Children of Destiny
Hey guys! First thing you want to do is strap yourselves in because there's gonna be a HUGE twist in this chapter, which is to be expected in the finale to this wild roller coaster of a story! Get ready for the twist & enjoy!
Chapter 75: Pulling the Strings
The ninjas and their predecessors scoured the entire national museum but they weren't on any field trip. The fate of Ninjago may very well rest on whatever it is the Overlord was looking for.
While everyone else was busy, Haruka snuck off. Lloyd did notice but understood that the only parent he had left needed some time to cope with what happened to Garmadon. It was never easy losing a family member and everyone had their own way of dealing with loss. He wanted to mourn his father just like her and wanted to help her…
"Should we follow her…?" He asked his elders.
"Let's approach cautiously. She may need support but we must also respect her personal space and not become too intrusive." Wu joined his nephew along with Misako.
The ninjas noticed them leaving but continued pouring their efforts in their search. They knew from experience that not all of them were meant to be in one place all the time. Haruka needed her son while the world needed the ninjas.
Haruka sat near the entrance of the museum with her head in her hands. Lloyd can tell she was crying by the way her shoulders shook. He can tell his mother spent many nights mourning over the cruelties of fate. She suffered as much as he had and wanted her to know she wasn't alone.
"Haruka…" Misako gently grasped her childhood friend's shoulder but the grieving old woman flinched from her touch.
"…Leave me…" Haruka curled up even more, as if trying to get away from the scholar.
"I know this is difficult to take in. Garmadon's true fate is still uncertain at the moment but he wouldn't want us to grieve forever. His reasons for leaving will become clear one day, just like how destiny works in the strangest ways." Wu also tried to placate her.
"Indeed it does…" She said bitterly.
"Mother, I'm still not good with this sort of stuff but we can't cry and mope over what already happened. Not even Iris can change the past and it's our choice to either move on or be stuck in one place while letting the river of time flow on without you. I'm also upset but moping won't bring Father back." Lloyd said.
Haruka was aware that all her years of moping since Garmadon's fall years ago done nothing to ease her soul but it was all she could think of. If destiny had planned for greater things for her family, then it certainly had a very perverse way of showing it.
"It's time to move on. Father would've wanted us to continue going forward. Not everyone you love can be with you forever. Where do you plan to go from here?" Lloyd still pleaded.
His mother still didn't answer, not knowing what to do.
"We know it takes time to get over such tumultuous events in our lives but your son is right. We can't dwell in the past but what we can do is learn from our experiences to build a better future for future generations. Whether or not my brother foresaw these events, he chose his path and you'll have to make your choice." Wu goaded her.
Haruka knew that a part of her wanted nothing more than to respect her husband's wishes and lead a life different from his yet another part of her lingered in the past.
"If I come along, then please… help me find the way…" Haruka held her son for support.
Lloyd shushed and soothed his mother until she was finally out of tears to shed. After years of absence in each other's lives, they now only had each other in these difficult times…
The small group returned only to find the ninjas still scouring the whole museum. Despite being a large building, the ninjas looked through it at least twice by the time Lloyd returned and they STILL haven't found anything the slightest bit significant.
"Did you find anything?" Wu looked at his former pupils and their children for answers.
"Nothing here." Chris groaned in exasperation after looking for anything below an old vase.
"It looks like the rumors are just that: rumors. I'm sorry for wasting time." Misako apologized.
"What matters is that you did what you could." Lloyd consoled the museum's former employee.
"But where else can we go? This thing the First Spinjitzu Master is hiding could be anywhere. If possible, it could even be something intangible and nothing like we imagined." Chris groaned.
"Zane?" Heather noticed her husband staring at the wall at the far end of the exhibit displaying artifacts from the earliest days of Ninjago.
"I sense something on the other side…" Zane pressed his ear against the wall.
"Let me see…" Cole felt the plaster for anything unusual.
The vibrations coming off the center of the wall felt stronger… or the material was weaker and thinner on that one area... or if there was a secret this museum was hiding…
Without hesitation, the earth ninja punched right through the wall and the material crumbled in an instant. Just as the former ninja predicted, the wall was thin and was obliterated with one simple move while also holding back on his true might.
"Dad! You did it!" Amy and Melody were awed and proud to have such a strong father.
Even before the room received any sufficient lighting, they can see a large object concealed in a big dusty sheet. Cole swiftly threw off the large cloth covering whatever it was hiding, sending clouds of dust everywhere. Once the group cleared the room as well as their throats and lungs, gasps escaped from their lips.
Very few images of the First Spinjitzu Master have survived the turbulent flow of time but there was a statue of the creator of Ninjago standing before them but that wasn't the only thing that caught the ninjas' attention.
Once Kai and Akira summoned fireballs in their hands, the ninjas can finally see the old marvels dating back to Ninjago's very beginnings.
Other than the wall's remains, there was no plaster, exposing the natural rock formation of the hidden chamber. Archaic symbols and words of a language long forgotten were carved straight into the natural material. Because the room was hidden for so long, almost everything in it was in the state it had been since the last time anyone had seen it for themselves.
"I would've never thought those rumors even had merit…!" Misako was also awestruck by the new discovery.
"Guess we still learn something new every day." Jay too was amazed by the discovery.
The ninjas examined the ancient writings but it wasn't in a language any of them understood.
"Can any of you figure out what they mean?" Nya stared at the old text but couldn't decipher it.
"I'll handle this." Misako examined the slightly eroded words and looked through the notes she took during her travels.
"From what I can make of them, these words are actually telling us what to do." She confirmed after translating the words with her knowledge of the old language.
"Then tell us."
"In the darkest hour, when doom draws near, the elements will rise for destiny to see and hear. The answer is within sight yet remains unseen, for dream and reality is separated by but a tiny seam. Only when they unite will the balance be brought alight." The intelligent woman recited the translations in her notes.
The ninjas tried to decipher the cryptic verses but to them, it was just a bunch of rhymes. Their parents also attempted to interpret the ancient texts. They tried to think of them as metaphors but even then, it was difficult coming up with a clear idea what they were saying.
"Uniting dream and reality… Seems almost too good to be true…" Heather muttered.
"Who knows? We've seen some pretty weird shit since the beginning." Jay responded.
"I can't help but feel that this isn't all this room has to offer…" Iris said.
"Are you sensing something?" Willow looked up to her mother for answers.
"There's still more secrets yet to be discovered. This room is hiding something." She continued.
"Do you think the statue is hiding something?" Melody suggested.
"Looks like we have to find out for ourselves…" Leon answered.
All the ninjas could find that could be manipulated in any way was the staff but they still had no idea if it could work…
"Maybe this is some sort of lever?" Liana tried pushing it up and down but it wouldn't budge.
"Let me try." Leon stepped forward and grasped it.
The staff glowed the moment the green ninja touched it and strange groan echoed from within the statue. The statue seemed to recognize Leon's lineage and sank into the ground, revealing more secrets of the First Spinjitzu Master for his descendant to explore.
The ninjas shook off their astonishment and readied themselves for whatever lies in wait.
"Mother… do you think you can continue…?" Lloyd looked at his surviving parent with concern.
Haruka mutely sobbed during the whole search and was still hesitant to follow. She too desired peace and harmony but it just wasn't worth it if her family was separated forever.
"I know things are rough now but I know you can get through this. You've already gone through a lot so I'm sure you'll be able to eventually move on."
"The answers you seek will reveal themselves eventually." Wu tried to encourage her.
"Until then, we're here to support you." Misako reassured the green-eyed woman.
Though Haruka accepted her son's offer, he can tell she still had her reservations but he didn't blame her. He understood how she felt and sought to support her as family and he was the only one she had left.
The ninjas trekked down the winding downward path. They were still awed by the discoveries and new mysteries the world had yet to offer.
"Sensei, has it ever crossed your mind that there were some things your father never told you and Garmadon before the Overlord gave any hints to his secrets?" Zane asked Wu.
"I actually did consider the possibility in my youth but as such, my mind didn't fully mature, not even by the time I dismissed those chances." The wise old man answered with slight regret.
"I know what it's like," Kai defended his former teacher, "I also thought all those stories of the First Spinjitzu Master and the Serpentine were just fiction but I've been proven wrong. None of us can know the whole truth and your dad had his reasons to keep his secrets with him until the very end."
"What reason could there be?" His wife retorted.
"I'm not sure how to say it but if we know absolutely everything from the get-go, it feels kind of hollow and we don't really get a chance to grow up and find the answer for ourselves. How can we be ninjas if we never got to endure any hardships or discover the truth on our own? Perhaps the First Spinjitzu Master did this as a test to see if we can endure." The fire ninja answered.
"I suppose he did." Wu agreed.
No matter how old one gets, there's always something to learn.
The ninja and kunoichi who've fought alongside the ninja turned blacksmith were impressed by how insightful their hot-blooded brother had become but he wasn't the only one who matured through his ordeals as a ninja and a parent. They learned from their many ordeals and the once wide-eyed, naïve adolescents were now wise adults.
The group continued down the path and while their patience wore thin, they knew not to give up just yet. A lot was at stake and there was no turning back.
Finally, the long stairway had ended and like the one found below the Temple of Light, another secret altar stood before the ninja and kunoichi.
The wall displayed a mural with eight symbols representing the elements and standing between it and the ninjas was a small slightly raised pedestal. On the ceiling were old pictures portraying the ninjas' adventures, from the original ninjas finding each other and sealing the Overlord, to them starting their own families, and then their children succeeding them. The first generation felt a wave of nostalgia, having seen something similar in the Temple of Light.
"That's it?" Leon was slightly disappointed by the seemingly plain display.
"The writings said that the truth is right under our noses. There's a thin line separating dreams from reality. There is more than meets the eye." Misako warned him.
"What about our powers?" Alex suggested, "The old texts also mentioned them so what if we try and use them to merge dream and reality?"
"Is that even possible?" Kyle looked at his cousin as if she had gone insane.
"I have seen a lot in my lifetime. Just give Alex's theory a chance." Wu sided with the kunoichi of wind.
"Here goes nothing…"
The young ninjas unleashed their true potential, illuminating the whole chamber in the process. The elemental symbols before them also glowed in their corresponding colors as if seeing them worthy of discovering the deepest secrets of Ninjago's creator. As if sensing the ninjas worthy of uncovering its secrets, the whole room itself appeared to give forth a warm light, illuminating the whole space. The pedestal rose upward, uncovering a mass of pure golden energy. The First Spinjitzu Master's relatives felt a familiar aura coming from it but can tell that its powers could very well surpass their own.
"Could this be what the First Spinjitzu Master was hiding all this time?" Luna gasped.
"But what I'm curious about is how it could help us…" Aria added.
The ninjas cautiously approached the platform, prepared for anything that could happen.
The room suddenly felt ominously cold to Iris and she quickly realized there was an intruder…
"It's him!" The kunoichi of time cried out but the room turned dark just as quickly.
Amidst the darkness, evil chuckles echoed across the abyss.
"You've done quite well." An eerie voice echoed, sending chills down the ninjas' spines.
"You!" Lloyd charged up his green ninja powers, recognizing the voice.
"You're still a bunch of idiots. You've led me right where I want to be so that means I should be thanking you too." The Overlord taunted them.
"So you were…!?"
"I've been following you this whole time! This is exactly what I wanted!"
"I can't believe it…" Liana collapsed, shocked by the revelation that they've unwittingly led the Overlord right where he wanted to be.
Both generations of ninjas tried to find the Overlord but it was too late.
The room was suddenly lit up but it wasn't caused by Lloyd, Kai, or their sons.
Much to the ninjas' horror, the Overlord had a physical body and greater powers that surpassed his prowess during his first battle against Lloyd. Surrounded in black armor and a cape made of a material reminiscent of Dark Matter, the dark lord was corporeal once more, ready to resume his evil designs. With the hidden power absorbed, he now had the power of omnipotence.
"What have you done!?" Misako gasped in terror.
"This power… I can feel it rushing throughout my body… nourishing me… and it's all mine!" The Overlord gloated.
"What are you talking about!?" Forrest snarled.
"This is what kept the so-called balance in Ninjago! Whoever wields it will have full control over the world! At last, I am all-powerful! Nothing can stop me!"
"I won't let you!"
Leon summoned his powers and hurled a beam of green energy at the dark lord but the brilliant light dissolved in mere seconds.
"It's a shame that there's no time to express my gratitude… so I won't."
"You'll never get away with this!" Cole's anger was so fierce the ground shook but the Overlord floated to spare himself from the earth ninja's fury.
"Also, I won't be needing him anymore! After all, some of you are just dying to see him!" A dark vortex appeared through the Overlord's sheer willpower alone and a familiar person fell from it but never woke up. However, their loved ones recognized them in a heartbeat.
"Garmadon!"
"Father!"
Haruka and Lloyd rushed to the battered man's side. Garmadon was extremely weak and barely conscious but all that mattered for now was that he was alive.
"Why are you still doing this!?" Willow cried.
"That fool thought he could give you a better life by separating himself from you. How sweet… IT MAKES ME WANT TO PUKE!"
The dark shockwave resonated from the Overlord, sending the ninjas flying. They were beyond pissed at him for using them but knowing they were now nothing more than insects compared to him added insult to already large injuries.
"Now I can take over Ninjago and I owe it all to you!" The Overlord in his restored physical form cackled and taunted the ninjas for walking straight into his trap.
"Damn you!" Lloyd wanted to go after him but reluctantly refused.
With his cackles still echoing in the lair, the Overlord's body faded away, leaving the ninjas stuck in the chamber with nothing but guilt over their role in leading him where he wanted.
With the way things are now, the ninjas don't stand a chance.
The only thing that can save Ninjago now was a miracle…
Did you really think I would let the ninjas have it easy in the finale battle? Of course I won't… just because I can! ;)
But enough about that. There's still a bunch of stuff that's going to happen & the ninjas will have to face the biggest challenge ever. If you want to know how it'll end, stick around to find out. Also, my poll won't be open for much longer so this could be your last chance to vote & while you're at it, reviews will be highly appreciated!