Enter The Ninjaverse

by Bionic Stars

The Time Twins have returned, and with it they have brought a new threat: the loss of Lloyd's elemental powers. With Lloyd's powers taken, the Twins escape. Not the Time Vortex, however, but instead a rip in the very fabric of the universe itself. Lloyd's quest to stop the Twins leads him to new worlds, new faces, and new revelations into himself.

77. Chapter 77

Lloyd clamped a hand down on his side. He felt like he should be bleeding. In fact, he should have been broken apart by now. He should have been unable to move. But this body refused to do that. Even as he felt the pain, he wasn't able to see its results. He couldn't feel anything other than the pain, the sword in his hand, and the ragged breath that came from his lips.

In front of him, Hackler lay on the ground, a sword implanted in his chest. The ghost slowly clawed his hands to the hilt to rip it out. As he did, the crowd around both him and Lloyd cheered. The ghosts in this arena were relentless. Hackler dragged himself forward, coughing and spitting to himself. A few of his allies came down to slowly help float him away to be healed. If there was one thing that Lloyd had learned in the Cursed realm, it was that even if only a ghost could harm another ghost, it didn't mean that killing them was easy.

"That's it!" Lloyd shouted, his voice tired and gasping for air, "You… you said that if I beat him, I was to be set free!" Lloyd looked down. His left leg had a chain clamped around it, one that stretched all the way to the other side of the arena. An unbreakable chain for him, "Let me go! I win!"

The arena let out a loud noise, one Lloyd didn't understand. Lloyd looked down at the arena floor, gripping his fists. His body stung. It'd been days of fighting. Weeks of this. Months. The moment he arrived, he'd been on the run. Not like he'd made it far. And they'd dragged him here, chained him up, and told him to fight for his freedom. They'd never stopped. A ghost didn't need to sleep, nor to eat, nor water nor rest. He was here to fight. For the amusement of all those that came.

"RELEASE ME!" Lloyd shouted, "Do it now!"

From a special booth above the arena, Lloyd saw a flash of a deeper green than the rest of the Cursed Realm. He immediately leapt backwards, just in time to avoid having an arrow shot into his shoulder. The crowd roared at this. The archer slowly floated down from the stand, his bow in hand and another arrow notched.

"Did you think it would be that easy?" Soul Archer cackled, "Do you want your freedom so badly!?" The arena laughed along with him.

"You…" Lloyd gripped his side, "You're the one that captured me. You brought me here. Release me! I've fought everyone you asked!"

"Oh, you have… but you still don't seem strong enough…" Soul Archer raised his bow, "Why not… one final match then? If you can beat me, I'll break that chain and let you go back on the run. And if not, well… our next tournament needs a champion fighter to break." The crowd cheered.

Lloyd felt anger swell inside him. Another match? Now? He knew it was all against him. He didn't have a choice. Not like this. He shook hi shead harder. No, he had to stop this. He couldn't keep doing this. He raised his head, his entire body sparking with anger and rage. He hefted his blade up and held his other hand in front of him.

"Fine, fine!" Lloyd gasped out, his voice distorted by his ghostly form, "I'll take you on! Fight me!"

No sooner had Lloyd said that, Soul Archer let loose his arrow. Lloyd dodged to the side, causing the crowd to roar up again. Shaking himself off, Lloyd shouted in anger and rushed Soul Archer, his sword raised over his head.

Soul Archer fired arrow after arrow at him. Lloyd slashed at them, knocking it aside. He knew this place. He knew what these ghosts could do. He didn't have his power, but he had his will. He pushed himself right into Soul Archer's face, slashing his sword right up against the bow that he held to knock him aim off. The bow felt unbreakable, but Lloyd was determined. He pressed his sword against it harder, trying to break it.

Lloyd cried out in pain. He looked down. Soul Archer had taken an arrow and rammed it into his side. Lloyd's strength failed him as the new pain blossomed forward. Soul Archer smacked his face with the bow, knocking him onto his side. The crowd cheered as Soul Archer reached down, grabbing the chain connected to Lloyd's foot. With a mighty heave, he yanked Lloyd into the air and slammed him down. tHe arrow broke apart, burying the arrowhead deep inside him as Lloyd screamed out with the pain, clenching up on the ground.

"You thought you were ready to leave the arena?!" Soul Archer laughed, "You truly are a naive child. You will fall, and nothing else will be left for you."

Lloyd couldn't stay down. He couldn't. He slammed his hands into the ground, dropping his sword as he did. He pushed himself upwards, his pain in his side from the now deeply entrenched arrowhead making each movement burn. He looked down, his vision hazy. Slowly, he picked something off the ground.

With a primal scream, Lloyd rushed Soul Archer. Without a sword to protect himself, Soul Archer simply fired an arrow at Lloyd's shoulder. Lloyed twisted his body, letting the arrow graze him and make him hurt even more. But when he reached Soul Archer, he raised his hand to show that he had grabbed a rock from the arena floor. With a hard slash, Lloyd brought the thing up, cleaving it right into Soul Archer's eyes.

The ghostly archer screamed in pain as his left eye was damaged, shutting tightly. But Lloyd wasn't done yet. He slammed Soul Archer into the ground as he did, grabbing hold of his right arm and slamming his foot against it. He pulled as hard as he could, crying out in pain as he forced his injured body to stretch. Soul Archer, however, was the one that screamed out more as Lloyd delivered enough pain to break the ghost's arm. While the damage didn't show, from how the arm went limp, Lloyd knew he'd done it. But he wasn't even done there. Just to pay him back, he yanked two arrows out of Soul Archer's quiver and plunged them down into his shoulders, making him cry out even more.

"You…!" Soul Archer tried to shout, but his words were overtaken by pain.

Lloyd looked down at him, anger, rage, confusion, pain in his face. He threw his head back, crying out to the arena as he let loose all of them in that one scream. He forced himself upright, spitting on the ghost as he did. When he stood up, he looked around the arena to their stunned faces.

"I WIN!" Lloyd shouted, "Release me! I did it! He can't shoot anymore! I WIN!"

For a moment, Lloyd didn't see anything. The ghosts all were stunned. Lloyd backed away from where Soul Archer's ghostly form lay on the arena floor. Lloyd kept looking around, anger and rage in his eyes.

"I WIN!" Lloyd screamed, "LET ME FREE!"

His second shout brought something he didn't expect. Suddenly, the arena began to stir. Stir, and writhe. The ghosts began to scream in rage. Suddenly, they began to pour down over the seats, floating down towards Lloyd. All at once, Lloyd saw a tens, dozens of ghosts all coming at him, brandishing weapons. He was about to be punished.

"W-Wait!" Lloyd gasped, "Don't, stop! Leave… leave me!" Lloyd turned and ran. He ran towards the door in the arena wall he always entered from. The door was shut tightly, and beyond it, he could see more angry ghosts holding it there. He was trapped. The crowd began to encircle him, slowly making his escape impossible.

"S-Stop!" Lloyd shouted, gripping his head, "Leave me alone! Stop it! I won! I did what you asked! STOP! STOP IT!" Lloyd shut his eyes, eyes crying if they could have, "LET ME GO!"

Suddenly, Lloyd heard it. Something was behind him. A portal. He'd never seen one before, but when he saw it, he knew what it was instantly. He looked at it in shock, confusion, terror. But he knew that was what it was. It was white, swirling, and it looked as though it wasn't even physically there. But he was close enough. He could jump through. He looked back to the swarms of ghosts. He had to get out of here. He had to leave. He couldn't stay here! He couldn't keep fighting them!

Lloyd froze. Fighting… them? Who was them? Who were they? He wasn't fighting this crowd. It was an arbitrary thought. But it was one that made him freeze. He looked towards the portal again. He… he had to run. He had to… he had to get out of here… right?

Monty!

What? Lloyd heard a voice. It was a voice coming from all around him. The crowd was crying out. Within a few more seconds, they'd get even closer and swarm him. He'd be taken down. He had to get through the portal. He had to get back to Ninjago! He had to get back, and get back to Ronin, and…

Monty! Hear my voice, Monty!

"Ronin…?" Lloyd raised his hands up, "But… but Ronin and I… how do I…?" Lloyd looked up. He looked at the ghosts. To the arena. To himself. To everything. To the feeling of it all. He knew something was wrong. Something wasn't right. No, not something. Someone. Him. Something wasn't right about him.

"...My name…" Lloyd started.

My voice must reach you! You must listen for me!

"My name… my name isn't Lloyd…." The ghost raised his hands, his eyes slowly hardening, "My name… my name is Monty!"

All at once, the crowd froze. Monty looked down at himself. Slowly, his clothing shifted back to the plate armor filled with random items, thief tools, and all in that yellow and crimson red Ronin loved so much. Ebony and Ivory appeared on his hips. The world around him froze. With a blast of wind from Monty's hands, his cape reappeared, draping over his back with a loud crack. With a small scoff, Monty raised his left arm.

"I hear you," Monty sighed, "Don't have to be so loud."

The SoS appeared in his hand, its gold splendor showing to him. Monty sighed, lowered it down when he saw it. He slowly shook his head, looking around at everything. This was nothing more than a memory. A memory of a dead boy. Something that he didn't even consider his.

Monty…. The sword sighed, You were asleep. The one you call Oni released something. It has ensnared your mind. You broke free when you heard my voice.

"Really?" Monty sighed, "Great, now I have to deal with you holding that over my head." Monty looked to the sword again, "What exactly is this?"

I'm not sure… but if I were to guess, it would be that he was showing you your worst memory. The memory that you hate the most, The sword guessed, He was attempting to drown you in your own misery, Monty.

"This isn't my worst moment," Monty declared, looking to the portal out of the Cursed Realm still in front of him, "...Looks like Oni got it wrong."

Oh? The sword asked in Monty's hand, Then what is it, my Master?

Monty turned to look to the arena. The ghosts were now frozen, unable to move. Slowly, each of them began to writhe and wither. Their bodies began to shape and take a new form. Purple smoke burst from them, melting away their exteriors, as though it had all just been a container for it. The arena, the weapons, all of it became nothing more than smoke. Even the portal in front of Monty became smoke. Monty looked down to the blade, and in its reflection, his eyes were hardened.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Monty spoke, raising his hand to summon wind from it, "...Let's go and see where that guy is so I can kick his teeth in for not trying hard enough."

As the arena faded away, there was nothing left for Monty to see. The purple smoke was dense, swirling and writhing like it was some sort of living being. There was hardly any direction to anything at all, no sense of where things were. Monty raised his hand, forming wind in it and trying to blast away a chunk of cloud to see himself. Just trying to do that made the smoke race back in and fill the gap a moment after he tried.

Be careful, The sword informed Monty, The smoke may still attempt to grab at your mind. You must be ready for it.

"I'm more than ready for it now," Monty growled, "We just have to find Oni, right? I didn't fall that far away from him. He has to be around here somewhere."

Monty wandered around, attempting to find something. Attempting to find someone. But nothing seemed to be there. He took in a deep sigh, then he pushed forward into the deep smoke, trying to find someone who may be lost to this deep cloud…

---

"But it doesn't have to be this way. This is your chance to make a change," Lulloyd opened his arms.

"I didn't want it to be this way either, but here we are…" Garmadon grumbled out, clutching the chest tighter to his body.

"Dad, please, don't go," Lulloyd took another step forward. He could see it. He could feel the way that Garmadon was looking at him. The way that his face was twisted with emotion. With turmoil. Confusion. A look of hope. A spark for Lulloyd to grab onto. And then words that crushed it all down.

"If I couldn't change then, what makes you think I could change now?" Garmadon narrowed his eyes. His face shifted. That look of conflict, of worry, it turned back to a face that Lulloyd had come to memorize. A look of a Warlord. A look of someone that had given up on it all.

"No! No! No!" Lulloyd shouted as his father suddenly acted. Plowing through his friends. All of them, trying to stop him. Lulloyd felt his heart spiraling down. The father that he had finally felt he had something with, the one that he'd reached out to, was attacking them. He watched as he plowed through them all, each and every one of them. None of them could stop him. When Garmadon caught the chest, Lullyod ran forward without thinking, grabbing the chest.

"We can do it together. If you just give me the box, we can talk about it!" Garmadon growled.

"I can't!" Lulloyd shouted desperately, "You'll just leave!" The chest went flying. Lulloyd shouted, racing for it, trying to catch it. His hands weren't fast enough. He didn't know how to catch. He hadn't been taught how. And instead, Garmadon just walked past him, grabbing it.

"So long, Lulloyd," Garmadon rasped out, slamming the door shut to the temple. Lulloyd's eyes widened as he heard the door lock. He raced over, grabbing the door, banging it, hitting it. Begging for his father to come back. The impact of the door was making the temple start to rock. He was trapped. He couldn't get out. He shouted, begging, crying, yelling out for him. For the one that he wanted in his life. The one he hadn't known he did. The one he'd hated, the one he loved. His father.

Lulloyd felt his heart sink. He felt sick. Even as he saw the temple starting to come down, his mind wasn't taking it in. He only knew that this was it. His father had turned him away. He'd been able to reach him. The one he needed, the one that could fix this by his side, had pushed him aside. When it came to it, he didn't love Lulloyd enough. He loved his warrior status, his army, his conquering… he didn't love Lulloyd enough. Everything that Ninjago had told him, all of it, it had just been true. There was no redeeming him. He'd been stupid. He was so, so stupid.

Lulloyd looked around, his eyes misting up with tears. His friends were running around in terror. The entire place was coming down, and the door wouldn't open. He couldn't think of what he was going to do. He didn't know how to master build his way out. He couldn't just ram down the door. He didn't have his mech, he didn't have power. He didn't have his father, or master, or anything. He was nothing more than just a helpless kid. A kid that couldn't do anything. A kid that had just been left to… to get crushed by the temple.

"Dad…" Lulloyd sputtered out under his breath. He didn't know what to do. He never knew what to do. Some leader he was. He never could have done this. He was always like this. Doomed to fail. Doomed to just be weak. Powerless. Helpless. He had nothing. He didn't have anything. He was worthless. Just a kid playing pretend in his mech and his suit. Wu had been wrong about him. He'd made every wrong choice. And now he was going to pay for it. He was going to get buried in this temple… and nobody but his father would ever know. The father that had just left him behind.

"I…" Lulloyd, his eyes hazed over purple inside the smoke, sank down onto all fours, "I… I don't… I don't deserve to be their leader. I… I'm a failure. I'll never… I'll never be worthy of this… of… of…" Lulloyd's word scrunched up, "I'm nothing…"

Hey, Lulloyd, you hear me in there?

Lulloyd froze. He looked up. The temple was… talking to him. He looked around, trying to place what was going on. He opened his mouth to speak, but the voice came again.

...Fine then. We'll do this the hard way. Let's see you grit those TEETH!

Suddenly, Lulloyd felt something hit his chin. His body was thrown right into the air and slammed down into the ground by it. Several tiles went flying. His face lit up in pain. Everything around him swam with it. He looked around, looking for who had just done that. What had just happened to him. Had… had his dad come back just to finish him off, or…

"That… that didn't feel like a fist, it almost felt like…" Lulloyd rubbed his chin, "..Monty?"

The world froze. It evaporated into smoke. Lulloyd blinked in shock, looking around and shaking his head. He wasn't sure what was going on. He looked forward, just to see Monty standing there over him, Ebony ready to strike him in the jaw again with it.

"...Finally," Monty spat, "I've been shaking you for a whole minute. Looks like I didn't break anything."

"What the…" Lulloyd shook his head, standing up as he did, "What are you…?"

"You were sitting there blubbering about how worthless you were and how you'd failed, so I woke you up," Monty sighed, "You're all such drama queens."

"I… thanks…" Lulloyd blinked.

"Don't mention it," Monty paused, "...And stop saying that stuff about yourself. You know it's not true. If I hear you go on about how powerless you are again, I'm gonna hit you with this thing all over again, you got that?" Lulloyd was about to say something, but Monty's eyes stared into him with a hardness to them that even he couldn't get past.

"Y-Yeah, thanks, Monty…" Lullyod blinked, "Wait a minute, when you hit me, did you, were you quoting…?"

"We're gonna go get the others now," Monty interrupted him, "No telling what they're going through. Get ready to punch them too. Let's go."

Lulloyd tried to think of what to say to Monty, but nothing he could think of would really help. Instead, he just let out a little sigh and stepped forward, moving after him as the two began their way through the smoke together. Monty held the SoS in his hand, letting the golden blade act as a sort of beacon for Lulloyd.

"I… I think that smoke is, it's trying to mess with our heads, isn't it?" Lulloyd paused, "How, how long have we all been out?"

"I have no idea, but we don't have that long," Monty shook his head, "You know once that machine goes off, the Twins are here. We'll be helpless if we can snap you all out of your trances like that."

"Snap us… out?" Lulloyd blinked, "Wait, then how did you get out?"

"I'm just that good," Monty shot back. He looked down at his sword for a long moment, then huffed and just kept on walking. The two disappeared into the smoke, once more fading into the darkness within.

The walk the two endured was a long one. There was no sign of the others, no sign of what they could be doing or where they were. Lulloyd kept one foot in front of the other, but the smoke was barely giving him anything to go on. In truth, all he could see was the golden glow of the SoS that Monty held, as his translucent body was all but lost in this mist.

Eventually, some of the ruined walls of the Summit faded into existence in front of them. From the curve, Lulloyd could tell they were heading towards the center, but even that distance was still far from the total. And the moment they stepped over them, they were lost to the mist instantly. And after yet more walking, they found themselves at the wall again. What direction was going on here?

"H...hgng…"

Lulloyd reached out and grabbed the hilt of the SoS, stopping Monty. Monty held his hand up and blasted wind in the direction of the noise, parting the smoke just in time. Someone was walking there. Monty held the sword back, while Lulloyd, realizing he'd lost his sword in the smoke, just held his fists up.

A moment later, Harumi walked forward. The two relaxed, only for Lulloyd to feel his fear start to take over again. She walked with shaky legs, almost a limp, and her eyes were not her normal ones. They had turned pure purple, and smoke was rising up from them. She took a few more steps forwards them, then fell down onto her knees and collapsed.

"Harumi!" Lulloyd gasped out, rushing towards her. Monty followed far slower, standing above her while Lulloyd sat down and pulled her head up against his knee so he could feel her. She wasn't cold, but even that action didn't produce a reaction from her. Lulloyd looked up at Monty.

"D-Da….Dad…" Harumi gasped out. A few tears began to fall from her face.

"What's, what's going on with her?" Lulloyd asked.

"That's what it was like when I found you, you were wandering around aimlessly," Monty groaned, "What is she seeing?"

"It, it sounds like her dad?" Lulloyd frowned, "But… but she isn't waking-"

Without waiting, Monty reared his hand back and delivered a wind-fueled slap hard to Harumi's face. There was no reaction to it. Lulloyd just gasped out in shock. Monty shook his hand out before shaking his head.

"Well, it doesn't work on her…." Monty grunted, "Great, how do we get her out of this one?"

"You… you know she's seeing her worst moment… maybe that's it?" Lulloyd asked, "Maybe if we

I may have a solution, The SoS suddenly spoke up on Monty's back, Place me in her hand. I can show her reflections of the future that she is seeing. It will not be much, but you will see part of what she is experiencing.

"Oh?" Monty hissed, "You'll work for her, but not me?" The sword was silent. Lulloyd didn't ask questions, instead Monty moved to place the SoS in her hand, firmly wrapping it in her palm.

"This should show us," Monty frowned, "Let's see," Slowly, the image of the sword began to reflect, a scene that seemed to play on loop for them as the smoke around them blocked out almost all the light for them.

---

"You will not hurt her!"

Harumi's eyes opened. The beach of the Dark Island surrounded them. Harumi stood behind her father. Lloyd, his hair combed back, his face tense with his age, wore the black robes from the Temple of Light. In his hands was the weak twinkling of what little Green Power he had left. Harumi herself watched in terror as the being that had once been her grandfather stalked across the beach towards them.

"Step aside," The Overlord spoke through the now twisted form of Lord Garmadon, "You are not the bearer of destiny. This fight is between that girl, and ME!"

"I won't allow that!" Lloyd shook his head, "She is not the Green Ninja! I am! And I will be the one to take you on!"

"You would make a mockery of our destiny?" The Overlord snarled, "You are not the being that I have qualms with," The Overlord opened his palms, charging up a sickly purple in them, "But if you will not move, I will take you as my enemy!"

"Harumi, run!" Lloyd shouted, "Get back to the others!"

"Dad, wait!" Harumi grasped his shoulder, "That's… that's grandpa!" She shook her head, "You can't fight him!"

Lloyd looked forward. The strange and twisted half man, half dragon form of the Overlord that looked to them had no traces of his father left. Lloyd shut his eyes, gathering his will. When he opened them, he saw Harumi's face, her eyes streaked with falling tears. He gave her a long smile, then shook his head.

"No… it isn't anymore," Lloyd turned his head forward, "I won't let him take you away from me. I won't let this world take away anyone else!" Lloyd's power, what little there was, flared up, "Go, now!"

The Overlord was done waiting. He thrust his arms forward, blasting power out at Lloyd. The large trees of the Dark Island were pushed back by the force of it. Lloyd thrust his own hands forward, charging his shield up. Harumi fell to the ground behind him, putting her arms up in front of her face.

"GO!" Lloyd shouted, "NOW!"

"Harumi!" Carnelian suddenly grabbed Harumi's arm, yanking her backwards, "What are you doing?! He's telling us to run!"

"Dad!" Harumi yelled out, but Carnelian was stronger. She yanked Harumi backwards, away from the beach despite her struggles. Her eyes opened as she saw Lloyd become consumed by the power and light around him. The entire beach lit up with it. The Overlord cancelled his power when he assumed Lloyd was gone. Instead, Lloyd collapsed to his knees as his power drained out.

"Stop!" Harumi shouted, "Stop it! Let me go!" Carnelian refused.

"That was not enough?" The Overlord growled, "Do you think you are protecting her?! You are not strong enough to do that. She will face me, just as you will fall for standing in my way!"

"I promised…" Lloyd shook his head as he stood up, "I promised her mother I would always keep her safe. I won't let Ninjago take her from me… I won't let this place take anyone else!" Lloyd shouted, charging up his power again, "I won't let you face her!"

"Then all I have to say is… goodbye," The Overlord put his hands together, charging up his power in them. Harumi screamed as she yanked at Carnelian's grasp. The Master of Amber didn't let go. The Overlord continued to charge his power, gathering it more and more. Lloyd's eyes hardened as he shot forward across the sand, his hands trailing green behind them as he raced to take down the being once and for all. The dark robes from the Temple of Light seemed to glow along with Lloyd.

"Love is a powerful emotion, isn't it?" The Overlord growled out, "It can give even the powerless strength…"

The power released. Lloyd threw his hands forward, ready to block it. He readied himself to take hold of it. Harumi's eyes watched as Lloyd leapt into the air, ready to take down the being with a blast. The dark power hit the shield Lloyd had in front of him. The green shield shattered on impact. Lloyd's eyes widened in shock.

The flash of purple shot straight into his chest, and out his back.

"...And the foolish, their fall," The Overlord finished.

Lloyd's eyes were frozen. His body collapsed to the ground in front of the Overlord. The dark being looked down at him and grinned, kicking him across the sands. When he landed, the sight was forever burned into Harumi's eyes.

With a powerful yank, Harumi wrenched herself free from Carnelian and raced forward. She slid onto her knees and grabbed her father's shoulders, pulling him onto her knees. Lloyd's eyes were widened in shock. When Harumi looked down, she could see where the power had hit him. She could see her knees underneath it.

"Dad… DAD!" Harumi screamed, "NO! NO NO NO! PLEASE, DON'T! NO, NOT LIKE THIS! NO!" Tears fell from Harumi's eyes as she held him, trying to keep him awake, keep him focused.

Lloyd had reached his hand up, holding onto her cheek. Harumi's body froze. His eyes moved to look towards her with hazy vision. Harumi looked down at him, her own eyes opened and trembling with shock and disbelief. Lloyd slowly smiled at her. A smile that tried to open and speak. Harumi kept looking at him in shock, reaching one hand up to try to hold his hand.

Instead, the light drained from Lloyd's eyes. His hand fell from her face, and with it his last breath escaped his body. Harumi looked down in shock, confusion, terror. She leaned her head down, trying to see more of what was going on. What had just happened.

"D-Dad…?" Harumi whispered. Lloyd didn't move.

"Dad…" Harumi nudged him. Lloyd's body felt cold.

"D-Dad… dad… dad…" Harumi sputtered, her tone filling with disbelief. She kept nudging him. Then jerking him. Then she shook him. She shook him over and over again, trying to get him to open his eyes. The desperation filled her body, eliminating all the thoughts in her mind as she kept shaking him. Finally, when her arms went limp, her head turned to the sky with a blank expression.

Harumi wailed. Her noise was one of pure and utter grief. One of raw agony, sadness, and pain. One of having her heart ripped out, stomped apart, and taken from her then and there. One that caused all those that heard it to freeze. Kai, Zane, Jay and Cole slowly stepped forward from the group overwatching the battle, each of them looking at Harumi in much the same way that she had looked to him. Her wail didn't stop, growing more and more shrill as she did.

Kai fell to his knees in front of Lloyd's body. His eyes trembled in much the same way that Harumi did. Zane stood in front of it in shock, his body unable to process it. Cole and Jay both looked to it with expression hollow and eyes holding back tears. Kai reached out and placed his hand on Lloyd's arm to feel for his pulse. Harumi grabbed Lloyd and pulled him closer towards her, her wails continuing.

"Let this be a warning to you!" The group turned their heads to see the Garmatron poised in front of a portal to Ninjago City, "If you wish to face me, you will meet that same fate. I will leave you alive to tell the tale of this day. Let this be your reminder of my power. Let this be what you remember above all. On this day, you have failed, and Ninjago… IS! MINE!"

Kai stood up, ready to go and race right into the portal. He took a single step forward, then he heard Harumi's wail again. He turned to look at her, his face torn. The others hadn't even moved. They watched as the Garmatron rolled through the portal, and into the place they called home. The place that they were here to protect. Kai watched, his expression blank. They watched until all of the Stone Army had marched through, and the portal shut.

Harumi held onto her father, her wails becoming hoarse and shrill until her throat could produce no more. Now it was only tears. Her mind didn't process what had happened. All she could do was sit there, crying as she accepted what had just happened. What had truly just been done. And all that she could do was cry as the Dark Island took her father from her, and left her with only tears.

---

The image of the glow of the SoS slowly faded away. Both Lulloyd and Monty turned to each other, processing it. The images they saw were distorted, and somewhat vague, but it was clear what she was seeing. She was seeing the death of her father, on repeat.

"So this smoke is showing people, their worst moments, over and over again…" Lulloyd looked down, "P...Poor Harumi…"

"Yeah, poor us for not having a way around this…" Monty growled, "She still won't wake up. Great. We can't take her with us."

"...Yeah, I, I know…" Lulloyd looked down, "We just have to find Oni then, don't we?"

"Mhm…" Monty growled, "And maybe try to find the others too. Hopefully I can stick it to that over dramatic chimera while I'm at it."

"...We should keep moving then," Lulloyd stood up, looking back at Harumi reluctantly, "...We, we gotta find them fast, then. We, we don't know how long we have until the device activates."

"See, this is why I like you, you think long term," Monty waved his hand, "Let's go."

The two once more descended into the smoke, attempting to discern their location. As if attempting to demotivate them, the moment that they began to move away, Harumi's body was lost to the smoke. Lulloyd had to keep putting one foot in front of the other as they padded into what now felt like the complete unknown.

The smoke in front of them began to clear. Monty and Lulloyd walked towards the sight, only to see it was a massive knife. The knife was glowing a faint blue. That was enough for them to see a massive shadow in front of them, one that had to be none other than Invictus. A shot of fear when through Lulloyd as he readied for the mech to spring to life.

"...P-Prime is in there…" Lulloyd paused, "Do… do you think that he's seeing things too?"

"Yeah, well, if he is then we don't need to mess with it," Monty waved his hand, "Let's keep moving before he wakes up."

Lulloyd looked once more towards the mech, as though a wounded animal ready to spring to life. As the two left behind the machine, it was all that Lulloyd could do to wonder what things Prime may be seeing if he had fallen to the smoke already…

---

"Prime… Prime!" The screen in front of Prime flared up, "Prime, please, are you there?!"

Prime's body was consumed by it. The raw power of Invictus. The sync screen in front of him was filled. In this moment, there was no difference between him and Invictus. The mech had connected to him, drowning out all else. The core was his heart, and the mech's body was his own. The darkness in front of him, the one that surrounded every facet of him, the one that had blotted out even the sun itself, was about to face him, and him alone.

The Overlord roared. The darkness was formless, shapeless, and in its wake, nothing could stand. Invictus, however, glowed. The green power that rocketed out from the core overtook the blue of the mech's swords, lightning them up with enough of a spark to chase away the darkness. Invictus took a fighting stance. It's body moved like no machine. Prime's veins themselves turned green as his body could feel everything. He could feel the wind rushing past Invictus. The weight of the ground on his feet. And the coldness that the Overlord's darkness brought.

"Lloyd!" The voice on the console slowly brought up the face of the one he loved the most, the one that he had brought into this battle, "Lloyd, please. It is me, Akita! I must speak to you. I have no time!"

Prime couldn't hear her. He could only hear the roar of the Overlord. The darkness lashed out at him, trying to speak Invictus apart. Prime brought his hands over his chest and lashed out, Invictus' swords moving to cleave it apart. He raced forward, and Invictus fought in turn. His eyes became Invictus' eyes. His hands, Invictus' hands. His will, Invictus' will. He brought his swords to his side, and then slashed towards the darkness. For the first time, the Overlord roared in agony.

"...Lloyd…" Akita's voice rang out for him, "Lloyd… I, I do not think we can make it out. There are too many of them. Nya has fallen, the base will soon... We are fighting with everything we have yet… yet I fear that is is..." Akita's voice went quiet. Invictus slammed into the mass of the Overlord, plunging its swords into it to try to rip it apart.

"I, I wanted to say, Lloyd that…" Akita inhaled, "Lloyd, I love you! I have ever since the day that we went into battle together. You were the only one that I could ever have loved. The only one that ever took my will to fight seriously! I should have gone with you to the Overlord. I should be there by your side now. Instead I… I have to say this now while I still have-" Akita's words were cut off as she cried out in pain.

Invictus tried to yank its swords out, but the darkness refused to give. Prime let out a primal roar of anger and thrust his arms forward. His arm cannons blasted into the darkness to free his blades. The darkness was ripped into, torn apart, eviscerated, until finally he could pull his blades free. He slammed them together, forming the massive sword he hefted up in his right arm.

"Lloyd, I am… I am so sorry," Akita whispered, "I was, stupid. So stupid. I wanted to… I wanted to have a life after this. I wanted to see what we could be together. I wanted to rebuild this world together. And… and I am too weak to do that now. But, but you will be. You will be strong enough to do all of it, Prime. Go on, Lloyd. Please, swear to me that will live on for the both of us. Do not give your life for this. You have to be there for them, Lloyd!"

The darkness shot out like a spear, breaking a hole in the side of Invictus. Prime's jumpsuit was torn open, a massive gash forming as blood rolled down his side. Prime, however, hardly reacted. His eyes began to glow green. The green veins now shone brightly under his skin, all throughout his body. He turned Invictus' body up to see it. The glowing body of the dark creature in the center of all of this. The one that had brought such darkness on the world. The one that he was meant to take down.

"Lloyd, I love you!" Akita shouted, "I love you so much, never forget me Lloyd! Please, never forget me! I-" The comm cut out. The message dropped.

Invictus' jets roared to life. Prime screamed as he shot up into the air, hefting his blades. Invictus' body blasted with green power. His entire being was surrounded by it. The creature turned towards him, roaring at him as he fought to face it. The darkness grabbed at Invictus, at him. More and more of his jumpsuit was ripped open as Invictus had its armor ripped off. Blood splattered off onto the floor. Prime didn't care. Invictus would not be stopped. Prime would not be stopped.

Invictus plunged its swords into the being above him. The mech's core overloaded. Green power shot through the mech and into the Overlord. Prime screamed as his outstretched arms snapped. The force of holding his swords in broke them. Invictus' armor was sheared apart. The creature roared in agony. Invictus wouldn't stop. Prime wouldn't let go. His lips opened into a guttural scream as he held them forward with all that he could give.

The Overlord's eyes opened. It let out a final screech that was heard through all the land, a screech to all that he had brought with him. Prime's power blasted into the creature. A burst of green light subsumed all of the darkness. The Overlord let out one last gasp before the creature was blown apart, and all of Ninjago was subsumed in light.

Inside the cockpit of Invictus, Prime began to wobble on his feet. He slowly fell to his knees, his eyes opened and bloodshot. HIs hands were held out in front of him, in one last slash of his blades. There was no light inside of Invictus, however. No foe to fight. Nothing for him to see. No voice for him to hear. Only his own body, gasping out for air, as though he'd pushed himself to his very limit. Purple smoke slowly began to rise up from his eyes, even as he tried to move himself around inside.

"Akita…" Prime whispered, "A...Aki…." And then his body collapsed, unable to move again.

---

"Where is he?" Lulloyd asked, rubbing his head with a swiveling hand, "I… we need to find him. I can't, I can't see where I'm going…"

"Yeah, you're not special in that regard," Monty tried to blast away the smoke again, "Whatever this stuff is, it just comes right back."

"I, I thought I heard Prime… or, Invictus, I guess," Lulloyd took a deep breath, his feet starting to get hazy under him, "We, we should find him soon, shouldn't we? We… we have to find him…"

Seeing Lulloyd like that, Monty stopped in his tracks. Lulloyd walked several paces in front of him before he managed to stop himself. Monty walked over to Lulloyd, then clamped ah and over his mouth. Before Lulloyd could ask what was going on, a blast of wind went right down into his throat. Lulloyd was nearly thrown down, and began to rapidly hack as he did. Smoke began to leak out of his lips the more that he coughed.

"So it's inside of you… not sure how it got to me, then," Monty waved at Lulloyd, "You should be good now. Get up."

"Ack! Haaahhhh!" Lulloyd coughed a few more times in a raspy voice, "T-That hurt, Monty! You can't just, blast people's throats open like that!"

"I had to test a theory…" Monty frowned, "And make sure you had a throat."

"O-Of course I do!" Lulloyd groaned out, "Just… owh…"

After seeing him hack for a few moments more, Monty just stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. Slowly, a bubble of wind began to form over Lulloyd's mouth, almost like a respirator. Almost immediately, Lulloyd felt his body beginning to clear again. With it, the dizziness he felt faded, and he was able to look to Monty and blink.

"T...Thank you," Lulloyd mumbled.

"Yeah… don't mention it," Monty grumbled out, "...Can't have you getting hurt again. Nobody deserves to see things like that again," Monty lowered his head and grunted, "Least of all someone like you."

"Someone like him, then?" A familiar voice sounded from the smoke. Monty held the SoS forward as he saw a figure emerge from the smoke. It was none other than the one they wished to find, his face almost completely shrouded in shadow as he stumbled forward towards them. The glowing eyes on the mask were all that distinguished him from it all.

"Oh, great, just who we wanted to find," Monty growled, gripping the SoS firmly, "Finally found us, then?"

"I'm surprised you were able to withstand the abilities of my ancestors," Oni raised his hand to his mask, "This mask I crafted is filled with pure, unfiltered Oni energy. It enhances the abilities of my forebearers, and allows for me to manipulate in ways they never could. Their smoke will freeze the soul and stagnate the body…"

"Enough of revealing all of your abilities so early!" Lulloyd shouted at him, "Where is everyone?!" Monty turned to Lulloyd and gave him an approving nod. Lulloyd couldn't help but smile a bit before Oni's stumble forward made him tense up again.

"I can feel them all around us, but you will not find them," Oni informed them, "They will not find you. You have been lucky to free yourselves… but the smoke will claim you again. You demanded that I prove my power to you, Monty…" Oni raised his now massively clawed hands, "I have proven it to you."

The smoke began to rise up around Oni, leaking from his body like a miasma. It shot out towards Lulloyd, and the moment it touched him, he began to feel that entire dizziness and weakness back on him. Monty slashed the smoke apart with the SoS, causing it to let go of him. Lulloyd gasped hard, falling down for a moment before he could get ahold of himself again.

It seems I may have been hasty in selecting him, The SoS informed Monty, I retract my evaluation that he is worthy of wielding me.

"That makes two of us," Monty slung the SoS behind him, "Lulloyd, go and find the others, NOW!"

"But, we should stay together!" Lulloyd gasped.

Oni roared behind his mask and leapt forward, slashing his claws at Monty. Monty blasted back with a burst of wind and swung the SoS to attack. Oni dodged and slashed viciously at Monty again backed away, spinning his body to lunge at him again. Motny caught his hands with the sword, but even he was pushed back as he turned his head to Lulloyd.

"GO!" Monty spat, "I'll keep up your wind, just GO!"

Lulloyd waited a single moment more, then he took off past where they fought. Oni didn't bother to even look at him as he ran off, focusing on Monty. Monty slashed his arms back and tried to go in for a jab, but Oni caught the tip of the sword in one hand.

"You cannot defeat me, I am in connection with my ancestors," Oni growled at him, "You will fall. That sword was forged after they secluded themselves, you have no chance."

"Yeah, well I never did know when to quit," Monty hissed, "So maybe let's get this timer ticking?"

The two foes began to trade blows once more, even as Lulloyd ran off, trying and hoping to find someone to help them. And as he did, in the cloud, another person was walking, still remaining completely under the trance as Lulloyd ran to unknowingly find him.

---

Just a little further.

Lloyd reached up and ripped the blakc pauldrons off his armor. The weight of them alone was almost too much for him. His body felt sick. Everything about him felt sick. Each step he took made him feel as though he was being dragged into the ground by the weight of his own thoughts. He didn't know why he felt so sick. He didn't understand.

The Iron Doom was once more parked at the bottom of the Monastery. Minutes before, he'd done it. He'd saved his father from the Devourer. He'd stopped all the pain that Garmadon would go through. The snake had bitten him instead. His arm with the bite was completely limp, dangling in the air. Just trying to move it felt as though he was trying to stick his arm in an open flame. He didn't want to touch it, or move it.

But it was more than that. The pain of having his very essence corrupted by evil wasn't what he was feeling deep inside. It was a feeling that cut deeper than that. He didn't know why, but it felt like his very soul was on fire. Something was wrong with him. He felt hot, cold, tired, sickened, all of these things that he didn't understand. All of these feelings that made each step feel like moving a mountain.

"Wu… Master Wu will…" Lloyd gasped out, his voice quiet and hoarse, "Master Wu will know what's going on…" He gripped his stomach with his movable arm, "He'll help me, he'll…"

There it was, the Monastery. When he thought about it, he realized that this wasn't right. In his time, the Monastery was burnt down by him. It shouldn't have been standing. He'd come back at the same time that he'd left. But for some reason, he knew that he had to go there. He had to make it there. If he didn't make it there, something was going to happen to him. Something that he didn't want to know, or admit. Something horrible.

That didn't matter. Lloyd would keep going. He'd make it. The doors were in sight. He'd be able to help himself. He'd be able to make it. He slowly stumbled up the last few steps, tripping as he did. When he fell, he didn't want to get up. For some reason, he felt like laying down was a good thing. If he laid down, he would have a reason to never get up again. And, if he kept laying down, he'd feel…

A pang of fear, a primal and raw fear, shot through Lloyd. He couldn't lay down. If he kept lying down, he'd… he'd never get up again. That was enough to force Lloyd to stand up again. He dragged himself to his feet, slowly making his way up to the gates. When he got there, he grabbed hold of the door, holding it tightly. He grasped the golden ring there, trying to slam it down and get himself inside, and…

"Come at me!" An unfamiliar voice rang out in Lloyd's ears, "Show me more of what you can do!"

Lloyd froze. That voice… for some reason, he didn't like that voice. For some reason, it made the sickness inside of him flare up. He gasped out, trying to keep himself from making a noise. For some reason, he didn't want to be seen by the person that was on the other side of that door.

He looked to the temple wall. The temple wall that Garmadon had once scaled to retrieve his katana. Slowly, Lloyd pulled himself over. Why, why was he feeling so sickened by this? What was wrong with him? He didn't know what was going on. He didn't want to feel this sick, or feel this way. But, he knew once he saw who was on the other side of that wall, something was going to change. Something… something wasn't going to be right.

Lloyd pulled himself up the wall. He peered over. There were no ninja in the courtyard. Nothing that would show him that something was going to be happening like a team training. In fact, all he could really see was training equipment. Old wasn't until he turned his head to the source of the noise, he saw something that made his body freeze.

"Begone!" Sun shouted, slashing his sword through a large stand of wood spinning at thim. He held a glowing sword of light in his hand, one that sprouted from a carved, elegant wooden handle. He spun his sword several times, cancelling the light and sliding the hilt into a small pouch on his hip.

"Sun!" Master Wu called out, "Have you destroyed yet another piece of training equipment?"

"I… may have," Sun chuckled, "Sorry, father, it is just my nature to immerse myself in my combat!"

"You have unlocked your weapon in remarkable time," Wu shook his head, "But you have not yet learned how to control your emotions. You will have to learn more of that in time."

"I will, father," Sun bowed his head, "Where is mother?"

"Mother… father?" Lloyd asked in shock, "Since, since when does Wu…" When he saw the doors to the Monastery open, and someone carrying tea, all of Lloyd's body suddenly lit up for a brief moment in true, and utter, horror.

"Tea?" Misako called out. Wu and Sun shared a look, then Sun gave a happy smirk and made his way away from Wu. He reached out to take a cup and threw his head back, taking it all down in one gulp.

"Now now, son," Misako shook her head, "You shouldn't drink your tea like that."

"N-No…" Lloyd slowly began to slide backwards from his perch, "N-No, no, no this can't be right. This, this can't have…"

"But your brew is amazing, mother," Sun leaned in and gave Misako's side a hug, "I will endure any heat just for it."

"Hmmph, I still think it is a rather unsightly way of drinking," Misako shook he rhead, "Tea, dear?"

"Thank you, Misako," Wu took a long drink from one of the cups she brought, "Sun does not lie, your tea is as amazing as always."

"Oh stop, you," Misako chuckled. She leaned in, slowly pressing her lips up against Wu's. The two shared a long kiss. A kiss that Sun simply watched with a roll of his eyes. A kiss that Lloyd watched with a horror in his body that spoke to the confusion and sickness in his body. A sickness in his very existence. A very existence he no longer had.

Lloyd's foot slipped. With a gasp, he fell from the wall, hitting the rocky ground below. The sound caused Wu and Sun to perk up. Misako shrugged and sat the tray down as mother, father and son all walked over to the main gates. Lloyd, as soon as he could, quickly began to stumble down the stairs. Even if he'd torn some of his outfit from the fall, he didn't care. Even as he heard the gates open behind him.

"Wait, friend!" Sun called out, "Do you have business with us?"

Lloyd didn't stop running. He ran, even as he heard the sound of them trying to shuffle after him. He kept running. And run. Each stair he took faster than the last. It was dangerous, given this was the Mountain of a Million Steps. But he refused to stop. He couldn't stop, not right now. Not ever. Not when Sun was after him. Who was he? He was… he was…

Tears streaked down Lloyd's face, both from the pain, the exertion, the confusion, the terror. His bite throbbed. Venom flared inside of him, making him gasp out and trip. His face smashed into the stairs as he rolled down several of them. Each impact just made his sickness get worse. When he finally came to a halt, he did so by a root growing out from the side of the mountain. His body hit it, and he couldn't move any further.

"D-Dad how… how could you….?" Lloyd curled his arms around his body. His body was going to be bruised now, but he didn't care. He didn't think he could care anymore. He didn't have it in him to care. He just slowly curled up on himself. Slowly, quietly. Crying. Crying to himself. To nobody in particular. There was nobody here but him. Nobody but him for what he'd done. Nothing left but him.

Lloyd had to face a truth he didn't want to face. He didn't want to admit it. The second he did, he knew that he would feel it weighing on him. A horror, a despair, a gut sensation he refused to touch. Something he wasn't sure he could ever truly face. A confusion in his mind he couldn't face. A terror, a sickness, a…. A disease that was corrupting him.

Lloyd Garmadon did not exist. Lloyd had undone his own existence. And now, the feeling in his gut was the universe, slowly building up inside him. Slowly coming up to claw away at him. He no longer was even a person in this world. This sensation inside him was the void, readying itself to drag him inside and rip him from a timeline he had created. Wu was right. He should never have messed with time. He should never have done it.

And so Lloyd Garmadon, the son of a now extinct relationship, a boy that had nothing else in this world, cried until his eyes were dry and his throat was hoarse, until his hope was gone, and until even his terror was no longer able to drag out a single gasp from him.

"Hmmph, you truly are a pathetic creature, Emperor."

Lloyd raised his head. Standing there, in front of the spot he now was hiding in, was none other than Sun. But Sun did not look the way he had in the Monastery. Instead, he was wearing his beautifully flowing knightly white robes. His sword had transformed into the repaired wooden hilt, and his hair was slicked back. He looked down at Lloyd and scoffed at him.

"I had prayed that when we met again, you would have grown to face me," Sun frowned, "But I have given you far too much thought. To fall to a vision like this? What right do you have to call yourself the Emperor?"

"Who… who is the Emperor?" Lloyd asked, shaking his head, "I don't know you, I don't. Why, why are you here?"

"That is a question I cannot answer, but I wish I could," Sun reached his hand out, "Stand up! Do not lay there, sniveling at your own misery. A true knight, a warrior, will face it head on! Regardless of what oblivion awaits them."

Lloyd didn't know what was going on, but he slowly nodded. He reached out and took hold of Sun's hand, and in turn he was pulled to his feet. Odd… his weakness, suddenly felt as though it was gone. When he looked up at Sun's smiling face… wait, why was he looking up at him? Wasn't he taller than Sun?

"I wish I could speak to you in person, Emperor, but it seems your mind has fractured and called out to me," Sun sighed, "And sadly, I do not have a way to speak to you. My existence is what yours would have been had you not found your own ally… nothingness. I am here now to tell you to wake up, before you would allow that fate to befall your mind."

"...You shouldn't be here…" Lloyd spoke before he could help himself, "You cannot be here. You do not exist anymore…" Lloyd's eyes narrowed, "You… you are gone, forever."

"I am," Sun shook his head, "But I live here, in your memories, do I not?" Sun laughed, "And therefore, I will never truly fade. You will live on, Emperor, even when I cannot."

Slowly, Lloyd looked down at himself. This wasn't his body. He knew that now. He wasn't the one that he should be right now. His name wasn't Lloyd, anymore. He looked to Sun, even as his eyes began to glow a deep red, and a bite mark on his hand flared up.

"No… because I am Over," Over growled, "And I must take my leave of this place now. I am needed elsewhere."

Slowly, a purple cloud began to form around Over. His body grew and changed, altering to grow taller, stronger, blackened and strengthened. When the smoke cleared, Over held his arm out and summoned his staff. He turned and plunged it forward into the ground, causing it to crack and splinter around him. Sun just grinned at him as he did.

"Then this may be the last time I see you, Emperor," Sun sighed, "Unless you fall prey to this again. I only hope that you do not have to suffer that fate twice."

"I will not," Over stepped past him, "I will do as I must."

"Good," Sun smirked, "Then perhaps I will see you again. But that is for another time."

Over ripped his staff from the ground. Smoke began to pour in from it, washing away the world around him. He looked up towards Sun, who gave him one last smile before he slowly began to disappear into smoke as well. As the world around him darkened, Over hung his head.

"Does the memory ail you?" The Overlord spoke through Over's lips, "His memory ails you, does it not?"

"As it would anyone who has failed him," Overlloyd sighed, "But that is not for now. I must continue forward, I must… I must fight for his memory."

"Mhm... " The Overlord sighed, "It seems that we have returned to our normal state, then. Let us go and find them."

"Indeed," Over nodded, taking a few steps forward, "We will find them yet." Over disappeared into the mist, making his way towards wherever his mind led him, and where he had to go.

---

"Chen!" Lloyd cried out, "Stop this, now!"

Chen let out a long, long cackle. Behind him, the entire battlefield was framed. The tribes, divided among their two sides, far below the mountaintop in which he and Lloyd stood, readied for battle. Their armies were assembled. What was once a massive field, unclaimed for any tribe, was now filled with those ready to spill the other's blood. At the head of each army, Lloyd could see those that he knew. Those that had trained him. Those that he'd fought against. All of them, readied to take the other down.

"Oh?" Chen placed his hands behind his back, "And, pray tell, why would I do that, young elemental master?"

"They'll all destroy each other!" Lloyd shouted, his golden robes billowing behind him as the wind from them being so high up blew past them, "Nothing good will come of this!"

"Hrmmm… you know what, you're right!" Chen cackled, "I think I'll go and tell them that it was all just a misunderstanding, right now. In fact, maybe I'll have my lovely little daughter decide!" Chen turned to the sky, "SKYLAR!"

With a loud crash, Skylar's body came soaring down from the sky to crash into the mountaintop in front of her father. Lloyd watched as the red haired girl slowly stood up, taking a step back to stand beside her father.

"Well then, you heard that, right my little girl?" Chen looked down into her eyes, "What do you think? Should we spare them and let them all go home like good little soldiers?"

Skylar turned to look across the battlefield. She knew just as many of them as Lloyd did. She could see Kai, wearing armor reminiscent of a great fiery dragon, raising his sword as his troops lit their pikes on fire. She watched as Bolobo slammed his staff into the ground, causing his body to become surrounded in thorny roots that protected him as strong as any shield. To Nya and Jay, both looking to the other sadly as they readied their troops. And, finally, to Acronix, wearing his blue and green accented armor, a look of deep and bitter sadness in his eyes as he summoned his Time Matrix in his hand.

"Let them fight," Skylar turned ot Lloyd, "It won't matter in a few minutes anyways."

"Well, you heard the girl!" Chen giggled, "Sorrrrr-eee Lloyd! Looks like you'll have to do that yourself!"

Lloyd gripped his fists, his fingers tensing. So it all came down to this. He knew from the day that he met Skylar, he'd one day have to face her. To the first day that the two have locked eyes in that abandoned temple in the former Amber Tribe lands. To each day he'd seen her traveling with the traders to learn more about the lands. To each time they'd traded blows. It was always going to come to this. Even if he knew it was the worst possible thing for him to have to do.

"Well, I'm going to get out of here," Chen shrugged, "I know you two can survive dragon fire, but I'd prefer not to be on the receiving end of that attack. You two have fun up here~!"

"Chen!" Lloyd shouted. Turning to aim a bolt of lightning to stop him. Skylar mimicked the element of speed, racing forward and grabbing hold of Lloyd's arm, wrenching it off to the side. The lightning shot off course.

"You two have fun!" Chen called out, "Oh, and, Skylar?" Chen's tone lowered, "That boy there can negate your call to the dragons. So if he tries to stop you…" Chen sliced a finger across his throat, "Make certain he doesn't have the chance to see when you actually do it."

"Of course, father," Skylar looked down at Lloyd, an angry glare in them, "I'll make sure that he never interferes with you again."

Lloyd looked hard towards Skylar, his eyes widened with fear. Skylar didn't chance her own hardened gaze. Chen was soon gone as her own arms lit up with lightning to send into Mage. Before she could, Mage puffed into smoke, racing back and away from her.

"Skylar, don't do this!" Lloyd shouted, "I know you don't want this! Do you honestly want everyone to die?!"

"It's what they all deserve!" Skylar shouted back at him, "You wouldn't understand! You can't understand! So either back down, or I'll make you stop!"

Lloyd struck the ground with his foot, causing it to ripple up as rocks erupted to try to grab Skylar. In turn, she blasted into the air with wind, then brought her hands together and blasted water straight towards Lloyd. Before he could sidestep it, the water turned to ice, splintering off in all directions. Lloyd thrust his arms up, his forearms metla to knock them aside.

"I know you don't want this!" Lloyd cried out, "Your friends are down there! Alcar and Ray and all your other friends! They'll die if you do this! Please, Skylar, you can't!"

Skylar hesitated. Lloyd took this moment to twist his foot and give a hard kick through the air. He unsettled Skylar with it by hitting her with wind, then his mind opened up. He raced forward with the element, trying to peer into Skylar's head and speak to her.

Skylar, you know you don't want this! Chen is just using you! I know he's your father, but he doesn't want what's best for you! You have to stop! Lloyd yelled into her head.

GET OUT! Skylar shouted. A spike of mental power shot right back towards Lloyd, causing his head to feel like it'd been split right open. Lloyd clutched his skull and fell backwards, writhing on the ground. When the pain faded, he looked up to see Skylar had frozen her left arm into the shape of a sword. Lloyd rolled to the side as the ice shattered on impact. He reached out to grabbed her side, blasting her with a shock to try to destabilize her.

"Skylar, they're all going to die if you do this!" Lloyd shouted, "That's what this is! You have to stop!"

"Like they did to my people?!" Skylar shouted, "None of them even knew what the Amber Tribe was! I could have lived my entire life without knowing who they were! They're the ones who killed them, Lloyd! They… they were the ones that let my mother DIE!"

Skylar thrust her arms out, causing her body to light up in flames. The flames shot out like whips, manipulated with gravity to arc perfectly right into Lloyd. He dodged a few of them, but one managed to grab him. When she had him, Skylar thrust her arms over her head, sending mage into the air. She shot up and delivered a gravity fueled kick, slamming him back into the ground.

"You don't know anything about me, Lloyd!" Skylar shouted as she stood over him, her fists gripping, "Do you know what it's like to find out that your mother died because nobody would let her in?! The same thing that they did to my people, they did to her! They refused to let her in! Her powers were too much for them! And she died protecting me! That's what I am, Lloyd! I'm nothing more than a monster that should just do what a monster is made to DO!"

"I… I don't believe that…" Lloyd pushed himself upright, shaking his head, "You… you were traveling with Alacr, right? You two… you two seemed happy together. You… you were friends with them. They accepted you… if… if you tired then, everyone could accept you…"

Skylar moved to try to kick Lloyd, but Lloyd grabbed her foot instead. He focused, and with it the light around Skylar's eyes shifted to make the world around her go blurry. Lloyd used this to hit her in the chest and knock her over. Lloyd let go, letting Skylar get up as she rubbed her eyes fiercely.

"Please, I don't want to hurt you!" Lloyd shouted, "You just have to stop this! Stop listening to him, stop-"

"He's all I have left!" Skylar screamed, tears streaking from her eyes, "I know that this isn't right! I know that this isn't what I should do! But everytime I think of it…" She pressed her palms up against her face, "Everytime I close my eyes I just feel it, I feel that longing to have my mother back. I want to have a family again. I want to have my people! I don't want to be a freak! I don't want this power! I don't want any of it! I just want to see my mother!" Skylar sobbed out, "And now I'll never be able to! Because of them! Someday, they'll all turn on me. They'll all one day throw me out when I get too strong…"

Skylar put her hands down, her eyes red, puffy, and angry, "...So I'll get rid of them before they can do that. I'll… I'll do it and show the world what I am. If they feared what the Amber Tribe could do… I'll… I'll show them what they should have always been afraid of!"

Skylar put her hands together. As soon as Lloyd saw it, he knew what was happening. He raced forward, trying to stop her. Instead, Skylar thrust her hands to the sky. Her elements streaked up, mimicking each one. All of them swirled together over the battlefield, over the people down below. All of them looked up as the dazzling display showed off to them. It was a single beacon. A beacon of power, fueled by the elements of the tribes that had all gathered there. And, with it, Skylar shouted.

"Come to me, dragons!" Skylar shouted, eyes shut tightly, "Take them out! Take them all out! Make them pay for what they did to… to my people!"

Lloyd raced forward with speed, grabbing Skylar and tackling her to the ground. Skylar shouted, but didn't stop. Even as Lloyd pinned her hands down, the elements kept flowing out of her. They kept pouring into the beacon above her. And, as they did, Lloyd could feel it. The power inside. And the anger that resonated in those elements, and was speaking to everyone .

"It's over, Lloyd…" Skylar whispered to him, "It's done. You… you can't stop them now. Say… say goodbye to them. To everyone…" She inhaled gently, "And… maybe when they get done, maybe us too."

Lloyd heard it. A sound that made his bones chill. He turned to see it. On the horizon, the first of the dragons had emerged. The speed dragon soared through the air, flying right towards them. Lloyd down to Skylar, then to the dragon. When the speed dragon flew closer to them, Lloyd shook his head.

"Then… then I'll fight them too…" Lloyd inhaled, charging up power in his hands, "I'll fight them all too! I'll save them! I'll save all of them, and then I'll save you, Sykarl! That's what I'm here for!" Lloyd growled, "This is what it'll mean to… to be the Dragon Lord!"

The speed dragon slowly flew over the battlefield, raising up to the mountaintop. The dragon bore down on Lloyd, its eyes staring deeply at the beacon in the sky. As soon as it saw Lloyd, standing over the one that was casting it, the dragon began to growl. Lloyd took a deep breath, then he shouted and flung himself at the beast. The dragon opened its mouth a moment later, as both the boy and dragon dueled in front of the eyes of Skylar.

Mage! Mage I'm here! Listen to me!

Skylar's blow hit Mage dead on, causing him to fall backwards into the ground. When he looked up, Skylar stood over him, reaching down to grab him by his hair. Mage spun his body with wind and yanked free, kicking her back.

"Who is that?!" Mage blinked, then used Mind, Who's there!?

Lulloyd, it's Lulloyd! The voice continued, I need you to wake up!

Mage dodged a blast of fire from Skylar. Wake up? He was asleep? Was something… wrong here? He put his hand to his side, ready to draw his… his sword?

...This is an illusion? Mage asked the voice, Then… then this isn't real?!

No, it's not! You need to wake up! The voice continued.

Skylar raced towards Mage. Mage still had his body in a position to draw his blade. The more he let the element of Mind into his body, the more this didn't make sense. Skylar raced for him with a bladed arm of ice. And… he was calling himself Mage now, not Lloyd. When did he start calling himself that? Mage stood up, taking a breath and holding his arms up.

The blade of ice hit his chest, then burst into smoke. Skylar's entire body did the same. The world around him faded away as he stumbled forward, feeling a harsh headache. When he opened his eyes in full, the world shifted, and in turn, he saw the face of none other than Lulloyd holding his shoulders.

"...Hey, Lulloyd," Mage smiled gently, "What's going on?"

"Monty is in trouble," Lulloyd shook his head, "But, are you okay? Did, what's going on?"

"I was seeing something… something important, but not as much as this," Mage looked up, "Monty sent you? Where?"

"From… from there," Lulloyd pointed with his hand, "We have to-"

Without waiting, Mage grabbed Lulloyd and the two blasted forward with the element of speed. Lulloyd shouted as he was accelerated forward, unable to do anything to stop himself. Mage looked around, attempting to find where Lulloyd had found him. When he saw figures in front of him, he stopped, causing Lulloyd to stumble several feet forward.

"Is that them?" Mage asked. There was a fierce clashing of blades as the two saw none other than the telltale glow of the SoS in front of them.

Monty spun his sword, attempting to cut through Oni's defense. Oni, however, was slashing wildly at him, refusing to give him any ground. He continued to attack at Monty with unrelenting force, no pause or stagger in his motions as he put Monty, for what seemed like the first time, on the defensive. Lulloyd blinked to affirm to Mage as the sounds of their fight continued.

"What are we going to do?" Lulloyd asked. Mage smirked and stepped forward, drawing Aevum out of its sheath. His Time Matrix formed, letting him control the glowing blue runes along the blade's length.

"This," Mage inhaled, then zipped forward with speed. He did an upward slash just as he phased out of his element, knocking right into Oni's arm. Oni's body was first knocked through the air, then slowed down in time. Mage spun the sword around, putting one hand forward as he turned to Monty.

"...Great timing," Monty growled, "You good?"

"Yeah… I'm good," Mage frowned, "How do we stop this smoke?"

"We get that mask off of him," Monty informed him, holding the SoS up, "Let's do this."

Mage nodded. By then, Oni had fallen out of the slowed time and turned his masked face towards the two of them. Oni made a race straight towards Monty, brandishing his claws again. Mage shot forward with speed, slashing at him. Oni managed to just slide his body away and stumble back into full sprint at him. Monty took the blow and instead threw Oni backwards with a gust of wind, right into Mage. Oni was forced to take the blow, capturing him in slowed time. Mage summoned fire in one hand and Monty wind in his other, the two blasting him and knocking him away.

Oni snarled, racing for the two of them again. Monty and Mage traded their attacks, Mage blasting Oni with earth, wind and fire, while Monty blasted Oni back into Mage to line him up for the attacks. Oni, seemingly reduced to nothing more than anger at this point, continued to race violently at the two of them. The sheer force of his slashes at Monty were enough to rip apart walls, and yet Monty continued to take them and throw them to Mage.

Instead of going for Monty, Oni turned and went for Mage, throwing his pace off. With a violent slash, Oni rent his claws down Mage's left arm, tearing bloody gashes in his flesh and shredding open his robe. Mage dropped Aevum as he hit the ground, gasping out in pain. Oni snarled and raised his claws, readying to pounce down on Mage.

With a shout, Lulloyd jumped forward, bricks assembled in his hands to form a collar of rock. He threw it around Oni's head and grabbed on, gripping his back and pulling on him to choke him. Oni snarled and lashed out with his arms, the sheer force throwing Lulloyd off and tumbling over the ground. Mage froze the injury on his arm and grabbed Aevum again, huffing out as she raised it and raced forward towards the struggling foe.

Oni reached up with his claws, shredding the bricks apart as he did. In that instant, however, Monty shot up behind him and wrapped the SoS around his chest, using the flat of the blade to pin his limbs. Monty looked at Mage and shouted something that was lost on him as Mage raced forward. He leapt up onto Oni's shoulders and grabbed hold of the edge of his mask. Oni snarled and tried to break free, but Monty wasn't having it. Lulloyd shot up and grabbed hold of Monty's hands, helping to hold him back. Mage focused his arms, enhancing them with Earth to try to pull harder. A massive crack of power began to form behind the mask as he pulled, pulled, and pulled harder.

With a blast of white, the mask came off. The blast knocked Mage, Monty and Lulloyd in random directions. The three of them scrambled back upright, seeing the mask go flying off into the ruins. Oni collapsed to the ground, clawing at his face as his body began to shift. He roared a few more times before his voice slowly pitched down, causing him to slide forward and grip the ground. Soon, he was back to his normal form, his horns shrinking down to size.

Mage took a hard pant, looking around him. The smoke began to fade, allowing for the rays of cloudy sunlight to pierce the area. As it continued to fade away, the arena around them was fully revealed. And, more importantly, Mage was able to see Monty and Lulloyd around Oni, all of them readying for yet another attack. The outline of Invictus could be seen in the near distance, and slowly, even the others on the battlefield became visible. The light itself seemed to return as it cleared, giving them all room to breathe. He watched as Lloyd and Harumi both sat up form the ground nearby each other, the smoke fading from their eyes. And, most importantly, the deie they had planted in the ground was still functioning, whittling away as the timer ticked down.

"...That's… that's it!" Mage smirked, "We did it, we-"

Mage stopped. Lulloyd looked at him, then he raised his hands in shock. Mage dropped Aevum. He looked down at his chest, and what he saw there was something that he didn't understand. Something, something was there, poking out of it… stabbed into it. It was red. It was dripping red. An orange glow that was dripping red. Mage looked up at the others, trying to take a breath. His body wouldn't listen to him.

The metal thing pulled out of him. Mage fell forward onto the ground, his eyes frozen in place. Behind him, with his arm outstretched, and his eyes clouded in the purple smoke of the Oni, was none other than Ophiod. He held the staff with the scroll out, the entire blade on it now coated in blood. He took several deep breaths, tears falling from his eyes.

"M-M-M…" Lulloyd tried to speak. Suddenly, a shadow overcame him. When Lulloyd turned to see who it was, the sight was almost as terrifying as what he had witnessed.

"...Mage…" Over stumbled forward past Lulloyd. His eyes began to shrink until white pupils were in them, looking down at Mage's bleeding body on the ground. He stumbled forward, looking at the boy. The boy in gold, laying on the ground with his sword.

Ophiod slowly began to shake his head. Over raised his hand, blasting him with dark power and sending him flying backwards. Over stumbled forward to where Mage was, slowly falling to his knees. He looked down at the boy, his eyes slowly flashing. His eyes moving to look over the wound he had suffered. The way his breathing was slowing down. The pain in his features.

"...No…" Over gripped his fists, "...No. No. I told you. I told you not to borrow moves from him. Not to be like him…" Over's voice pitched to a roar, "I never told you to die like he did!"

The entire assembled group began to back up. Over reached down, picking Mage's body up in his arms. When he did, the boy's head lulled in it. Over remained on his knees, cradling his body in it. Mage's breath was slowly down. Over slowly looked up towards the assembled group around him. Lloyd and Harumi had arrived, looking over the sight. Prime was beginning to sit up. But Over just looked down back to Mage. Looked back down to the boy, wondering what was happening to him. Wondering what fate had given him.

"...What good is being Emperor over all… if you cannot save… even one… single… child…" Over inhaled, his pupils fading away as his eyes began to flare, "... WHAT USE IS IT?!

Suddenly, an aura erupted around Over. It was an aura that flared out in all directions. It was one that pushed back all of those around him. Monty grabbed Lulloyd's arm and blasted backwards to meet where Lloyd and Harumi had stumbled forward. Skales grabbed Ophiod and dragged his still limp body away from it. Oni slowly stood up, grabbing his mask and rushing away from him. Over looked up towards the group as that aura grew, the malice, hatred, and the pure and utter rage filling his body.

"I will not allow for another to die like he has…" Over's voice began to drip with the malice of the Overlord, "I will not allow for another to be hurt. I WILL NOT ALLOW IT! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!"

Suddenly, Over fell forward. He fell onto his hands and knees over Mage's body, covering it with his own. His eyes began to flare up. The purple in them began to leak out of the pupils. They began to drip down his face, as though he was melting. His entire body began to do the same. His darkness dripped from his limbs, hitting the ground around Mage. Surrounding him. Consuming him. And slowly, those puddles of darkness began to collhease together into themselves, growing it their scale and covering the ground in an inky, mirky, void.

Over threw his head backwards. His melting face turned towards the assembled group. There was one last flash in them, one last, before he opened his mouth. Dragon jaws erupted from them, and then melted back into his face. He threw his face down, causing his flesh to splatter over Mage's body. Mage's golden robes began to fade away into the darkness itself as Over thrust his head side to side, shaking off more and more of his body. As his body melted away, all that was left was a glowing, deep purple orb in his chest. One that began to glow, and pulse, and shine away above all else.

The being that had once been Over screamed. The orb grew in its size, pulsing as it seemed to rip through his very body itself. Over curled in on himself, as though trying to contain it. Then, the orb grew. The melting shadow essence dripped down the orb, and soon, it was gone. The ground around him continued to be blanketed with the utter darkness of it all. And the orb slowly rose into the air, pulsing with a darkness and horror that those around them had never seen.

The melted essence began to writhe on the ground. It writhed up, as though screaming in an endless black sea. The tendrils shot up into the air and flailed, clinging onto anything they could, onto anything. The ruins of the Summit were pulled down into it, seemingly disappearing as they did. Then, the air began to swirl. The essence began to pull up towards the orb, wrapping around in a swirling mass of rock, of darkness, of essence. And as it continued to swirl around it, it grew bigger, and larger. It grew until it was dwarfed almost the entire Summit grounds itself. The assembled group all raced away from it as the darkness consumed the very ground it stood on.

Then, finally, a face. The swirling mass of darkness grew together around the orb, as though it was a core, and then two dark, liquidus eyes formed on it. Massive limbs erupted from it, slamming into the ground. At first, it almost looked as though it was going to make a form. But the body itself was melting. Dripping, hardening, melting, reforming. The body in flux. A head broke free from it, but even that was unclear. All that was clear was that the beast itself opened jaws up, jaws that split open and began to drip onto the ground, the ground that had become a black mirror for it. And those eyes that formed there were not the eyes of the Overlord, or of Over himself. They were the darkened, beastial, horrifying eyes of a creature dredged from an abyss of despair, of unrelenting rage, and of grief itself. When the beast raised its head, even Invictus was made small in its presence.

The thing that had once been Over stood in front of them, no longer a being of thought, of conscious mind. It was now a beast, an eldritch horror from the horrors beyond the void itself. And as the very light and warmth of the world cowered to the beast, all it could do was raise its head and let out a piercing howl to break the soul. A howl of rage, anguish, and unrelenting terror into the heavens above it.

---

Author's Note:

I don't traumatize my characters, what are you talking about?

This chapter went through probably the most amount of rewrites. This moment, this exact moment at the end, was one I wanted in my story from the very beginning. But originally I had way more written out and was at nearly 40 pages. I ended up moving some of it around, shifted some dialogue, altered some plot threads… even now I'm not sure I'm 100% satisfied with it, but I will say in terms of those flashbacks, they're some of my favorite things I've written for the characters. Feel free to dig into all you want with them!