Children of Destiny
Okay guys… I'm gonna have to warn you that there's going to be some slightly disturbing content since this is something like a wham chapter in this fic. There's going to be some action & drama so hang on to the edge of your seats & enjoy the ride!
Chapter 47: Metamorphosis
Despite it being so late, Aria was still awake, worrying about Kai and for good reason.
It's been hours since he was summoned by Mayor Kobayashi and he never called her even once and even when doing such a small errand, he ALWAYS gave her at least one phone call.
'Kai… where are you…?'
The former kunoichi couldn't help but feel that something was off but can't deduce why…
'Maybe I should go get Kai myself…'
Aria silently thanked the fact that her home was not too far from the mayor's headquarters and opted to walk there… if not for the strange noise coming from the backyard…
With her husband out of her mind, the kunoichi of wind cautiously stepped outside so she can get to the bottom of this mystery. No sooner had she taken a step that the noise happened yet again, this time, close to where she was…
"Who's there!?" The Mediterranean woman felt her heart pounding in her chest and the pit in her stomach deepen. Even beads of sweat soaked her face but there was no way she's running away after all she's been through.
Before Aria can even react, the unknown assailant pinched the back of her neck, rendering her unconscious but before her mind slipped away, the last thing she saw was a clawed hand…
Iris felt a fell wind blow whilst strolling in the monastery's garden and shuddered but Lloyd saw her quivering.
"What's wrong?" Lloyd wrapped his arm around his wife.
"I sense something coming…" She murmured.
"Don't hide any secrets from me…"
"I… That dream I had… It's coming…"
"I won't let that happen. Not as long as I'm here."
"Lloyd, you're too sweet…"
The couple shared a modest kiss before Iris stared at Lloyd with a serious expression that was in a way… sad…
"There's something I must do and I must do it… alone… I'm sorry…"
"What are you talking about? Iris, tell me what's wrong."
Iris only turned and walked away from her husband and out the monastery.
Despite Lloyd's mind telling him to follow her, he couldn't move his body at all to the point he was practically frozen that way for the whole night…
Up in the skies of Ninjago, a certain falcon flew over the lands, scouring for the Serpentine and clues of the Overlord's whereabouts. Haukka refused to halt his quest to search the land far and wide as per Liana's instruction. The ever loyal bird never stopped once to rest his wings until he can find anything that can help the ninjas in the slightest. Haukka's journey led him far from the Bounty and he finally reached the northern reaches of the mainland. In the area known today as the Bone Forest, the solitude surrounding the robot falcon was finally put to an end by slight murmurs deep within the cold woods.
The mechanical animal pointed its optics downwards and eyed an abnormally large snake tail, a telltale sign of a Serpentine.
Haukka swooped down but was careful not to make a lot of sound to spy on the enemies.
The surviving Serpentine slithered with hunched postures towards a cave the intelligent robot deduced to be their hideout.
Acidicus dragged something behind him… close to the size of a human man…
Haukka's optics zoomed in on the object the Venomari was dragging and quickly identified the Serpentine's newest victim.
Kai.
Behind Acidicus were the other Serpentine and they each carried a human hostage too. Haukka scanned the victims' faces and identified them as Aria, Heather, and Iris.
Fangtom in particular complained of having to carry Aria if Acidicus wanted her so badly and it would've made more sense if he carried her while he handled Kai.
"Why do I have to carry Aria!?" The red snake complained.
"Quiet!" Acidicus slapped both of the Fangpyre's heads, "We've been waiting forever for thissss to happen and you expresssssss your gratitude by complaining!?"
"If she'sssss the one you want sssssso badly, then carry her yourssssself!"
"Silence!" Pythor scolded them, "Time is of the essence! We already pulled all the stops to get what we joined the Overlord for so long so stop behaving like a bunch of human babies!"
"Issss it jusssst me or are we being watched?" Skalidor felt a chill going down his long spine.
"Don't be sssssuch a fool!" Acidicus rudely dismissed the Constrictai, "No one even knowsssss we're here!"
Luckily, Haukka took advantage of the moment to fly off before the Serpentine can even tell he was the one spying on them…
The ninja and kunoichi were in the middle of a heated debate, trying to deduce who's the more serious threat, the Serpentine or the nindroids?
"After what happened to Skales, I think the Serpentine should be dealt with first." Alex said.
"But there's the risk of more nindroids being built," Chris pointed out, "If we go after the snakes alone, they could increase their numbers uninterrupted."
"But the real person to worry about is the Overlord. Don't forget, he's the one who's pulling the strings. We need to get rid of the problem at the very source and that's him." Amy added.
"Unfortunately, our biggest problem is finding them before they find us." Liana said.
"And it doesn't help that there's the possibility that he may have also found more humans who have their personal vendettas against our parents." Melody reminded the group of what might even come to pass.
The alarm in the bridge suddenly went off to signal a message from one of the original ninjas.
"What now?" Leon sighed in slight exasperation before opening the message and the image of Zane popped up on the computer's main screen, looking stressed out, which greatly disturbed his children.
"Isä? What happened?" Liana and Forrest quickly grew concerned for their parent's distressed face, which was a VERY rare sight.
"Heather's missing!" Zane wasted no time getting to the point, "I came home from a meeting at the school last night only to find no sign of her!"
"Mitä!? What happened to her!?" Forrest was beyond outraged that his family was harmed.
"Was Mom kidnapped…!?" Liana shared in her brother's sentiment.
"There's more than enough evidence pointing to it. When I got back, much of the house was a wreck, the plants in the garden were overgrown and gnarled, and mostly, I saw claw marks on the floor and walls, marks that can only belong to the Serpentine."
"Those bastards…" The teal ninja snarled.
"I also received a call from Lloyd earlier- "
"What happened!? Did something happen to Mom and Dad!?" Leon and Willow interrupted the ice ninja with a bombardment of frantic question concerning their parents.
"Lloyd called me earlier this morning," Zane started, saying that Iris also went missing after she left the monastery and never came back but added that she displayed unusual behavior before she went missing."
"They got Mom too!?" Leon exploded with anger.
"Did she say anything to Dad!?" Willow practically got onto the screen and shook it until Chris dragged her away.
"I'm just as upset as you are but there's no use in reacting in such a manner. I shall speak with Lloyd a little more of this matter before we'll join you." Zane offered.
"But what about- "
"It's not solely out of my duty as a ninja but because of my desire to keep you and your mother safe. We're responsible for our choices and we'll join up with you in a while."
"…Okay…"
No sooner had Lloyd and Zane joined up with their children had Haukka returned. The robotic bird also wasted little time to reveal all he saw while he was away.
"Enemy location identified." His monotonous voice droned and a hologram of the sights he saw popped up from his optics, "The lair is in the area known as the Bone Forest."
It took everything in the ninjas to not react while the video played since the Serpentine leaders were seen dragging the women and Kai into a cave deep in a barren-looking forest. The veteran ninjas were appalled that the Serpentine would stoop so low as to kidnap their brother as well.
"Those bastards got both Mom AND Dad!" Akira exploded.
"What are the Serpentine planning to do with them!?" Alex was also beyond outraged.
"It's obvious what they want with the kunoichi but even I'm not sure what they want to do with Kai. Nonetheless, we have to get them all out." Lloyd answered.
"Luckily, Haukka identified the location as the Bone Forest, which isn't too far from the Frozen North. I know that place well so I'll guide you once we get there." Zane offered.
"Then show us the way."
The Destiny's Bounty landed at the outskirts of Bone Forest and Haukka flew down the path he took to guide the humans to the Serpentine's cave. The ninjas, Zane, and Lloyd tiptoed towards the entrance of the enemies' lair as stealthily as they could, stopping at the cavern's entrance to plan out a strategy.
"We should rescue Kai and the kunoichi first," Lloyd suggested, "Their safety is our priority for now and if what my uncle said was true, then the Serpentine may easily overpower us."
"Okay, here's the plan," Akira started, "We'll have to be careful but get our parents out as soon as we can but when battle becomes inevitable, we fight."
"Got it." Forrest nodded.
"Then let's go…"
It was no easy task walking through the complex caves without making much noise but stealth was what being a ninja was about and the new generation.
A strange capsule resembling a cocoon was hooked up to a bunch of complex machinery at the back of the chamber, most likely built by the Overlord's human followers.
Inside the cocoon was Kai, who was unconscious.
"Dad!" The Pyrrhus twins rushed up to the capsule and called out to him.
"Dad! It's us! Wake up!" Alex banged on the clear surface of Kai's prison but he didn't budge.
"But where's Mom…?" Akira noticed that only Kai was present in the area.
Meanwhile, the Walker and Julien siblings examined the screen connected to the machine and were horrified when they found out its true purpose. The capsule contained the essence of the Serpentine's genetic makeup and the machine had a set time to infuse any unfortunate victim's body with their DNA, triggering a transformation.
Everyone but Lloyd and Zane failed to notice a strange glow coming from the cocoon…
"Akira! Alex! Get Kai out of there before it's too late!" Lloyd brought the capsule's eerie glow to his students' attention and they were only too eager to obey.
Akira and Alex went to full potential mode and used every ounce of strength in them to break their father's prison, not caring that they gave themselves away to the Serpentine. After seeing what they've done to their family, they now wanted them to come so they can punish them in the worst ways imaginable.
The capsule was engulfed in an inferno powered by fierce gales but the twins were careful not to harm their father, whom they pulled out of the burning heap.
"Dad! Wake up!" The Pyrrhus twins gently shook their father.
"Looks like we got him out just in time…" Melody was relieved to see that Kai didn't suffer any changes to his body.
The original fire ninja finally awoke with a weak groan. His vision slowly cleared until he finally recognized his son and daughter staring at him with concern in their amber eyes.
"Dad! You're alright!" His children clung to him, nearly knocking the wind out of him.
"W-what are you…?" Kai was confused at first but the memories came flooding back.
"Acidicus!"
The still hotheaded ninja jumped up onto his feet, ready for a fight despite his condition.
"Do you think you can fight?" Zane asked, wanting to make sure his brother was physically well.
"Who cares? That four-eyed piece of shit has Aria!" Kai snarled.
"Kai, do you remember anything that happened and how you were kidnapped?" Lloyd inquired.
"I remember seeing the Serpentine dragging some other people to another room before I was trapped here." Kai offered whatever advice he can give.
"Then that's where we're heading!"
"I'll join you!" The original fire ninja vowed to accompany the new generation.
"Can you still fight?" Zane asked.
"Of course! I'm ready to go to hell and back for Aria!"
"The more the merrier!" Lloyd allowed Kai to come along as they delved deeper into the caves.
The ninjas' conversation was interrupted by the echoes of several piercing screams but also the sound of running footsteps heading in their direction.
"Intruders!"
"Exterminate them!"
To the humans' surprise, a few nindroids showed up instead of the Serpentine.
Looks like they learned a thing or too since their deaths…
"Fire!"
Akira and Kai summoned a wall of fire between the humans and robots while those who were caught in the crossfire suffered a painful death.
"Lightning!"
Chris sent a thunderbolt at the diabolical robots, who screamed in agony as the powerful volts of electricity sizzled their gears.
The new generation and veterans teamed up against them and quickly proved to be formidable opponents for the agile nindroids. They
"Mom!"
The group raced to where the echoes of the women's screams reverberated and finally came to another room but there was only one cocoon.
"Oh no! Mom!" Willow cried when she recognized the painful screams coming from within.
"Stand back!" Lloyd stepped up in front of the young ninjas.
The green ninja summoned a concentration of pure energy in front of him that quickly grew to an immense size before the hero of Ninjago aimed it at the capsule incarcerating his spouse. It blew up in a plume of smoke and electricity that obscured the humans' vision
"Iris!" Lloyd could see the silhouette wife's body sprawled out in front of the cocoon's remains and picked her up.
Iris appeared mostly intact…
…until Lloyd saw the slit pupils of her eyes, fangs poking out of her lips, claws at the ends of her fingers, and small patches of pink scales all over her body.
"Iris…!" Lloyd was incredibly distraught by his wife's changes.
"Mom…!" Leon and Willow stared at their mother, shell-shocked by her changed appearance.
"…L-Lloyd…? Why are you…" Iris brought up a hand to reach out to her husband but was taken aback by the claws and scales on her hands.
"…I'm ssssso sssssorry… Lloyd…" The kunoichi of time lowered her head in shame.
"…Why…? …Why didn't you fight this…?" The original green ninja
Iris looked back on her actions that led to her transformation…
Iris was at least a couple of miles from the mountains where the monastery was perched.
Her mind was a tumultuous storm with no silver lining on the clouds.
The kunoichi of time knew that no matter what the ninjas tried to do to prevent her visions from coming true, they did nothing but delay the inevitable and it started to discourage her.
'Is there nothing that can be done to halt these events?'
A small part of Iris' psyche scolded her for not trying to do anything but after having witnessed so many events in her prophecies coming true despite the ninjas' best efforts, she started feeling disillusioned and began to see her powers as a curse. Another part tried to make her remember all the trials and tribulations she went through in her youth to save Ninjago but it was a game of tug-of-war in her head and no side was winning.
Why see into the future if there's nothing she can do about it?
But is it right to just stand back and let it all happen?
Or could there be…?
'Lloyd… I'm so sorry…' Iris had
"What's fine lady like yourself doing out alone in such an hour?" A sickeningly smooth voice that seemingly came from nowhere asked her.
A slithering sound reached Iris' ears and the owner of the voice slowly undid his invisibility and it was no surprise for Iris to discover his identity.
"Pythor…" The Russian woman greeted the Anacondrai coldly.
"Humans have such strange habits and even such a fair maiden like you is no exception." Pythor stared deep into her soul with his glowing magenta eyes.
"I know what you want with me." Iris said bitterly.
"Will you finally comply?"
The kunoichi of time just wanted fate to get things over with but she was still far from willing to cooperate with her worst enemy.
"I'm not even going to bother… it's not worth it…" Iris gritted her teeth and turned away.
Unseen by the (currently) human female, Pythor flashed a malicious smile and slithered with an unnatural speed and covered Iris' mouth before she can react. He noticed she didn't struggle as much as he thought she would but that made it all the easier for him. He bore his fangs and bit down hard into her neck. The shared venom of the Serpentine quickly did its work and the world spun before the former kunoichi's eyes.
"I thank you for your cooperation…" Those were the last words Iris heard before the world faded around her…
Lloyd and Iris were oblivious of the battle raging on around them and all the green ninja heard was the reasons his wife was so gloomy lately and eventually left herself to a cruel fate.
"Iris why? Why would you give up after all we've went through?" Lloyd asked her the moment he regained his voice.
"I wassss being sssso foolish… The nightmaressss I've been having were causssssing sssso much ssssstressssssss… I caved in…"
"But why didn't you tell me? There's nothing good out of concealing your true thoughts." Lloyd asked, distraught that his wife was so discouraged and hid it from him.
"Thissss isssss all my fault…" Iris sighed, "I just saw no point in fighting against fate anymore… I didn't know what to do… I'm sssssorry…"
"It's not your fault and I'll find a way to change you back! I promise!" Lloyd grasped her clawed scaly hands in his own soft human ones to affirm his undying loyalty to her, even in her partially transformed state.
"But what about OUR moms!?" Akira exclaimed.
"Of course we haven't forgotten about them!" Kyle barely managed to respond before plunging one of the Steel Kunai right into an unfortunate nindroid's face.
The ninja and kunoichi didn't have to split up since the cavern had only one path but that didn't make things much easier for them since the nindroids won't stop coming. The caverns seemed to have no end but the humans saw an eerie glow at the end of the tunnel and finally found the ones they were looking for.
The cocoons glowed but the ninjas can hear the struggles of the women still trapped inside.
"NINJA-GO!"
The whole group called upon their elements to free Heather and Aria and take out any nindroid unfortunate enough to get caught in the crossfire. The machines controlling the capsules were finally demolished and the cocoons were burst open from the ninjas' efforts. The incarcerated women fell out of their former prisons but the smoke obscured the ninjas' vision until it finally cleared but instead of rushing to them, the ninjas can only recoil in extreme shock.
Unfortunately, Aria and Heather weren't as lucky as Kai or even Iris.
While Iris was still mostly human, the women had scales all over themselves. Aria's scales were orange while Heather's body was entirely teal but the worst part were there legs, or what was left of them. From the waist down and sprawled out behind them were orange and teal snake tails much longer than a reclining human.
"We're… too late…" Alex fell to her knees, angry at herself more than she was at the Serpentine for failing to save her mother.
"Mom…!" Forrest was beyond shocked to see his mother transformed into the very creature he utterly despised.
Liana didn't know what to say or even think seeing her as a snake.
Akira let out a furious roar and punched the stone walls with his flaming fists, not even wanting to comprehend the fact that he failed to protect even one member of his family.
Heather and Aria woke up and screamed at the sight of their new bodies.
Zane tried to comfort his wife but she can't bring herself to accept it in her Serpentine form.
"No Zane…" Heather recoiled and her tail curled around her like a barrier, "Don't… don't come any clossssser… I'm… disssssgussssting… aren't I…?"
Zane's heart broke hearing his wife call herself a disgusting creature. She may have changed in looks but she was still the same Heather deep down much like how he's still himself even after becoming human yet she wouldn't believe such a thing for herself.
"Heather… how can you say that about yourself?" He still tried to reach out to her, "You always saw me for who I am and loved me for that and my feelings are the same. You may be a snake on the outside but you're still you."
"I… want to keep believing that for mysssself but now that I've changed… I…"
"Heather, look at me."
The former kunoichi felt her husband's hand tilt her chin so she can look into his eyes and those ice blue orbs still radiated with pure kindness.
"I still love you for who you are and I always have. I love you because of your heart and nothing can change that, not even your physical state now."
"Zane…"
Kai also tried to approach his wife but was also met with resistance.
"Don't look at me!" Aria hissed at her family, "I'm… I'm a monsssster…"
"Mom…" Akira and Alex were torn by their mother's anguish.
"Sssstay back… I don't want to hurt you…"
"Aria, you're not going to hurt us!" The fire ninja still attempted to reach out to her.
"But- "
"I don't care!" Kai wrapped his arms tightly around her, "I don't care what you look like or how you even talk! You're still the same Aria I know and love deep down! I won't leave you!"
While the couples had their moments, the ninjas were finding themselves outnumbered…
"Guys, I REALLY don't want to interrupt the family moments but we've got company!" Melody pointed at the nindroid underlings and the Serpentine who found them.
Skalidor and Acidicus were pleased to see that their chosen mates have been transformed but not too happy to see the ninjas taking them away right after.
"Get them!"
"We have to leave now!" Leon goaded the team to move.
Kai reached his hand out to his wife but she rebuffed him.
"Leave me!" Aria refused to budge, "I'm a Ssssserpentine… We're… enemiesssss now…"
"No! You're still my wife and I'm getting you outta here!" Kai lifted his wife despite her protests and not caring that she was a snake and ran off, her tail dragging a couple of feet beside him.
Zane followed his brother's example and carried his spouse out of the Serpentine's base despite her hisses of protests.
The new generation held back the Serpentine and nindroids and it was a good thing the former were still stuck in the caves, making transforming into stronger forms like Skales had done will make things worse for them. Once the humans saw the entrance of the cave, they ran straight for the Destiny's Bounty and prepared to take off before the Serpentine can change.
"Full speed ahead! Move it!" Amy urged Chris to activate the turbines of the Bounty on full max the moment they got on.
"Don't need to tell me twice!" The lightning ninja switched on the engines at full throttle.
The ship's engines roared to life and the vessel lifted off before the snakes and robots emerged from the caves.
Though they got away, the ninjas' problems were still far from over.
With no Serpentine and nindroids to get in the way, the ninja and kunoichi finally saw the true extent of the women's transformations.
"This is inarguably the most heinous thing the Serpentine have ever done." Misako expressed sympathy for the changed kunoichi as well as anger towards the snakes.
"Willow, can't you use your time powers to change them back?" Forrest pleaded the youngest kunoichi to cure his mother and the other victims.
"I-I'll try…"
Willow's eyes glowed entirely white and the original kunoichi were caught in her glow. Getting caught in her aura, the wounds the ninjas received were reversed but when the light faded…
Willow's powers didn't work at all and the veteran kunoichi haven't changed one bit.
"What's going on? My powers always work but something's wrong!" She panicked.
"Calm down. You still have much to learn so I won't blame you. You did what you could." Lloyd consoled her and turned to his wife, "Iris, why don't you try?"
The veteran kunoichi was hesitant but decided to give her effort to reverse the transformation. She called upon her unique powers to undo her changes but like her daughter, she too was met with no results.
"I don't get it…" Leon stared in shock, "You can turn back time but didn't it work?"
Iris tried again and again but all of her efforts were in vain.
"Iris, that's enough. I don't want you exhausting yourself." Lloyd finally stopped her.
"But what are we going to do?" Heather asked.
"We'll still find a way to change you back. You're still who our wives and we'll never leave your side, not even if you're snakes now." Zane held his wife's clawed hands.
"We might be able to gather the other ninjas and we'll find a way. Trust us." Kai added.
"…I'll try…" Aria was unsure but she knew her husband was sincere.
Misako knew the couples needed a moment and calmly shooed her students away before she also left them alone.
Changes always happen in everyone's lives, both good and bad but this was obviously a case of the latter and this may be the first of many challenges heading for them…
Looks like the Serpentine have finally succeeded in getting their queens. Too bad the ninjas still have something to say about that. I know this is very similar to episode 42 in the canon series but I seriously thought of doing this in my fic before I even saw the episode so the striking similarities are unintentional.
Anyway, what do you guys think?
Tell me in your reviews!