I kind of feel like Jay is a little ooc in this chapter but I wasn't really sure how to write him since we don't get many interactions between him and Harumi in the show.

Jay stood in the middle of the library looking at the mess that was yet to be cleaned up. The others had all gone back to bed but not him. As much as he didn't trust Harumi his gut told him that she was telling the truth. If she really was after the dagger why would she have been making so much noise? Not to mention the scratch on her face was proof she had been in a real fight. Jay picked up scattered books and parchment papers, organizing them into neat stacks his mind running a million miles an hour. What could he do to get a clear answer as to what happened? Looking up his eyes landed on the security camera nestled in the corner of the room. He had forgotten they had installed those when Harumi first started staying here. It was a long shot, but it just might provide the clarity he needed.

Jay moved over to the console that controlled the security system, his fingers flying over the buttons as he navigated to the video feeds. The screen flickered to life, displaying a grainy black-and-white image of the library. He fast-forwarded through the night, scanning for any signs of movement that might reveal what had truly transpired. Time blurred as he sifted through footage. Finally, after seemingly endless minutes of watching the muted screen, he saw it—a flash of movement around the time the commotion began. He paused, focusing intently on the grainy footage. The dark figure emerged from the shadows, its wings unfurling as it lunged at Harumi, who appeared startled but quick to react.

Jay couldn't help but lean closer, his breath hitching in his throat. The tension was palpable as he watched Harumi retaliate, her movements fluid and instinctual. The creature swiped at her, and Jay winced as he saw the sai connect, leaving a mark on her cheek. But there was something else too; he could see the determination in her eyes, a fire he hadn't fully appreciated until now.

His heart raced as he watched the exchange unfold, the way she fought back fiercely, protecting not just herself, but the dagger as well. Just as it seemed she would deliver a decisive blow, the footage showed the creature glancing over its shoulder as if sensing the others approaching. Then, just like that, it vanished in a haunting swirl of darkness, leaving Harumi standing there looking bewildered—just as she described. Jay rewound the footage, replaying the moment again. With every view, it became clearer. She wasn't after the dagger; she was ensuring it didn't fall into dangerous hands. He had to tell the others.

Rushing out of the library he started running to the hallway housing the bedrooms but skidded to a stop when he heard sniffling coming from the living room. Looking in he saw Harumi sitting on the floor roughly rubbing at her eyes. Jay's heart softened at the sight of her. Despite the bravado she had shown in the library, here she was, vulnerable and stripped of her defenses. He stepped into the room cautiously, not wanting to startle her.

"Harumi?" he called softly, his voice low. "Are you alright?"

She looked up, blinking rapidly as she hastily wiped her cheeks, trying to compose herself. "What do you want, Jay?" she asked, sniffling and shaking her head slightly. "I thought you went back to bed."

Jay crouched down next to her shaking his head. "Nah, couldn't get back to sleep." Harumi didn't say anything so Jay continued. "I went and watched the security footage. What was that thing?"

Harumi glanced over at him reading his face for any sign of disbelief. Finding none she fully looked at him glad to have someone who was sensible enough to get all the information rather than just jump to conclusions. "I'm not sure, all it said is that he wanted the dagger for his master. It was weird."

"Well, that's comforting. A strange creature breaks into the monastery trying to steal that stupid dagger for some unknown master. It would be nice if for once we didn't have to deal with mystery and magic," Jay groaned moving to a more comfortable sitting position.

"By the way, are you okay? Looks like he got you good," Jay asked gesturing to the scratch on Harumi's face that was now covered in dried blood.

Harumi touched her cheek gingerly as if only just now realizing the extent of the wound. She shrugged, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I've had worse. You know you don't have to pretend to care about me, I know you guys would rather me not be here. Maybe I'm cursed or something." She forced out a strained laugh as a new wave of tears began to form. "Every since my parents died I haven't had anyone that actually cares about me. I mean, who could?"

Jay shifted uncomfortably, taken aback by the raw emotion leaking through her defenses. It was both a plea for help and a confession, and it struck him deeply. She missed her parents and didn't understand why they had to be taken away from her. He found himself relating to her in a way, sure he had a loving family and his parents had been nothing but amazing but he still wanted to know why his biological parents didn't want him. "Harumi..." he hesitated unsure of what he even wanted to say. "I understand feeling unwanted in places where you should belong. It's easy to think that no one cares, especially when life throws so much at you."

She looked him in the eye, her expression shifting from sadness to surprise. "You... understand?"

"Yeah," Jay replied softly, feeling his own vulnerability surfacing. "I was adopted, and for a long time, I wondered what was wrong with me or why my biological parents didn't want me. It made me question my worth... my place in the world. But what I've learned is that family isn't just blood. It's who stands by you, who fights for you."

Harumi's brow furrowed, her fingers brushing across her cheek, the pain momentarily forgotten. "You really think that? That I'm not destined to be alone?"

"Of course," he replied, his voice steady. "Lloyd isn't gonna let that happen, neither am I. If we just push you away when you need help it makes us no better than the villains we fight."

Harumi could feel her throat tightening as her vision blurred with unshed tears. She couldn't believe that she was falling apart like this in front of Jay, but what he had said was enough to cause the floodgates to open. Without another thought, she threw her arms around him and freely cried into his shoulder. The warmth of his body offered a solace she hadn't realized she needed. "I don't know how to move on," she confessed, her voice muffled. "Every time I think I'm strong enough, something reminds me of how alone I really am."

Jay was taken aback for a moment but quickly wrapped his arms around her, not wanting her to feel alone even for a second. "Well, not anymore," he said firmly. "You're not alone, Harumi. Not if you don't want to be."

She clung to him as if afraid he would suddenly disappear, her breath hitching between quiet sobs. It had been so long since she had allowed herself to be vulnerable like this, to let someone in. The others barely tolerated her presence, and she had accepted that as her reality. But now here was Jay sitting with her and making her feel safe enough to express her emotions. "You know you don't have to leave. Lloyd would be heartbroken if you did, and I don't know about you but I don't want to watch him go through that again," Jay said when she finally pulled away.

Harumi sniffled, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "You really think he'd care that much?" Her voice was small, uncertain, like she was afraid of the answer.

Jay let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. "Harumi, the guy practically bent over backward to bring you back. He wouldn't have done all that if he didn't care." He leaned back against the couch, rubbing the back of his neck. "Lloyd's got this habit of seeing the best in people, even when they can't see it in themselves. If you walked away now? It'd wreck him." Harumi stared at Jay for a long moment, her mind spinning. Deep down, she knew he was right. Lloyd had fought for her, believed in her when no one else would, and she had convinced herself it was out of guilt—an obligation to fix something broken. But maybe, it was more than that. Maybe he really did care. Maybe they all did, even if they didn't fully trust her yet.

She took a shaky breath, feeling the weight of her past pressing down on her shoulders. "I don't know how to fix this," she admitted. "I don't know how to be what Lloyd thinks I can be."

Jay gave a small shrug. "Then don't try to be what he expects. Just be you. We'll figure out the rest."

A weak chuckle slipped from her lips. "You make it sound so simple."

"It's not," he admitted. "But neither is running away, and we both know that hasn't worked out great for you so far."

She smirked slightly at that, appreciating his bluntness. "Fair point."

Jay leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "Look, we don't have all the answers right now, but what I do know is that something weird is going on. That thing that attacked you—it wasn't just some random thief. It had a plan, and it knew what it wanted. If we don't figure out who it's working for, we're gonna have bigger problems than trust issues."

Harumi sobered at that, nodding slowly. "So what now?"

Jay stood up, stretching his arms over his head. "Now? We tell the others."

Harumi let out a slow breath, nodding as she pushed herself to her feet. "Right," she said, though hesitation still lingered in her voice. She wasn't used to this—to having someone willing to stand by her side despite everything she had done. But Jay was right; she couldn't keep running.

Jay shot her a lopsided grin. "C'mon, let's go wake up our fearless leader. He's gonna want to see that footage."The team sat around the screen watching the footage on replay, their faces grim as they absorbed every detail. The room was silent except for the faint hum of the monitor, tension thick in the air. Lloyd leaned forward, eyes narrowed as he watched the creature vanish into the swirling darkness once more.

"That's... not just some petty thief," Zane finally spoke, his voice calm but edged with concern. "Its ability to manipulate shadows suggests a connection to the Oni, or at the very least, something with a similar power set."

Kai crossed his arms, shaking his head. "Great. Just when I thought we were done dealing with shadowy creeps." He glanced at Harumi, still wary but less accusatory than before. "Guess this means you weren't lying."

Harumi exhaled, barely suppressing the bitter chuckle threatening to escape. "Glad we've established that."

Nya, who had been silent up until now, leaned forward, tapping her fingers against the armrest of her chair. "The real question is: who is this 'master' it was talking about? And why do they want the dagger?"

Jay shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's what we need to figure out. If this thing is working for someone, they'll try again."

Lloyd sat back, his mind racing. He had brought Harumi here thinking it was safer, clearly, that wasn't the case. Lloyd exhaled slowly, his fingers steepled as he processed the situation. The monastery was supposed to be secure, a sanctuary where they could regroup and plan their next moves. But if something—or someone—had sent a creature capable of slipping past their defenses, they were already at a disadvantage.

"We need to reinforce security," he finally said, his voice calm but resolute. "And we need to figure out why the dagger is so important."

Cole, who had been studying the footage with a deep frown, finally spoke. "We've come across a lot of ancient weapons and relics before, but this one feels different. If someone's sending shadow monsters after it, that means it has real power—or at least, they think it does."

Zane nodded. "Analyzing the energy signature left behind might give us more insight. If it is Oni-related, we must prepare accordingly."

Harumi shifted uncomfortably under the weight of their attention. Even though Jay had believed her, there was still an unspoken tension in the room—silent questions about her place among them, about whether she truly belonged.

"I might be able to help," she said, her voice careful. "If this thing was after the dagger, maybe it's mentioned somewhere in Oni records. I had access to a lot of information while I was... with the Sons of Garmadon."

Lloyd looked at her, gauging her sincerity. There was a time when he would have hesitated, but after everything, he wanted to believe she was here for the right reasons. "If you think you can find something useful, do it. We need every advantage we can get." Harumi nodded, a flicker of determination in her gaze. Despite the tension in the room, this was her chance—to prove she wasn't just a liability, that she could help. That she belonged.

"I'll go through what I remember," she said, crossing her arms as she leaned against the back of a chair. "The Sons of Garmadon didn't know everything about the Oni, but they had pieces of history most people don't. If there's anything about this dagger that connects to them, I might be able to piece it together."

Lloyd gave a small nod, accepting her offer. "Alright. Do what you can."

Zane turned back to the screen, rewinding the footage to the moment the creature disappeared. His sensors scanned for any residual traces of energy. "If it left anything behind, I may be able to track it. At the very least, we can determine if its abilities align with Oni magic."

Jay, arms crossed, exhaled through his nose. "I hate this. A shadowy monster working for some mystery villain? Classic bad guy nonsense. Can't we get a break?"

Kai scoffed. "In this lifetime? Doubt it."

Cole rolled his shoulders, standing up. "Either way, we're not gonna get answers sitting around. If this thing shows up again, we need to be ready. The last thing we need is some shadow freak slipping past usagain."

"Alright, you guys see what you can figure out. I'm gonna go talk to Sting, we need to know how something like this ended up in human hands," Lloyd said standing up and walking out of the room. Hopefully, he could actually get some useful information otherwise the team would be going into this blind and as the leader that was the last thing he wanted right now.