Wu Kamiare sat cross-legged on the ground of the Temple of Fortitude, meditating in front of an altar.

He was deep in prayer when a sudden voice interrupted his meditation. "You should eat something." The voice was soft, belonging to Misako, his sister-in-law, who stood just behind him.

He glanced over and saw her watching him, arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against one of the columns in the room.

"I don't want anything but rest," he replied. "My prayers are still being answered."

Misako nodded and continued to watch him from the corner of her eye. Her gaze seemed to bore into Wu's mind.

It felt invasive.

"What is it?" he finally asked in exasperation.

She straightened up suddenly and walked away from the column, turning to face him with a smile, though she didn't speak. She sighed. "It's about your brother. He hasn't left Lloyd's side for the past several hours."

"So?" Wu replied, raising an eyebrow at her. "He is worried."

"Yes, but," Misako paused to take another breath. "The thing is that you're worried too."

Wu frowned at her and looked away. He closed his eyes again. "No, I'm not."

Her frown deepened. "Oh really? Then why haven't you been leaving your post to check on Lloyd?"

"Because it is impossible," Wu answered, looking back at her. "I can only pray, and if we give up any hope that we might be able to help fix what Xenudah started, we will lose everything!" He paused briefly before continuing. "That's what my father would have said."

"Have you ever thought your father wasn't as good as people make him out to be?"

"Why would I question him? He's my father, for heaven's sake!" Wu growled, standing up quickly, startling himself with the movement. His hands balled into fists at his sides as he glared down at Misako, then abruptly turned and walked out of the temple to the garden surrounding it.

Wu heard her call his name, but he didn't stop walking. He had no intention of facing this argument right now.

Misako walked towards Lloyd and Garmadon, sitting down next to them with a sigh.

"I heard everything," Garmadon pointed out.

"Of course you did, love…" Misako replied softly. "But you have to know that he isn't going to listen."

Garmadon sighed. "I can't force him to listen to me… I can only do what I have to. I'm tired of my father's actions. Especially because it affected Lloyd's childhood, and you know I can't ignore that." He reached down and brushed his son's hair in gentle motions. "You deserved so much, little one…" Tears streamed down his face and he wiped them away with the sleeve of his kimono. "Everything… I could have given it to you… If I hadn't…" He trailed off as his voice broke on his final word, his hand shaking as his voice trembled.

"Dad, it's okay..." Lloyd reached up and gently placed a hand on his cheek, bringing him close to press their foreheads together. "We're both here now…"

Garmadon let out another choked sob and pulled away, pressing his hands to his face.

Lloyd moved slightly closer, wrapping his arm around his father and pulling him into a tight embrace. "Love you…" he murmured. "Please don't leave me…"

The destruction elemental gazed down towards his son with a soft, sad expression. "Oh, Lloyd…" he whispered. "I'm not going anywhere…"

"I know…"

The family stayed like that for a few more minutes, just breathing together. Finally, after some time, Garmadon pulled back to look Lloyd in the eye. "I am sorry… For causing so much pain…"

"It wasn't your fault. None of this is your fault." Lloyd hugged Garmadon tightly before leaning back.

The elder man smiled sadly. "Thank you for always believing in me…"

Lloyd gave his father a genuine smile in return. "Thanks for being here for me… I love you."

Yakunan sighed softly as he continued to hold Xenudah. "Son, I'm so sorry I left you…"

"It's not your fault…" Xenudah murmured.

"It is, Xenudah! Don't you understand?! I left you behind that day and now I'm paying the price!"

"Dad, please… You don't need to worry anymore. I'm here now." Xenudah said, trying his hardest to sound brave. He was still shaken up about how his father abandoned him again. Not to mention, it just hurt him so much when he saw his dad cry like this. His father had always been strong, so why was it that he felt like all of his strength was sapped from him?

Yakunan sniffed, holding back the sobs threatening to escape his lips. "Please don't blame yourself, son. I never should have done that… You know I love you, right?"

Xenudah nodded, reaching up to embrace his father. "I love you too, Dad."

"You're staying with me, okay? No matter what happens or who we have to see, I want you to stay with me. I promise you I will do everything in my power to make sure nothing bad ever happens to you again."

Their little moment was interrupted by a small rustle in the distance before a six-legged fluffy winged creature with no face tumbled out, rolling onto the grass with its belly up. The being looked at them curiously before flapping its four wings and flying over. It landed near Yakunan's leg, giving him a light nudge as if to say, 'hello'.

"Oh, hello! What are you doing here?" Yakunan asked, turning to look at the newcomer.

The winged creature tilted slightly in confusion before bounding over to Xenudah, who looked just as confused. "Where in the name of Ninjago is its face?"

"Doesn't have one. It's a dijiang. They're said to be fluffy little beings that cause chaos wherever it goes. But this one seems docile."

As if on cue, the fluffy creature flew onto Xenudah's lap, giving soft noises that sounded like a mix of a whimper and a purr.

"Aww...you like me, don't you…" Xenudah cooed, placing his hand on the creature's back and brushing it affectionately, making it purr louder.

Lloyd settled down next to Xenudah. "I can hear it purring." He smiled.

"Looks like the dijiang likes you too," Yakunan laughed. He took a seat on the other end of the stairs next to his son as well.

"Yeah..." Lloyd grinned fondly before smiling down at the dijiang. "This is nice..." he mused, petting it on the side with his free hand. "So fluffy…" He sighed and cuddled it, feeling happier than he had ever been.

Garmadon stood nearby, a soft smile on his face as he watched his son play with the creature. He turned and glanced over at Wu, who stood silently behind him, watching the scene. After a few moments, they both turned to walk away.

"Wu, what is the meaning of this?" Garmadon demanded. "Are you planning to sacrifice my child? Are you planning on using that creature as a weapon against us? Or are you hoping that it will kill something that threatens us?!" His voice shook as his words became more agitated.

He clenched his fist as he stared down angrily at his brother. He hated this feeling of helplessness… Of despair. How could he feel helpless without his son by his side to protect him?! How could he live without having his child there by his side to remind him that the world was better?

"Don't think I won't hurt you if you do anything to Lloyd!" Garmadon's eyes burned as he glowered at the creation elemental. "How dare you hurt my son? Actually no. You already have!"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, please... You don't know? You forced him into battle when he is still only a child! You made him believe he was to kill me!" Garmadon growled through his teeth, glaring down at Wu. "You knew exactly what would happen when you pushed him to become father's destined chosen one! But you overlooked how much it was affecting him! Why else would he have broken down like that!?"

He let out a choked sob. "I could have lost him to my own powers! Do you understand how traumatizing that could have been?! I would have never forgiven myself!" Tears rolled down Garmadon's face as he spoke. "Do you even realize how much suffering my son has been through?! All of that pain and heartbreak… And yet you just stand there looking at him with such an innocent gaze! It's like you don't care at all!" He screamed.

Garmadon couldn't stop himself as another sob escaped him. He didn't want to. He wanted Wu to feel just a fraction of what he had gone through, and he needed to let all of those emotions out. He clutched his chest, crying harder as the last few tears escaped his eyes. He collapsed to his knees, burying his head in his hands as he continued to sob.

"I love him so much…" Garmadon wailed, struggling to pull himself together. "Why must he suffer?! My child shouldn't be suffering! Not after everything I've put him through! How could you do this? Just because I left my child alone… Because I had to… You had to make him hate me again? You had to take everything from him? You had to destroy him?! Is there any limit to how far you'll go!?" Garmadon roared furiously, pointing at his brother. "I thought you were different! I thought you cared!" He sobbed. "But instead, you have no idea what pain you've caused!" His voice began to rise in volume, making a sharp screech that startled Lloyd.

"I've failed as a father! I should have protected him! I was supposed to watch his every move! I was supposed to protect him! I was supposed to keep him safe!" the destruction elemental shouted. "I've done enough! I've paid the ultimate price! I don't deserve to continue living like this! I don't deserve to have my son hate me! I don't deserve to suffer like this! I DON'T!" His screams echoed throughout the clearing as he sobbed uncontrollably. His voice was hoarse and cracked as he fought for breath.

Lloyd left to give Xenudah and Yakunan some space, then moved to kneel with his father. He tried his best to calm him down. "Hey… Hey… It's alright… I'm here now… I won't leave you... please, dad, stop fighting."

"I'm sorry…" Garmadon cried, unable to hold back his tears anymore.

"Shh…it's okay, dad. I won't leave, I promise."

Garmadon slowly stopped shaking. He leaned into the touch, allowing himself to be held by his son.

After a while, his body relaxed and his trembling subsided until his breathing returned to normal. He gave a quiet sigh as he sat up and leaned his head against Lloyd's shoulder. He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. His heart ached. It broke inside his chest. He loved his son more than anything but there were times when it seemed like the world was against them. Things seemed to get worse and worse. Nothing was working, no matter what they did.

"It's going to be okay. Don't panic." Lloyd whispered. "Everything's gonna be alright…" He kept rubbing his back.

Slowly, Garmadon began to relax. His tense muscles loosened as his mind cleared. He opened his eyes and gazed up at his son who was staring lovingly down at him. "Sorry, my dear. I didn't mean to frighten you." He breathed.

"It's alright… It's okay, dad… Everything's going to be alright… We're not going to lose you. I promise we'll keep each other safe…"

To Xenudah's surprise, the dijiang flew off his lap and came over to Lloyd and Garmadon. As soon as it landed, it began climbing onto Lloyd, curling around his leg like an oversized cat as it purred contentedly.

Garmadon chuckled quietly and reached forward, grabbing Lloyd's hand.

"I think we have a new addition to our family."

"Yea...that's probably not a bad thing," Lloyd replied softly.

"I don't know why, but whenever I see that creature on you, I feel… At peace. It brings me great comfort knowing that you're happy and that your happiness makes me happy...and I know it's impossible right now. There's only so much happiness we can achieve...but it doesn't matter. This creature is worth its weight in gold. It means a lot to me. So whatever happens, as long as I have you beside me, I won't be sad." Garmadon looked down. "Because I'm lucky enough to call you my son…" He mumbled.

Lloyd looked down, squeezing Garmadon's hand, which the older elemental took as a sign of encouragement. He gave Lloyd a soft and loving smile as he looked up at him again.