Enter The Ninjaverse

by Bionic Stars

The Time Twins have returned, and with it they have brought a new threat: the loss of Lloyd's elemental powers. With Lloyd's powers taken, the Twins escape. Not the Time Vortex, however, but instead a rip in the very fabric of the universe itself. Lloyd's quest to stop the Twins leads him to new worlds, new faces, and new revelations into himself.

105. Chapter 105

Author's Note:

This entire chapter was inspired by the song Yuki No Hate Ni Kimi No Na Wo from the RE:Zero Frozen Bonds OVA. In fact, that song in general was what developed all of the endgame for Harumi Garmadon. It's one of my favorite songs out there, and while I don't have anywhere in particular for you to start listening to it, I hope that if you do, you can start to feel how the chapter was structured much like that very song. After editing this was just short of Chapter 103's length. I hope that, regardless of the length, you all enjoy!

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The trip that Harumi took through the void was far less chaotic than she could sense that she wasn't simply moving on one axis anymore, but rather two. Time and space were wrapping around her, giving her the sensation of motion that felt somehow both incredibly soothing, and wildly unnerving.

On her wrist, both her Borg Watch and the wristband she used were flashing. In her pocket, she could feel the stone, imbued with pure forward energy, that Acronix' had given her. She had one chance to do this. One chance to fight the Vermillion, to save her family, and to move forward in time before anyone saw her.

Normally, when the portals deposited her, Harumi could see a bit of light before she landed. This time, however, she felt her body moving in a different direction as she approached it. Like watching slides on a set tick forward in front of her, she saw images flashing by around her that glowed with a powerful energy that she couldn't hope to touch. She couldn't make them out, but she could sense their power, potential, and the future that she would be saving. They flashed by faster, harder, up until her eyes were completely filled with them, and her mind felt as though it had just blanked out.

Finally, Harumi felt the last push of force around her. She sensed the portal was arriving and angled her feet to land on them. With a burst of fresh air and warmth, she fell through a portal a few feet above the ground, falling forward and attempting to roll when she hit it. Her foot caught on something, sending her face-first into the ground instead.

"...Owh…" Harumi groaned out, pushing herself upright. When she turned to see what happened, her foot had been caught on a massive root that broke from the ground. The root was connected to a large tree that rose up into the air, its large, circular leaves forming a thick canopy above her.

Harumi took in her surroundings. She was right where she needed to be. The thick underbrush of leaves and bushes, the tall trees that blocked out much of the sunlight, the low-hanging vines and colorful flowers that adorned them, and the thick layer of humidity that burned through the air. She was in Hiroshi's Labyrinth. From the sound of the birds in the sky and the trickling sunlight towards her, she could tell it was perhaps late morning.

Normally, Harumi's first instinct would be to scan the area with her Borg Watch and determine a map. When she attempted to, though, she found the device refused to turn on. The immediate panic of that almost took hold of her, unsure what was wrong. Instead, she quickly summoned two Rhotatae discs in her hands and swiftly began cutting her way through the underbrush.

Harumi leapt up and into one of the nearby trees. With her discs in hand, she climbed up and towards the canopy. The sunlight got brighter the closer she got to the leaves, up until she was able to pull the leaves aside and fully ascend. When she pulled herself through, the vast blue sky spread out around her in a beautiful, panoramic picturesque view. Immediately, Harumi found the Endless Sea that bordered the jungle. Forming a mental map, she plotted her location. She was roughly a half mile from the edge and heading in the direction towards the middle of the labyrinth. The jungle was incredibly wide, large and confusing enough she could get lost if she needed to. It was big, vast, and had plenty of places for snakes to hide.

Swiftly, Harumi slid back down to the ground and began to run. She didn't have any time to spare. She didn't know when the Vermillion would strike, or where they even were. She needed to make sure they didn't get to either her mother, or her father. If everything was happening as it should, they both likely had already entered the labyrinth. Her father had said he could see the sunlight through the Jewel of the Labyrinth. She still had had to find the Vermillion. All of this, all of her fighting, her crying, it had led to this moment. She had to find them.

Harumi stopped. She could hear someone. Immediately, she changed her path, quickly slowing down and moving after it. She could hear them, trudging through the forest. They weren't trying to hide their presence. She soon could see footprints, baked into the very earth itself.

Harumi neared a small ridge of dirt, at which point she heard it: slithering. Immediately, she flattened herself up against it, slowly peering up and towards where the sound was coming from. When she did, she felt her anger and her fear run high. Three Vermillion, each one colored a deep red, were sneaking through the underbrush. One of them stopped, causing the other two as well. When Harumi followed their gaze, she turned to see they were tracking something. Something that was moving closer.

All at once, Harumi felt her breath run cold. She could see someone there, someone that had deep, white hair. Almost instantly, Harumi realized who that was. It was someone that the Vermillion had to kill to ensure their victory. Someone that Harumi couldn't let them see.

The lead Vermillion slowly grinned, holding up a crossbow loaded with a viscous metal bolt. As soon as Harumi realized this was it, she quickly began to rack her brain. If that was who she thought it was, she couldn't be seen. At all costs, she couldn't be seen. If she showed herself to her family, then that was it. She would ruin the timeline, and she would ruin her chances of winning. But she had to think fast, watching as the Vermillion began to aim it. Harumi gulped, then pulled her hood down over her face.

Realizing it was now or never, Harumi acted. She held up her arms and quickly fired off two Rhotatae discs in random directions. She waited until the Vermillion reached down for the trigger, then she gripped her fist. Her heart began to pound out of her chest as she watched the discs arc around. The Vermillion leaned in, looking down the bolt and grinning as he opened his fangs to let out his exhale to fire.

Just as Harumi felt her terror flaring to its peak, her discs struck home. The first struck the crossbow, disabling it and snapping the wire in half. The Vermillion hissed in anger, just in time for the other disc to strike him in the head. The impact caused him to dissolve with the sheer force of it.

The other two Vermillion, realizing they were compromised, quickly picked up the broken crossbow and turned to flee. With a silent swing, Harumi sent two more discs flying out. The Vermillion managed to make it over a small rock before one was struck down and burst apart on the rock. The other turned to draw his sword, knocking the disc away.

Instead, Harumi shot up from the leaves, clamping a hand down on his mouth and blasting him in the back with her power. As he burst apart, she turned to see the first two were already reforming. She turned and quickly surrounded the armor in her power, cutting it off. She flung the armor high up into the trees, sending it hurtling away. The snakes attempted to flee further, but Harumi brought down her foot on several of them. As they turned to bite her, she blasted them several more times with her power, causing them to blast apart.

With a hard gasp, Harumi turned and raced for the first Vermillion. He had reformed, and in turn he was slammed down and into the ground. She held up her fist at him, pointing it down.

"Where are the rest of you?!" Harumi hissed out as silently as she could, "Are there more?!"

The Vermillion looked truly terrified, his eyes flashing. Harumi realized, given the time period, he couldn't have access to the Hive Mind here. From his terror, he had to be alone. With one more punch, she sent him apart, scattering the snakes and throwing the armor away.

Harumi panted hard, looking around to check for anything else. She didn't know if there were more, but this seemed to be all there was. She slowly smiled in relief, standing up as she did. Slowly, she turned to look towards where they had been aiming, seeing if she'd successfully prevented what had almost happened. There was nothing at all. She panted a few moments, then slid down the slope to move to where she'd seen the person. There was nothing but a single pair of footprints, perfectly still. Realizing this, Harumi quickly looked around, needing to tail them to make sure they were okay the rest of the way.

Suddenly, Harumi felt something at her throat. Before she could say anything, the item sparked with black lightning, just before it burst apart against it. Her windpipe was squeezed shut as the lightning arced into it, causing her to gasp and fall down towards her knees.

"I found you…" Harumi gagged out as she looked around for where the voice came from, "I finally, FINALLY, have my chance!"

Harumi took several hard breaths, reaching her hands up to form Rhotatae discs. The moment they opened, two knives were placed against her forearms. She froze, just in time for a vicious kick to send her vision sparking red and her down onto the ground.

"After all this time… I finally have you all to myself…" The figure chuckled. Harumi felt the two knives shift and press against her neck. She remained perfectly still as they slowly pressed down, ensuring she could feel them against the fabric of her hood.

"Goodbye, Green Ninja!" The figure shouted. Harumi, however, acted first. Just as the knives shifted to try to rip open her windpipe, Harumi twisted her foot around and summoned a disc in it, firing it off wildly. The one on top of her snarled and turned to look. Harumi reached up and grabbed the knives in her hands, charging them with her Green Power and causing them to blast apart into shards. A quick flex of her shoulders let her get up and turn around, putting her fists up for the one that was attacking her. The moment she saw her, however, Harumi's eyes bulged.

"GRAGH!" The Seething One, Harumi herself, snarled as she turned around, facing her. The woman was roughly the same age as her future daughter, her eyes painted red and her white hair draped around her shoulders. Her outfit was the same tight black latex with blue straps as it had before. Massive purple stripes, however, were painted into it as well, with a massive symbol of Garmadon's face on her back. Her mother snarled out and hunched over, spitting at her like some kind of animal.

"That was a dirty trick, Lloyd…" The Seething One spat out, "Maybe you really aren't as weak as you look after all!"

For a few moments, Harumi wondered how she'd been mixed up for her father. It quickly hit her, however, that Lloyd's andrgenous body, alongside her hood being pulled up, made it harder to tell in the low light of the forest. And from how the Seething One was growling at her, it looked like she didn't care to look further. Harumi, realizing how dangerous this situation was aside from the battle, remained silent.

"So you're not going to say a word?" The Seething One growled, "Then I'll just have to end you like this! Say goodbye to your petty, miserable life, Lloyd!"

With that, her mother charged right at her, swinging her fists wildly. Harumi dodged them, believing they were simply wild attacks. Instead, her mother dropped down and knocked her left foot out from under her, sending her pitching forward. Harumi charged up her Rhotatae to try to stop her fall, just in time for the Seething One to grab her head and crack it over her knee.

Harumi's vision blurred. She swung her arms, trying to blast her mother backwards with light pushes of power. Instead, the Seething One screamed and grabbed Harumi's arms, swinging her around and driving her face powerfully into the nearest tree. As Harumi's body quaked from the raw pain of being thrown around in such a manner, the Seething One punched the back of her head to drive her back into the wood. Blood ran down Harumi's nose from the impacts.

"Still as spineless as ever!" The Seething One shouted, throwing Harumi onto the ground, "I can't believe you thought you could come out here on your own! You must be stupid to think you can face me like this! Did you think we didn't notice you'd gone on this little journey,!?"

The Seething One kicked Harumi in the gut, rolling her over. Harumi went limp, letting her mother walk over towards her. The moment that she reached up to kick her again, Harumi spun and grabbed her mother's leg, hurling her over her body and onto the ground. The Seething One's head hit a root, knocking stars into her vision as Harumi scrambled up to her feet, shaking her head as she tried to get the blurry images to focus.

Harumi put her arms up just in time to block a thrust of dirt from her mother's fist. In those seconds, the Seething One drew a dagger from her hip, spinning it around and holding it backwards. In her other hand, she formed a Rhotatae disc, charging it up with a glistening silver sheen. As it formed, black lightning began to pump through it.

Seeing that lightning caused Harumi's eyes to widen, "What… what is that?!"

"So he talks!" The Seething One laughed, "You should know very well what this is! But if you're wanting a refresher, I'm happy!" She launched one, "To give you one!"

Harumi ducked under the first disc, letting it shatter against a tree. She charged her own, flinging it out towards her mother. The Seething One dropped down and ran right at her, ducking under the follow up shots and forming another disc of her own. Harumi surrounded her fists in green and quickly swung out at her, the two of them trading punches.

The Seething One's blows were brutally fast, swinging like brick walls. Harumi's forearms quickly numb with the pain of blocking them. She turned to see her mother swinging her dagger right at her head. When she ducked, Harumi realized she'd set herself up for an uppercut from her mother's disc in her other hand. As that black lightning arced out of it, Harumi thrust her chin backwards just in time to miss it. Her mother grinned madly and swung her head forward, cracking their skulls together and adding to Harumi's swimming perception. Tthe disc her mother had smashed into her chest and shattered, knocking the breath out of her as more of that lightning coursed into her body painlessly.

Harumi responded by reaching backwards, grabbing the tree and filling it with her power. The tree rapidly heated up, then a chunk shattered out in a blast of splinters. The Seething One threw her arms up in front of her to protect her face, the opening letting Harumi grab her around the torso and tackle her onto the ground.

"LET GO OF ME!" Her mother screeched. Harumi quickly pinned down her limbs and looked down at her, watching as her mother thrashed about. Before she could stop it, her mother fired off a wild volley of panicked Rhotatae, sending them into the air. Knowing what that meant, Harumi rolled off of her mother just as they arced around and narrowly missed her.

Harumi slid down onto one knee, putting her hands up and forming a massive, stronger disc. Her mother, however, was already gone. Her eyes widened as Harumi realized she couldn't find where her mother went. Quickly, she stood up, shaking her head to get rid of the fuzziness of how many blows it had already taken. Thankfully, her adrenaline was already up from the battle.

"Green Ninjaaaaaaa~" The Seething One's voice echoed from the trees around her. Harumi's heart hammered in her chest as she spun around, aiming the disc about wherever she thought the voice was coming from.

"Can't you find me~?" Her voice continued to ring out, "Or is it already hopeless for you?"

A Rhotatae disc shot out at her. Harumi turned and shot her disc off, shattering the two in the air. She was too slow, however, to stop another disc from flying out and hitting her in the back. She saw a flash of black crackling up her back as she bent forward.

"You're so alone out here!" Her mother laughed eerily, "No one is coming to save you~ Maybe you should just give up…"

Harumi shook her head. She had to keep fighting. She slowly stood up, forming discs in both hands and closing her eyes, trying to keep her mind together. All she had to do was just focus on the battle and ignore the tears rolling down her face…

Tears? Harumi blinked. She was… she was crying. She tried to focus. She had to find her mother. She had to stop her from killing her. Even if it was impossible to stop her, and how hopeless she was here, all alone, without her friends…

"Awhhh, is it finally starting to kick in?" The voice giggled. Harumi spun around again. She was… why was she feeling this way? This situation, it was useless to fight back. This despair was just part of how horrible this situation really was for her. She was going to die out here, alone, afraid, without ever being able to tell her friends- Harumi quickly shook her head. Was this what that lightning was doing?!

With a feral scream, the Seething One came out of the underbrush, wildly swinging a katana at her. Harumi spun around and narrowly dodged the swipe, rolling onto the ground and throwing her weight back up. Her chest was tightening up as her tears kept flowing. She couldn't… she couldn't fight. She was hopeless. Everything was hopeless. What was the point in fighting?

The Seething One turned, wildly flinging Rhotatae at her. Harumi threw up her arms, but she couldn't attack back fast enough. She was knocked around, the force of impact cracking her head back and forth. Her mother bit down on her lip hard enough she bled, the pain only making her strikes harder. More discs fired off in all directions and out of the treeline at Harumi.

Each moment that passed by, Harumi was feeling her resolve shatter. She couldn't keep up with this. Her mother slashed at her, forcing her to dodge in and out. Her mother was only getting stronger. She was getting weaker. Soon, she would just fall, and then… and then…

Harumi spun around, dodging the discs that she could. Slowly but surely, however, they hit her. She was knocked about, each strike cracking her about on her feet. When she finally was able to stop, her body felt ready to collapse. She turned to see her mother spit at her and then turned, flinging her katana.

Just as Harumi dodged, her mother tackled her, throwing her onto the ground. The moment they were down, Harumi felt two hands wrap down around her throat. Her eyes bulged as she felt it. The Seething One strangled her, holding her against the muddy ground and slamming her into it. Harumi reached up and began to claw at mother's arms, but nothing happened.

"Die!" Harumi heard her mother's voice as a distant echo, "Just die already! You took my family from me with that snake, you took everything I ever loved! Just DIE ALREADY!"

Harumi continued to smack and claw at her mother. She was losing feeling in her arms. The despair from the lightning began to well back up inside of her. She was barely even able to keep fighting. It was hopeless, after all. Even now, her tears were drying up. The primal terror of knowing this was it, that it was over, was slowly melting away and out of her, as she realized now, she had nothing left…

Suddenly, Harumi felt a massive pang of anger in her gut. She couldn't fall here. She had to save her world. She had to save her friends. If she didn't, then everything would be lost. Before her mother could react, Harumi gave one last, massive blast of green power. Her body was coated in an aura, then burst out in all directions.

The Seething One went flying. Harumi immediately turned and gasped hard, coughing hard as the pain around her neck trickled out of her. She hit her chest, trying to force more air into them. As she stumbled upwards with each precious gasp of oxygen, she saw her mother slowly get up with a confused, angry look.

"...What?" Her mother spat, "What the?! You should be sobbing in despair right now! What's going on here!?"

"Sorry…" Harumi held her fists up, her voice raspy, "But I've felt much worse than this before, mom."

Her mother seemed to be too filled with anger to care about her words. With a feral howl, the Seething One raced right at her, charging discs that would surely cut right through her. Harumi, however, didn't move. Instead, she held up one hand, and fired a disc up into the air. The Seething One was right on top of her. Harumi stood her ground.

Just as her mother was about to strike, a massive tree branch from up in the canopy came flying down. Her mother only saw it just as it fell and struck her in the back. Her anger immediately shifted to pure shock as her eyes widened, then she collapsed and hit the ground hard. Her head hit another root on the way down. The two impacts, nearly instantly, made her pass out.

For a few moments, Harumi held herself completely still. She shook her head several times, trying to clear it. She saw the passed out form of her mother in front of her, and slowly, she took several hard breaths. The despair in her body was starting to melt away, slowly but surely.

Harumi knew what she had to do now. Her mother was supposed to have fought her father, and instead fought her. If she was left like this, she'd never make it to the Jewel of the Labyrinth in time. Slowly, Harumi turned and picked her mother up, and slid her up onto her back. She yanked her ninja hood off, her own white hair mingling with that of her mother's.

Harumi walked. She walked for a long time, through the underbrush and roots, the leaves and the noises around her. The light in the canopy seemed to be getting brighter, but that might also have been the head trauma. For now, all Harumi could do was walk, carrying her mother with her.

She had to keep walking. Harumi knew that once she stopped, she wouldn't walk again. Her mother was brutal in combat. She could hardly stand now. She was hardly paying attention to anything that wasn't important to look at. She just kept walking, trudging. She had to save her. She had to save her parents.

It was several hours before Harumi reached it. She heard the waterfall before she even saw it. When she emerged from the canopy, she saw a large pool of water, surrounded by a glorious set of fauna and beautiful flowers that reached up towards the sky. The sunlight broke the canopy to illuminate the water, showing the fish that lived inside of it. The large rock walls rose up with the massive tree roots that stretched down them to touch the water inside.

Harumi, however, couldn't afford to go and look at it. She had to do this now, before it was too late. Before she ruined things more. Slowly, she stumbled forward, dragging her mother's limp body with her, dragging her up and into the water. Her boots were soaked as she carried her off behind the waterfall, recalling her father's story there.

Just as she had heard, behind the waterfall there lay a small door with strange symbols on it that led to a chamber hidden inside. That was where the two of them were together. Harumi stumbled forward, rocking on her feet. She just, had to get her mother inside. Get her inside, and then… and then…

"...What?" A voice behind her caused Harumi's world to freeze solid.

Harumi turned her head, slowly. Standing there, in the entrance to the labyrinth, was none other than the man that she had prayed she would never run into. He stood there, blonde hair combed to the side, green robes of the Green Ninja, and his eyes widened in confusion. He was young, but he was still much older than the one that Harumi had come to know so well.

"Who are you?" Lloyd Garmadon demanded, "What's going on here?" Harumi's lips were frozen shut.

Lloyd's eyes trailed down to see the body that she was dragging. The moment that he realized who it was, with her long white hair over her red-painted face, he all but immediately thrust his hands up and charged up green power. Harumi, her eyes widening, remained frozen.

"I don't know who you are, but if you've hurt her, then you must explain yourself," Lloyd demanded, "How have you found this place? I must know, now!"

Harumi couldn't speak. She tried to think of a lie, something to make it so that he wouldn't say anything. But Harumi couldn't. Looking at him, her throat closed up in a warbling painful lump that she knew all too well. The rushing water of the waterfall behind her would have drowned out what little noise she could produce.

Lloyd didn't wait on her. Once he knew she was going to be mute, he turned and thrust one hand forward. A thin beam of green came from his palm, firing out towards Harumi. Before she could stop herself, Harumi held her own hand up, forming a green shield. The two blasts struck each other, causing them to violently sparkle and crack before fizzling out.

"Was that…?" Lloyd blinked, then narrowed his eyes, "I thought I was the only one that had power like that. Who are you?"

Harumi finally managed to open her mouth. She knew what she wanted to tell him. That she was a traveler, here to simply stop the Seething One from attacking him. That she was nothing more than some kind of just wandering soul, or spirit. But instead, the only words she managed were ones that she couldn't help herself from:

"I was saving you, dad," Harumi felt darkness well up from her eyes, speaking without thinking.

Harumi took a step forward. Finally, the exhaustion from the battle had hit her. The ground came up to greet her as she collapsed, her body limp as the waterfall splashed behind her.

---

When Harumi awoke, she wasn't sure what she was looking at. She laid in a warm bedroll, a small pillow behind her head. She was looking at a strange green canopy that let small amounts of light through it in small, focused beams, illuminating small spots along the mostly rocky surface that her bedroll was on.

Slowly, Harumi pulled herself up. The world around her was a large, circular chamber, perhaps a mile across if she was to estimate it. The walls were completely made of rock with strange inscriptions on them, yet the darkness of the canopy meant that she couldn't see the curvature of the other side. She sat on a slab of rock that gave way into the root-infested ground of the jungle. Trees sprouted up, constrained in their height by the rock walls around them.

Off in the distance, Harumi could see what looked like a small temple. It rose up on stilts over the forest floor, with small stairs allowing access. It was a deep red, with black trim and white around some of the more important edges. The roof was curved and made of complete black tile. In front of the ground the temple was raised off of, a small farm lay beside a small stream. A crack in the rock wall off in the distance poured water into a small stream, ending in a small pond just to the right of where Harumi lay.

The crackling of something other than leaves drew Harumi's attention. Sitting in front of a small fire was Lloyd. He added a few more logs to it, building up a small ring of misshapen stones. The fire provided the light for them, even if the light of the canopy suggested that they were actually only in the mid-evening. Lloyd turned to look at her as soon as he noticed her starring.

"I think this place is what the Jewel of the Labyrinth actually is," Lloyd began, "I did some reading before I left the Monastery. It turns out that Hiroshi lived here for a few years, and nobody could ever find him. It looks like we're actually inside a small mountain behind the waterfall."

Harumi was silent as Lloyd continued, "I tried climbing the walls to grab some branches. No matter how hard you climb, you can't make it to the top. The only way in and out of this place, is there." Lloyd pointed. Harumi followed to a small, circular door that was in front of a circular entrance. The door was covered in deep navy blue symbols that glowed in the low light. Harumi could see the door led to the waterfall that she had brought her mother to.

"I came here to be alone… to hide in the Jewel," Lloyd admitted to her, "Once night comes, the door is going to shut for a long time. I don't know how long, but I know I'll be trapped inside here. The temple has enough supplies for me to grow enough to live on. For the first time in my life… I'll truly be alone."

"Why…" Harumi blinked, "Why are you telling me all of this?"

Lloyd pointed at her arm. Harumi looked down, seeing her BorgWatch was gone. The moment she noticed that, she quickly scrambled in her bedroll to find it. Lloyd held it up for her, showing that he'd opened it up and repaired it. What Harumi saw made her freeze.

"Do you want to explain what this is?" Lloyd asked. The watch displayed a picture of Harumi, much younger, being hugged by her father.

"That's…" Harumi gulped. What could she say? A cosplayer? A fan? No matter what her mind thought of, it went blank when she saw Lloyd's skeptical face.

"… On one hand, I want to think that you're here to try to kill me, like Harumi was," Lloyd shook his head, "I know that my father sent her here to finish me while I was gone. But on the other hand… I know that the Time Twins exist. I know that it's possible to manipulate time. My team and I found the Time Blades and sealed them away. There's this little part of me that's telling me that you're actually from the future."

"I…" Harumi gulped, "I don't… know what to say."

"Well, that, and you called me dad," Lloyd shook his head, "So be honest with me, right now. Are you from the future?"

Harumi considered it. Lying to him. Telling him a truth that he wouldn't believe. But this wasn't the version of Lloyd she'd been saving the world with. This was her father, having gone through all of his adventures already. This was a version of her father that had spent years fighting the Seething One and Garmadon. He was a young, mature man, and wouldn't be lied to easily.

"I'm sorry," Harumi shook her head, "I wasn't supposed to get caught. I was supposed to just… to just…" Harumi gripped her head, "I ran into M- The Seething One and it all just, fell apart."

"So you really are from the future," Lloyd acknowledged her, "...I'm not going to waste time asking how you're here. That's not important. What I want to know is… why are you here?"

"I… I came back to save you," Harumi whispered, "The Time Twins… well, a version of them from another world, they sent people back here to kill you. I came back to… to make sure that didn't happen."

"Then I assume it worked," Lloyd looked to the side, "Is that what those snakes were?" Harumi guessed he must have gone looking for evidence on her after she passed out.

"Yes," Harumi raised her head, "They're called Vermillion. If you don't know how to fight them, they can… they can easily take you down."

"I suppose that makes sense," Lloyd lowered his head, "But they wouldn't be the first that have been trying to kill me." Lloyd turned his attention towards Harumi's left. As Harumi followed it, she saw a sight that left her both incredibly relieved and tense. Her mother, the Seething One, was currently resting on the ground. She was curled up, her arms tied together at the wrists.

"So…" Lloyd looked at her, "Tell me what was supposed to happen today, if you really are a time traveler."

"I…" Harumi's words froze in her throat, "I don't think I should, L-Lloyd," Harumi forced the right name out, "I don't want to…"

"You've already meddled in events by being here," Lloyd countered, "You've already made yourself part of all of this. The least you can do is tell me what was meant to happen."

Harumi lowered her head, unable to meet his gaze. From the moment he spotted her, any hopes of preserving the timeline were gone. Even then, she didn't want to continue to break it further. She didn't want to mess everything up, after she'd worked so hard just to get back here.

Lloyd, sensing her terror, decided to lower his aggression, "Why don't we start somewhere else. What's your name?"

"H...Harumi," Harumi told him. Almost immediately, she could see Lloyd perk up.

"I'm assuming that this has something to do with her?" Lloyd gestured to Harumi, "That's not a very common name."

"I… I don't want to lie to you…" Harumi whispered, "I shouldn't be here. I need, I need to leave. Leave before, before the labyrinth closes and-"

"Closes?" Lloyd narrowed his eyes. Upon seeing how Harumi tensed up again, Lloyd realized he was pushing her far too quickly.

"Harumi," Lloyd spoke carefully, "I'm not trying to force you here. I can tell you're clearly capable and clever, since you were able to defeat the Seething One. Right now… I'm just trying to figure out what's going on here."

Harumi could sense it. The power of Lloyd's words as they washed over her. He was acting strong, powerful, just as he had for as long as Harumi had known him. This, however, wasn't her father. This was him before he ever fell in love with her mother. In these moments, he was just as vulnerable as she was… if not even more, knowing what his past was.

All common sense told her to run. The logical side of her brain, the historical accounts she was shattering with this, everything told her she should run and never look back. She shouldn't dare alter history like this any further. If she stayed any longer, she could undo all the good she did for herself. And that was assuming that she hadn't already, and she wasn't in the process of fading again.

Yet Harumi couldn't. She could feel it, the urge welling in her gut. The need to talk to him. The need to bring forward to him what she knew. This was the last chance she would ever get to talk to him. Not to Lloyd, not to another version of him, but… but to him. Her father. And that emotion, that well, refused to let go of her.

Slowly, Harumi moved to slide down from the rock, moving to sit beside Lloyd. She slowly looked up at him, fear in her eyes. Lloyd looked back at her calmly.

"I…" Harumi began slowly, "I don't know how to say all of this, Lloyd," Harumi whispered, "It's a long story but. But the short of it is that. You were meant to fight her and, you'd get locked into this labyrinth together. The door closes for a year, and when you finally get out… you leave with her."

Lloyd took her words in carefully, filling in the gaps Harumi was leaving, "...And I'm meant to fall in love with her, aren't I?" Lloyd looked deep at Harumi's gaze, "And that makes her… your mother, doesn't it?"

"... I don't. I know by saying that I'm. I'm changing history," Harumi shook her head, "And I normally would be smarter than this and think my way out of this situation. But… but I don't. I can't right now. I'm trying to figure out what to say, but I can't. Everytime I look at you it, it just twists me up inside." Lloyd said nothing, just patiently waiting for her to find her words.

"It… it all started with, with just after this…" Harumi started. Lloyd slowly settled onto his knees and looked at her. She didn't know what she was saying. She let it all pour out without any thinking. She let every detail she could think to say come out to him. She let everything go. She couldn't hold her tongue on nearly anything. Only the moment that she touched what happened to him did she go silent. It was the only moment she paused, and even then she moved through it so quickly he likely didn't hear it.

As she spoke, Harumi began to grip her thighs. She felt it. Tears, welling in her eyes. Spilling all of this, seeing someone as important as this… she understood now why Lulloyd had broken down when they arrived back at his home for the first time. The rush of emotions was just too much for her. She held her tears back, though. She couldn't cry. Not in front of him.

"...That's. That's a story," Lloyd shook his head, "And, I don't think I'm going to remember even half of it."

"I don't always do that myself," Harumi smiled weakly, "It's a lot, right?"

"Mhm… if what I understand is correct, you're saying that these Twins are the enemy," Lloyd shook his head, "Not the Twins that already arrived here, but another set of them. They tried to kill me in the past, because they wanted to prevent you from being born."

"They wanted somewhere to put their headquarters… I just was the one that got unlucky," Harumi shook her head, "I came back in time to stop them, and I was supposed to just… stay out of sight."

"Well," Lloyd reached his hand forward, "I'm glad you came." Harumi felt his hand rest on her shoulder. The warmth of it was unexpectedly great. When she looked up at him, her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Why?" Harumi asked, "All I've done here is… is ruin my past!"

"No," Lloyd shook his head, "It's not that. I'm glad you came here because you showed me that what I was doing here… was right."

Harumi blinked, "What you were doing here…?"

Lloyd turned to look over at the Seething One, "I haven't told anyone, and apparently I didn't tell you either. But… the reason I came out here wasn't to get away from everything and meditate. I came out here to lure her into a trap."

Lloyd took a deep breath, "I knew if I came out here alone, she would follow me. Ever since we met… she's been trying to kill me. I know my team wouldn't be able to capture her, but me alone… I knew that if I got her alone, it was possible," Lloyd smiled, "The only thing is… I didn't know what I was going to do with her, after I captured her. I was considering… ending this. By stopping one of us for good."

"But…" Harumi whispered "You wouldn't do that."

"I know… but I felt like I had to," Lloyd sighed, "I thought, maybe it was better if I did that. Maybe, I could help her suffering if I did. She… she isn't a happy person, Harumi. She's spent her entire life having her rage used to give her fuel. I thought, if I could remove that from her, somehow, maybe she'd find peace…" Lloyd smiled again, "And it looks like I did. At least in some way."

Harumi was left stunned as Lloyd nodded, "I know that something must have happened to your mother. You didn't talk about her at all in your stories. And I couldn't help but notice that… I wasn't there after a certain point either. Especially when the Twins arrived," Lloyd turned to look at her, "I'm going to assume that something happens to me."

Harumi felt a hard, dry lump in her throat. She could remember it. The feeling of Lloyd's body as it hit her arms. How he'd not even had time to say a single word to her before the life faded from his eyes. How warm the blood that leaked out onto her hand as she tried to close the hole in his chest felt compared to the rest of him.

She remembered what came next well. The feeling of the power of the Ultimate Rhotatae Master as she confronted the Overlord atop the Garmatron. How her grandfather's spirit had reached out and held her as she used the Golden Weapons to fully seal him inside. How she'd burned so much power through her body, that she'd melted them into one big megaweapon just to be able to do it. And how she'd given up her power in order to keep him there, never wanting to touch the thing that shouldn't have gone to her ever again.

"I…" Harumi started, "I. Yes. Something. Something bad happens to you."

"And it's the reason why you're wearing that uniform…" Lloyd narrowed his eyes. His gaze fell upon the hole in the chest. It was clear what the implication behind his words were.

"...Dad I…" Harumi felt her breath welling up, "It was my fault. I'm the reason you weren't around after that. I'm… I'm the one that failed you. You would still be there, you'd… you'd be. You'd be wearing this suit right now if I hadn't been so stupid that day…!"

Lloyd was silent. Harumi continued, "I'm a failure. I've messed up everything in my life. My team, protecting my city and… and when it came to finally protecting the only family I had I couldn't even do it. I couldn't even do the one thing that I was supposed to! I couldn't put it on! I couldn't accept that I was the one that had to face him and then, and then you… you did it and… and then I…"

Harumi thrust her head to the side. Tears flicked out in flashes of silver in the now evening light, "And everything is my fault! I can't do this. I can't do this on my own. I couldn't even come back and save your lives the right way! And now it's… it's all my fault…" Harumi raised her head, "If I had just been a better daughter then you'd still be arou-"

Lloyd thrust his arms forward, hugging her hard. Harumi's eyes widened as Lloyd drew her in tightly, pulling her against his chest. He was warm, his presence almost soothing as he held onto her. Harumi, however, remained stiff as he clung on.

"Never say that," Lloyd hissed out through gritted teeth, "No daughter of mine would ever be anything less than perfect."

"You don't…" Harumi stammered, "Y-You don't k-know me."

"I don't care," Lloyd shook his head, "I spent far too long wondering if all of this was because I wasn't just a better son. If I could have just done more for dad, then maybe he wouldn't have… have done that to her," Lloyd gripped her, "I would never want my daughter to think that she is anything less than exactly who she needs to be."

Harumi felt his warmth leaking into her. The emotions of this day were all racing past her weak defenses, "Y-You can't… you c-can't say that. I-I'm the reason you weren't there."

"If that's how it has to be, then that's how it was supposed to be," Lloyd shook his head, "No matter what happens, you could never fail me. Never."

Harumi wanted to let herself indulge, this one time, in being able to feel his warmth again. Even if this wasn't the father that she knew, even if she had messed up so much already… she wanted to be with him. And so, Harumi leaned forward, wrapping her arms under his and clinging to his shoulders. And with a simple shudder, Harumi wailed. She wailed harder than she had in her entire life. Harder than when she'd felt him die in her arms. Than the nights she spent, recalling the moment more vividly than any other memory. Than when she'd seen Olive die in front of her, from when she watched Over's transformation, and now this.

"I-I'm s-sorry," Harumi sputtered out, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It was all m-my fault, my fault! Everything was my fault. I was the one, I was, it was my fault! Mine! Mine!"

Harumi couldn't stop her tears. Her words poured out of her like the stains that formed on Lloyd's outfit. Lloyd didn't do anything to stop her. He held onto her as Harumi, a woman that he had only just met, poured out her life's story, her pain, and her sorrow on him.

"I-I d-dun care y-you dun know yet, I-I luv you, I love… love!" Harumi sputtered, "I miss you! I miss you a-and mom s-so… w-why couldn't, I-I want, I want you, t-to be there, t-to see what I've been d-doing, p-please, w-why did you have to go?!"

Lloyd slowly reached down and rubbed Harumi's back. The firelight beside them began to slowly die down as Harumi let loose the last of her tears. She continued to cry to him, to give everything that she wanted from him.

"Harumi…" Lloyd shook his head, "You need to let go."

"Don't…" Harumi hugged him tighter, "Don't. Don't leave me."

"I have to leave you," Lloyd nodded, "From what I heard, you have a job to do here."

"I don't want to go…" Harumi whispered, her arms trembling, "I know I have to. I-I know. But I don't want to. I don't want to lose you again."

"I know," Lloyd sighed, "But if you don't, you can't help your friends."

Harumi knew that she had to let go. She knew the moment she did, everything would change. She knew she would have to go back to the battle, return to the front. She'd leave her father behind, leave everything that she wanted behind. The past would resume, and soon it would turn present, and to the future that was her.

Slowly, Harumi let go. She expected it to take effort, to take all she had. Instead, she was numb. She was numb to it as she slowly let her arms flop to her sides.

"The door is going to close soon," Lloyd informed her, "You know what happens, right?"

Harumi nodded, "I… I need to get going then."

"I think, you should at least say something to her," Lloyd smiled as he looked deep into her eyes, "She's just as important to you as I am."

Harumi slowly turned her head to look at the woman that lay down on the ground beside them. She was still asleep, still looking as peaceful and calm as ever. The only images Harumi ever saw of her had her angry, filled with rage and anger. Now, she looked peaceful in her rest, a simple frown on her lips all that marred the sight of her. Harumi slowly looked back to her father, then down at her with a small nod of her head.

Tentatively, Harumi got up and slowly sat down on her knees beside the sleeping woman. She reached forward and took hold of her hand, slowly clasping it between her own. As she did, Harumi's eyes began to mist all over again as she said two words she'd never said in her life:

"Hey, mom."

Harumi Sr. didn't stir. Harumi's lips slowly curled into a sad smile. She gripped the hand she held tightly, knowing it would be her only chance in her entire life, a chance that should by no account should ever have happened, to hold her mother's hand like this. As the tears in her eyes continued to form, she slowly inhaled and began to speak.

"I… I've thought about what I'd say to you, so many times…" Harumi tilted her head to the side, "You know, when I was young, I'd tape a picture of you to the training dummy and do the entire conversation. Dad would come out there all the time, but he never stopped me. He'd always get all quiet when he caught me doing it," Harumi chuckled, "I guess he wanted to see us talking together too…"

Harumi leaned forward, pressing the hand to her chest, "... Mom I. I used to think that maybe, you weren't actually all that angry inside all the time. That maybe, you know, that…" Harumi shook her head, "That, you always secretly were begging for dad to come and save you. And… and I got to hear about what happened in a world, where you didn't get to meet like this. And now I know that… you really were angry inside. You were hurting. You had everything you ever knew and loved… ripped away from you," Harumi's breath caught in her throat, a painful lump she had to swallow through, "Now, I know what that feels like."

Harumi clutched the hand hard enough she started trembling, "Mom I wanted. I wanted to have you in my life. I never even told Carnelian this but… but I used to cry myself to sleep at night, because I didn't have a mom like everyone else to come and tell me that it'd be okay. Dad worked… he worked so hard for me. You make sure you treat him right, with what time you two have together. He didn't do what his mother did. He made sure every single day, he was there for me! And he tried to be there for you too! And I… I still miss you."

Tears fell from Harumi's eyes as she took in a bittersweet inhale through smiling teeth, "Thank you. Thank you for falling in love with him. Thank you for giving me the chance to go out there and live my life. Thank you for letting me have your name. I've worked every single day to be worthy of it. And please, please know that he really did love you, more than anyone else in the world. Know that… know that I loved you too…" Harumi whispered, "That… that even though you'll never get to see me, that… that I cared about you…"

Harumi held onto her mother's hand for a long time. She wanted to hug her, but she didn't want to wake her up. She didn't know what was going to happen if she tried to wake her up, tired to actually talk to her. She didn't want to hurt her timeline more than she already had. Even still, her tears dripped down onto her mother's arm, soaking into the fabric and leaving small dark patches. Harumi sniffed hard, trying not to let her cries turn into more sobs. She knew if she let herself, she'd never be able to stop herself.

"I love you, mom," Harumi said one final time, "I'm going to go and make you proud."

Lloyd walked over, putting his hand on Harumi's shoulder. The simple touch told her everything that she needed to know: it was time for her to go. Harumi continued to hold onto her mother's hand, feeling the texture of her clothes, the softness of her palm. Every ounce of her heart screamed at her not to let go. Every ounce said that this moment here was all that she had, and to move on… to move one would mean that it was over.

"I'm going to save everyone!" Harumi whispered fiercely, her breath trembling powerfully, "I'm going to make you happy! I'm gonna… I'm gonna…" Slowly, Harumi forced her arms to relax. Her hands clung on for a few seconds. A few more moments of trembling. She lowered her mother's arm back against her chest, then finally pried her hands open.

"...Is that, all you needed to say?" Lloyd asked her.

"It's… it's everything I could think of," Harumi whispered, forcing herself to stand up.

Once Harumi was on her feet, Lloyd turned and gave her a hard and fierce hug. Harumi's arms nervously trembled before they wrapped around him. She simply put her face against his shoulder and held it there. She didn't want to cry again. She didn't want to look weak again. For now, she just indulged in knowing that someone was there for her to hold, someone was there for her to be with.

"I need to go…" Harumi whispered.

"I know," Lloyd nodded, "Will you be safe?"

"No," Harumi grimaced, "I never am."

"Will you have your friends to rely on?" Lloyd continued.

"I should now," Harumi responded.

"Are you sure?" Lloyd slowly pulled back, looking Harumi in the eyes, "It's going to be dangerous. Even if you've undone whatever happened to your past, those Twins are still out there. All you've done is cut off their headquarters."

"I know I can do it now," Harumi affirmed to him, reaching up to wipe her face, "Ninja never quit, right?" Harumi laughed, "You were the one that taught me that."

Lloyd nodded his head proudly, "Then… go out and save them, Harumi. Go. I promise that whatever happens to us, I'll do my part to make sure you have the chance to do it." Harumi nodded. She nodded again, then again and again, and soon her head was bobbing like some kind of toy. Lloyd looked over towards the small door behind the waterfall, seeing that it was beginning to shine.

Harumi turned to look. As she did, something began to flare up in her chest. A feeling of determination, a drive to finally finish this. She knew the moment she walked through that door, she would be on her way to help end whatever fight her friends were putting up. She would be on her way to her destiny.

That feeling of apprehension struck Harumi again. This time, however, she didn't let herself get stopped. She walked forward, towards the door. The symbols on it shone bright, causing it to begin to crystalize further. With a single breath, Harumi stepped through it. The sensation caused her body to burn wherever the layer touched it, but it refused to stop her. She stopped on the other side, inside of the small entrance, a few feet from the roaring waterfall.

"Harumi!" Lloyd shouted, causing her to turn around and look at him smiling at her, "No matter what happens, remember that I'll always be proud of you!"

Harumi felt a rush of emotions to her eyes as she called back, "I love you, mom, dad! I'll make you proud! I promise!"

Harumi turned around. She began to walk forward, away from the waterfall. The door began to close even more behind her, causing her image to distort against it. As she walked away, her mother slowly began to rise up, groaning as she looked around. Seeing Lloyd, she froze for a second, only to follow his eyes to see a strange, blurry figure walking towards the waterfall.

"What's going on? How did I get here?" Harumi Sr. demanded, "...Who's that?"

As Harumi stepped through the waterfall and out of view, Lloyd smiled sadly, "Someone that I never knew I needed to meet." Harumi Sr. blinked in confusion as she watched Lloyd begin to cry through his joy, the tears running down his cheeks and off to the ground below him.

Harumi stopped just on the other side of the waterfall, her feet now standing in the few inches of water the pool lay deep. She was just in time to hear something behind her. A single noise, a crunching crackle. She knew the moment she heard what it meant. She didn't need to look behind her to know that the door to the true Jewel of the Labyrinth had just closed. Holding back her emotions, Harumi tilted her head up to the sky and saw moonlight that now hung overhead.

Harumi's mission had been completed. The events that the Twins set in motion was gone now, and they'd have no idea. She'd restored the paradox that they'd created. And yet, that wasn't the thought she had in her mind. In fact, the idea of returning to the Twins right now, exactly as she was… it left her unable to move her feet.

Her parents were safe. Soon, Lloyd would go on to win Harumi's heart, and the two would have her. Her mother would pass before she was even able to see her, and Lloyd would one day sacrifice himself protecting her on the Dark Island. Harumi reached into her pocket, feeling the small stone imbued with energy that Acronix' had given her. The moment she crushed that stone, she would move forward in time.

Harumi had to do something to help her friends. A burden that she'd long since forgotten, a weight she'd come to live with shackled to her, was lifted. And for the first time in longer than she cared to remember, she felt as though she could do anything.

The image of the Dark Island flashed in her mind. Harumi lowered her head. Everyone was throwing everything they had at the Twins to stop them. She would too. She recalled what Oni had shown her in the smoke. And to that, her mind drifted to what had happened after that memory. To what had happened when she finally faced the demon that killed her father.

For the first time in a long time, Harumi knew what she needed to do.

Harumi took a step forward. The single step felt like moving a mountain. The weight on her was fading away even more by the minute. She forced another step. The mountain felt just slightly lighter, but still made her want to stop. Her steps carried her to the edge of the pond, the cries of the animals around her faster than her own breath.

When she touched the jungle's underbrush, Harumi took a few more steps. These were faster, more confident. The weight was melting further off her. She took a few more steps, nearly tripping over a small root jutting out of the ground. The Jewel was fading into the darkness of the jungle behind her.

Harumi's footsteps began to move faster. Faster. Faster till. And soon enough, Harumi was lightly jogging. She leapt over a downed tree. She landed in a puddle of mud, staining the legs of her ninja suit. She began to run. Leaves snapped back around her, smacking against her face and arms as she pumped them. She tripped again, barely catching herself.

Harumi broke out into a sprint. She held the stone up in front of her, looking at it. The green light illuminated the smile on her face. She was flying through the jungle now, barely even paying attention to her surroundings that didn't dare to throw her down.

She saw the cliffs in the distance, the faint sound of ocean waves crashing against it filling her ears. Harumi refused to stop. She came closer and closer to it, too fast to stop herself in time. Just as she slammed her right foot down and leapt off the cliffs, she crushed the stone in her hand.

Harumi summoned her dragon, the massive beast of energy roaring out as it formed underneath her. She slammed into its saddle, pushing herself upright to look up. The crushed stone sent green power flying out in front of her, then racing back around her. Like an aura, the forward energy caused Harumi's world to begin to speed up around her. She felt the sensation of it. Time, moving forward, resetting to the present day. The energy was using her, her memories, her own timeline, to return her to the present.

"Let's go!" Harumi shouted, snapping the reins on her dragon. The beast shot forward through the air, carrying her out across the ocean. As the two of them flew, the moonlight turned into the warm sunlight of the late morning. Harumi felt warmth spread over her as the world around her continued to speed up as the two of them flew across the waves.

Time began to slow down, but Harumi didn't stop. She continued to fly right out over the waves, over the ocean itself, flying out until she saw land again. Just like her, her dragon flew as fast as it could. Harumi felt like she couldn't ever stop now. She wouldn't stop herself, she wouldn't let anything stand in her way again. The harsh winds that whipped and cracked against her, chilling her skin to the bone, barely registered to her as she flew, leaned forward and clutching the saddle purely knowing if she fell off, her destination would take longer to reach.

Harumi felt it. Her watch began to vibrate. It was calling someone. Without slowing down, Harumi slammed the watch down onto her thigh, answering the call. The voice that came out of it soothed her mind and electrified her will even further.

"Harumi!" Carnelian shouted, "Harumi, you, are you there, we have to talk! Something weird just happened, the sky got all dark, and everyone started falling asleep, and-"

"Carn!" Harumi shouted, "Gather all the girls! Meet me at the Golden Peaks!"

"What?" Carnelian answered in shocked confusion, "Wait, Harumi, why ther-"

Harumi ended the call. She felt nothing but relief to hear those words. Overwhelming, overpowering relief. But she couldn't stop to talk right now. She had to focus on her destination. She had to focus on the very place that she had once vowed never to set foot in, but now was hurtling towards knowing that everything depended on it.

Harumi didn't know how long it took her to get there. Minutes? Hours? She wasn't paying attention. All she knew was soon, the landscape shifted to the massive, cave-like maw of the Golden Peaks, shimmering a deep orange from within its depths. Harumi slammed down, her dragon hitting the rocks and crashing down in a run to try to slow its momentum. The two churned up the rocks as the beast finally managed to stop. Harumi leapt down and off the dragon, coming to a massive halt right at the small path that would lead up into the peaks.

"Harumi!" Carnelian's voice cried out. Harumi turned, just in time to see an amber-colored streak fly through the sky. Carnelian cancelled the dragon in the air, causing her to hurdle towards the ground. She let out a belch of flame to slow her descent, letting her roll across it and come to a halt, breathless, sweaty and trembling as her beautiful yellow and red-streaked hair dangled over her face.

"You're back? Harumi, we need to-" Carnelian was cut off as Harumi raced forward, throwing her arms around her lover and mashing their lips together in a desperate kiss. Carnelian didn't even dare to fight it, feeling Harumi's emotions pour out through the kiss and into her. She seized her girlfriend hard, pulling her in tightly and pressing one hand to the back of Harumi's head to cradle it and give her support while the two shared their intimate moment.

"Carn…" Harumi whispered as she finally pulled back, smiling almost madly with relief, "You're really, you're really here! It worked, everything worked… everything's going to be okay again…"

"Did something happen?" Carnelian blinked, "Harumi, everything was weird. It was like, it all went dark, then we all fell asleep… did the Twins finally do something?"

"They did. I almost lost you," Harumi's grip on Carnelian didn't let go, "But it's okay… you're back now. You're. You're all back now…" Harumi sputtered out.

"Of course we are back," Olive spoke up as she walked up to Harumi, "We technically never went anywhere from our perspective."

Harumi turned to see Olive, in her fully restored body's glory, standing with her natural neutral expression. As Harumi's heart lifted up from it, she saw other dragons fly in from the sky. Ren landed, quickly racing up to them and throwing her own arms around Harumi.

"You have had us worried more than you can imagine!" Ren declared, "You're finally here!"

"Hey, don't you hog all the hugging rights!" Forte shouted as she, keytar included, threw her own arms up around Harumi's other side, "That wouldn't be fair at all!"

"She's here! She's here!" Mizuko launched in from the sky, arms around Harumi's neck and smacking down against her, "Harumi!"

Harumi, now being hugged by three girls at once, gasped out for air desperately. Carnelian and Olive made eye contact, then happily joined in for it. Harumi accepted the loss of air in her lungs, instead indulging in the liberating feeling of her girls all hugging her again. She indulged in their warmth and affection, the feeling of them all being together again, just for a little longer. Finally, when Harumi looked ready to pass out, Carnelian turned and swatted Mizuko off her lover, letting Harumi have the chance for proper breathing again.

"Harumi," Ren nodded, "Why have you brought us out to the Golden Peaks? I do not understand."

"Yeah!" Mizuko blinked, "I thought you'd never want to see this place."

"I know girls, I know," Harumi inhaled, "But my friends are in danger. And I'm finally ready to face what's inside of this thing."

"What's inside…?" Carnelian blinked, "Wait a minute, you don't mean…?"

Harumi smiled at her girlfriend, giving her a small nod. Almost immediately, Carnelian turned to try to grab at Harumi to hold her back. Instead, Ren moved and put her arm up, looking at Carnelian's distraught face, then over towards Harumi's calm and eager determination.

"Harumi… the weapon that is inside of that crater contains him," Ren frowned, "Do you truly think that you are able to face him?"

"I'm not going to face him," Harumi informed Ren, "...I don't need to."

Ren blinked in confusion, unsure of what was going on. Forte and Mizuko looked just as clueless, the former nervously fingering her keytar while the other sparked on the spot. Olive, however, finished running a logic diagnostic, understanding what was going on.

"We support you, Harumi," Olive nodded, "I understand what your intention is here."

"We do?!" Carnelian shouted, trying to push past Ren. Ren held her back.

"Thank you, Olive," Harumi smiled, "I'm… I'm going to go do what I should have done a long, long time ago."

Carnelian still looked confused, unable to process what was going on. Harumi, however, turned and began to walk up the path that led down into the Golden Peaks. Ren lowered her arm as Carnelian stared in shock, only held back by the fact that if Olive thought it was okay for her to go, then they had to let her. Even then, they all looked on nervously as Harumi disappeared from their sight.

The moment that Harumi stepped onto the small path that led above the massive, boiling heat of the lava that lay far below her, Harumi saw it. Far below, lying within the lava itself yet unable to melt, was a weapon that glowed with light and darkness. A weapon that she'd formed herself when she fought her father's murderer. A weapon that now contained them, that served as their eternal prison, for both of them.

Harumi thrust her hands forward. With a struggling groan, Harumi formed her power around the weapon, forcing the lava back. The lava was too intense, too powerful and filled with light for anyone to get close to it. But her power could get through it. She focused, turning the weapon around in her power. She drew it up into the air, letting it hover there, suspended in front of her. A megaweapon, her power holding it. The very thing that Harumi had forever known would change everything the moment that she dared to ever touch it again.

Harumi dropped her power, grabbing hold of the weapon. All at once, the power inside of it blasted through her. A massive beam of light formed, one that burned brighter than the very peaks themselve, brighter than the lava, almost rivaling the sun. Harumi's arm burned as soon as she felt it, the sensation causing her to nearly drop it. She held on despite it. She could feel what was inside of it. The thing that she'd given up on that day.

Harumi gave a hard shout. All at once, the Golden Power sealed inside of the weapon fired up into her arm. Harumi's eyes widened as it did, causing her to feel as though every cell in her body had been completely and utterly electrified. The power burned through her arm, turning her robes from the deep black and green to a deep huge of gold. It burned her, hurt her, made her want to drop the weapon and never touch it again. Yet she knew the Golden Power would never hurt her. The power would never hurt the one that it belonged to.

With one final massive colorful light, a shockwave ripped through Ninjago and sent the girls outside almost onto their knees, Harumi was sent onto her back. Her body glowed a powerful, beautiful gold, the robes that her father had died in now back to the gold that they once were. The hole in the chest was more prominent than ever. Harumi, still clinging to the megaweapon, planted it into the small path and stood up. The power that filled her reminded her of that day.

Harumi opened her eyes and looked forward. She saw the darkness that swirled in front of her. The darkness that had taken her father from her, that had taken nearly everything from her. The one that was now pulsing with anger and hate, that was burning and ready to consume her and everything that she was. The one that opened with one word, a single syllable that was filled with raw emotion that Harumi herself felt.

"Why?" The Overlord growled.

Harumi took a deep breath. She stood up, staring down the massive form of darkness that swirled and pulsed in front of her. Slowly, Harumi held up the megaweapon. The last time the Overlord had seen this sight, it'd been Harumi driving the weapon deep into his skull.

"I do not understand," The Overlord continued, "You sealed me away. You took my existence and placed it in that weapon. For what reason have you decided to free me?"

Harumi took a deep breath, "Because… I get it now." The Overlord's pulsing mass stared at her as Harumi gave a tiny smile, "And I know what has to be done." The Overlord was silent.

From outside of the peaks, Carnelian continued to strain slightly against Ren, wanting to rush forward, to go and save her and try to pull her back from the brink of it all. The girls watched the massive flash of light, then the accompanying flash of darkness. Both of the strange lights died down, just in time for the girls to look out and see someone emerging from over the hill.

"Harumi?" Carnelian gasped, taking a step forward.

Harumi stepped down from the entrance to the Golden Peaks, brandishing the megaweapon in one hand and her golden robes across her body. She walked with a presence that almost made it seem that her feet weren't even truly touching the ground, as though her power kept her unable to stand still. The sheer light that she radiated was enough to almost blind them at first until they adjusted. Her hair had come undone and was blowing in some unseen breeze behind her.

"Your power… you reclaimed it?" Ren asked, "But, the Overlord…"

"The Overlord won't bother us again," Harumi shook her head, "I've made sure of it."

"But, Harumi, last time you used this…" Carnelian's eyes drifted to the hole inside of her ninja suit, still prominent even with the golden glow, "...Are you, okay?"

Harumi smiled, walking up to Carnelian. She reached out, and for a split second, Carnelian's body tensed as the sheer weight of Harumi's power washed over her. A moment after her breath picked up, Harumi's hand slid up and against Carnelian's cheek, holding it before she slowly gave a tiny chuckle.

"It's still me, girls," Harumi shook her head, "Trust me. I just took back what I shouldn't have given up in the first place."

"I am unable to determine any physical abnormalities," Olive spoke up, "Preliminary scans do suggest, however, that Harumi has indeed reclaimed her Golden Power."

"You don't need a scan to see that…" Forte gasped out, "But, what now?"

Harumi looked at her girls, then she turned and held her hand up. A massive disc of Rhotatae formed in her hand, one that pulsed and crackled with so much golden light that it appeared almost ready to break apart within her hands. When she released it, however, it flew out and struck the air itself, breaking apart and forming a massive disc in the air. The disc rotated so it was facing them, and in turn, a small swirl began to form in its center. Harumi looked down, then she raised up her dimensional watch, tapping a button on it and walking up to tap the watch to it. All at once, the portal turned a crackling blue.

"We are going to help my friends defeat the Twins," Harumi declared. The girls all stared at the portal in utter confusion.

"How… how did you do that?" Mizuko asked, "That's… like, that's amazing!"

"The portal technology developed by myself and Harumi relies upon the power of one related to the First Master, combined with an energy source to focus the hole required to puncture through the void in order to reach another energy signature that corresponds to a destination," Olive explained immediately, "Therefore, Harumi utilized her own power to act as the source, while using the device to input the coordinates for us to use to travel."

"I'm going to pretend like I understood that," Carnelian groaned, "But… what's going to be on the other side? I've never been to another world before."

"You'll just have to wait and find out," Harumi nodded, "When the others get here, follow me."

Harumi smiled at them, letting them all take in the sight of her. With her massive golden weapon in hand, Harumi took a few steps forward into the portal. Right now, more than ever, she truly knew what needed to be done.

The moment that Harumi felt the void embrace her, she could see it. She could see through the other side that the Universe Bounty had changed, and that their forces were backed up to the Corridor of Elders itself. She could see the Iron Demise picking them off, and the fear that everyone was feeling. She took a deep breath, and in turn she focused her power. As the trip came to its conclusion, she focused her resolve into three words:

"That is enough!"

Harumi held her hand forward. She could feel everything now. She could feel the very motion of the world around her, the way that everything, at all times, was in \ rotation. She could sense that the source of her power, Rhotatae itself, was around her. She could reach out to every single source she could feel and form every single disc that she could ever hope to need.

The light of Lloyd's world emerged around her. In turn, Harumi took a deep breath. She could feel the powerful discs she'd formed without thinking from the air itself. The ones that didn't belong to this world formed in front of her as a massive sea of red she faced down.

She could feel every single disc as it struck the Vermillion, tearing through their ranks. Without even thinking, she could pull her hand up and make them reform, firing them again, and again. She could sense everything. The power that flowed through her wasn't one that was just her own. The world around her, this world, was connected to it. As different as it was, it was the same. And in that way, she caused Vermillion to fall by the score.

Harumi turned her head. She watched as her friends emerged from the portal. She smiled, seeing each of them land. Each of her girls, her team. A moment later, even Andrus himself with Tye and Millie on his hip leapt out. Harumi thrust her hand out, causing the portal to break apart and instead form discs around her as she hovered in the air. She hadn't even noticed she was floating, a fact she just now began to recall she could.

Harumi looked back. She saw the strange serpentine-like Bounty behind her. The armies lined up around the Corridor, the Stone Army at its entrance and the Elemental Army around them. She saw Monty and Ronin perched with their rifles ready, and the downed form of Mage and Firstbourne deep into Vermillion lines. And most importantly, she saw the Iron Demise above her. She looked like a tiny golden spek compared to the canvas of desecration that the Iron Demise stood for. Harumi took a deep breath, then thrust her weapon up.

"In the name of the Ultimate Rhotatae Master," Harumi shouted, "I, Harumi Garmadon, have come to save my friends!"

At first, there was no response. Acronix looked down across the battlefield, starring most prominently at Harumi with shock and disbelief in his eyes. Krux, still nestled inside of the machine's cockpit, did the same. The two of them looked at her with confusion and hatred at the same time, emotions Harumi could sense even from the massive distance between them.

"What… what sort of trickery is this?" Krux growled out, "Brother…"

"I hear you…" Acronix snarled back, "It matters not. Destroy her!"

Harumi's eyes flashed. With a blast of light, Harumi shot forward through the air. The Vermillion catapults shot out towards her, firing cocoons right at her. Harumi gave a massive slash of her megaweapon, and in turn a massive row of discs shot through the air and destroyed each and every single one. Before they could fire again, Harumi turned and flung her arm out, forming another wave instantly that turned and shattered apart hundreds of the catapults all at once.

Once again, Harumi spun her arm around. More discs that she'd summoned in the air all turned and fired down at the hordes, blasting them apart all at once. The defenders, trapped in the Corridor as they were, watched in awe as Harumi swung her arm around, causing entire swatches of them to shatter apart.

Harumi turned her attention to the fighters in the air. Harumi placed the megaweapon on her back, instead putting her hands together and focusing. As the swarm of fighters that blotted out the skies turned to attack her, Harumi focused. In front of her, a disc began to form. It grew bigger, bigger, and bigger even still, until it was nearly the size of the new Bounty itself. Just as they tried to open fire on her, Harumi released it, causing it to flash forward through the aircraft and shattering apart hundreds in a single blow. For the first time since the battle began, the allied armies could see the skies clearly.

Harumi drew her megaweapon close, holding it down towards the ground. Rhotatae discs began to form within the lines of Vermillion warriors. The gaps of their armor, their hands, their helmets and even their own feet, all suddenly were filled with discs. Nearly half the army began glowing a powerful gold. Harumi held her hand up, then thrust it down. The discs shot straight down into the ground, shattering apart the Vermillion alongside them. When they struck the ground, they shattered, causing it to violently rumble and shake. Those Vermillion that attempted to reform were met with the sensation of the earth ripping apart, her power to raise mountains being used to raze their numbers.

Harumi shot through the air, holding her weapon out and flying across it as though it hardly even touched her. Her body spun as she did, causing her vision of the world to blur. In turn, she painted rows and rows of discs with beams of gold that shot out and carved up their vehicles and machines of war.

Finally, Harumi brought her hands together. The shape she had drawn by flying through their ranks suddenly became one massive disc, nearly a hundred feet in diameter. With one more massive thrust, Harumi caused it to fire up from the ground, arcing it straight towards the Iron Demise. The impact shattered the disc, and the Iron Demise rumbled where it stood.

The woman turned her sights towards her allies. With a blast of light, Harumi landed hard in front of the Corridor of Elders. Around her, the Vermillion hissed out in fear and rapidly began to flee, only to be cut down by the discs that melted their armor upon contact. As the scores of snakes began to slither away, the Stone Army roared out and began to chase after them, flooding around Harumi. They parted ways like a stone in a stream around her, allowing Harumi to turn around and instead face the one that commanded them.

The moment that Over laid eyes on Harumi, his breath caught in his throat. Looking at her brought a tightness to his chest, a fear to his gut that was too palpable for him to ignore. He felt the very darkness in his essence screaming out at him as he looked upon the woman that was now in front of him.

"Over," Harumi spoke.

Over froze. Suddenly, every moment that the two had spent hostile to each other was brought to him. As he watched her, with the power of all four Golden Weapons in one hand and his counterpart in her other, the terror was primal. He felt his limbs locking up as his body seemed to move into fight or flight itself. He tried to respond to her, but his mouth felt as though it was now wired shut.

"Harumi," Over whispered.

Harumi and Over starred each other down. Over trembled for a few more moments, trying to figure out what she wanted. Harumi took several more steps towards him, and in turn Over's wings spread from his body instinctively. Despite his attempts to remain still, Over found himself slowly raising his staff up against his body in a protective stance. As the glow of her power enveloped her body's details, Over readied himself for her to finally do what she'd wanted to do since the moment she met him.

Harumi held the megaweapon up towards him. Over's fear caused him to ignore it for several seconds. When he finally looked down, he could see that she was offering it to him.

"...What?" Over whispered, "You're… giving this to me? This is your will?"

"Take it," Harumi smiled, "It's what you need to stand by my side."

Over's tension melted away, replaced by confusion. However, he slowly planted his own staff into the ground and stepped forward. Slowly, he reached out and put his hand on the megaweapon. For a moment, he found its power burning his hand, forcing himself to hold onto it. The power of the one who opposed their creator was enough to withstand it.

"Are you sure about this?" Over held the megaweapon up, "This is a power that you cannot take back."

"Then make sure you use it well," Harumi nodded, "Are you ready?"

Over felt his lips slowly curling up into a grin. Over reached up and brought the megaweapon over his hand, blasting it with pure, concentrated power. The weapon began to crackle and shudder, just as it began to turn liquid. The moment that it did, the crackling power of gold began to leak from it.

Lloyd was forced to cover his eyes as a blinding blast of light from underneath the Serpentus Bounty formed. The golden light began to infuse alongside a deep, powerful purple, the two mingling and spreading throughout each other in a simple liquid-like dance. As the lights faded, two figures rose up into the air, and Lloyd's eyes widened as he looked right at them.

Harumi held Over's hand tightly as the two hovered together. Harumi's golden robes had replaced their deep green trim with a beautiful, glowing indigo that spread throughout them in the small ribbons and laces. Over's battle armor had gained a powerful, glowing sheen. Said armor, had transformed. A beautiful breastplate of gold now adorned his chest. His arms and legs had beautiful gold plates on them. On his hip, a pure golden holster had with it a blade that Over drew in his other hand. The broadsword that he held was an infusion of deep gold and black. Around Over's legs, a beautiful set of robes flared out. Knight and Master hovered together, their colors infused between each other. Even now in the air, their power caused them to rotate around each other, connected only by their hands.

"I feel it, Harumi…" Over whispered as the world blurred for him, "The power of the Ultimate Rhotatae Master… no. The power of the First Master."

"And I feel it with you," Harumi took a breath of the wind as the light of the sun glowed around them, "The power of the Overlord. The two of us are opposites, Over."

"Yet I feel at peace like this," Over held her hand tighter, "I feel nothing but calm."

"Because unlike our ancestors… we can use this power together," Harumi smiled.

Around the two, Rhotatae discs flared to life, swirling around with them. The sight spread out further and further into the air, until the two were in the midst of a massive storm of light and shadow. The discs mingled between golden and purple, black and yellow, merging together with one another. As Over felt their power combine, he forced the two to stop in the air and finally face the Iron Demise.

"Ultimate Master and Golden Master now stand united!" Over declared.

"Creation and destruction," Harumi nodded, "One cannot exist without the other."

"And together," The two pointed their linked hands forward, "It will defeat time itself!"

Over and Harumi smiled. Over brandished his sword while Harumi formed a disc. The two shot forward through the air, skating through it as though it was nothing at all. As Over extended his wings, they were now framed by a beautiful trim of golden plates around the edges and wingtips. The two shot forward towards the Iron Demise, their forms an almost ethereal sight that those around could not dare to remove their eyes from.

As the two moved through the air, the world around them seemed to part for them. From their grip, light and darkness, shadow and luminescence, poured forward. Wherever they walked, Rhotatae discs formed in the air and well towards the ground, as though snow loosed from a ledge. They moved faster and faster with every moment, flying across the battlefield with none that could stop them.

Vermillion fighters, still filling the air, turned to attack them. Over held his sword in front of him and shouted as he slashed down. A massive band of darkness flew forward, destroying them before they could touch the two. Harumi yanked him into the air, causing them to arc up into the sky. They spun as they did, a wall of Rhotatae pouring forward and crashing into the others in front of them. When they came back down, they flew forward without anyone to stop them.

Acronix, seeing them flying right at him, shouted and quickly thrust one hand forward. The Iron Demise raised two of its arms, bringing them down towards the two. The sound of the arm moving through the air created a powerful crack of wind that seemed to burn away the clouds themselves. The two beautifully curved over the first attack, skimming the top of the limbs. Acronix, terrified, swung his other hand, sending the other two arms at them. Just before it struck them, a barrier of purple formed around them and caused the massive weapons the behemoth held to instead be thrust away from them.

The two flew forward, their feet touching the Iron Demise. Harumi thrust her arm out, forming more Rhotatae around them that shot out and blasted over the surface in front of them. The two leapt up and off its chest, soaring back up into the sky. Acronix scrambled backwards just as the two flew over the Demise, close enough for him to see their faces.

The two flew up and above the Iron Demise. Over flared his wings out, causing them to stop in the air. The two held onto each other tightly as they turned and shot straight down, right towards the Demise. Over thrust his sword forward and at its tip Harumi formed a sparking, glowing disc of gold around it. The weapon struck the head of the Demise, causing a shockwave of power to flare out across the skies as the armor of the head cracked.

The Iron Demise roared. Over and Harumi took off running across the Demise's head, dragging the sword along with them to further the gash. Acronix looked up and slashed one of the arms up at the two, trying desperately to knock them off. The mechanical whirling as the stories-long arm crashed at them was only met by the blast of power that caused the two to leap from the Demise and over the arm, spinning in the air above the Demise.

"Over!" Harumi shouted. Over, seeing her expression, turned to follow it to his sword. The two could feel each other in those moments. Their thoughts, minds, and souls. Harumi knew what he could do. And in turn, Over knew as well.

"Sun…" Over brought his sword up in front of his face, charging it with his might, "Lend me your ability once again."

Harumi, feeling his intent the moment he spoke up, smiled at him, "Lend us your ability." Over turned to face her, smiling warmly at her.

Acronix, shouting in rage, held all four arms of the Demise up, blasting their full power in the air at them. Just before it could hit them, the two shot through the air, gliding across the very winds themselves and causing the attack to arc wildly into the air. The two flew straight down towards the Demise, and just as they reached it, Over's sword flashed.

Just as the two reached the Demise's shoulder, Over's sword began to paint a beautiful, glistening ribbon of purple and gold within the air itself. Harumi focused her power and caused an array of discs to form around them as a shield, flying in front of and guiding the two of them. The two leapt from the Demise's shoulder and flew around it in flawless, beautiful arcs, painting the ribbon that Over held onto further around the Demise's body.

"What are you doing?!" Acronix shouted, "Stop this! We are the Hands of Time! STOP THIS!"

Vermillion fighters turned, flying from the battle to instead turn towards them. Nothing, however, could stop the two. Harumi's discs shot out and struck down any that attempted to strike them down. Over continued to weave his ribbon through the air, the light growing brighter and brighter as the two continued to fly together.

"Vermillion! Stop them! I said stop them!" Acronix shouted, "NOW! DO IT NOW!"

Over landed on the Demise's wrist, holding his sword down and slashing up its armor, painting the beautiful lines across its body. Harumi followed suit, the two still running together. They leapt forward from its arm and up across its chest, flying about it and spinning beautiful ribbons round its body. They went from its torso and tail. No matter what happened, nothing could stop the fluid motions the two produced.

Finally, the two turned and shot straight for the center of the Demise's mass. Acronix held all four arms of the machine forward, his eyes widened in fear and terror as he did. They sent one final, desperate strike at them, praying that the two could be stopped. Over instead pointed his sword forward as Harumi thrust his hand across them, forming a Rhotatae disc around their feet. The two began to rapidly spin with it, whirling to a glistening blur. Acronix shouted in all his effort he could muster, blasting at the two with all that the Iron Demise could give.

For a few seconds in the air, Harumi and Over were slowed as the beam of power that the four arms gave them struggled against their own. The two shut their eyes. Over's eyes burned a furious indigo, and Harumi's a glistening gold. Over drew his blade backwards as the disc they stood on continued to spin in the air, slicing through the Iron Demise with a focused, powerful flight.

With a massive explosion, the four hands of the Iron Demise shattered, their metal chunks raining down across the ground in slow motion. The machine roared out in agony as its hands were destroyed, and Acronix slammed his hands over his head to avoid the sound of the Hive Mind screaming in pain. When he opened his eyes, Over and Harumi shot through the shattered limbs.

The two continue to swirl about atop their disc, carrying them all the way into the Demise's core. Acronix's eyes widened as he stumbled backwards. Over drove his blade down into the body of the machine, plunging it to the hilt and finally stopping his momentum. The ribbon of light and darkness flared out behind them in a flickering ripple. Their eyes glowed as they placed all their hands on the hilt of the sword.

"ULTIMATE CONTROL!" Harumi and Over shouted as one, "KINETIC OVERLOAD!"

The Iron Demise, from shoulder, torso, head and arms, was completely wrapped up within the ribbon, stretching for miles in its embrace. All at once, the ribbon of light that they had so intricately and purposefully painted around the mech ignited. It began at the shoulder, a rippling series of explosions that shot across the Demise's entire body. Acronix shouted as he was thrown forward and down onto his platform, the explosions rippling across the entire machine. Each one propelled the next faster and faster, causing the Demise to become consumed with them, all the way until the explosions finally struck the hilt of the sword the two powerful beings held onto.

With one last crackle of power, the force of the explosions sent their sword plunging straight through the Demise itself. The machine let out one last, gutheral and primal mechanical roar as the two were sent hurtling straight through its body. Metal, snakes, machines, supports, all were torn through as their sword was propelled through it. When they stopped, they blasted out the other side in a funnel of power, their sword speared around the massive crystal that served as the core and power supply of the Iron Demise. A massive blast of light emanated straight from the chest of the Iron Demise. The machine-creature hybrid screamed out as its heart was taken from it. With a last flick of Over's sword, the crystal shattered.

The Iron Demise gave a small, whimpering sputter, then slumped forward. The machine's body seemed to darken, its armor slumping off its arms as it ground to a halt. Harumi and Over landed on the ground, the shattered remains of the core around them. The Iron Demise's lights faded as it slumped forward, its life and energy fading from it. The two beings clasped their hands together once more, turning to look at the machine as the symbol of the Twins' power and terror was finally brought to its end.