Chapter 113
The Calm Before The Storm

.:Violet:.

Darkness is such a strange substance. Like water, it has three stages: solid, liquid and gas but with a slight twist… maybe more than a twist. Since it is a sort of mythical material, it doesn't fall under the laws of science, only able to change states by the user or the victim. In solid form, it's almost completely black aside room a very tiny shade of red at its centre, like a candle in the never ending darkness. As a liquid, it's thick, sticky and has a pungent scent of ink. It can act like quicksand and suffocate people. As a gas, it's quite strange. It is able to pass through solid material with ease, suffocate, and eat away like acid; like the thief that steals your best sense and replace it with a paralysing fear.

Darkness was all of these to Violet. She could only see the blackest black with that little bit of hope flickering away from her – oh so far away. She could feel it suffocating her, wrapping her in this constricting hold to draw away her breath. She could feel it seep through her body, replacing everything with coldness and the fear of never being able to reach that flickering hope or even the slightest slimmer of light.

She didn't know how long she was in this everlasting darkness but she knew it had to come to an end; it always did.

When she felt warmth against her skin, she knew it was an indicator of her regaining consciousness but with past experiences, nothing comes super clear with her. It's always a haze, like seeing everything through a frosted window. It was like hearing everything with an air-tight container over her head – everything sounding like an echo and blurry. But this warmth was something different. It wasn't the sweet warmth that made her feel cosy on the inside, this warmth –no, heat- made her skin feel sweaty. It was that uncomfortable warmth.

Normally, the darkness that made her lungs suffocate would clear out but instead, she felt smoke invade them. She urged to cough away the itching sensation but she couldn't feel her body. She was numb all over. Through the foggy barrier that cogged her ears, she could hear a monotonous female's voice. At first all the words were blurred but within seconds she could make it out. It was a count down.

"Seven."

Upon this, Violet could feel something grab her in a tight grip underneath the pit of her arms as it dragged her body against the floor. The first thought that entered her mind was the image of Vincent's face; the curve of his sickening grins, the steady grey of his eyes that glint in the dark. She wanted to fight back; to scream out and to thrash around but her body felt like lead, heavy and useless. The voice that counted down the time went past like a blur, she didn't realise the voice said two until she felt nothing solid around; she was falling.

It wasn't that pleasant type of fall that you get when you come down from jumping on a trampoline or even that sensation of free falling from a plan with a parachute soon to detach. This was the falling that made the cold wind bite her skin like razor sharp teeth; the falling that made her body plummet harshly to the ground – no, water.

The coldness of the water stung even more than the wind did; it was like being rained on by millions of tiny shards of broken glass. The power of the ocean's current pushed her away –tumbling- from the surface. The girl could feel her body scream to claw back to the surface but the waves kept her in its icy grasp. Panic settled like stones in the bottom of her stomach and she knew it was bringing her far away from the surface, sinking further down into the darkness of the ocean. Her lungs felt like they were getting torn out by corroded talons that were like icicles. They were so cold that it felt like it was on fire; agonisingly burning as the oxygen diminished bit by bit. It was a feeling she knew too well but this time, it felt different – not just because her body felt like it was paralysed but it felt… more real.

When a something latched onto her wrist, Violet wanted to scream and thrash – to get away from Vincent but she couldn't. That feeling of regaining consciousness vanished.

.::.

Violet nearly forgot what it was like to have a dream – a nice one where fears doesn't haunt you. She couldn't figure out if it really was a dream or a memory but either way, it was a nice change. She could still vividly remember her younger self running around in a park with her father chasing after her – pretending he was a dinosaur. It seemed like more of a memory than a dream but she couldn't care less; it wasn't a nightmare and it was good enough.

When her eyes opened, she could only remember the dream; how her little giggles ring out in the air compared to her father's resonating laughter. But when her eyes met with a white painted ceiling, the little smile that appeared moments ago disappeared as reality finally kicked in.

Where am I? She wondered as she turned her head to look away from the ceiling. Next to the bed she was in, she saw someone sleeping in a chair and head resting on her bed with their hand in hers. She didn't need to wonder who it was. Kai's spiky hair was a dead giveaway. Even though a smile played at her lips, she didn't understand why she was here unless this was some twisted dream. All she could remember was being electrified by the nindroids then that semi-waking-up-from-unconsciousness moment. Unless… she was knocked out for a while.

Looking back to their interlinked hands, Violet forgot how much bigger Kai's hands were than hers. Softly, she pulled her hand back and stroke his hair – well the best she can do with his awkward hairstyle. It stirred a soft moan from the brunette and slowly his head lifted up with half-opened eyes dosed with sleep.

"Violet?" His groggy voice asked. Violet watched with amusement as he wiped his eyes and looked at her again. "Violet!"

And without any warning, he tackled her into tight hug that made laughter leave from her lips as she wrapped her arms around his firm upper body. His warm body heat engulfed her and his scent of sandalwood and wooden camp fires burning filled her nose.

"Hey there," she said with a laugh as Kai hastily kissed her cheek before pulling her into another bone-crushing hug. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you so much as well. But how are you feeling? Sore? Tingly?"

"Tingly?"

"Lloyd told us how the nindroids electrocuted you." And his face that was once filled of happiness was gone and replaced with worry. "We managed to get contact with Lloyd at this remote village and immediately came to pick you two up. P.I. . analysed you for any injuries and said you were paralysed."

"Paralysed?" A gasp left her lips before she knew it. Was that why she couldn't move before? But how did that explain the extreme heat, the biting winds and the… drowning? Hold up, hold up. If P.I.X.A.L said she was paralysed how is she moving now?

"Sensei Wu gave you this weird, awful smelling tea. He said it would help-"

"Sensei Wu? You mean-?"

"Yes, he isn't evil anymore- wait, how did you know?"

"No time to explain, I have to see him!"

"What? No way, you're still recovering!"

"Since when has that ever stopped me?" And with that, a soft chuckle escaped Kai's lips as he got off his chair and offered a hand to her.

"Milady." Violet could only shake her head while chuckling as he assisted her to get out of bed.

She missed this. She missed everyone and everything.

.:Two Days Later:.

It felt unbelievable to be back on the Dark Island especially since it wasn't crawling with Stone Warriors anymore and not to defeat Lord Garmadon. But as previously, the Temple of Light was still a breathtaking place. The beautifully, ancient structure was still inside the mountain but only the entrance was protruding out. The numerous concrete pillars that supported the two canopy roofs that were on top of each other were still standing strong with no sign of corrosion anything soon. Everything was painted with rustic red or grey with white or golden highlights. The grand, double oak doors which were painted a greyish-brown with a wyrm dragon painted in red was still as massive as ever but for some reason Violet felt a little bit bigger than she did before – not because she grew (which Kai said she probably did grew an inch since they met her) but perhaps of the fact she was a different person she than before; more mature and a better person. Even though Violet has seen the horrors and still experiences those fears, it shaped her to be more grateful for what she hasn't lost to those horrors… although she doesn't want to think about it.

As they pushed through the grand doors, the wood and hinges groaned but unlike at time there wasn't a whole heap of dust bursting out.

The temple was still massive with each of its walls painting a part of history. The last one they saw when they were in here was Cole pointing to the walls – saying the next part of destiny was for them to reach a new potential. But this time, there was a new picture; one of Lloyd defeating the Overlord in his metamorphosis form. However, Violet continued to let her eyes roam around the ancient area. Large crystals with hue of white, blue and very light pinkish-orange protruded from all odd angles along the roof, walls and floor along the walls but in the middle, a large circle of cement was laid out. Five great, stone pillars outline the circle, spacing nicely making a perfect pentagon shape. Since the dust was gone the five elemental symbols could be seen on the ground and the large circular plate of gold for where Lloyd stood all those months ago.

The reason they came back was so Lloyd could distribute his powers to them – will it work? Misako said it would when they called her the day before. The old scholar told them how not only will Lloyd's powers will be physically weaker but theirs would be stronger and they'll be gifted to actually harness their elemental powers. Ever since she heard that, the guys have been excited to find out what it would be like to have their element in their palm of their hands but it made Violet wonder why she's different. How come she got it when she first became a ninja? She had a few theories but the only one that seemed to be more realistic than the others (doesn't mean it is realistic) is the amount of power that's inside of her – or what she found out it was called: chi. According to Wu, the boys' chis have been blocked making it extremely hard to command at will but easier to express through the Golden Weapons and the Elemental Blades. Cole said their Elemental Blades disappeared or were destroyed when Lloyd defeated the Overlord.

But back to the chi conversation, she distinctly remembered how her father stated that his powers were hard to control. When she questioned Wu about it, he simply stated that for others their chis aren't as constricted and some are much stronger than others. He then stated that out of all the elemental masters he have known, the ones that have the control over wind have the strongest chis and have easy access to it – some other elemental masters aren't so unfortunate.

"Sometimes our chi even restrict us from using our powers to the best we can but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Some people can push their boundaries but it always come with consequences; some more severe than others."

She remembered him saying. So perhaps, Lloyd's power will be able to break the restriction of the other's chis… but what will happen to her? Garmadon stated that the whole process still needs her to be in it: Lloyd can't distribute his powers amongst four protectors when there are meant to be five. So would she been even stronger than before? She remembered when she got Scarlett's powers (or now known as chi) she could barely control it. Or maybe if she's lucky, she'll receive nothing.

"I can't do this alone anymore. As long as I have all this power, they'll never stop coming for me," Lloyd sighed as they all took their positions with Wu and Garmadon standing to the side.

"From here on out, we can't let anything separate us again." And as Zane said this, Violet was positive Kai's amber eyes were casted on her.

"He's right!"

"Absolutely!"

"Ready then?"

"Seriously Lloyd? We were born ready!"

And with that confirmation, Violet watched as a green orb extended from Lloyd's body and shot straight into the bell that loomed over his head. The loud yet sweet ring vibrated throughout the temple, echoing back and forth. But instead of a beam of light pointing towards the crystals, the light that glowed from between Lloyd and the bell suddenly burst and came out four colours: red, blue, white, greyish-brown and purple, each light going towards their respective elemental master.

When the purple orb came towards and contacted Violet's body, a flash of light appeared briefly before disappearing quickly. She didn't felt much different, maybe just a little tiny bit… lighter? The caramel-haired girl looked down to her feet and saw she was still standing on ground but there was nothing wrong with her… maybe she did got nothing. When she looked to the others, she saw them testing out their elemental powers.

"Haha, this is awesome!"

"Fire!"

"Anyone shocked to see me do this? Huh?"

"No dirt off my shoulder!"

"Chill out!"

Violet could only shake her head once again at the boys' excitement. They were like big babies.

.:Two Days Later:.

The nightmares were getting easier to handle. They would happen the first thing she fell asleep and once she awakens from them and goes back to sleep, they wouldn't come back for the rest of the night; instead they were dreams. Violet was starting to wonder if Lloyd's powers had a mental effect on her instead of giving her physical improvements. Either way, Violet was glad for it.

She was currently shopping while the guys were trying to find clues, signs or anything that can lead to the Overlord and Pythor. She wanted to go and help but unfortunately, Wu, Garmadon, Zane, P.I.X.A.L and Kai gave her strict instructions to relax. According to P.I.X.A.L if Violet didn't take anything easy for the next couple of days, a stress fracture is likely to occur in her back. Of course the female ninja tried to prove them wrong but with five against one, she didn't stand a chance. She tried reasoning that her altered genes would help her to recover quickly.

Violet sighed as she walked along the streets, trying to hide her face from the crowd. She didn't want to be crowded at the moment, what she did want though was some tea. She entered the tea shop and immediately took in a deep breath of the aroma that drifted around. With a smile, she went over to the tropical tea section and took a few boxes of teas before also heading over to the green tea section.

The tea shop was empty of customers but the wallpaper were bamboos and the flooring were wooden floor boards. Wooden shelves were stocked with tea that came in jars, boxes or even in a bottle; labelled as premade tea. The front of the store had large windows to allow walkers to look inside. Just as Violet was about to head towards the counter, the door opened and a huge smile appeared on her lips.

"Hey Nya, what brings you to a tea shop?" But Violet's smile frowned as she saw distress on Nya's face as she headed over.

"I need your help!"

"What is it?" She asked with worry lacing into her voice as she placed the tea on the counter, the cashier scanning them and placing them into a plastic bag.

"I have to choose between Cole and Jay and I have to decide now! I told them I would pick after the movie but I just can't choose!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, aren't Cole and Jay supposed to be patrolling around? And choose between Cole and Jay?"

"You don't know? Well… Ummm… How to break this to you? There might be a little bit of a umm… love triangle between me and Cole and Jay…"

"What? When did this happen!" Violet exclaimed as her mind immediately went back to the vision of her and Cole holding hands in what looked like a room full with circus stuff… Did that happen when she was gone?

"When we took that circus train that accidently led us away from the power plant." This definitely confirmed that vision. That meant all seven visions have happened…. "But I have to decide and I don't know who to choose!"

"And you're asking me this?"

"You're the one who's going to get married soon, not me!" Nya bellowed as she started to pace. Violet sighed and quickly paid the cashier girl and looked back to Nya, with the bag of tea in her hand.

"Just trust yourself Nya, don't think, just act. That's how you follow your heart and not your head. But if you really insist on thinking about it, think about who makes you happy more than ever, think about who you can't live without-"

"But that's the thing, I don't know who I can live without and I don't know who makes me happy-"

"When I say happy, I don't just mean who can make you feel happy but make you feel happy about yourself. I mean you can choose to show all your flaws and he won't care about it no matter what but choose to love you and your flaws."

"But I don't have any flaws… Not that I'm aware of…"

"Of course you won't be aware of it but when that time comes and you are aware of it, just keep it in mind okay?"

"Okay… thanks Violet."

"Do you know who then?"

"No, of course not!" Nya exclaimed, making Violet sigh.

"If you can't choose one, just don't choose at all."

"Don't choose at all?"

"Yeah, just pick no one and fall in love with somebody else or one of them later-"

"Sorry to break up this chit chat but we need to go back to Borg's tower, they need us!"

Whoa, what is this? I'm supposed to be studying for chemistry but managed to write this XD. That chapter wasn't supposed to be all over the place but it ended up that way anyway, so I deeply apologised if there was too many time skips for your liking and if the pace was too fast. But big massive thanks to: dream lighting, MMM, FlameNinjaofDarkFire, ALookIntoMyWorld, Bobby Drake, Samantha Rutledg, Kai4Ever, ElementzGirl7, Natalie Singe, Bl0ndie, KaitheHotHead1, CarlyShi208 and all my silent readers!

dream lighting: Violet get killed instead of Zane? Well, my friend, you'll just have to wait and see what happens :)

FlameNinjaofDarkFire: Oh, Garmadon is alive (smiles sheepishly). I just assumed Lloyd thought Garmadon died when he was dropped into the ocean since he was constantly afraid of being alone. But that's just my interpretation of the scene.

Bobby Drake: You're thirteen?! You sound soooo wise for someone your age. I feel embarrassed though XD I'm turning sixteen at the end of the year. But you're right; that little inspiration speech was long winded and sappy.

Natalie Singe: Oh don't worry about your stories not being 'good'. Good is always different to every person. I'll admit that my first story was horrible! I used to write for Winx ages back and literally, that was horrible. As long as it has good grammar (because I know it annoys some people. I'm still trying to improve mine) and a captivating plot, you're story is good! So if you need help, don't hesitate to ask me :) And about that idea (whispers) it has been thought of. When it would happen is to be remained as a secret ;)

So maybe definitely, updates will be faster. I got 4 more exams to do over a 2 day course starting tomorrow (since it's night time here in Australia) and then school's over for 2 weeks! Yahoo! So I'll see you all soon!

Xoxo – ZaneLoverFan88