Dreams and Desires
Chapter 26
Hearsay
*I own nothing and any similarities with any other works are purely coincidental.
Nya was effectively frozen, stuck staring off at a distant speck of paint on the opposite wall. The remaining members of the team were just across the aisle from her, but they might as well have been on the other side of the world. Her mind was elsewhere, spellbound and elusive as she desperately tried to wrap her head around this tragic turn of events. She could not focus on what her friends were saying, not when half of them were gone. Zane and Cole were the only members of the team left, although Pixal's sudden return had been a very welcome surprise. Kai was still stuck being treated, but they were supposedly due to get an update on his status any minute now. While those prospects were reassuring, the simple fact that Jay and Lloyd were missing completely outweighed any semblance of joy or gratitude. She now knew that Lloyd had survived and made a full recovery, but sadly it appeared that his new powers had only gotten him into more trouble.
The public had been blindsided by the baffling barrage of bad news, for this was not a reality anyone would have predicted. They were all at a complete loss, as their beloved protectors were simply dropping like flies. There was no looming threat to latch onto, no sense of malice in the air. The police desperately needed a lead but they didn't know what they were supposed to be looking for. All anyone had to go on were the several eyewitness accounts from the scene of the crime, and they could only tell so much. The world had been clamoring for Jay's testimony ever since his tragic fall, but he was no longer around to give it.
The ninja were falling prey to a silent killer, an unknown enemy that had taken the whole world by surprise as they struck with surgical precision. Educated guesses could be made about who they were and what powers they possessed, but their true identity was a mystery. The Masters of Dreams hid behind a mask, both literally and figuratively. The ninja were in the dark, as the source of their aimless misery had not yet revealed themselves. Lloyd was the sole person she had confided in, and only when he had put a sword to her neck.
"Nya?" She was stirred from her thoughts, looking up quickly as the ninja finally addressed her directly. They all bore similar expressions of sadness and regret, but it was a sense of growing concern that dominated in that moment. In less than a week their friend had been reduced to a shell of herself, warped by endless tragedy and constant heartbreak. Nya was an emotional wreck, and they were all terribly worried about her.
"Where did you get those flowers?" Pixal asked suddenly, choosing to go with a distractor rather than addressing her pain head-on. Cole looked over in confusion, somewhat surprised by the seemingly random segue. Zane frowned slightly, his brow furrowing as he silently pondered the query. Now that the detail had been brought to his attention he could focus on nothing else, and a morosely muddled perplexion began to subdue his thoughts.
"Lloyd gave them to me." Nya whispered, her voice hollow and empty. Her eyes were welling with tears; the fact that he had left them once more was hurting her more than anything else. He had been a sight for sore eyes, and knowing that he was alright was the most relieving news she could have received. For the briefest moment her world had been filled with hope again, but the excitement was brutally ripped away in an instant. Her mind had foolishly thought that their beloved leader was returning permanently, and waking up to find that he was gone again had been one of the most disappointing things imaginable. It would have been better if he had never come back at all!
"What?" Cole cried, eyes widened with shock and mouth held agape. "When did you see him?" Neither of the nindroids visibly reacted to the confession, as their expressions of puzzlement only intensified. Considering the circumstances it seemed very odd for him to be walking around freely, as judging from the witnesses he had been seemingly recaptured by the Master of Dreams. Due to his extensive injuries he had been presumed dead for several days now, and there had been little reason to think that he would have survived for very long without emergency treatment.
"He showed up at the hospital last night, fully healed and all." Nya muttered, still incredibly melancholy as the impromptu interrogation began. Her shoulders sagged in sorrow, for it was a conversation she had been dreading. It made logical sense that her friends would want to hear all about the touching reunion, but at the same time she felt kind of bad about answering their questions. It was arguably a violation of his trust, as it wasn't really fair to reveal everything they discussed. He hadn't said or done anything particularly scandalous, but even so it was a cherished moment that she felt should stay between her and Lloyd.
"Nya… are you sure you weren't dreaming?" Zane asked tensely, sharing a worried look with Pixal as they approached the revelation with heavy skepticism. "That sounds too good to be true, and from what I've heard the human mind can play tricks." Her eyes shot up at the remark, her face quickly filling with a sullen rage. The simple existence of the flowers was extremely compelling evidence, as they would not have seeped into reality had the memory been nothing more than wishful thinking. Physical objects can't transcend the boundaries of a dream, and as such she knew it must have been real. She hadn't doubted the validity of the memory, but the gladioli certainly reinforced her sense of surety.
"No, I wasn't dreaming." Nya retorted haughtily, her eyes burning with fury as she glared at her friends. "And if you won't take my word for it then try looking at his handwriting." She violently ripped the slip of paper from the vase and chucked it at Zane. He was taken aback by the sudden outburst, but quickly moved past his own surprise and began analyzing the written message. Cross-referencing it with his own internal records proved her point, for there was denying that it was written by Lloyd.
"It's genuine." he murmured, looking up at her with a mix of surprise and curiosity crossing his face. "What did he have to say for himself?" None of this made sense to him, and his processors were struggling to connect the dots. Not only had their fallen leader survived his injuries, he had somehow managed to completely heal in just two days. He had apparently returned to make amends with Nya, but then left just as quickly. Evidently this Master of Dreams had not held him for very long, and considering just how much crucial information Zane was missing, he could only conclude that Lloyd had gone AWOL.
Nya averted her eyes, turning away from her friends as she mulled over the details. What he had told her the night before confirmed the abduction theory, but conversely his mere presence indicated that he had escaped. On the other hand the abrupt manner in which he had arrived and departed seemed to suggest that he was still on the run, and for that reason she didn't want to reveal anymore. He's keeping his distance to protect us, so involving the others would only put him at risk.
"I… I don't want to talk about it." she said slowly, her voice breaking as she held back a wave of tears. She looked up from the ground, quickly glancing at their sorrowed expressions before excusing herself from the unwanted questioning. Telling them of his survival had been the right thing to do, but she could not bring herself to reveal anything else. Nya ran from the room, leaving her companions in the dust as she finally left the hospital. She had made up her mind and she intended to go after him. Alone.
Jay woke with a start, blinking rapidly as he adjusted to the light. The dream was already gone, slipping away as if he had never left his cell. He felt an odd sense of disingenuity, as the most recent vision had faded just as soon as he had opened his eyes. In a way it made him feel more concerned than before, for it seemed to suggest that something had changed. Slowly lifting his eyes in apprehension, he looked out through the bars. The sight before his eyes was a strange one indeed, and it was in sharp contrast to how things had been when he was last conscious.
The so-called Master of Dreams was nowhere to be found, and Lloyd was no longer hiding. He was working on his sewing, carefully and meticulously adjusting a very familiar looking uniform. There was a small stack of blue gis sitting next to him, and at the moment he was adapting the design on the Resistance Robes. It was already similar enough, but he had nonetheless decided to slightly alter the structure to more resemble his own outfit.
"What are you doing?" Jay mumbled groggily, his words slurring slightly as he struggled to wake up fully. The heap of stolen uniforms had gone unnoticed, but Lloyd still tensed slightly at the query. The sudden question had broken his intense concentration, if only momentarily. It was impossible to truly explain what he was doing without revealing anything, but he would indulge the ninja's curiosity for now.
"Sewing." Lloyd muttered, although he had still not taken his eyes off of the task at hand. He was wrapping up the physical changes and mentally preparing himself to dye the gi; he intended to mix in another shade to give the suit a more sea-green look, better emphasizing the element's association with cyan while still honoring the fact that green was her favorite color. The belt would have to be changed as well, for he wisely surmised that Harumi wouldn't really like the dull gray. The sewing had been a relatively routine process, but he didn't really know much about how to dye clothes.
"Right…" Jay said slowly, his brow furrowing as he tried to wrap his head around the secretive skill. Lloyd had never actually sewn anything in front of his friends, as it was a talent that he was actively embarrassed of. Sewing was far from the most masculine hobby, and as such he had hid it from them for years. Of course the only thing he had really done with his proficiency in the field was covertly patch up their uniforms from time to time, always perfectly fine with not getting the credit he deserved. Lloyd had never sought appreciation for anything in his life, whether it be saving the world or fixing the odd bit of torn clothing.
"Where's the Master of Dreams?" Jay asked nervously, choosing to address what was the more pressing concern. Lloyd paused, setting the needle down as he pondered how best to respond. Obviously telling the truth was out of the question, as he didn't feel like explaining why he was taking on his first student. She had been training for several hours at this point, and, now feeling much more confident in her abilities, he had let her try the course unassisted. He wasn't under any particular obligation to answer Jay's questions, but giving vague replies would probably end up helping her case.
"He's not here." he answered nonchalantly, eventually deciding to use the inaccurate gender pronoun. She was masquerading as a man, so reinforcing that misguided belief would help make her false persona far more distinct and convincing. Jay rolled his eyes, annoyed but not particularly surprised by the ambiguously obvious answers. Once again he honed in on the sewing, and his face flushed with anger as he peered more closely at what Lloyd was doing.
"Is that one of my suits?" he asked angrily, an accusatory glare crossing his face. Lloyd sighed quietly, finally returning his gaze and giving the ninja his full attention. He nodded quickly, glancing around fervently before a wry grin crossed his face. Jay was relatively reassured by his cheeky expression, as it showed no trace of malice or disdain. His eyes were no longer blood red, and his normal set of glowing-green pupils seemed to reflect a somewhat cleansed soul.
"That reminds me, I patched up your Techno Gi." Lloyd said gleefully, standing up and grabbing the gi that was on the top of the turned to face Jay once more, holding up the spotless suit. Before it had been ripped and frayed, ashen and dirty, but now it looked almost brand new. The Stone Armor had been removed of course, which had in turn restored the greater aesthetic appeal of the original outfit. Jay smiled with delight at the completely unnecessary and extremely kind gesture, but his eyes widened in as he realized just what that meant.
He slowly looked down and shrieked in horror, disgusted to find that he had been wearing nothing except his undergarments. Lloyd chuckled at the rather harsh reaction, shaking his head slightly as he tossed the folded gi through the cell bars. He turned his back, respectively letting the scared ninja change without a captive audience. It's probably a good thing that Rumi's not here for this.
Jay quickly snatched up the two-piece set, wasting no time in covering his bare skin. He was terribly ashamed to think that he had been dressed so cavalierly, and his face burned with embarrassment. Heavily blushing and feeling slightly lightheaded, he nonetheless chose to continue asking questions as if nothing had happened.
"Why are you doing this Lloyd?" Jay asked worriedly, his face quickly warping into one of concern and fear. He could not understand why their leader had defected, especially since his heart was in the right place again. Judging from his previous conversation with their unhinged host it seemed apparent that he had previously been held in this same vengestone cell, but there was no longer anything preventing him from leaving. He was choosing to stay here, and Jay could not comprehend what would compel him to do such a thing.
"You wouldn't understand." Lloyd replied sadly, averting his eyes as his face softened once more. The reality of just what he was sacrificing for love was finally starting to sink in, and he was finding it increasingly difficult to leave his friend in the dark. It wasn't because he wanted to confide in the ninja, far from it. He was living a lie, and this level of constant deceit went against his very nature. However, his primary concern was protecting Harumi, and his feelings for her had managed to overrule all of the boundless loyalty and honesty that was intrinsic to his personality.
"Lloyd, you can talk to me." Jay said quietly, feeling incredibly discouraged and nervous for his well-being. "I'm sorry for hurting you, and I promise that I won't make fun of whatever you're going through." He simply scoffed at the remark, shaking his head in disbelief at the dramatic irony. It was yet another example of sheer ignorance, for Jay had already been making a mockery of his feelings for months. It was still the same issue as before, but he was too blind to see it. Some things never change.
"No, I think we're done talking for now." Lloyd said sharply, turning on his heels and promptly walking out the door. He strolled out onto the cliff, watching in awe as Harumi leapt across the planks, running with such ferocity that she was just a dark blur in the sea of gold. She looked very much at home on the training course, which somewhat surprised him. He found it rather strange that she was having no trouble adjusting to the intense physical regiments, although it certainly wasn't something to complain about.
"You're learning fast." he admitted excitedly, skipping up as she reached the end of the segment. Harumi stopped in her tracks, turning in delight to see that he had decided to take a break from sewing. She nodded in agreement, catching her breath a bit before responding in turn.
"Well, I can do just about anything if I put my mind to it." she said quietly, her face awash with an uncharacteristic embarrassment. "It's just that I've always done things for the wrong reasons." She usually enjoyed sarcastically bragging about herself, but her tone was far more somber as she felt another wave of guilt flooding her mind. Harumi had studied the art of combat for no reason besides revenge, and her crushing regret was not likely to go away anytime soon. She was an extremely well-rounded individual, possessing tons of amazing talents and being professionally trained in most of them. But none of that changed the fact that she had wasted the majority of her life failing to reconcile with her own grief.
"We all make mistakes Rumi, and it's not like I'm an innocent." Lloyd said grimly, hoping that sharing his own similar sense of grief would help ease her guilty conscience. "I've taken more lives than I can count, and it never gets any easier. Just because I've never been held accountable for my actions doesn't mean that I don't understand how you feel."
Harumi was shell-shocked by the reveal, and she honestly didn't know what to say. She had never directly killed anyone, as nearly everything had been done on her orders. She didn't feel guilty about committing any crimes, and in fact she had methodically destroyed any evidence of her transgressions. When she had been originally apprehended by the police the only thing they had actually been able to charge her with was trespassing, although she wouldn't have been found guilty since the Palace of Secrets and the accompanying Temple of Secrets had been entrusted to her after the Emperor and Empress passed. Harumi had basically been held in jail because of her alleged status as a crime boss, not because of any actual crimes that she had committed. It was true that she was a kleptomaniac who had abducted Lloyd and his mother, but there had never been anything definitive to pin on her. Unfortunately, Harumi was morally responsible for every heinous crime that the Sons of Garmadon as a whole had committed, and that certainly contributed to her feelings of reprehensible regret.
"How many people have you killed?" she asked nervously, finding herself emboldened by a rather apprehensive sense of curiosity. Lloyd sighed in resignation, and began the arduous process of tallying up his current total. It was difficult to keep track of, as he had been on the front lines for so many years now. His band of colorful vigilantes had staved off devastation on numerous occasions, and there were always casualties in war. Granted the number of deaths that he was directly responsible for was far less than the indirect ones, but it certainly wasn't something to scoff at either.
"I'm not sure, but I personally killed at least a hundred Stone Warriors and I've scrapped more than a dozen Nindroids." he answered solemnly, staring at the ground in shame. "I was also the one who banished my father to the Cursed Realm in exchange for the souls of the Anacondrai Generals, who promptly proceeded to curse Chen's entire army. Supposedly he had over a thousand soldiers with him, and I inadvertently sent them all to their deaths. Zane has tried to tally all of our kill counts before actually, and I believe mine was an estimated 1,425."
Harumi felt her eyes widen in shock, for it was a chilling and blood-curdling total that she would never have believed in a million years. The act of murder truly went against everything he stood for in life, and the only time he ever wished death upon another living being was when he was completely under the influence of his Oni side. Being responsible for so much death was a disgusting thing to live with, even if all of that bloodshed had been for a noble cause. It was understandably a haunting source of everlasting regret, as, although he didn't feel too bad about the first two incidents, he would never forgive himself for accidentally sending an entire army to rot in the Cursed Realm. In his mind Chen probably deserved his fate, but he could not confirm that everyone on his side was truly a bad person. They were just soldiers following orders, and he had never wanted to see so many innocent lives lost.
"When did that topic come up?" she asked casually, trying to redirect the conversation a bit before they both became consumed by their own demons. The question shook Lloyd free from the retrospective trance, and he quickly thought back to the conversation. It had been just a few weeks ago, but it felt like a lifetime ago. The idea of having fun with his friends was now completely foreign to him, and he had difficulty connecting the memory to his current self.
"We threw a small party for the Day of Departed, so I guess discussing death was just par for the course." he said jokingly, smiling slightly at the thought. "Actually, I snuck away from the group to go light you a lantern." He teared up slightly just thinking about it, as the idea of losing her again was so frightening. Lloyd was far too ashamed to admit it, but he was terribly scared. Being with her was such a blissful paradise and yet, at times it seemed more like a manic fever dream. His anxiety was utterly intolerable, and it was an issue that Harumi found to be very concerning. Of course his sentimental nature was just as charming as ever; she was always mystified by his endearing kindness and loving sense of attachment.
"It's alright, I'm here for you." she whispered softly, gently running her hand across his face in a gentle and soothing manner. He melted at her touch, feeling his worries wash away in a sweeping wave of fond adoration. His haunting guilty conscience was never a constant source of misery, but the discussion of death and loss had brought back these horrifying thoughts. Technically speaking he had accomplished his goal, as she was no longer focused on her own guilt. Instead he had chosen to further highlight his own anguish, which had been very helpful for her constant quest for knowledge and understanding. It seemed that with almost every conversation there was a startling new reveal, and with it another piece of the puzzle had fallen into place. She was slowly unraveling the peculiar mystery that was Lloyd Garmadon, as yet another glaring source of everlasting pain had been exposed.
"So, are you ready to head in now?" Lloyd asked quietly, finally speaking up to direct the conversation away from the touchy subject of death. "I only came out here in the first place because I got tired of answering Jay's incessant questions, so I would really appreciate it if you could help shut him up." Harumi smiled at the proposal, practically beaming with excitement as a wicked grin crossed her face.
"I would love nothing more."
Nya stormed down the metal catwalk, emboldened by an ensnaring sense of repressed animosity. The pain was too unbearable to deal with, and it was driving her towards resolving the situation by any means necessary. Getting closure with Lloyd was the only thing she could think of, and as such she had ignored every message from her friends. She felt strangely called to action, and ghosting the other ninja was a necessary sacrifice. Naturally her own sparse searches had come up empty, so now she was turning to the only person who she knew could help.
"Welcome back Master of Water." Lord Garmadon muttered jeeringly, continuing to stare off into the distance. There was a smirk slowly forming on his face, for, while he had known that she would be back at some point, this certainly exceeded his expectations. They must have failed spectacularly.
"Yeah, let's skip the niceties." Nya said sharply, crossing her arms in annoyance. She didn't have time for his games, nor did she see any point in beating around the bush. He perked up at the rather demanding tone, and quickly turned to face his guest with an almost appreciatory smile.
"Someone's a little feisty today." he murmured, grinning wickedly as he took in her furious expression. "I take it you were unsuccessful in convincing your fallen leader to return from his island retreat?"
"Well, apparently we had a run in with an Elemental Master of Dreams, so I don't actually remember what happened." Nya spat, her voice icy and bitter. She had vowed to find the person keeping them apart, and an ironic sense of vengeance was slowly consuming her soul. Revealing her memory loss had been a very bad move however, as it immediately gave Garmadon all the leverage. His eyes widened in surprise at the flippant response, for it was suddenly apparent that he held all of the cards. If she didn't remember Lloyd's current whereabouts then he could once again try to negotiate for his release, and as such he made a mental note to be more careful with his words. But that was only the tip of the iceberg, and in his mind the elemental renaissance was a far more interesting detail.
"Now that's a title I have not heard in a long time." he admitted, extremely intrigued by this startling revelation. Being locked up in Kryptarium kept him mostly out of the loop, as the only thing he had known for sure was that Lloyd had left. This changed everything, for it truly brought into doubt his son's motives and whether he had been truly secure in his beliefs. The element was a dangerous one, as his father had always cautioned him from messing with it. The First Spinjitzu Master had seemed almost ashamed of his decision to entrust those erratic abilities with a human being, and that level of dread fed into an almost mystical aura that seemed to constantly surround the element. It was an unpredictable force that Garmadon had always respected, for its capacity for destruction and chaos was quite on par with his own Elemental Essence. In the wrong hands, or the right hands depending on one's moral standing, the Element of Dreams could be used to terrible effect.
"So how exactly am I supposed to stop this godforsaken elemental?" Nya asked impatiently, growing increasingly annoyed with his obnoxious mannerisms. He never seemed to give her a straight answer to anything, and it was almost certainly on purpose. Every pause was effortlessly drawn out to make the experience that much more excruciating and arduous, which angered her far more than she cared to admit.
"Oh, did my pathetic little brother teach you nothing?" Garmadon asked sneeringly, although his wry grin started to fade as the sense of growing worry began to escape his mind. He obviously wasn't sure who the current Master of Dreams was, but they were never a person to be trifled with. Its power of unrivaled influence made it a far more secretive and nuanced element, which made it perfectly suited for espionage. It was fickle and extremely volatile by nature, and strangely it tended to gravitate towards like minded souls. At times the element seemed to have a mind of its own; as if it was some mischievous entity that whimsically refused to conform to normal rules and guidelines.
"You cannot win this fight because there is simply no fight to be fought." he responded succinctly, speaking in a rather pompous and condescending tone that made her blood boil. "They will put you to sleep before you can even strike, and then they will twist your dreams into horrific nightmares while simultaneously stopping your brain from forming any new memories. If what you say is true, then my idiot son is gone and there's very little you can do about it."
"That's not true!" Nya yelled, her eyes ablaze with a burning rage. "Lloyd's escaped, I saw him just yesterday. He gave me these flowers…" Her voice began to trail off as she held up the vase, as the insatiable anger began to slip away. Lord Garmadon raised his eyebrows at the statement, for it was a rather puzzling thing to hear. It was baffling to learn that he was back to his old self, as it went against what he had personally observed. He had felt the balance of the realm noticeably shift towards the dark, and it had never actually shifted back. The sides of good and evil were no longer on an even footing, which, unbeknownst to him, was due in part to Master Wu's untimely death. And it's not like Lloyd had fully returned to the light either, as his soul was still somewhat tainted. He blurred the lines and embraced the gray of the world, for he was no longer on either side. In choosing to be with Harumi he had completely abandoned his responsibilities as a ninja, leaving the people of Ninjago out to dry.
"How interesting. I never touted that awkward clutz as a romantic." he replied scathingly, making the somewhat headstrong and scrappy woman seem extremely flustered. He was very pleased with his handiwork, as her face immediately turned bright red with embarrassment. Sowing the seeds of discourse was one of his favorite pastimes; it brought a smile to his face to see so much disorder and instability in their world.
"No, it's not like that." Nya stated quickly, although she didn't sound very confident in her answer. "I'm with Jay, and I think Lloyd is still kind of hung up on Harumi. I assure you, your son sees me as nothing more than a friend, and I certainly don't have feelings for him." Garmadon slowly nodded in agreement, but at the same time a wry grin effortlessly snaked its way up his face. He was an agent of chaos, and while he really couldn't care less about Lloyd's love life, this drama was just too good to ignore.
"If that's the case, why are you here?"
I honestly don't know how I do it, but once again I managed to drag out a few conversations into an entire chapter. I really tried to keep this one on the shorter side, but obviously that didn't work out very well. If you all want me to get back to writing shorter chapters please let me know, as I think that the last few have gotten really out of hand. It would have even been longer but ultimately I didn't feel like making another dream sequence this time around because it just feels a lot more limiting to write within those strict confines nowadays. Also I do have to give credit to u/KapauChope on reddit for Lloyd's kill count data, as I probably wouldn't have bothered to accurately estimate that myself.
On a far more somber note I was very sad to hear that Kirby Morrow passed on, and it especially sucks because now I can't bring myself to be happy on my birthday. That probably sounds a bit pretentious and self-centered, but the news has basically nullified my holiday cheer. I honestly don't feel like there's anything worth celebrating anymore, and as such I would really appreciate it if anyone reading this would be kind enough to leave me a story review. Just putting that out there…