.