A Sky of Stone and Bone
Zane was working on repairing some damage to his elbow joint when Jay woke up- it was a hacking, muffled cough that alerted him to Jay's consciousness. He set down his soldering iron and hurried to check on his brother.
Jay was stifling his coughs with his blanket. "Aw man, cracked ribs suck so bad," he said in a voice somewhere between a whisper and a groan. Zane glanced at Lloyd- he still appeared to be sleeping, though it was a light sleep. His brow was slightly furrowed, and he twitched from time-to-time.
Zane put a finger to his lip. Jay just nodded and continued trying to stifle his cough. Zane grabbed Jay's water bottle off the ground beside him and channeled his Elemental Power into his palm to chill it somewhat before passing it off. Jay nodded to him and took a large swig.
He mouthed "Thanks." Zane smiled.
Then he started to get out of bed, gently removing his bedsheets with a labored effort.
-Perhaps it was naive to hope he would actually tend to his well-being- Pixal remarked.
Unfortunately, yes. Jay is not great at tending to his own injuries. I do wish he'd be more careful.
-You of all people are not allowed to be critical about self-preservation-
That was difficult to argue with, true. Not without being at least a little hypocritical.
Even still, Zane knew better than to contest Jay on the matter. Especially while they were trying to let Lloyd rest. Fortunately, one skill they had honed- despite plentiful evidence to the contrary- was an affinity for silence when they desired to go unnoticed. And fractured ribs weren't so severe that a patient couldn't still operate in their day-to-day life. When accounting for Jay's accelerated healing…
Zane decided it was probably fine to let him out of bed.
Jay took a few wobbly steps out of bed, then abruptly grabbed Zane's shoulder while blinking rapidly. "Ah, stood up too fast…" When the moment passed, he pushed off from Zane towards the door.
It wasn't until they were partway down the hall that Zane actually spoke up. "Where are you going?"
"To see Nya," he replied. "Help her out."
"Do not push yourself, please. You need to give yourself as much opportunity to rest as possible."
"Yeah yeah, I know," Jay shot back. "But we gotta be ready."
"And we will be. Just be careful, so that we can maximize said readiness." Zane didn't follow Jay as he descended the stairs. "I will be staying with Lloyd while I finish some minor repairs. Dinner will likely be simple tonight, if that's okay with you."
Jay just waved back at Zane without looking as he rushed to see Nya. "Yeah yeah, sounds good!"
Zane sighed- it was a comforting gesture- and returned to the barracks. His repair equipment was scattered on the table in the center of the room and the floor beside it. He had organized it as much as possible to avoid getting in anyone's way, but the table was simply too small for the repairs that needed to be done.
He frowned as he picked up the soldering iron. It was much too hot. Had he left it on while helping Jay? That was a careless oversight.
Zane took a deep breath- thankfully his respiratory system hadn't sustained any damage. It was one of the trickier to repair. He needed to calm down and focus on fixing his systems.
-Zane, you have not sustained critical damage. Once you finish that joint, may I recommend speaking with Wu?- Pixal suggested after watching him fumble to realign one of the pistons that had been knocked out of place.
He shook his head, and zoomed in his vision to allow a better view. After wrapping some soldering wire around a finger on the same hand that he held the iron in, he left an extrusion that he could direct to the target location where he managed to seal a fraying end. It was a messy job and would need to be repaired later, but it would do as a patch.
In the corner of his vision, he could see the projection of Pixal frown. -You are being hypocritical again-
What do you mean? I'm trying to make sure I am repaired enough for the upcoming battle.
-You know full well that Nya could do much better repairs on your arms, at the very least-
That was true- soldering with one hand wasn't ever going to yield perfect results, but she was busy, and Zane didn't want to leave Lloyd anyway. Not to mention, she had already spent enough time fixing his faceplate and had expressed wanting to work on her Samurai X suit.
Pixal gave him a cross look, but didn't protest further. Zane went back to working on his elbow. After a few failed attempts at uncrossing some tangled wires, he finally had the joint mostly fixed. The motors whirred quietly as he experimentally bent his arm back and forth a few times. It was still a bit stiff, but "stiff" was better than "loose" when it came to his arm.
For the time being, he was satisfied. He slid the dented cover over his arm and snapped it into place. He'd have to make do with electrical tape around his forearm to secure it for now. He picked the end of the roll and pressed it to his arm. The resemblance to gauze didn't escape him as he created a slightly better barrier between water and circuitry.
He heard Misako's footsteps, but didn't fully register them until she was at the door. She was probably here to check on Lloyd, so Zane continued working on his arm. It wasn't until Zane felt a hand on his shoulder that he looked back up.
"You should rest," she said in a hushed whisper.
"I am alright," Zane replied as he ripped off the end of the tape. "Though I appreciate the concern."
Just as he reached for another screwdriver, she put her hand over his, forcing it down into his lap. "You should go see the others. I'll watch my son."
At first, he was confused. It wasn't until he noticed Pixal wearing a strange expression in the corner of his HUD that he realized she had likely been the one to summon Misako. He sighed. "If it will help ease some of your concerns, then I suppose I can." Zane carefully scooted his seat back, trying to make as little noise as possible.
-Don't forget to turn off the soldering iron- Pixal said, voice not accusing, but not quite deadpan either.
Right, thank you, Pixal.
Perhaps he wasn't in as astute condition as he believed. He clicked the switch to turn off the equipment, and nodded to Misako. "Please do not hesitate to call if you need anything. I was thinking of making pancakes for dinner. It's not particularly healthy, but-"
"Lloyd's favorite. It sounds great," she whispered back at him. "Thank you, Zane."
According to Zane's internal clock, there was still plenty of time before he should start dinner, though. So he decided to take Pixal's advice. Wu's room was just down the hall; he knocked gently on the door.
"Yes?" came his master's muffled voice from the other side. He pushed the door open. Master Wu was seated in the middle of the room; a thin trail of smoke rose from his incense burner. "Ah, Zane. Please, join me."
Zane smiled and, after a brief bow, sat across from Master Wu with his legs crossed. The pose was a bit harder to make than usual due to some of the damage to his joints, but he would manage fine. Pixal smiled and vanished from his HUD to go help with preparations for the upcoming fight.
Master Wu was patient, and Zane appreciated that. He did not ask questions- he merely bowed his head and resumed meditating. But once Zane settled on what he wanted to say, he knew from experience that his master would listen.
Except that, as Zane tried to meditate on his own feelings, he found them difficult to pin down. With Kai and Cole missing, everything felt odd. Wrong in an unspecific way that wasn't owed solely to the gaping absence in their group. "Master, I-" Zane started, only to realize he didn't really have any words. "-hmm…"
"You're troubled," Wu finished in a gentle tone. "That's understandable, especially considering the circumstances."
He nodded. "Worry will not help the situation- we are approaching the temple as quickly as we can. And yet, I find myself uncharacteristically careless. Pixal is concerned for me." One-by-one, he curled his fingers inward into a fist- he could feel a bit of strain on the gears. "The other day, I was speaking with Cole. He was worried about his reliability when attempting to save Lloyd. He was afraid that Lloyd would literally slip through his fingers. I told him that we care about him, and that there is no sense in worrying about something that has not even come to pass. When I was in the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master, I saw visions. They told me much the same- that I cannot fear failing to save those I love. Even still, I find myself filled with a sense of foreboding, like something vague and terrible is coming, and I want to be prepared." He held his arm up and pulled down his sleeve to expose the electrical tape securing his arm. "But I fear that there is simply not enough time, and that something bad could happen as a result."
When he was finished, his master watched him with solemn eyes. "Your concerns are very natural, Zane."
"But the visions in the tomb, coupled with what I said to Cole- does struggling with the same thing not make my own advice ring somewhat hollow?"
Wu shook his head. "There is nothing wrong with feeling what you feel. Emotions are very often contradictory to logic. Anxiety is a particularly insidious and destructive one. It's not like other emotions. Anger is a response to injustice. Sadness is a response to loss. Fear is a survival instinct in the face of danger. Anxiety, however, is a malicious response to the concept of these things. Because of this, it can be just as difficult to address as the problems that anxiety seeks to solve."
Zane copied Wu's meditation pose. "I do not wish for my emotional state to cloud my judgment. How do I best mitigate this feeling?"
"Anxiety is irrational by its nature. The best you can do right now is meditate on it. And if you can't rid yourself of those feelings, that's okay. Simply being aware of one's self is strides in the right direction."
Zane nodded and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the smell of incense in the room. In and out. It was nothing he hadn't done hundreds of times before. It was a familiar routine. One that had felt different in his new, titanium body. But calming nonetheless.
He thought of Cole. Of that misty morning on the Bounty when Zane had brought him the armor. Of how Cole had revealed, perhaps unintentionally, that he had been lying about being able to taste food. Had his sense of smell been affected, as well? How was his mind coping with no longer requiring oxygen? Did meditation still bring him a sense of peace, or was it now another cause for turmoil?
Apparently sensing his unrest, Wu spoked up. "Zane?"
He took a deep breath and gathered his words. "Master, I am… anxious for Cole. I promised that I would help him. I swore on my father's name. What if I am unable to fulfill that promise?"
His master was quiet, and his normally stoic expression looked deeply sad.
"I know that there is no benefit to worrying about such things, but what if I fail him?"
Wu sighed. "Let us briefly entertain this notion. What would 'failing' Cole look like?"
Zane hadn't really thought about that. The thought of "failure" was simply looming in his mind, nebulous and amorphous and impossible to pin down. He decided to try for an answer anyway.
"Well, in the worst-case scenario, Cole and Kai would die."
"You have faced life-threatening enemies in the past. Why is this conflict the one that elicits such fear from you?"
"I do not know, Master," he admitted in a single, whooshing exhale. "Maybe it has to do with Morro, and what he did to Lloyd. He showed a capacity for hurt that even the Overlord didn't express."
"Hurt for who?"
Zane pondered that. "Lloyd was hurt the most. Then Cole, I'd say. Now Kai, which by proxy would hurt Nya. Seeing Nya in pain hurts Jay."
"In other words, everyone except you."
Zane felt what could only be described as déjà vu. He felt a phantom cold on the back of his neck, and he realized why a moment later.
"The visions in the tomb raised the same point. And yet, I still find myself troubled. I feel as though everyone else around me has been hurt greatly by Morro, while I've been left unscathed." He ran his hand along the tape on his arm. "Sure, I'm injured, but injuries can be repaired."
"Zane, you are too loving to ever be left unscathed."
That wasn't exactly the response he had been expecting. He looked up at his master with puzzled eyes.
"There has never been a situation where you give less than your best. You share your heart with your brothers. When they bleed, so do you."
"I do not bleed, Master."
Wu clasped his hands gently over Zane's. "When we lost my brother- Lloyd's father, you were there with him as he mourned. You may not have cried, but you did grieve. It was not your body that bled that day. It was not your body that suffered when you looked upon Cole with such anguish as he held onto his scythe, desperate to stay above the deck. You wouldn't be here, in front of me, if your heart were not bleeding."
Zane was not the best with metaphors, but he believed he understood this one. He placed his hand over his power source- his heart. It was fully operational- in a physical sense, it had sustained no damage. But a heart was often seen as more than just an organ or device.
"Is my heart… malfunctioning, in some sense?"
Wu shook his head. "No, Zane. Far from it. Your heart is functioning better than many humans I have met over my many years. Not everyone has the capacity for empathy that you do. This is not a flaw- it is what makes you more human than most."
"But this anxiety- this fear of those around me hurting- this pain in my chest- it could cause me to make a mistake. I cannot help but think that perhaps it would be better if I felt nothing, at least for a short while. Just until we get the results we want."
Wu tightened his grip. "That will yield the opposite results, I assure you."
"How do you know?"
"What did the Overlord tell you when you grabbed hold of his armor?"
Zane blinked once, twice, as he processed what his master had asked. "He said that… my survival chance was zero."
"And yet you held on to that armor, knowing it was killing you."
"Because there were people I needed to protect."
"Would you have done that if you didn't care so much for those around you? Far more practical would have been a retreat- to risk minor loss in hopes of a major victory. And yet you stayed and fought."
Zane felt something click, in a nonliteral sense. Like a wire finally being connected. "Oh. I see." He looked down at his own body. "There had been no chance of me surviving that encounter."
"And yet here you are."
Zane didn't say anything. Wu used a finger to tug Zane's chin upward and meet his gaze. "Emotions are not logical things, Zane. But the world is not a logical place. It is only through balance- through both logic and love- that we can truly navigate this world, and create what one may consider miracles."
"I think… I think I understand, Master. Thank you."
Morro was furious. Actually, no, furious didn't do it justice. He was seething with anger. How dare he?!
Of course, Morro could only be so angry with Kai. He was no hypocrite, nor was he too stupid to know he'd done the same to his beloved "little brother." That being to trap him deep inside a body over which he had no control. So he wasn't really angry on moral principles. If anything, the fact that one of the side ninjas managed something that the great Green Ninja could not was cause for respect.
No, what really infuriated Morro was how insufferable Kai was about the whole thing.
Kai was tapping the wall of Garmadon's keep. Occasionally, he and Cole would alternate. Worse than that was their damn singing.
Nails on chalkboard, Great Mother it was bad.
"Jump up, kick back, whip around and spin! Come on, come on, do the weekend whip!" Kai practically screamed alongside Cole.
It was such a stupid scene. The dark fortress loomed overhead. Skulkin stared at them with dull confusion. Lava poured from some unknown, probably magic basin in the ceiling. The single waterfall in the center of the room made a distant crashing noise. Overall, it was an ominous environment.
"And we'll jump back and do it again!" Kai added, thoroughly destroying the dark atmosphere, and Morro was pretty sure those weren't even the lyrics, since Cole seemed to sing something totally different.
-I can't believe Wu chose you morons to protect the great and powerful Green Ninja-
"Hey Cole?" Kai said.
"What's up?"
"Morro called us morons."
"Then what does that make him?"
If he could, he'd have rolled his eyes. There was no arguing with stupid. And he knew that responding would only egg them on. They were bored, and that was what was infuriating.
P̵a̸t̴i̵e̶n̶c̷e̷,̴ ̶m̶y̸ ̸T̶e̶m̷p̸e̵s̶t̵.̴
Cole missed the next line of the song, his expression contorting as the Mother spoke to them.
Even Kai hesitated for a moment- not because he could hear the Mother, but one does not act as a barrier between a ghost and his anchor without feeling something. "Okay, what is that?" he demanded. "I've been feeling weird, what is that?!" He repeated.
"You have a ghost inside you, that's probably what," Cole replied, not looking at Kai.
Morro wanted so badly to call him on that blatant lie.
-You won't for long. The moment you leave this place, I'm out of here-
"Yeah, we know that, Dipshit. That's why we're not leaving until you go crawling back to the Premminet."
Whether he mispronounced "Preeminent" on purpose, Morro wasn't sure. Kai really didn't seem bright, but he was petty.
Cole just chuckled and stared down at the Sword of Sanctuary in his one remaining hand. "Can't be long now, then this whole nightmare can end."
It wouldn't. Especially not for Cole. But whatever, they could have their optimistic little pow-wow as Morro sat around like some kind of prisoner.
He didn't know what the plan was once he got out of here. The Yin blade seemed to have been left behind in the tomb, and he didn't know of any other ways to open a rift for the Mother. He'd probably have to go retrieve it.
W̶o̴r̵r̶y n̷o̸t.̵ A̴l̸l̶ ̷i̷s̷ w̵e̸l̵l̵,̸ she cooed.
Cole gave Kai another wary look. "What are you planning?" he demanded in a harsh voice.
-Me? Nothing- Morro replied innocently.
Kai furrowed his brow. "He says nothing. But like, suspiciously."
Cole crossed his arm- without the other, it just looked odd- and stared at the Sword of Sanctuary. Or well, that's probably what it looked like to Kai.
More likely, he was looking at his reflection in the blade.
Okay, spill. He's been acting weird. What did you do to him? Kai demanded mentally, though he wore a very intense expression.
-Ask him yourself-
So you did do something.
-Who knows-
Kai scowled.
"Easy there, Firecracker. Whatever he's saying to you isn't worth listening to."
"I know that!" Kai snapped. "I just can't wait for this to be over. I hate him. I hate him so much."
-I assure you, the feeling is completely mutual-
I can't wait to send you back to hell where you belong.
-Ouch, didn't Sensei preach that anger isn't the way? And you like to pretend that you're so much better than me-
Well unless you feel like becoming buddies, and you can think of some magical, impossible way to make up for what you did to Lloyd, it's all you deserve.
-Tch, you and Ray. Peas in a pod-
At that, Kai went very very still, and Morro knew he had finally found a sore point.
-Oh yeah, not an intelligent thought behind his eyes. Just about the only thing he was good for was hitting stuff. Honestly, I'm surprised he managed to pull himself together long enough to find someone else to pass his fire to. It's a shame that you're no better than-
"You can be quiet!" Kai hissed as he sprang to his feet. Cole startled and stood up next to him.
"Kai? Whatever he's saying, don't listen to him." The ghost put a hand on Kai's shoulder- the cold just made Kai shudder, and Morro was almost tempted to try and take the moment to flee.
-No wonder they abandoned you. You have all this power over me and you're still so easy-
He could feel a sparking sensation on Kai's palm- Morro had this vague feeling of being drained, and he realized what was happening.
-You're kidding, right?-
Kai clenched his fists tight enough to hurt; his hands were glowing with a volatile orange energy. "You don't know what you're talking about!"
-Neither do you- Morro shot back. -Are you saying you'd rather them be dead?-
The air around them began to smolder. Cole took several steps back, but Kai was barely paying him any attention. "I'd rather you just shut up and die already!"
-Or else what? Last I checked, you're planning on killing me anyway. Assuming your friends don't screw it up. Which is a big "if," seeing as you have a penchant for messing everything up-
Morro realized Kai was a bit dumber than he gave him credit for as his eyes settled on the massive waterfall that was the centerpiece of the keep. "Oh yeah?! You want to see a screwup?!"
He charged the waterfall. Morro felt his stomach drop, metaphorically at least- he bucked against Kai's control, but all the damn lava was basically pumping power straight into the Master of Fire.
The ground itself stopped Kai- a massive wall shooting upward just before Kai could launch himself into the water and into the deep, dark pool below. Kai ran headfirst into it, and Morro could feel pain blossom in his nose for a moment.
"Kai! Holy shit, Kai!" Cole yelled as he emerged from his newly-formed rock wall. "Are you insane?!"
Kai scowled. "Why wait to take care of Morro? We could end this all now!"
"No, you dunce! Water doesn't hurt ghosts while they're possessing someone!"
"At least it'd mean he couldn't escape!"
"Have you forgotten that you wouldn't be able to, either?"
Morro was fairly certain that yes, Kai had forgotten that. Because he felt Kai's expression go blank with realization. "At least Morro wouldn't be able to hurt anyone…" he grumbled.
Cole put his chilly hands on Kai's shoulders. "Yeah, no. We're not making trades like that. Come on, he's just trying to get a reaction out of you. What did he say?"
"Nothing," Kai spat.
-Honestly, I knew you were dumb, but I can't believe you're that dumb. How did you even live long enough to be here right now?-
Cole pushed a stiff and rigid Kai further back, away from the waterfall. "Look, the others will be here soon, and we'll do a good ol' exorcism. Then everything can go back to normal."
Oh, Cole had no idea. Or maybe he did, and was just in denial. That seemed more likely. Out of the two, Cole was definitely the token smart one, not that that was a difficult title to claim when Kai was his only competition. It was like comparing an ant to a brick. Sure they're both stupid, but one a little more so than the other.
Anyway, it was finally Kai's turn to seethe- his hands hadn't yet stopped glowing with elemental energy. Cole tried a playful smile. "Come on, I bet Morro would love more singing."
The tension in Kai's shoulders dispersed just in time for Morro to feel a nice new spike of annoyance. "Yeah, yeah, okay. Sounds good. Weekend Whip again?" Children, the both of them.
"It is Morro's favorite."
I̸t̸ w̵o̵n̵'̶t ̶b̷e l̶o̵n̷g̶, m̴y̵ T̸e̵m̴p̷e̷s̷t̸. ̵T̵h̸a̸n̶k̶ y̴o̵u f̴o̸r b̴e̵i̸n̵g̵ p̵a̴t̷i̸e̷n̸t̴.
Cole glared.
It was a nightmare that finally woke Lloyd up. Man, he missed the nightmares about mean teachers at Darkley's and of purple snakes trapping him in cages. Could he go back to those sorts of dreams? Because that sounded like a picnic compared to the fever dream goulash of dead Kai and dead-er Cole being torn apart by wind fed by his own power as he was helpless to stop-
He banished the thought. Point was that his mind was cooking up some colorful nighttime brain visions.
What he wasn't expecting, upon his eyes shooting open as he jolted up in bed- was to see his mother at his bedside.
"M-Mom?" He rasped as he tried to detangle his bandaged wrist from the IV. "Good morning?"
"Deep breaths, Lloyd. You're okay." She reached for him, only to stall with her hand mid-air. She settled for putting her hands in her lap. "Take deep breaths."
He hadn't even realized he was hyperventilating. He tried to take her advice, but "in and out" was harder to do when it felt like his chest was in a vice. He pressed his palms into the covers of his bed. "I'm… I'm good," he said, because maybe even the most blatantly obvious lie could become true if he said it enough. "How long was I…?"
"A few hours," she replied. That sounded… about right. Lloyd had gone to sleep when the sun was high in the sky, and it looked like it was just starting to set, if the color of the sky was any indication.
"How long until we get to the temple?" Lloyd asked after a moment's pause and a deep breath. Because, First Master, he couldn't show up to fight Morro acting like this. "Where are the others?"
"They're with Wu. Deep breaths, Son." She passed him something- a glass of water. Despite himself, Lloyd couldn't help but guzzle the thing in one go. His breath hitched and he coughed and sputtered, spilling the stuff all over himself. Even still, he didn't realize just how crusty he was feeling until he actually had some water in his throat. "Careful, you're no fish," she chided.
Lloyd huffed and handed her the glass. She took painstaking care in setting it aside. "Lloyd, you need to rest-" she said with newfound urgency in her voice as Lloyd began to detangle himself from his bedsheets.
"I need to see the others." Unfortunately, he wasn't quite sure how to get the stupid IV out, and his mom clasped her hands over his wrist before he could rip it out.
"Lloyd, you need to slow down. Stay in bed, please."
He felt something bubbling in his chest. "No, I need to see them! Are they okay?"
"They're okay, Son. Don't worry. I'll go get them, please stay-" she placed her hand against his chest. "Please, for your own sake, stay in bed."
The thought of just staying in bed made him feel more sick than the actual bile in his stomach, so he just pushed his mom's hand aside. "I'm fine, you can't keep me here!"
His mom's eyes went wide; Lloyd almost felt bad. "I- okay, that's fine. But please, go slowly," she said in a tender, pained tone. "You're not a prisoner. You don't have to make some grand escape."
That didn't do much to stop his heart from hammering in his chest, but he may as well act like it did. He took a deep breath and nodded. He went a bit slower in detangling himself from the bedsheets before holding onto his mom's wrist for support as he pulled himself out of bed.
Immediately, he was struck with a wave of nausea. He went stock-still and waited for the spell to pass as he focused on holding himself upright while his vision went dark. He blinked several times, barely catching himself as he began to tip sideways. Lloyd shook his head when he could finally see, and began walking. His mom dragged that IV thingy behind him instead of letting him take the stupid thing out, but whatever. He had other hills to die on than looking a bit stupid.
As it would turn out, most of the team was in the lower deck, which wasn't very surprising. That was where most of the techy stuff was squirreled away (sprawled out like a tech-based bomb had gone off in the room.)
Jay was the first one to notice him as he entered. He was sitting in the back of the room fiddling with- with Zane's wiring, actually, but he had always been the jumpy one. "Lloyd!" he shouted, effectively ruining his chances at making a low-key entrance. Jay jumped to his feet, only for Nya to about-face and shove him back into his seat. Zane recoiled as the soldering iron nearly clipped his eye.
"No no, you stay sitting!" she told Jay.
"But I'm fine!" he shot back with an indignant whine.
"Doctor's orders," Nya turned back around with a hand still planted on Jay, rooting him to his seat. "Speaking of doctors, what are you doing out of bed?!"
Lloyd waved his hand in what he hoped was a nonchalant gesture. "Oh you know, just getting some water."
"From the workshop."
"Yep."
His mother sighed from behind him. "You're all impossible, every one of you."
"Hah, true enough. Hey Lloyd, c'mere!" Nya said, beckoning him over with a wrench still in hand. "Tah-dah! Samurai X is raring to go!" It was then that Lloyd noticed she was covered in grease, and her arm was bandaged.
"Samurai X? I thought you were doing the Water Ninja thing," he replied as he walked over to admire her handiwork- indeed, it didn't look at all like Morro had thrown it off a mountain.
She groaned and ruffled her hair. "Yeah, that's still the plan, but this is like, a backup plan, especially seeing as I'm the only one without a magic dragon or tornado powers."
Zane spoke up from the side of the room, next to Jay. His faceplate was currently removed, which made for a very unnerving image if not for the fact that Lloyd had already seen it plenty of times. "You are getting better, though."
Nya sighed. "Yeah, but it never hurts to have the extra assurance. I can make more progress with this than with ninja stuff in just a few hours, y'know?"
Lloyd shrugged. "Makes sense. How are you all doing, though?" He turned to Jay. "You had cracked ribs or something, right?"
Jay shrugged. "Taking it easy. But the Master has been helping me with some weird Elemental Master voodoo magic to help take the edge off for a fight. I'll be good."
"I'm more concerned for you," Zane said in a level tone. It looked kinda creepy, seeing the joints and pistons and gears move that were meant to emulate facial expressions, except that the actual cover for those expressions was currently on the table beside them. Future prank potential, maybe. They could probably freak Jay out with that at two in the morning.
Zane continued speaking, which snapped him out of his thoughts. "How are your burns?"
For the first time, Lloyd actually looked at himself- he was actually kind of a mess, now that he looked down- he was wearing one of Cole's massive hoodies, one that he had cut the sleeves off of long ago. It meant that nobody could see his skinny frame, thankfully. But his arms were completely bandaged. He was pretty sure he had been unconscious while that happened. "I feel fine," he said, semi-truthfully.
"...Just remember to take some pain pills before we head out," Nya said with a sympathetic frown. "And then to take it really easy when we get back."
Oh yeah, pain pills. That was probably why he wasn't in complete agony, now that he thought about it.
Misako sighed. "When we get back, we're going to a hospital for some actual medical attention."
First Master, they were really a kaleidoscope of injuries, weren't they? Which was like, fine, whatever, they'd live. But man, what bad timing.
Lloyd took a deep breath. It was almost over, though. They just had to send Morro back to the Cursed Realm, then Lloyd could safely get to never ever ever think about him ever again. He repressed a shudder.
Nya must have seen his expression shift. She gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. We'll get 'em back. Kai knows I'd kill him if anything happened."
"How… how much longer until we get there?"
"We will arrive at the Temple of Fire in approximately six hours," came Pixal's voice over the coms.
"What can I do to help prepare?" Lloyd asked, much to his mother's chagrin, because the thought of just sitting around for six hours sounded actually worse than anything Morro had done to him.
Zane slid his faceplate back on- it snapped into place with a sharp click sound. "How about helping me with dinner? We must make sure we are energized for the upcoming conflict."
As if on cue, Lloyd's stomach growled. He licked his lips, suddenly aware of how hungry he was. His mom squeezed his shoulder in what was probably an encouraging gesture, because she probably thought the alternative was him trying to start a sparring match with Jay or something. Cooking was nice and safe.
Lloyd smiled. "Yeah… yeah, sounds good."
He took a deep breath. Six hours. Just six more hours, and they could get Kai back. Get Cole back. Figure out that anchor thing. Move on from Morro and everything he did.
He knew it wouldn't be that simple- the aftermath of their battles never were. But as he left with Zane for the kitchen, things could almost feel like they were going back to normal. They just needed Kai and Cole.
Garmadon's old fortress felt like a damn tomb, that was all Cole could think. The dark spires, the pillars of lava, the literal skeletons ambling around- not to mention all the creepy-crawly giant spiders and stuff.
In some ways, that's probably what the Underworld was always meant to be- a realm for those that didn't belong among the living.
A fun thought to have when you were a ghost currently tuning out the manifestation of hell.
He tried not to let the thought fester. He tried to focus on things like the skeleton Ferris wheel, which was just so bizarre and out of place that he was surprised that it was still standing after all these years.
Do the skeletons ever ride it?
That was a fun mental image.
He focused on Kai. Who was doing… alright. Ever since taking control from Morro, he had looked off. His hair was darker, for one. Like Lloyd's had been. But also, his eyes flickered with a bright red light. He'd heard from Lloyd that the same thing had happened when Kai held the Staff of Elements back on Chen's island- seemed like it had something to do with their powers being supercharged.
They had the lava to thank for that. Cole couldn't quite feel the temperature of the place, but he damn well remembered it being sweltering from when he had been here as a human. It was the only reason they couldn't just unblock the entrance and leave. The moment they did, Morro could probably take control again. His anchor marks still marred Kai's face.
They had water, too. Which like, in hindsight, made sense- Garmadon lived here, and Garmadon needed water. Water poured down a hole in the center of the keep, falling from some unseen source in the ceiling. If he had to guess, Cole would say it was another one of those "thin spots" that led back to Ninjago.
The Temple of Fire wasn't that far from the Southern Claw. So they wouldn't be stuck here for long. Kai just needed to drink some water from time to time, and they'd more than be able to make it.
Which was good- that they wouldn't be here long. Because Cole was pretty sure he didn't have long left.
He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the sword. He was trying not to pay too much attention to it, really. But the green marks under his eyes were really obvious. They covered his face like a mask, right where his eyes would be visible behind his hood. They streamed down his cheeks like tear trails. The one on his right eye reached all the way to his ear and bleached it neon green.
"Just a ghost thing, I guess," Cole had told Kai.
Just another damn ghost thing.
He was surprised Morro hadn't sold him out to Kai. He knew why, of course. Because he was going to fight like hell as soon as the others got here, and he was probably saving Cole's life until then to use as a bargaining chip, or something.
Still, Cole didn't need both arms to fight back, and Morro was insane if he thought Cole was just going to let himself be dragged to the Cursed Realm.
Kai's head was lulled back against the wall in something resembling sleep. His eyelids were only half shut, and Cole had no doubt he'd be alert at a moment's notice, but sometimes that was the best you could get from Kai.
Cole sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Right, there was also the matter of his missing arm. The Soul Archer had gotten their arm back in seconds, and yet, all he had was a nice clean slice on his shoulder where he had gotten the limb sheared off. Was it because it was water, or for some other reason?
He looked down at where he would have had his arm- it was like he could still feel it, still clench his fist and bend his elbow. Except it wasn't there. He laid his head back.
"Whatever, it'll probably come back," he mumbled under his breath. Maybe it was karma for not saving Ronin's leg. Or for choosing Ronin over Lloyd.
Or for hurting Lloyd.
Cole felt his chest tighten.
He stood up and brushed his gi off, despite dirt and stuff like it just going straight through him. He thought about getting some water for Kai- he smacked his lips, keenly aware of just how dry his mouth always was.
Except that, as he approached the waterfall, he realized that wasn't really practical. Even if he had a cup, the spray alone would pepper him with holes. Even several feet away from the big pit into which water fell, he could feel a sting on his skin.
He sighed and grabbed a rock from the ground and tossed it into the pit- obviously, he couldn't see it land. The water just trailed off into a seemingly endless pit, though the very walls of the pit seemed to glow with molten red.
Cole took several steps back and brushed his face where some of the water had flecked onto it. The stinging sensation receded, leaving just that dull foggy feeling in its place. Cole sighed, loud and not a little melodramatic as he crouched low, still standing but with his head nearly in his lap.
Goddamn, everything either hurt or it was so so numb.
The worst part was just how accustomed to it he had gotten in such a short time.
He clenched his fist and felt little more than a burst of static. The mist around him was the visual equivalent of white noise.
It wasn't anything like possessing Lloyd. No wonder Morro always looked so excited when using his little brother like some toy to be played with. With a body, nothing was muffled. He could feel everything around him. He was a part of the world. None of this half-assed, half-in-half-out nonsense.
Even the pain felt more grounded- more real, less like a belated signal his mind received more out of habit than actual pain.
O̴h̵, m̴y̵ s̸w̶ee̸t D̷i̷a̷m̶o̷n̴d̶.̵ Th̸e̷re̴'s n̵o̸ re̷a̶so̸n̵ y̷o̵u̶ s̴h̷o̶u̸l̴d̶ be̴ s̶o ̸de̷p̶ri̸ve̵d̷.̴ ̸
He grimaced as the words sounded in his mind, from within himself. Gentle and sweet in a sickly and sticky way, like a poisonous flower.
"There's plenty of reason, let me tell you. Now leave me alone," he said out loud.
You̴'̶r̸e̸ o̷nl̴y m̷ak̴i̷n̸g̵ t̶hi̸ng̸s̸ h̷ar̷de̷r̷ o̷n ̷y̶ou̶rs̶el̸f.̴
"No, you're the one making things harder on me. Butt out."
Y̵o̴u ̵e̸n̵jo̸y̴e̵d ̶h̴a̷v̴i̵n̶g ̷a ̴b̶o̵d̴y̸. ̸I̸ c̸a̵n̵ gi̷v̶e̵ y̴o̵u̶ a̸no̷t̶he̴r̵ o̵n̵e̸.̵
"Not interested."
And yet, her words stuck. He could hardly feel his own element beneath his feet. Not so when he was using Lloyd's body. There, he had a heartbeat. A pulse. Adrenaline. A real sense of touch. Something that made him actually feel alive.
And it was the worst feeling in the world, because now he was back to this. Longing for the time when he had hurt his brother. Those burns on his arms- would they scar? Would Lloyd live the rest of his life with a reminder of what Cole did to him? But on the other hand, how was he supposed to not miss it, when he felt more like an observer of his own life rather than an active participant?
He should have found another way. Shouldn't have possessed Lloyd. Shouldn't have rooted all those awful thoughts in his head. Shouldn't have dropped that stupid stupid scroll in that stupid stupid temple.
"Stupid…" was all he settled on saying. He let himself roll onto his back. "Stupid, stupid, stupid…!" He tried to cover his eyes, but that was hard to do when all you had was one see-through palm.
He heard a loud yell and a sharp bang that echoed through the stronghold. Cole lunged to his feet and sprinted back towards Kai- the other Ninja was breathing heavily, looking ready to bolt as sweat beaded on his face. His hands flickered an angry red, same as his eyes.
"I already told you to shut the hell up!" Kai screamed, his palms smoldering.
"Woah woah, Kai! Easy does it! Don't take this place down quite yet!"
For a moment, Cole was worried he had lost control- be it literally or emotionally. Thankfully, a moment later, his eyes refocused on Cole, and he took a staggering step back. He pressed his back against the wall and slid down it with a shaky, whooshing exhale.
Right.
He wasn't the one having the hardest time right now. He wasn't the one hungry, dehydrated, sleep-deprived, and currently fighting a ghost with nothing but fire and spite.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, he told himself.
Kai shuddered. "I hate him, I hate him so much…!"
Cole kneeled next to Kai and ruffled his hair. Kai made an indignant, keening whine. "Hey, no! Not the hair!"
"Eh, it's a greasy rat's nest right now anyway. You need a shower, bad."
"Oh, and you're one to talk! Your hair is a mess too!"
Cole rolled his eyes. "Right, let me just take a nice hot bath. That'll fix it right up!"
Kai scoffed. "Oh, don't give me that! It could at least use a brushing."
Actually, his hair needed a lot more than that. Full head masks and intense fighting didn't make for a well-kept appearance, but whatever. He didn't need to admit that to Kai.
"Yeah, well, until then!" Cole grabbed his brother in a chokehold and ran his hand right through his hair, hand nice and solid. Despite everything, Kai laughed.
Until then, Cole could manage. He had to.
