Chapter 9-The Teacher

Lloyd's head rested against the side of the boat, the muscles in his arms burning after rowing and rowing through the vast Serpent Sea. He could hear the ghost of the Emperor urging him to get up and keep moving. But he couldn't move anymore. His head was pounding, causing a nauseating feeling to spread through his body. Lloyd felt as if he were going to be sick, but there were no contents inside his stomach to begin with.

The Emperor's nagging voice continued to pulse around him. Lloyd closed his eyes, trying to shut it out. It was only making his headache worse. Besides, what was the point in listening? It's not like the ghost knew where they were going. Once again, Lloyd began to wonder whether he had done the right thing. It would have been better to keep his head low and continue on with his life. After all, he was just a kid. He couldn't fix everything. Not alone. And he was alone. He had always been alone.

The boat lurched to a stop, causing Lloyd's head to fall back against the boat's interior. His eyes widened at the impact, staring up at the blue empty sky in shock. The Emperor looked down at him, a smirk forming on his handsome features. "Are you listening now? I've been trying to tell you that the island was right in front of us. You're extremely lucky that the current didn't carry you away while you were wallowing in self-pity."

Lloyd sat up rubbing the back of his head. Looking behind him, his eyes locked onto the island spreading before him. Light brown sand covered most of the beach, turning into dark brown mud where the island's jungle began. And in the center of it all, stood the Temple of Light.

He climbed out of the boat, walking towards the temple with eyes full of wonder. Lloyd forgot his hunger and thirst, driven forward by pure curiosity. He ran his hands across the gorgeous images painted upon the temple's wall. Once again, his eyes focused on the small boyish figure that was bathed in golden light.

"That's the Golden Master." A heavy voice sneaked into Lloyd's ears. He jumped back, moving his hand away from the temple. When Lloyd turned, he spotted an aging man smiling down at him. He had a long white beard, thick pale eyebrows, and a pair of powerful light blue eyes. "Surely you know the legend of the young man who will drive away the Serpentine?"

Lloyd shook his head, clutching the golden book tightly with his left hand. There was something strange about the man, a twinkle within his aged eyes that seemed...oddly familiar.

The man pointed at the four figures surrounding the golden boy. Each of them was cloaked by a different element. Fire, lighting, ice, and earth. Together, they seemed to form a shield around the golden boy. "Humanity can be saved from the suffocating grip of the Serpentine. When the time is right, the Creator will choose four warriors to control nature's elements. They will fight alongside the Golden Master, and together they will bring the land of Ninjago back into the light."

Lloyd nodded slowly, his eyes glued to the image before him. A strange feeling of desire overwhelmed him. He wanted to be the Golden Master. He wanted to fight back against those who had hurt him.

With power like that, you could make everyone else suffer as much as you did, a small whisper in the back of his head suggested. Lloyd chased away the thought, focusing his attention back on the old man, who had begun to talk again.

"...Gladly teach you how to fight, since you have discovered my temple. But I wouldn't want to push you, not in the state you're in. Go inside, and head for the first room on your right. A warm bath, a mouth-watering meal, and a soft bed await you. But first thing tomorrow, your training will begin. If you truly wish to become the Golden Master, young Lloyd, then you have a long hard road ahead of you."

"Thank you...Sir," Lloyd said, his eyebrows frowning slightly. How had the old man known his name?

"Sir?" The old man chuckled. "That won't do. Call me Sensei."

"Yes, Si-" Lloyd cleared his throat. "Sensei."

As Lloyd stepped into the temple, the Sensei stayed back, looking out towards the sea. The ghost of the Emperor appeared beside him, without turning to face him, Sensei smiled once again. "It's been a while...Brother."

"Indeed," the Emperor nodded. "It took far longer than I expected for me to bring Lloyd here. I was...afraid of him getting hurt. Ninjago is deadly for a rebel nowadays, Wu. No one can speak up against the Serpentine and survive."

"Not very different from when you were Emperor, Garmadon." Wu turned to face his brother, blue eyes watery as he recalled the memories of the chaos his own brother had caused. "It was your own greed and lust for power that called the Serpentine to the land of Ninjago..."

"Don't you think I know that well enough? I paid a heavy price for my mistakes. My wife died in my arms and now my son is destined to carry the burden of all the pain that I caused." Garmadon sighed. "Lloyd's life will be full of torment because of me. I don't need you to remind me of what I've done."

"It was my fault too," Wu looked back towards the ocean, not able to look his brother in the eye. "I should have stepped up and stopped you myself. But I was afraid, and instead, I turned to Ninjago's legends...I had thought the Serpentine would stop you and retreat back into their tombs. I did not think that their lust for power was as great as yours...the suffering of the people is my burden as much as it is yours."

"We single handedly destroyed the land of Ninjago..."

"But we will fix it, Garmadon. Your son is here. Others are coming. The spirit smoke does not lie. This land will soon be back to the way it was."

"Nothing is that easy, brother." Garmadon shook his head. "There is always a price to pay. I just pray, for my son's sake, that this price does not destroy him..."

Lloyd's mouth hung open, and his eyes seemed to be widened to their limits. The room before him was impressive. Every inch of it held more luxuries than Lloyd had ever thought possible. Upon a table, there were multiple jars. Each of them held a different liquid, and Lloyd spent a good amount of time attempting to try them all. There was apple, grape, orange, and lots of other flavors that were strange and exotic.

After coughing up a drink that had sent a burning sensation down his unexperienced throat, Lloyd began to examine the food. He had never seen so many edible things in one place. It was tempting to shove every little morsel into his mouth. The smells were wonderful, and the taste was even better. His stomach wasn't satisfied until he had tried a bit from each plate.

Once Lloyd was full, a sensation he had never experience before, he walked towards the bath. Steam rose from it, and when Lloyd bent down to touch it, the warmth sent a pleasant sensation throughout his body. He stared at the water for a while, still trying to process everything around him. It was all too unreal. He was taking a bath. The lower than dirt slave was about to experience something that only the richest aristocrats could have. Eagerly stepping out of his old, dirty outfit, Lloyd climbed into the bath. As the warm water massaged the dirt off his body, a thought occurred to him.

"I'm free," he chuckled. "I'm not a slave anymore. I'm just...me."

"That's right."

Sensei walked into the room, carrying a green gi in his arms. A belt, colored the same shade as the fighting uniform, rested around Sensei's shoulders. Startled at the sudden appearance of the old man, Lloyd yelped softly, sliding his body further into the water to try and cover every inch of himself.

"Don't mind me. I've just brought your new outfit. I wouldn't want to see you in those rags you were wearing when you arrived." Sensei Wu set the belt and clothes down on the bed. "You should sleep soon, your training will start as soon as the sun rises."

Lloyd's head was almost underwater, and he remained that way until Sensei stepped out of the room. Once Lloyd was sure the old man wasn't going to wander in again, he relaxed, and began to clean his body using a sticky, sweet smelling substance. The cleaning process was satisfying. It was as if he were scrubbing every bit of his old life away, away, away, where it would never find him again.

Once he was clean, Lloyd changed into his new clothes. They were comfortable, the fabric soft against his skin. When he tied the green belt around his waist, he looked towards the mirror, fearfully stepping closer, not knowing what to expect. A small, green eyed boy looked back at him. His posture made him look timid, but there was a spark of fire behind his eyes. Lloyd stroked his hair, Playing around with different styles. He walked even closer, studying every inch of his face. Once he was satisfied, he smiled at his reflection, childishly waving at the new version of himself.

"You're free Lloyd," a sigh of satisfaction escaped his lips. "You're finally free..."

Sensei had not been kidding about starting Lloyd's training early in the morning.

The young man had stumbled out of bed, regretting every bit of food he had eaten the day before. His stomach was not used to having so many thing to digest, and it had begun to spread sickening cramps all around Lloyd's body. Sensei did not seem to care. He made Lloyd run all around the island only allowing him to stop when every inch of the young man was covered with salty sweat. Lloyd was allowed a few minutes to catch his breath and gulp down a few cups of cool water. Before he could relax, however, Sensei Wu made him start to run once again.

Training was not any easier the next day. Or the day after that. Each day, Sensei would create countless exercises for Lloyd to stumble through. Every inch of his body was sore, and every time he moved, something within him pulsed with uncomfortable pain.

But he pushed through everything. Training might feel like jumping into a pool full of sharp blades, but in the end it was worth it. He was becoming stronger. And that's all that mattered to Lloyd. Every time Sensei pushed him forward, Lloyd could feel himself becoming better and better.

On the last day of the week, Sensei allowed Lloyd to head to his room far earlier than usual. When Lloyd questioned him, he was glad to get a break, but it was a strange change of attitude from the old man. A mischievous twinkle shone in Sensei Wu's blue eyes. "You need to get a good rest tonight. The four teachers that will show you how to control the elements around you will arrive tomorrow after all..."