HERE IT IS! THREE CHAPTERS IN A WEEK. Feels good! Please be sure to leave a review.
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Chapter 15: Restless
*Over Five Years Later*
Ninjago had experienced an unbridled peace for more than five years now. Under the guidance and leadership of the Ninja, the reconstruction of the city was completed ahead of schedule. Opportunity, trade, and the economy boosted throughout the land. Properly fusing the approaches of Borg technology with more ancient approaches to everyday services, Zane saw that Ninjago was safer than ever. Now, the greatest dangers anyone faced was traffic.
With the Commissioner's forces given full police power, the worst of Ninjago's criminals that were not aligned with the Dark Army were quickly locked up in Kryptarium. Rogue thugs, muggers, tax-evaders took up almost the entire prison population. The only exception was the Pirate Captain Soto and his crew.
The First Spinjitzu Master's remains were buried under the tree where Wu was cremated. In hopes of preservation, Lloyd charged Pixal and Nya with keeping tabs on the Monastary whenever possible. Furthermore, when the dust settled after the Battle of the Pyramid, the Ninja erected three connected statues of Jay, Ed, and Edna made from the very Metals of their Junkyard and placed them within their home's center. Now, the Walker Junkyard has been labeled as sacred ground, not to be desecrated by anyone.
As they promised, Clutch and the Elemental Master's stayed with the Ninja, both as students to learn and mentors to teach the younger students their own fighting techniques. With the Scroll of Airjitzu, Lloyd had effectively trained the entire population of Borg Tower the arts of both Spinjitzu and Airjitzu. Furthermore, with the guidance of LLoyd, Mystake, and Misako, Nya mastered the Element of Water.
The students that began their training as children were now teenagers, and the Ninja who began their own journey under Wu over eight years ago were now full-fledged adults, leading not only a mini-army of Masters of Spinjitzu, Airjitzu, and Elements, but also the entire realm of Ninjago through its unprecedented era of peace. Everything was right with the world.
And that's why they knew it was wrong.
Tactically, the Dark Army's move made no sense. After what could be considered a MAJOR victory on their part at the Battle of the Pyramid, they disappear completely. Several theories were in rotation as to why they hadn't returned:
- One, that Aspheera attempted a coup against Garmadon and upon failing, caused the complete breakdown of the Dark Army, forcing them into hiding without their unified might.
- Two, that the sheer number of mouths to feed lead to infighting amongst their forces, leading to the same result of breaking ties.
- Three, that one faction stole the Realm Crystal and fled, leading Garmadon and the rest of his forces to use some sort of dark magic to chase them, and they won't return until they are back at full strength.
But Mystake had helped Lloyd realize the almost definite truth: That they are using the Realm Crystal to hide from them. But why? Why wait all this time...
"Sensei Lloyd?" Looking up from his meditation, Lloyd turned his head towards Gene. The green Ninja, now dressed in Sensei garb reminiscent of Wu's but with a green outline, motioned for his friend to come in. "What is it Gene?"
"Well... they've been calling again."
Lloyd sighed. On top of everything else to be stressed about, the parents of the former Darkeley's students have been hounding the Ninja to return their children. At first it started as a minor nuisance, but after a couple of years, they banded together to form a minor political movement to "free their children." It's been making him restless.
Fortunately, the Court recognized the student's decision to stay with the Ninja, but Gene's parents were persistent. He, on the other hand, was doing everything in his power to ignore them.
"Did you at least answer the phone and talk to them directly?"
"I've tried that. They seem to be convinced there is a Master of Hypnosis making me say these things." Gene clearly was not thrilled his parents did not trust him, and was even less thrilled at the prospect of being taken away from the Tower. "I can't leave Sensei. I can't."
"Don't you worry, Gene, I won't let them take you. Now, go join the other students for you afternoon training with Karloff and Ash. I believe they intend to help you learn to fight what you cannot see." The ginger-haired boy nodded with a bow, running down to the Tower's training room.
Having lost his earlier train of thought, Lloyd pressed on his communication watch. "This is Lloyd. Is the Land Bounty ready, Pixal?" Both Nya and Pixal, with Borg's designs, managed to finally rebuild the Destiny's Bounty, but this time as an on-road vehicle with a secondary jet attached.
The android's calm voice took a moment before responding. "Affirmative, Lloyd. Who will be joining us?"
"Besides you and me, it will be my mom, Mystake, Dareth, Kai, and Zane. Borg and the Elemental Master's will hold the fort here."
"What about Nya and Cole?"
"They already left. We'll meet them there."
"Copy." She switched off to make the final preparations for the trip. After all, it was a big day.
It was exactly six years ago that Jay and Wu died.
"Well, here we are." Cole and Nya took their personal motorcycles into the Sea of Sand. Well kept, the junkyard was renamed the "Walker Yard," in honor of the family that had resided there since its original establishment by Ed and Edna.
Nya never managed to shake the regret she felt when she thought of how she had gone behind Jay's back, resulting in his parents deaths. It was impossible to ignore every time she came here to pay her respects. "Alright, Cole. I need a few moments alone."
Her boyfriend nodded, completely understandingly. "Of course. I'll wait for the others out here." Cole was once Jay's best friend, but since he and Nya were discovered on that fateful day, he never felt more out of place in the Walker Yard. That didn't help Nya with her own guilt; in fact, it made her restless. But she was still glad to be with him. They have been going strong for six years now.
"Thanks, Cole." Walking though the entrance, it was immediate to the water Ninja that some sand-rats have been rummaging through the piles of junk. Although Jay was recognized as one of Ninjago's greatest saviors, few every took the time to travel all the way out here to pay their respects.
Besides the few pieces of discarded junk that lay between the mountains, everything else was the exact same: the junkpiles had kept their shape, Ed and Edna's trailer maintained its own version of cleanliness thanks to the new groundskeeper, a house-cleaning droid Nya built by Jay's designs simply called "H-7," and in the center of the yard, in front of the largest mountain where the Walker's ashes were scattered, three extremely large statues stood in place.
The massive Walker statues were built to overlook the Walker Yard. Only slightly taller than the tallest junk mountain, and reminiscent of the giant robot the Fangpyre corrupted to attack the Ninja all those years ago, these statues were significantly larger and given much more detail. Even after the waning years of hear, anyone could tell who was who: Ed and Edna were on each side, smiling while looking up, while Jay's statue stood in the center between them wearing his civilian clothes and a laugh on his face.
Nya hiked up the mountain, thinking about everything that's changed since Jay's sacrifice: the recruitment of students and Elemental Master's alike, the Dark Army's disappearance, Zane's rebirth, and the years of peace that followed. All because Jay was brave enough to give his life to save them.
Arriving at the top of the mountain, Nya could see how the clear blue sky directly contrasted, yet complimented, the plain yellow desert. The serenity of bleakness was beautiful in its own way. OK, Nya, you're strong... You can do this...
Taking out a letter from her pocket, the Master of Water breathed heavily before speaking to the ghosts of her past. "Hi, Jay. Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Walker."
The blank silence that followed was deafening to Nya as she unfolded the letter. "I know I haven't been here in a while... I'm sorry. But we have been keeping our promise to you; Ninjago has retained its peace. Even petty crime is at an all-time low, heh heh..."
She did her best not to muffle her words. "I... I don't know if you can hear me from the Departed Realm... I don't know if you ever have. But I enjoy these talks, because they give me the closure I was to scared to get in life. I thought that everything was behind us; that we were ready for a new chapter where your burden could finally be lufted from your shoulders, even in death, but now..."
Gulping heavily, she stared down at the paper. "I have one more thing I wanted to share with you, even if you already know it. I know Jay is adopted. His father was Cliff Gordon, the movie actor for Fritz Donnegan. His mother was the previous Master of Lightning, a woman by the name of Libby. She died in childbirth, and cliff felt he wasn't fit enough to be the loving father Jay needed."
Tears began to form. "He had somehow learned about your desire to adopt a child, Mr. and Mrs. Walker, but you couldn't afford it. So after doing some background research, he knew that you would be fit to raise him. This letter that I'm holding was sent to us only last week, after his death. It told us all this, and that he was too afraid to meet us in person in life. But he wrote that he has visited here before, so perhaps you all already knew."
Breathe, Nya. You can do this... "Jay... I have caused you so much pain. Everything I have done since that day here, in the junk yard, I have done to right the wrongs I committed. But... I still love Cole. He still means so much to me, and I know he feels the pain that I do when he thinks of what we did. I hope you can forgive him, even in death."
Even though she received no answer, the burden of the guilt she had felt lighter after confessing. She turned at the distant sound of an engine, seeing the Land Bounty make its way towards them. Redirecting her attention to the view of the statues, she smiled through tears. "Thank you, Jay."
The Underworld was vibrant. Since the Dark Army made it their base of operations, it's population had grown beyond precedence. The Skulkin, who were the most familiar with the landscape, created the necessary space for the realm's growing list of new occupants.
Lord Garmadon re-established the Dark Fortress as his personal palace. The prisoners were kept within the fortress prison, out of contact from anyone except their feeders. The throne room held the necessary place for the Golden Armor, Realm Crystal, and Sensei Yang's portrait. Everything else collected from Ronin and the Mechanic remained locked within the New Temple.
The Dark Lord spent the majority of the past five years operating straight from the Throne Room, using his Generals and faction leaders as proxies to relay his orders. With the aid of Sensei Yang, who he eventually managed to free from the Portrait thanks to the Quiet One, Clouse, and Aspheera, Lord Garmadon breached the barrier between their realm and the Departed realm, albeit for only a few moments.
More than enough time for him to retrieve the one General he was still missing: Samukai.
The return of the original Skulkin leader helped ease the tensions created when the Dark Army made the Underworld their new base of operations. after being resurrected, the four-armed Skulkin swore his complete allegiance to Garmadon.
And that was only the first of many additions to the Dark Army during their time in the Underworld. Using the Realm Crystal, Garmadon ordered the Cursed Realm to be opened. It wasn't easy at first, but they managed to establish a permanent doorway between the Underworld and Cursed Realm, giving the leader of the ghost army, Morro, easy access from the Preeminent into the Underworld. He was already caught up with the plan, as were the rest of the cursed souls. Soul-archer even agreed that Ronin's debt was settled.
With the Realm Crystal no longer needed for the ghosts, Garmadon had it passed to Nadakhan. After about a years work, the Djinn and Clancee located and retrieved every crewmember of the Misfortune's Keep. Some, such as Flintlocke, were less than happy to be a part of an actual army. But their captain managed to help them see the bigger picture.
With the combined brains of the Skulkin, the Mechanic, and Monkey Wrench, the Misfortune's Keep was rebuilt as a sky-pirate ship. Larger than it's original model, the ship was meant to be the next step up form the Destiny's Bounty. The Skulkin also designed hundreds of one-man Pirate fighters and Raid Zeppelin's, adding to the Dark Army's fleet to outdo any amount of sky-vehicles the Ninja may have.
After the Sky Pirates were all welcomed into the fold, Garmadon personally undertook the mission into the First Realm. Allying himself with the Iron Baron, the Dark Lord spent a year with the Dragon Hunters. Dragon after dragon, he slowly earned the trust of the white-skinned cyborg until together, they found the Firstbourne Dragon.
In all his years, Lord Garmadon never felt as much joy as he did when he killed the gargantuan red dragon, and took his father's sword and armor as trophies.
Once they had extinguished the last of the dragons, Garmadon brought the Iron Baron's forces back to the underworld, where he assigned them, the Skulkin, and Monkey Wrench to a special project.
The latest use of the Realm Crystal had started over three years ago. Under the Dark Lord's orders, Aspheera and Chen took the crystal, as well as a second staff and Forbidden Scroll of Spinjitzu, to lead a small expeditionary force into the uncharted Never-Realm, with The Quiet One joining them to ensure that they don't try anything.
Without the Realm Crystal, The Dark Army was left isolated within the Underworld and the Cursed Realm, where Garmadon had sent the Dragon Hunters, Skulkin, and Monkey Wrench to work on the special project. Nadakhan was the only source of food, conjuring it whenever it was needed.
But today was different. He sensed it. "They are coming. Nadakhan! Mr. E! Samukai!" The Djinn teleported in front of the throne, with the Nindroid and Skulkin at his sides. "Yes, Lord Garmadon?"
"The next shift in the game is almost upon us. Prepare everyone for new arrivals. A lot of them." The three bowed out of respect, though Nadakhan looked a little stressed. "Does this mean I should prepare more food?"
"Only enough for our expeditionary team. The new arrivals will not be needing them." Out of curiosity, Samukai tilted his head. "More undead?"
"Something along those lines, my friend. Now go." The three were teleported back out by Nadakhan, relaying his orders. Once alone again, the Dark Lord looked over to the Golden Armor, placed on a pedestal next to the Dragon Armor and Dragon Blade.
Wu was always your favorite. Always your prodigy. But now, father... He picked up the blade from its pedestal and analyzed it in his glowing hands. Now I am the only one left!
Raising the blade in the air, a purple aura surrounded the handle, slowly converting its color from gold to black, and the bone within the blade began to turn purple. AND I WILL SUCCEED WHERE YOU FAILED!
*Outside the Dark Fortress*
Ronin watched as Mr. E order the closest soldiers about, silently yet menacingly. He could also see Samukai and Nadakhan doing the same at separate points, ordering each soldier to make space in the center before the Dark Fortress. Overhead, several Pirate jets and Raid Zeppelins flew with Blade-copters and Rattlecopters. Even the ghosts flew in a frenzy to follow the orders, signifying the importance of whatever was about to happen.
Although he was grateful for his debts being forgotten by soul-archer, the mercenary felt as though he simply traded one life-sentence for another. "What do ya think is going on?" He turned his head to see The Mechanic approaching from the side, referring to the frenzy of soldiers moving from the center.
"I'm not sure, but I heard the Djinn say something about "it almost being time," or something like that..."
"You don't think he means... time to go home?" It was no secret that The Mechanic yearned to return back to Ninjago, and to be honest, Ronin felt the same way. "I can't say for sure, but I think we need to be-"
"LOOK!" The familiar shriek of Bansha brought their attention to the cleared center, where a small spark appeared. The doors to the Dark Fortress opened, revealing one Lord Garmadon marching forward towards the empty center. Ronin hissed in a breath, realizing what was about to happen. Oh boy...
Surely enough, a blue-black portal took shape in the center. Everyone backed up, surprised at the supposedly unannounced arrival. All except Garmadon, who obviously sensed it coming. "BACK UP!"
Harumi jumped out of the portal first, shivering in place as she bowed to Garmadon. "M-my Lord."
"Welcome back, Quiet One. I presume it was a success, then?" Even from a distance, Harumi's wicked smile sent shivers down Ronin's spine. "S-see for y-yourself, My Lord."
After a moment, Aspheera, Chen, several Pyro-Vipers and Anacondrai jumped out of the portal as well. Garamdon quickly noticed that none of them held the second Forbidden Scroll. "Well?"
Aspheera chuckled as she motioned for the others to move away from the portal. "Lord Garmadon, may I be the first to present General Vex, Ice Master of the Blizzard Samurai!" On que, an icy-skinned man in grey samurai armor stepped out of the portal, a scepter in hand with the second Scroll attached. He continues to walk forward as he was flanked by hundreds upon hundreds of Blizzard Samurai.
As they continued out of the portal, Aspheera explained their process to Garmadon. "Apologies for the wait, My Lord. After we permanently transferred the element of Ice into Vex, I spent a rather long time training him to master the element itself, as well as the art of Spinjitzu. Only then did we build this army, exterminate the Formlings, and take control of the Never-Realm. It is now officially the territory of the Dark Army!"
Vex approached Garmadon and knelt down. "My Lord, it is an honor to serve."
"Rise Vex. You have done well!" He turned towards the larger crowd, raising his voice so all could hear him. "EVERYONE! The time to return is dawning ahead. You have been patient, but the wait is almost over! Rest up tonight, for tomorrow, we will strike back!"
YES, LET'S DO THIS! Three chapters in one week! Please leave a comment or review letting me know how you feel about the story (what you like, constructive criticism, etc.)
R&R