Dreams and Desires

Chapter 10

Hellfire

*I own nothing and any similarities with any other works are purely coincidental.

Anyway, are you ready to get back at your lying friends yet?

Lloyd glared at the Master of Dreams, his blood red eyes burning with a fiery passion. But none of his pain and anguish was targeted towards the ninja, as the Elemental Master had intended. Rather, all of Lloyd's fury and rage was instead directed towards his erratic captor, the conniving person who had been brutally torturing him for days on end. A sly smile began to slowly creep its way up his face, and the Master of Dreams felt a shiver run down their spine. They had unleashed an evil more potent than they could have ever imagined, and it was not going to be contained any longer.

"No." Lloyd calmly answered, his tone filled with derision and scorn. The voice was lower, more measured and controlled than it had ever been before. He was no longer simply a subservient prisoner; his Oni blood had finally asserted its dominance. All of his physical and emotional pain was swept away in a tsunami of cynical resentment, as Lloyd finally embraced his darkest, most sinister nature. No longer would he be restrained or held back by anyone. And the world was going to feel the wrath of the true Golden Master.

The Master of Dreams looked back in horror at the supernatural entity they had unknowingly unleashed. Before them stood quite possibly the most powerful man in existence since the First Spinjitzu Master himself. He was the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master, the Elemental Master of Energy, and he now possessed the abilities of a pure-blooded Oni, offering him control over Destruction as well. The vengestone cell was preventing him from using any of the three Elemental Essences, but it could not stop the innate powers of an Oni.

A dark cloud began to surround and envelop the Green Ninja. Lloyd was shape-shifting, activating his newly-acquired Oni powers in order to escape his confinement. The Elemental Master panicked, horrified by the thought. If he was successfully able to transform, Lloyd could slip through the bars with ease. All he would have to do was shift into a form small enough to slip through the bars, and then Lloyd would be free to seek revenge, something he was most likely going to start by trying to kill them. The Master of Dreams hurriedly shot a cyan beam towards the cloud, and they were immeasurably relieved when the haze dissipated and the ninja's limp body fell to the stone ground.

The plan had horribly backfired, and they could not control what was effectively the most dangerous weapon in existence. The Master of Dreams had but one chance to fix their mistake; only one shot to extinguish the flame that was the Oni corruption. They would have to manipulate Lloyd's next dream with absolute perfection; every detail would have to be as precise and on-point as they could possibly manage. Lloyd had to be distracted; his mind had to focus on something else. For if he woke up with the Essence of Destruction at his disposal, all of Ninjago was going to fall into ruin.

Master Wu was having quite a bit of difficulty finding the Stone Warrior Armor. The ninja had not used them for many, many years, and Zane's suit was already gone. He had been wearing the suit during his attack on the Overlord, and when that caused the destruction of Zane's original body, the suit was almost certainly lost forever as well. The ninja wore the suits to the Titanium Ninja memorial, but what happened afterwards? He strained his memory, thinking back to the time between Zane's sacrifice and Chen's Tournament. Lloyd had been the only one of the group to continue training as a ninja, but he had been wearing his Techno Gi, without the Armor. The other three ninja had all gone their separate ways, as they each dealt with grief in very different ways. Kai had turned to petty fighting, Cole had left for construction work, and Jay… had hosted a television show. He snickered, laughing quietly at the memory of Jay's time spent hosting the ill-fated Most Ultimate Extreme Ninja Challenge Ever.

When Lloyd brought them all back in order to discuss recruiting a new team member, (of course that plan got quickly abandoned when they learned Zane had rebuilt himself) none of them had worn their Stone Warrior Armor. Kai had donned his original training uniform, Cole had chosen the Dragon eXtreme Gi, Jay had brought Zen eXtreme Armor, and Lloyd had once again picked his Techno Gi. All had left their Stone Warrior Armor behind, but where? What did they all do with their old outfits? Wu had checked each of their quarters, but they only had their very most recent suits on hand. He left Misako in charge of the ship, and left for the Monastery. Perhaps their more permanent home would have more of their belongings.

Upon arriving he ran first to Lloyd's quarters. Wu was most confident in the organization and sentiment of his nephew, as Lloyd had always been the most engaged and focused as a ninja. He ran through the disheveled room, completely ignoring the messy state it had been left in. Upon opening up the closet, he was dismayed to find that the armor was missing. It was one of the only suits to not be represented, as Lloyd had inventoried pretty much everything else surprisingly well. His original Zen eXtreme suit, his golden Elemental Robe, Techno Gi, Tournament Robe, Jungle Gi, Deepstone Armor, Destiny Robe, Honor Robe, and his Fusion Armor were all there. The only other suits absent were his Resistance and Hunted Robes, as he had burnt the former and he was wearing the latter.

The reason for its absence hit him suddenly. The Stone Warrior Armor had never been its own outfit; they had simply added it to on their Techno Gis, and that was something that Lloyd had later removed. The armor was gone, most likely taken off of the gi for simple aesthetic preferences. The armor was also relatively bulky, so if Lloyd didn't consider protection against the Golden Power as necessary anymore, it made sense that he would remove it. I mean, the only threat since to have the Golden Power is Lloyd himself. he chuckled. But it is rather unfortunate that we're now missing another set of the armor just because Lloyd didn't like how it looked. Wu sighed, moving on to check Kai's chambers.

Kai was in direct contrast to Lloyd, having practically none of his suits around. He only a single spare Hunted Robe in his quarters, and nothing else. Were all of his suits lost when the Bounty was destroyed? Of course Kai would have kept every suit in one unreliable location. It was very on brand for the hothead.

Wu was however extremely relieved to find that both Cole and Jay still had their suits. At least the Masters of Earth and Lightning might be able to hold out against his nephew, but the other three were still completely unprotected against the Golden Power. Where was he going to find three other sets of Stone Warrior Armor?

Before he could even begin thinking of solutions, he felt a massive tremor; a terrible disturbance that had upset the entire balance of the realm. Wu was knocked to the ground, overwhelmed by the sudden rise of evil. The dark shift of power had been massive, as if the embodiment of everything light and pure good had been corrupted. He was shocked, utterly mortified by what that could mean.

Something must have happened to Lloyd.

The smile instantly vanished from Lord Garmadon's face. Ninjago had been very vulnerable since his son's disappearance, and he had been planning how to take advantage of the situation some time now. If he was able to coax the ninja into releasing him in exchange for his valuable information, then nothing would stop him from taking vengeance upon the realm once more. He had sent word to the ninja, and had been awaiting their arrival with glee. But it seemed they had bigger things to worry about.

He had sensed the substantial shift in the balance just as his brother had, and it seemed Garmadon's window of opportunity was slipping away. For their beloved Green Ninja had other plans; his own ambitions for conquest and destruction. He wasn't sure whether he should be proud or scared of his son; Lloyd was potentially the most powerful force to ever threaten the realm. The Elemental Master of Energy once more had his Golden Power, and now he had fully embraced his Oni side. Garmadon was the Master of Destruction, and his Oni blood was far more pronounced than Lloyd's. However, he would be no match against three Elemental Essences, especially since one of them was the Golden Power. Ninjago's time of reckoning had come, and it would not be Lord Garmadon at the forefront of the impending devastation. No, Ninjago was going to fall to The Curse of the Golden Master.

They were gathered on the deck of the Bounty. The rain was surrounding them, the incessant thunderstorm clouding and obscuring their surroundings. The metal Samurai Mech was attacking; their robotic friend had been corrupted and forced to fight them. Lloyd backed away, dodging the golden blade being slashed towards him. The mech was too big, too imposing for him to directly fight it in hand to hand combat, and so he had resorted to using the Art of the Silent Fist. Samurai X struck out, hitting the wooden mast as he leaped backwards. They pressed onward, wildly swinging and waving their sword as they pursued the Green Ninja. He was running out of room, finding himself backed into a metaphorical corner as he hit into the edge of the ship.

He swung his sword up to parry the attack, but the blade was knocked from his grasp. It flew across the deck, landing too far out of reach. He looked up in panic, seeing the Samurai preparing to strike him down. He shut his eyes, bracing himself for the impact that would skewer him. But it never came. Upon slowly opened his eyes, his pupils widened in a pleasant surprise. Harumi was smiling towards him, her silver blade having blocked the strike. His face softened, and he smiled back at her. All of his worries and fears just faded away when he was with her.

Their moment of happiness was short lived however, as the out of control mech grabbed her and quickly jumped from the ship. "Harumi!" he screamed, his anger beginning to rise. No one was going to keep him from his love, and so he quickly grabbed his own silver sword before leaping from the ship in pursuit. Lloyd quickly caught up with the flying mech, consumed by a jealous vengeance. He struck out at his former friend, repeatedly and brutally assaulting the nindroid with a blind passion he had never felt before. He was beyond reason, the rage overpowering his mind as he reduced P.I.X.A.L. to pieces. He scrapped her completely, destroying her within mere moments. Harumi stared at him, a look of utter fear and terror crossing her face. The reaction snapped Lloyd out of his hatred, and he looked down in panic.

"I did not think that through."

The mech was free-falling, quickly plummeting towards the dense jungle below. They were unprotected, completely vulnerable and open to the potential injury or death that would come from the sudden stop after a long fall. Lloyd panicked, desperately trying to think up a way for them to survive the impact unscathed. He was not going to let Harumi be harmed; she was too important to him. What would be the point of living his life without her?

"We're… we're, we're gonna-" she stuttered.

"Look at me!" he yelled, a determined expression crossing his face. "We're gonna get out of this! You hear me?" he pointedly asked, as he wrenched her free from the clutches of the mech. She looked up at him, still apprehensive but reassured by his confident words. His eyes narrowed, and with a sudden burst of brave conviction he strapped her into the cockpit of the mech. She looked back in horror, unwilling to let him die. He was too important to her.

"What? No, what about you?" she cried.

He stood firm, refusing to consider himself in the matter. She was more important than his own life, and he would easily give that up to ensure her survival. "Sorry. Only room for one." he responded. His words were solemn and empty, void of any personal feeling or emotions. This was simply how it had to be.

"No! I need you!" she screamed, her eyes welling with tears.

Lloyd froze in his tracks; he felt all of his defenses melt away at the simple statement. Three little words had broken through his unending sense of honor and respect, the selfless belief that always had him putting others before himself. He stood dumbfounded; unsure of what to say or do. She laughed quietly at his reaction before she pulled himself up against her, bringing their bodies together in a fiery embrace.

Lloyd felt his heart race, and his face awkwardly burned bright red in response. It was extremely unexpected; a bold move he would not have anticipated. He felt his insides beginning to tingle with excitement at her presence, and he nuzzled up against her shoulder. Nothing could change what they felt right now; the fear of their impending crash was washed away by the feeling of pure bliss they both experienced. Everything felt absolutely perfect and right with the world as he held her tightly.

"I love you." Lloyd whispered.

Lloyd woke with a start, feeling the cold stone on his face. "Rumi…" he softly whispered. Reality hit him like a speeding freight train. The bent-up anger and fury were gone, replaced once more by the crippling grief he had been suppressing. What was the point of life without her? he sadly questioned to himself. Lloyd would never be the same again, no matter how hard he tried to ignore his feelings and emotions. Tears began to pour from his eyes, all of the misery and depression finally breaking free from his mask of stoicism. He wept, unable to control his heartbreak and sorrow any longer. What would be the point of lashing out in anger against everyone if she still won't be there when I'm done?

Lloyd began hitting himself, furiously clawing and scratching at his skin. He would not deal with these feelings any longer; no more would he feel so miserable. He cursed the vengestone cell, for his powers would make this task far easier, but if it would take a arduous and bloody death to end his pain, he was prepared to do it. The Master of Dreams looked up in panic at the fallen ninja. They had taken it too far, brought up too much of Lloyd's pain. They were once again in very immediate danger of losing him, and they weren't going to let them happen. He was far too valuable, too vital to their plans.

He was too… important to them.

No! they mentally screamed, quickly dismissing and pushing away the unpleasant thought. That's gross, it's not like that! I need him for my plan, nothing more.

But as the Master of Dreams watched in horror at the broken man tearing himself apart, they truly felt bad for him. Their mask of indifference and mocking detachment was finally tossed aside."Lloyd, stop it!" they cried, a genuine and true sense of concern creeping into their voice.

He paused, looking over quizzically at their captor. Lloyd stared blankly; his beige eyes boring into them for what felt like an eternity before a sly grin crept over his face. His body began to twitch; it spasmed and shook out of his control. The smile quickly vanished, replaced with a wincing face of misery and anguish. The transformation was a very painful process, and its violent and jarring movements were inadvertently flinging blood around the cell. The Master of Dreams looked away in disgust, disturbed by the sudden and frenzied outburst.

"You know, I think you're right."

They slowly looked over and nearly jumped back in surprise at the sight. The pair of eyes glaring at them were not green or brown, or even red for that matter. They were a dark, deep purple. It was a shade of violet so rich and ominous that it was as if it were the pure embodiment of destruction itself. Lloyd had transformed into the form of a pure-blooded Oni; changed himself into the darkest and most primal evil possible.

"I think that my friends do deserve to feel the same way I do. In fact, everyone should feel just as empty and miserable as I do!" he screamed, his voice rising before falling back to its measured tone. Lloyd had truly turned, entirely consumed by the exact same feelings that had corrupted his beloved Harumi.

"But after I'm done; after all of Ninjago has felt the wrath of its Golden Master, I am going to kill myself."

Lloyd punched through the wall, the form of an Oni boosting his natural abilities far beyond that of a normal human. The Master of Dreams quickly fired off a cyan beam, but they were too late. He was already gone, flying off to Ninjago City upon a Golden Dragon. The Elemental Master stood frozen in shock. They had messed with a power outside of their control; it was a force more dangerous and treacherous than they could have ever possibly imagined, and now everyone in the realm of Ninjago was going to pay the price for their foolishness.

"What have I done?"

See, I made good on my promise and the unrequited Llorumi pairing is finally back in the spotlight.