Chapter 36 - The Overlord
Slowly, the world began to shape around Lloyd. He forced his heavy eyelids open, pushing himself up slowly. A bit of dirt clung to his hair, but he was too dizzy to attempt shaking it off. Strong waves of pain kept pulsing upwards from his leg, but that wasn't his biggest concern. The four guys were surrounding him, concerned looks weighing down their features. And behind them stood the ruins of a bridge, the only way to cross the chasm into the city. Lloyd felt sick. He'd ruined everything.
"I'm sorry." He stood, doing his best to ignore the pain. He limped forward for a couple of steps before stumbling down. " I just. . . I thought I could fix it. I didn't want you guys to get hurt thanks to something I caused."
"I don't think you understand the term teamwork very well little buddy." Jay shook his head, helping the young boy back to his feet. "We're all in this together. No matter what."
"Yeah, this isn't just all you, Lloyd." Cole walked forward, patting Lloyd on the shoulder, causing him to cringe. "It's not just you now. It's us."
"I know I know. I just thought I owed you guys." Lloyd shook his head. "I have. . . Ever since I learned who I was meant to be, I just felt like there were so many expectations of who I should be. And I-I was always scared I wouldn't be able to do it. . . And that I'd find a way to ruin everything. And, well, it looks like I did, didn't I?"
"It isn't ruined unless you believe it is."
Lloyd turned his emerald eyes on Kai, taken aback. "What do you mean? Of course everything's ruined!" How could Kai just stand there and tell him that he hadn't ruined anything? The evidence overwhelmed them, surrounded them like a cage of despair. "The bridge is gone. He's taken the Serpentine out to the rest of the country. He's different than Pythor ever was. I can feel it. Pythor was heartless and cruel but this. . . thing is pure evil."
"That doesn't mean anything," Kai answered, his face stern. "If you let your mistakes keep piling up on top of you, then you'll be buried under them. Then you won't be able to fix what you've done." He thought back to everything he had done over the course of his journey. Getting Jay involved. Getting Cole involved. Bringing them all onto Pythor's radar. Almost allowing Lloyd to die at the hands of the Constrictai. Being unable to save Nya. And blaming all of his misfortune on Lloyd, the kid who had been nothing more than a slave only a few weeks prior. "We all make mistakes. But, like Jay said, it's not just you, Lloyd. It's us. You messed up because you were trying to do something to help us. To repay us." The blacksmith thought for a moment. Would he have done the same? A part of him still felt as though he'd let the others die before he risked his own life, but he shook it away. "So it looks like we all have to help clean up the mess."
"Yeah. All of us. As a team," Jay emphasized, doing his best to keep Lloyd upright. "No more of you running off on your own. We've got your back."
"I don't think I could run off, even if I wanted to," Lloyd chuckled weakly. He looked around himself, finally allowing the presence of the people around him to give him strength. Things seemed hopeless. But there was always a way. If a group of misfits had been able to overthrow the Serpentine empire, why wouldn't they be able to destroy an entity of darkness? "But now. . . we need a plan. I need to get to the Overlord. Using all of our powers, we'll be able to destroy him."
"Overlord?" The puppeteer raised his scarred eyebrow, blue eyes questioning Lloyd.
"That's what the creature called itself." Lloyd shrugged. "It's better than calling him Pythor."
"True," Cole nodded. "That thing stopped being Pythor a long time ago."
"Now that we're all back on the same page," Kai interrupted, his hands fidgeting with the desire to fight. "We need to cross that chasm. We need to find the Overlord."
Zane nodded. "Lloyd and Cole have both weakened their reserves of power. But, perhaps they would be able to build a bridge by working together?"
Lloyd and Cole exchanged glances, both nodding in sync. Cole stepped closer to the edge of the chasm, looking down at the darkness below. "It's worth a shot."
Jay helped the Golden Master walk towards Cole. Lloyd closed his eyes, and after a few seconds the merchant did the same. The earth rumbled beneath them, but not much occurred. Lloyd's nausea worsened as he tried to focus, but he continued to push himself. There were people out there who needed him. He couldn't give up at the first sign of resistance.
Cole frowned, his head pounding as he tried to seep his will into the rock. He could feel the ground shaking beneath his feet, but he knew it still wasn't enough. The Master of Earth gritted his teeth, pushing past his own limits, feeling the pressure around is head growing tighter and tighter.
"It's working!" Jay shouted with glee, raising his fist into the air. A bit of lightning flashed in the sky above them, lighting up the bits of rock as they left the side of the chasm to create a bridge to the other side.
Kai stood beside Zane, his arms crossed over his chest and a small smile playing on his lips. Sure, they were hyping up Lloyd just a little bit in order to lift his spirits. Would it be easy to defeat the Overlord? Not at all, but the blacksmith would be willing to put his all into taking down the darkness that had been plaguing Lloyd. It was the least he could do. Nya would have wanted nothing more than to see Ninjago finally free from the Serpentine tyranny. Even if she couldn't see it now, Kai was going to make sure that she didn't die in vain.
The android watched the bridge that his companions were building, the stones meshing together perfectly like a sturdy puzzle. As soon as the structure finished, Cole fell to his knees and Lloyd stumbled backwards, landing hard on his rear. Zane rushed over to the Golden Master as Jay quickly knelt by Cole's side. "Lloyd, are you okay?" Zane watched the boy carefully.
"I'm fine," he answered honestly. Lloyd felt a little drained, but it wasn't anything that would keep him down. He held out his hand and Zane immediately grabbed it, allowing Lloyd to stand on his good leg and helping him keep his balance. "But Cole. . ."
Jay had the merchant's right arm slung across his shoulders. "Cole's okay!" He smiled cheerfully, obvious relief blanketing his face. "Not sure if he could do something like that again anytime soon though."
The raven-haired man gave a nod as Kai hurried over to join the group. "I'll. . . I can still fight, guys. I promise." Cole turned his grey eyes on Lloyd. "I know I wouldn't have been able to make that bridge without your help though, kid."
"I wouldn't have been able to do it without you." Lloyd smiled, crossing the bridge with Zane's help. "Ha. . .Teamwork. . ."
"Yup," Cole nodded, then fixed his gaze ahead, into the city. There was a strange purple mist growing thicker and thicker around them. A large shadow was suddenly thrown over them, part of a tall tower that rose higher than any of the other buildings. The merchant frowned, his thick eyebrows almost meeting. "Was that tower always there?"
Lloyd looked up, spotting the unfamiliar shape in the horizon. "No. . . it must be the work of the Overlord."
"What's the purpose of it though?" Jay wondered out loud, still holding onto Cole. "I mean, there's plenty of buildings already. Why would it make another one? Possessed Pythor is weird."
"Perhaps it makes it easier for him to spread the roots of evil from one position." Zane suggested. "I am sure he can see a large portion of Ninjago from the top of the building."
"I guess." Jay shrugged. "It's still weird."
Cole wasn't listening. He could feel Jay beside him, guiding his weakened legs forward. But he couldn't hear anything other than whispers. At first, they were soft, incomprehensible. But the deeper they traveled into the mist, the louder they became. They were dark messages, words that made Cole's body grow heavier and heavier. They spoke the truth.
This is hopeless. You're not a hero. You're nothing more than a merchant. Do you really think you can save the world? You are nothing, Cole. You are not the Master of Earth. You're merely a human. . .
Cole stopped walking. His legs refused to move.
"C'mon, Cole," Jay tugged on his friends arm, but the merchant stayed still.
"I . . . I can't." The dark voices grew louder, now taking a violent turn. For a second, Cole wanted to do nothing more than to attack his friends, prevent the from reaching the Overlord. It was almost the same as when he'd been controlled by the Hypnobrai, except this time they were his own thoughts. Something wasn't right. "You. . . You need to go on. I'll be fine."
"But Cole-"
"Go!" Cole growled, pushing Jay back and clutching his head in his hands, trying his best to shut out the voices.
Jay trotted forward, slamming against Zane's back. The robot turned back to look at him, a questioning look on his face. Jay shook his head wildly, trying to catch his breath. "There. . . Cole. . . Bad. . ."
"What?" Kai slowed down, waiting for the others to catch up to him. Jay's skin was pale, and Cole was nowhere to be seen. "Jay, what happened?"
"Something's not right. . ." The puppeteer finally managed to mutter. " Cole. . . There was something wrong with Cole. He looked scary. Like he was possessed. Except. . . Except he wasn't."
"You're not making any sense. . ." Kai shook his head.
"It was like. . . like something inside him was changing. I don't know! I just know that we have to get out of here!"
"We can't. . . We have to fix this, Jay. We're in this together remember?" Lloyd's voice was soft, fearful. He understood exactly what Jay meant. Whatever had happened back there, the Overlord had reached Cole. Corrupting his thoughts and turning him into something he wasn't. Lloyd knew that feeling all too well. "We just have to keep moving. Cole will eventually catch up."
"Yeah. . ." The Master of Lightning looked down, his heart still palpitating violently. "Yeah that's what I'm afraid of. . ."
The four of them continued to move, but it wasn't long until Jay began to hear strange whispers. He trotted forward faster, fearing the worst. He didn't want to be left behind. Yet his limbs refused to respond. His body was growing heavier and heavier. . .
They're leaving you behind, Jay. You're more of a burden than anything.
Jay shook his head. It wasn't true. He was as important as all the others of the team. He'd done plenty to earn his place alongside them.
You know it's a lie, Jay. You're a coward. You're weak. You're useless. Don't you think they know that? Don't you think they mock you behind your back?
The Master of Lighting stopped moving. He couldn't go any further.
You couldn't even save Nya.
He couldn't even save Nya.
You're worthless. But you can do something about it. You can beat them. Drag them all down. Show them that you are strong. Show them that they are the ones who are weak.
"Wait!" Lloyd stopped moving, turning back to look at his blue eyed friend. "Jay, come on! You're going to get lost!"
"N-no," Jay shook his head frantically. "Just. . . go. Go, okay! Go!"
"But-" Lloyd whimpered, trying to reach back towards his friend. But Zane was already nudging him forward, guiding him towards the dark tower. But we're a team, Jay.
"The Overlord is far stronger than we anticipated," Zane muttered nervously, his blue eyes scanning the mist around him. "He is taking us down, one by one. I do not like it. The last time we were separated we failed our mission to save Nya."
"We won't be. Not this time. We can stay together," Lloyd tried to sound confident, but doubt was beginning to set in. At this rate, only one of them would reach the tower.
Lightning flashed above their heads and the earth began to shudder. The three friends stopped walking, looking back into the mist. "They are coming. Whatever has happened, Jay and Cole are servants of the dark now. They will try to stop us. Kai, you must take Lloyd forward. I will stay back."
"No!" Lloyd shouted. After all the talk of staying together no matter what. . . This happened? It wasn't fair. "We have to stay together, Zane. We'll fight together."
"No, Lloyd. Your destiny is to liberate Ninjago from the darkness. You must keep going."
"He's right, Lloyd." Kai wrapped his arm around Lloyd's waist, gently pushing him forward. "We need to keep going. Zane will keep them at bay."
Lloyd nodded, resigned. "How are we going to stop him? We've seen what he's capable of. You know I can't beat him. Not alone."
"But you're not alone, Lloyd. Not this time." Kai shook his head. "Don't you see? We're behind you all the way."
"I don't get it! How is this any different from before? If things keep up this way, I'll end up facing him alone again. How is it any different, Kai?" Lloyd blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes.
The blacksmith smiled, a wise, knowing look in his eyes. "Because this time, you didn't run away. This time, you are not doing this to prove anything to anyone, Lloyd. This time, you're finally fighting for the greater good."
"It's still fighting alone. . ." Lloyd shook his head, not understanding.
"You'll see, Lloyd. You're stronger now. Your powers will come to you when the time comes. It's a shame you didn't have the old man guide you through your personal obstacles." Kai shook his head. "I'm honestly not very good at it. But I believe in you, Lloyd. You'll figure it out."
Lloyd sighed, shaking his head. "I sure hope so."
Kai opened his mouth, planning to reassure the young man to the best of his ability. But something stopped him. A voice. A very, very familiar voice.
Kai. . .
"N-Nya?" The blacksmith moved away from Lloyd, almost causing the Golden Master to fall forward onto the dirt. But Kai didn't notice. He'd heard his sister's voice. He was sure of it!
Kai. . . Find me Kai. . .
"Nya!" Kai's eyes filled with tears, and he ran forward a couple of steps.
"Kai, wait! It's, it's not real," Lloyd shouted, trying to regain his friend's attention. "Nya isn't here, Kai!"
Kai please. . . Save me. . .
"Nya! Hold on, I'm coming!" The blacksmith ran into the mist's awaiting arms, his body fading into nothing.
Lloyd stood still. He was alone. The Overlord had ripped every one of his friends away from him, and now he was helpless once again. It would be easier to give up now. Sit back and wait for the voices in the mist to come for him too. Fighting would only make his suffering last longer, wouldn't it?
"No. . . No! You're not going to win. Never again. I'm not giving up." Lloyd's voice shook, but slowly, he began to regain his confidence. The Golden Master limped forward, forcing himself to move closer to the tower. "My dad believed in me. My friends believe in me."
A weak smile curved Lloyd's lips upward.
"I believe in me."