"My child! Why haven't you packed your things!"

The large, booming voice of a nearby female drew The Jade Princess, Harumi, to attention, as her adoptive mother walked in, carrying a variety of boxes and bags, along with 9 or 10 servants of the castle, including Hutchens. Harumi hated every single one of them. The servants were nobodies who flooded the ranks of her family's reign, attempting to seize power. Hutchens was a brute, who cared little for the family itself, rather to keep them safe so he did not face scrutiny. And The Empress…

Harumi set off night after night, seeing the horrible job both of her adoptive family had done. People lined the streets, all waiting for a chance to be fed, but getting nothing from either of them. They stood in their ivory palace of shame, acting only when their existence was called into question. She knew her true family, her deceased parents, would have hated the future that The Royal Family created.

But her two parents were not her greatest enemy, nor her greatest concern, it was The Ninja. From an early age she was taught to idolize figures like Master Wu, and his father, who had conquered the monsters that plagued prehistoric Ninjago, and raised earth from water, to create both the dark and light sides of Ninjago. Later on, his many pupils would be held in a similar regard. But it all changed when The Great Devourer tore her family apart. No longer could she ever see The Ninja as anything but failures. They failed to stop it from taking her parents' lives, or the countless others, let alone those made homeless by the strike. Which ironically included them. But that wasn't nearly the end of their failures. They failed to stop The Overlord from creating devastation in the city, twice in-fact. Their delusional ideas of "Heroism" were so skewed, they encouraged the underpowered and underprepared people of Ninjago to battle the threat of The Anacondrai alongside them and the elemental masters.

Their latest failure emerged into the public eye, when The Commissioner ordered a mass evacuation to the harbors. It seems everyone would now be transported to The Dark Island, because The Ninja had failed to stop a ferocious monster tearing apart a shoreline settlement. Typical. She thought. Now her "Mother" was urging her to pack faster, as if she even needed half this stuff anyway.

"My lady, you simply must not rush your daughter. The threat of The Preeminent is great, but you have us here to protect you both." Hutchins said. Harumi rolled her eyes. If The Ninja couldn't stop it, this old fool surely would fall to it as well.

"Hutchins. You shame yourself. I asked you to retrieve The Mask Of Deception an hour ago. What has been the difficulty with doing so?" Responded The Empress.

Harumi could still care less. The ancient mask they held below the palace meant nothing to her. Most of Ninjago could no longer recall what an Oni even was. Harumi knew of only one oni, or at least somewhat Oni. Her idol, and in her eyes, her true hero, Garmadon.

Husband, Brother, Father, The great and mighty Garmadon was. It was him who had the strength to destroy The Devourer, the wisdom to fool the entire world into forgiving him for his "crimes", and the bravery to sacrifice himself to The Cursed Realm. While Sensei Garmadon was a far cry from what she considered the stronger, and in her eyes, the definitive Garmadon, Ninjago would have fallen if he hadn't allowed himself to be sacrificed. Harumi dreamt about Garmadon.

She would often write about Garmadon, and when the nights were too dim to write, she would pray to the man who had stopped Ninjago Cities fall twice. This unhealthy perversion of the truth festered within her soul, and she grew spiteful of everyone, hiding it below the figurative, and literal makeup. There was no light within her eyes, for the only thing she could ever see was the darkness that enveloped every unprotected corner. She feared a future with no Garmadon. But there was nothing she could do. He wasn't deceased, he was cursed. There was nothing to bring back. Even if he did somehow die, she was just 16, and had little contact with the outside world. She had a few run-ins with a gang of bikers she could possibly manipulate into helping her, but that was it. She would have no chance of locating either of The Oni Masks that were not in her possession.

"Er- Well, there's been a slight issue. Cyrus Borg has been arguing with the servants about whether it'd be safe to move the mask with us. He's afraid that it's.. Oh goodness. I can't comprehend everything he said. If I'm correct, he feels having an item of destruction on The Dark Island would amplify its power, which could lure other threats there. He wants it destroyed at all costs."

The Empress simply folded her arms. "And why was Cyrus Borg here to begin with?"

"The Emperor wanted to discuss possible alternatives to the guard. Robots, that is."

"But we had just wrapped up our dinner with Skales and his family! Does he really need this many distractions?"

Hutchins simply shrugged. For he didn't know the answer. Skales, his wife, and his only child had come over for dinner, in order to discuss The Serpentine's relationship with the good people of Ninjago. They had left a while ago, or so Harumi thought. She didn't really care. Rolling her eyes again, Harumi started packing up some of her stuff. "Don't worry, I'll be ready when it's time to go." Her mother and Hutchins looked at eachother, nodded, and left the room. Harumi threw the stuff on the ground. Leave Ninjago behind while it can still be saved. I expect nothing less of you. She thought.

Just then, without warning, the outside started to glow a strange shade of purple. Her window illuminated the light through, as she turned to see what was causing the disturbance. To her shook, a strange, purple sphere entered her room. It gently floated beside her.

Harumi was taken aback. "Wh-who are you!? What is this!"

The orb began to speak. "Are you listening?.. Good. From now on, I want you to listen when I speak."

"Answer my question. Or I'll call the servants and guards back in here and have you hauled into the Kryptarium Prison."

"How rude. You haven't even heard me out yet. "

Harumi wasn't sure what to make of this. So, she decided to play along. "Fine. You strange.. Purple man. Who are you?"

"The being of many voices. Who hides among the few. I offer something borrowed, you'll give me something new."

"And what does that mean?"

"I am an Everyman. I want what you want. I know your name, I know your desires, your hatred, your goal. And I know you have the means, and the abilities to achieve it. But I do have a question for you."

Harumi turned her head away from the bright light. "And what would that be?"

"Do you trust Garmadon?"

Easy answer. Harumi thought. "Of course. If you knew everything about me, you'd have to know that."

"So, you trust that if he were here right now, and had the ability to do so, he could put an end to the cycle that The Ninja and their master, his brother, have caused?"

Harumi nodded.

"Well, Garmadon isn't here. You no longer have a savior to eliminate the need for The Ninja. What do you do now? Go with your family and colonize a new island, on the very grounds where he was corrupted and possessed?

Harumi hadn't thought of it that way. Of course she wasn't going to go with her "family", but if she didn't, what would she do? Garmadon was captured, and all like him were currently being taken from Kryptarium, and loaded on to prison boats.

"I'll figure it out. There's always a solution."

"But I am the solution, princess. I have an offer for you. Do you remember the gang of bikers you met one night?"

She thought back, thinking through to that very day. She had been wandering around, helping the homeless, offering them food, when she stumbled into one of the many bars in the lower levels of Ninjago, mistaking it for one of the poor-houses. The gang she met there seemed to be useful allies, if the time came. But how this man knew about them was anyone's guess at this point.

"Yea. What's your point?"

"The Preeminent is approaching.. Devastation will befall Ninjago. When it conquers the entire island, preparations will need to be made in order to retake the island. A resistance will rise, led by your greatest enemy."

"Lloyd Garmadon.." Harumi clenched her fist.

"You need allies.. Allies to stand against not only The Preeminent, but whatever measly forces Lloyd Garmadon can muster in the years to come."

"Why? What do you hope to achieve? We can't fight both groups. No matter how many gangsters we recruit."

"That's where you're wrong.. The Oni Masks.. Cyrus Borg is right to fear their power. Sure, they can be used to revive Oni who were weak enough to fall in battle. But they can also be used to summon those who created them."

Harumi shook her head. "The Oni are a myth! Even if they are real, what good is bringing them to Ninjago?!"

"The Oni.. The grandson of The First Spinjitzu Master.. The Cursed Realm.. All vessels of the fundamental aspects of life. Destruction.. Creation.. Re-animation. All of these elements at play in one place, will be enough to bring me back to this realm. A bringer of true balance."

At this point, Harumi was beginning to put things together. "Your.. The Overlord? The one from legends. The one who possessed Garmadon?"

"He was a worthy vessel. You forget, Harumi.. That he was beginning to show signs of weakness. His son, your enemy.. Was what almost brought him back. If I hadn't stopped Garmadon from remembering his values, he would've been corrupted by Lloyd a lot sooner."

"I guess.. But how are you able to appear here? Shouldn't you be in The Departed Realm?"

"The Mask in your catacombs of relics forgotten.. It beckons the power within my very soul.. I can feel it slowly rise, as the conflict grows.. Put your faith in me, and we will destroy The Ninja.. Retrieve Garmadon, and bring peace to all, within the embers of darkness."

Harumi wasn't sure. She knew The Overlord would likely attempt to betray her, but she also knew that he might be the only one powerful enough to retrieve Garmadon.

"Fine! I accept your help, Overlord. What happens next?"

"The Serpentine.. Those fools haven't left yet. Their kind plans to evacuate with the rest of Ninjago. But their king and his family are here.. We can't have any witnesses around when The Mask is stolen. Do whatever you deem 'Necessary' to steal the mask and escape the palace without The Guard or The Snakes finding you.. Understood?"

Harumi nodded. She knew what she had to do.

"Then I leave you in peace.. Princess. Do not fail me. Do not fail.. Garmadon.." The glowing orb metamorphosed into a crystal, falling into Harumi's hand. While she knew the task of getting the mask would be easy, not being seen was another thing. However, she had an evil idea. A horrible idea, that just might work.

Walking over to her cabinet, she opened it up, and pulled out a lighter. Taking it with her, she began to sneak through the halls, around closed doors, and ducking for cover every time she heard a voice. She was making good progress. When she noticed shadows creeping across the floor. Moving behind a large vase, she listened into the conversation.

"Sssso! You really trusssst The Ninja? Thissss Dark Island ssssounds like an illogical solution!" A high pitched voice asked.

"And why is that?" Asked another.

Shit! Harumi thought. It was her parents, with whom she could assume was Skales. She hadn't met him up until their dinner, but she could tell he was just as incompetent as her own parents. Or so she assumed.

"I've sssseen what happens when you put your faith in ludicrous ideassss! If this 'Preeminent' was able to attach housssses to itself, surely it will find some way to enter the island?"

"We'll have to address that at a later date, King Skales. We need to make haste immediately to the boats. My beloved, where is our daughter?"

"She said she was getting ready, but I haven't seen her. We should go check on her."

"She seems like such a crafty little sssscamp. Not like my own sssson!"

Skales Jr, who had not yet died in a horrific accident and probably wouldn't, given how many things changed in so little time, didn't much care for his dads comment. He liked to consider himself the crafty kind.

Harumi waited for them to pass, before running down to the lower levels, and standing in front of The Mask Of Deception. The mask fabled to allow the manipulation of gravity. Harumi hummed an old Oni poem under her breath as she quickly grabbed the mask.

"Through vengeance we fight, and change our appearance. Through deception we fool, and manipulate adherence. Through hatred we endure, invincible to mortal man. Unite all three, enact the master plan."

As soon as she secured the mask, she pulled out the lighter, and looked deep within the flame. Everything she had endured built up to this moment. Through a single tear, she remembered the love her parents gave her. All the torment that built up after losing them culminated in her very soul, as she cherished the warm feeling it brought her. But like all things in her life, it was momentary. She could only hope her parents, her real parents, could forgive her for what she had to do. She lit the fabrics and wood on fire, before escaping through the escape tunnels, lighting support beams ablaze.

The entire palace started to be enveloped in the flame, as it spread from tapestries and thrones. As the group of Serpentine and humans entered Harumi's room, they heard the crackling of flames behind them, and saw the fire that Harumi had created. Hutchins gasped, realizing that Harumi might have already been claimed by the roaring fire.

"NO! HARUMI!"

"Harumi's in the fire-!? How could this have happened!?"

"We can deal with that later! We have to esssscape!" Skales started to slither out, as Jr clinged to his back, and his mother ran alongside him. The two rulers of Ninjago weren't sure what to do. They stood silently, the thought of their daughter, whom they loved dearly, being burnt alive was horrible.

Hutchins wasn't having any of it. Rushing through flames and ash, he ran down stairs and over tables. He wouldn't let The Princess die here. As soon as he saw the pedestal where The Mask used to sit, he knew something was up. Maybe Harumi had taken it to protect herself? He thought. Running down the escape tunnels, he came across Harumi. But something wasn't right.

"Princess! Where have you been!? The fires extended far beyond the palace! We need to get you out of-.."

He looked at The Mask. The way Harumi cradled it in her hands, and the glare that she gave him. He knew then and there that she stole the mask.

"So Hutchins. Ever see what a burnt corpse looks like? I've always wanted to know."

"How dare you! After everything your parents-"

"MY PARENTS ARE DEAD. And those snobby, anti-social, idiots have led Ninjago into a corner. Just like The Ninja. And when The Preeminent comes to claim your souls, I won't be a martyr. I want to think you'd forgive me.. But you were always just as stupid as them anyways. So go on. If you think fighting me is the right thing to do, do it. Try and take this mask from me."

Hutchins didn't know what to do. This was a betrayal, but he knew deep down that he couldn't bring himself to kill the child he sort of helped raise. He'd remember the countless hours he spent teaching her. Training her to defend herself, learning about the world outside. Sure, there were times where he would scold, but he knew that deep down, Harumi was right. He, nor The Emperor and Empress of Ninjago could fill the void of parentage. But that didn't mean he would give up on Harumi.

"Do it!"

Harumi's anger grew. She hated Hutchins, she hated her new parents, she hated her new life, and she hated the scum of the earth who tried to force her to accept her new reality. She put The Mask on, and before Hucthins could respond, he used its power to enclose his throat, slowly choking him.

"I'll leave you in this fire if I have to! Or I could just end you right here! Which do you like better? You were always a stubborn fool."

"Ha-... Harumi- Please-... Don't do this-" Hutchins managed out. He was slowly losing air.

Harumi stared deep into his soul, with a slight feeling of regret. But as she felt The Masks corrupting energy on her face, and The Crystals enticing energy in her hand, she resisted the urge to stop. Hutchins fell that day. He would be remembered by those he protected, for however long he lived. Harumi pulled The Mask off, as Hutchins's body dropped down. She kneeled down, and closed his eyes.

"You were a better parent then they ever were. But you still reminded me that I would never be loved. Not even by you."

Looking across the hallway of the tunnel, she saw the smoke enter. The fire would soon knock out the support beams of the entire palace, preventing her escape. So, she ran, using the mask to prevent the tunnel from collapsing for just long enough for her to escape. As she exited, she looked back at the blazing inferno that engulfed the palace. Skales and his family may have survived, but the one witness was dead. And as she stared down at The Overlords Crystal, she felt the sudden urge to cry. It started as a single tear, then another, then another. It was moments earlier that she killed him. And she was already crying.

Dropping down to her knees, she watched the fire from her tear-covered eyes, wondering if her real family could ever forgive her, wherever they were. A new nightmare would begin for her, Lloyd, Morro, Nya, and everyone who fell victim to The Preeminent's reign of terror.