Children of Destiny

Just as it's expected, there's some action in this chapter & don't worry. The original ninjas we all know & love will also be involved. There's only a couple more chapters & an epilogue left so bear with me & please enjoy!

Chapter 78: Clash of Swords

The Overlord laughed with sadistic glee at the inner turmoil Leon was going through. Not only that but he can also sense the dark emotions buried deep within the new generations' hearts. He can feel Liana's lingering feeling of not belonging with the group, Kyle's anxiety issues, and even Melody's difficulty trying to find a balance between head and heart.

'I know what you're thinking…' His voice reached all of the ninjas.

'What…? How did you…?' Melody was shocked that he can even read their minds.

'Haven't you forgotten? I control the very laws of this world. Just like all those men before you, I can sense the darkness in your heart…' His answers resonated in all the ninjas' thoughts.

Not only Leon but everyone else struggled in the Overlord's warped mind games. Their parents rushed to help them but the corporeal dark lord tossed them aside like mere dogs and used his newfound powers to hold them down and even take their voices away so they have none to cry or scream while the omnipotent lord subjected their bodies to extreme pain, though it couldn't compare to the anguish of seeing their children struggle while they can do nothing but watch.

The Overlord continued probing into the young ninjas' minds, sensing their darker emotions. All he had to do was make them surrender to their hidden desires and he'll finally be unopposed. Each ninja felt their inner demons emerging through the despot's temptations.

'Your past will never truly leave you.'

'You'll never be able to atone for the things you've done.'

'You will never be accepted as yourself.'

'Give in to the anger deep inside you.'

'You have no choice but to surrender after being a failure of a brother.'

'What the world thinks of you is more important than what you think.'

'Lift the weight from your shoulders and let this wretched world fend for itself for once.'

'You don't need to think with that silly head of yours.'

'Your grandfather died because you failed to live up to your so-called destiny.'

The ninjas tried to resist but the Overlord can also sense their refusal to give in. To make them suffer even more, he inflicted terrible pain all over their bodies which got worse every passing moment and with every increasing rejection. It was even tempting to give in to their wants but seeing the dystopia around them kept them from relenting.

The original ninjas still struggled within the Overlord's grasp. They wanted desperately to stop him from tormenting their children but they can't even scream.

'Leon! You mustn't give in! I know you're stronger than this!' Lloyd mutely pleaded his son.

The new generation continued to struggle from the tyrant's manipulations. Just as when it felt like it was no use, familiar voices spoke to them in their hearts.

'Just like this world… your hearts will always be in a battle of good and evil…'

'…Grandpa…?' Leon recognized the disembodied voice.

The ninjas quickly remembered the old men's sacrifices as well as the hardships that led them to this moment.

'You have overcome your inner demons before and you can do it again. It is in human nature to have both positive and negative thoughts and desires yet balance is most important of all. We have found our balance and we'll always watch over you as you find yours.'

"Never!"

The Overlord glared back at the young ninjas who, by some miracle, overcame his persuasions.

The ninja and kunoichi glared right back at their enemy. They couldn't deny the selfish urges in their hearts and the fear they felt facing the dark lord himself but the only way to conquer their fears and dark secrets was to face them.

"You're right. We have our own dark secrets but we will never surrender to you." Akira glared at the dark lord with fury burning in his eyes.

With the Overlord's anger focusing on their children, the veterans found their chance to break free from his hold.

"NINJA-GO!"

The original ninjas used their Spinjitzu to free themselves from their weakened restraint. They were still going to fight alongside their children, no matter what.

"This is your time!" Lloyd goaded his students, "Ninjago is ready for a new era! You will be the ones who'll start a new age and you will decide how it will turn out!"

"Don't let ANYTHING the Overlord says get to you! He's only going to make you all suffer! Now it's time to end it!" Iris told her children.

"You have prepared your mind and body for years just for this moment! Answer destiny's call! Save this world for the future!" Cole added.

Thanks to their parents' encouragement, the ninjas started to overcome their inner demons.

Just like the world itself, their hearts were a balance of light and dark.

Liana may not fit in with absolutely everyone, Amy can't handle every single responsibility, and Kyle could still carry his fears in his heart. These dark feelings and desires could stay with them for many years but like this world, they needed a balance to keep moving forward.

Leon thought about all he went through just for this moment. This final battle was nothing like his younger self had imagined. He gained as much as he had lost and all his experiences led him to his destiny. He still had his inner dark desires but everyone did. Order and chaos exist within everyone's hearts including his own. Wu and Garmadon became the very balance to maintain a better future but it can only be restored by destroying the Overlord's power, the very thing the First Spinjitzu Master created to provide balance. He looked at his allies and can tell they were also thinking the same thing.

But it's time to leave the past where it belongs and face the future.

And that future will be harkened by the new generation.

Now they knew what it was to truly protect this world and that unlocked their true gifts.

Leon let out a fierce battle cry and his entire body gave off a pure golden glow. The rest of the new generation were caught in the aura and they too forged an even stronger connection with their true power. Their bodies became the very elements they controlled and were surrounded by their own colorful auras. Lloyd felt physically and emotionally healed by the light and quickly recognized their forms as the ones from the prophecies…

"They all found their real potential…!" Aria gasped at the sight of her children's glowing forms.

Just as described in one of the prophecies of the new generation, the ninjas' full powers finally awoken in the world's darkest hour right when they were needed most.

"This world has had enough of you. It's time to fight for our future." Leon charged up his energy for this battle he was destined to fight since the day he was born.

"At least this will be an interesting fight…" The Overlord created a sword blacker than night and began to attack the ninjas.

But there was one thing the ninjas had an advantage of.

Now that the Overlord was corporeal, he can feel true pain and they were ready to inflict it on him as much as possible.

"Water!"

Melody's created a whirlpool that caught the dark lord in its current, leaving him trapped in one place and exposing him to the ninjas' wrath. Caught under the waves, the Overlord felt his own chest burn from the lack of air. Suffering like a puny human was the downside of him gaining a body but it was just a small price to pay for keeping the world in his iron grasp.

The water suddenly drained away yet the dark lord knew something was up.

If only he hadn't underestimated the cons of becoming corporeal…

With the lingering puddles of water, Forrest used it to grow a bunch of vines ensnaring the evil being. To make things worse for him, the vines were completely covered in poisonous thorns. The venom seeped into his body, paralyzing him but also amplifying the pain. But it didn't last for very long upon the plants being hacked to pieces by the Overlord's sword…

…And that led him right into another trap by the ninjas.

Akira and Amy combined their elements to create lava surrounding the evil tyrant. He let out a bloodcurdling scream when the flaming magma hit his flesh, burning him.

"Jää!" Liana sent a freezing gale at the molten earth also amplified by the winds Alex conjured, solidifying it into plain rock once the dark being was trapped underneath.

The silence that followed was more foreboding than relieving.

Just as the ninjas expected, the silence lasted only a few seconds before he broke free with his body intact as if he was never burnt by the substance. His eyes glowed with pure hatred yet the little brats didn't show any fear.

"No matter how hard you try… No matter what you do… You will never destroy me… Say all you want but I will always be a part of this world…"

The ninja and kunoichi still wouldn't back down. They didn't plan to run from their problems or challenges. Wu and Garmadon already paid the price of moving on and they had no intentions to make their sacrifices be in vain.

"You're wrong."

The Overlord snarled at the humans who never seem to quit thwarting him and his plans.

"Say that again… I dare you…"

"You're a part of what Ninjago was. A new age has come and just like Wu and Garmadon, you will also be purged from this world." Iris increased the force of gravity on the Overlord's body to keep him restrained.

The Overlord attacked the younger ninjas with everything he's got, from phantoms to waves of pure darkness. The brutal assault continued without interruption and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't last for long and were finally downed and helpless. They needed some time to recover but their enemy wasn't going to let them have it.

The Overlord had the little brats cornered and raised his sword to sever their heads but before he can swing his blade, he was zapped from seemingly out of nowhere. He quickly turned and faced his attacker. Sayuri stood her ground yet her fear was apparent in her eyes when she was caught under the dark lord's wrathful glare.

"Sayuri! You saved us!" Chris was astonished that his sister could already master the elements.

The youngest Walker child didn't even have time to react to his compliment with the Overlord's wrath focused on her.

However, the evil tyrant lunged at the little girl. But before his sword can finally taste flesh and Sayuri could get out of the way, a rain of needles descended on him. The Overlord's pitch black skin was marred by the sharp metal and blood of the same color leaked from his wounds. Just as suddenly as the agonizing rain occurred, the tiny metal blades were infused with electricity, which was only amplified by the material, making each tiny piece of metal feel like violent bolts of pure lightning burning his whole body.

Not only were the Walker brothers fighting the Overlord but their parents joined in as well. Jay stayed by his sons while Nya swooped in and carried their daughter to safety once their enemy was briefly incapacitated.

The original ninjas also joined in to help their children finish what they've started all those years ago. Despite the excruciating pain, the despot sent out shadowy phantoms to keep the original ninja and kunoichi busy.

Kai spewed flames from his mouth and Jay shot lightning bolts from his hands. The intense light from the plasma elements dissolved the phantoms but not all of them. Being incorporeal, they won't be defeated the same way as the true enemy. Icy stalagmites burst from the cold ground, trapping some of the apparitions. With just a snap of his fingers, Zane shattered the ice with the specters still trapped within, utterly destroying them. Others were worn away by the gales Aria created and some more were caught in Luna's typhoons which quickly evaporated with them.

Leon stared at the Overlord with a cold steely gaze that never faltered.

The green ninja crafted a sword with his light powers mirroring the cruel tyrant's. Their blades met in an intense clash of light and darkness. Either the light flashed brightly and illuminate the room or the whole chamber will be drenched in total darkness. One side didn't overpower the other just like the yin and yang and the balance Wu and Garmadon gave their lives for…

"You always go on about how light and darkness must be 'balanced'. If it really were that way, then we could continue this battle forever." The Overlord sneered at his young adversary.

"We'll see about that…" Leon retorted.

Leon and the Overlord met in another match of the blades.

Now was the young ninja's one final trial to prove him worthy of being the next green ninja…

I can't believe how far this story has come! It's also unbelievable that it's almost over! I want to say thank you to everyone who've been with me since the very beginning! I had times where I wanted to give up but your kindness & support helped me pull through! I hope the real finale coming up won't disappoint so until then, please review!