Children of Destiny
Here it is, folks! This is the last chapter of the year where we'll explore more into Garmadon's decision to become evil again. Unfortunately, this is a short chapter but please bear with me for today & I hope you'll enjoy it.
Chapter 57: Expect the Unexpected
Liana and Forrest were finally able to fully repair Haukka and the falcon was up and flying as if nothing happened to him before.
"Haukka, do you remember the route you took to the Overlord's hideout?"
The robotic bird flapped his wings and hovered towards the northeast.
"Alright buddy, we're counting on you so don't forget the way." Forrest said to his companion, who cawed in response and flew ahead of the Bounty while also making sure not to fly too fast.
The Destiny's Bounty followed Haukka's route to where he saw the unknown person, having no other option but to trust the robotic creature's AI. It felt like hours before the crew recognized the plain landscape from Haukka's vision and the mechanical animal too kept squawking as if he wanted to speak to the ninjas.
It looks like the ninjas were right where they were supposed to be…
"Directions match." Haukka said in his monotonous voice, confirming this is where he spied on the Overlord's lackeys and the mysterious person.
"Looks like this is it…" A part of Leon felt nervous but another part of him was pumped.
"Knowing those guys, they'll probably want to pick a fight with us so get ready." Akira warned the team while performing some experimental swipes with the Sword of Flames.
"Got it." Kyle nodded, subconsciously gripping the Steel Kunai.
The ninja and kunoichi got their weapons ready and were prepared for a confrontation with the Overlord and his forces and rescue Garmadon but there was one catch…
…There was nothing.
It was just a barren wasteland with no signs of human inhabitance. The only thing that gave the motley crew company was the desolate sound of the wind howling.
"Are you sure Haukka was fully repaired or did you half-ass it?" Chris raised an eyebrow at the supposedly tech-savvy Julien siblings.
"What are you implying?" Liana asked darkly.
"That blow Haukka took could've messed up his memories and you didn't wholly fix him so he actually made some mistakes along the way."
"There's nothing wrong with him!" Forrest snapped at the eldest ninja.
"He's right…" Willow saw flashbacks of the footage literally flash before her eyes, "I remember seeing this in that video… this is the same place…"
"Are you sure?" Alex raised an eyebrow, still skeptical of the youngest kunoichi.
"Everything matches up… the ruins… the empty plains…" She continued.
"If it's the same place, then why isn't the Overlord coming to get us?" Kyle pondered.
"This is exactly what Forrest was concerned about the other day," Melody pointed out, "Even if we're right in front of him, the Overlord knows what we're expecting and won't give that to us. I don't know about you guys but I think he's trying to mess with us."
"Knowing what the Overlord had done to Garmadon all those years ago, it's not surprising if he is hiding just to toy with our minds…" Misako agreed.
"Then what can we do?" Forrest started to run out of patience.
"We can't afford to give that creep what he wants but we can't leave Grandpa…" Leon replied.
"In any case, there's no reason for us to linger here… for now… Let's head back and think up of another plan to search for Garmadon." Misako suggested.
"But there's still the possibility of coming back, isn't there?" Akira suggested.
"One of the powers the Overlord absorbed from his seal was Iris' power over time and space. In some way, he could bend reality or got his hands on technology far more advanced than ours, much more advanced than practically possible through unnatural means…" Misako theorized.
"What are you saying, Sensei…?"
"Wherever he's hiding… he can change its location."
"H-h-how does that even work!?"
"I'm not saying it's true but there's a reason why the powers of darkness can easily tempt even the most strong-willed of men…"
Leon and Willow grew solemn, knowing what Garmadon and Lloyd were like before…
"The darkness could very well be more powerful than the forces of light right now and with the Overlord on the loose, it's only natural that he gathered the zealots he already has."
"So now what?"
"We'll continue our search but we can't keep dawdling. Every last minute is precious and could tip the scale. We must hurry."
The ninjas followed Misako back to the Bounty to figure out their next move and hopefully, it'll be soon…
As part of his return to the dark side, Garmadon had a change in wardrobe. He cast aside his old robes for a pitch black outfit with dark armor similar to the one he wore as a four-armed lord of darkness. He almost felt like a different person but this agent of evil was the very same person. He was back to being Lord Garmadon though he was a lord only in name because the Overlord was still the one behind everything. He only took back the nefarious moniker because that was the name he associated with his dark past and that version of him was back.
Even if he restored the kunoichi back to their original bodies, that one final act of benevolence will never be enough redeem him, not after betraying his family after all they've been through to save everyone in Ninjago, including him.
Garmadon could hear the Serpentine hiss quietly amongst themselves, no doubt plotting to get back at him for ruining their chances of having queens. Right now, they were only obeying the Overlord so they won't be offed as gruesomely as Skales but they were definitely planning their revenge on the 'new guy'.
'But not if I get to them first…' Garmadon thought darkly.
It won't be long before Garmadon is no longer himself and becomes nothing but the Overlord's pawn. He had so many regrets and it was for the better to bear it all alone. It wasn't fair to drag his loved ones into his own problems and after all he's done, he didn't really deserve to live an idyllic life with them. This is now the only place he belongs and he had already made his choice long ago…
Yet another meeting was held in the monastery between the original ninjas. To say everybody was shocked by the sudden restoration of the kunoichi would be an understatement but their condition wasn't the only reason they gathered at the green ninja's abode.
"I'm still confused," Jay complained, "There's no known cure of Serpentine DNA mingling with a human's yet you're completely cured. Something's not adding up here…"
"But what concerns me the most is that Garmadon may have returned to the Overlord." Sensei Wu spoke clearly to get everyone's attention back to the real point of coming here.
"Garmadon didn't specifically return to the Overlord," Aria tried to bring up some more logical possibilities, "Maybe he's on his own personal quest?"
"But if he wanted to go on some soul-searching journey, then he would've done it a long time ago. With the Overlord's return, I don't think this is some coincidental timing of his departure."
"This is a classic case of 'beware the nice ones'. Garmadon must've been suffering all alone for such a long time but hid it from all of us… I feel like such a fool for not seeing it." Luna added.
"None of us did." Cole corrected her.
"But why would he do that? Even when he was evil, all he truly wanted was for Lloyd to be safe and he'll only put not only his life but his family in jeopardy and that's pretty much the opposite of what he wants so why would he go through with it?" Heather grew much more confused by the minute and it frustrated her along with everyone else.
"He may have other reasons… Reasons he never revealed to any of us for a long time."
Iris stared at her now human hands and felt the pangs of guilt tugging at her heart. Garmadon may have been struggling alone but what if the kunoichi's transformations would bring up such an opportunity for him to leave…?
"Do you think we may have something to do with Garmadon's decision?" The former kunoichi of time suddenly spoke up, addressing the other women who were changed.
"What does Garmadon have to do with the Serpentine?" Kai turned to her for answers.
"If there's anyone who knew how to reverse the Serpentine DNA, it would be none other than the Serpentine themselves and they're with the Overlord. If Garmadon knew of our previous… condition… then he would've brought it up and…" The violet-eyed woman began to falter, not wishing to preoccupy her mind with such a dark scenario.
"It's… our fault…!" Heather started shaking and not even Zane's supportive grip can halt her.
"You are not to blame," Haruka shook her head, "The Serpentine and to an extent, the Overlord sparked the events that led to my husband's decision to leave so if there's anyone responsible for manipulating the hands of fate, it's them."
"But…"
"What's been done can't be undone." Wu spoke up sternly.
"Do you think the kids know about this?" Kai finally asked.
"Willow still has her powers but as for the others, I have no idea. We should still check on them just in case." Cole answered.
"But they could be busy with their own agenda." Nya tried reasoning
"We can't afford to wait any longer. The Overlord is now completely deadset on his ambitions becoming reality and we can't lose sight of him." Lloyd warned her.
"And it doesn't matter whether they know or not. They must understand what lies ahead and it is our duty as their predecessors to prepare them for their fate." His wife added.
"We understand…"
"Shit! Just when we thought we finally found the Overlord…" Chris couldn't help but feel like a moron for assuming this was going to be the ninjas' final confrontation with the true enemy.
"He's the lord of all evil? You really think we'd find him so easily?" Forrest retorted.
"This isn't the time to fight. The more we argue, the more time we'll lose to rescue Garmadon." Amy quelled the argument.
"But we still have no clue and that leaves us back in square one!" Akira complained.
"Do you think Mom will tell Dad about the dream with Garmadon?" Willow asked her brother.
"Knowing her, she would've told him by now and the adults are probably coming up with a way to save him… if possible…" Leon was also tense thinking how their parents would react.
As if the green ninja's timing couldn't be more perfect, the main computer displayed a familiar face belonging to a certain hero of a past generation.
"D-Daddy…!?" Willow was bewildered by his sudden appearance.
Next to Lloyd was Wu, who looked like he had something VERY important to say.
"Forgive us for the inconvenient timing but we have a very important reason to contact you."
"What is it?"
"Knowing Willow and Iris' powers, you should probably know by now." The old sage answered cryptically but everyone knew what he really meant.
"What about Mom? How is she?"
"I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me." Iris showed up next to her husband not as some half-snake creature but as a full human.
"M-Mom…!? H-h-how did you…"
"We're confused too and we have a hunch our sudden transformation might have something to do with Garmadon's sudden disappearance…"
"How?"
"Children, your grandfather spent most of his life corrupted by evil and when one has lived only in the darkness for so long, it's not easy for them to change so quickly." Sensei Wu started.
"But what about you, Dad? Weren't you infused with the Great Devourer's venom even before you were born?" Willow pointed out.
"True, but the venom was dormant and only awoken when… I lashed out at Pythor… It's more than likely because I wasn't entirely affected by it as long as my father…"
"And what does that have to do with the Serpentine?"
"Your mothers' conditions may have been a ruse for him to rejoin the Overlord. They wouldn't side with him, not even with different bodies but Garmadon was willing to join him and might have even used them as an ultimatum. What better way for the Overlord to dispose of women who want nothing to do with him for a fully willing disciple?" Wu explained.
The women who used to be Serpentine looked guilty but no one blamed them. After all, it was the Overlord who created this domino effect.
"So, did you find any new information?" Lloyd finally asked his students.
"Haukka found some footage but when we arrived at the location, there was nothing. I thought it was impossible but I fear that the Overlord now has powers and technology far ahead of ours. With the scales off balance, the possibility might not be too far off." Misako warned them.
"The Overlord knows us enough to predict what course of action we'll take and we can't let him have that victory… Another problem is that Garmadon will also know and will no doubt, reveal our plans even before we act upon them."
"Then what can we do!?" Akira grew impatient, "Do the opposite of what we would've done!?"
Unwittingly, the hot-blooded ninja may have found the solution…
"Akira! You're a genius!" His sister exclaimed, much to his shock.
"W-what did I do!?" Poor Akira was still confused.
"You said it yourself! The Overlord expects us to attack but because that's what he wants from us, we're not giving that to him! You do belong with us!" Liana also praised him.
"Even the simplest of actions can yield the best results." Lloyd agreed.
"So if we want to stop the Overlord, then all we have to do is lay low." Amy suggested.
"Yes, but we can't dawdle forever. We still have to find Garmadon." Misako reminded them.
"Yeah…"
"And don't think you're doing it alone," Jay added, "We got your back on this. No one can do it all alone and you can count on us to support you all the way."
"Are you sure you'll be fine?" The ninjas were still concerned if their aging parents will be able to fight like they used to.
"Don't worry about us. We each have our own goals." Kai responded.
"Until we meet again, please be careful out there." Iris gave her children her blessings.
"We promise." Leon and Willow obeyed.
"We will all wish for your success." With that, the communication ended.
The ninjas knew the road ahead will only become harder but they've come too far to turn back now. They had to find Garmadon and restore the balance once and for all.
But they'll have to wait until the time is right to strike…
Again, I'm SO sorry this chapter was short!
I've been busy with real life stuff & I've been playing Undertale & as much as I hate jumping on the hype train, it's even greater than I expected! Before I go, I want to thank everyone who've read and reviewed this story. It means a lot to me. Also, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas & wish you a Happy New Year!