Metal clashed together, the dragon blade against the four daggers made by elemental powers.

"No matter what you've done, or who you've become, I have to believe this isn't you. You can change!" The son pleaded, begging for a chance that his...

"Youthful ignorance!" The man who was once his father shouted, knocking back against the force and sending the boy to the ground, "People don't change," a kick to his torso, sending him flying with the amount of force before walking over to his pained body, "they only reveal who they truly are!"

Despite the fact that the son tried to stabilize himself with his sword, he was hit with a small burst of power, nearly knocking him over, only to be yanked up by the wrist and thrown to the ground, his head hitting a rock.

The man, the Oni, sauntered over, all it took was one clash of the blades to knock his son over again, his voice cracking like it had only a few years ago. Where it once showed what a skilled warrior he was at such a young age, now it just how weak he was to the enemy.

•••

"Where is he?!" Lloyd shouted, his eyes snapping open as he got up on shaking legs with his heart panging against his chest; a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Whoa, whoa, easy, fighter." The voice soothed, but he shook his head, he had to find his father, he had to stop him before someone else got hurt, "try and calm down."

"Where's Garmadon?!"

As soon as he yelled, the face that the hand belonged to came into view revealing a very obviously worried Kai.

"Lloyd, you're still running a fever," the voice was quiet, unlike the fire ninja, which started to make the adrenaline dissipate while being led back to his room, "let's get you back in bed."

He hadn't gotten far from his room before he had been grabbed, but by the time his bed was in view, everything was hurting and the congestion in his chest was very apparent.

Lloyd sat on the edge of his bed and let Kai put his hand against his forehead for a few moments. "The fight against your father was weeks ago, kid."

'Shit.' Lloyd swallowed back the rawness in his throat; whether it was from the sickness or the obvious tears he had cried in his sleep, he had no idea.

For the first time in months, Ninjago had finally been at peace; everything had returned to normal with the Sons of Garmadon behind bars.

Lloyd hadn't mustered up the courage to tell anyone that every time he closed his eyes, he was back on the top of Borg tower fighting his father; that the fight had blurred together with fighting the Overlord years ago, that the parallels were strong in his mind as it happened and not just after the fact, that he should've been able to save his father again.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Kai asked softly and brought Lloyd out of his mental spiral.

Lloyd shook his head; one day, he might be ready to talk about it and finally start to heal the wound of what happened at what was arguably his lowest point since becoming a ninja, but that was not today. The congestion in his head was making his memory foggy and the muscle aches only got worse as he continued to sit up.

"Alright, then," Kai nodded, giving Lloyd the chance to lay down before pulling the blanket over his shoulders, "get some sleep, okay?"

'You're gonna be alone again if he leaves.'

"Wait," Lloyd choked out, clearing his sore throat before continuing, "I-I know now that we're in the monastery, we have our own rooms, but can you-"

"Relax, Green Machine," Kai insisted before pointing out the makeshift bed on the floor, "I'm staying right here. It's okay."

Lloyd nodded, his eyes already closing as he adjusted on the bed. 'Maybe I won't end up on the battlefield tonight.'