Children of Destiny
I bet you're all still surprised by the big twist in the end! Well this chapter will pick up right where we left off & Melody gets some 'closure' with Chris afterwards. We'll also see Zane's reaction to all this so enjoy!
Chapter 22: The Good & The Bad
The ninjas stared at the nindroid in mute horror.
The humanoid war machine was entirely black with blood red optics staring right into their very souls. The android was also clad in black robes slightly similar to the ones the ninja and kunoichi wore. Its thin arms were long in proportion to the rest of its body and its extremities were more like claws than human fingers and toes. What was possibly the scariest thing about its looks was what would've been the lower half of its face. Instead of a chin and mouth, a bunch of long thin tendril-like claws hung from the bottom of its face.
"Where are my manners? I almost forgot to give you a proper introduction to my grandfather's legacy," Ash walked over to the terrifying robot, "This fine work of art here is Cryptor."
The dark nindroid ran a quick scan of the ninjas and can tell they were not on the same side.
"My master's orders are my function and my function is to destroy the ninjas." The robot spoke despite not having a real mouth and his voice was deep yet monotonous and artificial.
"This can't be good." Alex gulped.
A beam suddenly burst forth from one of the nindroid's eyes. The ninja and kunoichi were able to get out of the way but the trees and rocks weren't so lucky. The products of Mother Nature were split in two where the laser touched. The ninjas had little time to collect themselves when Cryptor opened the palms of his clawed hands and a dark light shot forth like a cannon.
"Is that thing for real!?" Kyle yelped.
"Is that enough proof for you?" Forrest pointed at the dissected trees and rocks.
Cryptor mutely marched towards his enemies, pinpointing targets on each of their heads. The humans braced themselves for the pain but the roars of dragons distracted the evil nindroid.
The other half of the elemental ninjas arrived in the nick of time.
"Liana!" Forrest ran up to his sister once she got off Shard, "Thank goodness you're here! The bad guys built a robot!"
"What…!?" Liana turned to see the nindroid and can only let out a horrified gasp.
So this was the robot built in the twisted image of her father.
"I-I can't believe it…!"
Cryptor scanned Liana and recognized her and Forrest's similarities to the former robot whose blueprints he was based off of and moved in for the kill.
The white kunoichi snapped out of it and summoned her wintery powers.
"ICE!"
Liana's eyes brightened and her entire body glowed as she activated her true potential and sent a powerful blizzard in the nindroid's direction. A thick wall of ice formed around the humanoid being until it was entirely engulfed in its cold prison but not for long.
The nindroid quickly broke free from the ice, sending cold shards everywhere.
Cryptor was ready to carry out his mission but the kunoichi of water had other ideas.
"WATER!"
Melody was next to unleash her true potential on Cryptor. Amy was surprised to see her sister's body glowing and floating as she summoned a tsunami in Cryptor's direction, not knowing what went on with Amy's group earlier.
Cryptor barely managed to cling to a tree as the torrent ran across the land but his mechanical body didn't seem affected by the water, as if his whole body was waterproof.
"What the- !?" The kunoichi of water was confounded by the evil nindroid's endurance.
Once the waves disappeared, Cryptor deduced a quick defeat being his best move.
The android ran around the ninjas at an inhuman speed and struck each of them on the back of their necks, knocking then unconscious in a flash.
"Excellent work," Ash commended his sentient contraption, "It makes me wonder why that fool Adam didn't want this."
"The ninjas are estimated to awaken in ten minutes." Cryptor analyzed the humans' status.
The dark android awaited further orders but his creator told him to leave them be.
"Well what are you waiting for?" Karl asked impatiently, "Finish them off!"
"The ninjas are still weak," Ash gave a scornful look at the unconscious humans, "But watching them run in circles is pretty entertaining. Leave them."
"Are you out of your mind!?" The Meerheim native hissed, "The Overlord wants them gone and this is the perfect chance to off them!"
"There's no need to rush," The corrupted inventor shushed him, "I can just make more robots and the Overlord's still working on reviving the Serpentine so those brats will be outnumbered, no matter what they do."
Karl scoffed at his cohort's seemingly carefree attitude but the Overlord may be satisfied with just a swift defeat… for now. The humans and robot turned and disappeared as quickly as they came, leaving their enemies in the dust…
The ninja and kunoichi eventually came to… only to find Ash and Cryptor gone and it all quickly came back to them.
"Maldita sea!" Akira slammed the soil with his fists in ire, "We lost again!"
"But that thing with Melody back there," Forrest said, "She never did that sort of stuff before."
"By the way, how were you able to do all that?" Amy asked her sister.
"I was able to unlock my true potential a while back." Melody answered.
"You did?" The black kunoichi was astonished but proud at the same time.
"I learned to find a balance between thinking with my heart and my head. I know what Dad and Mom meant."
"I'm very happy for you, Melody. But we have other things to worry about." The earth wielder didn't want to kill the mood but the grim reality of their situation made all this so bittersweet.
"Leon, Willow. How are thing doing for you?" Akira asked through the communication device.
"Nothing," Leon grumbled, "I can't believe you left us here while you got all the fun."
"Would you consider being defeated by an evil nindroid fun?" The fire ninja asked darkly.
That got the green ninja to shut up.
"Just wait for us," The amber-eyed ninja sighed, "We'll come get you."
After being picked up from the Monolith of Atlas, the Garmadon siblings knew something very bad had happened just by looking at their teammates' faces. The ninja and kunoichi had some good and bad moments. The good part was that Melody finding her true potential but the bad part was… obvious.
Misako can tell they've made a not-so-grand discovery but she had to know.
"Did you find anything at the Monolith?" She asked the Garmadon siblings straight away.
"We didn't find anything at the Monolith of Atlas," Willow started, "But the others have some bad news."
"Well, there's both good AND bad news," Amy started, "Which one do you want to hear first?"
"Either way is fine." Her teacher said coolly.
"First, Melody was able to unlock her true potential by finding a balance between thinking with her heart and her head. But the bad news is that Ash succeeded in building a nindroid."
The usually level-headed Misako was shaken by the disturbing news. With Zane's blueprints in his hands, Ash could end up making an army of nindroids and that's the last thing the ninjas and even Zane himself would want.
"Dad will NOT be happy to hear this…" Liana muttered.
"Should we tell him?" Forrest asked tensely.
"I'm sure Jay would've told him by now," Misako reasoned, "He's never one to keep secrets."
"Definitely." Kyle dryly agreed.
"You all had a big day. You should get some rest so you can face tomorrow. Besides, take some satisfaction in knowing another kunoichi found her true potential. It takes more courage to look at the brighter side of things."
"Okay."
Chris' body felt refreshed after his hot shower but his mind was still consumed by thoughts of Cryptor and what the Overlord has in store for the team but was surprised to see Melody standing before him.
"Melody? What are you doing here?"
"I just want to clear things up with you." Melody shyly rubbed her arm.
"Go ahead." The blue ninja seated himself next to her.
"Well… I know now to maintain a balance between thinking with my heart and my head but… I still feel like my heart is stronger, if you know what I mean."
"Thinking with your heart isn't really a bad thing," Chris started, "It gives you the passion to get up and do stuff and wanting to do what is right but that alone isn't enough. Your head will keep you from having unrealistic goals and keep you anchored with reality. You're still trying to find a balance between both."
"And what about relationships?"
"I have nothing against people wanting a relationship. If it makes them happy, I just let them go for it but the most important thing in a relationship is getting to know one another. Our parents went through the same thing and now, we can make our own experiences. Like I said, I have no interest in romance but I can't predict the future. I'm sure you'll find the right one but you can't just throw yourself over some 'hot' guy. Your first love isn't necessarily your true love. Life isn't a fairy tale."
"I guess…"
"But what you can do is learn from these experiences and open your heart to new possibilities. Perhaps you can learn these mistakes to figure out who's the right one for you. I'm sure you'll find that person someday, just don't rush. That'll only land you in hot water, no pun intended."
"Thank you, Chris."
"No problem."
Melody finally felt a weight leaving her chest, knowing she and Chris parted on good terms…
"He WHAT!?"
Kyle held the phone away from his ear as his father went on another of his long-winded rants.
Jay was NOT happy to learn that Zane's blueprints were used to make an actual nindroid.
"This is NOT good! NOT good at all!" The former ninja ranted, "It's bad enough I screwed up big time but Ash just HAD to build a Terminator knockoff! This is bad! Zane is gonna kill me! Zane is gonna FREAKIN' kill me!"
"Dad! Calm down!" The metal ninja exclaimed, "It already happened so there's nothing we can do about it."
"But if I was able to stop them, none of this would've happened!"
"We can't fix the past but we'll still fight."
"You? But it should be me out there stopping Cryptor. I don't want you or the ninjas to get into this whole mess I started."
"Confrontation with the Overlord's forces are inevitable. Even if Cryptor never existed, we'd be facing him anyway."
"But still…"
"Dad, we can handle it," Kyle tried to comfort his father, "We may be young but we're learning. That's part of our experiences as a ninja and you went through the same thing, right? This may be a way for us to learn from them. It's kind of like learning from our mistakes."
"You were such a perfectionist, Kyle," Jay chuckled, "It's odd to hear those words coming from someone like you. But I'm glad you're learning from these experiences."
"So are you going to tell Mr. Julien about Cryptor?"
"I'll still have to tell Zane," The grown man sighed, "He's always such an understanding man but I don't think he'll take this very well…"
Zane was having a rough day at the school he taught in.
This morning, Jay called him, saying the Overlord's forces now have his blueprints. The former lightning ninja was told everything that happened since Zane's blueprints were taken, from Ash to Cryptor. The former nindroid was frankly disappointed with his brother but didn't blame him for this whole mess. All these events occurred because Ash refused to move on.
But Cryptor might not be the only nindroid for long. Knowing the Overlord's lust for power, Ash could be at work right now, making more nindroids, nindroids built in his own corrupted image.
"Mr. Julien?" One of his students asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine…" The ninja turned teacher sighed, "I've been thinking a lot…"
Even Zane's students knew he used to be a ninja and even a robot, no surprise since the original ninjas' deeds have since been immortalized in Ninjago's history and culture.
The former nindroid tried concentrating on his work but his mind kept drifting back to Ash and his grandfather's history with his parents. He also felt powerless for being unable to accompany his children so he can guide them and keep Cryptor from harming them.
'But what if they aren't the only ones he's after?' Zane's now organic heart was filled with even more dread as these negative thoughts consumed him.
What if Ash sends Cryptor after him and Heather?
Zane tried to get the terrible images out of his head but it was too late.
He wouldn't forgive himself if he lets some twisted copy of himself harm his wife.
All these unsavory images kept getting to the former nindroid's psyche and it even affected his physical state and he started to stagger as he made his way to the whiteboard.
"Mr. Julien!" Even his students were startled by his sudden condition.
"I… I think I need a moment…" The pale man held his aching head in his hands before leaving.
In the halls, Zane's mind was still racing over thoughts of Cryptor and his children.
'I can't lose faith in my children!' He rallied himself, 'It's my duty as a father to support them. I can't wallow over something that's out of my control and my children need my support. Also, I have to protect Heather at all costs. I've been through so much; I can't give up.'
Stepping out onto the courtyard for some fresh air, Zane gazed skyward, knowing his kids were somewhere out there finding their true destiny.
'All I can do now is hope but will hoping alone be good enough...?'
Things were no better back at the Destiny's Bounty.
There was tension in the bridge as the ninja and kunoichi racked their brains to figure out what to do about Cryptor and the Overlord's potentially growing army.
"Okay," Amy tried to sort everything out, "What we know of Cryptor is that he was made from Mr. Julien's blueprints but Ash definitely took some… liberties such as that claw thing instead of a chin and Melody's element won't be much use against him since he's basically waterproof."
"That's another reason for us to find our true potential as quickly as we can." Willow said.
"But he's not our main focus… at least not yet…" Akira responded.
"Do any of you remember Pythor?" Leon reminded his team of their encounter with the revived Anacondrai, "The Overlord would also want to revive the Serpentine, so that's TWO armies we have to worry about."
"What can we do?" Alex asked, "We'll soon be outnumbered and with the rate of us finding our true potential, it'll be too late."
"And that's why you must focus on your emotions." Misako said, "The progress of finding your true potential depends on your mental state and if you keep worrying about the Overlord and his armies, you will fail to find your true potential and they will take over Ninjago."
"But it's not like the Overlord's gonna sit and wait for us!" Chris complained.
"It's important you find your true potentials but it's very important to remember that unlocking them is not a contest," Misako advised them, "And you shouldn't try too hard either. The more you try to grab it, the further it can be. Kai himself learned that a long time ago."
Melody nodded, remembering Amy said similar things about her thinking with her heart.
"But that doesn't mean destiny will wait and let you take your time. Time can only go forward and so should you. What matters most right now is to physically and mentally ready yourselves for the upcoming trials."
"Yeah," Kyle nodded, "The most important thing is to not give up."
"But we're not getting anywhere with all these defeats and dead ends," Forrest began to grow aggravated, "We also know very little of the Overlord's agents and Cryptor's not making it easy for us."
"I know this is frustrating but you need to stay focused." The wise Misako lectured him.
"How can I concentrate when that thing is out there causing nothing but trouble!?" The nature ninja slammed his fist against the table.
"Forrest, calm down…" Liana placed her hand on her brother's shoulder but he won't have any of it.
The teal ninja had a habit of flying off the handle sometimes…
"But what would Dad think or even do!?"
"He would try to make things right," Misako started, "Your father is one of the most honorable men I've ever met and he would do anything for his loved ones, even you."
Liana knew that all too well. Her father went out of his way to make her feel accepted countless times. At first, she brushed him off but now, she was grateful for their bond.
"So what do we do now?" Willow asked.
"Each of you must mentally train yourself and discover your true potential but you should also keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary like the Overlord's henchmen."
"But what if that's what they want?" Akira asked. "What if the Overlord's coming on to us and is trying to distract us? Every time we go out to face his minions or even hide in the Bounty, he'll be left with more time to revive the Serpentine or even make more nindroids."
"You can't do everything at once," Alex replied, "We're only human, right?"
The Julien siblings slightly cringed, knowing that Cryptor is technically a clone of their father but didn't begrudge the orange kunoichi for it.
"Yes, but we also have numbers, though not as much as the Overlord," Chris reasoned, "Some of us could go out and fight the forces of evil and the rest can find information."
"But we still have no clue to the Overlord's location." Melody complained.
"We'll expand our search beyond the mainland. You'll have to leave your comfort zone to know all the secrets Ninjago holds." Misako said.
The ninja and kunoichi were at a loss of words.
Arguing will get them nowhere but they can't sit idle either. They needed to plan out their next move and to do that, they'll have to do what they do best: train and search for clues.
The tech-savvy Julien and Walker children remained on the bridge, examining the maps.
"The Monolith of Atlas has that mark but so far, there's nothing else of significance there," Kyle started, "But there are no other traces of the Overlord or his minions anywhere else."
"What about the Dark Island?" Liana asked.
The Dark Island was abandoned ever since their parents' final battle but has become something of an unofficial 'national park' to serve as a testimony to the constant battle between good and evil, even though the climate didn't seem apt to the island's ominous name.
"I-I don't know!" The plant wielder groaned in frustration, "We've been going around in circles over the last few days and the Overlord's ahead of us by a mile! It's hopeless!"
"But we wouldn't know unless we actually go there and take a look." Kyle offered.
"And what about the rest of the Great Ocean?" Chris asked, "It's a huge place and there could be a bunch of undiscovered secrets."
"I'll get Haukka to take a look." The white kunoichi replied.
"Set the ship on autopilot for the Dark Island." Chris commanded the AI.
The ninja and kunoichi wouldn't have to worry about Dark Matter once they get to the Island. Ever since Lloyd used his golden powers to purge all evil in Ninjago, the vile substance was also wiped out.
"Haukka, you won't mind scanning the Great Ocean, would you?" Forrest asked the falcon, who responded with a couple of chirps before it flew off.
The journey to the Dark Island was understandably lengthy given its distance from the mainland but the ninjas trained to make time appear to go faster for them.
"Liana and Melody, won't you give us a demonstration of your true potentials?" Misako asked.
Being the first to unlock her true potential, Liana also volunteered to go first.
"ICE!"
Liana's eyes glowed as she put one foot forward and a thin sheet of ice crept from her foot and covered the whole Bounty. Snow also descended from the clouds hovering above the ship but the white kunoichi wasn't finished yet. She raised her arm to summon icicles to bloom from the layer of ice like flowers.
The purple kunoichi turned her back on her teammates to face the ocean and eased her heart and mind to be in harmony with her element.
"WATER!"
The raven-haired girl's form glowed while she raised up her arms. Two columns of water burst forth from the ripples to mimic her movements. Melody continued moving her arms with fluid grace and the waters surrounding the ship mimicked her moves. Finally, the kunoichi of water threw her hands up in the air and the water shot up before returning to its natural state but the droplets briefly trapped in midair fell upon the ninjas like a light rain.
Amy was once again proud of her little sister.
Not only did she find her true potential but she was starting to mature, thinking with her head more often. This quest was truly a way for the ninja and kunoichi to grow up.
Misako knew this was just one step but even she was impressed.
"Wish I could do that…" Alex said, slightly envious of her sisters' abilities.
"This is just a 'sneak peek' of what you're all capable of," Misako started, "If you remember the scrolls, you'll know that your true potential is merely scratching the surface of your true powers which will be revealed only when they are needed most."
"And when do we come in?" Willow asked.
"You and Leon are a special case," The wise scholar continued, "Like your parents, your powers are unique and your progress will depend on those of the elemental ninjas but like them, your true might will be unleashed in the final battle."
The destined duo weren't sure if they should be looking forward to it or not.
They'll realize the true capabilities of their powers one day but that would mean having to face the Overlord soon after and that was something they didn't want to have to deal with for a long time but time must move forward, even if Willow will be able to control it.
They didn't know if that should be a good thing or not…
It was difficult at first but soon, the revived Serpentine was used to slithering in a physical body once more. Skales revealed his fangs in a smirk. Sure, he was now vulnerable to mortality again but if this means avenging himself, so be it.
"Looks like I'm no longer the last of my kind." Pythor sneered at the revived Hypnobrai.
The blue snake only glared at him and continuing getting used to having a real body again.
The Overlord also wanted to throw off the ninjas by laying low… for now. But that didn't mean he'll be slacking off. There were more nindroids to build and more Serpentine to revive. For the latter, he'll need to gather his strength so it'll take time but the former wasn't that big of a deal with his human goons around.
"You!" The dark lord glared at his human minions, "Make more nindroids!"
The henchmen were exhausted by their master's demanding nature but did as they were told, but not without some grumbling.
"This is all your fault." Clouse hissed at Ash while welding the metal together.
"Hey. You're also gonna get revenge so might as well sit back and enjoy the ride." The inventor shrugged off his cohort.
The skinny man knew he willingly got into this and there was no way out.
At least not until he exacts his own revenge…
The Overlord oversaw his growing army, pleased with the progress they have made ever since he first began to formulate his master plan of vengeance but they don't know everything. Even he kept his own morbid secrets such as the source of his strange new powers he was not above using to recruit these humans to his cause.
But when the time comes, he'll show all his secrets and it'll already be too late by then.
Ninjago will soon fall under him and his growing army…
How's that?
I'm sorry if things have been slow but I want to answer some questions before we get to the next true potential. Also, I wanna say it's getting close to the 2nd anniversary of me joining FanFiction & when I began writing! NinjaWriterMaster, your gift will be up on the 16th so I hope you'll be the first to review, which brings me to one last thing… review please!