Dreams and Desires
Chapter 11
Preparations
*I own nothing and any similarities with any other works are purely coincidental.
Nya motioned for the door to be opened, and then she walked past the metal barrier to enter the cell. Visiting him would not have been her first choice, but that was what could happen when they drew straws for tasks. With a random drawing like that, chance would dictate that someone in the group would end up having to do something that they considered less than ideal. She slowly inched up the silver walkway; slightly concerned by the lack of guard rails that had left the bottomless pit exposes. Being in this room always put her a bit on edge. The prisoner she was here to see was staring off towards the back wall, and he gave no reaction to her arrival.
"Welcome Master of Water." he said menacingly, still gazing towards the distant wall. "What brings you to this dark corner of Ninjago?"
She felt her blood boil at the statement. "Yeah, you summoned for the ninja." she bluntly responded. "With Lloyd missing in action, every one of us has our own duties to attend to, and I got stuck talking with you." she spat, making her annoyance abundantly obvious.
Garmadon drew his attention away from the wall, turning instead to face his guest. "Oh that's right." he remarked. "I have some information regarding your beloved Green Ninja."
"Really." Nya said, with distrust and skepticism very apparent in her voice. "How could you know anything about Lloyd's absence, unless you were involved with his disappearance?" she asked, an accusatory glare crossing her face.
He laughed in response, and that angered her even more. This isn't funny! she screamed in her head. Lloyd is gone and we have to find him soon, or else we may not get him back.
"No, I had nothing to do with the Master of Energy's abduction." Garmadon finally answered. "I can however sense my son's presence, and therefore I happen to know where he is at the moment."
Nya's eyes widened in surprise, and her anger was replaced by feelings of concern and worry.
"Well, where is h-" Wait a minute. What could Garmadon possibly gain out of telling me this? He doesn't care about his son, or any of us, so he must have an ulterior motive. she thought.
"You wouldn't reveal anything of importance unless you got something in return, so what is it that you want?" she snarled.
Garmadon smiled, impressed by her astute and accurate reasoning. "Well I had hoped to negotiate for my release," he started, "but I now fear that the situation has changed. You might say that the tables have turned."
Nya looked back in confusion, not understanding what he meant by the statement. He elaborated further, explaining that, "My pathetic son has been fully corrupted by the forces of evil and destruction."
Her face went blank in response, and Nya felt her skin begin to crawl with fear. No, that's not possible! she told herself. Lloyd couldn't be turned; there was no way that the Master of Dreams would have gotten through to him, and certainly not in just a few days!
"What?" she asked, her voice choking and bleak.
"Oh yes. Lloyd has indeed embraced his darkest and most insidious nature; that being the evil that is his Oni blood. I could feel the shift in the balance, and the forces of evil and good are no longer on an equal footing."
This was a lot for Nya to process. Not only did Garmadon allegedly know Lloyd's current location, but he claimed to have sensed a change within him; something altering who Lloyd fundamentally was as a person. She didn't know what to think or believe, but if there was any chance that he was telling the truth, she had no time to waste.
"Now I would not normally seek to help any of you, but if anyone is going to take over Ninjago, I would rather it be me." Garmadon continued. "If you wish to confront your fallen leader, you must journey to the Dark Island. He is being held near the Celestial Clock, but you must hurry if you are to be successful. For my idiot son will not be restrained for very much longer."
Nya nodded curtly before quickly running out of the cell. Garmadon sighed, finding himself saddened by his actions. He had not wished to help them, but he could not allow the Lloyd to conquer Ninjago, or destroy it for that matter. That was his right; it was something entitled to him, and him alone. Lord Garmadon was the eldest son of the First Spinjitzu Master, and if anyone deserved to rule Ninjago, it was clearly him. The Elemental Master of Destruction, Lord of Darkness, and King of Shadows. It would not be the beloved Green Ninja, for Garmadon knew that neither the Golden Power or the Essence of Destruction could change who his son truly was. For behind the mask of stoic detachment and misguided fury, Lloyd was just an angsty teenager; a morose and sickly boy with only a sliver of Oni blood running through his veins. He was weak, and no amount of power would change that. Lloyd did not have the strength needed to rule Ninjago, and Lord Garmadon was not going to let him try.
On the surface, the Cloud Kingdom looked very similar to how it had when Zane last visited the realm; in fact it was practically identical. Upon entering the hall of writers however, he did see one very important change. Fenwick was nowhere to be found, and Nobu appeared to be the new Master Writer. The sight was a pleasant surprise, and it was a somewhat sure sign that destiny was no longer being messed with. Everything that had happened in the past few days, had happened because it was meant to, and not because some selfish monk wanted it to.
"Oh, welcome back Ice Ninja!" Nobu said, excited by his return. He quickly rushed over and shook Zane's hand. It had been quite some time since their last encounter, and in that time he had grown considerably. The monk now appeared to be a young man, but Zane still found it rather strange to see that a teenager had been entrusted with such an important position. The initiative and bravery he had shown by standing up to to the fallen monk must have impressed his peers; that was the only rational explanation he could think of for the sudden rise to power.
"Hello again." Zane responded. "It seems that you have received a promotion since the last time we met."
He nodded quickly, not wanting to waste their valuable time. "Yes, yes, I am now the Master Writer." the monk responded. "It's not quite as exciting as it may seem. Now, I assume that you are here in regards to Lloyd's recent corruption."
Zane stared at him blankly, finding himself confused by the statement. "Corruption? I have no memory of such an event."
Nobu looked down with apprehension, unsure of how much he should say. "I'm sorry Ice Ninja, I assumed that you knew. But yes, Lloyd has recently embraced his Oni side, and has been imbued with the Elemental Essence of Destruction. He is planning to attack as we speak!"
Zane nearly jumped back in surprise. How could Lloyd have been turned so quickly? This makes no sense; it isn't logical! But he suddenly looked up with an air of suspicion, as he remembered that all of the monks around him were entirely responsible for Lloyd's fate.
"Why would you have written that?" he quizzically inquired. "Did you wish any ill upon our realm or upon my friend?"
Nobu shook his head. "No, of course not!" he hurriedly responded, sounding a bit hurt by the accusation. "While our scrolls do have the ability to change the most current and up-to-date events in Ninjago, we only write for the future. We decide how certain events should unfold, but we refuse to control how each event is fulfilled. We write destiny, but you choose how destiny will happen. And there are many possible ways that each prophecy can take form."
"Hmm." Zane remarked. The monk's assessment was relatively puzzling, but he would try his best to make sense of it. "Correct me if I am wrong, but do you mean to say that the writers here decide what should happen, but that you don't interfere with how it happens?"
'Yes, exactly! We are not allowed to choose sides in any of your affairs, only set the most basic guidelines. But everything changed when Fenwick rewrote destiny! Everything that has occurred in your realm since then has played out far differently than how we originally intended, and we have not yet been able to fix every problem that Fenwick caused. We never planned for Garmadon to be resurrected, nor did we ever wish for Lloyd to be mentally abused!" he cried, trying desperately to justify and explain why everything had been going wrong.
Hearing no response from Zane, Nobu continued. "We thought that the Overlord had fulfilled the Curse of the Golden Master when he briefly took over Ninjago, but it now appears that the curse may still be active. The writers of destiny previously foretold that someone with power equal to that of the First Spinjitzu Master would bring ruin upon your land, and that is what Lloyd now intends to do!"
"Where is he?" Zane asked.
"The Dark Island!" Nobu answered, still feeling very distressed and unsure about the situation. "But you must hurry, for he's already begun to break free of his containment!"
Zane nodded, before hurriedly returning to Ninjago with the Realm Crystal. He gave the relic back to Cyrus Borg before immediately departing for the Dark Island.
The Master of Dreams stared blankly at the empty cell, still in disbelief of Lloyd's sudden escape. The weakened ninja had managed to break free from a vengestone cell, and he had done so with only his innate Oni abilities, nothing more. The Green Ninja had been corrupted, successfully turned to the dark, but they had been foolish to think that he could be controlled. The Ultimate Spinjitzu Master would not be contained or restricted any longer; he was too stubborn and steadfast to be tamed. What was most interesting however, was the fact that Lloyd had spared the Master of Dreams, for he had chosen not to attack them. That thought was slightly reassuring, as it suggested that they may have indeed been somewhat successful in getting Lloyd to turn on his friends. Unfortunately, the plan had still backfired massively, and now the fallen ninja was seeking retribution from all who had caused him harm.
The Elemental Master quickly grabbed the Sword of Sanctuary and headed for the door. They would have to stop him; Lloyd could not be allowed to destroy the realm. They had wished to get back at the ninja, and especially at the incessant Wu, but not at such a high cost. The people of Ninjago were going to pay the price for their foolishness, and that was not something they would have on their conscience.
But before they could reach the door it was violently kicked open. Zane and Nya had arrived. They had just missed their friend, but that wasn't going to stop them from getting back at his captor. Their attacks did not go as well as they would had hoped however, as the Master of Dreams was easily able to avoid the shots of ice and water thanks to the Sword of Sanctuary's invaluable powers of precognition. They quickly ducked, before springing up and shooting a red beam of energy at the pair of ninja. The duo froze, their eyes becoming unfocused and glassy. The Elemental Master was actually surprised that it had worked, as they had never tried to wipe a person's memories before. The power was notoriously difficult to perform, but it had worked for them now. Nya and Zane were thrust backwards, their life and energy returning as the process concluded. They looked around, dazed and confused by their surroundings.
"How did I get her-"
Nya was cut off by a flash of cyan; another beam of energy that now instantly put her to sleep. Zane, as a nindroid did not sleep, but he was capable of dreaming. He suddenly felt his systems shutting down, as the power drained from his body. The ninja simultaneously collapsed to the ground; they had already lost their memories from the day and now they were losing their consciousness as well.
"Oh, silly ninja." they purred. "You never should have come here, and now you won't leaving."
They dragged the pair of ninja into the vengestone cell and locked it shut. They wouldn't need to worry about those two anymore, and having less ninja to deal with was always a bonus. It also had the adverse effect of both protecting the pair from Lloyd's wrath and making Lloyd's job a lot easier, but they quickly pushed that thought from their mind. I couldn't care less about Lloyd or his idiot friends! I just don't want to have to deal with either of them right now. they told themselves. It did little to comfort them however, as the Master of Dreams was feeling less and less sure about their plans by the minute.
Lloyd loved flying. It was one of his absolute favorite activities in the world, to be able to soar above the ground and simply leave all of his worries behind. Just the feeling of it, speeding through the sky with the fresh air rushing past him; it was always so refreshing and soothing to him. And he had been trapped for the past few days without his elemental powers; had to endure through the most cruel and unusual of punishment: that being torture of the mind. It had been a very harrowing and traumatic experience, and riding his golden dragon across the sea was the perfect thing to put his mind at ease.
Lloyd had abandoned the form of an Oni, as he did not wish to make his true desires abundantly obvious. The element of surprise was key, and he would not have it if he looked like a pure Oni. Thus, he had transformed back into his regular human body with his normal appearance. There was one stark difference however, as his eyes had not turned green again. No, they had gone back to the blood red color, the dark and frightening shade of scarlet. He could not entirely hide his Oni side without giving up the powers, and so it seemed his eyes were stuck that way.
Lloyd had opted to give himself a different outfit though; a new ninja gi to better reflect his current state of mind. His favorite, most preferred suit had always been the Techno Gi. The design was striking but subtle. It perfectly displayed his powerful nature; letting everyone know that he was in fact the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master, but it did so in a way that didn't come off like he was arrogant or bragging. Plus the outfit was quite loose; it offered him much more mobility and far better movement than most of his other suits.
Lloyd had despised having to wear the Stone Warrior Armor over the gi, as all of that mobility was suddenly lost in exchange for protection against the Golden Power. The design and aesthetics of the suit were also lost when paired with the armor. So when Zane defeated the Overlord, Lloyd had immediately removed the bulky armor from his Techno Gi. At the time, Lloyd had donated it to the Ninjago Museum of History, as he had not wished to destroy the priceless relic, but he had no intention of ever wearing it again. Lloyd was therefore planning to stop there and steal back the armor before beginning his reign of terror. He did not think that the one set of armor would give the ninja the upper hand, but he thought it was better to be safe than sorry.
He certainly didn't want the armor for himself, as he would never again sacrifice the design and function of the Techno Gi. But out of all of the aspects of the suit he loved, it was the half mask especially that sold the design for him. Lloyd was quite proud of how his naturally blond hair looked and having to hide it under a full mask would be an immediate deal-breaker.
"It takes a lot of work to look so stunning." Lloyd quipped. He laughed at his somewhat exaggerated joke, but he really did consider his hair and general appearance to be a fundamental part of his identity. Being a blond was truly one of the main things that made Lloyd who he was, and he never wanted to change that. Why would he ever want a different hairstyle or color?
Lloyd had however swapped the colors around on the new suit, making gold the primary color and purple the secondary, whereas the original had been green and gold, respectively. This time, he wanted to have gold as the focus; he was the Golden Master after all, and the purple was also a key change. Lloyd now embodied both the Golden Power and the Essence of Destruction, a pair so potent and dangerous that it had shifted the balance for the entire Realm of Ninjago. He was the most powerful man to exist since the First Spinjitzu Master himself, and pretty much no one could even hope to stop him at this point.
He arrived at the Museum and quickly from released his dragon. Not wanting to make his return obvious to the world, Lloyd begrudgingly shifted himself into the form of his uncle. The city had clearly been very much on edge since his sudden disappearance, and he feared that too much attention could easily get in the way of his plans. Unfortunately for Lloyd, his eyes remained blood red. The deep scarlet would be a dead giveaway of his turn, so he fashioned himself a pair of sunglasses. It was a look that did not look right at all on Wu, but Lloyd hoped that nobody would ask about it. He probably wouldn't have to talk to anyone anyway.
Lloyd strolled calmly into the building, and he did catch a few odd glances from the people inside. Fortunately no one was brave enough to actually question his appearance, and so he simply walked past them on his way to the lone set of Stone Armor. He moved very quickly through the Museum, rushing past the other exhibits until he found the gallery of Stone Warriors. Everything appeared to be perfectly undisturbed, but when he looked closer he saw that his armor was missing.
Item currently on loan
He felt himself seethe with anger, furious that his uncle had gotten there first. It was not a massive loss, as the ninja were still very much at risk to his other two Essences, but it was still not an advantage he wanted them to have.
"Looking for something?"
Lloyd spun around to find his uncle, the actual Master Wu staring at him. He was smirking, and seemed to be almost gloating about the armor being gone. Lloyd quickly shifted back into his normal appearance, as he saw no use in beating around the bush. He chose to keep the glasses however, and Wu was surprised to see just how similar his nephew looked to the group of Bizarro Ninja he had encountered years prior. But it was no trick; this time it was not an impostor or an illusion. Lloyd truly had fallen to the darkness. Wu's worst fears had come true.
"Where is my armor?!" he screamed, his voice echoing throughout the gallery. Wu was taken aback by the outburst, but he managed to keep his calm. "It's on loan." he sharply responded. "I believe the sign in front of you made that abundantly clear."
Lloyd's felt his temper growing short, but he would not rise to the taunts. His uncle was trying to goad him into lashing out with his anger, and Lloyd knew that his attacks would need to be cold and calculated, not headstrong and impatient. "You can't possibly hope to defeat me. None of you can!" he bellowed, his powers of destruction subconsciously striking out against the artifacts around him.
"Perhaps not. But it doesn't have to be this way. Come back to us Lloyd; we all miss you dearly."
Lloyd laughed in response, a reaction Wu had not anticipated. "Oh, my dear Uncle, that simply isn't true." he remarked with obnoxious condescension. "None of the ninja actually like me as a person, well, except maybe Nya." He paused at the thought, his face softening briefly as he reflected on his one true friend. Nya had always been nice to him, and Lloyd dreaded the idea of having to fight her. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure if he would be able to hurt her.
He shook the concerns from his mind and continued with his rant. "But the other four hate me. They never cared for me, only for my power, and I will not be controlled ever again!" he cried, his words shaking at the very foundation of the museum.
Master Wu could not believe what he was hearing. Lloyd had become the very thing he had been destined to destroy, the very evil he had vanquished numerous times. The Ultimate Spinjitzu Master was truly no more; Lloyd was only a shadow of his former self. Before him stood a broken man consumed by anger and vengeance, and Wu could no longer recognize the kind young boy that had been his nephew.
"This is your final chance Lloyd. Let go of your hate and come back to us, I beg of you. I do not want to fight you, but I will do what I must."
"No! All of you will feel the same pain and misery that I do!" He struck out with his Essence of Destruction, knocking his Uncle back out of the room. Lloyd targeted another blast at the roof and then quickly escaped using Airjitzu. His cyclone of energy was now a bright gold; a sight that brought a smile to his face. For he was Ninjago's Golden Master, and he was going to raise this city to the ground.
If any of you were confused by the time shifting, this chapter starts concurrently with the dream flashback from last chapter. So when Nya and Zane are doing their stuff, it's while Lloyd is dreaming about Harumi. I probably should have included those parts in the last chapter, but I honestly forgot to write about the other ninja, so you got some of that today. Next chapter may be the climax of the story, but don't think that means the story is ending. Because the climax means it's the turning point, so just like the height of the conflict. There's still a bunch of stuff that comes afterwards, and there will be so much drama.
Also I've also started drawing some illustrations for the story and I'll probably have them ready for the next chapter.