Homura sat on a rock overlooking the harbor. The cool breeze blew her ponytail behind her. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. She shouldn't have lashed out at them. Paige and Seth were only getting her for dinner; she should've kept track of time herself so nobody discovered her hidden talent of music.

She got up, moving away from the water that thrashed underneath her dangling feet. Homura looked at the sky, seeing dusk had fallen. She must've lost track of time; Brook and the others must've been looking all over creation for her. A wave of selfishness washed over her. Here the others were, sacrificing their time to look for her when they could've been doing other things. A hole in Homura's heart ached; they were all so selfless, and here she was, only thinking about herself.

She found a spot in the nearby forest that seemed comfy enough to take a quick nap. The gentle rustling of the oak trees, the sweetened smell of barbeque cooking a few miles away, and the soft touch of the grass beneath Homura's feet put her at ease. Her eyes had almost closed when she heard a noise. Jumping up and into a defensive position, she listened. She heard a voice whispering from the darkness. It spoke again, so quiet and faint, yet somehow Homura could make out every word.

"Homura…" it whispered. Homura whipped her head around. She couldn't pinpoint the source of it! She reached for her katana blades, only to find she had forgotten them. Curse her luck. She listened for the voice again. "Homura, follow me…"

Her eyes widened. That voice was like sweet music to her ears. She hadn't heard it for two months since the accident. There was no doubt in her mind this was him. She sprung to her feet, throwing any precautionary thoughts away. This was no threat.

"Father?" She called out, looking around. No response. Had he ran away? Or was Homura just wishing to hear his voice, when in fact, nothing happened at all? More whispers shot her from her thoughts. More calls for her floated deeper into the still forest. Curiosity getting the better of her, she followed the voice until she stumbled due to the temperature increase. "Father, where have you brought me? We can go home, Mom will be so excited to see you. Please, we can continue where we left off where we were training. Just come home with me, Father, please…"

"Homura…go inside…" the voice whispered again.

Homura looked up, seeing she was standing in front of a volcano. Upon recognizing the landmark, she gasped. It was here that her father had saved her aunt and pulled the Sword of Fire from the rock it was sheathed in.

The Fire Temple.

She thought it had been destroyed when her father had saved Lloyd, but it was still standing, and still giving off blistering heat.

Bracing herself against the intense heat, Homura went inside. Her hand trailed along the cooled stone. She wondered why her father had told her to go here, of all places. If he was going to reveal himself to be okay, why do it here? There were more…cheery places than this place; that was for sure.

A firm hand clasped over Homura's mouth, snapping her from her thoughts while a tight hold wrapped around her body, immobilizing it. She tried to turn and fight, but she quickly discovered her arms were already tied behind her. Snarling, she attempted to bite her captor. She bit into her lip, sending a whimper throughout the corridor. Cackling filled her ears. She tried to scream, but instead she coughed, tasting the coppery taste of her own blood mixed with some sort of sleeping drug on the gag that was shoved in her mouth made her want to throw up.

"F...ather?" she managed to squeak out. The corridor lit up, revealing the room to be much larger than Homura had initially anticipated. She saw dozens of figures, one of which loomed taller than the others.

"What a foolish child you are, young fire wielder. Following a strange voice that only sounded like your dear old father's. You just made this a whole lot easier by walking right into my trap. Now, your powers will be used to complete the system... Everything that your father and your team has worked for will crumble!" the tall figure cackled. Homura snarled, trying to fight the sleep that loomed in her vision. As quick as the energy to fight came, a blanket of exhaustion fell on her. Her eyes fell to the floor, being the only thing they could have the energy to do.

"All I have to do now is wait for your little pathetic team to come, and then everything will be a go."

Homura snarled once more, gathering any leftover strength to free herself from the binds. All she managed to do was cut off her circulation to her wrists. She sighed, still managing to keep herself awake. Her heartbeat began to slow while her mind was racing a million miles a minute.

She had fallen for it. All of it. She was indeed a fool. Now here she was, lying broken. She had never fully recovered from the accident. Swallowing a gulp, a light went off in her head.

That was why she was here. She was being held here because the enemy could only break her down further. She had refused therapy when it had initially happened, and she, and soon to be everybody else, was paying for it. Darkness opened its arms to her. She gladly accepted it.

The only way she wouldn't be a hazard to everyone else was if she didn't exist anymore.

All of this was her fault. If she had listened to the voice in her head telling her not to trust the voice, she wouldn't be tied up, fighting to keep conscious. Now, she was being used as bait to lure her team here; then they would all be drained of their powers. Those would then be used to destroy Ninjago. Homura closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out the hallucinations of screams of innocent citizens as they were executed by the same powers that were used to protect them only years prior.

Biting her swollen lip and tasting the coppery taste again, Homura gave in to the swelling of her chest and the tears that threatened to fall. If only she had taken her mother's advice. If only she had let Seth, Paige, and Brook help her cope with it all. She should've taken their advice and put it to good use. She hadn't, and it showed through the delicately placed pieces of her glass heart. Cracks were evident, and they were only growing larger. Soon, there would be nobody left in Homura's body that anybody recognized.

Darkness. That's what had won. Maybe it had been won from the beginning, Homura didn't rightfully know. She tried to recall what her father had taught her about self-doubt taking over, but she couldn't remember any of it. Both her mother and father had been cocky, but they also had a soft side. All Homura knew was that she was arrogant and a pain to be dealt with. Nobody was coming to save her; she didn't deserve it. She deserved to rot in this prison. If her comrades didn't show up, it would be for the best. That tall figure wouldn't have all four elemental powers of creation to destroy Ninjago.

Where was the savior that had defeated death? Would He come save her from this prison, or would she be left to rot in there? If there was someone who could see how her life ended, where was He? Could He tell her about where she had gone down the wrong path? It was just a bundle of questions Homura didn't have answers to.

With a cry of defiance, the tears started to roll down her face. All of this was too much for her to bear alone. She faintly heard the jangling of chains as she was moved to a cell. Her head hit the back wall that was stone, and her vision began to swirl. She hit the ground, but not before the figure said one more snarky remark.

"Rest, and get ready to say goodbye to your powers, young fire wielder."