Hey guys! PLEASE leave comments or questions after each chapter! ALSO, READ "A Knights Journey," which is a pair-up with this story.
I OWN NOTHING.
Processing what had just happened wasn't easy. Zane stood there, in front of everyone in a new Titanium body, smiling as if nothing had happened; as if he hadn't died in front of Kai.
Needless to say, it was overwhelming to everyone as there were mixed yells of celebration, questions, and overzealous energy. The students were jumping up and down, Mystake, Clutch, and Misako smiled in a relaxed relief, the Elemental Master's cheered, and the Ninja embraced Zane in his new form. "ZANE! How are you back? How did you pull this off?"
Zane stepped back to hold Pixal's hand before facing his friends. "Well, Cole, when we manually went within the Digital Overlord's world all that time ago, I had left an imprint of myself within these systems. An imprint I was entirely unaware of, until it awoke when my body's life source went offline. It took me several hours to fully understand what had happened..."
He walked forward towards the computer screen and brought the images of his blueprints back on-screen. "Cryptor had stabbed me through the back, then everything went black. I re-awoke in utter darkness, which soon took form as the Digital Ninjago world. Logic dictated what had happened. Going through old files in my backup memory, I discovered my Father's designs for me, of which there were oddly two versions, and made my own advancements on them to create Zane: The Titanium Ninja."
Lloyd chuckled as he looked at Zane's full form once more. "Well, might I say you look amazing!" Opening his arms, he walked forward and hugged Zane. Under his breath, in a voice so low only Zane could hear him, he whispered "I don't know what I would have done if I lost another brother."
The collective team of mentors, students, Elemental Masters, and ninja had felt whole again, and they were ready to face their next challenge. Each of them was ecstatic to have Zane back, knowing they were strong together.
Except for two.
The Dark Lord meditated in the isolated darkness within his temple, reflecting on recent developments. Chen's faction becoming the New Anacondrai has secured their loyalty. The Pyro Vipers added more muscle to the Dark Army without the need for food or rest. To Garmadon, this was a pure victory, along with the demise of one more Ninja.
Speaking of which... "Spy. I call to you."
"Yes, my lord?" The spies voice could only be heard in his head, but it felt as if it surrounded him throughout the temple. Garmadon had used Dark Magic to communicate with his agent in Borg Tower, because he hadn't yet met Chen's spy, so he didn't fully trust her. "How is Skylor upholding her job with the Elemental Masters?"
"The Master of Amber has secured their loyalty, and as I am sure Chen would tell you, she has effectively managed to copy all of their powers and place them within the staff of Power, including your son when he was at the Cloud Kingdom."
"Yes. With the exception of Fire and Ice, we have every element copied now, which is more than enough for our plan to continue when the time comes."
"But what about the element of Lightning? With the death of Jay Walker..."
"Don't you worry, I have already obtained a substitute. Soon all will be ready."
A few moments of silenced lapsed as the spy came to a conclusion. "The portal. Of course! You're doing, I assume?"
Even though the spy couldn't see him, Garmadon snarled under his breath at the comment. "That is hardly your concern! I have reached out to you for a report on the Ninja. How broken up are they over the death of Zane Julien?"
"...Erm, about that, My Lord..."
The New Temple doors burst open as an enraged Garmadon walked out, all four fists glowing orange as if to visually represent his anger. "CRYPTOR!" Nindroids all turned towards the Dark Lord. Serpentine, Bikers, and Skulkin all moved out of Garmadon's line of sight so that he was staring directly at General Cryptor.
From the side, Mr. E approached The Quiet One at Garmadon's side, curious to see what had sparked such anger. Now standing only 20 feet from The Dark Lord, Cryptor stepped forward nervously. "Y-yes, my Lord?"
Calling upon his Oni abilities, Garmadon raised his upper right hand, forcing Cryptor off the ground to float in midair. "I have just received intelligence from my spy. The Ninja of Ice is NOT DEAD! How could you not have planned for a contingency?!" Mr. E looked to The Quiet One in surprise, who nodded with a smirk. "I told you, it's your kill to have."
Cryptor's eyes widened in fear. "My Lord... he is an outdated relic... this is unprecedented! It is imposs-"
"RRRRAAA!" Cryptor's body flew straight down, crashing into the stone of the mountain. "Do not speak to me of the impossible! I AM the impossible! WE are the impossible!" He turned around, walking back up towards the temple as the Dark Army forces watched Cryptor picked himself up.
"Zane lives! The seed of Ninja's perseverance lives. And as long as it does, hope lives in Ninjago." His glowing eyes darted back at Cryptor. "I had hoped you would be the one to snuff it out. But you are nothing but a cheap copy in a mask."
Mr. E felt a bit of a sting to that last part. He stared down at his hands, making a rapid motion back and forth to test his speed. Unlike me, I'm anything but cheap.
By nightfall, the city seemed as if it was back to normal. From the top of Borg Tower, Lloyd sat on the ledge overlooking the city lights, reflecting on recent developments. All of the people looked like ants from such a height.
The Commissioner called off the emergency state in the City, due to Cyrus coming to the conclusion that another portal appearing was highly unlikely.
Mystake had made the suggestion taking the remains of his grandfather to rest with Wu at the foot of the Monastery's entrance tomorrow.
As expected, Clutch Power's eye is beyond healing, and he refused any magical help from Mystake, coming to the inevitable decision to wear an eye patch. Furthermore, he agreed to stay on with the Ninja in their fight against the Dark Army.
Zane's short death sparked severe dismay, but his rebirth seems to have reverted all negative thoughts, while at the same time sparking a new one for Lloyd.
"Trouble sleeping?" He turned top see his mother approaching him from the stairwell. Clearly, she was concerned. "You took quite the beatings from Aspheera today. I thought you'd be resting."
Lloyd sighed and smiled as she sat down next to him. "Heh, no. WAY too much to process from the last couple of days."
Misako put her hand on her sons shoulder. "Well, I am your mother. Tell me."
He continued to stare down at the city streets, then turned his head in the direction of the empty Palace currently in reconstruction. "...Well, for starters, my grandfather's resting place was desecrated. The Realm Crystal and Scrolls of Forbidden Spinjitzu are in the hands of the Dark Army. Kai was attacked by the Bikers, as if they were tracking him. And now the ENTIRE serpentine culture has joined forces against us! But then..."
"What is it Lloyd?"
"Something one of them said when I was in the Cloud Kingdom. They told me that "Garmadon wanted me alive," as if he was very specific about it. But I saw his eyes that day Jay died; that creature is not my father, not anymore."
"Perhaps a piece of him persists. We can't be sure."
"But that's just it, Mom. Princess Harumi used the Oni Masks to bring back only his dark half. So what does it all mean?" Tears started to form in his eyes, and he embraced her in a hug.
Misako hugged him back, doing her best to put him at ease. "I don't know Lloyd, but I know this: we must appreciate even the smallest of victories. We may have the Crystal or Forbidden scrolls, but we have the Scroll of Airjitzu, which we can put to use immediately. Clutch may have lost an eye, but it could have been much worse. Furthermore, Zane didn't die!"
Lloyd let go of her so that he could see her face. "I know, but... I feel so selfish, and I know I shouldn't. My uncle is dead. My father has been irreversibly transformed back into a monster of Darkness. Ed and Edna were murdered. Jay gave his life to defeat the Overlord. None of them are coming back, so why does Zane?"
"Fate works mysteriously, Lloyd. Perhaps we may never get a definite answer. But I believe that he, like the rest of us, has unfinished business he must settle before he can move on to the Departed Realm."
Across Ninjago, Garmadon overlooked his forces. "Everyone." The soldiers and their leaders turned towards him at the Temple's footsteps. "I thank you for your patience. We have survived here this long strictly due to the fact that the only beings who knew of this location were my father, my brother, and myself. We have taken little action over the last six months. But now..."
He extended his arms and opened his fists, lighting every torch with a purple fire. "NOW, we get to work!" Swords, knives, and an additional assortment of weapons were raised high in the air, accompanied by a cheer.
"Ronin, if you please." The mercenary walked forward, with a small box in his hands. The Mechanic watched him step-by-step, sweating from nervousness. Once Ronin was in front of him, he extended his arms to offer Garmadon the box.
The Dark Lord was not impressed. "General Kozu, please teach our friend some manners."
As if out of nowhere, the Stone Army General walked up from behind and kicked Ronin in his left leg, casing him to fall into a kneeling position. "Much better. Thank you, General. Now then…" He picked up the Crystal and waved Ronin off dismissively, who limped into the crowd. Once he was out of sight, Garmadon opened the box and raised it's contents in the air, causing Clancee to gasp with joy.
"The Teapot of Tyrahn! The personal prison to the Great Djinn Nadakhan, Prince of Djinjago, Captain to the Pirate Raiders of Misfortune's Keep. Now, the ship has long since sunk in the caves it was kept in, but thanks to our mercenary and Mechanic, we have salvaged its parts and reclaimed the Teapot from a trade ship. Clancee, would you do the honors?"
The green warrior walked forward with glee. "It would be my honor, my Lord." Garmadon handed him the Teapot, which he insistently rubbed. To Ronin and the Mechanic's surprise, it was true: an orange smoke emerged, taking the shape of an orange four-armed Djinn.
"Aaaahhh. Finally, fresh air. Ah, Clancee!" The Djinn floated forward, inspecting his crew member's new form. "Well done, my friend. You look good." The Seepentine grinned and nodded before speaking.
"Captain Nadakhan, I wish for you to be free from your ties to this Teapot." A few yellow sparkes surrounded them both, before the trail of smoke that connected him to the Teapot dissipated. "HA! Thank you, Clancee! Thank you!"
"Nadakhan." The Djinn turned towards the deep voice that spoke his name. "Garmadon."
"You understand our situation?"
"Most certainly. The Dark Army wishes an alliance of forces to create a lasting order. As a pirate, I should protest." He turned back to Clancee, then to the other Serpentine behind him. "But as a Djinn and a Captain, I understand the necessity of standing by one's people. My forces will join you. But I need my crew and help to rebuild my ship."
Garmadon grinned. "That shouldn't be an issue, Captain. We have quite the skilled Mechanic, whose skillset is only rivaled by that of Monkey Wrench, not to mention a number of Skulkin and Sons of Garmadon engineers who would be more then happy to add modifications. As for your crew..."
He reached behind his back and took out the Realm Crystal, and spoke with a louder volume so that everyone would hear him.
"My father's Realm Crystal. Capable of taking us across the realms. This, my friends, is our next step forward. We will move camp to the Underworld, where will have the time and space to continue preparations."
One biker stepped forward. "What of the Temple, my Lord?"
"Like I said, no one knows of this location but myself. We will leave it here until our Final phase comes into effect. But that won't be for some time. We will operate from the Underworld. Our forces will build up further! First, we will find and collect Nadakhan's crew and Modernize Misfortune's Keep. We will free our allies in the Cursed Realm. Aspheera and Chen will travel to the Never-Realm and enlist the aid of a new player of the Great Game. Once we are ready, we will return to engage in the Final phase."
The soldiers of separate factions nodded, pleased with the plan.
"This will take time. Years, in fact, which is why I have already sent several Skulkin ahead to set up camp. Prepare yourselves." He raised the crystal in the air once more, this time summoning a portal overhead. The small circle rapidly grew to the entire circumference of the encampment, until it began to vacuum them up. Vehicles were sucked up first, followed by the Fire Fangs and the Anacondrai Serpent. Then, Dark Army forces starting jumping up into the portal.
"Wahoo!"
"Next stop: The Underworld!"
"Skulkin central!"
Ronin looked to the Mechanic in fear. This was not a part of their contract. "Hey, wait-" It was too late, the portal sucked them both up too, until Garmadon was left standing with alone Mr. E.
"Don't you worry, we will be back. And you will have your vengeance." The Nindroid nodded, and they were both sucked in, blinking out of Ninjago, leaving an empty Temple at the top of the Golden Peaks.
END OF PART ONE
WHEW! This is the halfway point, at least story-wise. We are roughly at the halfway point chapter-wise. MAJOR time skip coming up.
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