A/N: Hey guys, if there's any chapter to read on AO3, it's this one. It includes some awesome art and music that you'll really like. Story is called Wax and Wane and my username is Raven6229. Go read the story there for the ideal experience!
Regardless of what you do, though, enjoy this!
Eclipse
Misako was no fighter. Maybe once, but not anymore. She was distinctly lacking in the oni or dragon blood that would be necessary in allowing her to fight battles at her age. Even just a few weeks of inconsistent sleep paired with very consistent stress was enough to leave her sluggish. She knew this, and still, just watching never got any easier.
It was from the control room of the Bounty that she watched the others prepare on the deck.
Jay was sitting in a meditative pose. Blue energy flickered around him, empowering him enough to push past his injuries. It wasn't a great thing that he was doing- it was like putting a bandage over a cut that needed stitches. Enough to stop the bleeding, but it'd only get worse without proper treatment. His expression was firm, though. His usual antsy demeanor was nowhere to be seen.
Lloyd had removed his IV, and was now fully dressed in an old green gi and Deepstone undershirt. It did well to hide his bruised and malnourished form. He was stretching, slow and tentative but with that awfully admirable determination of his. He turned back to Misako and smiled at her, before turning to speak with Wu.
Zane looked functional, and not much more than that. Certain pieces were quite literally held together with tape- his faceplate was the only part that seemed to have been fully repaired. Even still, he was helping Nya with her Samurai X suit, on which she was running a diagnostics check.
That left Misako to handle flying the Bounty to the Temple of Fire.
It was really an ominous image- a dark volcano bathed in smoke and ash, save for the vivid veins of lava that seemed to pulse with more than just heat. To know her son nearly lost her life here did little to ease her troubled mind.
This was where Kai saved my son.
She sighed.
"Are you okay, Misako?" Pixal asked over the control room speaker. Her voice was level, but gentle.
"I am not the one going into battle."
"Is that a problem?" she asked in a patient tone.
"I owe a lot to those boys."
"Debts can be repaid multiple ways, though I doubt they think of you as 'indebted' to them in any capacity."
"Perhaps they don't," she agreed. "Wu really did find something special when he sought them out." A wistful pit yawned in her stomach. "When this is over, I wonder what they'll do. What does 'normal' even look like for them?"
Pixal was silent for a moment. "At the very least, based on Zane's memories, 'normal,' if defined by how one spends the majority of their time, would not be very different from this."
Misako nibbled on her thumbnail. "There's an element of tragedy to that, even disregarding their age."
Jay was standing next to Nya now. He said something, and she seemed to smile. Lloyd punched his fist into his palm, much like Cole. Zane parroted the gesture; it looked stilted in his stiffer movements. Jay pumped a fist in the air- she could hear his cheer from the control room.
"Nobility, too, I think." Pixal said. "There is always going to be bad, and they simply chose to fight against that. I don't think it goes much deeper than that. And I know that Zane, at the very least, gets a great sense of satisfaction from what he does."
"Do you think Cole is going to want to continue fighting, once we anchor him?" Misako asked, just to hear the android's thoughts on the matter.
"Most definitely," she decided without much hesitation. "I do not know Cole the way I know Zane, but he is admirable in his enthusiasm and earnest nature. He does not tolerate injustice, and will do anything to 'light up the darkness,' if that metaphor makes sense."
She let herself laugh a bit. "Yes, it most certainly does make sense." Misako turned back to the window, craning her neck to get a better view of the temple- half buried in soot and lava, but large and towering regardless.
Misako thought that'd be the end of it, but evidently, Pixal had more to say. "Cole is… important to me. On Chen's island, he was the one to finally find Zane and give him some hope. I recall hearing his joy fondly as he found where Zane was being kept. He has also made a point to speak with me since our return. Becoming a ghost has been difficult on him, and I find that I can empathize with the difficulties inherent to losing one's corporeal form."
Misako placed a hand on the console for the controls, useless a gesture as it may have been. "Do you miss having a body, Pixal?"
She pondered that. "There are benefits and drawbacks, like with anything. Although, I imagine the drawbacks would be much harder on someone like Cole than on me. However, Cole has an unshakable determination about him. Assuming we find a way to 'anchor him,' as you have said, and that Morro is properly dealt with, I think he would use his status as a ghost to help people. At least, those are the conclusions I draw when I extrapolate based upon previous behavior."
"I must say I agree," came a new voice- Misako jumped and spun around.
"Wu! Please don't sneak up on me like that!" she said with a bit of a smile and a hand over her heart.
"Was it not you that said that these ninja seemed to have a boundless zeal for action?" He placed a hand on her shoulder. "And at this point, I'm inclined to agree."
"It was easier to say when my son wasn't running into a volcano when he should be in a hospital," she admitted with a dry chuckle. "Keep him safe for me, please."
Wu nodded. "I will, and I'm not the only one." He watched his pupils' preparation with a ponderous worry in his eyes. "For better or worse, they will support each other. That is perhaps why Cole and Kai are still in the Underworld."
"What do you mean by that?" Pixal asked. "Didn't Kai say the entrance to the Underworld had been destroyed?"
"Not in any way that they couldn't have dealt with between the two of them. If they're still in the Underworld, it means that either they are incapacitated, or that they are choosing to remain there."
The realization hit Misako like a brick to the head, for lack of a more elegant expression. "To keep Morro trapped in the Underworld as well." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, pushing her glasses upward. "Oh, Kai. He's been a better parent for Lloyd than I ever was."
At that, Wu took her hand and squeezed it tight. "Kai is as loyal as he can be troubled. Like you, he faces his own demons. For him, those difficulties often manifest in a fiery, protective spirit. It's admirable, but also dangerous. He is doing his best, but so are you. And that's something to be proud of."
A bittersweet nostalgia bloomed in her chest. "You always did have a way with words."
From outside the control room, it looked like preparations were fully wrapped up. Misako could feel a shift in momentum as the Bounty descended to land in the water. Lloyd skipped steps to the upper deck and barged into the control room.
"We're ready to go, Master."
Wu nodded and passed his nephew to check on the other ninja. Meanwhile, Misako decided to get over her nervousness and hug her son- she tapped him on the shoulders before pulling him into an embrace, half expecting him to recoil. Instead, he melted into it with a shuddery sigh. "Woah, Mom? Don't worry. I'll be fine."
She buried her head in Lloyd's shoulder- the bones felt sharp and entirely too prominent. "I know, but just let me worry, okay? I love you very much. Please, please be careful. Take care of Morro as quickly as possible."
At that, Lloyd laughed. "I don't think I'll get the chance before the others light him up." Seeing his joke fall flat, his tone grew more serious. "But uh… yeah, I will." He pulled away and took several steps back. "Just you watch, we'll be back with the others in no time!"
He turned away and shouted to the others. "Alright guys! Let's go!"
"Heck yeah!" Jay cheered, at the same time as Nya's much more colorful battlecry. Zane was the first one to jump from the deck.
The elemental dragons never ceased to amaze. Zane's was pale, with icy crystals shimmering within the power that formed it.
Next was Jay- His was smaller, with a long body and small wings. Its movements reminded her of a lightning bolt arcing through the sky.
And Lloyd's was the largest- grandest. It towered over the other dragons with a mighty roar. Wu wasted no time in climbing onto its back. He sat behind Lloyd and held on tight.
Finally, there was Nya. She didn't summon a dragon. Instead, the engine for her suit began to thrum with power as she achieved liftoff.
Together, they all flew towards that old, abandoned temple.
"Good luck," Misako whispered under her breath.
All she could do now was wait and hope for good news when they returned.
The Temple of Airjitzu was never truly quiet- the boards would creak, the winds would whisper, and the dead would linger, idle yet restless as they waited indefinitely.
Time had little meaning to the spirits within the temple. It did not move forward. Seconds did not become minutes. Instead, a single second would repeat, over and over and over, never amounting to anything more significant than that as the outside world marched ever forward.
And thus, the temple was left to decay.
It was within this eternal perpetuation that Yang had waited. And it was from within the repeating seconds that he looked outward, through a single window into a world that moves.
That window was foggy now, and only getting foggier with each progressing second that it experienced. Like a block of ice gradually thawing, so too was time taking its toll upon Yang's gambit.
Yang did not avert his eyes. Rather, he stared through the muddy glass, through the soul he had pierced. He saw a waterfall within a dark fortress filled with the ghost's solid yet emptier counterpart. The skeletons wandered, just as aimless, yet lacking the resolve to retain a self. Without Garmadon to serve as a driving force, they existed in limbo.
Cole watched them, and Yang could sense no small amount of trepidation from his pupil.
Was he going to move forward, to keep himself whole, to keep his self? Or would he be snatched from time's flow, trapped in a world where seconds repeated rather than passed?
There were not many seconds left until his fate would be decided. The spirits within the temple were restless.
Something within the window rumbled- his pupil and his pupil's possessed brother got to their feet to prepare.
The window went dim- fog clouded the window, infecting with poison the gaping soul.
Beside him, Jerahn spoke- voice quiet and slow from disuse as he stared through the window alongside him. "Master… can he really resist her?"
The chains weighed heavily on the imprisoned jailer. Yang did not reply as the seconds repeated, and the fog began to clear.
They could hear it- muffled through the window, warded by their prison- the siren song of the Mother, calling out to her drone. Even from within the temple, her power pressed against them. Their anchor held them still, but the current rubbed them raw. Once again, the window dimmed.
It was Cole's brother that cleared the fog- he spoke in a loud, harsh tone that could light a fire under the coldest logs waterlogged by despair, and that's what happened here.
Cole stood up straight, pulled his mask down, gripped the Sword of Sanctuary in his one remaining hand, and prepared to fight.
Jerahn looked to Yang, then back through the fading window. "He's going to suffer, Master."
Yang nodded. "He will."
His pupil hesitated before speaking, voice shaky, yet with an edge to it. "That's cruel, isn't it?" He tipped the last word upward, as if to make it a question rather than an accusation.
"It is."
He could sense the unease within the restless spirit beside him. "Why, then? Why release him from the anchor?"
The same reason I cursed him in the first place.
"Nothing ever comes free."
Least of all freedom.
Jerahn turned back towards the window with gentle eyes. No words found their way onto his lips. He had always been the softer of Yang's students.
The appearance of the other ninja was not unlike an explosion- their Elemental Powers made for a fine spectacle. Their dragons- the ones formed from an unbridled outpour of energy- roared with a determined rage like a sonorous, echoing bell that tolled death. A mechanical suit, unlike any he had seen in his age, thrummed with power.
The window grew dimmer- Yang's connection weaker. Cole staggered back. The glass did little to muffle the sounds of the Mother. Jerahn winced and recoiled- his form slightly detached from the mist that made it, being tugged towards her call. Yang stood strong; his shackles held firm. Even still, it was like an arrow piercing his own cold heart.
Say nothing of his gambit.
"Is there nothing we can do, Master?" Jerahn murmured in a meek tone. Yang did not reply. They both knew the answer.
The other ninja were surrounding Cole and Kai- but the former was frozen, the latter distracting. Kai and Nya exchanged words, ignorant to the ticking clock, ignorant to the repeating seconds. Jay spoke with loud and eager tones as they dispelled their dragons. A release of tension at the worst of times.
Zane held his shuriken up to Kai; Kai nodded and untied his gi. The spot over his heart was glowing green from a source under his skin. They stood with weapons drawn and confident tones. A shallow scrape along Kai's chest- the green smoke began to amass.
Morro was being forced from Kai's form. It was a sickly sight, as Kai staggered back while Morro poured from his chest, form amorphous and tormented. Brief glimpses of a humanoid shape would congeal together, only to dissipate the next moment.
Nobody was watching the waning spirit behind them.
Tick, tick, tick, Cole did not move. He stood as still as the incorporeal ever could- Cole felt it- those repeating, frozen seconds as time left him behind, as the chain on his soul, heavy and cruel, pulled taut.
One stood between Cole and his possessed brother- he faced away from Cole.
The clock struck midnight.
It was now.
Jerahn squeezed his eyes shut. His other student's averted their gaze.
Yang watched it all. As the cost of his gamble came due.
He watched the neon scythe appear in his pupil's two hands.
He could hear a muffled warning- the slightest reaction from the target, a frantic, forward lunge. It wasn't enough.
Yang watched as Cole opened a green, gaping gash in Jay's back. Blood splattered onto the stone- hissed and smoked against the blade. As the child obeyed the Mother. As children must.
Chaos.
This was the moment that would decide it all, then.
Does brother sharpen brother?
Does the earth stand strong?
Could Cole fight her?
Can a ghost fight an anchor that would have him drowned?
Could the shackles be cut?
Their fates hung in the balance.
It all went wrong so fast.
"Jay! Move!" It was Cole's voice, echoing off itself with a desperation not heard since they dragged him from the temple. A desperation Kai wasn't sure he had ever heard.
"Wha-"
And then Jay was on the ground, bleeding. Nya cried out. Zane ran to catch him. Lloyd's fists cackled with green energy that he didn't know where to direct. Kai could barely move.
He heard an awful, sadistic laugh from inside himself, as Morro forced himself free through the incision on his chest. A mere moment ago, he had been trying to maintain his hold on Kai to buy himself time.
In his periphery, Kai saw Master Wu spring into action. He picked Jay's nunchucks off the ground and deflected Cole's blade before it could do much worse. "Cole! Stop this now!"
Cole didn't reply, but horror and panic were etched so deeply into his face that it was clear something was wrong. If the fact that he attacked Jay wasn't already enough of an indicator. He charged the sensei with a large, arcing swipe of a long, neon green scythe.
Kai channeled fire into his palms and reached for Morro, only for the ghost to dart away and coagulate just out of Kai's reach. "What did you do to Cole!?"
Four ethereal kunai arched out of Morro's back, and Kai was suddenly aware that they were the same hue as the blade Cole was holding. He grinned. "I didn't do a damn thing."
"Kai!" Zane shouted. "Fire at Nya's suit!"
He heard Nya scream, loud and panicked as a green mist began to encompass her suit- all coming from Cole, as he took possession of the armor.
He didn't have time to question it- he launched a volley of flames towards his sister just as Zane did the same with ice. Their attacks collided, creating a spray of water that warded Cole off before he could fully bury himself in the armor.
It was an awful thing to hear, as he screamed in pain and doubled over. His form wavered, blurry around the edges, before quickly compacting itself back into a Cole-like shape.
Unfortunately, that distracted Kai from Morro, and he noticed the kunai flying towards him just a moment too late. It was Zane, once again, to save him- one of his Deepstone shurikens deflected the blade, giving off sparks as they met. It was then that he noticed Zane had picked up the Sword of Sanctuary.
Kai turned his attention back to Morro. "Stop this! Stop this now!" He demanded. He could feel the ground rumble as the lava responded to his anger. The wind whistled around them, laughing the same way Morro was.
Kai took the offensive, dodging and weaving through Morro's small, flying blades. He couldn't make prolonged attacks with his flames before the wind smothered him, but it was enough to keep himself alive as he fought.
Meanwhile, Zane was hunched over Jay with his hand over the injury. Jay seemed to be biting his own mask with his eyes squeezed shut as Zane used his ice to close the massive gaping slash.
Wu, Lloyd, and Nya were keeping Cole at bay. Master Wu was better than all of them combined, except that Cole was a ghost.
Sure, they had weapons and powers that could fight ghosts, but-
Kai hissed as Morro's kunai grazed his leg- a last second surge of flame just barely kept the second one from completely piercing his knee. He ducked, rolled, and sprang up close enough to Morro to bury his palm on the ghost's chest.
Morro screamed and staggered back. The green wires connecting his floating kunai pulled taut for a moment- mist and smoke poured from Morro's body as he scowled.
-their powers were good for killing ghosts, not incapacitating them.
Morro glanced around frantically- Kai saw his target and charged to intercept, but he'd be too slow. "Jay! Move!"
To his surprise, Jay actually did move, just before a kunai buried itself in the stone where his heart had just been. He sprang to his feet, alongside Zane. Sparks flew off Jay and grounded themselves in the stone with every movement. "What's happening to Cole? What's- Woah!" There was a loud crack as a bolt of lightning shot from his hand just in time to ward Morro off. Unlike fire, lightning couldn't be directed by wind. He dove to the side as Morro attempted another strike, but he was simply outmatched by his three opponents, and he was quickly being driven back.
That was, until Zane suddenly moved.
Kai had just used a flaming fist to grab and sever one of the green wires when the Nindroid yelled at the top of his mechanical lungs. He suddenly felt himself being shoved aside and knocked to the ground. "Kai! Watch- ou- ou- ou-"
The sound was cut off by a crackling static. Cole towered over Zane, blade smoking with black liquid as the ghost stared in utter horror. Jay's hand flew to his mouth. Wu shouted from behind them. Lloyd shrieked.
Zane's hand flew to his throat, he staggered back and keeled over. Black oil poured from his neck, staining his gi dark in moments.
"Don't let it spark! Don't let it spark!" Jay yelled frantically as it was his turn to run to Zane. "Pixal! Reroute the power from his respiratory system, I'll-"
Kai didn't hear the rest. He just heard a roaring in his ears.
If Zane had been just a little bit slower, that would have been Kai standing there. Kai couldn't survive a slit throat.
Lloyd was at his side, pulling him to his feet with the Sword of Sanctuary in his other hand. "We… we have to stop him!"
"How!?" Kai demanded. "He's using lethal force! We can't exactly do the same! And we don't have Deepstone handcuffs in our nonexistent pockets!"
Cole went still for a moment, expression tightening. The mist around him compacted- his form briefly solidifying.
"We… we'll just have to outlast him!"
Morro cackled and clapped a hand on Cole's shoulder- his form once again started wavering, his expression flickering between so many awful emotions. "Do you really think you can outlast two ghosts?!"
"Shut up!" Nya shouted from the Samurai X suit- its claws took a massive swipe at Morro- he made a fluid spinning motion, putting Cole between him and the claws of the mech. He braced, putting his arms up to protect himself. Nya's eyes went wide as she changed the trajectory of the motion.
It wasn't enough to fully miss Cole. The blades tore a gaping wound in his side, tearing the fabric of his gi. She must have added Deepstone to them somehow.
He staggered back, and Nya looked nauseous. A dark, viscous substance leaked from the wound- Kai recognized it as Cole's blood. Except that blood disappeared after a few seconds, evaporating into nothing. Their brother lurched to the side, as though he were trying to distance himself from the cut as it knit itself back together, leaving only a dark mark in its place.
The entire thing healed in just a few seconds.
"Come on, big guy, we got work to do," Morro said in a slow, taunting voice. To Kai's horror, Cole responded to that and once again raised his scythe.
Wu, still holding Jay's weapon, held up a single hand. "Cole, you don't have to listen to her."
"Wait, listen to who?" Kai asked. Lloyd grimaced.
"The Preeminent. She's the one controlling him."
"What?!"
"I- I knew she was talking to him," Lloyd admitted, "and I knew she was trying to kill him. I didn't know she could-" he swallowed hard and raised the Sword of Sanctuary. "Cole! Don't listen to her!"
Morro scoffed and twirled one of his kunai between his fingers in a flamboyant gesture. "Sad to say, the Preeminent owns him now."
"Just like she owns you?!" Kai demanded. "Yeah! Real scary, Morro!" The lava columns in the keep began to sputter as his hands glowed red. "You can't do a damn thing on your own! She's using you, too!"
Nya piggybacked off what he was saying. "You're even more of a slave! I can't believe you thought you could be the Green Ninja when you'd be dead without Cole here to-"
"Enough!" Morro screeched as he threw the kunai at Nya- she barely managed to move her head before it could embed itself in her eye- a few locks of hair sliced right off. "Just kill them already!" he told Cole.
The earth rumbled again- though Kai hadn't done anything. He couldn't get his hopes up too much, though, because Cole once again lunged, this time at Nya. Even under the mask, Kai could see his anger and horror. Kai tried to run to her, only for Morro to throw another kunai- not at Kai, this time.
He barely had time to pivot and spin- his Spinjitzu cyclone only just appeared when he had to stop it on account of the blade embedding itself in his thigh. Kai hissed and grit his teeth, willing himself not to double over.
Better his leg than Jay's neck. The lightning ninja flinched back, nearly collapsing into Zane, who was still doubled over. Kai could just barely make out a green glow emanating from where Zane was cut. "Woah, woah, Kai!" Jay said frantically.
"I'm fine!" Kai said. "Just make sure Zane doesn't explode or combust whatever!" He ripped the stupid little knife out of his leg. It hurt, but he could probably cauterize the wound if he started feeling dizzy. For now, he launched himself back into the fight. Morro had jumped into the air, lifting himself several feet off the ground. Lloyd used Airjitzu (Kai wasn't sure when he learned to do that) to meet him at his level. Green energy cackled around him as he fought the ghost.
"You'll pay! You'll pay!" Lloyd yelled. "It's your fault this happened to Cole! You did this!"
Before Lloyd could land any blow more significant than a jab, Cole was there, levitating like any other ghost. He slashed at Lloyd- Kai heard Wu scream as a stream of red spilled from Lloyd's arm. His baby brother lost focus and fell to the ground.
Wu was there to catch him. Lloyd scrambled back to his feet quickly- his arm had a large cut in it that shone an angry green, far different from the green that made up Lloyd's powers. He hardly seemed to care. "Cole! Please! Stop this!"
He noticed Nya circling around in Samurai X. He took the moment to push. He shot a single blast of fire at Morro before Cole could intercept, then went for Cole. He used Airjitzu to launch himself up to where Cole was levitating.
Unfortunately, Cole was much better at defense than he was offense, and he was armed. He swung his blade in such a way that it caught Kai's foot and threw him off-balance. In a frantic move to catch himself, Kai switched mid-air from Airjitzu to Spinjitzu as he forced the momentum from Cole's throw into something more productive. The air around them superheated, and Cole couldn't help but recoil. With his concentration broken, they both fell to the ground.
Morro scowled and tried to launch more kunai, but Lloyd and Wu deflected those with ease. Cole clamored to his feet and swiped upward, just a bit too fast for Kai. He jumped back, but couldn't stop the blade from grazing his face. He winced as a green glow and crimson blood filled his right eye- he didn't think the actual eyeball was hit though, so he kept fighting.
And it worked, because Morro completely devoted himself to trying to keep Master Wu and Lloyd at bay with his wind while interfering with Kai and Cole's fight. He didn't notice as Nya attacked from behind. With a haphazard arm movement from within the suit, she willed the water from the waterfall to attack Morro.
Morro didn't see it coming, but Cole did.
Cole sprang into action- and it wasn't like Kai could tackle a ghost. But a ghost could tackle a ghost, and that's exactly what Cole did to Morro. The thin stream of water narrowly missed him, but still left Cole curled up on the stone floor, nursing a half-melted shoulder. Nya tried to conjure another attack, but was just a bit too slow, and now Morro was on her again. He grinned.
"You're really not good at aiming that stuff, are you?" he said as he stepped in front of Cole.
A frustrated, guttural yell ripped through his sister's throat as she tried to launch more water, but Morro sidestepped it easily- even more hit Cole instead. Actually, no, it redirected ever-so-slightly to hit Cole. He screamed again as the water bit into his leg this time. Nya blanched.
Morro crossed his arms and stepped aside to give Nya a good view.
She looked beyond panicked.
"You bastard!" The entire realm roared with Kai. The lava columns reacted, and Kai definitely didn't miss. The lava slammed into Morro's back, and the ghost wailed in agony. It didn't kill him, maybe for the same reason the avalanche hadn't killed Cole on the mountain, but it definitely hurt the ghost as he fell to the ground. "Nya! He used the wind to hit Cole! It's not your fault!"
Nya was stunned. She didn't react.
Cole did though. Kai didn't know how he was healing so fast when his arm hadn't healed for over a day, but he was clearly okay enough to move.
"Nya!" This time it was Jay that screamed. Cole was thrown back by a burst of lightning just as his blade grazed Nya's temple, drawing a small spurt of blood. She reeled back from within her suit- the mech lost balance and staggered back, which Morro took as an opportunity to knock over with a single, targeted gust of wind.
It hit Kai all at once. Zane was on the ground. Jay, though on his feet, had entirely too much blood on his clothes. Lloyd's arm was injured, and even Kai and Nya were injured. Sure, they could keep fighting, but for how long?
Morro's brief incapacitation ended. The lava, now hardened on the ground by his wind, offered no resistance as he stood back up, looking deeply angry. Cole was at his side in just a few seconds.
They were in a stalemate. Even though it was six against two, one of those two was Cole. And it wasn't like they could kill Cole.
What else can we do except fight, though?
Evidently, Lloyd was thinking the same thing, because he lunged.
"Lloyd! Don't be hasty!" Wu called after him, also springing back into action. Kai did the same.
"Cole! Please! Fight her! You don't have to listen to her!" he called out frantically as the Sword of Sanctuary glowed with his green energy.
Cole had no problem deflecting the blows. Kai and Master Wu could barely keep Morro from impaling Lloyd. Even though his movements were swift, they were also rigid and jerky in a way that Cole usually wasn't. But even then, he didn't reply to Lloyd.
He retaliated against Lloyd's attacks with a spinning swipe. Lloyd dodged by jumping back, only to fumble at the worst of times as his injuries slowly caught up with him. Someone screamed as Cole brought his blade down on Lloyd's injured arm, impaling it and pinning him to the ground.
"Lloyd!" It was Master Wu that called out that time, except that Morro had no intention of letting him interrupt. He spun in a circle and called to the wind, which whipped around him, Lloyd, and Cole, too fast for Kai to get through. It howled in his ears, he could barely hear Jay's yelling from behind him.
First Master, that didn't stop Kai from trying, because Lloyd was right there. And Cole was being forced to kill him.
He had to protect the Green Ninja. He had to protect Lloyd. That was his damn purpose. Protect him from Morro. He had to stop Morro, he had to stop Morro!
He felt an old, familiar power spark in him, only to peter out a moment later. "Come on! Come on!" Kai hissed. "Do something!"
He called on his power, but Morro's gale was just putting it out too fast. Jay tried to create lightning, and even Zane seemed to be trying to do something, but they were just too weak.
Morro put his foot on Cole's blade and pushed it further into the ground. Lloyd screamed in pain. Kai felt a terror lance through his heart. Morro used his kunai to create a slash straight down Lloyd's chest, tearing both his gi and his Deepstone undershirt.
Morro was going to possess him again. After everything he already did to Lloyd. After everything they did to get him back. After everything Cole sacrificed.
"Lloyd! Get out of there!" he called, but the sound couldn't get past the storm.
He felt the earth rumble. Barely, at first, but then, slowly but surely, it gained strength. Jay fell back to the ground, too weak to hold himself up. Nya couldn't get her footing in Samurai X. Kai couldn't manage to summon his dragon- even with the Underworld feeding his power, the battle was taking a toll. He settled for using Airjitzu to launch himself off the quaking ground.
It gave him a horrifically good view of what was happening.
Morro didn't possess Lloyd.
Cole did.
The chains didn't feel how he expected them to. They weren't sharp and heavy- they didn't choke him. They didn't leave his skin feeling raw. They didn't leave him struggling for breath. They didn't drag him down kicking and screaming.
No, they were worse than that.
M̴y D̶i̷a̸m̵o̸n̴d̷, c̵o̸u̵l̷d y̵o̴u ̵t̸a̴k̵e̷ ̶h̸i̵m̸ f̵o̷r m̸e̷?̵
The words this time were sticky and saccharine, kind and loving, and they sounded entirely too familiar. Nothing like the Preeminent's voice before.
He knew now why they called her Mother.
He wasn't wearing shackles- it was a suffocating hug instead. A warm embrace that cooed in his ear. It sounded so much like his own mother's voice.
No, you're not her! he tried to think. But her request echoed in his head, like the stern words of one you loved.
To not listen? It seemed impossible. When his mother called for him, he listened. When the Mother spoke, he had to heed her words. No matter how much it hurt.
Maybe they were just hug-shaped chains.
He would have laughed if it weren't so awful.
His new, ethereal scythe disappeared as he took possession of Lloyd again, unpinning him from the ground. Once again, everything erupted into a cacophony of sensations as he smothered his brother. He felt that familiar energy flow through him. Or perhaps he was flowing through the energy, like swimming through a pool.
T̴h̸a̷t̸'s ̷m̵u̷c̸h̸ b̸ett̷e̵r̷, ̵i̵s̶n̷'t i̴t?
Yes…
Cole gasped for breath- he could hardly move as Lloyd fought against him, this time in earnest. Tears streamed down his brother's cheeks, but Cole had a feeling they weren't from the Green Ninja.
No, this isn't better! Let me go! Let Lloyd go! This isn't- b̷e̵t̸t̶er…
Morro's wind whipped around them in a thunderous gale- Cole clasped Lloyd's hands over his ears, only to suck in a gasp as Morro kicked him in the stomach.
"Get up," he said, sounding way too much like he was enjoying himself.
L̸i̵st̷e̵n̸ ̶t̸o ̶h̶i̵m̵,̵ p̴l̸ea̴se̴.
He felt like his head was splitting in two. "I'm sorry…! I'm sorry!" he got out through grit teeth, quiet enough that only Lloyd himself could hear. He dragged himself to his feet in slow, jerky movements.
-Maybe if I overpower you, I can trap you, like Kai did with Morro! Then we can find some way to stop her!- Lloyd thought frantically, except that, as he fought for control against Cole, it became painfully obvious that Cole was currently the stronger of the two.
She's… she's stronger than you are.
It was like some game of tug-o'-war. And Cole was the rope.
Oh First Master, what could he even do?
-You can't give up! We'll figure something out, just like we always do!-
He really wanted to believe that.
He felt a wave of nausea and staggered back. Lloyd's green gi was… Oh First Master, it was way too red.
"Lloyd! Cole!" Called a voice through the wind- it was Kai, slowly pushing his way through Morro's windstorm. Flames poured from his palms like thrusters, keeping him upright against the howling force.
Morro gave Kai a condescending look, then, with a waving motion, abruptly shifted the course of the wind to knock Kai towards them.
He could only correct so much mid-air, and ended up stumbling forward as he struggled to keep upright.
Ta̷ke̵ c̵a̴re̴ o̷f ̵h̴im̸, ̸my ̷D̶i̶a̷m̶on̷d.
He knew what she meant by that. There was no wriggling out of it. No trying to catch her on a technicality or phrasing. When you know what the Mother wants, you oblige.
"Kai! Move!" he managed to force from Lloyd's throat, earning himself an annoyed look from Morro.
Kai didn't have time to move before Cole picked up the Sword of Sanctuary and charged. And Cole's charges were strong. His exhausted, injured brother managed to avoid the blade, but Cole still managed to sweep Kai's legs.
Just like that, Kai was down.
Stop, stop, stop!
Cole did not stop, he slammed his foot into Kai's leg with all of his strength, fed by Lloyd's own power. He could feel the bone break. Kai screamed.
-Kai! No! No no no! Cole! Stop this! Stop this please! I'm begging you!-
He could hardly breathe.
He realized the air was burning. He could feel Lloyd's pain as flames erupted around Kai in some last-ditch effort to protect himself.
He heard a blood-curdling screech.
Suddenly, from behind, there was Nya, wearing just about the worst expression Cole had ever seen. Her suit thrummed with power, and she slammed into Morro fast enough that he couldn't dodge in time. He flew back before righting himself mid-air.
There was a loud crack as another bolt of lightning targeted Morro- this time, it hit true, and the ghost fell to the ground. Jay barely looked capable of standing, and yet he was. "Cole! Please! Stop this!" Any and all humor had been sucked away; he looked like he was caught in a nightmare. Cole wished that was all this was.
Zane was too- his throat was completely frozen over, and his eyes flickered rapidly. But his hand was planted on the ground; ice webbed outward and spiked upward right next to Kai- it thrummed with blue light, constantly being frozen and refrozen before Kai's flames could extinguish it, acting as a small barrier between him and Cole.
Wu was the next one to speak. "Morro! Stop this now! Is this really going to make you happy?! The Green Ninja is supposed to protect people! What good comes from forcing him to hurt people like this?"
Morro scowled and got to his feet- his chest was smoking where Jay had zapped him. He turned to Cole. "You can take care of him. I want to watch this."
Won̵'t̷ you̶ h̷el̷p̸ hi̴m fo̶r me̷?̸
Help force the Green Ninja to kill his master, Cole realized.
-No, no, no, Cole please!- Lloyd tried again, but he was just too weak after everything Morro had already put him through.
"No!"
It was Kai, again.
He was standing, by some dangerous miracle. His eyes were practically their own raging infernos. The flames were so hot that his own fireproof gi seemed about ready to combust. Zane's icy barrier couldn't stay solid.
"Stay down!" Cole pleaded, because he couldn't take this anymore.
I can't take this anymore.
He slammed his foot into the ground, calling on Lloyd's power, without the blessing of the Mother.
Protect them, he begged to the earth.
It listened.
Spikes erupted from where Cole stood. One nearly impaled Kai, barely managing to send him flying backwards instead. When he hit the ground, he hit it hard, and couldn't quite get back onto his feet, though not for lack of trying.
Zane and Jay weren't much better off. Zane tried to create a stable platform of ice, but the earth was too strong- both of them were sent flying back. Massive pillars of stone pushed Samurai X back, all away from Morro's reach. All Zane managed to do was throw his other shuriken through the pillar- Morro's wind grounded it quickly. The ghost picked it up and spun it on his finger.
The only one not out of reach was Wu- Morro picked him up with a gust of wind and slammed him into the ground in front of Cole and Lloyd. Master Wu sputtered and gasped from the force. He then pulled the same move he did with Lloyd, slicing a cut in Wu's clothes to reveal- and promptly slash- the Deepstone undershirt that had been protecting his heart.
Wu spasmed as Morro took control. His hair turned dark, and his movements went stiff.
Then, Wu grinned at Cole.
"Well? Finish him off." Morro puffed out Wu's chest, exposing it. He gestured to the sword in Cole's stolen hand.
F̸in̸i̴s̵h h̵i̸m o̸ff.
Lloyd wasn't even thinking coherent words; all Cole could feel was desperation.
He could see tears in Wu's eyes.
Somehow, he had a feeling it wasn't his own life that Master Wu was afraid for.
He… he couldn't take this.
M̷y D̸ia̵mo̴nd̸? D̷o y̷o̸u̴r j̷o̴b̵, p̷l̷e̸as̴e.
It wasn't a request.
Stop, stop, stop!
Cole swung down with the sword.
Please, help! Stop!
The blade did stop.
Sparks reflected off a small stone pillar that appeared just in time to shield Wu from the blow.
Morro looked utterly confused. It was enough of an opening for Wu to take control. In one of his signature, lightning-fast movements, Wu scooped up Zane's shuriken and sliced a shallow cut along Lloyd's chest, then on his own.
It was like being sucked out by a vacuum, quick and agonizing.
The next thing Cole knew, Lloyd was next to him, on his hands and knees. Cole yanked his own mask off, gasping for breath that passed through his incorporeal body. His chest hurt so much that he couldn't even feel the numbness.
M̵y̶ ̷D̴i̵a̴m̶o̷n̷d̶.̴
The words sounded ominous, like a warning before she really got upset.
"What was that?!" Morro hissed, now forced out of Wu's body. He spun around to face Cole. "You're supposed to listen to her! Kill them!"
D̶o̶ ̵i̸t̸.̴
He wanted to- he really did. Every part of his mind screamed at him to listen to her. He couldn't disobey her.
Protect them.
The earth responded.
Morro went stiff as a spike conjured by pure elemental energy pierced his midsection. He looked down with an utterly bewildered, agonized look that quickly melted into cold fury.
A̷r̶e̴ ̷y̵o̷u̵ ̵d̴e̸f̵y̷i̸n̵g̶ ̷m̸e̸,̸ ̷m̷y̴ ̶D̶i̶a̵m̸o̸n̷d̴?̷
He might bend. He might be in the worst agony he's ever felt in his life. But he grabbed Morro by the collar of his tattered gi and yanked him off the spike.
Protect them, he told the earth.
It responded with more resolve than he could muster on his own.
It felt like time slowed.
He wanted to cry.
He heard Wu call out as the ground beneath them shifted, launching Cole and Morro backwards.
Towards the waterfall.
"What are you doing?!" Morro screeched.
Cole grit his teeth, and ignored how badly his chest hurt. He ignored the deep, consuming terror in his soul. He didn't deserve to be afraid.
"Making sure no more ghosts get to hurt my family!"
They were… they were watching him. Cole was briefly aware of the waterfall tilting itself backwards, propelled away by some invisible force. Nya was half-out of her suit, reaching to Cole, screaming his name.
Morro hissed and used blasts of wind from either hand to try and resist Cole, but Cole had the earth on his side. Two spikes erupted from the ground, piercing one hand and grazing the palm of the other. Another boulder slammed into his back, sending them both flying backwards, closer towards the waterfall. Cole made damn sure he didn't let go.
"Are you insane?! You'll damn us both! You think she's going to let you get away with this?! You're throwing away your life!"
Cole just grit his teeth and kept moving back, step-by-step. The waterfall sputtered for several moments as Nya tried to avert it, but she just didn't have enough control.
Jay was running towards him. So was Kai. Oh, Zane too. Lloyd and Master Wu, as well. Despite their injuries.
"I don't have a life!" he told Morro. "And I won't throw away theirs!"
Morro was getting frantic- it was only a few more feet. "You'll suffer! I'll get out eventually, but you'll suffer! You'll suffer for the rest of time!"
S̷t̸o̷p̷ ̶t̸hi̸s̶ n̴o̷w̴,̸ l̵i̷tt̶le̶ D̶i̶a̶m̶o̸n̶d. ̶O̶r t̵h̴ere̴ will̴ b̸e c̵o̴n̸s̸e̴q̴u̵en̵ce̵s.
"That's fine!" Cole screamed, loud enough that the Mother could hear that his mind was made up.
He may bend, she may be able to control him, but the earth?
Don't let me hurt them!
It didn't.
Time froze as Cole felt the foundation beneath him give.
He saw his family behind him.
His chest hurt… so very badly.
"I'm so sorry…!" he tried to shout, but he wasn't sure that his voice worked.
He didn't… he didn't want to hurt them. Not like this. He didn't want to make them go through this. To make them watch this.
But he… didn't know what else to do.
He couldn't fight her. He just… wasn't strong enough.
An image of his dad flashed through his head.
Oh… Dad… I'm so sorry.
He was putting his dad through it all a second time, then.
He'd never see his mom again, either.
That was…
That was fine. He'd rather make her proud, even if it meant locking himself away where he couldn't be forced to hurt anyone ever again. Even if it meant he'd never see the sky again.
"I'm… I'm so sorry."
But this was all he could do. He just hoped that it was enough.
He held Morro tight as they both fell over the waterfall edge, into that deep, glowing pit.
If he was in the Cursed Realm, she could control him all she damn well pleased. Because there'd be no escaping the Cursed Realm. For any of them. Clouse's book was gone. The Realm Crystal was gone. No more portals.
At least it'd all be over. His family would be safe. From the Preeminent. From Morro. From him.
He hoped it was enough.
I'm so sorry.
They hit the water- he didn't even feel the pain.
The last thing Cole heard was her melodic laughter.
End of Act 1
