A roar in the distance woke Lloyd and Yakunan up.
"What in the name of Ninjago is that…" Lloyd murmured to himself.
"Oh, no… It's Xenudah… He released them…" Yakunan carded his fingers through his hair in a panic. "The Oni… They're here…"
Lloyd jumped up from his peacefully slumbering position, pulling the blanket he was holding closer to his chest protectively. "What?!"
"Oni… They're the ravenous beasts from the realm which I came from. Xenudah had no one to fight for him, so he set them free…" Yakunan then turned to look at the shock-struck Lloyd.
"But, I thought Xenudah was using them to conquer Ninjago?"
"When he realized that he couldn't, he just set them free so they could destroy it for him, from their own selfish desires…" Yakunan shook his head despairingly. "When Xenudah wants something, he'll stop at nothing to get it."
"What do we do now?" Lloyd asked.
"Wake everyone else up. We don't have much time." Yakunan's voice held a serious yet slightly despairing tone.
"On it." Lloyd said, as he ran into his father and mother's room. "Wake up! Xenudah has released the Oni on us!"
Lloyd noticed his parents jump out of bed with surprised looks on their faces, even though they already were awake. Lloyd's father pulled them aside.
"What are we gonna do?" said Misako.
"I don't know…" Garmadon was clearly troubled. "We never expected an attack this early."
The others joined Lloyd, his parents, and Yakunan in the living room.
"But how did he release them?" Kai looked down in concern, his brow creased.
"When he realized that he couldn't conquer Ninjago, he just set the Oni free so they could destroy it for him…" Yakunan sighed and shook his head. "Xenudah will stop at nothing to get what he wants."
"But how do we stop them?" Jay looked around the room. "They'll destroy Ninjago!"
"I'm not entirely sure…" Misako had a nervous yet determined look on her face. "But I know we have to do something."
"They'll be here any second…" Everyone turned to Lloyd, who had a determined look on his face. "I guess it's now or never."
Xenudah cackled as he watched Ninjago burn. "Now...at last! Ninjago is mine!"
The Oni were wreaking havoc in every corner of Ninjago, letting their primal instincts take over. Epsilon, the leader, turned to Xenudah, grinning at the destruction being caused.
Using his staff, Xenudah pointed at the city. "Epsilon, continue with your mission. Don't stop. Burn it to the ground!"
"With pleasure, Xenudah."
"I'll take care of those ninja, the Kamiares, the rest of their allies, and my father. Leave nothing unturned!" Xenudah snarled.
"As you wish, master!" Epsilon shot off into the central hub of Ninjago City.
Epsilon was the most intelligent of all his brethren. Part of the reason Xenudah had picked Epsilon to lead the Oni army. Like him, Epsilon hated the ninja, and he knew the power of anger. He knew the hate the Oni had felt that had sustained them through their long and painful journey to Ninjago. He heard their thoughts, and he knew how they felt. It was a symphony of rage resonating in his mind, and he could control that rage.
"Now… I'll destroy everything they ever loved..." Xenudah hoped everything he had put his mind to would get done. "This is your world now. You won't be alive to see me take over, Yakunan, but I don't care. You never deserved to live from the start! Soon, you'll learn!"
Lloyd and the others ran through the streets. Lloyd was leading them. "We have to hurry! They're here!"
The Oni were kicking down doors, taking whatever came to their minds. If it didn't, they just destroyed it. The Oni were the embodiment of destruction.
"We have to do something!" Garmadon knew he had to do something, but not what.
"We have to fight…" Jay grabbed a shovel from a nearby trash can and chucked it at the nearest Oni. Miss. "Think, think..." He swung a punch at the nearest Oni. Miss. "We must fight for Ninjago!"
"No!" Misako grabbed Jay from behind and pulled him back as the Oni rushed forward. "We need a plan of some sort. We're not going to beat them by fighting."
"Well, what are we supposed to do?!" Jay snapped back, but he had calmed down slightly.
"I…I don't know." Misako sighed and turned to look at the rubble that was a once a streetscape. "We need to do something, I know it…"
Lloyd was watching the Oni approach. He had set out to save the day, but he was hit with a feeling he had never felt.
"Xenudah…" Lloyd gasped. "He's here too..."
Yakunan's face was clearly disturbed. "Well, no matter what, we have to fight. Those who don't deserve to live must be destroyed. It's the natural order."
The Oni were drawing near. They were almost within punching distance of the few ninja.
"I have an idea!" Misako voiced. "We need to get everyone to safety. There's an underground bunker not far from here."
"How secure is it?" Kai asked, not sure about Misako's plan.
"It's the only way we can survive. It's soundproof and can withstand any catastrophe." Garmadon looked on with a serious yet determined look.
"But we won't be able to do anything…" Cole sighed and ran off.
"I'll go lead them out. You guys stay and fight off the Oni." Misako turned to look at the others. "When I get the others and their families, I'll come back for you guys."
"How will you get to them? Everyone is just running all over the place…" Kai looked around.
"There's a large tunnel underground that leads to the bunker." Misako said. "Let's just leave it at that."
"Well, you have to hurry." Cole urged as he turned to run. "We won't survive on our own forever."
"Stay safe." Garmadon called after Misako as she ran off too. "We'll try to hold them off here until you get back."
"Alright." Misako still had a rattled look on her face as she ran off.
Garmadon turned to face the Oni, his face stern, his brow narrowed in determination. "We may not be able to defeat them, but we can slow them down!"
"I'll protect you!" Lloyd shouted and gripped his sword tighter.
"No Lloyd, don't!" Garmadon cried. "You're too valuable for this mission and as a father, I can't lose you again! Don't fight!"
"But I have to!" Lloyd snapped back.
"Lloyd Ryuda Kamiare..." Garmadon stood next to his son, pulling him close to his chest. "You're my greatest treasure in this world, and I don't want to lose you again. If I lost you again, I don't know what I would do…"
"Father…" Lloyd cried as he struggled to get out of Garmadon's grasp. "Why do you have to go? You've done enough!"
"Because these Oni have taken everything precious to me. And now I want to fight, I want to get some revenge for what they've done. You've got to let me do this, and you have to let me protect you." Garmadon patted him on the back. "You have to go."
"But father..."
"Please, Lloyd." Garmadon didn't let go of his son. "Don't make me watch you die."
Lloyd clenched his sword in frustration. "But I..."
Garmadon let go of Lloyd and turned to face the Oni. "Go."
"Hurry!" Misako's voice snapped Lloyd out of his thoughts.
Lloyd sighed and ran off. He had already sacrificed so much in his life. All he ever wanted was to protect Ninjago from the forces of evil. He couldn't bear to lose his father again.