"Miru, may I borrow you for a moment?"
Miru turned around to see Lloyd standing behind her, smiling genially.
"Master Lloyd, I am surprised to still see you here," Miru observed the time on her internal vision. "it is getting late."
"It's only 5pm," He countered, glancing at his smartphone for a moment. "besides, I am staying overnight; Lady Borg requires my attendance tomorrow."
"I see – and it wouldn't make sense to go all the way home and have to come all the way back," She said. "very well, what can I assist you with?"
"I was wondering if you had seen Lord Zander anywhere?" He asked. "I haven't been able to spend much time with him, and I thought I'd ask him to join me for something to eat."
"Last time I saw him, he was acquainting himself with the dragons; he's fascinated by them." Miru explained. "I will go and fetch him for you."
"I'll come with you," Lloyd smiled. "I don't want you to get in trouble for taking orders from me."
"Oh, it's no trouble, honestly." Miru assured him, briskly walking toward the elevator.
"It's above my station, and I don't want to step on Lady Borg's toes." Lloyd insisted as he followed her.
Miru calmly pressed the call button, all the while sending frantic internal messages to Zane, telling him to get out of the freezer unit. They got into the elevator, and as it went down, she began panicking even more. Zane wasn't responding, nor did he appear to be reading the messages she was sending via neural link. Perhaps she could convince Lloyd to wait in the elevator? No, she had already attempted to put him off and it had failed – any further dissuading and he may become suspicious.
Zane… She thought to herself. Please see the messages, get out of the freezer!
The elevator doors opened. Immediately they were struck by the cold, even before they went through the double doors.
"Jeez!" Lloyd shivered. "Did the dragons break into the freezer again?"
Miru paused and took a deep breath. She slowly heaved the doors open.
The dragons were all looking towards the freezer unit, while simultaneously being huddled together against the far wall. She hurriedly walked past them, with Lloyd right behind her as she expected. That's when they heard Zane cry out. Miru bolted through the second set of double doors and was relieved to find that the freezer unit had been closed. But if Zane wasn't in there, where was he?
"Oh no…" She gasped, ran down the hallway and stopped short of another door which had been broken open… from the inside.
Miru turned to see Lloyd looking just as shocked as her.
This was where Pixal's personal dragon was kept, and there were good reasons for it being kept separate from the other dragons. They cautiously poked their heads inside, to see the vague shape of someone struggling to get free from the beast. Miru unleashed two electric whips from her palms, and Lloyd also leapt into battle mode, ready to free the unsuspecting victim from the dragon's clutches.
Until that 'victim' started laughing.
Lloyd flicked on the light switch by the door, and that's when they saw what was actually going on; Lord Zander was being nuzzled, licked and cradled by the giant android reptile.
"Oh, hello Miru; Master Lloyd," Zane waved at them from his place within the dragon's foreclaws. "I was playing with the other dragons, and I think this one got jealous – I did not even know she was here."
"Lord Zander," Lloyd began. "do you know which dragon this is?"
"Pardon my impudence, Master Lloyd," Miru intervened. "but if he did not know it was here, I doubt he knows-"
"Yukiko," Zane replied, stroking the beast's jaw where her kanji name was imprinted. "she's so friendly, I can't imagine why she was separated."
"Because Yukiko, in addition to being twice the size of the other dragons, is so vicious and so temperamental that only Lady Borg can get near her," Lloyd explained, stunned. "how are you doing this?!"
"I do not know," Zane chuckled. "but she really seems to like me."
"Lord Zander, Master Lloyd would like you to join him for an evening meal." Miru said.
"How kind, I'd love to – Yukiko, can you please put me down now?" Zane asked her.
A low growl rumbled in her throat, and she clung to him a little harder.
"I promise I'll come see you tomorrow," Zane offered. "but you have to put me down now, and you need to be nicer to the other dragons."
Yukiko turned away for a moment. She rustled her dual set of wings and flicked her tail, then clicked her talons together. Zane looked at her pleadingly and she gently set him down. She nuzzled her head into him, and he hugged her softly.
"Remember your promise Yukiko," He whispered. "and I will remember mine."
She made a reverberated purring sound and laid down quietly. Zane gave her a quick pat on the head and walked over to Lloyd and Miru, who were still stunned by what they had just witnessed.
"Thank you for your invitation," He said to Lloyd. "I'd be honoured to join you."
"I'm so glad," Lloyd grinned. "we need to become better acquainted."
The two of them left the room and headed back toward the elevator, while Miru sent a message to maintenance to inform them of the damage.
"Do contact me if you need anything, My Lords." Miru said as they walked away.
"Thanks, Miru!" Zane smiled.
"I'm absolutely astonished," Lloyd admitted. "I have never seen Yukiko so happy with anyone but Her Highness."
"My love of the ice and snow apparently extends to creatures with a cold name," Zane laughed. "I admit she frightened me when she first came barrelling through the door."
"She frightens everyone, including the other dragons," Lloyd nodded as the elevator took them to the 40th floor. "between you and me, she dislikes most people, but she tolerates them for Lady Borg's sake."
"Perhaps it is because I am a droid, like Her Highness." Zane suggested.
"Maybe," Lloyd tentatively agreed, as they exited the elevator and headed down a long, gleaming corridor. "she never used to be so hostile, but the war changed everyone."
"Where are we going, if I may ask?" Zane wondered.
"My personal room," Lloyd beamed. "my permanent residence is the Airjitzu Temple, but I also have private quarters here in the tower."
They stopped before a white wooden door with the golden detailing of Lloyd's elemental symbol.
Lloyd placed his hand on a black panel to the right of the door handle, and the door opened automatically. Zane followed Lloyd into the room, and he was not surprised to see that these accommodations were drenched in varying degrees of green. The walls were decorated an emerald shade, with lime-coloured soft furnishings and redwood fixtures. An elegant peridotite chandelier glittered above them, and an exotic scent drifted through the air.
"Please make yourself at home." Lloyd bowed and gestured for him to be seated.
Zane eventually placed himself on a large comfy cushion on the floor. Lloyd moved a wheeled table – containing a spread of both sweet and savoury snacks – over to where he sat, then sat on a cushion directly opposite Zane.
"I've had some delicious treats sent up," Lloyd politely smiled. "please, help yourself."
"Thank you," Zane replied, his head turned by a particularly sweet-looking cake. "it is nice to have time to relax a little."
"Yes, I've always found the parties quite draining, I guess I will always be a homebody," Lloyd admitted. "can I tempt you with some sake?"
"That would be nice, thank you," Zane nodded, as Lloyd poured him a drink. "I'm sorry we did not get to spend much time together at the party."
"Yes, Lady Borg was determined to keep you to herself," Lloyd joked. "but that's why I thought you might enjoy a one-to-one this evening."
"It is most appreciated, Master Lloyd." Zane briefly bowed his head, before partaking of the cake he had spotted.
"Please, call me Lloyd," He insisted. "honorifics are only a public requirement; we all go by first names in private."
"Then you should call me Zander."
Lloyd grinned at him and selected a piece of melon bread.
"Would it be untoward for me to ask a few questions?" Zane wondered. "Being new here, I am curious about many things."
"Such as…?" Lloyd baited.
"You are a lord, and yet you go by the title of Master; is there a reason for that?"
Lloyd quietly chuckled.
"Back in the day, Ninjago had to deal with another Lord Garmadon – my father – and at the time, he was a very bad person," Lloyd took another bite. "he's a good, peaceful person now, and a sensei at his own school, but I did not want the public to think that the same Lord Garmadon who caused so much havoc was being inducted into Pixal's council."
"Ah, that makes sense," Zane agreed, then paused to think. "wait… you just referred to Lady Borg by her first name – Miru told me it 'wasn't done' here."
"I imagine Miru did not want you to overstep your boundary, since you were new, however, you are now a lord and – as I said before – we go by first names in private."
"And what of Kai? He seems very close to Pixal." Zane mentioned.
"Not as close as he would like; she's always turned him down," Lloyd chuckled again. "besides which, she's taken to you the same way Yukiko has."
"Me?" Zane stopped as he picked up an onigiri.
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed?" Lloyd looked at him, surprised.
"I thought perhaps she was just being welcoming." Zane quietly said, nibbling on the rice ball.
"It was Pixal's decision that you be given a new custom-made body, it was she who insisted that you sit beside her at the meeting and at the party – during which she practically stole you for herself," Lloyd pointed out. "she gave you a room on the same floor as hers, she offered to share her territories with you, and she smiles at you in a way that she used to smile at…"
Zane watched as Lloyd paused, then looked directly into his eyes.
"She smiles at you, as she did with Kura-okami," He spoke sincerely. "Pixal has not smiled like that since before we lost him."
Zane looked momentarily stunned and glanced down at his hands, while Lloyd watched his reaction. His gaze shifted left to right as this information sank in. He hadn't misread her expressions, all those times she sparkled at him with that irresistibly cute grin, it was really that special smile she always used to give him – the one that made him fall for her in the first place.
He closed his eyes, blinked back tears, and beamed widely at Lloyd.
"Are you alright?" Lloyd asked knowingly.
"Forgive me, I am just so happy: for her to smile at me that way means that I have truly been accepted," Zane apologised. "when you've been adrift as long as I have, acceptance is a wonderful gift."
"Such a beautiful sentiment," Lloyd remarked. "please, have another cake."
"Thank you." Zane said, happily eating it.
"What a shame you never got to try Kura-okami's desserts, they were the best." Lloyd baited.
"The Kami of rain and snow used to cook?" Zane asked, feigning ignorance.
"When we all used to live at the monastery together, we took turns cooking, and everyone looked forward to when it was his turn," Lloyd nodded. "everything he made was delicious, and his desserts were nothing short of magnificent; to this day, no one has ever made chocolate cherry cake the way he did."
"Wow, he was that good?" Zane responded as he internally beamed with pride.
"Definitely, it's one of the many, many reasons we miss him." Lloyd sighed.
"I doubt I could replicate a master, but I do know the recipe for chocolate cherry cake by heart; perhaps I could make it one day." Zane suggested.
"Would you really? I know it's short notice, but do you think you could make it for the festival in a few days?" Lloyd suggested.
"I'd be happy to make it for the festival." Zane declared.
"Great! Pixal will be thrilled!" Lloyd said excitedly. "In the meantime, do you have any more questions?"
"Yes, but…" Zane hesitated. "I fear that asking may sour the mood."
"Speak up, Zander," Lloyd insisted, waving his hand. "you need answers, and you won't be able to settle until you have them."
"Miru told me that Pixal has a monstrous temper, and that in her grief, she wiped out an entire island of people when someone disrespected Kura-okami," Zane began. "is it true?"
Lloyd sat up straight, startled by this ominous question.
"It appears that Miru only knows half of the story," Lloyd said assuredly. "yes, Pixal has been warped by her grief, and yes, she has pre-emptively attacked others to protect Ninjago, but there is more to that first siege than just disrespect."
"I was hoping there was." Zane sighed.
"We got wind of suspicious activity on the island off the coast, so Pixal sent me, Cole and Kiku to investigate," Lloyd explained. "when we got there, it looked like a cult had taken over – there were all these people wearing purple uniforms and snake skulls, and they had tribal body paint all over them."
"How bizarre…" Zane commented.
"Cole managed to get into a secret library, where he found out that they were planning to draw all the elemental masters together under false pretences and steal their powers, but with Kura-okami dead and the Master of Water yet to be identified at the time, they were forced to delay," Lloyd retrieved his phone and pulled up a photo of the evidence. "in the interim, they were planning to kidnap Pixal and take her power source; someone on the mainland was acting as an agent for their leader, Master Chen, and had told them about it."
Zane could feel his anger rising. It was bad enough when the Overlord's minions attacked her, but they were mindless drones following orders – some nefarious individual purposely gave Chen this information, knowing full well that they were putting Pixal's life at risk.
"To complicate matters, it was a member of Pixal's own computer engineering team that tipped them off, and he in turn was betrayed by the unencrypted emails he was sending to Master Chen's high-ranking flunky: Clouse," Lloyd could sense the rage coming from his companion but continued talking. "Pixal is extremely protective of her power source, because it is the half given to her by Kura-okami – she treasures it above her own life – and she was furious that someone was plotting to steal it, so much that she gathered the elemental masters herself, got them onside and prepared to storm the island with an army of droids."
"I hope that vile traitor was punished severely!" Zane fumed, his fists shaking.
"You'll be pleased to know that he was captured, forced into revealing information about the cult and the island, then he was bound, gagged and strapped to the front of a tank when the island was first attacked," Lloyd mentioned. "Pixal wanted him to suffer the aftermath of his betrayal, and as we fought against Master Chen's cult members, he was made to experience the full, uncut brutalities of war."
"Good!" Zane snapped. "But in my opinion, he deserved so much worse…"
"If it makes you feel any better, he became catatonic in shock and had to be committed to a mental health facility," Lloyd clarified. "the cult was ultimately slaughtered, but the Masters of Mind and Gravity lost their lives in the battle – even Pixal did not come out unscathed."
"That's how she got the scar…" Zane growled.
"Sadly yes," Lloyd nodded. "the damage destroyed her eye, but to honour the sacrifices made on her behalf, she refused to have the scar fixed or have a new working eye made."
"Kai told me that it was his fault, is that true also?" Zane wondered.
"Technically yes: he misjudged how close the enemy was, and the strike of his sword did not cut deep enough to stop them." Lloyd confessed, still sensing the anger radiating from him.
If he did not already have a theory about who Zander really was, one would have developed based on this emotional response alone.
"Both Kai and Pixal bear the weight of their respective guilt, but good things came from that siege: the remaining elemental masters are now part of Pixal's court and have sworn loyalty to her," Lloyd attempted to lighten the mood. "we found the new wielders of the Mind and Gravity elements, we also discovered that Nya was the Master of Water, and Ninjago has enjoyed relative peace ever since."
"Relative peace?" Zane asked. "What about the war?"
"Ah yes, the Jinkou-Ningen War..." Lloyd sighed. "It was instigated by the Emperor a few months after the siege; he did not like Pixal showing him up as a ruler."
"What do you mean; 'showing him up'?"
"In the days that followed the Emperor's defeat, he admitted that he was aware of the cult on the island, and that he was 'watching the situation'," Lloyd emphasised the last part of his statement with air quotes. "Pixal's decision to pre-emptively strike before the cult could enact their ultimate goal, compared to the Emperor's decision to sit back and watch, made him look bad."
"So, he did nothing about the impending threat, but then became angry at Pixal for removing that threat for him?" Zane criticized.
"To him, it was less about the fact that there was a potentially dangerous force hiding on the island, and more about Pixal gaining control of the land mass – if she could so easily take down a cult with thousands of members, what else could she be capable of?" Lloyd attempted to clarify. "He was afraid of her taking over more areas of Ninjago and losing valuable land to her; he didn't know that Pixal acted only to protect Ninjago and the heart of Kura-okami until he was already defeated."
"Just so I am not misunderstanding this, allow me to summarise for a moment," Zane paused. "the Emperor started the war to prevent Pixal from taking over Ninjago, and lost, which led to Pixal taking over Ninjago."
Lloyd nodded in confirmation.
"It was a self-fulfilling prophecy; if he had just let her be, or actually approached her instead of declaring war, he would have known that she was only trying to protect the peace that Kura-okami had died for." Lloyd poured them both another drink as he shook his head.
Zane sat in silence, trying to absorb all this information. He was beginning to regret ever leaving her in the first place. As a ninja, he did what was right at the time, but Pixal had been through so much torment in his absence. He placed his head in his hands as his mind spun in circles.
"Are you okay, Zander?" Lloyd patted the droid's shoulder comfortingly.
He didn't respond at first, for he could not speak the words he wanted to – that this was all his fault. That everything would've been better if he hadn't sacrificed himself, or if he had managed to return sooner. But it was no use. No number of remorseful words could turn back the clock or make things right for everyone. Zane started to wish, harder than ever, that this was all just a bad dream. He lifted his head and glanced at Lloyd with eyes full of sadness, full of regret.
"Hey, there's nothing you could have done to stop what happened," Lloyd said sympathetically, as if reading Zane's thoughts. "Pixal refused to concede to the Emperor, not when she knew in her heart that she had done the right thing."
Still Zane said nothing, as there was nothing that he could say that wouldn't reveal his true identity.
"I am sorry for spoiling the evening." Zane eventually whispered.
"You haven't spoiled anything," Lloyd insisted, nudging him. "I just hope I have answered your questions well enough to understand things a bit better."
"I wish I could've been there to fight beside her," Zane lamented. "I had no idea of the struggles she was facing while I was in that wasteland."
"You cannot change the past, but you can change the future, and I know she's grateful that you're by her side now." Lloyd beamed.
That sentiment was enough for a small half smile to form on Zane's face.
"I can see you smiling…" Lloyd sang, leaning against him.
His melodic teasing led to a bigger smile, and eventually soft chuckling, that broke the sadness in Zane's demeanour.
"I know I made it sound like Ninjago has been a battleground, but beyond the bigger fights of the siege and the war, there's only been small scale gangs or criminal syndicates we've had to stomp out," Lloyd smiled reassuringly. "we also had to exorcise the Airjitzu Temple, which wasn't fun I can tell you, but it was a lot easier once Nya gained complete control over her element – ghosts hate water, you know?"
"I cannot imagine how wonderful it must be to live in a historic building," Zane pondered. "Borg Tower is great, and the rooms here are stunning, but a traditional structure must have its charms also."
"I'm kind of used to living in older buildings – when our team first came together, we lived in a monastery – but yeah, it's a beautiful place to call home; you should come visit sometime."
"I'd love to."
By the time Zane got back to his room, it was almost midnight. He had a great time hanging out with Lloyd, eating snacks, and drinking sake… perhaps a little too much sake, as he stumbled through the door and nearly fell over his own feet.
Suddenly the light turned on. Zane flinched.
"Looks like you had fun with Master Lloyd." Miru teased as she sat on his bed.
"Yes, I did," Zane smirked. "we had snacks and drinks and he answered some of my questions."
"Well, I'm glad you're making friends." She smiled.
"Did you lie to me?" He asked, rather bluntly.
"I beg your pardon?" She gasped.
"Lloyd told me about the Siege of Chen's island, and he told it very differently than you did."
"First of all, I'm insulted that you think I'd lie to you," Miru snapped. "Secondly, I told you what little I knew of the siege; Lloyd was there, I was not – what I told you would've been sparse compared to what he could tell you."
"Oh," He paused. "then, I'm sorry if I insulted your integrity."
"It's quite alright, I forgive you," She patted his arm. "after all, you're still finding your feet, and you've been drinking."
Miru touched his shoulder and looked him in the eye.
"You didn't tell him anything, did you?" She asked seriously.
"No, but I think he is beginning to suspect me." Zane admitted.
He sat down on the bed beside her and flopped backwards. As nice as it was to spend time with Lloyd, it was equally nice to be back in his own room, where he could relax.
"He's not the only one." Miru confessed.
Zane sat straight up and gazed at Miru in horror.
"Please tell me you are joking." He pleaded.
Miru bit her lip, then shook her head.
"Lady Borg has ordered Kiku to follow you, and report back if she hears something."
"Why are you just telling me this now?" Zane sighed and put his head in his hands.
"She is my sister, and she will not reveal anything, I swear!" Miru tried to assure him. "Kiku already knows who you are and has agreed to sit on her hands until we can fulfil the vision."
"Can she be trusted?" Zane asked.
"Kiku is as trustworthy as the day is long," Miru promised. "believe me, Zane, have I let you down so far?"
"Of course not," Zane gave a small half smile. "if anything, I owe you for everything you've done for me."
"I am here to serve, my Lord," Miru grinned. "and you do not owe me anything, just bring peace to Lady Borg, and we will all be happy."
Miru stood up and began to walk away. She was just about to open the door when…
"Would Kiku really have given me up?"
"Pardon?" Miru raised an eyebrow.
"When I first arrived, you said that if I had appeared to Kiku instead of you, she would have reported me as an imposter," Zane reminded her. "now I am wondering, would she have really done that?"
"Zane, we are all different people than we were a few days ago," Miru stated. "even if Kiku had reported you, all you'd have to do is repeat the conversation you told me to put in my vision, and Lady Borg would know it's you."
Miru touched the doorknob and then started laughing.
"Come to think of it, things might have moved much quicker if you had appeared to Kiku." She chuckled as she walked out the door.
Zane once again fell back onto the bed. She was right, it had only been about four days since he came back, and everything was moving so quickly. This was not what he expected when he came back, but he felt like he was adapting nicely to the surreal situation he had reappeared into. Further to his own question, he began to wonder what would have been different if he had appeared to Hanasu.