When Garmadon offered himself as a sacrifice, he knew the consequences that would follow. And he was prepared to die.
Meditation was more Wu's style, but when Garmadon found himself chained to a wall in the Cursed realm for what might be years, the idea gained a lot of appeal. And so, the once Dark Lord was sitting on an uncomfortable deepstone floor, counting his own heartbeat. It was more consistent than his breaths, and the only other sounds he ever heard were distant calls of other ghosts.
At first, it was difficult not to lose count while thinking about anything but the endless chain of numbers, but Garmadon was nothing if not patient – after all, a teacher had to be. After enough retries, he had gotten the hang of it.
Of course, once that was solved, another problem crawled out after it. How can one million seven hundred thirteen thousand sixty-three be fit in the space of a single heartbeat? After a few tries of practice makes perfect, Garmadon gave up and decided to reset the counter every time it hit a thousand. What would the extra numbers in front even change?
While meditation was not the most exhilarating way of passing time, Garmadon found comfort in the sanity. He could have let worries and regrets rot his mind but the numbers did not allow him think too far in any single direction. It was almost pleasant in its numbness inducing serenity.
Until it all came apart, in a quite literal sense. The deep groaning of tremors forming drowned out the sound of his heartbeat as tunnel walls came apart around him. What was going on?
The answer came in the form of a very disheveled Lloyd. Not the green ninja – just Lloyd.
Garmadon did not need to know what had happened. He needed to encourage his son to go forward.
Even knowing it may be the last time he could see Lloyd for decades, he kept it short, concise. A heartfelt family reunion was not worth the entirety of Ninjago.
Lloyd understood it as well. He left without much fanfare, facing his future as a man should. His boy had grown up and Garmadon could not have been more proud. Even if Lloyd would be the cause of his death. Or more permanent death, depends on how you look at it.
Everything around him was crashing down, but Garmadon took it in with a smile. This was not his own loss; this was his son's victory. And for the first time since his arrival to the mist coated realm of the cursed, Garmadon did not need to count to keep his mind at peace.
Screams of fear and waves of water filled the crashing caverns but Garmadon could not be more calm.
He did not even notice when his heartbeat stopped.