With a crackle of energy, a blue portal opened in the sky. The Iron Doom came hurtling out of it, crashing down into a massive courtyard. The world around it was dark; the ground and nearby walls were black and purple, while the sky was nothing more than dark clouds crackling with lightning. Acronix and Krux sat within the cockpit, each of them panting heavily. Both of them were silent, not wanting to bring up what the other one knew they would have to discuss. The ship's onboard sensors were haywire, meaning that aside from the dark world around them they could see with their own eyes, they were unaware of anything around them.
"We lost… another blade," Acronix grunted out after a long silence.
"Along with all three of our commanders…" Krux added flatly, "And all of now younger generation of warriors we left behind."
"Curse that child…" Acronix snarled, "Curse that double! Curse them all! Curse that stupid world and curse us for ever going there in the first place!"
"We will have to expect fierce resistance from the locals next time around," Krux shook his head, "It seems that our plan to trap those pesky flies was still successful, at least."
"Yes… and yet we still lost almost everything!" Acronix huffed, "I'm getting tired of this. Are we not destined to rule the world? Are we not the true and rightful heirs to everything?!"
"...It seems, we will need to rethink this," Krux muttered, "We have been going at this far too brazenly. We perhaps… need to ally with other powers to gain the upper hand this time."
"Yes, because that will solve all of our problems!" Acronix threw his arms out, "Like one of those will just come falling from the sky right now to save us!"
Before Krux could respond, the sound of horns suddenly sounded from around the Iron Doom. The two looked out the viewport, turning to face the Iron Doom towards where the sound was strongest. As they did, they came face to face with a massive tower, stretching up with massive pillars that stretched all the way to the dark clouds in the sky. The sound came from the tower itself, as if the entire thing was sounding.
"Where in Ninjago are we?" Acronix scoffed, "This is just far too much!"
"And who would you two be?"
The sound of dragon wings flapping brought the trio to look forward. A figure, shrouded in shadow, was floating in front of the Iron Doom in front of the fortress. The figure was roughly the size of a person, but the wings they were using to hover were nearly as long as that of an actual beast. In one hand, he held a massive staff that was just slightly shorter than he was. The only feature on him they could see was his glowing purple eyes.
"This must be some sort of local warlord," Krux scoffed, using the Iron Doom to shout, "Leave! We have no qualm with you!"
"I believe you do," The voice was smooth, but came from inside of their heads, "You have something that should not belong to you. Surrender your machine, or I will destroy it."
The ground under the Iron Doom began to turn liquid. Slowly, the ground pooled up like a plasma, a black substance that had bits of purple and red within it that glowed and flowed about inside it independent of the motion of the substance. When it formed in full, massive spikes were pointed right at the center of the Iron Doom.
"We have nothing that belongs to you!" Acronix called out through their mech, "You will get nothing by fighting us!"
"While that may be true, your unexplained entrance is enough for me to engage you in combat. Surrender. I will give you no more chances."
"If you believe we will surrender, you clearly do not know who we are!" Krux spat, "We will fight you, if only to show you how idiotic you truly are!"
"I see. Your chances have expired. Prepare yourselves."
"Pfft, what can we do?" Acronix chuckled, "He's one person."
The figure raised his staff to his right, then swiped it across his body. The twins didn't see what happened. What they did see was the head of the Iron Doom separated from its body. The head crashed into the ground beneath them. The figure raised its staff once more and made a slash across its chest.
The last thing the Twins saw was a line form between their chairs, right before the Iron Doom was sliced in half.
In the world of elements, Krux looked down at the bed of his brother. Beside him stood Mage, staring at him with a fierce glare. Outside the tent, both Harumi and Monty stood in case he attempted to try anything. Mage had one hand on Aevum as well, ready to draw the blade and stop the twin if he tried anything that was outside what he'd promised.
With a sigh, Krux leveled the reversal blade at the bed. He gently touched its tips to Acronix's chest, then he focused. Reversal energy began to flow, concentrated and controlled, into the figure on the bed. The days that he'd remained injured rewound minute by minute. Krux inhaled and exhaled slowly, focusing intently so as not to rewind the body any further than he absolutely needed to. The power consumed all of Acronix laying in bed, stretching over him in full.
Finally, Krux released the blade's effects. Mage kept one eye on Krux while he moved to slowly undo Acronix's bandages. As each one was taken off, it revealed that the skin underneath was completely healed. Piece by piece, Mage removed them all, until Acronix's body was fully visible. The sudden change in temperature from being so neatly insulated by the bandages caused him to open his eyes, turning to look at Mage and gently sitting up.
"Lloyd…?" Acronix asked, his voice somewhat hoarse, "You… did you just…?"
"It wasn't me," Mage smiled faintly, "It was him."
Acronix turned to see who was standing beside Mage. Brother and brother met eyes for the first time since their battle. Both of them stared at one another, not wanting to say the first word. Krux handed the reversal blade to Mage. Just seeing that alone gave Acronix all the understanding that he needed. Krux stared at his brother with a hard look, one filled with worry and regret. With a sigh, Acronix sat up in bed, finding while tired, it caused him no pain.
"I wish I could say I saw this coming," Acronix sighed, "But… I didn't think I would ever be looking at the sky again."
"I knew that the ones I was working under had the power to reverse time like I used to," Krux informed him, "I simply needed to ensure I could take it without them thinking anything the wiser about me."
"...I thought you were going to kill me…" Acronix muttered, "I thought, you were finally having your revenge for… for what you saw as an evil I'd committed against you."
"The choices I made and the punishment for them were my own, brother," Krux got down on his knee beside the bed, "I… I did what I had to, when I thought it was right. I did what I thought was right. I know that it caused you far more pain than you needed… but I won't say that I was accepting of your help when you offered it at first."
"Why?" Acronix gripped the bed sheets, "Why did you do this? Why… why did you make yourself the villain, all over again?"
"...When they broke me from my prison, it was not by choice," Krux sighed, "I saw that day the might they held. I had heard the tale of the Raiders by then, but when I saw them and their machine of war, I knew we couldn't win. We couldn't win by fighting them head on. Even Lloyd wasn't fully able to take it down," Krux hung his head, "I needed to get in with them. I needed them to trust me. I had to make a plan to save us. I was already seen as the villain for so many things. Something like that… wouldn't add much to the perception I already had. Even if it meant losing you again, losing everyone… I would take it."
Acronix stared at Krux for a long while. Mage hadn't lost his wary expression of the brother thus far. Harumi and Monty both stood simply watching events unfold, waiting for something to happen. Krux didn't lift his head up. He was seeking anger, or regret, or coldness from his brother. His words made it clear he knew what he had done.
"Brother…" Krux whispered, "I don't ask you to forgive me. I ask you to simply understand what my goal was. Please. Know that I did this for the good of our people. If I hadn't, they would have marched on them and killed them all. I will go back to the dungeon. I'll do whatever you ask. I just want you to-"
Acronix hugged Krux. Krux let out a soft inhale as Acronix hugged him as tightly as he could. The weakened brother clung to him, dragging them together and pressing his chin into Krux's neck. Krux, after a few moments, felt tears well up in his eyes and hugged Acronix back. The two brothers sat there, silently, tears falling down both their faces as they indulged in the first time they had truly been on the same side again for far too long.
"You always take these things on yourself…" Acronix muttered, "You made yourself the villain when Morro was killed so our tribe wasn't blamed… and now you were willing to put even more distance between us…. All for the sake of our tribe that turned its back on you?"
"It takes more than one person to lead a tribe like that," Krux muttered back, "And I couldn't ever come back to help you do it if there wasn't any tribe to go back to. If… if you saw their true power, if you saw how insignificant it made us, you… you would know that, that I did it to protect us. I had to protect the tribe. I had to protect… protect you."
"That's enough…" Acronix gasped, "Please… I understand. I don't need you to say anymore. I'm so glad to finally have you back…" He squeezed a bit more, "I'm glad that I didn't lose my brother, to my own decisions."
Krux smiled sadly at him as the two finally parted their hug. Krux reached down to hand Acronix back his armor, letting him slowly move to fit it together. All of the injuries that Krux had inflicted on him were gone, leaving him in the same state of body he was before all of that had gone down. Krux had truly made good on his promise to heal his wounds.
"I have one more victim that I need to heal," Krux stood up, "Shall we, Dragon Lord?"
"Mhm," Mage nodded. He turned and guided Krux out of the tent quickly, standing in front of Skylar's one nearby. He waited for Krux to enter with the reversal blade, moving past him and standing over the brother just as before. Krux didn't seem bothered by it; in fact, he seemed more calmed that Mage was still suspicious of him, even after he'd betrayed the Time Twins for him.
The same process took almost half the time to do on Skylar, given how recent her injuries were. After a minute, Mage stepped forward and unwrapped her bandages. After helping her into a shirt for modesty, the last member of the Amber Tribe leaned up in her bed, groaning to herself. She rubbed her head, only to look at her healed arm as though it shouldn't have been able to. She looked around the room for a long few moments, then laid her eyes on Mage.
"Skylar…" Mage's angry and wary gaze broke out into a relieved smile as his hands trembled, "Hey…"
"I'm… okay?" Skylar asked, only half feeling the presence of Mage in the room by her, "I'm… I'm not dead? I thought… I was sure that Krux did me in. Like… he wasn't letting up and… and…" She stopped as she laid eyes on Krux in the room.
Skylar took in the sight of Krux, standing beside Mage, holding a blade of what had to be reversal energy, and what that all implied. It wasn't long for her to get the gist of it, but it took far more of her to ask the question of why in her head. She looked to Krux with a mixture of anger and confusion, while he looked to her with a smiling neutral gaze.
"I'm sorry that you had to go through that," Krux sighed, "I needed to send a message to those two. Sadly, you were the one that was forced to undergo all of that. I didn't know that you would be there… I had hoped it would be someone far less personal to him," Krux gestured to Mage, "My plan had to have him alone for everything to work."
"Your plan, huh?" Skylar narrowed her eyes, "So this was all some sort of plan to you? Where are the Vermillion?"
"Gone," Krux informed her, "The twins behind all of this were forced to flee. They're currently in some other place… and the forces they left behind have been in such disarray we've been mopping them up quiet cleanly."
"Is he lying?" Skylar immediately turned to Mage. He shook his head. Skylar only looked more confused after learning that he wasn't lying.
"He… he tried to kill me," Skylar sat up further, "He tried to kill me, Mage. He held some sort of, some time blade at my throat and he said he would kill me. I can't… how are you sure?"
"Because… he helped drive away the Vermillion," Mage mumbled awkwardly, "I don't trust him either, but he drove them off with me and I don't know why he would get out of that other than proving he was with us the whole time."
"So you beat up your brother and me to do that?" Skylar rubbed her wrists, "Why would you not want as many people to come as possible?"
"You'd hold him back," Krux stated flatly, "Lloyd is the most powerful one we have. I needed him fighting at full strength. You would have just given him something to worry about."
Skylar looked taken aback by that comment. She looked a combination of hurt, insulted, and a strange sense of understanding all mingled together. She tore her eyes off of Krux and moved to stand up in the bed. She hopped up on her feet, making sure that they were working. After she'd ensured that her body was working, she looked to Krux, then smirked.
Suddenly, Skylar thrust her fist out. She connected right into Krux's chin, sending him straight down to the ground like a sack. Skylar rubbed her now sore fist, but didn't look anywhere near regretful for it. Mage stared at her in shock while Krux slowly stood up, cradling his now bruised face. He was smiling at her despite the pain.
"That's for beating me up," Skylar growled, "I'd hit you more, but you did heal me so… I'll let that one slide."
"Good," Krux sighed, "If I were just in a fight with you right now, I don't think even this blade could help me. You know all my tricks now. There is also one more thing that I should do," Krux handed the reversal blade to Mage, "If you would?"
Mage, confused, took the blade and stepped back. Krux smiled at him, then he turned to Skylar. He put his hands at his sides, then he bowed straight down at the hips. He held himself almost completely horizontal, shutting his eyes and prostrating himself before her. Skylar blinked and took a step back in confusion.
"Forgive me," Krux stated firmly, "I used you. I hurt you and used you to achieve my own goals. No matter how noble they were, or I thought they were, it doesn't excuse I put someone of your status and strength in harm's way. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I must ask it of you regardless. On my honor as a former leader of the Time Tribe and that of a warrior, I ask you to please, find it in your heart to forgive me!"
Mage and Skylar were speechless at first. Skylar, after a few moments, ran a hand through her head and rubbed the back of her neck. She smiled, then chuckled, then she started laughing. Krux blinked in curiosity and looked up towards her slightly. Skylar looked back down to him, still grinning at him and putting her hands on her hips.
"Geez…" Skylar sighed, "When you go and do this it makes it kinda hard to hate you, you know?" She shook her head, "Look, I'm not going to forgive you just like that. That'll be a bit before I can really be that good with you. But like… I can go ahead and say that I'll put it under consideration, how about that?"
"That's all I ask!" Krux raised himself up, "Thank you, Lady Skylar."
"Woaahhh I did not okay that Lady business there!" Skylar frowned, "I'm just Skylar. I'm not old enough to be a lady. Maybe in a few years but like… not right now."
"It's just a sign of respect, but I understand your positioning," Krux smirked, "I don't expect you to call me Sir Krux either, then."
"I would literally never call you that," Skylar shook her head, "You're not even in a position to be called sir."
"Quite," Krux sighed again, "I must speak to my brother a bit more. I need to tell him about what happened and what we should expect. The world thinks that I'm still on the loose, and I'm certain everyone in the Summit learned of what happened to him. I must ask him if I can move forward by his side, and if I am allowed to, what that will be like."
"Good luck with that," Skylar yawned, "Now that I'm out of bed… gosh I need to bathe and then probably get some stretches in. I've been down for a few days."
Krux nodded to her. He left first, leaving to go speak to Acronix. After that, Skylar looked at Mage, giving him a small sigh and then moving in to put her hand on his shoulder.
"You didn't go too crazy seeing I got hurt like that… did you?" Skylar asked, "I know you're a little emotional and… it sounds like it was just the perfect way to cap off your day."
"I'm still here," Mage replied honestly, "So, I don't think I did."
"You're not talking like you normally do," Skylar pointed out, "Plus, I haven't seen you smile once since we started talking. It's almost like you aren't happy to see me."
"I am happy to see you!" Mage protested, "I'm… I'm just thinking. They… they got away, Skylar. Even after all that I did to try to stop them, they still managed to just… just run away. I didn't manage to do anything."
"I guess that means Machia got away too," Skylar frowned, "I guess I'll just need to wait for my next shot…."
"Machia is gone," Mage told her, "I got rid of her."
"You… wait, you, you did what?" Skylar cocked her head, "As in…?"
Mage's gaze was firm, "She isn't here anymore."
Skylar looked at him as though he'd told her that he'd managed to touch the sun itself. Mage didn't have the slightest hint of lying on him, which made the situation even harder for Skylar to believe. Once it finally hit her what he was saying, she looked down at the floor and gripped her fist.
"You just said you didn't go too crazy," Skylar pointed out, "You're telling me that you… you killed someone for me?"
"She was just a snake," Mage shook his head, "You were going to do the same. She… she came in and forced me to let them go. But I didn't let her go. I refused to let her go."
"But you still…" Skylar looked aside, "...Uhm. Thanks, then. I… I mean, I guess I was going to do that to her but… I just, never even knew you had that in you."
"I do, and I took care of her," Mage opened up the tent flaps, "So you don't have to worry about them anymore. You can focus just on rebuilding your tribe and getting to finally relax. They won't be coming back here. I'll make sure of it."
"Mhm…" Skylar didn't sound enthusiastic, but also didn't seem like she wanted to talk. She left the tent, putting Mage all on his own. He looked off towards the distance, inhaled, then he made his way out back towards the makeshift command center.
Still holding the reversal blade, Mage made his way towards where he'd last seen Harumi and Monty. The two were standing now with Lloyd and Lulloyd, the four of them all outside of their planning tent. They were deep in conversation, and Harumi in particular was tapping something on that odd watch of hers. He walked up, listening in for a bit before he decided to talk.
"There's no doubt about it," Harumi shook her head, "They're in a different universe, again. Mage really did force them to escape with their lives."
"This means they're vulnerable now, right?" Lulloyd asked, "They left behind like, all of their army. And… I mean, they would only run if he managed to deal some serious damage, right?"
"They're probably messed up in the head," Monty yawned, "They just had their little double betray them. Probably going to be crazy on top of being weak. Not a good combination."
"We rounded up all the Vermillion that were left," Lloyd crossed his arms, "They can't have that many left! We need to go after them right away and take them out. We might have finally gotten the chance to do some serious damage."
"But that thing rebuilds itself, literally," Harumi pulled up a hologram of the Iron Doom, along with a countdown timer that started at 58:00:00 and counted down to 57:59:59, "I ran some algorithms and it looks like they have just over two days before they'll have enough snakes to be back at full power. I was estimating how much they lost and how damaged they were, so it's probably safer to say two days if we want to lowball it."
"Then we don't have time to lose," Lloyd turned to the group, "We need to get after them, right?"
There was a simple nod shared among all of them, even Monty. Lloyd stretched out his arms and nodded, "Then we need to plan a trip to get back to Dareth's place and get traveling again. We gotta get going as soon as possible. We should say our goodbyes, then get going."
"Are you going after them?" Mage asked.
The group collectively turned to look at the boy. Mage looked to each of them, raising his eyebrow. After the initial shock wore off of his arrival, Harumi turned her watch off and spoke for the group.
"We're planning to get moving out as soon as possible," Harumi told the boy, "We were going to try to get as many leaders together to tell them we were heading out. We would prefer to get to wherever they escaped to tonight, if we can."
"When do we leave?" Mage asked.
"We?" Monty eyed Mage, "You're joking."
"Nope," Mage shook his head, "When do we leave? I can get us a carriage and get us moving in an hour."
"Mage…" Harumi frowned, "You can't come with us. You're too important to this world."
"I'm the one that let them get away…" Mage gripped his fist tightly, "I had them, right there. I could have… could have stopped them from getting away. But they did. I wasn't strong enough to do it right. They got away because… because I was too slow."
"Normally I don't agree with her, but she's right," Monty turned his head aside, "You're too important to leave. We're all just important people in our world. You're the symbol of this world. You can't go leaving it to chase some personal revenge."
"It's not revenge!" Mage stamped his foot into the ground, "I have to defend my home! You… you can't just give up on a hunt when you think they've run too far! I have to go after them and make sure they don't come back and hurt my world again!"
"Mage, you saw them, you saw what they're willing to do," Lloyd stepped forward, "We can't protect you. We don't know everything about this. We don't even really know all the details about how we're even traveling across universes. We're chasing after the twins. They could be lying in wait for us, or worse. If something happens to you-"
"You can't protect me?" Mage's eyes glowed red and silver, one arm turning metal and the other licking with fire, "I have more power than all of you combined! I stood up to that giant Iron Doomy thing! I was able to get in some pretty good hits!" He cancelled his elements and took a step forward to meet Lloyd, craning his head up to look him in the eyes, "You all need me."
"I, uhm.. Don't think that's how that works, Mage?" Lulloyd asked awkwardly, "It's like… it's not a matter of that, it's that you're, you know…"
"If he gets hurt, we'll mess up an entire world," Harumi tapped her watch a few times, "We can't risk that! Mage, you could die if you come with us. The four of us, we've all accepted that this mission is dangerous. We're putting our lives on the line," Monty cleared his throat, making Harumi's eyebrow twitch, "...We're putting our existences on the line." Monty approved with a stretch.
"I'm going with you," Mage held up the reversal blade, "They had three of these. I got one of them. I managed to do what I don't think you guys could. I did some serious damage to it. And I did it all without ever letting on that you all were involved. I did everything I was supposed to. I'm not some kid. I'm the Dragon Lord. And I can't let my world get threatened. As long as those two are out there, there's a chance they can come back. I have to go after them so… so I can remake the peace I was trying so hard to create! I mean, create it again! I can't rebuild if I know it'll be knocked down again!"
"So?" Monty spoke up, "You're saying that you're doing this not because you're pissed off they managed to get away, but because you see yourself as some sort of protector for this place?"
"Yes," Mage straightened himself up as he replied.
"It… it isn't good to come with us if you're only doing it to get even," Lulloyd, seeing where Monty was going, continued the thought, "Like, you can't run on wanting to get revenge forever. Sooner or later, that won't be enough."
"I want revenge," Mage turned to Lulloyd, "But that's not all."
"If you come with us," Harumi added, "You'll have to accept that you might not come home. If the Twins manage to do something to catch us off guard, or we get into a bad universe, we could lose everything. You have to be willing… to not come home. Do you know what that means for this place?"
"If I get hurt," Mage replied, "Acronix and Skylar will make sure everything keeps running smoothly. We'll figure something out. There are people here that will keep it working."
"And if we say no to you coming with us?" Lloyd asked curiously.
"Then I'll just force you to take me along," Mage warned him, "I'm going with you, either way. I'm determined to see this through."
There was little, it seemed, the four of them could do to sway the mind of this child. Mage was coming along with them. It wasn't like he wouldn't be helpful: he'd shown himself to be incredibly skilled with using all of the elements, and clearly had more skill than an average kid his age would use. He'd already seen conflict, fought the Twins, and partially won. There was no doubt he'd be a powerful ally with them. It was just a matter of whether or not they could morally bring a child his age along with them.
"I only have one rule," Monty grumbled, "You don't use water anywhere near me. I don't care what sort of foe you're fighting. You don't even touch that stuff when you're around me."
"Huh?" Mage blinked, "Why?"
"Because water will cause him to burst," Lloyd pointed out, "Ghosts can be 'killed' by using water."
"... But… doesn't the air have water in it?" Mage held his hand up with an aqua glow, condensing down water droplets onto his hand.
"Water has to be at a certain concentration to hurt me," Monty pointed out, using a blast of wind from his hand to dry Mage's hand forcibly, "I can hold ice and walk on snow as long as they remain that way to. It's gotta be a liquid and it has to be at a certain level. I can drink anything that's not water based too."
"I'm not sure I'm comfortable bringing you along, Mage," Lloyd sighed, "But… I guess you're not exactly a weak little kid. Make sure you tell Skylar and Acronix about this."
"I'll do that right now," Mage nodded, "And I'll get us a ride back to Dareth's place."
Mage soon left to get things prepared for them. Lloyd and Harumi shared a look. Monty didn't seem to care they were bringing the kid, as his protests looked like they melted away the second Mage was gone. Lulloyd wasn't quite sure how he felt. Both Lloyd and Harumi, however, were both well aware of what this would mean to drag him into this. Had Mage not insisted and stated he'd be going either way, there wouldn't have been an argument.
Within an hour, just as Mage claimed, there was none other than the Firstbourne waiting there for them. The beast huffed out as Mage rubbed her snout, helping her to relax. They were waiting patiently, the space cleared out for the group. In front of the carriage was Alacr, Skylar, Krux, Acronix, Nya and Griffin, all of which were looking at them in various states of confusion and wonder.
"She'll take us there," Mage informed them, "...She's been waiting for me. I… told her not to come with me when I was going after Krux."
"You're really taking him with you?" Nya asked as Lulloyd walked up carrying Monty's gun bag again.
"He insisted we take him along," Lloyd pointed out, "And I'm not sure we can really turn him down given how helpful he was."
"He's still just a kid… and the Dragon Lord!" Griffin shot back, "What are we gonna do if he ends up getting himself hurt out there?"
"We'll make every effort to protect him," Harumi assured him, "We'll make sure that he stays safe."
"Is that enough?" Nya asked, "You're not only going somewhere I don't think we can follow, but also fighting those Vermillion."
"I'll be fine, guys!" Mage called out from behind the group, "I can handle myself out there. I need to do this to make sure they don't come back. We barely chased them off this time. Let's not do it again!"
Krux was standing beside Acronix. All of the others sans Acronix were staring at Krux with varying levels of mistrust. Krux, having accepted this was going to be his reality for a long time, decided not to think much of it and instead just looked at Mage. Acronix was silent for the moment, his head hung slightly. Alacr, being half supported by Skylar, stepped forward, bandaged around his body.
"You saved not only my life, but the lives of all of my friends," Alacr bowed his head, "Thank you for what you have done for us. While many people won't know about what happened, you will remain in our minds for years to come."
"We rescued you so Mage could get to the Iron Doom and do his thing without worrying," Monty shrugged, "But you're welcome."
"What Monty is saying," Harumi stepped forward, "Is that we're just glad that you're recovering. We did what anyone in our position would have done."
Alacr couldn't help but quirk a small smile up at their conflicting responses, "Indeed."
"You better take good care of him," Skylar sighed, "It's… kinda sad I only just got back up, but if he needs to get going soon then I get it."
"Don't worry, we'll probably be coming back here," Lloyd turned to Mage. Mage pulled the reversal blade off his belt, then walked up to Acronix.
"They all agree we should hide this thing so the Twins don't get it," Mage handed the blade to Acronix, "They think you should keep it. If they come back looking for it, then we can hide it here rather than with us. Krux helped me get this thing so… it's only fair that you take it."
Acronix wordlessly reached up and took the time blade. He stashed it under his own hip, then he raised his eyes at Mage. Mage was taken aback by the cold and serious look in them. Krux looked to his brother with a little bit of nerves, and Acronix spoke with a cold tone.
"Is what Krux said true?" Acronix asked, "Did you kill Machia?"
Both Nya and Griffin turned to look at the Mage. Mage, stunned, didn't say anything. When he didn't, Acronix took that as exactly what he needed to hear. He inhaled sharply, the wind whistling through his teeth, then he let out a long and disappointed sigh.
"My brother says he watched you not only use reverse when I forbade you from touching that element, but you held Machia down and subjected her to the full force of your raw reverse energy," Acronix growled, "Is that true?" Mage was silent, silenced by the force of Acronix's words.
"Not only did you let your anger take control of you, then," Acronix looked up, "But you willingly used that element against another living being. You ignored the fact that she was a person, a being to care for, and you decided to take her life into your own hands. Is that it, Mage?"
"She… she was just a snake…" Mage stated, stunned that his mentor was talking to him like this, "I did what I had to do.."
"Just… a snake?" Acronix growled harder, "That's how it starts then, isn't it? First, you justify it by saying they aren't human. Then you justify it by saying someone being evil makes them not human. You'll push your boundary even more. If you're willing to use it on a thinking, living being, then what's stopping you from doing it on a human?"
"Machia… she… deserved it, though!" Mage protested… but he felt the shame and a cold well up in his chest as he realized what Acronix was saying to him.
"You promised me," Acronix ground his teeth, "You swore to me you would never turn your time powers on another person with the intent to harm. This goes beyond just using something to line up an attack, Mage. You willingly removed someone's life. You took away something from Machia because you were angry. Is that right?"
Mage wanted to say something. The group around him was silent, knowing this was an important lesson between teacher and student. Mage was completely toppled from any defense he could have mounted. Acronix was telling the truth, and he had nothing left to say. He bit her lip, then nodded his head meekly. Acronix's anger seemed to loosen a tiny bit.
"You admit it… so I will make the punishment a bit less harsh," Acronix looked to Krux, then back to Mage, "I will no longer be your teacher. You are forbidden from touching your time powers outside of this world now, or ever."
"What?" Mage looked up, a genuine sense of fear and terror in his voice, "But...but I can't… you're the only one who can teach me reverse and pause!"
"It seems you have no need to wait for someone to teach you control," Acronix stated firmly, "When you clearly have none of it yourself."
"Hey, wait up a minute," Monty stepped forward, "You can't go doing that."
"This isn't a conversation that concerns you, Monty," Acronix shook his head, "He has to learn discipline. The only reason I would not go to our tribe's dragon and have his powers removed is I don't believe that it's possible to."
"We're going off on a life or death mission here," Monty shot back, "And you want to hold him back from moment one?"
"And risk him trying to turn his uncontrolled powers onto someone that doesn't deserve it?" Acronix shook his head, "He has already proven he can't be trusted to hold such power. If it can't be taken away, he can't be allowed to use it." Mage flinched visibly, his eyes hazing up.
"I don't think you get it," Monty stepped forward, "It's not just your world that's at stake here. The Twins will keep going to literally any universe they can until they win. We can't go and take away his abilities before we even get started."
"He shouldn't be using them in the first place," Harumi pointed out, "Fenwick said that if we mess with time in other worlds, we could cause a collapse. We don't want to do anything that'll put stress on the other worlds."
"She's right," Lulloyd shuddered, "He said that, if we do too much damage, we could… we could destroy worlds."
"But… but Acronix I…" Mage looked up, "I was… I was doing what I needed to. She, she tried to kill Krux. I had to… I had to pay her back so she couldn't hurt anyone."
"You clearly still need to learn compassion, if it only takes anger to remove it from you," Acronix pointed out. When Mage hung his head and looked ready to cry, Acronix let him hang there for a few moments before he shook his head, "While he may not touch his Time Matrix, I will allow him something to give him an edge in battle."
Acronix reached down to his hip, undoing Aevum's sheath. He handed the sword to Mage, who looked at it and nervously took it in his hands. He looked up to Acronix, who looked down at him and gave one single nod of his head.
"You're… giving this to me?" Mage asked quietly, "You said you would only give this to… to people you deemed worthy."
"You're a long way off of that," Acronix turned away, "Don't take this as me saying that you were in the right, Mage. I simply can't send you away into battle without giving you something to know you have a chance to survive. If I can't go with you, then it's my job to make sure that you at least have a fighting chance."
"I… I, I'm grateful for this, Acronix," Mage moved to gently strap Aevum to his side, having to turn the hilt so it stuck out past his side to have the sword fully in lace, "I'll… I'll do my best to remember that."
"You best," Acronix inhaled sharply, "Come home safe, Mage. I don't approve of you leaving like this… but I understand why you feel you must go. You must do what you think is right. I believe these are the most capable hands I can send you off in… so keep yourself safe."
"What will you do with…?" Mage gestured to Krux. Krux grimaced, and Acronix let out a small groan.
"Firstly, I will hide this thing where none will find it," Acronix held up the reversal blade, "By hiding it where even I will not find it. As for my brother… For now, we will gather the other leaders and inform them about his return. We'll make up a story to my people saying that he left prison to help fight the Raiders and he asked me to join him, hence why I was away. I doubt they will fully accept him, but for now… it is the best course of action."
"We'll be keeping an eye on him," Sykalr pointed out, "Not like we expect him to get his power back or anything. Just that we'll make sure he's really with us."
"I'm glad to know you think that way about me, Skylar," Krux pointed out coyly.
"Hush," Skylar threw back.
There was little more to say. Steadily, the group of four, now five, crawled onto the back of Firstbourne. A saddle had been rigged up with multiple seats, letting them all sit down. Lulloyd handed the gun bag to Monty while the Firstbourne gave a soft grumble while Mage took the reins. Lloyd, Harumi and Lulloyd all took seats as well. Looking back to the group, Mage was about to take off before he perked up.
"Wait a minute!" Mage looked around, "Where's dad?!"
"Right here," Garmadon's voice sounded from the other side of the Firstbourne. When Mage looked down to see him, Garmadon sighed, "You need to work on your awareness, son."
"H-Hang on one second, guys!" Mage told them. The group said nothing as Mage leapt down off the dragon and into a hug from his dad. Garmadon reached up and placed his hand on top of Mage's head to hold him tightly. As soon as he did, a wave of emotion struck the boy.
"I'm… I'm going now, dad," Mage sniffed, "I uhm. I'm sorry I didn't come to you first. It's just, Harumi said that we have to go quickly, and I uhm…"
"No need to say anything, son," Garmadon sighed, "I know what you must do. I have heard everything you have said. While I worry for you… these four have proven strong and dependable," Garmadon looked up towards them, "Promise me you will rely on them."
"I will," Mage smiled warmly, "Thank you dad. Really I, I… I'm going to make this place safe again. I'm going to prove myself."
"You already have, son," Garmadon pulled back a bit to look Mage in the eyes, "You've become a fine young man. Now, it is time for you to grow one step further on your journey. Be safe, and be prepared. Promise me you'll come back safely."
"I will!" Mage quickly nodded, "I have to come back to help Skylar with her tribe, after all!"
Garmadon let out a sad chuckle, then let go of his son. Mage quickly leapt to climb back up onto Firstbourne, his spirits lifted a bit. He looked back to the others, who each gave him a smile.
"Let's get going," Lloyd nodded. Mage cracked the reins, causing the Firstbourne to spread her wings and take them into the sky. The gathered leaders all looked on as the dragon faded off into the distance, Mage looking on at them and feeling a sudden pang of loneliness in his chest. He quickly waved his hand to them, and each of them waved back to him. He continued to wave long after they were gone. When he stopped waving, he lowered his hand nervously and reluctantly.
"It's not too late to turn back," Harumi pointed out as she saw Mage looking unsure, "You don't have to come with us."
"I… I do need to," Mage turned to face the group, "I have to get those Twins. I have to make sure they don't come back and hurt this place. It's my duty as the Dragon Lord to do that. I have to do what only I can do."
"Then get settled in, big shot," Monty opened the gun bag and began rifling through rifles, "It's a long trip."
Mage, seeing the bag filled with what he guessed were weapons, looked down to Aevum. He unstrapped the sheath of the sword and handed it to Monty.
"I… I want you to put that in there, if those are weapons you aren't using," Mage looked down to the sword, "...I can't, I can't use this. Not, not after what he said. I have to earn it."
"Seriously?" Monty raised an eyebrow. Lloyd, not giving Mage time to respond, took Aevum and stuck it down into Monty's bag. When Monty looked up to him with a look of exasperation, Lloyd just looked away.
Mage felt a strange sense of distance fill the space as he sat with the group. Now that he was alone with them… he realized he didn't really know any of them. He'd interacted with them all, Lulloyd the most, but unlike everyone in the Summit, he didn't know any of them. He hardly knew what most of them could do! He realized rather quickly that if he was going to be traveling with them… he should make an effort to talk! Since Firstbounre knew where she was going, he simply turned around and created a small sound pocket so they could all talk normally.
"I have a question," Mage asked, "How did you all rescue Nya and Griffin?"
"Lulloyd came up with a plan and it was working pretty well," Lloyd responded quickly, "Until we ended up getting surrounded by Vermillion when our distraction went wrong."
"Then… how did you get out?" Mage asked.
"We weren't sure what was going on at first," Harumi leaned in, "But, now that we know what you were doing at the time, it actually makes a lot of sense…"
Without any choice, Lloyd, Harumi and the invisible Monty all readied themselves for battle. With a shout, the group leapt straight out of the collapsing tower, right into the middle of the oncoming Vermillion. If the new plan worked, they would surprise the swarm just enough to get away. Several warriors were already turning to them, ready to take them head on.
As soon as the warriors saw them, they stopped. Then, the warriors began to shake. One Vermillion dropped his sword, reaching up to his head and grabbing hold of it. Harumi and Lloyd looked on in shock as he did, unsure what was going on. Monty, taking his chance, replaced a pistol with the SoS and cleaved the warrior apart where he stood.
"What…?" Lloyd blinked, "What…?"
Suddenly, there was a scream. The sound of weapons clattering to the ground was mixed with screams. The group stepped closer to the broken bars, taking in the sight outside. The Vermillion that had surrounded them were screaming, holding their heads and shaking. They looked distraught, terrified, shaken to their core. Their eyes were unfocused, not looking at anything and instead screaming at nothing.
"What's going on?" Harumi asked in a daze, "They're… they're all…"
"W-Where… where is it?!" Blunck's cry came the most potent of all, "Where are they?! I can't feel them! Where… where are they?!"
"I-I don't know!" Raggmunk shouted back, "They're gone! I don't know where they are! They're gone! They're gone! They're gone!"
Guys! Lulloyd's voice came over the mental link, I don't know what's going on, but get out! Hurry!
The warrior that Monty had cleaved apart wasn't even bothering to get back up. There wasn't any need to think of why this was happening anymore. Quickly, Harumi helped Alacr along while an invisible Monty and Lloyd made their way out. They turned towards where Veloc and Kine had disappeared to, following after their trail as fast as they could. Behind them, the tower that Rina had worked to collapse was already rapidly sinking into the ground, yet no Vermillion seemed to care.
What awaited them was nothing short of a cobbled together oddity. Lulloyd had turned his mechdragon into a strange four legged walker, with a large cabin where the wounded warriors were being held inside. Because of this, the head was awkwardly stubby and stuck onto the ground, with the legs just as short and spindly looking. Lulloyd sat on top of the dragon head.
"Come on!" Lulloyd shouted, "We gotta go!"
Kine and Veloc quickly leapt up into the cramped transport, followed by Amdala and Cereb. Rina, Baux and Gale all were already inside. Quickly, they loaded Alacr inside, then Monty, Lloyd and Harumi followed suit.
"Wait for me!" Chamille gasped, running after them. As the form of a Vermillion melted away from her body in oddly appearing patches, the power of form over Lulloyd, Lloyd and Harumi melted away in turn. She leapt into the transport, then shouted, "Go!"
Quickly, the strange walker began to scamper its way through the bog, the feet keeping them above the acid as they scurried their way towards the Poison Tribe and, more importantly, safety.
"They must have panicked when the Twins left this universe," Lloyd pointed out, "And left them behind. They're connected to the Twins. If they're in control of the hivemind, it'd be like suddenly having everyone you know ripped away from you in an instant."
"That must be why we could sweep them up really easily after the Iron Doomy was gone," Mage pointed out, "We captured a lot of them. They'll be taken care of."
A silence fell over the group as the landscape below them unfolded. To Lloyd, the world looked ike something out of a painting. The scenery shifted each time he looked at it, yet nonetheless looked beautiful. Yet it was also something that they would all be leaving behind. Yet again, they were after the Twins. Yet again… they had failed in their mission.
"I'm, uhm… it's good to have you along with us, Mage," Lulloyd smiled, "It's, always nice to have more company."
"Mhm," Mage agreed, "You all worked hard to try to help my World and… well, I actually realized this, but, I never said thank you!" He looked up, "Oh, wow I never said that this entire time! I'm sorry! Thank you, really, thank you guys! I know you all worked really hard and… and I don't think that we'd have even gotten anywhere near this far without you."
"Huh?" Lloyd raised his head up, "You don't have to thank us. We brought this mess to you and… it's not like you ever asked for it."
"Well then you all came in to try to clean up your mess, that's more than most would do!" Mage insisted, "Like… when I was traveling around when the war was, you know, getting going, I saw that a lot of people made messes but… didn't clean them up. I helped a lot of smaller villages cause troops came through and left them all messed up. And you guys were willing to come and do this when like, they were trying to take over the whole world! I don't know how I can even really thank you for that! Oh! That's another reason I'm coming along."
"Well, it's like Lulloyd said, we're glad to have you," Harumi added, "We don't mean to come off like we don't like having other people with us, it's just… it's dangerous, and we don't want you to get hurt because you're coming along with us. But, you are pretty strong."
"Yeah, I get that a lot," Mage sighed, "And, yeah, I get that you guys think that I'm important. And I am. But… it's because I'm important I gotta do this. I have to trust the people I leave behind to care for things while I go and make sure they're safe. That's what I think, at least!"
"Let's not debate the moral implications of bringing a twelve year old across the multiverse to chase after two murderous power made twins," Monty groaned, "Relax. We don't know what we're getting into when we get there."
There wasn't much point to arguing with him, so the group relented. Mage in particular did feel rather tired, so he was easily able to lean back and go out within a few minutes. Lloyd and Harumi went back to resting, and Lulloyd, unable to rest, continued watching. Monty kept cleaning his guns, shifting around the large sword inside of his bag with a grumble as he did.
It was four hours before they arrived back at Dareth's inn. The place was far more sparsely populated than the last time they were there. The Firstbourne landed near the entrance, letting them all disembark with Lloyd taking the gun back so Lulloyd could get a break from the cargo. Monty said nothing. Mage, in turn, gave his dragon one more hug.
"I… I have to go away for a bit now, okay?" Mage spoke quietly, "I have to… have to go help them. I made a mistake and… well, not a mistake. I just… I have to go after them. They're not gonna stop until then."
The dragon grumbled low in her throat. She shifted upwards, pushing Mage back a step. He frowned at her, putting his hands on his hips and shaking his head.
"Look, they're rounding up the Vermillion and getting them put into a big cell like Chen!" Mage pouted, "I'm not needed her right now. I need you to stay here to protect them. And, uhm, I'm not sure that you can come with me, being a big dragon and all."
"He's right," Monty's voice came over the wind, literally whistling past Mage's ear, "Only people with power like you can travel."
The dragon rumbled again, turning her head away. Mage gripped his fist for a moment, then he nodded his head to what she'd said to him.
"I… I promise, okay?" Mage looked up, "I'll come back. And, I'll make up for leaving you out of the fight, okay? I'll come back. I won't leave you behind again once I do!"
The dragon grumbled once more, and Mage let out a sigh of relief. He raced forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. She snorted against him, closing her eyes and relaxing into his embrace. When he let go, he gave her one last rub before turning towards the others that were waiting at the entrance to the inn.
"Ah, there he is!" Dareth's telltale voice came from the entrance, "The one and only Dragon Lord! To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Ah, we just need to use this place for a few minutes!" Mage called out, "Is Firstbourne here?"
"She landed behind the building," Dareth gestured, "She said the path was too small."
"Thanks Dares!" Mage called out, "Come on guys, let's go!"
It seemed Dareth was indeed still a universal constant. Harumi attempted to say hi to him, but Monty pushed her along before she could try. He still had his clothes, looking a bit more tribal than before, his impossibly pumped up hair and slight belly. The group were able to walk freely through his place, seeing that indeed there were a multitude of rooms off to the side. Dareth simply offered relaxation services to travelers, hence the spa pool and massage room they'd snuck in through. Mage rushed through it quickly out the backdoor. The group ascended the rocks back up to the same cliff face they'd originally entered from. Mage was already waitingthere, seeing as it was the end of the path.
"I'm ready to go now!" Mage smiled, "Let's do this!"
"Here," Harumi walked forward and placed a shard of crystal in his hand, "Since you had a reaction to the green power, I'm guessing you can travel with us. Don't lose that, that's the key to you traveling with us. If you do lose it, you can't come with us."
"Alright," Mage moved and tucked it into his robes, "Done!"
The group gave a nod. Monty turned towards the wall, then he focused. A golden aura twinkled, then shot up into the air. Mage watched in awe as a golden dragon wrapped around his body, hovering around him protectively. Monty let it fully colhease, its tail whispering in the air. The beast swirled around him, then Monty pointed one hand out and held his crystal out from his hand. With a burst of wind, it shot straight out like a bullet. It struck the wall, and the dragon shot directly after that. It poured into the space around the crystal, and in it, a rip formed on top of its surface. A tear-shaped hole opened up, the dragon fading into it. With a wave of his hand, the crystal shot back into his hand.
"W-Wh-WHAT?!" Mage bounced in front of Monty, "YOU COULD MAKE A DRAGON THE ENTIRE TIME?!"
Monty shoved Mage back and crossed his arms, "And you're going to forget that I can. I don't do that. It's a personal reason and don't ask why. I won't tell you and they can't."
"B-But it's… that's DRAGON!" Mage shouted, "You know how important those things are, right? You'd be like, you'd be like-"
"Drop it," Monty shut him down with a wave of his hand, "You need to get ready to make this jump."
"In his world," Lloyd explained, "Monty can use something called chi. His chi looks like a dragon. He's just really upset about letting anyone see it."
"I literally just…" Monty groaned and shook his, "Just make the jump already."
"I wanna see more of his chi!" Mage shouted.
"Maybe later," Monty sighed, "Last chance to turn back, kid. Once you got out there, you wont' look at your world the same way again. And you might die. And I can tell you, dying sucks. You're up first, Lloyd."
Lloyd gave Monty a bit of a dirty look, but Mage noticed he hefted the gun bag up on his shoulders, making Monty shrug. Lloyd stepped forward, giving a small inhale before he stepped into the rift. He disappeared after a moment. Lulloyd turned back to the group, then he followed suit with a small jump inside. Harumi took a bit longer, but once she jumped inside, she was gone as well. Monty gestured to him to move forward.
Mage took a small moment to inhale, thinking and readying himself for the task. Then, with a loud shout, he ran forward straight into the portal and vanished. The last thing he saw was Monty's confused features as the light faded and soon, he was being pulled away in nothingness.
When Lloyd landed, the first thing he noticed was that Dareth's studio, was no longer a studio. He came out of the void with a few seconds of dizziness, then he shook himself and focused around him. They were inside something more akin to a warehouse, with various stacks of boxes piled up all around them. They appeared from what must have been the back wall, a small gap between two stacks of boxes allowing him to exit into the main space. The boxes weren't labeled, and nothing about the place seemed to scream 'Dareth' at all.
Taking a few steps forward, Lloyd then noticed that the doors to the place were slightly ajar. They were in a massive room, and he could only see the doors as two tiny slots on the other side. Lulloyd and Harumi followed after him, both of them walking up to him and looking around to see where they were. The unfamiliar setting was enough to put them on edge.
Then, there was the sound of a shout, and Mage came barreling out of the rift. He slid forward stumbling as though he'd almost fallen over. His eyes turned brown and, from under the floor, a pillar of earth shot up to catch him and let him orient himself upright. He took a deep breath and bounced forward on one foot, standing beside the three and looking around confused.
"Woah… where are we?" Mage blinked, "It… kinda looks like you guys!"
"I think we're not in the anime anymore," Monty sighed as he exited the portal finally after them, his dragon chi absorbing into his back as the rift closed, "Thankfully."
"This place doesn't feel right…" Harumi shuddered, "It feels… wrong. Something in the air here is off."
"Well, let's go take a look," Lloyd suggested, pointing to the doors on the other end of the room. No one had objections. In the darkness of the strange warehouse, only Mage's golden robes stood out. Monty was already eying him, thinking of ways to do so. As they walked, Lulloyd noticed Monty open the gun bag on Lloyd's back, much to Lloyd's annoyance, and exchange his current cape for one that looked like it'd been through a battlefield. He swung the red, tattered and burned cape over his shoulder, tying it off and once more letting it flap as he walked.
When the group reached the doors, the sight they saw was startling. Outside, there was no sunlight. The entire sky was blanketed in dark black and purple clouds, swirling about in various points almost like hurricanes in the sky. Instead, light was being provided by massive red spheres mounted on buildings. It was clearly a modern version of Ninjago City in terms of what Lloyd and Monty knew, but one important building, Borg Tower, was missing.
Instead, in the place of that large landmark was instead a massive black fortress. The fortress was a tower that reached so high up it touched the tip of the clouds in the sky. The building was made of glowing black and purple substances that almost looked like liquid constantly moving about inside of an invisible mold. At ground level, it spread out almost like an infection, digging into the ground with its roots. The fortress had one entrance that was being guarded by none other than the Stone Army, rendered with purple in place of their red armor. Normally, that detail would have gone over their heads, if they weren't in a building within the large walled compound surrounding the fortress.
"This…" Harumi's hand gripped Lloyd's arm. The two shared a knowing look of pained recollection.
"Mhm…. great, looks like the Overlord won here, or at the very least we're right after he did," Monty yawned, "Thought you said that we can only go to worlds where he was defeated."
"I… did, I don't know what this is about," Harumi nervously shuddered, "This… this place is wrong. It feels wrong. Everything about it, it all feels wrong. That's, that's dark matters. That entire fortress is made of Dark Matter."
"What?" Lloyd shook his head, "Dark Matter is only found on the Dark Island."
"She's right, " Monty pointed out, "I've seen that stuff before. That's it."
"You have any idea what they're talking about?" Lulloyd asked Mage.
"Nope, not at all," Mage shook his head.
"Good," Lulloyd smiled a tiny bit, "I'm not the only one anymore."
"Hey! What are you doing here?!"
The group turned to see none other than Dareth rushing in through a side door to the large warehouse. He wasn't wearing his normal brown robes, however; they were instead a mixture of purple and brown, making his outfit look darker than normal. They were far more elegant as well, with patterns and letters painted down the sides to make it almost ceremonial.
"Dareth," Harumi sighed, "Okay, good, I thought we weren't even going to-"
"Why are you here, how'd you even get in here?!" Dareth rushed up to them, grabbing Lloyd's shoulders and shaking him, "Has anyone seen you?!"
"What?" Lloyd, used to Dareth's behavior after his last adventure back home, only blinked at him in confusion, "I, don't think so, we haven't even-"
Suddenly, the entire group sans Monty was sent clutching their ears as a deafening roar of horns filled the room. Lloyd shook his head, feeling a weird familiarity with it as soon as he heard it. When he saw Harumi straining to look up and place the sound in turn, he realized what it was. It was the Horns of Destruction!
"Don't just stand there!" Dareth shouted, remaining still, "If he found out you're here, you gotta get out!"
"Sure, how?" Monty asked calmly.
Dareth, looking up to realize his error, grabbed Lloyd's arm and began tugging him along. Lloyd gripped Harumi, who gripped Lulloyd who did Mage, carrying them along in the chain. Monty, turning to see there were Stone Warriors beginning to race towards them, rolled his eyes, drew the SoS, and followed them.
Dareth led them out the side door, showing they were now inside of a massive rocky training area. It seemed he still was a trainer. He led them past the site and back towards a small home behind it. He threw open the door, ushering them all inside. Once they were, he ran over and slid by a bookcase with a massive wheeze, holding his gut as he pointed towards a hole in the floor.
"T-Take… that that… whew, I gotta lay off the trophies…" Dareth shook himself, "Follow that tunnel, I'll get Sun to come pick you up by the time you get out! You don't wanna be in here when they come looking for us!"
"Why?" Lloyd rubbed his head against the ear-splitting horns, "Why, what's going on?!"
"There's not enough time!" Dareth threw the door open dramatically, showing a ladder, "Just get going! You guys don't wanna end up captured, do you?!"
Without much choice, Lloyd relented and hopped into the hole. He slid down the ladder, landing in what was clearly an escape tunnel. The ceiling was low enough he had to crouch as he walked. Mage and Lulloyd followed quickly after, both with confused looks. Harumi stopped to give Dareth a quick word of thanks before following, with Monty closing the door above them and the bookshelf scraping back into place.
"What's going on?" Mage called out, "Are we being followed?"
"If we don't book it, then we probably will be," Monty blasted the tunnel with wind, "Less thinking, more escaping."
Lloyd, not wanting to defy the ghost, quickly raced his way down the tunnel. It was clearly well used, with the walls being held up by posts and the ground showing several footprints from likely previous escapees. They ran for almost five minutes inside of the tunnel, moving far enough away the horn sound began to die down. They continued to run through the tunnel until they reached another spot with a ladder that went upwards presumably to the street.
There wasn't any need to wait. Lloyd ascended, bringing them along with him. When he opened the hatch up top, he found they were not on the street, but instead in what looked like an office room under renovation. He pushed a tarp out of the way, dragging the others up with one hand. As soon as Monty floated up from the hole, the large open windows nearby showed the tower they had just escaped from was now several blocks away.
"Didn't he say something about Sun coming to pick us up?" Harumi asked nervously, running up to the window and sliding under the sill to peer up.
No sooner had Harumi said that, did something descend from the skies. At first glance, it looked like a ship, but Lloyd immediately recognized it as none other than the Destiny's Shadow. His birthday gift back during the Time Twins first rampage looked relatively similar, but with the green removed and instead painted over with white. There was one person in the driver seat, with some sort of display covering his face.
"Get on!" The man called out, the wings folding in and the railing retracting to let them on board. Without debate needed, they all hurried their way onto the ship. The wings unfolded once more and the jets kicked in, sending the Destiny's Shadow up into the air at a rapid pace. The pilot brought them high in the sky, weaving around buildings rapidly away from the tower. They were floating far off in the distance, near the edge of the city, before the pilot finally stopped.
The display folded back, letting the pilot stand up. The first thing that stood out about him was the fact he was a young man around Lloyd's age. He had white glistening hair, cut messily around his head. He wore heavy robes with a breastplate and armor, with several small weapons stashed under his belts, with two straps going across his chest that painted a golden splotch where they intersected. His entire motif seemed to be a mixture of white and gold. The design looked similar to that of the armor Lloyd and the others wore during the Serpentine incident. He had a sword hilt sticking up past his shoulder, made of what looked like smooth wood. With how far his robes spread out behind his legs and without any ninja-like armor on him, the man almost looked like some sort of knight. He stood up and made his way over to the group.
"It is good to see there are still people that resist the tyrant," The white haired man bowed his head, "Allow me to extend my official welcome to you. I am Sun! The light that shines hope in the Emperor's darkness!"
"My name is Harumi," Harumi bowed back to him, "That is Lloyd, Lulloyd, Monty, and Mage. To avoid some confusion… do you recognize any of us?"
Sun shook his head, "No, I do not believe I do. I am certain I would remember such interesting faces. Especially… his," Sun made a gesture towards Mage with a nervous smile, "He looks rather out of place, a memorable feature if I say so myself."
"Thanks!" Mage beamed, "I always try to look unique!"
"May we ask who you are?" Harumi continued, "This is a weird question, but… is there anyone here that is the son of Garmadon and Misako? Green Ninja, legendary savior?"
Sun blinked at Harumi. After a moment, he smiled gently and placed his hands on his hips, "If you're looking for the son of Misako, then you're talking to him. To be more clear, I am the son of Wu and Misako."
Had this been a few jumps prior, the group would likely have had a much more unique reaction. Instead, all they could do was stare at Sun and process that in their minds. When Harumi finally got over it, she grimaced and sighed, "I guess we found our deviation, then."
"Deviation?" Sun smiled gently, "You are quite an odd bunch, aren't you?"
"Very odd, yeah, I'm a ghost, if that didn't register as odd to you then you have weird standards, let's just move this along," Monty waved his hand, "Emperor, world, rundown, give it to us. We're travelers from far away, over the Endless Sea. Yes, I know, I'm a ghost, don't mention it. We need to know what's going on, k?"
"Well, I suppose I can help with a bit of that," Sun turned around, "Come, we can make our way back to the rest of my team, from there we can get out of this city and-"
The Horns of Destruction sounded once again. Sun whipped around, moving one hand to his hip and drawing what looked like a wooden hilt and… nothing else. The group looked on to where he was looking, and saw that nearby, several jets were flying towards them. From their coloration and shape, Lloyd instantly recognized them as being of Nindroid design.
"Tssk," Sun inhaled, putting a smile back on his face, "I guess we must fight our way out. I have not a clue know what you did, but it looks like the Emperor wants you gone."
Author's Note:
And thus, we bring the second major arc of Ninjaverse to a close and begin the third! Originally the opening to this chapter was at the end of Chapter 33, yet for pacing issues I moved it here.
Normally, I take a hiatus after a big chunk of the story, yet due to the situation I was able to write up to, currently, Chapter 45. My plan is to finish the remaining chapters in this arc over the coming week, after which I'll be taking a bit of a break while still posting chapters.
I hope you all enjoy!