Another Lifetime

by That_AtlasGuy

Summary:

It started out as a normal mission: to investigate unusual energy activity on the outskirts of Ninjago.

Now Lloyd wakes up in a place he once knew with a kid that he swears looks just like him. This leaves the ninjas fumbling for an explanation to what just happened.

Basically Lloyd time travel AU but with ✨plot✨

Chapter 1: Prologue

Prologue

---

 

Lloyd was so tired.

All of the stress of searching for Master Wu and his mother, Misako, had finally caught up to him. The jungle search was a quick and unplanned mission. And Lloyd had to admit his decision was on impulse.

He was glad the mission was quick though. And thankful that the purple locals on the island listened to their reasons,... well, eventually.

Who knows what terrible things could have happened if things didn’t work out as they did? 

Lloyd let out a huff,  they're fine, they're safe. All of that was behind them. 

With a sigh, He collapsed on his bed in the monastery after their long journey from the storm belt. 

The sound of the cold wind and peaceful crickets lulled him to sleep. 

..

.

 

Huh?

 

A tall hooded figure stood in front of a structure. They walked toward the middle of what looked like the remains of a room. 

 

Turning and lifting fragments of cement and rocks, they seem to be looking for something. Lloyd realizes as he watches behind a pillar. 

 

The green ninja looks around...and blinks as he faces a mirror-like wall. No trace of the structure he just saw. 

 

He approached the wall without a thought, his hands feel the cold surface of the wall. He fixes his gaze at his reflection, only to realize it was a younger version of him staring back. 

 

Lloyd flinched back in surprise. 

 

"Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, we meet again" a dark, manipulative voice echoes in his mind.

 

"HELP!" a young voice calls out

 

Knock

 

"I haven't seen anything like this-"

"-of energy-" 

"what about-"

They were speaking,

 

Knock KnOcK

 

It was urgent.

"-blades should work"

It was loud.

 

The voices echoed and overlapped each other-

 

Then there was a pressure on his side.

 

Pressing...

 

Pulsing...

 

 

Painful- K NOCK

KNOCK!

KNOCK!

 

Lloyd jerked up abruptly, sitting on his bed before his mind could comprehend he was awake. He felt the remnants of confusion and fear at the same time.

His heart was beating loudly.

"Lloyd??"

 

He moved his hands, now noticing his vice grip on his side as if it was bleeding. 

Lloyd turned to look at the clock on his bedside table.

8 am. 

Has it been that long ?

It's as if not too long ago he crashed onto his bed.

 

"Lloyd..?"

His mind finally registered the voice. It was Kai knocking on his door. And from the sound of it, it wasn't the first attempt at calling his name.

"Yeah?" he answered roughly with his morning voice.

 

"Breakfasts ready," Kai says on the other side of the door. "Also Wu has a mission for us. He says he'll discuss it over breakfast."

 

"Be there in a minute," Lloyd distractedly replied. In all honesty, he was still busy trying to fully comprehend what he just dreamt. 

Lloyd shook his head, he still feels just as tired as he was yesterday.

The sound of Kai walking away reminded Lloyd that he should probably get up. 

 

Not even the green ninja can have the luxury of sleep.  His thoughts wandered as he opened his drawers. The title basically means more responsibility and a huge target painted on his back.

'Stop complaining,'  Lloyd immediately scolds himself as he wears his gi. 

Being the green ninja is an honor . He loves Ninjago, it's his grandfather's realm. If it takes sacrificing his childhood to save it, he'll do it all again. 

 

'A new mission,'  Lloyd now just processed what Kai said. He was partially thankful to be busy again, to have something to do. 

'It's a good distraction'  He thinks to himself. From what? -Honestly, Lloyd doesn't know. 

He shrugged off the last feeling of sleepiness and headed out.

 

Lloyd walked through the hallways of the monastery, lost in his thoughts. 

'I should probably talk to Master Wu about my dream..' 

The dream about...

…

 

Wait, what was the dream about again? 

 

Nevermind.

 

Lloyd turned to the corner that leads to the dining area. His mood was slowly lifting. At this time of day, the birds sing captivating melodies- 

"-than Cole!" 

"Hey!"

-that is if you could hear them… 

Lloyd turned around the corner and took the scene in.

The rectangular table in the middle of the dining room was set up with plates and utensils. It's an 8 seater table, 3 chairs on each side and one on the front and the back.

Looks like the food is all set . Lloyd thought as he entered. The waffles were stacked onto the plates.

"There he is," Kai said with a smile, which Lloyd returns. "I was starting to think you went back to sleep."

Lloyd took the empty seat at the front. Kai was sitting on his left, followed by Jay and Nya. And to Lloyd's right, sat Cole and two empty seats. And lastly, opposite directly to Lloyd is Master Wu. 

"Lloyd, be honest, what can you say about my cooking?? " Cole asks as if he's been arguing about it all morning. Kai stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"It could use some... improvements" Lloyd replied diplomatically.

"I-" Cole stares at Lloyd as he tries to comprehend whether it was sarcastic or genuine. Then turns to Kai "-At least it was edible," He argued.

"Heyy mine is totally edible! And besides, I improved after our mission to the dark island." Kai reasoned back.

"-Only because Lloyd admitted it was bad-"

 

Lloyd shook his head and tunes them out. He furrowed his eyebrow as he looked at his plate, remembering that he was trying to recall the events that happened in his dream. He barely recognized his name getting dragged into an argument about cooking. 

"Okay okay, I'll break it, both of you are bad at cooking" Nya interrupts. 

"Nya-"

"-here's the last batch" Zane enters the room with perfect timing, holding a plate of waffles. Pixal follows behind "Hopefully this quantity will suffice this time" 

"You should ask Cole that question" Jay replied as he grabbed a fork. 

"Hey! I was hungry.."

"That will do, Zane," Master Wu said with a small smile. Lloyd almost forgot his uncle was sitting at the table with them. 

 

As soon as everyone was at the table, the Ninjas wasted no time devouring their breakfast. 

"Mmm Zane! These waffles are so good!" Cole complements. 

"Zane IS the best cook out of all of us," Jay added. 

"No arguments there" 

They continued eating breakfast with casual talks here and there. But Lloyd mostly kept quiet unless spoken to. It wasn't that he was in a bad mood. But he was just too caught up in his thoughts to join any convo. 

He glanced at Master Wu, who was talking with Pixal and Zane.  'Didn't Kai say he had a mission for them?'

Master Wu nodded to Pixal and Zane. Sipped his tea. 

Then cleared his throat. 

 

'Ah here we go'

 

"Ninjas, I have a mission for you.” The ninjas turned their attention to Master Wu. 

”While we're at the storm belt, Pixal has detected unusual fluctuations of energy coming from the East side of Ninjago." Master Wu gestured for Pixal to continue. 

 

"I ran the scanners and triangulated the source of the outburst. My further research shows that it may originate from an old elemental temple. Long erased from Ninjago's maps. " Pixal explained. 

 

'Old elemental temple? Like the ice temple, I encountered while climbing the Wailing Alps? '  Lloyd thought to himself. 

"Old elemental temple?” Kai asked "Like the fire temple from when we fought the serpentine? " 

 

'or that'

 

"Could be. Though I'm not sure what elemental power this temple represents" Pixal answered. 

"We need a team to investigate the cause of this unusual activity. Temples acting out are never good." Master Wu concluded. 

 

"Consider it done Master," Lloyd replied. 

 

 

Chapter 2: Into the Temple

Summary:

The Ninjas travel to the origin of the energy bursts, which seems to be some kind of temple.

What has destiny planned for them now?

INTO THE TEMPLE

---

"Hey, you've been awfully quiet at breakfast, " Cole said as he approached from behind. 

They were double checking the equipment and running a final diagnostic on the bounty. The ship took quite a beating from the storm belt.

Jay and Nya were off buying and double checking supplies for the monastery and the bounty. Kai and Cole were happy to help Zane fix the broken parts of the ship. 

Then Pixal was doing her 'project'. What exactly?Lloyd didn't know, it looked like she was building some type of vehicle. 

And Lloyd was supposed to find and talk to Master Wu about his dreams. Which, as Lloyd reflected, were bothering him more than it should. But his plans soon deserted him as he passed the garden in the monastery.

He remembers the extensive and intense training he had when he was young, before the tea aging incident. Well, come to think of it, he still trains really hard till this day. 

"-Earth to Lloyd?" Cole waved his hands in front of him, cutting Lloyd's train of thought.

"OH sorry Cole, what'd you say?" Lloyd realizes he was still standing at the entrance of the garden. 

"You've been acting…" Cole says, choosing his words. "...off, or rather, really quiet this morning. You feeling okay?"

"I'm fine" Lloyd replied on impulse, which earned him an unimpressed look. "It's just- I had a..." 

'Should I really tell him? I shouldn't bother him with this. It was probably nothing, just a dream'

"...bad dream. "

Cole noticed Lloyd's hesitancy and said, 

"I know sometimes dreams can be confusing and scary. But whatever you saw...we'll always be here for you. If you want to talk about it, we're all ears" 

Lloyd was glad he didn't push, he was still trying to remember the details of the dream. 

"So… update? " Lloyd asks, trying to banish the awkward silence. 

Cole gave him a knowing look but quickly moved to give Lloyd a brief update on their mission details. They walked to the front of the monastery, where the bounty was docked. 

Apparently Nya and Jay were slightly delayed due to 'unexpected circumstances ' Though Lloyd thinks they probably went to play some dance battle arcade game again.

"-and the bounty has been restored." Cole concluded as they boarded the bounty. 

"As good as new!" Kai added, leaning on the railings. 

"We'll leave as soon as Jay and Nya get here. Let's hope they won't take long" Lloyd says. The sun was still high, but Lloyd didn't want to take any chances. Something about this mission feels important.

"Knowing them, I have my doubts, " Kai jokingly said.

 

--

 

It didn't take long for Jay and Nya to return. Kai was grateful for that. He watched the trees zoom by as the bounty picked up speed. 

"We'll be at the temple in an hour" Zane announced from the control. An hour , he didn't think it was that far.

After a couple minutes of silence, Jay walks into the deck. "Can't wait to get back and beat Cole's highscore in 'Prime Empire'"

"Bold of you to assume I'd let ya" Cole answers as he brushes the deck of the ship with a broom. 

Kai smiled at them as they continue their friendly banter. They've all been through a lot, and he's glad they could still share a laugh.

--

In the control room, Zane was digging for more information for the cause of the energy burst, while Nya and Lloyd reviewed the current data they had. 

"Based on Pixal's readings, the energy burst happened at 9pm. When the energy passed through, it didn't seem to affect any appliances or equipment but it gave off a 'weird' feeling." Nya explained as she pulled up the transcript on the screen.

"It only affected elemental wielders though. Skylor confirmed that she also felt it. But there are no other reports from Ninjago city"

Lloyd stared at the screen. "The storm must've blocked the energy, that's why we didn't feel it," he theorized.

"Temples don't usually give off bursts of energy. Someone must've been messing with the temple" Lloyd added, then turned to Zane. "

Zane, any update on the element of this temple? We need to know what we're dealing with". 

Zane shook his head in response.

"Unfortunately not. Every source I looked into leads to a dead end. It is because of Borg's surveillance drones that we recognize it as a temple. But it seems like whoever created this temple, wanted it to be a secret."

That did not give Lloyd any sense of comfort.

 

--

 

It was early noon when they reached the location of the origin. And true to their sources, there were huge doors made of stone, covered in foliage, that most likely belonged to the temple. 

"That totally is a temple" Kai commented as the ninjas examined the tall doors. 

Most temples they've been through were pretty obvious with their locations. But this one looks like it was trying to stay hidden. 

"So... we just...push it?" Cole touched the door in question.

"I don't see any other choice" Lloyd shrugged. At first it didn't seem to budge. Then it creaked open as all of them pushed at the same time. 

Dust filled the air as the doors open. 

The ninjas share a look before entering, all of them having an uneasy feeling.

"Woah! It's bigger on the inside!" Jay exclaimed as the dust in the air settled down. 

They entered what seems to be a hallway with ceilings etched with planet-like shapes and symbols. Even the pillars supporting it had weird curved symbols etched into them. 

"Was that a reference? I swear I heard that before… " Lloyd heard Kai mumble.

'For an old temple, it didn't look too bad' Lloyd thought as the ninjas gaped at the carvings. 

Soon enough they reached the end of the hallway. It opened to a huge room, which reminded Lloyd of the Temple of Light from the Dark island. But instead of a bell, a circular frame is set in the middle. 

"Woah" 

Lloyd reached out and touched the frame. Unlike the pillars, it was made out of some type of metal. Something about it was off. There was an underlying sound of humming when he touched it.

"I haven't seen anything like this" As soon as those words left Lloyd's mouth, he was hit with a strong sense of Deja Vu.

"It looks like some kind of device. But there are no wires connected to it" Nya supplied. Silence filled the room as the rest of the team observed the walls and pillars.

"The carvings, the designs on the walls, it all adds up." He hears Zane say. 

'What was that?' Lloyd's head whipped to the side as something moved at the corner of his eyes.

"-What?" Cole asked, facing Zane.

 

A shadow…  

Lloyd's eyes narrowed, locking onto a moving shadow.

 

"Time.. The element...its- This is a Time temple!" Zane says in shock. 

"Time?? Not this again-" Kai's complaint was cut short as Lloyd suddenly sprinted towards the unseen figure.

The figure must've seen him as it started running as well. Whoever they were, they were very sneaky. They led Lloyd deeper into the temple. Some parts of the temple looked intact, while others were reduced to rubbles. He didn't have the time to process them as he chased the slippery figure.

 

Lloyd turned to another corner and immediately lost sight of them. He let out a frustrated breath.

He heard footsteps from behind and turned around. 

"Can you *pant* atleast *pant* tell us who we're chasing?!" Kai said hurriedly as the others caught up to them. 

"I don't know." Lloyd said calmly. He looked around and realized they were in yet another empty room. 

"This temple has been abandoned and kept secret for years. If anyone knows about the strange energy bursts it must be that person" He reasoned.

"Okay so,...let's chase him down together" Cole suggested. 

"We have to observe caution, this temple is big. There's a lot we don't know about it. " Zane warned. 

"Zane's right…" Lloyd turned around to face the ninjas, unconsciously using his ' leader' voice.  

"Let's split into groups. Zane, Jay. You guys keep looking around. Find clues to learn more about the temple. Nya, Kai, Cole. You're coming with me." Lloyd directed, pulling up his mask. 

"We'll meet back in the main room in an hour." He added then turned to the three ninjas beside him.

"Let's go find that person."

 

--

 

After the group split up, Jay and Zane wandered the halls. To Jay, it feels like they've been walking for eternity. The hallways were wide and long with nearly a dozen corners. And to make it worse, the whole place looked like it would crumble any moment!

"This place gives me the creeps, " Jay said biting back his complains.

"I agree, this place gives off a weird feeling. Like a sense of power. My sensors has been acting off since we set foot into the temple." Zane replied as they continue to walk.

Silence fell again until- "Look! " 

Jay pointed at a doorway that was blocked off by a metal gate. "-something! " 

They jogged towards the doorway, "I think it's a library" Zane said, pointing at the carved lettering above. 

"Gah! " Jay tugged at the gate. "Why is it locked? No one's been here for maybe a hundred years."

"Let me.." Jay stepped back as Zane brought his hands up and froze the metal gate. Jay caught up with what he was doing and struck it with lightning, demolishing the gate.

The disturbed dust floated up on Jay's face and coughed immediately. Zane walked by undistributed.

They head into the library, hoping to find more information about the temple, only to find the shelves empty. 

"A library… without books. " Jay says in disappointment. 

There was a place in the middle where a table should be. Zane crouched down to examine the dust particles. "Ashes. Burn markings" He muttered to himself.

"Whatever knowledge those books held...it's gone. As if someone was trying to conceal the secrets of this temple as well as the element of Time." Zane said aloud. 

"Well that's a bummer" Jay said with a hint of annoyance. "We better head back to the main room, maybe we missed something."

"I hope Lloyd and the others are having better luck than we are"

--

Rocks .. 

 

Rocks…  

Aaand more rocks

That's what Lloyd sees on every single corner of this temple. As far as they discovered, this temple is practically harmless, unless you count rocks as dangerous. No traps. No cursed tombs. Just a regular old temple.

Right now, Nya and Cole were on the other side of the hallway. He was sure the figure went this way. 

Lloyd recalled his short chase with the hooded person. The way it ran was unusual. Maybe it wasn't human-

"AGH-" Lloyd's thoughts cut off as something slams behind him, his body crashing to the ground. 

"LLOYD! " Kai yelled, witnessing the attack. 

Lloyd looked back and saw what hit him . The pillar that stood behind him collapsed on top of him. 'I guess rocks are harmful'

Then Lloyd blinked, Wait, how did-

"There!" Cole yelled as he pointed towards a shadow holding something that looked like a spear or a staff. 

The hooded figure! He must've knocked down the fragile pillar behind him. 

"Go! go!" Lloyd commanded from under the rubble. Making Cole and Nya run in pursuit of the person.

"Hold on, let me help you" Kai and Lloyd lifted the rocks above him. Good thing most of it was reduced to dust, making it easier to move. 

"Are you okay?" Kai helped dust the debris from Lloyd's gi. 

'I've felt worse,' Lloyd wanted to say, but thought otherwise. Kai didn't really like hearing that line from him.

Lloyd looked down instead. Tiny sparks of energy danced on his body. His elemental energy must've helped reduce the pain. 

Lloyd can still hear Cole and Nya's footsteps. "Yeah, m'fine, Lets go" He answered quickly.

"They're heading to the main room" Nya mentions as Lloyd and Kai catch up with them.

"-I got it!" Lloyd hears Cole say as they enter the room. 

Cole punches the ground with his fists, creating spikes of rocks. But it narrowly misses its target and hits one of the four pillars instead. 

The whole temple shook. 

"COLE" Nya admonishes. 

"Sorry!"

Jay and Zane soon became aware of their chase. 

"Fire! " Kai shouted, more as a heads up for the ninja. He hurled a ball of flame near a doorway and a pillar, to prevent the figure from escaping. 

Zane brought up his hands and shoots ice. At the same time, Jay directed lightning towards the hooded figure.

The figure dodged all of it.

Both elements passed and hit two separate pillars in the room. 

Unknown to the ninjas, the four pillars started glowing when the main four elements hit it. 

The hooded figure now stands in the middle of the main room.

Lloyd didn't know why but he suddenly had the urge to use his element. He could feel the power of energy thrumming beneath his veins, wanting to be used. 

"We got you surrounded" Lloyd cautiously said, green orbs of energy on his hands. 

The figure then growled and hissed in annoyance.

Then- "THRUMMM"

What?? 

Lloyd whipped his head up and saw the whole place brighten.

The pillars glowed brighter and brighter. Making the rest of the ninja momentarily distracted by the glow. 

The figure saw this opportunity and tried to flee. But Lloyd saw that at the corner of his eye. 

"NO! " Not even thinking, he threw himself to the middle, energy bursting from his hands. He tried to pin the figure to the ground, but they fought back and tried to push him off. 

Lloyd grabbed their torso, trying to subdue them. The figure shoved him again, causing Lloyd to lean and grab hold of the circular frame to maintain balance. 

'Okay, that's it!' 

Lloyd concentrated and summoned his element, releasing an energy burst out of frustration. 

Then-

 

 

He hears a beam

 

 

ringing… 

 

 

Like a flash-bang, everything turned white

 

 

Notes:

A lil suggestion,
Think of the 'Lego Dimensions' portal as the circular frame, but without the tech stuff on it.

Ty for reading!

Chapter 3: On the Other Side

Summary:

Lloyd wakes up in a world that is familiar yet different.

Notes:

Enjoy!

ON THE OTHER SIDE

---

Lloyd opened his eyes and found himself staring at the bright blue sky.

' What? When did I leave the time temple?'

Okay now that he looked around, he realized he wasn't even near a temple.

Alarmed, he jumped up into a stance and immediately regretted it. Ow… He winced and held his head. His mind was all messed up. It felt as if he was hit by a truck. 

He turned to his left.

There's the cloak that the figure used but no person. He picked it up, feeling the cloth under his fingers. 

"Great," he sighed

'No answers, just more questions' his mind added.

 

'First of all, where in Ninjago am I??'

Was he even in Ninjago? With all the things going on in Lloyd's life, getting transported to a new realm won't be a surprise.

 

Lloyd took a step back, everything was weirdly familiar and yet different. There was an underlying feeling of deja vu.

He looked around for a third time, trying to recognize his environment. His eyes finally landed on a set of stones arranged like stairs. ' Stepping stones… I've seen those before.'

He looked up and immediately recognized the Mountains of Impossible Height. 

'Which means that these stairs lead directly to the monastery. ' How in the sixteen realms did he end up down here? 

Lloyd lifted his head up and squinted. Last thing he remembered was the bright light of the temple. It doesn't make sense.

He sighed once more and decided that climbing those stairs were not worth the effort.  

"No way am I gonna climb that." he muttered under his breath.

He put his hands in front of him and closed his eyes in concentration. It's been years since he used his elemental dragon. Ever since Wu was lost in time, plus the sons of Garmadon and... Harumi, summoning his dragon became difficult.

But not impossible.

 

Channeling his energy, he called onto his elemental powers. ' Dragon, I summon you'

After a few minutes of trying, his dragon finally materialized in front of him. He felt even more tired than he was. 

'Whatever happened in the temple, it drained me'  He spared another glance towards the top of the mountain.

" sigh… Come on, we need to know what's going on" he told more to himself than his dragon. 

Lloyd took the cloak from the ground and grabbed the reins. With a tug, he started to ascend the mountain. 

 

In the trees below, a shadow lurked, eyeing the ninja.

" Foolish" The figure hissed. 

 

--

 

It took Lloyd barely a minute to reach the top. But it wasn't what he expected. There was a monastery, but it has been replaced by it's ashes and debris. 

 

It's gone… 

 

He flew around it a few times, trying to get a good look. 

 

It's all gone… burnt...just like before. 

Who would do this? 

 

Lloyd could feel confusion and anger build up inside of him. He wanted to shout.

'Everything just doesn't make sense!'

His dragon softly growled from under him, sensing his inner turmoil. It was a warning, if he loses his cool, he might plummet below.

"You're right… I- I have to calm down."

Lloyd took a couple of deep breaths, recalling what Cole taught him to clear his mind. He took his time to observe his surroundings. Maybe he missed something.

"Something about this place is weird." He said, after a lapse of silence. 

"It's like we're here ,...but not?"

His dragon grumbled from under him. His body shaking as the dragon shook it's head.

"It's confusing me too." He told it.

 

After taking another good look at the monastery, Lloyd thought his best next action was to head to Ninjago City.

"We have to find the others and Master Wu." He says as he turns the dragon in the right direction. "They'll know what to do."

He only hopes that they're still out there.

Multiple scenarios of what could've happened flashed through his mind.

'They're probably still in the Time Temple.' He countered himself. 'Or, just like me, gets randomly teleported across the realm of Ninjago.'  

 

All lost and separated… 

 

  '-NO!' Lloyd shook his head so hard his neck started to hurt. 'It's like what Jay said, I have to stay positive, stay strong and...

 

Oh...

 

 

Lloyd forgot the fact that his dragon wasn't actually a dragon as it started to flicker in and out.

Fear and anxiety threatened his thoughts

NO No.. not now!

He tried to grasp the reins, the horns, scales, anything! But it was useless as the dragon disappeared from under him, leaving Lloyd to free fall off the side of the mountain 

Quickly thinking, he tried to minimize the damage of the fall by wrapping himself with his elemental energy.

He survived falling before, he hopes his luck hasn't ran out.

 

 

Crash! 

 

 

 

--

 

 

Lloyd might've passed out for a while. 

Because when he opened his eyes, he realized with a start that the sun was about to set in a few hours.

He staggered as he tried to stand up. He took a couple of deep breaths, trying to clear his mind. 

Okay…

Lloyd is really starting to miss his team. 

He hasn't felt this lonely in such a long time.

His team was always with him, especially after the whole Possession incident.

Even back at the Resistance he's always had someone. But now he was alone, no team, no monastery, and no strength left to summon his dragon. 

Now...he felt like...a kid again. Lost and hungry and… 

 

Snap! 

 

A twig snapped from behind him. 

Lloyd suddenly tensed up, instincts taking over his actions.

He whipped around and saw the bushes move. "Who's there? " Lloyd spitted out, charging his hands with energy. 

 

Then a kid with red eyes came out of nowhere. 

And of course, Lloyd being Lloyd, fired a ball of energy out of reflex. 

"AHHH" the kid yelled as he got thrown back a few feet. 

Lloyd gasped as he realized what he just did. 

"Gah! Where did you come from??? Are you okay??" Lloyd ran towards the figure on the ground and frantically searched the kid with injuries, worried that he might've accidentally hurt this kid.

"I… " the kid grunted, putting a bit of space between them as he stood up. 

"..should be asking you that question," The kid said, sounding like he was withholding pain. He dusted out his brown cloak and pulled it tighter on his body.

The kid straightened like he didn't just get hit by a ball of energy. 

Finally getting a proper look at the kid, Lloyd was hit with another feeling of Deja Vu.

 

 'Do I know him?' 

 

"-You're the one who fell out of the sky" The kid pointed out. "I came to check it out and- "

" -wait a minute-" the kid cut himself off, his eyes widening in realization "-are you an elemental master?? " 

"uhhhh...yeah?" 'Well, no point of hiding it'

"Woah!" The kid's eyes widened, mouth slightly opened. Then he blinked and composed himself.

"- I mean.. Ehemm.. Cool cool" 

Lloyd raised one of his eyebrows at his weird behavior. 

"Anyways," the kid aborted whatever he came here to do. 

" since you're an elemental master, and you're probably doing something important… and you look okay,.. Don't need my help…" the kid rambled. "I- uh.. I'm gonna go… " 

Lloyd watched as the kid turn on his back and  looked around frantically, like a lost puppy in a park. Lloyd let out an exasperated sigh, He's lost isn't he? 

Lloyd, himself, was lost too. But before he can go look for the others, he has to help this kid who thought it was a good idea to walk into the woods.

"Are you...lost?"

"What?? Noo" The kid answered, avoiding eye contact and dragging the 'o'.  "I'm just, trying to recall my steps" He answered plainly.

Lloyd watched as the kid tried to play it cool. He could tell that he was starting to internally panic. Lloyd figured he shouldn't really be annoyed at the kid. Not when they're close to panicking.

"What's a kid like you doing in these parts of the woods anyways? " Lloyd asked in curiosity, to also try to ease the tension.

The kid looked a little startled by the question. "Im -justtakingawalkoutsidenothingmuch, how bout you?" He replied a little too fast for Lloyd to understand.

"Oookayyy… " Lloyd decided to just let that slip. ' Why is this awkward'

"Well, I'm on a mission...I'm looking for someone. This cloak belongs to that person" Lloyd shared,

then silence filled the air in a few seconds. 

Lloyd didn't know where to go from here. 

"I can help you…" The kid meekly offered. 

"Help me? "

"Yeah, with Ultr- my ride, we can track down who you're looking for. But you have to help me first"

"your ride…" Lloyd says as he thinks. "Well okay then, what'd you need help with? "

 

"I'm… lost." 

 

--

 

It's a good thing Lloyd is very familiar with the Mountains of Impossible Height. The kid said that he needed to find an open space, that's where his ride would show up. 

Silence soon filled the air, as both of them walked through the rough terrain of the mountain. 

Lloyd looked back at the kid, trying to rack his brain for answers. He swears the kid looked just like him when he was younger. Only this time, he was wearing a cheap looking cloak, like he was hiding his true clothes. 

 

'or… could it be?'

 

"Who are you?" Lloyd asks as he walks closer to the kid. He needed to know, or at least have a confirmation.

He scolds himself for not thinking of it sooner, that he might've traveled back in time. It would make sense after all , he was just at the Time Temple.

The kid stepped back, putting a good amount of space between them and stared straight into his soul.

Yeah, there's no doubt that's really him.

"I'm not gonna tell my name to a stranger , stranger" He replied with an unnecessary amount of sass. "Im smarter than that"

If Lloyd wasn't a trained ninja, he'd be losing his mind right now.

"Well, I am helping you get back to your ride" Lloyd replied, trying to make a point. 

"-and I'm gonna repay you by helping you find the owner of that cloak..." came the kid's snarky reply. "...so that's fair"

Lloyd raised one of his brows, looking fed up with the conversation. 'I can't believe i'm arguing with my younger self'

"Well, it would be nice if I knew what to call you..." He said out loud.

"probably,"

'Sigh, was I this annoying? How did the others put up with this?'

" Fine" Lloyd relented. "Let's just move on"

 

--

 

It took a bit of time to find the open space that the kid was talking about. But eventually, they found it. 

The kid started looking around. It was a grassy area with a few boulders on the distance. Lloyd doesn't understand what the kid's plan was.

"So we just stand here… " Lloyd said more than asked. 

"Yeah, Usually Ultra knows where I am, I just need to be in an open space." 

"Ultra?? " Lloyd says in surprise. Now he has no doubt that's his younger counterpart. 

"Oh uh, did I mention my ride was a dragon?" The kid turned sheepishly at him.

Before Lloyd could even reply, a huge roar echoed across the land. He gazed up at the sky to see a four-headed dragon. 

"Ultra?! " Lloyd says in disbelief. Last he's seen Ultra was before the whole computer overlord disaster. He remembers with a tinge of sorrow that he released them back then. So that they can return to the first realm, the realm of Oni and Dragon. 

Lloyd would be lying if he said he didn't feel emotional right now. 

Ultra landed on the ground infront of them, shaking the ground slightly.

Four heads sniffed the air and stared directly at Lloyd. They tilted their heads like they were trying to solve a puzzle.

Lloyd approached the dragon, even though he's from a different timeline, maybe Ultra can still recognize him. 

The kid widened his eyes, "Wait! Ultra's-"

Then, Ultra jumped and knocked Lloyd down, "H- hey! Stop it" Lloyd chuckled as the dragons licked his face. "That tickles!"

"-huh, They don't usually do that." The kid said in confusion. 

"Eww," Lloyd complained as he tried to wipe off the saliva off his face. "-guess they like me."

"Ultra usually isn't friendly to strangers... " The kid mentions, "I guess that means I can trust you."

"you don't say…" Lloyd answered distractedly while trying to pet all four heads with his two hands. The dragon purred from under his touch.

"My name's Lloyd Garmadon, by the way" The kid shifted his feet.

"I'm-" Lloyd hesitated for a brief second, forgetting the fact that he has the exact same name. 

 

'Quick! Think of a name'

 

"-Floyd! Yeah, just Floyd"

"Huh, that's funny, what are the chances? Our names sound almost the same. " The kid chuckled in amusement. 

" funny"  Lloyd sarcastically agreed

'This is a whole new level of lying to myself'

Lloyd still can't get his head wrapped around the fact that he's in the past. It's not everyday this happens to him. 

He has to find a way back home. He doesn't want to think about the possibility that there might not be one.

Oh, and he also needs to stop the mystery person he travelled back with.

"So, Lloyd.. " Ugh that's weird, this is weird.

Lloyd grabs the cloak he stashed in his belt pocket. "You say Ultra can track the scent from this cloak?"

"Yep! " Kid Lloyd replied, popping the 'p'

With a nod, Lloyd held up the clothing for the dragon to smell. 

Ultra sniffed it, then each of the four heads turned to sniff different directions, trying to find a scent trail. 

Then they grumbled and flapped their wings. "They got it!" Before Lloyd could even blink, Kid Lloyd was already on the saddle.

"Hop on! " The kid said, reaching out his arm to help Lloyd, which he accepted, even though he probably didn't need to. 

Ultra gave one more roar as they gained altitude. 

"Lead the way, Ultra" Lloyd found himself saying.

 

--

 

The sun was starting to set. 

It's only been a few minutes since they lifted off from the ground. Lloyd wished for more silence so he can think of the next actions he must do. 

But that wasn't exactly easy with a child on-board.

"You know, I didn't know there were more elemental masters," Kid Lloyd started, attempting to start small talk for the third time.

'Was I really this talkative before? '

"You'd be surprised…" Lloyd answered distractedly.

"I'm actually the Green Ninja ." Kid Lloyd says with a hint of pride. "Prophecy and all. "

"Wow, that's a huge responsibility," Lloyd acted like he was surprised. Honestly, Lloyd feels really tired by now that he can't even keep up a conversation.

He can see the kid frown by his lack of engagement.

"So… what element do you control? You hit me with some electrical thingy earlier, it didn't hurt though." the kid asked. 

Thinking about it, Lloyd could wield the four main elements if he wanted to, but mainly, he uses energy. 

But Lloyd can't say ' Oh its energy' that would raise too much suspicion.

"It's complicated" He said instead 

"Oh,  I understand. I mean I don't understand my element either. It's like, I can control earth, fire, lightning, ice and also this green energy thingy… " The kid rambled on. 

Lloyd sighed internally, the ride felt a lot longer than it needed to be.

 

 

--

 

 

Soon enough, Ultra stopped on the edges of Ninjago City, at an abandoned warehouse. 

"I guess this is my stop, " Lloyd looked below, abandoned warehouses always meant trouble. "You should-"

"-No, i'm coming with you! " the kid argued back before Lloyd finished his sentence. He can't believe his younger self was already attached to a person he just met. 

'I really was naive,'

"Fine. But stay close" Lloyd was too tired to argue with himself right now. He just wants all of this to be over. 

Lloyd and his younger counterpart dismounted the dragon. "We'll go by foot from here, Ultra will have to find cover while we search this warehouse". 

He didn't want to bring the kid here.

The hooded figure might be dangerous. And if Lloyd remembers correctly, they might be armed with a spear. 

But alas, he finds himself checking the perimeter before entering the warehouse, the kid following closely behind. 

The gate creaked open, as Lloyd and Kid Lloyd entered. The sounds bounced off the walls and echoed. 

A few seconds of silence passed while both of them surveyed the surroundings. 

Just when Lloyd thinks there was no one here, he hears a hiss and immediately tensed up. 

He knows that sound. 

How could he ever forget the first friend that ever betrayed him.

That's when Lloyd spots a figure standing in front of him, materializing out of thin air. His back was facing him. 

"Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, we meet again." the dark, manipulative voice echoed through the warehouse, as the figure holding a spear turned around to face Lloyd.

"I see you've found your counterpart," The serpent added playfully.

 

"Pythor." Lloyd replied darkly with hidden anger. Pythor might as well be his nemesis. An enemy ever since he was a child.

 

"Pythor?! " Kid Lloyd exclaimed from behind Lloyd.

"How- wha- You're white!"

It was almost comical how Pythor's eyes widened momentarily before growling.

"Oh, how rude,"

 

"What are you doing here, Pythor? " Lloyd asked, taking up a fighting stance and completely ignoring the kid's comments. 

In this timeline, Pythor should be 'dead', having been swallowed by the Great Devourer and all that. 

"What am I doing here?" Pythor mocked, his words thick with his accent "You're the one that brought me here, this is all your fault! "

Lloyd's eyes widened in realization,"You're the hooded figure.."

"But of course, I, Pythor P. Chumsworth, always take every opportunity I'm given " Pythor continued, ignoring Lloyd's revelation. 

Pythor then narrowed his eyes at Lloyd and the kid. 

"Now, I have a chance to destroy two versions of my enemy" He says with a crooked smile. "And I have you to thank for that. '' 

"Sweet sweet revenge," Pythor laughed evilly as he pointed his spear towards Lloyd.

"Floyd… " Lloyd hears his younger counterpart whisper from behind him. The kid was confused and started to get worried.

Being so focused on Pythor, Lloyd discovered all too late that there were other serpents behind Pythor, lurking in the shadows. 

We were lured here. 

"Lloyd, I need you to run outside, go to Ultra, and get away as fast as you can. " Lloyd instructed. 

"What about you? "

"I'll hold them off"

"No, I'm not leaving you" the kid stubbornly says. 

"We don't have a choice " Annoyance seeped through Lloyd's words. They didn't have the time to argue. Somehow, Pythor was able to recruit some serpentine that wasn't following Garmadon. 

"FINISH THEM! " Pythor commanded.

"Go go go!! " Lloyd shoved his kid counterpart towards the door. Thankfully, the kid didn't hesitate, and started running. 

Lloyd charged up his hands with energy and shot the snakes that were going for the kid. 

He flipped back, taking a fallen sword from the ground and quickly parried a sword aiming at his throat. 

The snakes came from all directions. "Ninja-Go! " Lloyd spun in a spinjitzu attack, flinging off the serpents. 

He stopped spinning, and panted. ' Can't this day get any worse?? ' He thought sarcastically to himself. 

Lloyd charged up his hands once more. He spots Pythor approaching and shoots it at him. 

Pythor hissed and blocked it with his spear. 

 

And the spear… 

 

 

...absorbed it? 

 

 

"Chronosteel… " Lloyd says in shock.

"Where did you get that?"

 

Pythor laughed, "I have friends in high places.. " 

 

He then lunged forward, towards Lloyd.

All of a sudden, sharp rocks erupted from the ground, throwing Pythor to the side, the spear clanging as it hit the ground. 

Then before Lloyd could understand what was happening, large claws grabbed him by the arms and lifted him up. 

"What are you doing?? SHOOT THEM DOWN! " He hears Pythor yell from below. Arrows started flying as the serpents attacked. 

"I told you I wasn't leaving you," Kid Lloyd looked down from his seat at the saddle.

"More flying, less talking!" Lloyd says in panic as an arrow flew right by his ear. Ultra quickly shot ice towards the serpents and made a swift escape. 

 

--

 

As soon as the adrenaline died down, kid Lloyd turned around and faced Lloyd. His face twisted in betrayal, " 'two versions..' What was he- You lied to me! Who are you really!!?"

Lloyd groaned internally.

He forgot the fact that he grew up at Darkley's, meaning he's smarter than he lets on. He also forgot that the kid heard everything Pythor said. 

"I- Ultra's hurt-" Lloyd noticed.

"-Don't change the subject," 

"sigh,  I'll explain it all, just- we need to land. " Lloyd explained to his counterpart, and pointed to the side towards a garden in Ninjago City.

"There," he says sternly, leaving no room for argument.

 

They glided down, passing over a few houses. The whole city looks mostly intact, other buildings aren't so fortunate though. He forgot how devastating the destruction the Great Devourer brought. 

'Now's not the time to think about that...' 

"Ultra needs to heal, they'll have to fly away for now. They'll return when the time comes. " Lloyd explained once they landed. Ultra nudged Lloyd and the kid, saying farewell and lifted off into the night sky. 

Sounds of distant wing beats slowly faded, replaced by the sounds of crickets of the night. They stayed in silence for about 10 minutes, trying to process the fact that they could've died at the claws of Pythor. 

Then Kid Lloyd turned to Lloyd with a stern look and asked, "What did Pythor mean and how do you know what Ultra's saying?"

"Look, this whole thing…" Lloyd doesn't know how to explain it without blowing the mind of his younger self.

"Remember that one special issue of Starfarer? The one with the silver cover?"

"Uh-huh " the kid answered in agreement.

"In that issue, Fritz Donnegan meets… " the kid's voice dies down as he starts to realize what he's saying. He stares back up into Lloyd's eyes with a new look of understanding. 

"...another version of himself, from another timeline..."  the kid finishes in shock. 

"My real name isn't Floyd," Lloyd said softly, kneeling down to his counterpart's height.

"I...don't know how else to say this but, I'm you. " 

And he immediately regrets saying those words as the kid suddenly turns pale. Lloyd was worried the kid would drop down and faint. 

He puts both of his hands on the kid's shoulders, trying to prevent it. "Look-"

"-HEY! GET AWAY FROM HIM! "

Lloyd's efforts of calming down the kid has been rudely interrupted by a katana aimed at his throat.

He quickly dodged the attack and instinctively counter-attacked with his fists. More figures joined the fight, he then dodge again and back flipped to create some distance between him and the attacker. 

"Wait! Stop! " Kid Lloyd yelled, having snapped out of his stupor. He ran to the middle between Lloyd and the others, holding out two hands to stop them. 

"Lloyd! You're okay!"

Now that Lloyd isn't being attacked, he recognizes the others. It was the Ninjas. Only younger. 

'and here i thought this day can't get any weirder.'

Kai ran towards the kid and hugged him slightly. "We were worried sick!"

"And your uncle too! " Cole added. 

"Why did you sneak away? It's dangerous being out alone" Zane scolded.

"I wasn't alone , I'm with… Floyd" the kid gestured to Lloyd. 

"WHO?? " Kai instinctively stepped between the kid and him. His protectiveness was starting to show. 

Then every Ninja turned to look at Lloyd with a suspicious expression.

Lloyd waved his hand awkwardly, trying to look non-hostile. "Hi, uh... i'm still here."

Kai stared at him with a weird expression, his eyes darted from the kid to Lloyd. Then he shook his head, like trying to clear his thoughts. 

'wait a minute, did he just-'

 

"-and I didn't just snuck out, I went out to practice to fly Ultra." the kid continued. "But then something caught Ultra's attention and they led me to the forest, I kinda fell off the saddle- but that doesn't matter! Then I saw something fall out the side of the mountain, then I met-"

"-wait wait, you fell off the saddle?? " Kai looked horrified.

"Went into the forest, " Cole supplied. 

"And then met a stranger? " Jay finished. 

 

"Yeah! So what? I did, you guys are being too dramatic."

 

"Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon-"

 

Their voices overlapped each other as they continued to argue. 

"It isn't a big deal… "

"I swear if you have injuries-"

"Zane, can you scan him?"

"-You have responsibilities-"

"-training-"

 

Honestly, Lloyd's heard these types of conversation before, and it's going to get them nowhere. 

"I have to talk to Master Wu," Lloyd's voice cuts through their conversation, reminding the Ninjas that he was still there. 

 'if anyone can help me, it's him'

The Ninjas looked surprised for a second, 

"Wait, you know our master-" Cole asked.

"-Who are you again??" Jay interrupted. 

 

"Yeah, how do we know we can trust you? " Kai suspiciously eyed Lloyd for the third time and moved a bit to shield kid Lloyd .

"I- look… this is weird enough for me. It's just- I can't explain. Just please- I need to talk to Master Wu. " Lloyd didn't know if he should spill the truth about possible time travel. 

"I trust him " Kid Lloyd stepped forward towards Lloyd, and turned to the Ninja "He..helped me, so yeah, I trust him." He then fixed Lloyd with a ' you should tell them the truth soon' look. 

The ninjas looked at each other, then to Cole , in uncertainty. 

"This person has not given us a reason to distrust him," Zane offered. 

Cole sighed, "Alright, let's get him to Master Wu"

Kai gestured his two fingers to point from his eyes to Lloyd. "I've got my eyes on you"

Lloyd sighed, It's been a long day...

 

 

Notes:

Ty for reading!

Chapter 4: Secrets of the Temple

Summary:

Back in the present, the Ninjas wakes up at the Time Temple only to find Lloyd missing.

Where did he go? And what does the temple have to do with it??

SECRETS OF THE TEMPLE

---

"Like a flash-bang, everything turned white"

 

--

White light filled the room

 

Every Ninja was hit by a shockwave of energy. Knocking some of them off their feet. 

Jay was the first one who spoke, 

"WHAT THE FSM JUST HAPPENED???"

"Ow ow," Kai said, clutching his head. 

He hears rock move from beside him. Cole grunted, some debris got knocked down by the energy burst. 

"Are you guys okay?" Cole asks as he helps Zane up. 

"Nya! " Jay exclaimed, helping her up. 

"It felt like something went through me," Kai coughs in discomfort. 

"That would be an energy burst, similar to the readings that Pixal mentioned. The reason why we were here. " Zane explained. 

"Great" Kai responded then turned to the direction he expects the green ninja to be. "Lloyd-"

Kai froze, not seeing a single sign of the blonde hair. He stood up in alarm, "Has anyone seen Lloyd? " 

 

The others shared a look, realizing this. 'Oh no that's not good'

 

"Lloyd? " Nya was the first one to call out. 

"Lloyd??" The others soon followed. Kai was starting to panic. He promised he'll always keep an eye on Lloyd. Everytime he went missing, it was never good. 

"My scanners indicate he's not here" Zane mentions. 

'NOT HERE??' Kai's thoughts ran rampant. 'Not here' could mean a lot of things.

"What? Where would he go? " Cole turned to Zane in confusion. Which Zane shrugs in return, "I am not sure." 

"Uh, were the pillars always glowing?" Jay pointed towards the middle of the room, where the pillars and a weird portal-looking frame sits. 

 

Kai stared at it, "huh," 

With all the chase, he didn't really notice it. 

 

They approached the frame cautiously. Before, it was just a harmless metallic frame. But now, a bit of gold-colored lightning danced around its surface. It was fizzing and circulating around the frame.

"How about, let's not touch it." Cole suggested. "We still don't know where Lloyd went, or if this thing has anything to do with it. "

"Look, some carved lettering," Kai pointed at their feet. The blast must've blown the dust away from the cracks, making it visible. 

Zane crouched and scanned it, "These scriptures appear to belong from an ancient language called the Old Tongue . " 

"Can you translate it?" Nya asked. 

"I can. Give me a moment," Zane replied.

 

 

No one spoke in anticipation.

'Hopefully whatever it is can give us a clue on Lloyd's whereabouts' Kai thought to himself. 

He also hoped they didn't accidentally unlock another cursed tomb, ' I don't think I can handle another Aspheera'

"I got it" Zane's voice echoed through the temple. 

 

"The past is always set in stone,

Here lies the gateway to infinite unknown"

 

As soon as Zane said those words, the hairs on Kai's neck and arms stood up. A shiver ran through his spine. Based on the faces of the others, he wasn't the only one who felt this. 

"infinite unknown?" Cole swings his arms, trying to shake off the weird feeling. 

"I think it refers to alternate timelines, " Zane explained. "For the first part, it means that the past cannot be changed."

"But I don't understand how the first and second part relates to one another." He adds as an afterthought.

Kai noticed Jay and Nya shared a look when Zane mentioned 'alternate timelines'

'I wonder what that's all about.'

They were keeping a secret, Kai knows this. He gave up long ago trying to pry answers off of Nya. But still, he's really curious about it. 

"Wait, so you're telling me, this thing- " Jay gestures wildly at the circular frame. "-is a portal that leads to an infinite number of ALTERNATE TIMELINES?! " 

"It seems that way, yes"

"HOW AM I THE ONLY ONE FREAKING OUT ABOUT THIS??? " Jay yelled, walking away, to probably calm himself.

"..That means Lloyd might've traveled to a different timeline" Kai's eyes widened in realization. Why do weird things always happen to that kid?  

"More likely to the past." Zane added. 

"I'm sure he's okay." Kai hears Jay say.

"I mean, he's been in worse situations, right? " This earned Jay a glare from Kai. 

 

' Not helping… '

 

"Time itself is a powerful element… " Nya pointed out. 

Which Kai huffs in response, "Hah! tell me about it." 

Cole took an overall look at the portal, "We should probably tell Master Wu what happened. He might have some insight on our situation." He looked at the others, gauging for their opinions. 

"Works for me"

"Yep"

"Sure"

 

"I could stay here and guard the portal." Zane suggested. 

"Alright," Cole decided. "Kai and I will use the bounty and get in touch with Master Wu. Jay, Nya, and Zane will stay here. The more we know, the quicker we get Lloyd back. "

"Aww can't I go with you? This place gives me the creeps, " Jay complained. 

"Relax... " Kai smirked. "Besides, Nya's with you. "

 

--

 

Orange and purple colors filled the sky as Cole and Kai emerged from the temple. The sun was already setting, Kai didn't realize they were in the temple for that long. 

"Let's try and contact Master Wu through the comms." Cole said as they boarded the bounty. Kai pushed a few buttons, but was only met with static noises. 

He pushed the buttons again in annoyance, "Ugh, there's no signal. Didn't we just fix the comms?"

Cole shrugged, "Let's fly up, that might work. I'll start the engines." Cole pulled the lever for the thrusters and steered the Bounty. 

As the Bounty ascended higher, Kai was still hit with static noise. They were pretty high up, you could see the Wailing Alps on the distant horizon.

"Still nothing"

"I was afraid of that," Cole sighed. "Nya, Jay. Do you read? " He called through the ear piece. 

"We hear you," Nya replied.

"Kai and I will need to head back to the monastery, apparently the long range communications don't work"

" oh... " Kai heard Jay say in the background.

" I understand, we'll be fine here. " Nya reassured. 

 

--

 

The wind blew strong, the sounds of thrusters filled the silence. 

Kai leaned on the railings, hoping the Bounty could go faster. It took an hour to get to the Time temple. It's safe to say that it'll take the same amount of time to return to the monastery.

Who knows what's happening to Lloyd right now. He doesn't even know where or 'when' he is! 

Kai's thoughts slowed down as he heard footsteps behind him. 

"Hey, he'll be okay" Cole slid beside him, which Kai gave a questioning look. 

"I could tell you're worrying about Lloyd, you've got your broody look. " He answers the unspoken question.

"I just don't understand why he's always in trouble . Always in danger " Kai shared, frustration strong in his voice. "I mean, it's like he doesn't even have a sense of self-preservation."

It's true, when the team reunited months after Wu's disappearance, Lloyd's voice wasn't the only thing that changed. But also his actions.

Kai could tell he's gained a lot of confidence and power. Seeing Lloyd's eyes as green was unsettling at first -- not that they would tell him-- but they quickly got used to it. 

His younger brother is growing up faster than he likes. 

Cole chuckled sadly, "That's Lloyd for you, heart of gold." He then continued,

"But we've trained him since he was young, he can handle himself. He has the knack of getting out of tricky situations. He's lucky that way." 

Cole's words echoed through Kai's mind. 

Kai turned to look at the trees passing by below them, the cold wind blowing through his hair.

"But what if it runs out?" He asked, despondently.

"Let's hope not… '' Cole quietly responded. He then lifted his arm and patted Kai on his back. "It's like Master Wu said,..."

 

"Have faith." 

 

He then excused himself.

Leaving Kai alone with only his thoughts and the stars. 

"Faith… " He softly repeated to himself. 

 

--

 

"Remind me why we're suddenly cleaning the temple? " Jay groaned, lifting up the lower part of his mask so he wouldn't inhale the dust. 

"Because, Jay ," Nya shot Jay a semi-annoyed glance. "There might be more scriptures engraved on the walls or floors that might be covered by dust or debris."

"Which might help us uncover the origin of this portal," Zane added.

Jay pulled a couple of vines out the way and scrubbed the moss off the walls. A harmless hourglass emblem unveiled itself. 

"I think I got something..." Jay tried to feel the surface of it but it started to glow as soon as he touched it. 

"AH!" He shouted in surprise. 

"WHAT? WHAT DID YOU DO? " Nya asked in a worried tone. 

"Nothing!" Jay answered, panicking.

The glow spreads along the cracks of the walls, illuminating the previously unseen markings of symbols.

"What are those?" Nya asked, mesmerized by the glow. It spreads across the ceiling, revealing constellations of stars. 

The glow then reveals human-like drawings on the walls. 

Zane stepped forward to take a closer look. "I think these markings depict a story. Likely about how the Time Temple came to be. "

"There's more lettering here written in the Old Tongue " Nya pointed to a large stone embedded on the wall. 

"That's a lot," Jay commented. It was nearly as tall as him

"This may take a while to translate," Zane stood and scanned the writings. 

Nya looked at Jay as a thought occurred to her. "By the way, Jay, I thought you fixed the long range communications on the Bounty? "

"I was with you getting supplies, I told Zane to fix it." Jay replied. 

Zane perked up at the sound of his name, "That's not true. You said you'll fix it when you get back." He argues, a bit confused.

Which Jay sputtered in response, "What- I told you to fix it until I get back" 

"Clearly, you guys didn't fix it. " Nya muttered under her breath.

"I didn't get a chance anyways," Jay continued. "Since Lloyd demanded we leave immediately." 

The minute Jay and Nya were done restocking, the bounty was already up and running. 

"He did seem to be rushing earlier," Nya commented. 

 

--

 

Master Wu was at the courtyard overseeing the monks' work when Kai and Cole arrived. 

Wu looked upon the arrival of the Bounty. He looked like he was expecting them. Kai and Cole quickly slid down the anchor. 

"Master Wu! " Cole called out as they jogged from the entrance to the courtyard. 

"What happened? Where are the others? Pixal and I experienced another energy burst." Wu asked frantically.

Cole and Kai shared a look before replying. "Master, what we found. It was a Time Temple ." Cole said slowly. 

Wu's eyes widened at this.

Then Cole explained the whole situation, from the mysterious hooded figure, to the ' portal' they accidentally activated. Kai occasionally jumped in to add details. 

 "But that can't be. I thought-" Wu sputtered, then steeled himself.

Kai gave Cole a questioning glance, which Cole shrugged in return. 

"Master?" Cole urged. 

 

"My father once spoke of a temple he encountered while roaming the lands of Ninjago." Wu gestured to follow him into the monastery. 

"He said it had the power to take you to wherever-- or in this case 'when'-ever -- time or place." 

"It was dangerous, of course. Whatever you change in the past can affect the present and future. My father saw how dangerous this was and many have sought to use this power. " They reached the library, and Wu grabbed the teapot by the table and poured himself a cup of tea. 

Kai told himself to be patient, but he just couldn't. "Then what happened?" Kai asked a little too harshly.

Wu took a deep breath and blew the steam. "My father tried to change how the temple works, so that changing the past will be impossible. But even with the changes, the knowledge of the temple was too dangerous." 

He then took a delicate sip on his tea. 

"And with the power of the First Spinjitzu Master, he destroyed it. Or atleast, I thought he did…"

He gave out a sigh, "...until now. " 

They took a moment to process these words. Whatever they expected, it certainly wasn't this. 

"Master, how does the portal know where to go?" Cole asked, a bit alarmed. 

Wu shook his head somberly, "I'm afraid that's all I know regarding the Time Temple. "

Kai groaned at this, "Back to square one, how are we supposed to find Lloyd?!?" His voice agitated. Every second they waste is another second of Lloyd being in danger. 

Cole gave Master Wu an apologetic look, then turned to Kai. "Maybe Nya's having more luck than we have." He suggested. 

"Let's head back to the others." 

Cole then bowed his head to Master Wu, "Thank you, Sensei" As a signal for their departure. 

Kai bowed at Wu too. He felt a bit guilty for his little outburst. From the look of his Master's eyes, he could tell he too was worried for his nephew.

 

--

 

 

"It's like a manual," Zane said simply. 

The Temple's interior now looks much cleaner than before. The illustrations on the wall and ceiling still glowed though. 

Based on Jay and Nya's inspection, this room with the portal seems to be the only room that looks intact. Others? not so well. 

"I think I understand what this says now. " Zane continued. Jay and Nya, who were just lounging around, turned their attention to Zane. 

Nya stood up and dusted the dirt off her gi. "Go ahead," She said. 

"In order for the portal to be activated, it needs a strong source of energy or power. Sometimes you need multiple sources if one is not enough." He started. "I believe that this 'power' that the portal needs cannot be just any electrical connection, but an elemental one. It needs elemental power to be activated."

"The mix of all our elements must've been enough for it to work," Nya realized. 

"But not enough to keep it stable, that's why it flashed before our eyes." Zane added. 

Jay gazed upon the portal, gold electric dancing on the frame. "But where does it take you?" He asked, not looking away. 

Zane looked back at the wall, "It says here, 'It will guide you to where your mind and heart desires.' It's like the portal just knows when or where you want to go." He explained. 

"But it doesn't affect the present or future. Instead, it creates an alternative timeline."

"You mean there really might be different versions of our timeline??" Jay asked exasperatedly. Which Zane nodded in reply. 

"Okay, at least we know where that leads. How about these?" Jay pats his hand on the wall where a human-looking drawing stands. 

"That drawing represents the First Spinjitzu Master. " Zane pointed out. "Based on these illustrations, the First Spinjitzu Master came here long ago and explored these very halls. "

Zane gestured to the Illustration. It showed a man with a hat and staff, his hand outstretched. Reaching out to the portal and scrolls.

"The knowledge of the temple was too dangerous. So he thought to erase its whole existence off of Ninjago."

"But clearly he didn't, it's still here" Nya pointed out. 

"He didn't destroy the temple, for he also realized it was too sacred. Instead, he destroyed the scrolls."

"Woah, you got all that from these scribbles?" Jay waved his arms and gestured to the walls. 

"All of these illustrations, including that passage, were written by the First Spinjitzu Master."

 

--

 

As soon as the Bounty arrived, the Ninjas brainstormed what they discovered. Kai and Cole relayed the story Master Wu told them. And Zane shared his translation of the ancient texts. 

It was already evening, and they gathered around the dining room on the Bounty. Jay was bent face down on the table, Zane was bringing in some quick dinner, and the rest were sitting at the table, discussing. 

They were still talking about how the portal works when Jay sat straight. 

"Hold on, let me get this straight." Jay interrupted, catching the attention of the rest of the ninjas. He took a deep breath,

"The Time Temple used to allow people to turn back time and change things. But then the First Spinjitzu Master came, destroyed the knowledge held by the temple, and changed the portal. So that instead of affecting the same timeline, it makes new ones. After that he made sure this temple was kept hidden from the world for years-" 

He says faster as he runs out of air. "-since he couldn't destroy it, 'for it was too sacred'. And the only way to activate the portal is by using strong elemental power. And ours aren't enough, so we need one more source of power!" Jay ranted on. 

Kai looked at Jay a bit surprised, "Well would you look at that, you were actually listening-" He said jokingly.

"Hey!" Jay whined. 

Cole smirks, "That about sum it up for me"

Nya chuckled, then turned more serious. "Jay's right. We need another source of power, a stronger one."

"Hmm the Time blades should work" Zane said suddenly.

"But the Time blades are gone." Cole mentions. 

 

"All except one," Kai interjected, he shared a look of uncertainty with Nya.

 

"Lloyd asked us to return the Reversal time blade to the Boiling Sea" 

He remembered it vividly, it was just after losing Wu. They made Lloyd the official master of the team, and that was his first action as master. After that he made them disperse to search for Wu. And...well, a lot has happened since then. 

 

"Then that's where we'll go next," Cole decided. 

Zane collected their dishes. And Nya stood up, "I'll set the course, it'll take a few hours to get there." 

 

Kai can't believe they're returning to that place. But if it's to get Lloyd back, he'll do anything. 

"Boiling Sea, here we come" He says with less enthusiasm.

 

 

Chapter 5: Facing The Past

Summary:

Lloyd never had the time to stop and reflect on all that's happened to him.

But now, he has no other choice but to face the past.

FACING THE PAST

---

" Lloyd sighed, It's been a long day…"

 

--

 

And the day hasn't ended.

 

They were walking, making their way across the streets of Ninjago City. Why? Lloyd has no clue where they're going. What he does know, is that the Ninjas have been sneaking glances his way. Which is making him feel uncomfortable.

Kid Lloyd has been uncharacteristically quiet though.

Then Jay slid beside Lloyd, "Have we met before? You look familiar" He appreciated how Jay has always been the social one, but right now he doesn't want to talk to him. 

Jay has been eyeing him since they left the gardens. 

Lloyd could tell the others were trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. "Um.. "

The sound of thrusters filled the silence, Lloyd has never been so grateful to see the old Bounty. 

"The B- a flying ship!" Lloyd changed the subject. 

He didn't expect the bounty to be here. He thought Garmadon had it by now. 

'This must be directly after the Ninjaball run' He thought to himself. 

Then felt his stomach drop as he realize, ' Before the tea incident'

"Welcome to the Bounty," Cole greeted as they climbed on the Bounty. A figure suddenly rushed out of the control room. 

"Hey, what's-" Nya paused as she spotted Lloyd. "Lloyd?" 

She was wearing her red attire, the one she wore when she's not Samurai X. And her hair… looked so different. 

Lloyd got used to seeing her in her water gi outfit. Without it, she looks kinda out of place. 

"yeah?" Kid Lloyd replied.

"No-"

"-This is Floyd, and he wants to speak with Master Wu urgently ," Cole explained, cutting her off. Lloyd gave a small wave. 

Nya stared at the stranger before her, like Kai , she stared as if she was solving a puzzle. "Master Wu is below deck, in his cabin." Then she hesitantly gestured for Lloyd to follow. "Come, I'll lead you to him"

They walked down the halls of the Bounty. Lloyd took a peek at the Ninjas' cabin. Compared to his version of the Bounty, this one looks bland. There wasn't much attached to the walls. No pictures, no frames. 

'I guess all those came after the Final Battle'

"Master Wu, there's someone here who wants to speak with you" the voice of Nya brought Lloyd back from his thoughts. The door opened, revealing Sensei Wu. Wu didn't give much of a reaction if he recognized him. 

"I'll take it from here. Thank you for accompanying our guest, Nya "   She gave a small smile and walked away. 

Wu ushered Lloyd in the room and closed the door behind them. He sat and patted a spot in front of him. "What can I do for you, dear friend?" He asked in his warm friendly voice as if they'd known each other for a long time.

"Master," Lloyd started, cutting to the chase. Master Wu merely gazed at him in curiosity. "I don't know how else to say this. But-"

"-You're not from around here?" Wu guessed.

"I- yeah." Lloyd replied, a bit surprised. "But not from another place…" He added cryptically.

Wu poured himself a cup of tea, as Lloyd waited patiently for a response.

"Time is a powerful element. What has my nephew been doing that he had traveled back in time?" He asked rhetorically. 

Lloyd's brows shot up, Honestly he shouldn't be surprised that Wu figured it out so easily. He's more than a hundred years old anyways. His uncle knows a lot of things.

Wu must've seen his slip of confusion for he responded, "Your gi is not exactly subtle, Lloyd" He pointed out.

Oh

Lloyd looked down at his green gi. And the ' L' letter on the leather belt. 

Right… 

'How the hell did the others not notice'

"You've grown so much, nephew." 

Lloyd looked back up to see Wu staring at him with an odd expression. 

"I had to," Lloyd blurted out before he could think. 

Then he instantly wanted to take it back as Wu 's expression changed to something along the lines of longing and sadness. 

"And your eyes… " He trailed off. 

Lloyd instinctively raised his hand to touch his face, "Oh um, green ninja stuff..." He tried to explain. "My powers have grown stronger."

It wasn't the first time someone pointed out his unusual mix of green and red eyes. The other ninjas didn't tell him, but he knew they were intimidated by it. 

'- okay, getting sidetracked-'

"I need your help, Master," he backtracked. "I need to get back to the others, to my timeline. But before that, I need to stop Pythor from whatever he's planning to do." 

"Pythor? But Pythor got swallowed by the Great Devourer." Wu questioned. 

'And so did you,' Lloyd wanted to say. He didn't know if he should tell them about Pythor's potential return with the Overlord. One thing at a time… 

"It's a different Pythor, it's a version from my timeline." He says out loud. "It's kinda my fault he's here" Lloyd added guiltily, scratching the back of his head.

We have time, we have nearly a week until Garmadon makes a move. Until the tea incident.

Wu looked a bit amused at Lloyd, "How much of a threat is he?" 

"He holds a powerful weapon against elemental wielders, a spear made of chronosteel." Lloyd observed a flash of recognition in his uncle's eyes at the mention of chronosteel. 

"I don't know what his plans are but we can't let him roam free." Pythor has always been bad news. Everytime he disappears and returns, something bad happens. Like the Overlord, the Corridor of Elders, Day of the Departed, And now, this… what else is next?? 

'I regret opening the serpentine tombs.' He thought to himself.

"Then we will help you and get you back to your timeline" Wu decided

"But first, you should tell them," he added, taking another sip of his tea. 

"But what if it messes up the timeline?" Lloyd asks worriedly. 'And trigger some unknown paradox'

"If it was, nephew, something would have happened by now."

Fair point …

In all honesty, Lloyd just didn't want to tell them. It'll raise too many questions. He hasn't had the time to stop and reflect on all that's happened to him, much less talk about it. 

Sigh, it's like what the others would say, 'No time like the present'

 

--

 

 

"So,... this will sound weird… "

Wu summoned all of them to the control room. Lloyd didn't know what he expected but all attention turned to him as Master Wu announced that 'Floyd had something to share.'

And now here he awkwardly stands, in front of the younger faces of his team. Kid Lloyd was standing beside Wu on his left. 

'C'mon, just like a band-aid. Just rip it out. Just say it. '

 

"...But my real name isn't Floyd. I'm-"

"-I KNEW IT!" Kai's shout startled Lloyd so much that he flinched. 

"You lied! I knew there's something suspicious about you-" Kai boasted as if he just solved the most complicated mystery. 

"Kai!" Nya admonishes and hits Kai 's arm. "Let him speak" 

Kai scowled and mumbled something about trusting strangers. Nya gestured for Lloyd to continue.

"As I was saying, I'm not from around here, at least not in this timeline." He sees Jay's eyes widened in realization. Cole raised a brow, and tilted his head in confusion.

Lloyd took a deep breath, "My name's Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, the Green Ninja. And I need your help."

Kai's face paled and, for a second, Lloyd thought he would faint. Zane has both of his brows up in shock, as well as Cole. Jay's expression is stuck between gaping at him and smiling. 

He was the first one who spoke, 

"I- WHA- TIME TRAVEL!" 

Lloyd knew Jay would be the first one to react. Aside from his younger self, Jay was a huge fan of the Starfarer comics. 

"That's why you looked familiar!"

"How do we know that's true?" Kai asked harshly. Lloyd brought up his hands and summoned his element. Green particles sizzled and came to life. 

"How is this possible?" He hears Zane say. He turns back his attention to all of them. Kai went uncharacteristically quiet. He was staring at him with a look he couldn't quite unravel. 

Nya looked semi-shocked. She has always been an observer. Lloyd wouldn't find it hard to believe if she already knew the moment he stepped onto the Bounty.

Cole blinked a few times, "How is this- how is Lloyd not reacting?! " Cole points out Kid Lloyd, who was leaning on the wall beside Master Wu. "That's you!" his voice, full of amazement.

"Oh uh… I kinda knew" the kid replied sheepishly.

"It was kind-of obvious," Nya pointed out. "The green gi and all"

"Heyy you're right! How did I not see that" Cole leaned forward observing his gi. "Your hair, your face, your… eyes"

Lloyd was starting to feel self-conscious with all the scrutiny. He moved back a bit and chuckled nervously, "O-kayy…."

"You said you needed help?" Zane asked, changing the subject. 

Lloyd turned his attention to him. 

"Yes, I need to stop Pythor and get back to my timeline-"

"-which we will discuss tomorrow morning." Wu interrupted. "It's been a long day and we need a good night's rest."

"Wait, so we'll just sleep on this??" Kai asked incredulously. "We're talking about a Lloyd , from the future !"

Wu cleared his throat, "...It's easier to look at our situation with a clear and fresh mind." His voice offered no arguments. 

Well, there's no arguing with that. 

Besides, Lloyd wants some much needed sleep.

 

After a few objections, they all dispersed and went down the hall towards their cabin. 

Except Lloyd, he stood at the door to the control room, realizing he didn't know where to sleep.

He hears footsteps from behind and turns to see Kid Lloyd approaching.

"So… that was something." He commented. 

"Could've gone worse," Lloyd joked. 

The kid chuckled at this, then asked. "Where are you sleeping?"

Lloyd looked around. He can't really sleep with the other Ninja. The awkward tension was still there. Master Wu's? Nope. Unless he can sleep in the training room or closet, the control room was the viable option. 

"Here" He replied. 

"What?! You can't sleep here." The kid sounds so offended. I can't deal with this right now. 

"Just give me a blanket and I'll be fine. I've slept in worse shape." He replied blatantly. Which is true, compared to what he has endured, sleeping on the floor with no more than a blanket is nothing. 

"I don't even know if I want to know what that means-"

"I can sleep here in the control room" He repeated sternly.

"No you're not." the kid argued back. "You're me, so you're sleeping in my room " He grabbed Lloyd by the arm and dragged him, or at least tried to. 

"Your room? We can't fit in your bed."

This is getting ridiculous.

"Oh, you're sleeping on the floor." He said simply, like it was obvious.

"What? How is that any different?"

"At least my floor is better than the control room." 

"Fine"

With that, Lloyd let him get dragged to the room by the kid. He knows his younger self just wanted some company. The return of Pythor must've spooked him. 

 

--

 

Sunrise

 

Lloyd always enjoyed watching the sunrise. It gave him hope. A promise of a new day. 

It was 5:30am and Lloyd was perched at the roof of the Bounty. He was used to waking up early. When Wu was lost, he stepped up and continued their training. After the invasion of the Oni, he still continued to train harder. 

To be stronger . 

So he can protect his friends. 

His family.

Lloyd can't help but feel like there's something coming. Something big.

Standing on the roof of the Bounty wasn't really the safest thing to do but Lloyd liked how the wind rushed through his face. 

He moved his feet apart from each other, taking in his usual starting stance. He carefully checks the tiles he's stepping on, falling off the Bounty is the last thing he needs right now. 

His left arm outstretched and right arm holding the sword he stole from the training room.

Lloyd worked through his stances, flipping and weaving through intricate moves. After a few rounds, he discarded the sword and focused on summoning his elemental energy.

He shifted into his stance and did the routine again. This time, green energy danced on his hands, leaving trails in the air as he moved. 

He kept doing it until he heard a voice from the side. 

"Most impressive." the person said in awe. 

Lloyd opened his eyes to see Master Wu standing on the ladder that leads to the roof. 

"But I don't understand why you're doing that on the roof of the Bounty." Wu added in amusement and slight worry.

Lloyd shrugged as if a few hundred feet in the air was nothing. "It keeps me in focus."

He sees Wu reach down and grab something. Wu lifted his signature tea pot and asked, "Tea?"

Lloyd couldn't help but smile at this. Typical Master Wu

"Sure" He followed as Master Wu climbed down the ladder. Two tea cups are placed on the railings outside the control room. 

Wu poured the tea and handed him one of the cups. Lloyd didn't notice he felt cold until he held the cup. He breathed in the steam, enjoying the moment of peace. 

Wu smiled at Lloyd, "With that mastery and control, your skills can easily surpass mine." He praises. "Deserving of the title of Master and possibly more." He continued. 

" Master ," The praise took Lloyd by surprise. "Well, I'm happy to tell you that I did. In fact, all of the ninjas did. Including Nya. They have mastered the art of Spinjitzu and their elements."

"Oh," From the look on his face, Master Wu was clearly not anticipating Nya. But he continued to smile, albeit a little sadly. 

"I'm glad to hear that."

"And we wouldn't have been able to achieve it if it wasn't for our great teacher. All we know, we owe it to you, Master Wu ." Lloyd finishes, staring directly at Master Wu , hoping he understood his point.

Compared to his real parents, Master Wu has always been there for him. He didn't know what he'd do without him. Heck. He didn't know where he'd be if it wasn't for Wu taking him in. 

Master Wu's eyes became suspiciously shiny. 

 

The moment was broken as the door to the control room slid open. 

"Good morning Master- Gah!" Jay jumped at the sight of Lloyd. He looked like he forgot the events of last night. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head and chuckled.

"Oh sorry,.."

Lloyd took a sip of his tea and turned around to fully face him. He still felt weird seeing the younger faces of his brothers. Jay didn't have freckles, and his hair is shorter. But he's still the same height though… 

Spiked hair entered his field of view, "Oh no, I was hoping it was a dream." Kai grumbled behind Jay. 

Lloyd frowned at this, feeling a bit offended. "It wasn't a dream."

"Kai, where are the others?" Wu asked both of them. 

"They're in the dining room. Zane's prepared breakfast. We were just heading there." Kai explained. 

"Zane made waffles!" Jay exclaimed in excitement. 

 

--

 

How strange Lloyd's life is. Just yesterday he was having breakfast with his team. Now he's having breakfast with a younger version of his team. 

It's crazy how they sat at the same exact sitting placements. Except this time, kid Lloyd sat at Wu's left instead of Pixal . 

Though, what surprised Lloyd is how silent they were. 

' I mean if you meet someone from the future, I guess I'll be weirded out.'

Sounds of utensils filled the room as everyone ate. 

"So, about this Pythor… " Cole started. 

"-Are we literally not gonna talk about how you're from the future?? " Kai raised his fork and pointed at Lloyd. 

"What's there to talk about?" Lloyd replied a little too harshly. "I'm here and I have a mission . So let's focus on that." He doesn't understand why Kai was making such a fuss about him. He doesn't want to talk about his past or the future. 

"That's-"

"-Pythor is out there." Lloyd stood, and cut whatever Kai was supposed to say. "I don't know his plans but we need to track him down. Whatever he's up to, it's no good." 

He instinctively changed his tone of voice and gave commands. He turned to look at Zane. 

" Zane , you think you can access camera footage from the warehouse block where we encountered Pythor? We need to know what direction he went" 

Zane shared a look with Cole , "I'll try" He answered hesitantly.

"Pix- uh…" Lloyd caught himself, forgetting Pixal wasn't here. He saw Nya stacking the plates to be washed.

"..Nya," She perked up, surprised she was called. "Is there a chance you have your tech ready? We need something that can scan residues of energy."

Lloyd placed his right hand on his chin, his usual thinking gesture. One he probably picked up from Wu. He looked down at the floor while thinking. 

"The chronosteel Pythor had absorbed a bit of my energy when I tried to shoot him. There's a chance it expels energy trails wherever he goes." He waited for their response. Usually by now they'll start contributing to the plan, or add their opinions.

 

"…"

 

"Uhm.. "

Lloyd looked up to see the rest of the team staring at him. He can't tell if Kai's expression is annoyed or confused, maybe both. His younger counterpart was grinning at him, and Master Wu looked amused. 

"Oh" I overstepped something, didn't I? 

Well, this is awkward. 

Lloyd stood there, patting his hands at his sides in silence as the Ninjas shared a look of confusion, or rather, anticipation, like they were waiting for a signal. 

Master Wu hummed, "Hmm well, what are you all waiting for?" He continued to sip his tea. 

Seriously, how many cups of tea does Master Wu drink everyday?

Cole stood up. "Zane, do what he said." 

Oh...

that's why. Cole's the one leading the team at this point in time. 

"I'll check my gear, I might have something. " Nya responded to Lloyd. 

 

--

 

After breakfast, they all dispersed doing their own thing. Lloyd figured he should find Cole and apologize for overstepping his bounds. He should've known Cole was the one giving out commands. Who was Lloyd to barge in and give out orders?

He stepped onto the deck, and immediately spotted Cole at the bow of the Bounty. He was sweeping the floor with a broom.

Lloyd approached, "Cole! Um... hey."

Cole looked up and smiled, "What's up?" 

Lloyd rubbed his right arm, "Look, at breakfast earlier, I get it if you're upset because of me." Cole looked at him quizzically. "And I'm sorry, I'm not trying to replace you or-"

"-Hey Hey Hey, calm down," Cole cuts him off, he places a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "It's cool." 

"It is?" Lloyd asked in mild surprise.

"Yeah, Leader stuff huh?" He guessed.

"Was it that obvious?" Lloyd answered rhetorically. He admits, he gets a little too carried away when giving out orders. 

He averted his gaze as Cole gave him a look that closely resembled pity. 

"How long have you been leading?" 

"I don't know,..." Lloyd trailed off. Not that he forgot, he just doesn't wanna talk about it. 

He led the team, the resistance, and the hope of Ninjago. He felt like he was leading his whole life. Even before Master Wu was lost in the time vortex, he slowly began to lead them, or at least tried to. He remembered how broken the team was when Zane sacrificed himself. 

Cole hummed softly, "You're free to state your opinions. The others are just not used to receiving orders from other people. Especially from you , Lloyd."

Lloyd huffed a response, feeling like a kid being told off. "I figured," 

Cole swept the dust off to a corner, "So, maybe let me do the leading for now." He added, not looking up. 

Lloyd nodded but then realized he's not looking. "Okay" He says instead.

Cole settled the broom to the side and clapped the dirt off his hand. He turned to look at Lloyd and gestured, "Now come on, let's see what Zane and Nya got by now. "

 

--

 

In the control room, Jay and Kai sat at the table. Kai had his head bowed down on the table, probably out of boredom. Jay was reading Starfarer comics and Zane was at the control panel. 

Lloyd glanced at the title Jay was reading. At this point in time, it was the latest issue. And if Lloyd remembers correctly, that arc didn't end well.

They both looked up as Lloyd and Cole made their presence known. "Zane, how's the footage coming?" Cole asked.

Zane pushed a couple of buttons on the panel. "I've already contacted the officials. But it will take a while to retrieve the camera footage."

They haven't partnered with the police of Ninjago City , Lloyd realized. He forgot how unpopular the team was. No commercials, Ninja merchs, or brands. They weren't famous. 

Thank FSM Kai doesn't have fans right now. It'll all go to his head. 

Nya comes in holding a remote-looking device with wires coming out of it. "I don't have a fully functioning device to scan energy. But I can make one, I'll just need a couple of parts." She told Lloyd and Cole. 

"How long will it take?" Lloyd questioned.

"I can get it done by tonight."

Lloyd has no doubt on Nya's abilities, but if it takes all day then they won't be able to find Pythor soon enough. He has to rely on the camera footage for now. Hopefully it'll come sooner. 

Lloyd doesn't feel safe having Pythor somewhere out there. If only we had drone scouts or something.

Oh how Lloyd misses Cyrus Borg's technologies.

"Okay, do that." Cole informed Nya. She nodded and went out of the room. 

Lloyd sat at the table, having nothing to do. Then a thought occurred to him, "Has anyone seen younger me ?" The kid was still fast asleep when he snuck out of his room. And he didn't really notice where he went after breakfast.

"Lloyd- I mean- our Lloyd, kid Lloyd is with Master Wu. I believe they are going through the lecture on the history of Ninjago." Zane answered. 

"Oh right," Lloyd forgot about the thousand lectures he had to go through with Wu. It wasn't all bad though, like the virtues of spinjitzu, one that he didn't much understand until he was older. 

"So Lloyd, is there anything interesting you would want to share about the future?" Jay scooted beside Lloyd, having finished reading his comic. 

Lloyd chuckled at Jay's fun nature, "Well, I do know that that arc won't end well. He gestured to the comic on the table. "Fritz Donnegan would-" 

Jay opened his mouth, scandalized at the info, "-Hey! No Spoilers!"

Both of them descended into laughter.

"No really, anything?" Jay asked once more. 

Lloyd smirked, "What if I told you that we get to be inside a video game?" 

"What, like VR?"

"No, better!" Lloyd teased. The Prime Empire is a pretty amazing game, if you push aside the fact that they got cubed. 

"No way!" Jay's eyes sparked with excitement. He grinned like an idiot, "How is that possible?"

Lloyd shrugged and grinned as Jay's happiness got contagious.

"Nice to know you two are getting along." Kai grumbled underneath his breath, which Lloyd heard. 

Lloyd's smile dropped slightly at his tone. Why is he acting all grumpy today?  

Before he could comment, Cole spoke. "I'm curious. How exactly did you end up here?"

"Oh, well… " All four Ninjas turned to look at Lloyd. And he explained the part where he and his team were chasing a figure, who turned out to be Pythor, through the ruins of a temple. One thing led to another, and next thing he knew, bright lights filled his vision and he woke up near the monastery. 

"...I think, If i remember things correctly, I'm from 3 to 4 years in the future." He concluded.

"Wait, But then that's not that far out to the future, what's your age?" Zane questioned.

"Um… " 

Come to think about it, Lloyd has no clue how old he is. Maybe he shouldn't have told them what year he came from. The tea incident really did a number on him. 

 

"Guys!" Nya bursts through the door, her voice cutting through their silence. "There's a report of rogue Venomaris attacking Jamanakai Village!"

Lloyd's grateful for the opportunity to dodge the questions about his age. That's a problem for later. 

"Set a course to Jamanakai Village" Cole directed, acting quickly.

"On it," Zane replied.

"Oh come on, today's a weekend!" Jay complained.

 

--

 

They arrived at the village in a quick boost. The bounty hovered above as they assessed the situation.

"Damn snakes, haven't they learned not to mess with Ninjago?" Kai peeked below the bounty. 

Lloyd spared a glance at the village. Surely enough, he spots a couple of green scaled snakes robbing a vendor. He counted approximately 8 snakes. 'It's just a couple of venomaris, this shouldn't take long.' He thought to himself. 

But before he could jump down, a hand grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. "Not you, maybe let them handle this." Nya suggested, holding him back. 

"What?" Lloyd instinctively replied. He could stop the snakes in less than 3 minutes. He was gonna complain but his curiosity to see the other Ninjas skills won over.

"Okay then," He relented. 

"Come on team, let's show them who they're messing with!" Cole cheered. "Ninja-Go!"

Lloyd watched as the four ninjas slid down the rope and sprinted towards the village. 

Lloyd leaned down on the railings. They didn't have full control of their powers yet, so he's curious how they'll fight. 

Jay and Kai spun into spinjitzu, flinging two snakes aside. Lloyd lost sight of Cole and Zane when they went around a corner. 

He wonders what strategy they're going with,... that is, if they have any. 

 

Minutes later, Lloyd spots three venomaris exiting the village, holding a few bags of, he guesses, possibly gold and money. 

'they're getting away! '

Lloyd looked around, trying to spot the four ninjas. His eyes finally land at the fountain in the village. They're currently occupied, fighting the remaining snakes. 

What are they doing?  

They're all sloppy.

That's when Lloyd's years of training suddenly kicked in. He felt like he was on autopilot. He had to act fast. 

He quickly glanced around on the ship, hoping Nya won't see what he'll do next. Nope, he spots Nya at the balcony outside the control room. She caught Lloyd looking at her and her face turned to confusion. "Lloyd?"

Lloyd didn't reply, instead sprinted towards the railings and jumped off the ship. 

"LLOYD!"

Considering the Bounty was more than a few hundred feet high in the air, he might've accidentally given Nya a heart attack for jumping off the ship. 

Lloyd put his fists together and summoned his elemental dragon. Energy rushed through his veins, and green light embraced him. 

As soon as that light fades, he stops falling, and green particles float as the dragon flaps its wings. 

"Hey there buddy," He patted the dragon from his saddle. "Haven't done that in a while." The dragon purred from under him. 

"Alright, let's stop those snakes." the dragon let out a loud roar and dived down. 

 

Lloyd swooped down and let his dragon grab the two snakes who were carrying the money. 

"Going somewhere?" Lloyd said, as the dragon lifted them higher. The third serpent looked up at them from the ground, frozen in fear. 

Then the dragon shook the snakes, dropping their stolen goods. Gold coins clanged as it hit the ground. 

"Keep your claws to yourself,.." Lloyd then tossed them into the small pond near the fields. It splashed as the snakes landed.

"...And don't mess with Jamanakai Village!" Lloyd taunted, and the serpents ran away in fear. His dragon roared to emphasize his point. 

Hopefully that's enough to keep them from stealing from the village any time soon. 

Lloyd looked down at the gold coins scattered on the ground. With a sigh, he picked all of them up and gathered them in a bag. His dragon waited patiently behind him. 

Lloyd tossed the bag on the saddle and grabbed the reins. "Let's go," He told his dragon. 

 

They were back in the village in a wing beat. Looks like the others have finished clearing the village from the snakes. 

He spots the Bounty anchored near the entrance. And below it, the ninjas stood along with Nya and Wu. 

And they all looked so shocked, it was almost funny. 

"What is that?!" Lloyd hears Jay shout over the sounds of wing beats. 

"Dragon?!" Cole exclaimed in surprise.

"I think you guys were looking for this" Lloyd casually drops down the bag of goods, which thuds against the ground.

He then jumps down, and the dragon disappears almost immediately after he leaves the saddle. 

Lloyd allowed him to feel smug for a second, having surprised them. But that quickly vanished as Nya suddenly smacked him on his right arm. 

"Wha-"

"-YOU IDIOT!! I thought- DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!"

Oh right, he jumped off the ship without any warning. Lloyd rubbed the arm where she hit him as Nya shoved her finger pointing at him. 

"-DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW RECKLESS-"

He pulls both of his hands up, trying to calm her "Okay okay," He chuckled slightly as he's reminded of the multiple rebukes he's received from his team. 

Cole picked up the bag of goods and shook it. "Nice,"

"We could've done that ourselves." Kai muttered not far from Cole. 

Seriously, what is up with Kai? 

A 'Thank you' would have been great

"Is no one gonna talk about how the dragon just disappeared?" Zane stared in confusion at the direction the dragon disappeared.

"It's an elemental dragon." Wu said, coming forward, then looked at Lloyd in mild surprise. "You can summon them." He said, less of a question.

Lloyd gave a short nod at this. 

"Woah! Hold up, we can summon our own dragons, Master?" Cole asked.

Wu pulled on his beard, "Yes, but it takes mastery and complete control to do so." He looked back at Lloyd with pride in his eyes. 

Jay's eyes sparked in interest, "Can you do that again?"

Lloyd looked at his hands and glanced above. Then shook his head, "I've been having some trouble summoning it. I can't hold it longer than a few minutes."

Jay deflated, "bummer,"

"What else can you do?" Kai asked, trying hard not to sound impressed. 

"I can control the other elements," Lloyd started. "...but I haven't done that in a while... " He scratched the back of his head, not really knowing where to start. 

"Perhaps a spar can help demonstrate his level of skill." Zane suggested. 

"Hmm, I am curious what Lloyd can do." Wu admitted.

"There's a field right there," Nya pointed to a clearing up ahead. Mostly containing grass and a few rocks sticking out. "You can have your spar there. I'll have to go and get some supplies for the Bounty. I'll bring the kid with me, he needs a break." She said to Master Wu. 

Wu nodded at her, "Very well," 

She climbed up the ladder and they immediately started to make their way towards the field. 

 

Lloyd stopped short, confused with the turn of events. "Wait, we're doing this now ?" he asked. 

"There's no time like the present!" Cole answered, already hyped up. 

"But what about Pythor?" Lloyd reminded them. 

"There hasn't been an update." Zane replied.

"Oh this is gonna be fast!" Jay whipped out his nunchucks.

Lloyd observed each of them. Jay has his nunchucks. Cole with his scythe. Zane with the shurikens. And Kai with two katanas. 

Lloyd's lips twitched down, "That's not fair, you guys have weapons." He complained.

"What, afraid we'll beat you?" Cole smirked. 

"No," Lloyd answered, then decided quickly. "Fine, let's do this." 

He turned around and walked a good distance, putting a few feet between him and the ninjas. 

"Oh, and Cole," Lloyd called out, a small smile finding its way on his face. "Don't be so smug." 

 

--

 

"Begin!"

Cole was the first one to move. He swung back his Scythe for momentum. And ran towards Lloyd. 

When he was a few feet near, Lloyd jumped and flipped, landing behind Cole. 

Cole stumbled as Lloyd kicked his behind. 

"Hyah!" Jay's nunchucks smacked into Lloyd's side. 

"ARGHH" Lloyd growled as he dodge the whipping nunchucks. He dodges until he finally grabs hold of one of the handles. 

Jay stopped short in mild surprise and Lloyd smirked. 

Lloyd immediately spun into spinjitzu, dragging Jay with him. 

"AAAAHHH" Jay screamed as he got flung away.

Lloyd had a split second to enjoy that until Zane jumped from behind him, wrapping his arms around Lloyd. 

Lloyd struggled and threw his head back, hitting Zane on his face.

Ouch , He forgot Zane was made of metal. I'm so gonna feel that. 

Once he's free, he engages in a one-on-one melee attack with Zane. Punching and blocking. Until he took hold of Zane's arm and fling him toward Kai who tried to flank him. 

Kai didn't even stand a chance as the nindroid crashed on him. His katanas flew from his hands.

One landed near Lloyd and he took it. He twirled the sword on his hand, "That's more like it." He announced with a grin.

 

The four ninjas scrambled to get their footings. Lloyd then shifted into a stance, his left hand forward and right hand lifted, clutching the sword. "Bring it," He taunted, gesturing for them to attack again. 

"He just stole one of my swords!" Kai said. 

"It's on!" Zane shouted, ignoring Kai. 

"We were just getting started" Cole pulled down his mask and lunged. "Ninja-Go!"

Cole spun into a spinjitzu and Kai lunged towards Lloyd. While doing so, Zane threw shurikens and Jay used spinjitzu. 

Lloyd frowned, they lacked coordination, and it was a sad sight to see. 

Lloyd easily sidestepped and tripped Kai. He maneuvered his sword and deflected the shurikens. He then jumped and flipped over as Cole and Jay bumped into each other. Which threw both of them off a few feet away. 

"AARGH" Kai growled in frustration.

Lloyd landed back down and deliberately let them surround him. 

"We got you surrounded!" Cole shouted. 

"Do your best" Lloyd taunted. 

"Oh, he's asking for it!" Kai yelled as they circled Lloyd. 

"Ninja-Go!"

All four of the Ninjas spun into a spinjitzu. As they rapidly get closer, Lloyd quickly performed the lost variant of spinjitzu: airjitzu

He was a little rusty with it, but it works. 

Lloyd lifted off from the ground, leaving the ninjas to bump into each other. He almost laughed at how surprised they looked. 

In full honesty, he just wanted to impress them.

As he hovered for a moment, the ninjas gaped at him. 

"Did he just FLY ?" Cole blinked a few times, making sure it wasn't just his eyes playing tricks on him. 

"HOW DID HE DO THAT?!" Jay yelled out. 

"It looked like spinjitzu, but on air..." Zane said, mesmerized. 

 

And just like that, Wu signaled the spar to conclude.

Lloyd landed back down on a rock. He staggered a bit, feeling dizzy after the short flight. 

Wu entered his view, "You know Airjitzu, " he said, bluntly. He may look emotionless, but Lloyd could tell he was caught off-guard by his actions. 

"How did you learn this?"

Ugh,  Lloyd tries his best not to remember. 

He didn't want to. 

There's a reason why he didn't use Airjitzu so often. 

"We needed to defeat an enemy. We came across it." He answered instead.

Lloyd shivered just by thinking about the possession.

He looked back up to see the others had gathered around him and was listening. He caught Kai's gaze and immediately averted his eyes. 

Kai stared at him with an unreadable expression… again . 

"I- ugh" Lloyd nearly trips on air as another headache assaults him. The others are at his side in a heartbeat.

"Woah, Lloyd." Cole grabs a hold of Lloyd's shoulder, trying to steady him. 

"I'm okay, just a little dizzy." Lloyd explained. "I haven't performed Airjitzu in a while" He took another deep breath. 

Once the headache calmed down, Lloyd stood up straighter. 

Wu gave Lloyd one last look of concern then turned to the sky. "I believe it's time to return to the Bounty."

The sun was set high in the sky. It was already past afternoon, Lloyd can't believe how fast time passes. They haven't had a lead on Pythor. 

They all slowly made their way back to the Bounty. 

 

"By the way, how did you learn to fight like that?" Zane asked. 

Lloyd chuckled at this, "When you're written in a prophecy, you're always in danger."

Behind him, the Ninjas shared a look of concern. 

 

--

 

Lloyd has had enough of it. 

Kai has been giving him side glances and always looked at him in a weird way. He knows Kai has a hard time expressing himself but if he's gonna work with them, it's best to get rid of the awkward tension between them. 

So here he is, waiting at the halls of the Bounty. If Kai still does his after-battle hair-do, then in theory, he'll show up in a few minutes. 

Soon enough, brown spiked hair entered the hallway. 

"Kai," Lloyd called out approaching him. He seems to have taken Kai by surprise. Kai hesitantly stepped forward, trying to school his face and met Lloyd in the middle. 

"Hey," Kai greeted.

" sigh- I'm gonna make this quick." Lloyd cut to the chase, his voice tired from the treatment he's getting. "You've been ignoring me, avoiding me. We're gonna have to work together, as a team. And If your mad at me, for some unknown reason, then please tell me" 

Kai looked behind Lloyd, trying to find a way out. But he soon gave up as Lloyd gave no chances. Kai frowned, "It's not you." He turned away and muttered. "I'm mad at myself." 

Lloyd's expression turned to understanding. It all kind of made sense now. He reached for Kai's shoulder. "You can tell me, Kai-"

"-It's weird! Okay?" Kai shrugged off Lloyd's hand, and turned around to face him. 

"...you've grown up... You're matured and… I just...have a hard time accepting it." Kai said, his face full of self-hatred. 

"I promised I'll look out for you." He clenched his fists. " 'I'll protect you' . But the things you said,... the way you handled those snakes… It's like I don't even know you anymore..."

Lloyd's gaze softened, "I get it. You think you failed... but you didn't ." He reached again and this time, held onto Kai's shoulder. 

He looked into Kai's eyes, "Kai, You're the best older brother I could have ever asked for. And sometimes you even became a father figure to me." Lloyd pats his hand on his chest to emphasize his point. He then lets go of his shoulder. Kai's eyes were suspiciously shiny. 

"It's true you can't protect me forever..." Lloyd continued. "Especially from my Destiny." 

Lost images of green grass and golden petals flashed through Lloyd's mind..

'Oni'

Lloyd remembered dying. 

'I was dead.' he shivered at the memory. 

The things that happened in his past.

And things that will happen in the future. 

Kai can't protect him from his destiny. No matter where he is, he'll always be in danger

"But it's not too late," Lloyd's mind returns to the present.

 "Kid Lloyd is still here. And he won't be a kid forever. Enjoy these moments while he's still young . You guys should let him be a kid while he still can." Lloyd pleaded. 

Something about Lloyd's voice made Kai narrow his eyes. 

"Don't mourn for my childhood, enjoy his instead." Lloyd finished. 

"What's gonna happen?" Kai finally whispered.

Lloyd smiled sadly at him, "The Final battle is closer than you think" 

Kai's expression suddenly changed to understanding and confusion at the same time. Lloyd didn't think it was possible until now.

Then Kai did the unexpected and wrapped his hands around the blonde, and hugged him. "You're right." He whispered.

Lloyd froze, realizing he hadn't been hugged in a long while. He was always busy training.

Kai pulled back before Lloyd could even react. And he gave Lloyd a sad smile. 

Lloyd blinked and scratched the back of his head, "So… we're cool now?"

"As cool as can be, green machine"

Thank FSM that worked. 

 

--

 

Lloyd walked through the halls of the bounty. He heard Jay and Nya had gone somewhere, he wasn't surprised. 

Lloyd wanted to ask Zane for an update but Wu demanded they take a break, something that Lloyd wasn't used to. 

He walked until he reached the last door at the end of the hallway. Light spilled from the window on the door. He hears clicking and video game sounds. 

Lloyd knocked then entered the room. He was greeted by his younger counterpart glaring at the TV screen. He was frowning and smashing the controller, like that made a difference.

"Hey kid, haven't seen you all day." Lloyd commented. 

"Yeah, No kidding " The kid answered sarcastically. 

Aaand he's bitter. Of course.

The kid was left in the Bounty for the majority of today. And he probably wanted to be with the ninjas but was told otherwise.

Lloyd can't blame him, he's been hauled up in the Bounty, studying Ninjago history all day. 

He looked at the TV, figuring out what game the kid was playing. 

"So, how did your spar go?" The kid asked bitterly. 

Lloyd didn't know if it was sarcastic or real, but he answered anyway. 

"You should've seen it. I kicked their flanks..." He told him how he dodged all their attacks. Stole Kai's sword and used an art similar to Spinjitzu. And even told him how light Jay was that he was easily flung away. This earned a small smile from the kid. 

Lloyd leaned back on the bed smiling at the memory. He stretched his arms and legs. He heard a rustle of plastic as his foot hit something on the floor.

Lloyd looks down to see two plastic bags 

"Huh, What's all of these for?" Lloyd nudged the two plastic bags on the floor with his foot. One of them looks empty, the other is still tied closed. 

"Oh you know, the usual cringy stuff they buy for today." the kid replied in a bored tone. He was waiting for the level to load. 

"Valentine's day… " He murmured as an afterthought.

For some reason, Lloyd's heart rate spiked up at hearing this. "It's WHAT?" He asked, a bit startled.

"Valentine's day..duh? " the kid replied a bit confused at Lloyd's reaction. 

"While you guys were out on an early mission, Nya and I bought some roses. I was confused why though. But she said, `You give one to the people you love, including your family.'" The kid grabbed one from the bag and tossed it to Lloyd. 

It's sad to know the kid didn't know what to do on Valentine's Day. 

"So there… I thought of you, cause you know, Love yourself and all that.. " The level loaded up and he focused back on the game.

Lloyd nearly laughed at how ridiculous that reason is. But he accepted the rose nonetheless.

"What about the others?" Lloyd asked.

"I left some roses on the ninjas' beds." The kid replied. 

"There's a bunch in the plastic bag near the door." The kid said distractedly. "I don't know why Nya bought a lot. But you can take some."

Lloyd stood and took a look through the plastic bag. The kid wasn't kidding, there were alot. 

'I don't do Valentine's Day, but just this once wouldn't hurt.'

He took at least 8 roses. 

He looked down at the roses in his hand, and a forbidden thought ran through his mind. 

'No no I won't think about her… '

He shook his head and turned back to watch the kid. 

"You know,...I was kind of surprised how chill you are with the fact that I'm you " Lloyd suddenly thought. He had to give credit to his younger self for not freaking out. 

"Are you kidding? It's cool! It's like I have a bigger brother" the kid answered.

" Bigger brother ? What about the Ninjas?"

The kid frowned at his question, "You know them, all they want to do with me is train. They never cared, until I was the green ninja ." The kid smashed the buttons a little too hard as an object nearly hit his character. 

Lloyd winced, he knew he didn't mean it. 

He was just overly bitter they didn't let him go on the mission with them earlier. 

"I know you don't mean that." Lloyd stated seriously.

"Yeah whatever..I just- when can I go on adventures?" 

"You can when you're-"

"-older? You guys keep saying that" the kid's voice, heavy with frustration. He turned to the TV and continued playing. 

Lloyd wished he could grab hold of the kid's shoulder and make him look into his eyes. Because FSM if only he knew what lies ahead. 

"It won't be long," Lloyd sighed sadly. 

The kid didn't seem to hear him as he focused on his game. 

 

--

 

Sunset

 

Looks like they won't be finding Pythor today.

Orange hue colored the skies. Lloyd perched at the roof of the Bounty, facing west while the wind blew on his face. 

Along with his younger counterpart, he also left each Ninja a rose on their bed. He gave Nya and Master Wu too. 

Lloyd looked down at the remaining two roses.

"You give one to the people you love, including your family."

 

Mom. 

 

An idea sparked in his mind, he could sneak into the National History Museum, find his Mom's office, and leave a rose there.

Sneaking into the building will be no trouble. So he can do this fairly quickly and get back to the Bounty before anyone notices. 

He hesitated for a second, ' What if she sees me… '

'No, im a Ninja, i can do this' he thought to himself.

With that decided, Lloyd sneaked out of the Bounty. And slid down the anchor. He shoves his mask on, 'If I hurry, I'll get there before the sun completely sets.'

 

Lloyd ran the whole way to the Museum.

 

And he immediately regrets it.

He underestimated the distance to the museum. 

Why did they have to park so far from Ninjago City , his legs are killing him. 

Lloyd had thought of summoning his dragon,but that would be too obvious.

He hoisted himself up, and climbed on the roof. He quickly looked around and checked his surroundings for guards. Once he was sure, he collapsed and laid down on the cold concrete, staring at the night sky. The stars were starting to come out. He breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath.

"What am I doing?" He asked no one in particular.

After a few seconds, Lloyd stood up and approached the windows that displayed the main lobby of the museum. 

' Coast is clear,'

He unlocks the awfully convenient lever on the window, and pulls it open. 

'Here goes nothing '

He jumps and lands softly on the ground. There was nothing but silence. 

He tries not to bump into anything, it's particularly challenging considering his only light source was the dim moonlight.

'Her office should be around here'

He turned a corner and soon enough, there it was. A door with a label written 'Misako' . He traced his fingers on the door and made sure to look underneath the door for any trace of light. 

The last thing Lloyd needs is for her to see him. He twists the door knob, not surprised to see it unlocked. 

Seriously, the security here sucks

He pushed the door open, and was greeted by darkness. Lloyd held out his hand and summoned a sphere of his energy. He let it float above him and it illuminated the room in green light.

Lloyd stared at the ridiculous amount of stacked papers on the desk. At the very top was an open journal. It's best not to touch it, but he can't help his curiosity.

He carefully grabbed it, "The Green Ninja Prophecy" He read out, then flipped a page.

 " One ninja will rise above the others and become the Green Ninja, the ninja destined to defeat the Dark Lord. "

It was about the Final Battle. Lloyd frowned, ' the Final Battle felt more like the beginning of more battles to come. ' He thought to himself.

Sometimes Lloyd asks himself whether it really was the 'Final' Battle. Considering the Overlord came back months later. 

Lloyd would love to keep snooping around but he's worried he might get caught 

So he placed the journal back and reached behind him to retrieve the rose from his pouch. 

"Happy Valentine's Day Mom," Lloyd whispered, then placed it above the journal. 

He pulled up his mask and swiftly left the room. 

 

Lloyd was near the exit when he heard something,... Or rather, someone. 

He turned around, confused. 

It sounded like… 

 

Someone was crying. 

Lloyd's compassionate heart won't let him leave until he finds the source. 

 

He followed the sound outside the museum. It came from the gardens beside it. He hid behind a tree and peeked. 

Then Lloyd froze, seeing the face of the person. 

 

It was her… 

Misako

 

Mom

 

She was kneeling on the grass. Her shoulders shook as she tried to silence her sobs. 

She was clutching a picture. And Lloyd could guess, it was a picture of the family, just after he was born. 

Every single molecule in Lloyd screams for him to run to her. 

He wanted to hug her. Tell her it's going to be okay.

It breaks his heart seeing her like that. 

'No,' Lloyd restrained himself. He had to painfully close his eyes.

' It won't be long, she'll see her son again .'

He forces himself to look away and leave. 

Lloyd took one last glance and despondently walked away, his fine mood now gone. He wished so badly to go to her. 

Lloyd didn't know he missed his mom so much until now. 

His lips twitched down in a frown, he felt incredibly annoyed and angry. Seems like everything that can go wrong in his life has gone wrong.  

 

--

 

Kai is in a good mood. Well not at first, of course. He felt horrible earlier in the morning, but now that Lloyd and him had a talk, he felt better of himself.

They were at the dining table, having noodle soup for dinner. Kai sat beside Jay while Cole and Zane sat at the opposite. Nya was at the control room with Wu and Kid Lloyd. 

Kai lifted the bowl, devouring the remaining soup. Mmmm… Zane always made good food. 

Kai tried cooking food before , and it did not end well. 

"You know it's still crazy. Seeing Lloyd." Cole started. "Older Lloyd"

Jay opened a package of chocolates. Where he got it from? Kai has no idea.

"Yeah, who knew he'd be so… different" Jay agreed.

"Have any of you noticed how his age doesn't match his story?" Zane asked as he collected their empty bowls.

"What do you mean?" Kai asked, stealing a chocolate from Jay, and plopped it in his mouth. 

"Older Lloyd said he was from around 3-4 years into the future. But if you would add that to current Lloyd's age… "

"-It doesn't add up. " Kai realized. 

Zane nodded, "My sensors indicate he's around 17-19 years old."

Woah, he might be older than any of us . 

But how? 

Kai recalled what Lloyd told him earlier,

"The Final Battle is closer than you think… "

He still doesn't understand.

"But why would he lie about the year?" Jay munched on some chocolate.

"Perhaps we can ask him" After Zane said those words, they heard Lloyd board the bounty, heavy footsteps against the wooden floor. The door opened revealing Lloyd himself.

"Hey, where have you been?" Cole greeted Lloyd. They noticed earlier that Lloyd disappeared from the Bounty. Kai was the first one to panic then. But the others managed to calm him down, telling maybe he went out to get some air. 

Kai's glad to see Lloyd alright, and not getting attacked by Pythor, like he initially thought.

Lloyd rubbed his right arm, "Just took care of some family affair." He answered somberly, then moved to sit on the table. He was avoiding everyone's eyes. 

Family? 

Kai shrugged when Cole shot him a questioning glance. 

"Here," Zane handed Lloyd a bowl of soup. "Thanks."

Suddenly, the whole room went quiet.

Kai looked at Jay and side-glanced Lloyd, trying to urge him to ask the question. 

"So…" Jay started. "We still don't know where Pythor is… "

Kai mentally face-palmed, that's not what he was trying to say. 

Kai watched as Lloyd played with his food, not taking a single sip. He looked lost in thought.

Cole coughed at the weird tension that fell on them. "You know, I was wondering." Lloyd looked up from his bowl. 

"If we're chasing the Pythor from the future that means Pythor survived from the Great Devourer."

"He did"

Kai frowned on how despondent Lloyd sounds compared to earlier. 

"But how?" 

Lloyd shrugged in return, still staring at his food. "He just came back" He pulled his hands back and stared at it

"Next thing I knew, he was my enemy"

Kai didn't know what Lloyd was thinking but that didn't sound good. 

"Is there anything we should be looking out for in the future?" Kai asked

Lloyd closed his eyes and grimaced, like he was remembering a painful memory.

He then shook his head, and looked to the side. 

"There must be something. Tell us more about the future." Kai pushed. He had a million questions on his mind. 

What happened after the final battle?

Kai wasn't blind, he noticed the little things that Lloyd does that his younger counterpart doesn't.

The way he flinched when a strong gust of wind hit him. 

The way he rubbed his right arm whenever he's deep in thought. 

Or the way he throws himself in danger and still manages to laugh at it. 

"I don't want to talk about it." Lloyd answered shortly. Somehow the tension in the room rose tenfold. 

Kai scowled, he was deflecting. 

" Jay , how did your night go?" Cole asked suddenly, trying to change the topic. He glared at Jay to respond.

"huh? OH, right. It was great!" Jay replied. His happy toned voice clashing against the still air. 

"Nya and I went to the city. I bought her a bouquet and she gave me this chocolate." 

Oh so that's where it came from. 

Jay turned to look at Lloyd. "How about you- oh… " 

Cole visibly winced at Jay's slip. Sometimes Jay's talkative nature was useful, but right now it isn't working. 

They didn't know why Lloyd's suddenly all moody, 'something must've happened' Kai thought to himself.

"Tell us about the future, so we can prevent it." Kai demanded, not letting go of the conversation.

"I said, I don't want to talk about it ." Lloyd's eyes looked up from his bowed head. 

"Fine!" Kai didn't want to back down. Can't Lloyd see? If he told them the details, they can prevent whatever horrible thing that'll happen in the future. 

"At least tell us your age." He tried instead, his voice laced with annoyance. 

" I don't know " Lloyd lifted his head, seemingly defensive with the question. They locked eyes, both of them not backing down. 

'It's just ridiculous, how can you not know your own age?!'

Cole perked up at Lloyd's tone of voice, he's heard that tone before. 

Cole caught Kai's eyes and shook his head, "Kai don't-"

 

Too late.

Kai's short temper acted at that moment, "-Stop lying to us!-"

"- What do you want to learn ?!" Lloyd snapped.

Kai jumped at Lloyd's loud voice. He sounded more threatening with his deep voice. 

 "That I threw down a tea, sacrificing my childhood for the prophecy??" He stood up abruptly, making the chair scrape on the wooden floor. 

"That I trained harder than anyone just to fight a battle that didn't even rid the darkness?!" His eyes were fueled with anger and tiredness. 

"That I was responsible for my father's death?!"

"Or that my family , for some UNKNOWN REASON, always ends up broken!!" Lloyd yelled out, straining his voice. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

 

Kai's heart ached at how hopeless Lloyd's voice was. I wish I could help him. But I have no idea what he's been through.

Lloyd gave a short, sharp sigh and stood up. He left and slammed the door, leaving his dinner untouched.

No one spoke for a few moments. Kai didn't expect Lloyd to snap at them. Something must've really happened when he went away. 

"I told you not to push it." Cole said seriously to Kai. And guilt started growing in his chest.

They all looked at each other, unsure what to do. "Should we follow him?" Zane asked. 

"Let's give him some space," Cole said, then looked pointedly at Kai. "Then we'll find him."

Kai hates to admit it, but this is his fault.

"I'll go get him." He decided. 

 

--

 

Lloyd sat at a building. At the highest building he could find. Which wasn't as near as high as Borg Tower. But it sufficed.

He just needed a quiet open space to think. He likes it up here, where he's closest to the stars. 

 

'Today was a rollercoaster of emotions.'

 

Days like this, Valentine's Day or Father's Day , It never ended well for Lloyd. Though he appreciates the others inviting him and trying to make him feel better, he'd rather be alone.

Lloyd didn't mean to shout at the rest of the team. 'Sigh, I'll apologize later'

Their constant nagging for the future just didn't help Lloyd's already somber mood. 

 

The future

His past

Lloyd let out a loud sigh. He missed his team, his Master Wu, his mom. 

Lloyd shivered as a strong blow of wind ran through him. He brings his arms up and hugs himself.

It felt like hours, Lloyd sat quietly on the top of the building.

He thought he must be hallucinating as he hears the distant thrusters of the Bounty. But then someone sat beside him. 

He didn't speak. They were both comfortable with the silence. 

Lloyd stares off at the remnants of a building not far from where they were. It was caused by the Great Devourer .

'The consequences of my actions'   Lloyd thought bitterly. 

Harumi

The forbidden name came to him.

No matter how much I try, I always think of her.  

It's poetic really, the legendary green ninja falling in love with a villain. 

Lloyd pulled out the last rose from his pouch. And held it in his hands. He was shaking, he realized. 

"Who was she?" the red-clothed ninja asked from beside him. 

Lloyd wasn't used to it, but something inside him wanted to open up. 

He has felt better days and he appreciates Kai's attempt to make this one better. 

"She… she was a princess ." Lloyd's voice lodged in his throat. "She was lost . She was… the quiet one ." To Kai, it won't mean much. But to Lloyd…, he felt anger, betrayal, and sadness. Just by thinking about her. 

"Did you love her?" Kai asked, oblivious to the turmoil inside of Lloyd. 

Lloyd hates to admit it, but he did. She might've played him, but what he felt was real. 

He fell in love with a girl who wanted to destroy him. His wishful thinking always thought that maybe in another time or place, they could have been together. 

"I was too late. I couldn't save her" 

He clutched the rose in his hands tighter. 

There was still good in her, he knew it. But he couldn't do anything. He only stared as the building fell and took her life. 

Even now that he's in the past, he's too late. The Great Devourer already did its deed. She's probably out there... lost . 

The cold wind blew, reminding Lloyd where he was. It's not midnight, but it's late enough in the evening that the streets are quiet. Compared to New Ninjago City, the city wasn't as bright. There were no skyway bridges, no flashy LED billboards, and no Borg Tower. 

Silence fell on both of them as they took in the view of the dark city. 

"I'm sorry" Kai's voice echoed in the silence. "We had no right to bombard you with questions about the future."

"A lot of things happened to you, things we don't understand. And I'm sorry." Kai apologized again. 

Lloyd finally lifted his eyes from the flower, "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have yelled at you." He looked at Kai and the tension eased up. 

"I promise you, we'll find Pythor and get you back to your timeline." Kai said with full conviction. "We've got your back."

"Thank you" Lloyd whispered gratefully.

 

He turned back to the rose in his hand. 

It's time to let go

Lloyd stood up and held the rose up. Green flames sprouted from his hands, burning the flower. 

The ashes flowed as the cold wind swept it away. 

I have a mission to do. 

 

Kai stood beside him and signaled something. Lloyd turned and the Bounty roared as it hovered towards them. 

Three ninjas jumped down onto the building. 

"We got a lead on Pythor." Zane announced. 

"With the camera footage of the warehouse and Nya's energy tracing scanner, we believe he went to the mountains, somewhere near the Wailing Alps." He continued. 

"What's our move?" Lloyd asked Cole. 

Cole lifted his arm and patted Lloyd in the back, "How about this time, you make the call" 

Lloyd raised his eyebrows in confusion, "You guys… want me to lead?" 

The rest of them nodded, 

"You're more capable than all of us." Zane complimented. 

"We'll be right behind you, kiddo ," Jay encouraged. Lloyd chuckled at the nickname. 

They all smiled back as Lloyd's bad mood seemed to disappear.

Lloyd looked at the younger faces of his team then lifted his gaze to the Bounty. Nya waved from the railings.

 

Lloyd's life may suck, but he'll keep going. 

 

He smiled at their devotion and pulled his mask on, "Then let's make our move." 

 

I'm coming for you, Pythor

 

 

Notes:

This was longer than I initially planned lol

Ty for reading!

Chapter 6: Doubt: Part 1

Summary:

"The dog you really got to dread,
Is the one that howls inside your head.
It’s him whose howling drives men mad
And a mind to its undoing…"
--
What could Pythor be planning?

Notes:

Had to cut this into two parts,
Enjoy!

DOUBT: PART I

---

"The dog you really got to dread,

Is the one that howls inside your head.

It’s him whose howling drives men mad

And a mind to its undoing…"

 

--

 

It was dark. 

 

The door creaked as it was pushed open. 

 

The room was empty, save for a table in the middle. 

A dagger was struck on the surface of it, holding a piece of paper in place. 

He took it, hoping to read the note. But the letters danced in his vision, making it unreadable.

He looked back up and all of a sudden, he was surrounded by structures of rocks. Drip stones above and stalagmites below.

 

"HELP!" a young voice called out. 

 

His legs moved before he could comprehend.

He ran, as fast as his legs could take him. 

 

'Faster!' His mind commanded.

 

But then he tripped…

as he was struck by a shearing pain on his lower left. 

 

"Long live…" a voice echoed.

 

The wind started blowing, it was howling.

 

'Where did the wind come from?'

.

.

.

 

Lloyd jumped, opening his eyes. It took a moment for him to remember where he was. 

The door opened slightly as another gust of wind flowed. He placed his hand over his heart, noticing it was pounding.

'This is why I don't meditate much' Lloyd thinks to himself. Meditations rarely gave him answers. Even if it did, It was always confusing. 

'No wonder Wu's always cryptic.'  

Lloyd spares a glance at the tiny window in the room. He didn't know how long he was meditating. ' I better see what's up' He stretched his arms and legs and walked towards the deck. 

"There he is," Kai waved for him to come. The ninjas were at the deck gazing at the terrains. They turned their heads to look at him. "You were in there for nearly two hours." 

Lloyd raised a brow at this. It felt only like a minute. 

"Where are we?" He asked them

"We've reached the mountain range of the Wailing Alps." Zane supplied.

Lloyd stares towards the landform.

Tall white mountains dominated the horizon. The wind picked up, starting to get colder. 

So many memories with this place, both good and bad. 

Lloyd smiled, remembering a certain anxious serpent he met while climbing the mountain. 

"I don't think we can survive climbing that." Kai said from his side. 

"Then it's a good thing we won't." Nya replied as she pointed to the energy reader. It beeps loudly when she points it to the base of the mountain. 

It makes sense. Lloyd doesn't think Pythor can climb it either, considering he has no legs. 

'Now, why would Pythor be here?'

The Bounty stopped as the wind's speed doubled. Lloyd stopped short and took a deep breath. 'It's just the wind,' Lloyd scolded himself. 

He glanced below and surveyed the terrain, white snow glistened under the sun.  "I'm guessing we'll go by foot from here on out." He announced. 

"It's a more viable choice. We can't risk crashing the Bounty." Zane answered.

"Then that's decided," Lloyd nodded. "Let's go" He grips the railing and jumps over it. 

"Lloyd!" Kai startles as Lloyd suddenly jumps off the Bounty. 

Lloyd lands on the soft snow, he's jumped higher platforms, so he's fine. 

He hears snow crunch behind him, and turns around. 

"Warn a dude next time!" Kai admonishes.

 

The others follow suit, sliding down the rope they threw off the side. 

"Heh, sorry" Lloyd scratched the back of his head, "Force of habit" he explained. 

Jay shivered, "hhh it's even colder here" 

"I agree with Jay, we better make this quick." Cole replies, rubbing his arms.

"Look! Foot trails." Zane, who wasn't the slightest bit bothered, gestured behind Lloyd. 

"Well, that makes things easier." Kai said. He started to walk towards it, followed by the other ninjas. 

"Wait," Lloyd suddenly said. 

Their heads turned around to look at him in puzzlement. 

'We're missing someone,'  

Lloyd thought to himself. He gazed up towards the hovering Bounty.

"Nya!" He called out. "-you coming?" He likes to have all of them with him. Not having Nya in the team just felt weird . 

"Me?" Nya says in confusion, she leaned on the rails.

"Yeah!"

"But… I'm not a ninja…"

' Not yet' Lloyd wanted to say. 

"Doesn't matter," He said instead. It doesn't matter if she's a ninja or not. She's always part of the team, not to mention, a big sister Lloyd never had. 

"We could always use your help," He explained. He always appreciated how observant and resourceful she is.

"Go Nya" Wu emerged from the Bounty. "I'll take care of the Bounty."

Nya briefly hesitated before sliding down the rope. The snow crunched as she landed next to him. 

Lloyd spots the others share a look of confusion. But he chooses to ignore them. 

They marched along the snow until they reached the foot trails Zane spotted.

"It looks like serpentine tracks to me." Cole pointed out the continuous trails beside the foot prints. It looks exactly like a snake's tail trail. 

"And it leads there," Jay added, pointing further up where the rocks were starting to look sharp. 

Kai shivered beside Lloyd, "Really would be nice to have my fire right now" He flexed his hands, trying to summon it. 

Another gust of cold wind blew towards them, "Okay, let's-"

"-Wait for me!" A young voice hollered, cutting off Lloyd's words. 

Lloyd turned to look back for the nth time. 

' You've gotta be kidding… '

A small blonde haired boy sprints toward them. 

"I want to help!" The kid said eagerly.

The others jumped in alarm, 

"Lloyd!" Nya says in surprise. 

"How did you get here?!" Jay asks in confusion. 

Followed by Kai's command, "Lloyd, get back to the ship-" 

"-Does Wu know you're here?" Cole asks

"-This mission might be dangerous " Lloyd said sternly, his voice overlapping theirs. 

 

"I'll be good! You won't even notice I'm here, pleaseee!" the kid pleaded. 

Lloyd focused his eyes on his younger counterpart. The kid's hair was messy with bits of snow like he… 

"...did you just jump off a window?" Lloyd asked in amusement.

The kid blushed, ducked his head and mumbled his reply. 

"What?! You're just as bad as your counterpart!" Kai exclaimed in distress.

Lloyd chuckled at this and noticed the kid's clothing. He was wearing the green gi which looked too big for his small frame. 

' A little bit of field experience won't hurt .'

"Uh...just- stay close, alright?" Lloyd decided, much to Kai's objections. 

"Yay!" The kid exclaimed in joy.

 

--

 

The trails led them higher than the base of the mountain where the rocks started to look sharp. 

The stones looked like they were sprouting from the ground.

And at the end of the trail, was a huge mouth of a cave. 

The ice shards hung ominously on the ceiling. If Lloyd didn't know better, he would call this an ice cave. But with closer inspection, the majority of the walls and floor were covered in crystals. 

"Crystals," Cole says in awe. 

"They went inside." Nya said as the device beeped towards it. 

The crystals reflected most of the light coming from outside, so it wasn't really that dark.

"Ah!" Nya yelped as the energy reader overheated. It sparked as Nya dropped it.

"What happened?" Jay went beside Nya and asked worryingly. 

"I think the crystals reflected the energy signals and overheated it." Nya answered disappointedly.

"We'll have to work without it." Lloyd suggested.

The team continued to trudge the slippery surface of the cave. Similar crystals covered every inch of it.

Lloyd walked to one of them, 'Why would Pythor come here? '

He taps the crystal, 'It doesn't look like anything special.' The crystals don't hold any power. It's just your regular old crystals.

"-keep digging!" Lloyd flinched down, surprised to hear a familiar serpent. 

The rest of them heard this and immediately took cover behind the crystals. 

"It's around here somewhere" Pythor emerged from the cluster of broken down debris. 

 

Clang! 

The sounds of mining echoed through the cavern as the other serpents break the crystals. 

'There they are'

There was a platform one level down. And a group of varied serpentine was mining the walls. Based on the debris, they were here for quite a while.

"Bosss, I think we found sssomething." A constrictai called out.

Pythor quickly slithered towards them, "Let me see!"

He snatched the crystal from the other's claws and held it up. Pythor observed it for a second before letting out a dark laugh.

"Here it is!" He smiled darkly.

Lloyd leaned down a bit, trying to get a good view. Something about that crystal is different…

It's like...

 

"Oh no… " Lloyd says out loud.

Kai whipped his head to face him, "What? What is it?" He asked worriedly.

"It's the crystal." Lloyd pointed out like it was obvious.

"What crystal?" Nya asked from his side.

Lloyd blinked, 'Oh right, they haven't encountered…"

"Blue Crystal ." He answered shortly.

"Blue… Crystal?" Zane asked in confusion.

"We're surrounded by blue crystals!" Jay pointed out.

"No- I.." Lloyd stuttered. He didn't mean blue-colored crystal. He meant a Blue Crystal.  

'How did Pythor know there was one here?' He thought you could only get it on Chen's Island.

"I'll explain later." Lloyd says instead. "We can't let Pythor get away with it."

"Alright," Cole agreed. "What's your plan?"

Lloyd looked back at the serpents, analyzing the situation. 

"There's too many snakes. We have to take him by surprise," he said.

"We need a diversion. Kai, Cole. You guys take the left side. Jay, Nya. take the right." Lloyd gestured towards the sides. "Zane, you'll be the eyes from here. And I'm taking on Pythor." 

They all nodded their agreement and dispersed accordingly.

 

Lloyd let out a sigh, he looked towards the serpents. 'Why blue crystal?' He asked himself.

He was gonna jump down until a voice stopped him.

"-What about me?" Lloyd glanced beside him in surprise. 

Oh..

He forgot about him. 

His younger counterpart stared at him in puzzlement.

"Uhmm," Lloyd stalled, trying to think of a less dangerous place the kid could wait.

"Guard the entrance, we can't take chances. That's the only way out of here."

"What?! But you said to stay close" the kid argued.

"I-uh, I changed my mind" Lloyd replied quickly. It's best if the kid stays near the entrance, where it's less dangerous.

"wha- you can't do that!" the kid's face scrunches in indignation. 

"Yes I can." Lloyd replied, "-And I just did." He added smugly. 

"Now, stay there" He gestured to the entrance. 

Lloyd didn't wait for a response and  looked back down to see the Ninjas start their attack. 

The snakes start to scatter and attack the ninjas, leaving Pythor in the middle.

Pythor seemed too busy analyzing the crystal to notice the chaos. Lloyd took that opportunity and ran straight to him.

"GAH!" Pythor shouts as Lloyd kicks the crystal out of his claws. The crystal bounced and landed between them. 

"Ninja!" Pythor grasps the spear tightly in anger. 

Lloyd shifted into a stance, waiting for him to attack. 

With a shout Pythor struck his spear, only to be parried by Lloyd's sword. 

Parry. Block. Attack. Block. Attack.

Their skills seemed evenly matched.

Every attack was met with a block.

CLANG!

Then their weapons locked. 

"Why do you need the crystal!?" Lloyd shouted as he pushed his sword. 

"That would spoil the fun now, would it?" Pythor answers rhetorically. 

They jumped apart as their weapons unhinged free. 

They started to circle each other.

"What? Aren't you going to use your power?" Pythor teased.

Lloyd's face scrunched in annoyance and gave no answer.

"What a shame..." Pythor mocked. "I was hoping for more of that energy. "

Lloyd's eyes narrowed at this. But before he could react, Pythor suddenly jumped and snatched the Blue Crystal from the ground.

"Wait-" Lloyd's mind lagged at the sudden event. He didn't get to fight back as scaly claws grabbed him from behind.

Lloyd spun into spinjitzu in reflex, flinging off the snakes. He hears a shout and stops to see Kai and Cole fighting off the remaining snakes.

Lloyd quickly scanned the area for Pythor, but found nothing. His eyes caught Kai's, "He- he wants my power!" He yelled out.

Kai's eyes widened, " Lloyd " He said in alarm.

It took a second for Lloyd to realize Kai was referring to his younger counterpart.

"Pythor is escaping!" Zane shouted from above.

 

--

 

Kid Lloyd kicked the same shard for the tenth time, bored out of his mind. 

"It's unfair" He complained to no one in particular. "I'm supposed to be kicking serpentine tails, not standing out here."

After a few debates with his mind, he decided to take a peek on how the others were doing.

'It'll be quick' He told himself.

He jogged deeper into the cave and nearly slipped, forgetting the fact that the ground was made of ice.

Kid Lloyd ducked near the crystal where they took cover earlier. He glanced down and spotted his older counterpart dueling Pythor.

He stared at them in amazement, every move was precise.

Kid Lloyd still can't believe that he'll be like him. He's so different . 

He's so cool, 

powerful, 

confident.

And when you look at Kid Lloyd, well…

'I'm the brat,' He thought somberly.

Kid Lloyd turned back and leaned onto the crystal. He looked at his hands, ‘How am I supposed to defeat my father and be like him if I can’t even control my own element?’

His thoughts cut short as he heard someone shout.

"-Pythor is escaping!" 

Kid Lloyd perked up at Zane's voice.

 

Oh no..

 

The entrance!

 

As soon as he realized, kid Lloyd ran as fast as his tiny legs could take him. And soon enough, he spots a white scaled serpent.

Without even thinking, he jumped in front of Pythor. "You're not going anywhere!"

He tried copying his older counterpart's stance, albeit a little sloppy. 

Pythor chuckled darkly, "Your futile attempt won't stop me." 

"Hyah!" Kid Lloyd threw punches and kicks. His tiny little legs can only reach so far. 

"Hold on, we're coming!" He hears the Ninjas call out. 

Pythor easily dodged his assault. "Look at you, you're pathetic. You're not worthy enough. You can never defeat me." The serpent teased. 

Kid Lloyd furrowed his eyebrows and held his hands outwards.

"Yes… I… CAN! " He yelled out as he tried to use his element. Unstable green energy bursts out from him.

Pythor shields himself with his spear, the chronosteel protecting him from the blast. 

 

The whole cavern shook, 

 

Kid Lloyd looked up at the ceiling in worry, cracks suddenly revealed themselves. 

'Maybe that wasn't a good idea' He regretted.

The cavern shook again. 

The stalactites broke and fell, blocking the way into the cave. He hears the Ninja shouts in surprise.

Kid Lloyd glanced back at Pythor only to be pushed aside. 

"Aah!" He yelped as Pythor's tail slammed into him. 

"All you ever do is cause trouble ." Pythor said.

"And now you have doomed your friends." The snake grinned one last time before making his escape. 

Kid Lloyd's gaze focused back, only to see Pythor slithering away. 

"No no!" The kid watched as the anacondrai's scales turned invincible. 

"NO!" He shouts once more as Pythor's words registered in his mind. He whipped his head to the side and ran towards the fallen rubble and started digging through. 

Kid Lloyd tires and pauses, breathing heavily. 

A thousand thoughts ran through his mind, ' Come on! Stupid weak hands!" He admonishes himself. 

The rocks barely budged as he pulled. He puts his hand together, in an attempt to create a blast of energy. 

It flickered unstable.

 

"All you ever do is cause trouble."

 

He frowned, letting the energy die. He feared he might make things worse. 

'I can't do it'

He closed his eyes, ' maybe Pythor was right.'

Suddenly, a loud roar echoed through the lands. Kid Lloyd gazed up in surprise. 

"ULTRA!"

The dragon roared in acknowledgement. "The entrance, it's blocked!" Kid Lloyd shouted for help.

Ultra hovered near and roared towards him.

"Alright," Kid Lloyd replied. He didn't know how he understood the dragon, but he stood aside as Ultra blast opened the blocked entrance.

"Guys! Are you alright?" Kid Lloyd shouted as soon as the dust settled.

"LLOYD!" Kai came out of the cave, running towards kid Lloyd. "Thank FSM you're okay, they didn't take you." He surveyed him for injuries.

"Take me?!" Kid Lloyd exclaimed. 

"Did you get the crystal?" Kai asked and looked at him after ensuring the kid was free from injury.

"He… got away with it." Kid Lloyd replied embarrassedly.

The other ninjas started emerging from the cave.

"That's okay." Kai replied calmly, which surprised Kid Lloyd. 'Maybe he really thought Pythor was gonna kidnap me' He thought to himself. 

"Which way did he go?" Cole asked, standing beside him.

All of their eyes were suddenly on him. He shifted awkwardly, "I...don't know" He got preoccupied trying to unblock the entrance.

Kai shared a look with his older self. 

He knows that look. 

'It was a look of disappointment .' 

Kid Lloyd's heart sank at the thought. 

The ground shook again.

"Let's head back to the Bounty," Lloyd said quickly. "We don't want an avalanche falling down on us." Whether he said that sarcastically or not, kid Lloyd has no idea.

 

--

 

Back in the Bounty, the ninjas warms up inside the control room. Master Wu and Zane served hot chocolate for them. 

Kid Lloyd was wrapped in a blanket beside Kai. Jay, Nya, and Cole were at the table.

Lloyd paced across the room, his lips turned down. "I know why Pythor needs the blue crystal ." He started.

"But I don't understand why he wouldn't try to kidnap my younger self. If all he wanted was my power." Lloyd stared off to his younger counterpart, worried. The kid was shivering and lost in thought.

"Maybe it wasn't powerful enough?" Zane suggested.

"Maybe… "

"Whatever," Kai interjected. "I'm just glad he didn't" He pulled the kid closer to his side.

"Power?" Master Wu asked.

"Wait a minute," Jay suddenly spoke.

"Can someone please tell me what's so important with Blue Crystal ?" He waved his arms trying to emphasize his confusion.

" Blue Crystal can hold elemental power." Lloyd explained.

' I only encountered it on Chen's Island.' He recalled.

"Combined with chronosteel, it can hold almost any element, allowing the wielder to use it to its full potential." 

They all softly gasp in shock.

"But why would Pythor need a weapon so powerful?" Cole questioned, taking a sip of the hot choco.

Lloyd frowned at this. "I don't know," He answered disappointedly.

Lloyd wished he knew. Knowing that Pythor wants his power was unnerving. Of all the things in Ninjago, why do villains always want his power? 

It was getting tiring.

 

"srry… " a quiet voice spoke.

 

"hmm?" Lloyd hummed distractedly. 

"I'm sorry…" Kid Lloyd repeated clearly. 

Lloyd glanced at him. The kid was fidgeting with the blanket draped on his shoulders, looking despondent. Lloyd's face softened, "For what? " He asked gently. 

"If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have gotten away." The kid looked close to crying.

Lloyd felt a bit surprised. 

"It's okay, we don't blame you." He glanced around for some help.

"Yeah, kid, it's okay," Cole added. 

"It wasn't your fault." Kai supplied.

The kid only bowed his head in silence.

Lloyd silently sighed and turned to Zane. "We'll just have to track Pythor" He told him.

' Again…'

Zane passed him a cup of hot choco, "The energy reader is broken," he reminded.

Lloyd breathed in the cup, thankful for the heat. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was shivering earlier.

"OH right..." Lloyd replied as he remembered. “Then-” His words were cut as an alarm beeped from the control panel.

Beep Beep Beep! 

Lloyd whipped his head up to the side, nearly spilling his drink. "What's that?" 

Nya stood and looked over the panel, "There's an attack…" She started to say.

Lloyd walked closer and raised his cup to take a sip.

She pressed a few buttons and a report popped up on the screen.  

"It's Garmadon ," She announced.

Lloyd's heart jumped at the name of his father, making him lift his cup a little too high that it spilled on him.

“AH” He yelped as the hot liquid burned his tongue. The rest of them glanced up in surprise. 

“Here,” Zane acted quickly and handed him some tissues.

Lloyd mumbled a thanks and wiped the spilled liquid off of his mouth. Thanks to his reflex, the rest spilled on the floor, sparing his gi.

“Ehemm,” Lloyd coughed awkwardly. “...You were saying?”

Nya looked like she was holding back a smile and turned back to the screen, "He's attacking a research facility in Ninjago City." She read out.

"Set a course to Ninjago City." He says without thinking. 

He didn't foresee the possibility of encountering him.

Lloyd dreaded the idea of meeting Garmadon in this timeline, but he has to uphold his responsibility of protecting the city.

"What about Pythor?" Kid Lloyd questioned. 

Honestly, Lloyd would love to search for Pythor, but Ninjago needs them. 

"We'll have to deal with that later." Lloyd reasoned. 

 

--

 

Beneath the shadows of the trees, a pale scaled serpent schemed. 

His followers rage as doubt sinks in.

"Silence!" Pythor roared. "I will not ignore your insolence!"

"Ssssire," A constrictai came forward. "We left a bunch of oursss in the crysstal cavessss." He said in annoyance.

"Only the strongest will rule," Pythor answered shortly. 

The other snakes looked at each other in uncertainty.

"South of these mountains is our next destination." Pythor continued, not giving a chance for an argument.

 

"Now, where is my weapon?!"

"Here sssire" A hypnobrai offered Pythor his spear. It looked nearly identical to before with it's diamond shaped tip and handle that looked like a snake's tail wrapped around it.

But this time there was a crystal before the tip and the handle met. If it wasn't for the sharp tip, others would describe it as a staff.

"How do we know thisss plan of yoursss will work?" A fangpyre spoke up, challenging Pythor. "And it doesssn't end up like the Great Devourer?"

Pythor whipped his head to the side, "Must you question everything I do?!" He yelled exasperatedly.

"What makesss you better than Garmadon ?" Another hypnobrai asked.

Pythor hissed at this,"If you want to slither your way back to that four-armed Oni , then GO!"

"But I warn you," Pythor threatens. "I know his fate, and he will not succeed." Pythor glared at each one of them.

"This plan of mine will work . I've seen it work myself. All we need is a little energy "

"Where would we get that?" The constrictai asked. "Lassst we noticed, you got nothing from the ninjasss."

"Patience." Pythor said. "That was part of my plan."

The snakes soon descended into a plethora of whispers and complaints.

"They'll come to us!" Pythor roared, annoyed at their senseless mutiny. 

The snakes stopped in silence. 

 

Pythor hissed and grinned, "Besides,..." 

 

"...There's nothing more tender than a little boy's pride ."

 

–

.

..

...

 

I failed them . 

He was supposed to guard the only exit. Because of him, Pythor got away with the Blue Crystal. 

"Arghh" Kid Lloyd groaned as he turned to lay on his back. His bed has never felt so stiff. 

The minute they received the report, the Ninjas drove the Bounty straight to Ninjago City. They parked the flying ship a bit far from the location of the attack.

That was after Lloyd insisted they walk the whole way there. He said it was to draw less attention.

So that's what happened. 

The Ninjas left and walked to the research facility, being useful .

While Kid Lloyd was left in the Bounty, being...well…

He was sulking.

He glared up at the wooden ceiling, like it was going to solve his problem.

If only I wasn't so small,

If only I wasn't so slow. 

If only…

 

... there was something I could do to change it.  

 

He sits up as a thought formed in his mind. What if…

no no

He shakes his head to prevent himself from doing something he'll probably regret. 

Kid Lloyd looked around his room, 'I should probably get some air' He thought to himself. The walls of his room were starting to suffocate him.

Kid Lloyd tip-toed to the deck, not wanting to draw the attention of Uncle Wu. He got a handful of sermons from his uncle after realizing he ran off to the Ninjas. 

He peered over the edge, and saw the ground not farther than a few feet. They were parked above a lush garden. With a nice little pond on the side.

Kid Lloyd hesitated for a brief second before shrugging and hopping down. He strolled towards the pond, hoping for tranquility. But he stopped short as something pricked at the edges of his mind. Like he was being watched.

Kid Lloyd stared down at his pathetic reflection before hearing the rustle of leaves behind him.

He turned around, and a huge four-headed figure pounced at him.

"AH!" Kid Lloyd exclaimed in surprise. But his panic soon transformed to bewilderment as the four heads roared loudly.

"Ultra!" He shouted, scandalized.

They let out a sound that's suspiciously similar to a laugh. Then Ultra nudged Kid Lloyd again playfully, which made him lose his balance and landed on his bottom. 

Ultra was trying to cheer him up. Kid Lloyd realized. He must've been so caught up in his thoughts to not notice the dragon nearby.

"How do you know what I'm feeling?" He asked through his grin. 

Ultra roared loudly directly at him. 

"Okay okay.. " Kid Lloyd laughed, wincing a bit. He rubbed his ear, "I don't know how I understand you either."

Ultra circled around and laid down on the grass, curling around the kid. They lay there silently for a few moments.

It was still afternoon, and unlike earlier, the air was still. The sun's heat felt like it doubled. But it was bearable as long as you stayed beneath the shades of the trees.

Kid Lloyd leaned down on the shoulder of the dragon and looked up to entertain himself with clouds. 

One looked like a dragon soaring through the sky. 

 

Another looked like Kai's spiky hair. 

 

Another looked like a ship from Fritz Donnegan.

 

And one… 

 

Looked like Pythor

 

' You're not worthy enough' Pythor's voice resonated clearly in his mind. 

Kid Lloyd's brows furrowed at the thought.

He's been trying to control his impulse to find him. But now it feels as if he has to do this.

'I can't keep disappointing people'

"I'll prove him wrong" Kid Lloyd says suddenly. He can't contain himself any longer, he wants to do this. 

Ultra hummed questioningly at him. 

"I..I need your help Ultra" He told them.

Ultra opened their eyes to stare at him.

"We have to find Pythor," Kid Lloyd continued. "I have to get the Blue Crystal back."

Ultra raised their heads in alarm. If it wasn't so serious, Kid Lloyd would've laughed at how expressive the dragon's expressions were. They growled at him. Not in aggression, but in warning.

"I know it's dangerous-"

The dragon groaned as if saying, ' Yeah, no kidding.'

"-But please , you know his scent. We can find him." Kid Lloyd reasoned.

Ultra groaned again and stared intently at his eyes. 

After what felt like an eternity, the four heads huffed as if saying, 'Alright'

 

"I'll be careful, I promise"

 

Ultra stood up and stretched their wings, ready to take flight.

Kid Lloyd glanced at the Bounty, half-doubting his plan. 

 

'Uncle's gonna kill me .'

 

 

Notes:

The quote is from Hadestown Musical (Wait For Me Reprise)

Chapter 7: Doubt: Part 2

Summary:

Still in the past, Lloyd and the Ninjas head to Ninjago City to deal with one of Garmadon's attack.

While they're there, Kid Lloyd took off on his own mission.

Brave or foolish?

DOUBT: PART 2

---

The ninjas stood on top of a small building, having a clear view of the location. They were in a fairly spacious part of the city.

Below their small building, was the research facility.

"What kind of facility are we talking about?" Lloyd asked, trying to form a plan.

"It seems to be a research facility focused on studying ancient prehistoric life forms," Zane answered.

'I don't remember this happening' Lloyd thought as he surveyed the situation. 

A familiar-looking figure emerged from the facility.

"Why would Garmadon want to learn about dinosaurs?" Kai asked rhetorically.

The ninjas turned to Lloyd for answers. But he ignored them as he walk towards the edge of the building, 

'There he is'

He's seen that silhouette countless times, an image forever engraved in his mind. 

Red eyes

Four arms

A dark figure brandishing a golden weapon emerged.

'The mega weapon' his mind supplied. 

 

" Garmadon "

 

Lloyd's mind froze, and suddenly the whole weight of the situation came crashing down on him. He hasn't seen him in so long, not after the invasion of Oni. Seeing him now, with both Oni and Dragon sides, it's too much for him to take. 

'His eyes look so much more alive. '

 

"-Lloyd?"

 

"I… " Lloyd's voice hitched in his throat, his heart suddenly pounded at the thought of facing him. He slowly stepped backward, as if it would prevent the confrontation. 

"I can't face him." All his leading confidence suddenly disappeared. His hands instinctively clenched. He closed his eyes.

' ...I have no son… ' 

The voice of the resurrected Oni resonated in his mind. How can he ever look at him the same way he did when he was young, when all the man did was kill him.

'He tried to kill me, more times than I could count.'

"Sorry," Lloyd opened his eyes to see the concerned faces of his team. "I think you guys should handle this one." He told them. 

Kai stared at him in concern, "Lloyd-" 

"-No, he's right," Nya interjected. "Maybe it's best we prevent Garmadon from learning about this." She suggested.

"Okay," Cole decided. "We'll handle this."

"I'll stay here," Lloyd said. "If you need anything, I'll be listening." He taps his earpiece. Cole gave a short nod, "Let's move out" He gestured for the others to follow. Kai looked like he wanted to stay with Lloyd. But decided, "Okay" He agreed and followed suit.

They climbed down, leaving the blonde with his thoughts. His heart still hammered in his chest.

A part of Lloyd screams that he's being ridiculous. He can't just bail out because he's what?...

scared ?

Lloyd shook his head, trying to calm his thoughts. 'I'm the green ninja, I'm supposed to help'

 

--

 

Lloyd got so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't realize how much time had passed. 

He flinched when his earpiece came to life. He was sitting, his knees to his chest, and he's back to the facility. 

"Lloyd, come in." a voice from the earpiece said.

"I'm here," Lloyd replied.

"I know you don't want to go down here, but we need your help!" Cole yelled from the channel. "Garmadon's goons are causing a fire, we have to stop it, hurry!"

' I don't remember this happening. My presence must've changed the timeline'

He finally lifted his head and turned around to see smoke rising from the facility. Alarmed, his instincts kicked in and he sprinted towards the burning building.

A group of civilians ran out of the structure, coughing.

"Are you guys okay?" Lloyd asked as he approached them.

"A ninja," He hears someone say in awe.

"We're alright, thank you, young man," The person in front of him said.

"I didn't know there was a green ninja." A man with a fairly long mustache approached from the side. Lloyd turned to him, something about that man looked familiar. He decided not to comment on it and focused back on the situation.

'Stop the fire' He remembered Cole's words.

"Lloyd!" He looked up in surprise. The rest of the ninjas we're running towards him.

"Where is he?" Lloyd asked the moment they reached him.

"Garmadon? We lost sight of him." Kai announced.

The smell of smoke reached Lloyd's nose, reminding him of the situation. He gazed up at the building to see the flames starting to seep through the windows. "Water would be useful right about now," Lloyd said unconsciously. He wished Nya could lift and dump water to get this done.

"You can put out the fire using the emergency protocols." The man from earlier was suddenly beside him. Lloyd looked at him in mild surprise. He can't help but feel like he's missing out on something. The man's face is familiar, but he can't figure out why.

"The fire protocols malfunctioned when the snakes attacked, it can be activated from the main panel." He continued.

"Where is it?" Zane asked.

"Inside," the man said, pointing at the building. "The main hall leads directly to it."

You could see the smoke starting to float from the slits of the vents.

"But it's on fire!" Jay pointed out.

'Screw this'   Lloyd thought and ran towards the building.

"LLOYD!!" He hears Kai shouts as he enters the facility.

'Straight down the hallway, I got this'

The fire hadn't spread that much, so the hallways looked pretty clear to him.

 

Bang !

 

Lloyd paused briefly from the loud sound. That didn't sound good. He rounded another corner on the left and saw a door left ajar. 

That must be the main control. 

He barges right in, not expecting much aside from monitors and buttons.

That was proven wrong when suddenly he was greeted by an all too familiar shadow.

The dark frame stopped his clicking and turned around.

 

Red eyes meet green.

 

Lloyd froze at the contact, suddenly, it was Kryptarium Prison all over again. There was no recognition in his eyes, only confusion, and outrage. It's crazy how different he is, So much more alive.

"Stranger! I won't let you ruin my plans!" Garmadon growled as he stood menacingly before Lloyd. His voice lacked the roughness the revived dark lord once had. Which threw Lloyd's mind back to the present, or the past? 

Garmadon roared as he lifted the mega weapon to strike. Lloyd rolled out to the left in sheer instinct.

He doesn't want to use his powers. Top that with his green gi, and it would give out his identity. All he can do is put the fire out and somehow get out of here.

Lloyd spots the button labeled 'fire emergency' And leaped to press it.

Garmadon must've seen this, for he swung the mega weapon and hit Lloyd square in the chest.

Lloyd yelped, not expecting the hit. It felt twice as painful due to its golden nature.

His back hits the wall, breaking a couple of monitors. Green sparks danced across his chest.

Lloyd gasped and stood up lousy. He expected the dark lord to throw punches, but it never came.

"Who…" Lloyd looked up in surprise. Garmadon was staring at him with a mixed expression.

"..Who are you?" Garmadon asked.

Lloyd stared back, not really knowing what to say.

 

CRASH!

 

Lloyd's head snapped up at the sound.

The column beside Garmadon suddenly collapsed and fell on him. Lloyd had to restrain himself from shouting 'Dad!' at him.

It happened all too quickly.

The amount of smoke doubled, and Lloyd coughed, swinging his arm up and down to gain a little bit of visibility. He was surprised the monitors still work, it was the only light source left aside from the fire. The monitors flickered in and out, Lloyd caught sight of a couple of words from it.

"The Grundle Research Project?" He asked out loud.

'They're digging out fossils, bones… This must be what he did before the tea incident.' Garmadon was looking for information about the Grundle.

'It's happening, he's gonna try and bring the Grundle back .'

Lloyd shook his head and focused back. He approaches the table and taps the button labeled 'Fire emergency' . 

Nothing happened.

He pushed it a couple of times before it sizzled and sparked. 'I guess that's fried. I need to get out of here

Lloyd walked towards the hall, intending to leave before the fire consumed everything, but fell short. He turned around to look at the unconscious four-armed man on the ground.

'I can't leave him,'

Lloyd hesitated before finally walking back to the oni.

'I can't believe I have to save my own father'

He nudges the body with his foot, double-checking if he's unconscious. Once Lloyd's sure Garmadon wouldn't wake up, he grabbed two of his arms and dragged him towards the exit. 

He followed the main hall up to the back exit. Lloyd wouldn’t want to be seen helping him, he was supposed to be against the oni. But in the back of his mind, he knows this isn’t the version that tried to kill him. 

Lloyd grunts once more as he finally reaches the outside. He glanced down to see Garmadon unconscious. One of his arms still had a grip on the mega weapon.

“-Lloyd! Can you hear me!” Lloyd’s earpiece snaps to life.

“Are you okay? Have you triggered the sprinklers?”

Lloyd puts a hand on his ear to answer, “ I’m okay, I’m working on it.”

He can’t tell them the control was fried, he needs to find another way to stop the fire.

He glanced around for ideas, and something flashed at the corner of his eyes. 

The mega weapon!

He can use it to wish the fire away.

"Okay,,, Here goes nothing." Lloyd had no time to lose, and crouched down, and pried the weapon out of Garmadon’s hands.

"I wish…" Lloyd grunted as he felt the full power of the weapon, power ringed in his ears.

"I wish for this fire to stop!"

The mega weapon suddenly let out a blast of some kind. Then the fire vanished immediately. The air stilled, and the silence fell.

Lloyd drops the mega weapon as if he was burned. It clanged as it hit the ground.

It felt as if he was holding the forbidden scroll of spinjitzu. The amount of power was simply overwhelming. 

So much that it even …felt good . 

Lloyd shivered at the thought.

"Who…" Garmadon's voice pulled Lloyd out of his thoughts.

He was starting to gain consciousness, it was probably the best time for Lloyd to leave. He gave him one last look and turned to leave.

 

--

 

Lloyd walked back inside and emerged from the main entrance. 

"Lloyd!" The ninjas call out in relief. “You did it!” 

Technically, the fire protocols didn't work, he used the mega weapon instead. But they didn't need to know that.

"I'm here, I'm okay" He reassured them.

As soon as he reached them, Kai smacked his arm. "Ow!” Lloyd yelped out in surprise. “What was that for?" He asked, slightly irritated.

"Could you please, for once , stop throwing yourself into danger!?" Kai answered in annoyance.

Lloyd’s expression softened in understanding, "But you guys said to help?" He replied jokingly. Kai’s face deadpanned at this.

"Whatever.” Cole broke off. “We’re just glad you're not hurt, Greenie ."

Lloyd chuckled softly at the nickname. He long outgrew those nicknames. Hearing them again was nostalgic. 

"Did you see Garmadon?" Nya asked, coming from his right. Lloyd turned to her, "No…" He said slowly, doubting whether to tell them what really happened. "No, I didn't" He decided.

Nya narrowed her eyes a bit at him but, thankfully, didn’t push.

A few moments later, the police officials started arriving on the scene, which means they can all return to the Bounty and focus back on finding Pythor.

"That was a close one, wasn't it?" Jay shared as they watched the firemen deal with the half-burnt building.

Zane hummed in agreement, "I'm glad Dr. Sanders told us about the fire protocols." 

Lloyd sharply intake a breath, did he hear that correctly? He turned his head in alarm, "Doctor..- WHO?!?" His voice was full of disbelief.

"...Dr. Sanders Saunder, the man who helped us earlier" Zane continued a bit confused at his reaction.

'Krux !' Lloyd's mind screamed at him. Of course! How could he have missed it? That time-wielding elemental was working in the background, building the vermilion army!

“Where..” Lloyd looked frantically around. Who was he kidding, the civilians left the premises moments ago. Krux was long gone.

Cole and Zane share a look in confusion.

"uhmm, is something wrong Lloyd?" Zane furrowed his eyebrows and asked in concern.

"I- ye- wait..no- yeah no" Lloyd sputtered. His mind lagged behind at the discovery. He completely forgot about the time twin. Maybe he can sabotage the eggs while he's still here. But, then again, that might affect the timeline too much. Lloyd didn't know whether the things he does here affect his present.

"Are you sure? It looks like you've seen a ghost." Cole asked. Lloyd almost laughed at the irony, ‘You have no idea’, he wanted to say.

He gave a short nod instead.

"Lets- Let's just get back to the Bounty" He suggested.

 

--

 

 

Tall mountains loomed over the horizon.

Kid Lloyd gulped, maybe it wasn't a great idea. Ultra led him beyond the Wailing Alps, where the landforms started to get steeper. 

He didn't expect to get this far. 

Even if Uncle Wu noticed his disappearance and decided to chase him, the Bounty won't be fast enough to get to him. Ultra zipped through the blue sky.

You'll need to be as fast as a dragon.

 

 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Ultra dived down into an opening on the side of the mountain.

'Oh great, another cave system.' Kid Lloyd thought grimly. He ducked, pressing himself against the saddle, not wanting to get hit by the dripstones.

Ultra slowed down and settled on a rock platform leading up to the exit.

"It's here?"

The dragon hummed in agreement. Kid Lloyd then jumped down and walked in front of Ultra.

“Okay, I’ll sneak in, grab it, then get out of here.” He told more to himself than the dragon. He turned around to face the four heads, “Simple, right?”, he asked.

The dragon just stared blankly at him.

Kid Lloyd took a deep breath and turned back to the tunnel that leads below.

"Here goes nothing…" 

The tunnel led to a huge opening, a huge cave, enough to fit at least 3 Destiny's Bounty . That is if you disregard the overlapping stone walkways that arc from the sides to the middle. In the middle was a flat platform.

Kid Lloyd glanced down and realized the ground was 2 levels down. Looks like the only known exit is the one he came in, which was pretty high up.

'Ugh, why didn't I grab a cloak? My green gi is sticking out like a sore thumb.'

Kid Lloyd navigated through the rough walls of the cavern. Maybe if he stays near the protruding rocks, they won't see him. 

He jumps one level down and proceeds to crouch.

 

"-think of all the untouched vengestone below Shintaro right now..." Pythor's voice echoes from below. 

Kid Lloyd froze, afraid of getting caught. He glanced below his platform to see the serpent. ‘ What’s vengestone?’ His mind asked. He spots more snakes below him. Even more than he anticipated. Kid Lloyd gasps and fastens his pace to find the crystal.

“I don’t underssstand why thisss mineral iss ssoo important to you.” A fangpyre questioned.

Kid Lloyd ducks behind two stalagmites.

"Fool, there's more to vengestone than what meets the eye. Remember what I promise you. A world where we dominate!"

"All we need is this…" Kid Lloyd didn't bother listening, for at the corner of his eyes, he spotted something glimmering. 

It was the spear! It was laid down on a stone table like it was being worked on.

In excitement, Kid Lloyd carefully approached it, making sure no one was looking.

He grabbed the weapon and nearly dropped it.

It was heavy…heavier than expected.

He grasps it tightly and tries pulling the Blue Crystal out of it. It was stuck! Like welded into it.

Kid Lloyd groaned in impatience, 'Guess I'll have to bring the whole thing. ' He struggled a bit, but soon got the hang of the weight. He held it horizontally and made sure not to accidentally impale himself with the spear.

Kid Lloyd retraced his steps, which was twice as difficult with the weapon at hand. He continued with his path, wishing for himself to go faster to avoid getting caught.

He caught sight of the cave that led to the outside, 'I'm so close!' Kid Lloyd thought in excitement.

He hoisted himself up to another platform and sprinted towards the exit. 

Kid Lloyd can't believe he did it!

He-

"-Oof!" Something suddenly hit Kid Lloyd, flinging him backward. The heavy spear slipped out of his grip and slid across the floor. He landed on his back and glanced up in alarm.

Eyes materialize in front of him, "Going somewhere?" The scales shifted, revealing the anacondrai.

"Pythor!" Kid Lloyd said in fear.

"Do you really think I'd let you come here so easily?" Pythor grinned maliciously.

ROAR!

They all glanced up at the roar. A four-headed dragon bursts out of the tunnel.

"Take it down!" a snake shouted, aiming their crossbows. 

The dragon weaved and dodged in the air. Ultra was trying to save Kid Lloyd, but...

There were too many of them.

Everything was happening too quickly.

"NO!" Kid Lloyd yelled and tried to run. But the snakes gripped his arms tightly.

 "Ultra! Run!" He shouted.

Ultra whined, hesitant to leave. 

“GO!”

Pythor turned to look in the direction the kid was shouting. He smiled evilly at the sight of Ultra, but he didn’t do anything to capture the dragon.

Ultra roared and leaped to reach the exit tunnel, It flapped its wings and disappeared from view.

“Aren’t we ssupossed to ssstop it?” A hypnobrai beside Pythor asked.

“No no, it’s going exactly as I planned.” Pythor chuckled, then turned invincible.

Kid Lloyd breathed heavily, It was all his fault, this was a stupid plan!

"Silly child," Pythor rematerialized before him. 

 

"Haven't they taught you not to run off on your own?"

 

--

 

It was afternoon, and Lloyd half regretted his idea of walking back to the ship. They could've contacted Wu to pick them up. The after-effects of the adrenaline from the mission were starting to wear him out.

The walk was semi-quiet though. Jay mostly talked. Lloyd was too busy thinking about his encounter with Garmadon. Did he connect the dots? He wonders what he's doing right now.

It didn't take long for the team to reach the Bounty. It hovered over a small garden.

As they approach the ship, Kai side-glanced Lloyd for the third time before asking, "Lloyd, you okay?"

His voice led Lloyd out of his deep thoughts. 

"You've been awfully quiet." Kai continued.

Lloyd looked up to see Kai's worried gaze.

"Oh, yeah, I'll be okay," He answered nonchalantly.

Kai's lips twitched down slightly, "You wanna… talk about it?" He offered.

Lloyd grips the rope dangling from the Bounty. "Maybe not yet..." He gave it a couple of tugs and turned to look at Kai. "...But, thank you"

After that, they made their way onto the ship.

"How was the mission?" Wu asked as soon as they boarded the Bounty.

"It was...." Cole said, picking his words. "Eventful." He then told the story of how a simple Garmadon pursuit ended up in a fire.

 

"Where's Lloyd ?" Kai suddenly spoke. Lloyd raised his brow in return. "-I mean, Kid Lloyd"

Lloyd looked around, 'Well, it is too quiet' He agreed in his thoughts.

"He's been feeling down since the morning," Wu replied. "In his room, perhaps."

"It's because of that encounter with Pythor," Kai said grimly.

"I'll go talk to him." Lloyd volunteered. If anyone knows how to deal with the kid's mood, it was himself.

 

--

 

Lloyd strolled down the hallway below the Bounty. It's surprisingly quiet. He expected to hear at least a few outraged shouts or video game sounds. You know, to let off some steam.

Lloyd reached the end of the hall and Kid Lloyd's door. He pushed the door open, hoping to talk to the kid. He recalled the kid was feeling incredibly guilty for letting Pythor escape. It wasn't entirely his fault. Pythor was naturally slippery. 

Lloyd frowned as he was greeted by an empty room. The kid was nowhere to be seen. It was starting to worry Lloyd.

'Where would he be? '

He started to march back to the deck until a glimmer of metal caught his attention. It was a dagger stuck on the table. And a note was held below it. 

Lloyd snatched it in alarm, his actions somehow familiar. 

 

 

 

" I'll make things right. I'll come back with the Blue Crystal. I have Ultra with me, so don't worry. -- Lloyd"

 

Anger started to build up in Lloyd, 'What was he thinking?!'

He can't just go and face off Pythor! 

This version of Pythor is ruthless, dangerous!

Lloyd ran to the deck so fast, he almost tripped. "Guys!" He yelled out.

Stomps of footsteps against the wooden boards can be heard as they perk up in alarm.

"Prime the engines! He's gone!"

"WHAT?! What do you mean?" Kai marched down the stairs from the control room and reached Lloyd.

Lloyd handed the note to him, "He went after Pythor."

"No.." Kai muttered in horror as he read it.

Cole and Zane peeked behind Kai to see the note.

Lloyd looked up at the balcony to see Nya, Jay, and Wu.

"What are you all standing for? Move the Bounty!" He says in slight irritation.

Nya snapped back to the present and ran inside the control room.

"But we don't know where to go!" Jay pointed out.

 

Lloyd paused, took a deep breath, and focused. Something was poking on the edges of his mind. He turned abruptly to look at the horizon, his guts telling him something.

"I know where he is," Lloyd realized.

He stared at his hands and ignited them with green energy. It was an indescribable feeling like he just knew.

"Our powers are connected," He said in revelation. "I can feel him." Is this what Garmadon felt when he was looking for Wu?

 

"There!" Lloyd stretched his arm towards the direction. "Towards East. Beyond the mountains." 

Jay nodded and went with Nya inside the control room.

The Bounty jerked forward as the engines burst alive.

Lloyd grabbed the railings to steady himself, 'I don't think this Bounty is fast enough.' He thought to himself.

Suddenly, Wu was beside him, he looked like he was supposed to say something until he looked up. "Look," Wu says instead, pointing upwards.

Lloyd glanced in the direction he was pointing.

A dark spot in the sky started to get bigger. Lloyd squinted at it, it looked like a...

"Ultra!" Lloyd yelled out.

Ultra flew down onto the deck and roared frantically like a horse out of line. Lloyd reached out, trying to calm them.

"I know,, I know, he's in trouble" Lloyd reached out trying to settle all four heads with two of his hands. Ultra whined in confirmation. "That's it, calm down." Lloyd encouraged.

Wu approached him again. Lloyd could tell he was extremely worried for the kid.

"Go nephew," He said.

"Master?" Lloyd replied in confusion.

Master Wu reached out and pet one of the heads, "Ultra will lead us to him." He started.

"You can fly ahead, and use your elemental dragon," Wu explained carefully. 

Lloyd stared at Wu, Now's not the time to be afraid. He looked down at his hands and up to the sky. He turned back to look at Wu and nodded in determination.

"You heard that Ultra?" Lloyd asked the dragon. Ultra hummed a response of agreement.

"Be careful Lloyd," Wu says one last time.

"I will,'' Lloyd answers immediately. He stood straight and headed near the edge of the Bounty.

"Wait, Where are you going?" Kai asked, noticing him.

Lloyd glanced back at them briefly, "Getting a headstart." he answered.

 

Lloyd sprinted and leaped off the Bounty. His elemental dragon materialized under him. And he zoomed through the skies.

 

--

 

The wind whistled by, the dragon's speed doubled with Lloyd's determination. He passed a large mountain, his powers shifted and pulled him in that direction.

Lloyd steered his dragon to a turn and surveyed the mountain. There! There's an opening, the cave's mouth lay ominously open, and the sunset paints it red.

Lloyd spared no time to spend and dived down into the cave.

He reached a safe point in the cave and the elemental dragon disappeared from under him. Lloyd stumbled, feeling a bit drained from the flight. 

There was only one tunnel on the right. And it leads deeper into the mountain.

Lloyd gulps down his fear and runs inside.

The tunnel opens up to a huge cave, he had to suppress himself from gaping. It looked exactly like the ones from Shintaro. Only the middle wasn't as spacious. There were a couple of rock pillars serving as a platform. And stone walkways connected all of them.

Lloyd glanced down and realized the ground was two levels down. He runs on the side, looking for the kid.

Then an arrow wheezed past him. Lloyd turned his head in the direction it came from, snakes were loading their bows. Looks like they were expecting him. 

 

Lloyd unsheathes his sword from behind and starts deflecting them. He sprints further and slides one level down. He clenched his fists, charging up energy, and threw it at the rocks above the snakes. The debris fell, blocking them from him. 'That should stop the arrows for now. ' He thought to himself.

"HELP!" a young voice called out. 

Lloyd whipped his head up in alarm. He recognized it and ran as fast as he could towards the voice. He spots the kid chained up on a platform, a few snakes guarding him. 

"Ninja-Go!" Lloyd jumped down, spinning into a spinjitzu, and cleared up the perimeter. The snakes were caught off guard and were easily flung away.

"Lloyd!" His younger counterpart exclaims in relief.

"Don't worry, I got you" Lloyd focused a blast towards the cuffs to free him.

"How do you know where to find me?" Kid Lloyd asks, rubbing his wrists.

"Our powers, they're connected," Lloyd replied distractedly, already forming a plan to get out of here. The kid suddenly looked despondent, he must've misinterpreted his tone for anger.

"I'm sorry-" He started.

"-Later," Lloyd interrupted and softened his tone at the sight of the frowning face. "Let's just get out of here first." The kid nodded in response.

Lloyd looked up towards the way he came in. "There," He pointed. "That tunnel leads outside. It'll take a bit of climbing."

"Ninja!!" A snake yelled.

"Oh right, the snakes," Lloyd remembered.

They were all slithering and running towards them with sharp spears and swords.

Lloyd glanced around, hoping for a getaway. He notices a formation on their right that nearly resembles a ramp. And an idea formed in his mind.

If he uses spinjitzu with the right momentum, he can throw himself high up to reach another platform near the exit tunnel. 

"Grab hold." He held out his hand and instructed the kid. "Wha-" The kid started but was cut off as Lloyd gripped his arm.

Lloyd held the kid close and jumped, spinning into spinjitzu.

The spinjitzu zoomed through the ramp and lifted up. Lloyd lost focus halfway through and the spinjitzu broke up. Luckily, they were high enough to reach the platform. They crashed and rolled on the platform, hitting it with too much force. Lloyd lands a little too close on the edge while the kid lands a few feet away from him.

Lloyd stands up, dusting his gi. "Are you okay?" He asked the kid. 

"M'kay" The kid mumbled. 

Lloyd took one step and the rocks beneath him crumbled. He yelped as he fell down a few feet.

"Lloyd!" the kid's eyes widened in alarm. 

Lloyd coughed a few times, he squinted as the dust settled. 'We have to get out of here quickly!' His mind demanded.

He looked up to see his younger self peering down on him. "Go around," Lloyd gestured for him to go. "I'll meet you there!" He ordered. Kid Lloyd's fearful face turned serious, he nodded then ran off. 

Hiss

Lloyd shifts into his stance at the sound of the snake. He unsheathed his sword as they attacked.

Block.

Block. Parry. Thrust. Parry.

He sees an opening and kicks aside the serpent. He sprints immediately, looking around for a way to get up.

Lloyd can spot the platform that leads outside. And there he is, his counterpart.

Lloyd charges up his hands with energy and directed at the snakes trying to chase the kid.

It's weird how all he was fighting were the regular snakes. Where could Pythor be?

"Over here!" Kid Lloyd called out, pointing to a spot that Lloyd could climb up to reach him. 

Lloyd sprinted towards it.

 

Everything was going well…

 

 

...until...

 

 

"NO!" A young voice shouted, the voice full of distress.

 

Lloyd turned to look in the direction of the voice, alarmed at the desperation in the kid's voice. But his action quickly halted as something ran through him. 

He gasps as pain engulfed his body, doubling every second. 

Lloyd looked down only to see a sharp tip of a spear protruding from his body. 

The sight shook him to his core. He's had close calls before, but never like this.

He feels the moment his body starts to shake. Time slowed down as Lloyd's legs buckled. He can barely hear his enemy hiss from behind.  

He gasps once more, trying to take deep breaths. 

The spear was stealing his elemental powers. Green particles floated and flickered all around him. 

Lloyd was struck with a horrifying feeling, 'Not again… ' He thought desperately.

Darkness soon tries to claim him as his head becomes lighter. 

 

"Long live…"

 

Lloyd's eyes widened at Pythor's sudden voice. Pythor was right behind him, whispering to his ears. 

 

"...the Green Ninja " 

 

All of a sudden, the spear was yanked back, taking all of his strength with it. 

Pythor laughed maniacally as the spear glowed bright green. 

Lloyd collapsed then caught himself before his face hit the ground. One hand clutching his wound, and one hand on the ground. 

He coughed up a bit, barely noticing the dark substance on his lips. 

Lloyd looked up through his squinted eyes, everything was blurry. All he saw was the silhouette of his enemy and the ominous green glow of the spear. 

"I'm sorry it has to end this way." Pythor mocked. 

That was the last thing he heard as he succumbed to the darkness and fell unconscious.

 

--

 

 

"NO!!! " Kid Lloyd screamed. 

 

' My fault. My fault. My fault. My fault' His thoughts launched into a mantra.

His knees gave out, hitting the stone-cold surface.

' MY FAULT. MY FAULT-'

His breathing quickened. He watched as his older counterpart collapsed.

 

"Now, this is why I'm better than that old fool Garmadon!" Pythor boasted, turning around to look at his followers. "I could do what he could not!"

 

'He wasn't moving. HE WASN'T MOVING!'

Kid Lloyd jumped into action and slid down the rocky surface to reach him.

 

Pythor's weapon glowed sickly green, illuminating the surroundings ominously.

Pythor laughed evilly. "C'mon boys, we got what we came for. DESTROY THE CAVE!!!" He announced, already making an exit.

"What about the kid?" A venomari questioned.

"LEAVE HIM! They will FALL along with the cave."

 

Everything blurred in the background, Kid Lloyd couldn't care less of what Pythor was doing. His mind focused on the limp body of his older self.

"No no..., wake up!" Kid Lloyd shook his older counterpart's arm, " Please wake up!" 

His eyes were closed, his skin was pale. 

Kid Lloyd's heart quickened its pace. He glanced down realizing what the sticky substance was. 

' Blood'  

He chokes down a sob and applies pressure to the wound.

 

' This is my fault. Pythor was right'

 

Kid Lloyd's thoughts cut off as his older self suddenly coughs. 

"Kid... " He barely recognized his voice, for it was too raspy. Lloyd opened his eyes and looked directly at him. 

Kid Lloyd could barely contain his shock as he was greeted by bright crimson eyes. 

"...run"

His face turns to horror at his words. Then he felt anger build inside him. "I'm not leaving you!"

"We don't... have a choice." He said through painful gasps. 

"You always say that!" Kid Lloyd yelled at him in frustration. "There's always a choice!" His voice bordered between anger and sadness.

Lloyd stared at him for a while, then chuckled. "...I always was stubborn-" whatever he was going to say was cut off by his awful-sounding coughs. 

Kid Lloyd can't believe he could still laugh at a time like this. 

His older self lifts his head revealing blood dripping at the corner of his mouth. 

"Don't talk, save your strength." Kid Lloyd blurted out in fear. 

He ripped a loose part from his gi and tried to wrap the wound. He wrapped the cloth tightly, hoping it would give him more time before Lloyd bleeds out and… 

nope

not gonna think about that.

 

CRASH! 

 

Kid Lloyd flinched as the loud sound bounced throughout the cave. This was followed by sounds of multiple rocks hitting the ground. 

He took a look around, "The whole cavern is collapsing." he realized.

He turned his head back to his counterpart in worry. Only to discover he wasn't responding. 

Kid Lloyd instantly grabbed Lloyd's arm and fumbled for a pulse. 

He held his breath as his shaking hands tried to feel it. 

.

.

.

 

It was there but really weak.

 

Kid Lloyd racked his brain for a plan. The whole place is crumbling, and his older self is injured.

He was on the brink of crying. It was getting harder to breathe as panic and fear tried to take over. 

'The other ninja!' Kid Lloyd thought to himself. 'I need to contact them'

He grabbed the mask from his older counterpart and fumbled with the earpiece. 

The communicator beeped as Kid Lloyd pressed its button. 

He yelped again as the ground shook, tiny particles of stone falling on his head. 

The earpiece beeps again to life. But it was nothing but static. 

"Jay!? Nya?!" Kid Lloyd called out. "Lloyd's down, I repeat, Lloyd's down!"

" pzzt… .." 

Dread filled his heart as the silence greets him. 

"HELP! SOMEONE! PLEASE! " 

 

"......"

 

"KAI! ZANE! COLE! ANYONE??" He was sobbing at this point, he didn't know what to do. All of this was his fault

 

"............"

"......."

"..."

CRACK ! 

 

Kid Lloyd whips his head up at the sound. Cracks spread along the walls up to the ceiling. 

 

CRACK! 

 

It was spreading rapidly, his time was up. 

 

"LLO-" CRACK! 

 

Kid Lloyd's head snapped up, he thought he might've heard someone yelling his name. 

It sounded like Kai. 

 

But he had no time to think about it as the rocks fell,… 

CRACK!  

...the whole cavern caved in…

...and the darkness claimed them.

 

 

 

Chapter 8: Through the Boiling Sea

Summary:

Back in the present timeline, the Ninjas went on to retrieve the last existing time blade...

...to hopefully get their leader back.

Through The Boiling Sea

---

" Boiling Sea, here we come," He says with less enthusiasm .

 

--

 

The Boiling Sea was still as hectic as Kai remembered. It's been nearly three or four days since Lloyd went missing. And Kai's anxiety doubles every passing minute.

They had to retrieve the Dragon Blade and it took two days to find it. They needed this because only the fusion dragon can get them inside the old city that lay under the water.

Technically, Hono Mizu’s library got destroyed when Kai and Nya first retrieved the time blade under the hostage of the time twins. So when Lloyd told them to return it, they had to create another vault inside. One that can only be unlocked using the Dragon Blade with the elements of Fire and Water.

Kai's face tensed as the sounds of the Endless Sea waves crashed below. 

"We're approaching the Boiling Sea," Zane announced over the mic.

And they're finally here, ready to retrieve the time blade. 'Let's hope our plan works out in the end.' They all couldn't sleep properly, not with their leader missing in action. 

Steam from the water made it foggy onboard. Kai waved his arms in front of him, hoping to dispel the smoky atmosphere. But it served no use. 

Kai sighed, 'For Lloyd, ' He thinks to himself.

"Kai?" Nya called out, holding the dragon blade. "Ready?" Behind her, the rest of the team stood.

"Yeah," Kai answered. 

Nya winds back and throws the blade high up in the air. Kai ignited his fists with flames. The fiery wisps of the flame warm his hands. He glanced up and threw the fire with a grunt. 

Nya did the same and directed water towards it.

The dragon blade glowed, absorbing both elements. The bright light dissipated, replaced with a two-headed dragon. It roared as it was summoned.

"Let's go," Kai said as he jumped to land on the dragon's saddle. Nya did the same and they were off.

"Stay safe!" Jay and the others bid goodbye. 

"We'll be back before you know it." Nya ensured.

 

--

 

Just like before, the fusion dragon plunges towards the bubbling water of the sea. The dragon creates a bubble that protects Nya and Kai from getting singe from the scorching liquid.

They submerged deeper beneath the waves. The dragon dodges left and right through the jagged spikes from the ground. And they stopped near a crevice, where they'd have to swim onwards.

They dismissed the fusion dragon and swam all the way to the entrance.

It was quiet.

Kai and Nya break the still water and surfaces, entering the cavern that leads to the vault.

Neither of them spoke. Both were distracted by their worries.

Kai ignited his hand with fire, illuminating his surroundings. Unlike before, there aren't any rock monsters to stop and burn them to death. The only difficulty was getting through the boiling waters and navigating the dark passageways. But even that wasn't much of a challenge to the elemental masters of Fire and Water.

"Remember the way?" Kai asked his sister as she bends the water out of their clothes. She nodded her reply and gestured to follow.

They slid down smoothly on a slide to their left with the help of water. And landed on a flat surface.

The sounds of bubbling magma and steam filled the silence.

"It's here," Nya called out. 

Kai turned in the direction to see a door with a slot in the middle. In which the dragon blade fits perfectly in it. He wasted no time and slid the blade on the slot. Kai and Nya share a look and together, they twist the blade to unlock the door.

The huge doors slid open, grinding against the stone floor. And there in the middle of the room was the reversal time blade. Its yellow color illuminated the room.

Its power sizzled as Kai approached it.

The reversal blade.

It's been 2 years since they last saw it. It was the same one that Master Wu gave him when they were in the time vortex. 

Kai grasped it and lifted it. The time blade popped off the pedestal with a click. Under his touch, Kai could feel all the unused elemental power trying to escape the blade's steel.

"Got it," Kai said.

"Alright, let's head back," Nya replied.

Kai was glad they didn't rig the vault to self-destruct or else they'd be having a far less pleasant experience retrieving the time blade.

 

--

 

They mostly walked in comfortable silence. Kai was deep in thought while Nya walked beside him.

"Wanna share what's bothering you?" Nya finally spoke. "Aside from Lloyd…" she added softly.

"Sigh, I was just thinking, you know…" Kai started, trying to form his thoughts into words. "Have you ever missed, like before, when everything was simple? Back when it was just us and the ninjas fighting against the snakes," He looked down at the blade in his hands in thought. 

"And the brat," Kai added jokingly.

"Yeah," Nya said heavily. "Back when it was simple, you guys got captured by the serpentine and I'd have to use my Samurai X mech to save you all." She shared, chuckling. Kai smirked at the memory.

He looked down once again at the time blade. It hummed under his touch. Kai's lips form a line, "Have you ever worried, what if one day, we aren't going to be as lucky?" He shared.

Nya stares back at Kai in thought, "What do you mean?"

Kai brings his head back up to look back at her. "You know our jobs Nya," He replied, "As ninjas, it's dangerous. And we've had a lot of close calls." He bows his head to look back at the glowing yellow-colored weapon in his hands. 

"And for every villain we've faced, they get stronger." He stared long and hard at the time blade in his hands, like it was going to give him any comfort.

" Sigh , I don't know.." Kai rambled off, getting frustrated at himself. "I just- I can't bear the thought of losing anyone..."

"-Hey," Nya interrupted before Kai's anxiety spiraled. "..I get it. A lot of things have happened lately. But we'll look out for each other." She places her hand on his shoulder. "We're not going to lose anyone, we'll make sure of it."

Kai smiled slightly at her, "You're right, sis" He said fondly.

Nya nudges Kai's shoulder, "Sometimes I wonder what you'll do without me." She commented smugly.

"Probably not good," Kai replied jokingly.

"Now let's get back," Nya said. "and bring our little brother back home."

Kai smiled, nodded and off they went.

 

--

 

The fusion dragon pierces the waves as it ascends the water's depth. The ninjas looked up from the deck of their hovering ship which was hovering over scorching waters of the Boiling Seas. 

Nya and Kai drop on the wooden boards near the edge, “That was quick!” Jay greeted them on the deck. 

“We made sure it was accessible for emergencies,” Nya replied.

Kai held up the time blade on his hand, “Here it is,” He showed them. “Woah,” They gaped at the yellow glow of the blade. They’d never thought they would see the time blade again.

“On to the Time Temple now, I presume?” Zane asked after they observed the blade.

“Yea- AH!” Kai nearly dropped the blade as high-pitched sounds erupted from his earpiece. 

" pzzt… .." 

Kai ducks and clutches his head with one hand.

"-SOME-BZZTPHSSZZ"

"LLOYD?" Kai answered instinctively.

Maybe his worries are starting to make him hallucinate, for he thought he heard someone scream.

Then when he thought it was done, even louder and higher-pitched sounds erupted from the channel. 

"I think I damaged my earpiece." Kai winced. It sounded like someone grabbed the earpiece and threw it off a cliff.

Incomprehensible audio continued to echo through it. Kai taps it a few times and it turns silent. 

"That was weird," Jay said

Kai looked towards the others, "You guys heard that too?" He asked, surprised. Maybe he wasn't hallucinating.

"Where did that come from?" Cole asked, confirming Kai's question.

"It all sounded gibberish." Nya frowned in confusion.

They all turned to Zane in question. "It must be random chatter that has intercepted our frequency," Zane suggested. "...Or it could be the volcanic activity messing with our signal." He scratches his head in thought. "Either way, I can't trace the source." He shrugs in the end.

The time blade hummed on Kai's hands. Kai looked down at it. "I thought… I thought I heard Lloyd… " He said softly.

The others shared a look of concern.

"We all miss him," Cole said sadly. Then shifts his expression to determination. "But now that we have the time blade, we can get him back." He continued, trying to lift their spirits.

"We've got no time to lose." Nya agreed. Kai nodded and looked back down at the glowing time blade.

 

'I hope this works.'

 

--

 

24 hours later, the horizon of overgrown foliage and trees grew closer as the Bounty sped across the sky. And yes, it took them a day to get from south of Ninjago, where the boiling isles were located, to the northern part of the continent. The ship could only go so fast.

When they got there, the Temple's gates were slightly open, just as they left it. They were afraid if they closed it, they wouldn't be able to open it again. It was probably just their worries, but even Kai didn't want to take any risks.

The ninjas walked into the temple and headed straight to the portal room. The illustrations on the walls and ceilings still held their glow.

"Okay...here we are," Kai said, trying to hide his nervousness. The cold frame of the portal sat in the middle of four pillars. Kai stared at it, imagining Lloyd emerging from it unharmed. He only wished he was okay.

"Moment of truth?" Cole said, interrupting Kai's thoughts. Kai nodded and handed the time blade to Nya. Since the four pillars correspond to the four elements of creation, Nya gets to use the time blade.

"Here goes...everything." Kai ignited his hands with fire. 

Jay puts his hands apart, creating electric sparks. 

Cole puts his fists together, activating his element. 

And Zane shifts to a stance.

"On three," Cole said.

"One,

Two,

Three!"

All four Ninjas blasted their elements on each pillar. The stone structure glowed as it absorbed the power.

"Now, Nya!"

Nya reels back and strikes the portal frame using the time blade.

The whole place shook and gave out a high-pitched ring.

"Aa!" Nya shouts in surprise as the time blade shakes.

"Hold it still, Nya!" Cole yelled

"I'm trying!"

"Guys, keep firing," Cole says as he notices the dimming glow of the pillars.

The four ninjas charged up their elements and continued to throw them at the pillars.

The pillars glowed brighter,

THRUMMM!

Waves of energy burst through them, Kai had to shield his eyes from the bright lights.

Then something formed inside the frame of the portal.

'It's open!' Kai realizes with a start.

However, there was also something. Kai jogged near the open portal and squinted his eyes at the weird shape seemingly inside it, 

Wait a minute, it almost looked like...

But he didn't have time to comment as something suddenly barrels through him.

 

 

Chapter 9: Endurance

Summary:

The aftermath

ENDURANCE

---

It wasn't a good day in Ninjago.

But even with that, Lloyd kept fighting. Garmadon might have scattered their team, but he'll keep enduring. No matter how long it takes.

Lloyd gazes at the smoggy view of Ninjago City. It's crazy how last week the city was full of life: Functioning skyways, bright LED billboards, and music and sounds filled every nook and cranny of the city. Now, only the blasting ominous siren of chaos can be heard from every corner of the street. Reminding Lloyd of his failure to protect the city.

Lloyd's mind returned to the present as footsteps echoed behind him. He didn't turn nor spared a glance. He already knew who she was. She was the Oni that saved him.

She was holding up two cups of her famous tea. 

"Drink," Mystake said, passing the cup of tea.

Lloyd accepted it with no hesitation and allowed himself to enjoy the soothing aroma. He finally lifts his head to glance at Mystake. "I never got the chance to thank you, Mystake." He said in thought.

"Thank me once all of this is over." She replied, staring at the broken horizon. "You're lucky your friends brought you to me. A little late and..."

"...I could've been a goner." Lloyd finished. So far, this was his closest experience to death, aside from the whole disaster of the overlord.

Mystake glanced at Lloyd in pity. "How do you feel, young Garmadon?" She asked.

Lloyd lowered the cup from his face, "I don't- … I don't know." He replied. "It's still crazy, I don't know how you did it. But I owe you my life."

Mystake hummed at his words, "It was Oni tea." She said after some consideration.

"Oni tea?" Lloyd echoed. At first, he was told that Oni are creatures of darkness, creatures of destruction. But now Lloyd's doubting if there was more to Oni than he's been told. Mystake was evidence that even Oni can change.

"The tea, as black as night. It heals those with Oni blood." She explained. "Only an Oni knows how to make it. It has helped me recover my strength in certain situations." She lowered her head and took a sip of her tea.

"Oni tea…" Lloyd said again, but with understanding.

"But only use it in dire situations, young Garmadon." The disguised Oni said in warning.

Lloyd looked at her quizzically, "What's the catch?"

"The oni tea not only heals those of related blood but also strengthens your Oni side."

"As for you, you are part Oni. And more human. It will clash with your Dragon side."

"If you ever find the need, take it with caution, its effects may be unpredictable. I am pure Oni, it does not affect me. As for you…" Her voice trailed off.

"Effects?" Lloyd echoed once more, feeling like a broken record.

"Mmm hallucinations, mood swings,..." Mystake mumbled distractedly as she took a long sip of her tea.

Lloyd stood there waiting for her to finish.

Mystake lifts her head again and continued, "-But with the help of your friends' elemental powers, you've avoided it." She concluded.

Lloyd took a moment to absorb the information. He didn't know why she was telling him this, but he's grateful nonetheless.

"Thank you...for telling me this."

"It's best for you to know. It might come in handy." She mumbled.

Lloyd would rather not find a need to use it again. One near-death experience is enough in a lifetime.

Lloyd raised one of his brows at Mystake, a bit confused with her implications. But Mystake only hummed and continued talking, "Now about the plan with Skylor…"

…

..

.

 

Mystake…

Why did he remember that?

What happened?

 

Where am I??

 

Blurry…

"He's-"

"How?!-"

Crash!

Loud…

Everything was loud and blurry.

And someone was shouting.

"Get him to-"

Someone was holding him. He felt his body jerk up and down as if they were running.

Pain…

Then everything started to burn. As if his life wasn't bad enough.

"...make it stop." Lloyd's mind begged.

"He's- he's waking up!"

Kai...

Was that Kai? Did he say that out loud?

If it was Kai then why does he feel so cold?

"Did Ashpeera take it again?" Lloyd asked, delirious. "You're cold." He continued, trying to open his eyes.

"He's heating up," Kai said frantically. "Where's Master Wu?? Someone call Sensei!!" He heard him shout.

What happened?

Lloyd jogged his memories for answers.

He remembered he was running. He was trying to save someone. Rocks and debris had surrounded them, were they in Shintaro?

No, no...they defeated the Skull Sorcerer, he wasn't there anymore.

'Wait...the time temple,' Lloyd's mind supplied . 

I'm in the past.

He was trying to save his younger self...from Pythor.

Then…

...then what?

Why can't he feel the hum of energy in his veins or the sparks that danced on his body? The power that protected him at his lowest, where was it?

It took Lloyd a moment to notice he was laying down on something. His body jerked and the sounds of thrusters filled his hearing. He tried opening his eyes again. But doing that took more effort than it normally would.

'Oh, I remember now.'

They were trying to escape and he didn't see the malicious snake behind him. 'Aaand I got stabbed,' Lloyd thought bitterly.

"K- Kai?" Lloyd choked out, finally seeing something through his squinted eyes.

"Lloyd," Kai gasped, eyes widening. "..your eyes." 

Lloyd stared back at Kai in confusion, 'What do you mean?' He wanted to ask.

At that moment, Master Wu enters the room. Nya turned to Wu, "We've stopped the bleeding but...he's not looking good." She informed him.

Lloyd squints down at his lower body to see white cloth wrapped around the wound. He shifts a bit to sit up and immediately regrets it as pain crawled its way up to his body. All of them turned to Lloyd as he winced.

"-You have to lay down, Lloyd." Zane appeared out of nowhere and examined Lloyd's condition.

"Where should we take him??" He hears Jay ask in panic.

"He's bleeding through the cloth," Zane addressed. "I will need to apply more pressure."

"Careful," Kai said, worried.

"I can take it," Lloyd said through the pain. "I've… felt… worse," He wheezed out. 

"That doesn't make it any better!!" Kai yelled in alarm. 

Master Wu went beside Lloyd but said nothing. Even with his blurry vision, he could tell Wu was nearly panicking.

"We have to get him to a hospital!" Cole said frantically.

'No' Lloyd's mind supplied. 

"Myst… ake" He tried to tell them. But their voices overlapped with his. 

Lloyd reached out and pulled on Wu's sleeve. 

Wu immediately looked at Lloyd in alarm and concern. 

"Mystake," Lloyd whispered out. 

"...Tea… Oni… Heal" 

Every breath he took became heavy. 

Wu's eyes widen at the implications of his words. "You know…" He muttered under his breath.

"Why the heck is he asking for tea ??" Jay freaked out, seemingly listening to their conversation.

Wu whipped his head up and shouted, "Nya, set a course to Mystake's Tea shop!"

"What! Lloyd needs a hospital, not tea!!" Kai exclaimed in annoyance. 

"Now Nya!-"

Lloyd couldn't follow their voices anymore, his eyelids grew heavier and his mind blacked out.

 

--

 

"Now Nya!" Wu exclaimed, silencing their objections.

"Setting a course to Mystake's Tea shop," Nya said while programming the ship's navigation.

"He's lost consciousness," Zane announced. Kai looked back at the table of the control room to see Lloyd motionless. 

"How long will this take?" Kai asked through his frustration. It took most of his efforts to not panic at the pale face of his little brother.

"Too long," Nya says in despondent.

Kai glanced down at Lloyd and held the younger boy's arm. 'He's getting weaker,'

"Then we'll have to take Ultra." Master Wu said suddenly from the side. "The dragon is faster. Kai, Zane, and I will bring Lloyd to Mystake." He suggested.

Everyone was worried for Lloyd. When they got to where Ultra was leading them…

A sharp short breath escapes Kai's lips. He shivered at the memory. It was one of the worst things he had witnessed.

"Okay Sensei," Cole answered, bringing Kai back to the present.

Kai blinks, trying to get a grip on his emotions. "Cole, where's the kid?" He asked in worry.

Kai remembered the kid collapsing just after pulling off the stunt he did on the caves. 

"He's still out, in his room." Cole sticks his thumb, pointing behind him, towards the hallway. "But he's clear from any injury." He ensured.

Something roared outside, it was Ultra, waiting for them. 

"If we're doing this, we have to go now ." Zane's voice was strained in distress.

Zane is usually the calm and level-headed one from them all. Hearing his voice like that proved that this was more serious than he lets on.

Kai groaned in annoyance, he's stuck between wanting to stay for kid Lloyd and wanting to go with the older Lloyd.

"Don't worry," Cole said. "We'll look after the younger Lloyd ."

 

--

 

The neon teapot signage flickered in and out. It was silent that night. No sounds but the crickets and the wind.

That is until the flapping of wings grew louder. Like a bird frantic in flight.

A loud thud can be heard outside. Then the doors to the tea shop slammed open. 

"Who goes there?" The owner of the shop asked.

She strolls to the counter and spots a bearded man with a very familiar hat and staff. "Master Wu," She says in confirmation.

"Mystake, we need your help." At that moment, two ninjas carrying another came into the store.

"I believe your friend there is in no good shape to enjoy some tea," Mystake observed bluntly as she gazed at the familiar blonde that was unconscious.

"We have no time for this, Mystake," Wu said quickly, which was rather out of character for him. "Lloyd needs help," He said frantically.

"Mmmm," Mystake hummed observing them like she was looking for something. "Then come quickly," She said after thinking.

Kai and Zane lifted Lloyd and placed him on a table inside.

"Lloyd is his name?" Mystake asked.

"Lloyd Garmadon," Wu answered. "He's from another time, the future." He shared simply.

Kai widens his eyes in surprise. He and Zane exchanged glances, they thought they were keeping that a secret.

"Time travel is unwise," Mystake murmured.

"He mentioned something about Oni, tea, and healing to me." Wu supplied, hoping she knew what he was talking about.

Mystake perked up at the mention of Oni, "Then he knows about his heritage," She thought out loud.

Kai and Zane exchanged another side-glance. They had no idea what they were talking about.

"I will make the tea," She says after long consideration. 

Mystake moved a few boxes off the shelf and started rummaging through her stocks. It did not help Kai that she was humming to herself like they were in no rush. Lloyd is literally bleeding on the table!!

"Tea?!" Kai's mind finally processed her words. "How is this gonna help him??" 

Mystake whirled around and shoves her finger on Kai's face like he just insulted her most prized possession. "Oni tea is powerful, young ninja." She explained. "And Lloyd is part Oni. This will heal his wound faster than any regular human can."

Kai raised his eyebrows in confusion, 'Any regular human? What does that mean?? Is Lloyd not human?' Questions raced through his mind but he decided to stop talking as she poured the dark leaves into a cup.

'Oni. What does Oni even mean?'

The liquid sizzled as she poured the hot water into the cup. Kai had to restrain himself from asking if it was safe. Zane also has his doubts as he eyed the cup.

Mystake blew the steam and stirred the mysterious dark tea, "Do you have control of elemental powers?" She asked in general.

Kai flexed his hands, willing to at least create some sparks. Nothing happened.

"I'm afraid we don't," Zane said sadly.

"I have," Master Wu supplied.

Mystake hummed in thought, "That won't be enough but it will fend off the worst effects." she said.

'Worst effects,' Kai thought in alarm. 'Maybe this isn't so safe,'

But before Kai could sound his complaint, Zane placed his hand on his shoulder, holding him back. He glanced back at the nindroid in question. Zane shook his head slowly as if telling him to let them do their job.

"It's better than nothing," He hears Wu say.

Kai backs down as Mystake slowly lifts Lloyd's head up to feed him the tea. Master Wu grips the blonde's arm and his hands start to glow gold-ish yellow.

Kai and Zane watched in awe as Master Wu's hands glowed gold.

Lloyd gasped immediately, and for a moment, Kai thought he woke up. But his eyelids only flickered and stayed closed. 

The glow from Wu's hands slowly faded and they were left with silence.

They all stared at the blonde, hoping for something to happen. But nothing did. 

"What now?" Zane asked hesitantly.

Mystake glanced at Lloyd, emotions unrecognizable. "We wait," She replied simply.

 

--

 

When Lloyd woke up, he didn't know whether it was midnight or early morning.

Either way, it was still dark.

Lloyd winced, sitting up straight. Where am I? He feels the bandage wrapped around his middle, trying to remember what happened.

His mind was all foggy. His body felt like jelly. But despite that, Lloyd's stubborn feverish mind decided to stand up and walk out of the room.

Why?

He doesn't know,

Everything felt hot and cold at the same time. Plus, he felt like something was missing.

Lloyd lifts his head, he's in some kind of hallway...? Something about the place seems familiar like he's been here before.

Lloyd's mind throbbed more and he grips the walls, hoping to prevent himself from face planting to the ground.

He hears something rustle and a shadow moves,...or was it a trick of his eyes?

His breath quickened.

The hallway felt smaller, and the darkness seemed to grow.

Lloyd used to like the darkness. Back when he was younger and still at Darkley's. It was the only connection he had with his family...with his father. But now it only suffocates him. 

Lloyd stumbled forward, tripping on nothing but air. Why was the ground spinning?

He hits something and it crashes to the ground. And someone was also shouting.

He couldn't care less as images of the past flashed in front of his eyes.

A dark silhouette.

Oni. 

His father was one of them...

"...Llo-"

Lloyd felt himself kneel at the ground. He clutched his head as more memories unveiled themselves.

Horns

Images of horned creatures flashed before his eyes. Eyes of purple. Bringer of Destruction. 

Dark smoke

Suffocating darkness 

 

"..oyd… "

 

They consumed everything in their path. Turning people to stone. They stopped at nothing. 

There were too much of them

Too much… 

 

Then there were green and gold petals. Ground and soil floating all around him...

 

"Lloyd! snap out of it!" Everything came back as his mind registered Kai's voice. 

Lloyd can barely feel Kai shaking him. Suddenly, he couldn't control his own breathing. 

He spotted something dark at the corner of his eyes and immediately flinched. He stood up so fast that his head started to throb. 

"Woah Woah, calm down green bean " Kai gripped his shoulders to prevent him from collapsing. Cole stood behind Kai, unsure of what to do.

They heard something break and immediately ran inside. They arrived only to see Lloyd awake and walking. There were sounds of footsteps behind them and saw the rest of the team arriving.

"There were too much...too much of them." The blonde mumbled, sinking to the ground. 

"What is he saying?" Cole asked worriedly.

"He's delirious," Mystake said, coming out of nowhere.

"What?! Why?" Kai kneeled beside Lloyd, hearing him mumble something about darkness.

"His Oni and Dragon blood are conflicting," Mystake explained. "With no elemental powers to stabilize it, we must endure and let the fever pass."

"We're just gonna leave him to suffer a fever?!" Kai said in indignation.

"Unless you ninjas could control your elemental powers, there's nothing else we could do." She passively countered.

"She's right," Everyone looked at Lloyd in surprise. His eyes were glassy and unfocused. "If only you did sooner, none of it would've happened!" Lloyd stared behind Kai accusingly. 

Kai turned and realized that he was staring at Nya. Nya froze in shock and shrugged at him. 

"Lloyd...you're not yourself," Kai said as he tried to calm the blonde down, pushing down the feeling of upset that Lloyd yelled at his sister.

"-Because ghosts hated water," Lloyd continued to rant out.

"Umm...Let's get him back to the couch or something." Jay suggested, stepping beside Nya.

"We'll take it from here," Zane volunteered and gestured to Cole to help him.

Kai stood and watched as they slowly made their way back to his rest place. Mystake hummed to herself and left, leaving Kai, Jay, and Nya alone.

Kai frowned in thought and glanced down at the broken fragments of what once was a teapot. They had no context on what Lloyd just said. 'What was important about ghosts hating water?'

"You okay, Nya?" Jay asked, shifting close to Nya.

"Yeah," She replied. "I just wasn't expecting it."

"He didn't mean what he said," Kai defended. It was true, Mystake mentioned something about the effects of the tea given to Lloyd. Something about Oni and Dragon...

"I know, I just- I wish I knew what he meant by 'me knowing something sooner'." Nya huffed.

"Mystake said he was delirious." Jay supplied. "For all we know, maybe he was seeing a different person." He said, trying to lift their spirits.

Nya smiled slightly at him then tried to stifle a yawn. 

"It's still pretty early, how about let's all get some sleep." She said.

Kai gestured for them to go, "You guys go ahead, I'll clean this up."

 

Chapter 10: Remember And Recover

Summary:

After their unfortunate encounter with Pythor, both Lloyd needs time to heal.

Both physically and emotionally...

REMEMBER AND RECOVER

---

Kai was sitting next to the kid's bed, watching over him. They were at the Bounty, parked near Mystake's tea shop. 

And here Kai waited,

and waited...

It was already noon when Kid Lloyd woke up.

Nothing could've prepared him for seeing the young boy's eyes. They were…

...green.

'It's like they switched eye colors,' Kai thought to himself, referring to Lloyd from the future and his present counterpart.

"K- Kai?" A young voice quietly called out. Kid Lloyd rubbed his eyes. He looked so small, so vulnerable. 

"I'm here, Lloyd." Kai scooted beside him as the kid sat up.

"What happened? I feel so...drained." Kid Lloyd said, looking every bit as confused.

"And something...feels different." He brought up his hands and clenched and unclenched them. He gasped softly as green sparked over his fingers.

Kai reached out, covering the young boy's hands with his. As much as he hates it, he doesn't have answers for him. He doesn't really understand what happened or why it happened.

'The kid's powers were getting stronger, what does this mean?' Kai worried.

"The Final Battle is closer than you think," The older Lloyd's voice rang in his head in warning.

"We got there just in time," He replied instead. "you're safe now." He said softly, hoping to dispel the fear from the boy's eyes.

The kid looked toward something on the other side of the room. He stood up and approached it slowly.

"I'm becoming…" Kai heard him mumble.

Kai followed behind him and realized it was a mirror.

"Is he?" The kid asked, using the mirror to stare at Kai questioningly. 

"He's healing," He answered, knowing exactly what he asked. "He's gonna be okay," he reassured.

The kid bowed his head and sniffed, "I was so stupid," he depressingly said. He hid his eyes with his hands. His shoulders shook like he was trying to stop himself from sobbing.

Alarmed, Kai reached out his hand to comfort Kid Lloyd. "Hey, no one saw it coming." 

The second Kai's hand touched the kid, he shrugged him off. "I should've ," The kid replied. He sounded angry at himself. 

"It was an accident," Kai justified. "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was!" The kid cried out. The bulb above them flickered in and out.

Kai shook his head at him. "No, that's wrong." 

"Then tell me!" Kid Lloyd waved his arm in exasperation. "Remember what made him go there. Remember how Pythor got close to him." He begged, staring at Kai's brown eyes. "Then tell me, again, It wasn't my fault! Tell me he didn't go because of ME!"

Kai stared at the shiny eyes of young Lloyd. Words failed to form in his mouth, he was speechless.

"I figured," the kid choked out. He ducked his head and walked past Kai.

"No, wait," Kai stuttered. "Lloyd!" He called out to the young boy walking out of the room. The kid gave no recognition and disappeared from his view.

Kai sighed, He had a split second to think whether to catch up to him or let him go. He chose the latter. 

'Maybe Lloyd just needs some space.' He justified himself.

He gave out another sigh and stepped forward. Something crunched beneath his feet. Kai blinked, it was what was left of the lightbulb above them. 

He glanced up, They barely noticed it shatter.

 

--

 

Incense,

That's what Lloyd smelled the moment his mind cleared. The smell of lavender in the air. 

But the peace was short-lived as Lloyd remembered everything that happened. He raised his hand to his middle, feeling the surface of the cloth wrapped in his middle. The phantom pain was still there. 

'Faint but still there.'

He's been awake for quite a while, unable to sleep as his mind itched to get back to action.

Master Wu was sitting on a chair placed near him. He was dozing off. Based on his uncle's expression, he sat there the whole time, watching over him as he recovered.

"M-Master...Master Wu?" Lloyd asked gently, half-debating whether he should just try to go back to sleep or something.

"Hm," Wu's head jerked a bit. He blinked a few times before raising his head. 

Lloyd watched as his uncle's eyes widened at him. "Lloyd!" He said in relief. "You're awake,"

"How are you feeling?"

Lloyd slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, "Surprisingly better," He winced out. Considering he just got stabbed recently, he's surprised he isn't doubling down over pain right now.

"The others were here earlier." Wu shared. "I told them to take a break. You were delirious... and spoke about things I wish you didn't know." He said sadly. 

Lloyd stared at his uncle in slight confusion.

"About the Oni, Aspheera,..." Master Wu listed out.

Oh

Did I really say those things?

Sirens go off inside Lloyd's head. 'What else did I say?' He cautiously thought. Spilling the whole future and the final battle wasn't a good picture.

...and Morro."

Lloyd froze at the name of the former master of Wind. 'At least I didn't talk about the Overlord, ' his mind pointed out.

This didn't go unnoticed as Master Wu stopped and slowly asked, "Lloyd, what-"

"-I don't want to talk about him," Lloyd answered quickly. Heck, he doesn't even remember half of what happened when Morro took his place. Whatever else had happened, it was terrible. Period.

Lloyd averted his gaze as Master Wu continued to look at Lloyd with sadness. 

"Here," His uncle said suddenly. "Drink some water," Lloyd meekly accepted and drank in silence.

It was moments later when Master Wu spoke again.

"I feel something at work," He started, gesturing at Lloyd's wrapped wound. "A power I never thought I'd feel again. The First Spinjitzu Master's power."

"My father's power," He emphasized "I can feel it in you. How?"

Lloyd blinked blankly at Master Wu, unsure whether he should tell him. 

"It… It was the invasion." Lloyd said, deciding that Master Wu already knows too much because of his delirious rambles, there's no point in hiding the truth. "When the Oni attacked, we were backed into a corner.” He said, carefully choosing his words. “We were out of options and they were closing in." 

They stood behind the wooden gates of the monastery, ready to fight till their final breath. Then an idea popped in his head. 

The Tornado Of Creation

They recreated the Tornado of Creation.

"I…" Lloyd breathed out.

 "...I think I died , Uncle." 

Master Wu stiffens on his chair.

"I'm not really sure what happened but Master Wu, in my timeline, approached me. Told me that I was... I was gone. But then somehow, I returned."

Master Wu said nothing so Lloyd continued, "I don't remember much except golden petals, green grass, and pieces of land floating across the skies." he recalled.

His uncle cleared his throat, hesitant to speak. "The first spinjitzu master's powers are immeasurable.” He said. “My father doesn't just revive anyone. But I guess he makes an exception for his grandson." He places his hand on Lloyd’s shoulder to comfort him.

"It has helped you heal, young Garmadon." A familiar voice entered. And behind Master Wu, she emerged.

"Mystake," Lloyd said under his breath. He was surprised to see her. ‘We're at her tea shop,’ he realized. It was surreal to see her again.

"It is why you are able to stand up.” Mystake continued, oblivious to Lloyd’s surprise. “You heal far faster than any I've witnessed."

"Wait,” Lloyd backtracked. “You know who I am?" 

"You're Lloyd Garmadon," she said obviously. "...from the future. And from what I observe, many things have happened then." the disguised oni softened her gaze at him.

"It did," Lloyd confirmed. "It's nice to see you again, Mystake." A small smile made its way to her face. "Would you like some tea, Lloyd?" She offered, striding to her shelves.

"No thanks," Lloyd kindly declined. He didn't think his stomach could handle keeping down tea at the moment. 

Mystake hummed and continued to do her thing.

 

Lloyd tried to sit up a bit more straight and surveyed his wrapped wound. It wasn't bleeding any more.

Almost like it closed up. 

"You hold great power, nephew." Master Wu said from his side. Lloyd turns his head at him and restrains himself from giving him a sassed-up deadpan. Right now he had none, so it was a bit ironic.

"Energy, creation, and the Golden Power," Wu explained.

"I- uh," Lloyd cuts him off. "Something happened to the Golden Power. I don't have it anymore." Lloyd said guiltily.

Master Wu scrunches his eyebrows in confusion, "Do you really believe that?"

"Uhmm, yeah. I mean, if I still had it, why can't I use it? Where was it when I needed it?" Lloyd pointed out, slightly bitter at the fact that if he hadn't let himself get captured by the Overlord, he'd be having a much better life.

"Some things in life leave a scar that can never fade," Wu replied wisely. "But in time, we heal. Your powers are never lost, Lloyd."

‘I’ve heard that before,’ Lloyd sighed internally, feeling like he's been taught that lesson about a hundred times. ‘They keep saying that, but when will it ever return? ’

"You are the grandson of the First Spinjitzu Master.” Wu continued. "The golden power has always been a part of you. Maybe in time, it will return."

"Maybe," Lloyd said, allowing himself to hope just a little.

 

Footsteps echoed nearby and Mystake returned with a cup of tea for Master Wu.

"The tea of Oni can only heal so much." She said, entering the room.

 " And you're only partly Oni. The loss of your powers will affect your recovery." 

 

That means 'we don't know what's gonna happen,' but rephrased.

Lloyd sighed, "Great, no powers" ...again.

 

"Live to fight another day, nephew."

 

--

 

It was the next day when Master Wu called the ninjas and Nya together. They gathered around the counter, inside Mystake's tea shop. 

"The past days have been difficult for us," Master Wu said, ", especially for both Lloyds." 

"And I know you have questions regarding the words you hear: Oni and Dragon." Kai and Zane perked up, it was the thing that they wanted to ask ever since they got here.

"But I can't answer them," Wu said, much to Kai's disappointment. "...not yet. " 

Master Wu faced them properly and said, "I implore you, not a word about them to Lloyd."

"What?" Kai muttered in surprise.

Jay stepped forward, confused."But isn't he related to whatever that is?"

"He has the right to know." Nya supplied.

"That knowledge is dangerous." The sensei explained. "He's not ready. The time will come,"

Kai became silent, not knowing what to say. What could possibly be dangerous about Lloyd's heritage?

"We understand, Sensei," Cole spoke, ending the conversation, though Kai and the others looked hesitant to agree.

 

"Our patrols ended up empty-handed." Zane brought up. "There's no sign of Pythor," he said disappointingly.

"But where would he go?" Jay asked in general. Which Zane shrugs in response.

"He's one slippery snake," Cole commented, feeling tired of encountering the serpent.

"We don't know what's his purpose here, so it will take time to find him." Master Wu supplied.

Then a thought occurred to Kai, "Why don't we ask Lloyd?"

"Which one?" Jay questioned.

"Either of them. I mean, they're the ones who infiltrated Pythor's location. There's gotta be something they overheard that will give us an idea." Kai explained, putting the idea out there.

Master Wu brushed his beard and hummed in thought.

 

--

 

You can't blame Lloyd.

Every single cell in his body itches for him to move. To do something other than laying down on a stiff sofa -no offense to Mystake- and waiting for his body to heal. And that's why he walked out the back door of Mystake's tea shop when no one else was watching. He's a ninja, he's stealthy when he wants to be.

Lloyd didn't really know what he expected but there was a nice little garden near the shop. It must've been removed when New Ninjago City was made.

He strolled and walked on every pathway he saw. Sure, he's walking in circles, but walking was the only thing Lloyd could do at the moment.

 

That is until a sharp flash of pain crawled from his middle up to his head. Lloyd winced and grabbed the on to the nearby bench to prevent himself from collapsing.

He took a couple of heavy breaths. Then he heard someone call out his name.

"Lloyd?"

"Over here," He hollered.

Red gi enters his view, as Kai jogged toward him.

"Huh, how'd you get out here?" Kai arrived, half amused.

"Oh, you know-" Lloyd was about to make a snarky remark when phantom pain attacked him once more. He maneuvers himself to sit on the bench before he loses balance.

"Woah-Hey, take it easy, green machine." Kai reached, helping him out.

Lloyd scoffed at the use of the nickname.

"What..?" Kai asked, looking slightly offended.

Lloyd smiled sadly and shook his head. "No, nothing. It's just- the nicknames bring back old memories." Not that he forgot them. It's just that he's been training hard to keep the team in shape, it's rare to have some downtime that lasts more than a few days.

"Do you wanna talk-"

"-No," Lloyd said suddenly out of reflex."I mean, no thank you." He gave Kai a look of appreciation.

Kai wasn't fooled as he gave him an unimpressed look. "You have to talk about the things you've been through eventually, Lloyd."

The blonde briefly felt like he was being scolded, and shook his head, "Not yet," He muttered.

"Then when?" The fire ninja countered.

"..."

 

Kai sighed as he received no response. 

"So, how are you feeling?" he said, changing the conversation. He went and sat on the bench, beside Lloyd.

"Considering I just got stabbed, better actually."

"And your powers?"

Lloyd brought up his hands and concentrated.

Nothing,

No buzzing, no hum

It's like a part of him was ripped out. It's exactly like the one that happened at Chen's Island.

"None, they're trapped inside the Blue Crystal," he said to his disappointment.

"We were so worried," 

"About the kid?" Lloyd questioned.

"About both of you," Kai emphasized.

"I've...dealt worse," Lloyd shared blatantly.

Kai stared at him weirdly, confused about whether he was joking or not. "We should really talk about that mindset of yours."

 

"I think I've overstayed my welcome here," He jokes, patting his patched-up middle.

"It's the 17th." Kai supplied.

"What?!" Lloyd quickly counted the days he spent here. "I've been here, in the past, for nearly a week??" he says incredulously.

Then his thoughts wandered to what the others were currently doing, "The team, my family, they must be so worried." He rambled softly.

"Hey," Kai interrupted. "We promised we'll help you get back, and we'll do that."

"But…" Lloyd's words died in his mouth.

'But Garmadon...It's gonna happen in a few days.'

"...n-nothing,"

 

A beat of silence passed, 

Lloyd suddenly felt calm at the moment. The birds sang and the wind felt soft. It was beautiful.

There was one flower he glimpsed earlier, one with golden petals. He liked it. It reminded him of something. Something he can't quite remember.

Lloyd didn't know why they removed this garden in the future. But if he could guess, he'd say that the Final Battle somehow trashed it.

'Oh, and speaking of future,'

"Pythor is still out there," Lloyd said quietly.

Kai perked up like he remembered something. "I came to ask whether you know where he went or what he wanted." he glanced at him in question.

Lloyd frowned and shook his head, remembering nothing. "Sorry, I don't know." 

"That's okay, "

 

"Kai," He said slowly. Lloyd can't help but feel troubled at the lack of his memory. Lloyd's lips turned down, "How did I-... H-how did we…"

"...escape?" Kai finished.

"Yeah, I can't remember much after Pythor…" Lloyd placed his hand where his wound was located, finishing his sentence.

Kai took a moment before replying, "It was one of the most terrifying moments I've ever witnessed." he started.

 

The whole cavern was crumbling. Ultra roared towards the cave's mouth.

"I think they're still inside!" Cole realized.

Ultra zipped passed them towards the tunnel leading down. 

"What are we all waiting for?!" Kai ran, following the four-headed dragon.

"It's falling apart!" Jay pointed out in fear.

Regardless, they ran inside.

  CRACK!

The tunnel opened up to a huge cavern

There was a figure around two levels down. Kneeling next to something.

CRACK!

"LLOYD!" They screamed. 

Almost the whole cavern fell apart.

The dust settled,

Then there was an underlying sound of humming. Then a glow…

Kai whipped his head in the direction of the glow.

 

"I didn't notice what it was. But as we got closer, I started seeing it all," Kai said, staring at the horizon, like visualizing the moment.

"You were lying down on the cold stone, lifeless. Blood everywhere. And you...I mean, the kid. He was- he was…"

 

Red stains against the green gi.

Kai can see him hold up his hands, holding everything together.

The kid grunted and stumbled, his face scrunched in determination. Then…

Then he opened his eyes, staring straight toward the red ninja.

Kai can barely stop himself from gasping in surprise. Staring back at him was a pair of glowing green eyes. 

 

"You should've seen it, Lloyd." Kai suddenly turns to him. "Everything!" he emphasized. 

"The whole place was glowing green. His EYES were glowing green. He was holding the whole cavern together. For a moment, I thought that was it. I thought I was gonna lose you, both of you."

"How did we get out?" Lloyd asked slowly.

 

Ultra roared, blasting ice and rocks to fortify the walls. But those didn't do much as the cracks increased and the debris kept falling.

Tears streamed down the blonde's face, eyes glowing bright green. As they ran closer, Kai also realized that the kid's hands were also glowing the same color.

"Hold on," Master Wu suddenly called out from behind them. A gold glow flashed and suddenly a long slim dragon arched over their heads. The white dragon spread its wings, holding up the ceiling.

Kai brings his gaze back to his younger brother. "Lloyd, come on. Let's go," He said urgently. Zane and Jay were retrieving the older Lloyd. 

Cole and Kai shared a look as kid Lloyd barely moved to go. Cole approached him, "Lloyd," He grabbed hold of the kid's shoulders and shook him.

"I can't...I can't…" The little ninja muttered, looking up at the cavern. "Yes you can," Cole answered, not really knowing what he was referring to.

"It's fall- it's falling," Kid Lloyd cried out. And at that moment, Cole's heart shattered. The kid's seen so much. Felt too much. 

So much pain in one child.

Then he did the only thing he could think of. 

Cole pulled the young boy's body close and hugged him tightly. "Let go, buddy." He whispered in his ear.

The kid sniffed and shook his head. Cole tightened his hold on him.

 

 "It's okay, we'll catch you."

"Master Wu summoned his dragon. Both he and Ultra were able to hold the ceiling from crushing us as we retrieve both of you." Kai finished.

"The kid fainted as soon as he let go. I saw him go limp in Cole's arms," he added quietly.

Lloyd took a moment, absorbing the information.

"How's he now?" 

Kai sighed and shook his head, "I don't know," He sounded so lost. "He's been awake for a day, but...he's been closed off."

Lloyd knew exactly what the kid felt. "He blames himself," He wouldn't lie, maybe if the kid didn't run off, this wouldn't happen. But he also understood how emotionally unstable he was at this age. He craved approval. He wanted to prove there was more to him than just a 'brat'.

"Maybe I could get through to him," he suggested, already standing up.

Kai followed immediately, "Wait, are you supposed to be walking around right now?" he paused.

"Relax, I'll just talk to him, I won't over-exert myself."

 

--

 

It was a longer walk than Lloyd anticipated but he managed to convince Kai he could make it to the Bounty by himself. Nevertheless, he mentally sighs in relief as he spots the ship anchored near Mystake's tea shop.

He boarded the wooden ship and was greeted by the future water ninja. "Hey," she greeted.

Lloyd smiled and greeted her back. 

"He's at the bow," She said before Lloyd could even ask. She gestures to his right and he turns to see a small figure near the tip of the Bounty.

Lloyd mutters his thanks and strolls toward the bow, his body still feels stiff from the injury. He stares at the small figure leaning against the railings. The kid wasn't wearing his green gi. Instead, he was wearing the black hoodie that he thought was thrown away. The hood was brought up to his head, looking like the child he once was, before learning about the prophecy.

Lloyd made sure to stomp the wooden deck hard enough for him to hear. To give the kid a bit of a heads up.

The kid stiffens for a moment and turns to look at him.

Lloyd stopped short, forgetting the fact that his younger self now had green eyes. 'Okay, maybe the bright green eyes are kind of unsettling ,'  The green eyes widened as he stared at his older self's crimson eyes.

"Y-Your eyes, they're still…" The kid was the first one who spoke. He shouldn't be surprised that he was thinking the same thing.

"I get that a lot," Lloyd replied, trying to ease the tension. But that didn't help as his younger counterpart swallowed hard and stared at his...gloved hands?

Lloyd furrows his eyebrows, he only wears gloves when he wears the original green gi. But right now, there really was no reason for him to wear them. "What's with the gloves?" Lloyd gestures vaguely at the boy.

"Oh, umm..." The kid fiddles with his hands, "I don't, I don't know why but-... It's just- my powers- they're out of control." he finished, holding out both hands to him like he was afraid of them.

“What do you mean?” Lloyd asked. 

“I- It… It sparks and stuff…when I'm emotional. I might hurt someone.” The kid removed the glove on his left hand and demonstrated. Surely enough, green sparks danced on the skin.

“I’m a mess, I failed,” he choked out depressingly.

“No one said that,” Lloyd replied quickly. The whole conversation was not going as he planned.

“I can see it." The kid responded stubbornly. "Disappointment. I can see it in their eyes.”

‘Not because of you, ’ Lloyd wanted to argue. They weren't disappointed in him. 

They were disappointed with the mission.

"Do you still want anything to do with me?" The boy asked.

Lloyd suddenly felt offended that he had to ask him that. "It wasn't your-"

"-That's a lie! I almost got you killed!" The kid argued loudly.

"But you saved me, it's because of YOU we're alive!" His voice slowly rose with the heat of the conversation. Lloyd mentally slammed the brakes and forced himself to calm down. But the kid didn't,

"HOW CAN YOU FORGIVE ME SO EASILY??!" His younger self yelled in indignation.

"Kid-" Lloyd grips the wrists of his younger counterpart, in an effort to calm him. 'You're missing the point,' He wanted to say.

"-NO! Stop saying that!" the young blonde snapped, pushing his hands away. 

Lloyd flinched as unexpected sparks of energy erupted from the kid's hands. His younger self reeled back in fear. He looked back at him, regret clearly written on his face.

Silence filled them for a second.

Lloyd mentally shook himself. It didn't hurt but it surprised him. "Please, just listen to me." He gently said. "We're still here because YOU saved us. And what happened in the caves, I don't blame you for any of it. Please, you need to believe that." He tried to reason. "Trust me,"

"NO!"

Kid Lloyd only hugged himself and looked away. 

"I can't- I can't trust myself." He stuttered out.

Lloyd shifted back, surprised at his words.

The kid turned hastily and walked towards the direction of the cabin.

"W-Wait-" Lloyd's words died in his mouth. He watches as his younger self storms out of his view.

He understands why he was acting this way. To discover the prophecy, his power. 

What it could do. And what he can do.

The infinite number of responsibilities.

And an infinite number of possibilities to mess up. 

Lloyd sighed, 'What am I gonna do?'  

The thing is, those fears never went away, even after the tea incident. It was because of his friends that he had overcome those fears.

'Great ,' Lloyd thought bitterly. He just added another traumatic experience to his younger version's life.

 

He doesn't know what to do.

Pythor got away. With the crystal and his powers.

He's been staying in this timeline for nearly a week now.

And he misses the team so much.

Sure the Ninjas are here but...they're not his Ninjas. Lloyd huffed, he has never felt so homesick.

'Can I even get back to them? '

'Was it even possible?' His anxiety whispered. 'What if, when I do return to my timeline, it wouldn't be the same.' Considering the things he's done in this timeline, his anxiety only doubles.

'Don't think that,' He argued within himself.

Lloyd shakes his head, realizing he's been staring at nothing for the past few minutes.

He turns and walks back to Mystake's tea shop. The Oni tea did its job and healed most of the physical injuries. But the effects of losing his elemental power were still affecting him.

'I guess all I can do for now is endure.'

He thinks to himself as he slowly makes his way to the shop.

 

 

Notes:

Aaa 3 Chapters left,

Thank you so much for reading!

Chapter 11: Chances and Changes

Summary:

Lloyd has healed but time is running out. He's figuring out a plan and at the same time...

It feels as though his short arc of adventure here was coming to an end.

And with this, comes closure with both Lloyds

CHANCES AND CHANGES

---

Time

It was the one thing they were always short of.

One more day, that's all Lloyd can handle. He's been stuck in the past for almost 5 days. Any more and Lloyd's gonna lose his marbles.

His wound healed as fast as it came. There was still a phantom feeling around his middle but it didn't hurt as much.

Master Wu said it was because of his grandfather's influence plus the oni tea that made it heal quicker.

Lloyd let out a breath he didn't know he held and glanced down at the parchment scroll in his hands.

He's been trying to figure out Pythor's movements using the intel they know. But it all ended up blank.

Lloyd groaned at his ineffective research. 'I need to clear my head ,' he decided.

 

--

 

Sunrise,

Lloyd didn't even know it was that early. Perhaps his training habits still stuck with him even when injured.

He snuck out once more, though he doubts that sensei was oblivious. 'A harmless walk,' he justified to himself. If the Smith siblings would see him right now, they'd ground him forever.

Well, the thing is, stubbornness runs in the family.

So Lloyd Garmadon let his mind wander and strolled to no particular destination.

 

It felt like half an hour when Lloyd nearly faceplant on the concrete sidewalk. His foot hitched on the edge of the step and his mind refocused. 

Lloyd blinked. 

He recognized the wide concrete stairs of the museum.

Right in front of him IS the museum. Somehow he walked all the way here without even realizing it.

His initial instinct was to run far away from the museum. FSM knows what horrible things happen when he's alone there. But this feeling was overcome with a wave of curiosity.

'Maybe I can find something useful here.'

--

 

It was amazing how many of the items Lloyd recognized were vital or had been used in the future. As he walked along the halls of the exhibit, he felt the energy of a familiar forbidden scroll. He remembered that feeling. Their battle with Aspheera. The power of the scroll.

Lloyd shook his head and quickly left that block, afraid of what temptation the power could do to him.

Further, into the museum, Lloyd stops before the First Spinjitzu history section. There were paintings, and scrolls, telling the stories of the fading past. But it was never complete. Lloyd didn't know how much the museum lacked until he, himself, discovered the Oni and Dragon history. Even the Green prophecy . He used to wonder whether his battle was the Final Battle. Or did it change when he took the tea?

Lloyd sighed, 'What am I doing?' his mind backtracked. ' There won't be answers here, only the painfully confusing past.'

He whirled around fast, intending to make a quick exit. Lloyd's leather boots squeaked suddenly and his feet slipped on the shiny tiles. "Gah!" Lloyd yelped as his bottom hit the floor.

It took him a second to process what happened and continued to grumble as he gingerly stood.

"Ow okay take it slow," Lloyd berated himself. He glanced around for a moment, 'I hope no one-'

"Hello?" 

Lloyd froze in his movements, he knew that voice.

There were footsteps behind him.

"Can I help you?"

He refused to turn around, afraid his thoughts were correct.

"Are you okay, young man?" The voice asked once more. Lloyd breathed in like bracing himself before turning around.

 

"I'm..." Lloyd breathed out.

 

The woman stood in front of him. A pale white line stroked her gray hair. She looked exactly the way Lloyd remembers, only with a few wrinkles missing. 

Misako , Lloyd's mind supplied. She stared back at him as if captured by her thoughts. It lasted a few seconds though. Lloyd suspected that his bright crimson eyes were the source of her surprise.

"...okay," Lloyd finished awkwardly.

She was staring at him. Could she know?

"OH, sorry." Misako stepped back suddenly, broke out of her trance, and shook her head. "It's just- you remind me of someone." She waved her hands, trying to dismiss Lloyd's concern.

"I do?" Lloyd stalled, feeling slightly out of place. 

"Pardon me," She said instead of answering. "But are you a ninja?" She asked, gesturing at his outfit.

Lloyd gulped suddenly and his mind raced for excuses.

"Umm, uh…" Quick! Think of an excuse.

 "I like green," His dumb words left his mouth before he can process them. Neither agreeing nor denying, his answer made no sense.

"* cough* I was just here looking at the...stuff." He lifted his arms and lamely gestured to the painting behind her.

"That's a, uh- cool, uh… painting."

Misako turned quizzically and her face lit up in recognition. "Ah yes," She agreed.

"The first spinjitzu master battling against the overlord." She explained smoothly as if she said it a million times. "He had two sons, you know."

"Then one of his sons turned evil," Lloyd's words left his mouth before he could stop himself. 

Misako turned her head at him in slight surprise. "He wasn't...entirely evil," she said slowly.

Lloyd knew she was talking about his father, Garmadon. He knew she still loved him despite the four arms dark lord thing. 

She was sad, Lloyd knew. If only somehow he could tell her it'll be okay without raising suspicion.

"It's only the matter of what choices you'll make," Lloyd replied.

Misako bowed her head slightly, her back turned to him. "Sometimes, we make sacrifices to protect the people we love." She replied vaguely. Her voice nearly hitched as she said those words. She wasn't only talking about Garmadon but also her decision to leave Lloyd.

'I still love you, I forgave you,' He wanted to say. But those words won't make sense, not yet. So he said these words instead, "I know things might seem hopeless right now but it gets better… I promise." He rushed his words at the end, making a quick exit while she had her back turned.

Misako faltered and took a moment to register the words of the stranger. Her brows moved in puzzlement. "What-" Misako turns around only to be greeted by nothing. She stares at where the stranger once stood.

"h-hello?" There was no trace of the green stranger. 

 

--

 

It was just after lunch when Lloyd returned to his research. The map laid open on the wooden surface. He stared at it, hoping to discover some clue of Pythor's whereabouts.

He regretted not paying attention back in the open caverns. He was too focused on his younger self to notice anything different.

The scribbles he drew on the maps certainly didn't help either. Lloyd closed his eyes and sighed once more. He turned away from the table and decided to head to the Bounty.

He knew he was procrastinating his duty to find the serpent. But right now, he couldn't care less.

"Any luck?" The dark robe ninja asked as Lloyd approached the bow.

Lloyd shook his head somberly, "nothing," he answered.

"Where's younger me?"

Cole faces him and explains. "Jay took the kid to accompany him to the store to buy some stuff. We figured he needed some time out of the Bounty." 

Lloyd moved beside Cole and leaned on the front bow. "Is he still mad... at himself?" he asked timidly.

Cole paused and thought for a second. He crossed his arms in thought, "...More like sad," he answered then his face turned concerned. "You alright?"

Lloyd was caught off guard by the question but quickly nodded. "I'm okay,"

Cole narrowed his eyes, "I've known you for 5 days. And I could tell, there's this tension on you."

A sudden thud echoed on the deck and Lloyd and Cole whipped their heads up to see a four-headed dragon aboard deck. "Ultra!" Lloyd exclaimed in surprise, using the opportunity to escape the conversation.

Ultra roared in response, matching Lloyd's excitement. "I haven't seen you since...well, I got stabbed."

The dragon purred softly at him.

A lapse of tranquility passed as Lloyd dragged his hand across the scaly skin of the dragon.

But that wasn't enough, Lloyd's mind wandered back to his initial problem: finding Pythor.

Cole was silent beside him, looking to the distance.

"I wish I knew what to do," Lloyd whispered to himself. At the end of his words, his hands were abruptly shoved up.

"Hey," Lloyd said gently, confused at their action. The dragon flicked their heads up again as Lloyd tried to pet them.

Cole moved from his side and shot him a puzzling look. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Lloyd shrugged helplessly, "I don't know,"

 

"Find.."

 

The dragon growled and grunted, the four heads moving up and down like a wave. 

"Find…"

Maybe it was his hallucination or maybe it was his dragon blood, but Lloyd could've sworn he heard the dragon speak.

"Find?" Lloyd repeated questioningly.

"..power.."

There it was again. The feeling stunned Lloyd so much that his temples started to throb lightly.

"Golden...peaks…"

It was weird because it didn't sound like it came from the outside nor the dragon's mouth. It sounded like it came from the back of his mind.

"Power...Find…"

The words barely made sense to him. All he recognized was 'Golden Peaks ' 

"Wait, are you really talking to Ultra?" Cole asked, watching Ultra and Lloyd with wide eyes wonder.

Lloyd shrugged again, not knowing what to think. "More like telepathy." He concluded.

He shook his head and focused on the dragon. "Ultra," Lloyd started, trying to piece the message in his head like a jigsaw. "You want me to head to the golden peaks...to find my power?"

The dragon opened its mouth and roared at them. Cole yelped and covered his ears, "I'm guessing that's a no!" he said.

"No??" Lloyd repeated, his confusion only doubling.

'What do you mean Ultra?' He tried to convey his confusion mentally through the dragon. 

"you," The words came to him like it was obvious.

"-teach"

"What?! Teach who??" Lloyd said out loud.

"You"

"Me?"

"To find…"

Then as quick as it came, the words all clicked together in his mind.

"Of course!" Lloyd exclaimed, startling the ninja beside him.

'I know how to find Pythor.'

"Okay!" he suddenly said. The dragon lowered their heads for Lloyd to mount and lifted him.

"Uhh, Whats- where are you going?" Cole stared up at him.

"When the kid returns, meet me at the Golden Peaks."

Then with no explanation, the green ninja lifted up to the sky.

 

--

 

Kid Lloyd frowned at the comic he held. It was the special issue of Starfarer. The silver cover glistened under the sun as he leaned against the brick wall of the shop. He wasn't alone, he was with Jay. 

Jay wanted to buy something from the store and insisted he came with him. Though kid Lloyd assumes he just wanted to ease him up by taking him away from the Bounty.

Kid Lloyd hates to admit it but it was working. He felt calmer just relaxing and reading. Though he still hates himself for making a dumb decision, it wasn't as bad as the other day.

Kid Lloyd flips another page. It was the part where old Fritz Donnegan was telling his younger self to never give up.

He stared at the page, lost in thought. 

 

Then the comic on his hands suddenly gets smacked off as a person run by out of nowhere.

"Hey!" Kid Lloyd shouted, genuinely annoyed. He picked up his precious comic and looked back up at the figure. The person stopped to look at him. His green eyes met dark brown...or was it red?

A beat passed and the person jerked and ran off again.

"Hey, wait up! Why are you running?" Kid Lloyd yelled. His ninja training paid off as he was able to catch up on them.

They ended up at a blocked-off alley, not too far from the shop. "Hello??" Kid Lloyd warily eyed the hooded person. They didn't look any taller than he was.

The unknown kid pushed down their hood and turned around.

"Woah," Kid Lloyd said instantly. "you're a girl," he said more in surprise.

The girl just smiled hesitantly at him.

"With all the running around, I would've thought you were a ninja," 

She tilted her head as if she was assessing him. Kid Lloyd opened his hands to show he wasn't a threat.

"You're a quiet one aren't you?" he couldn't help but say.

The girl looked conflicted for a moment.

"I'm Lloyd by the way."  

"..umi.."

"Umm sorry?" Kid Lloyd asked, feeling ridiculous for not hearing it.

"Harumi...you can call me Rumi." She answered shyly. 

Kid Lloyd smiled back at her. "You know, the streets aren't a nice place to stay in." he started, trying to start a conversation. He was curious why she was running in the first place. Maybe he could help her if she's in trouble. That's what the green ninja does right? Help people.

"-Then why are you here?" She answered defensively.

"Oh," Kid Lloyd said, surprised at her quick response. "Well,- So she does talk," he joked instead. He was relieved when the girl- Harumi gave him a small smile.

"Why were you running?" he tried again.

"I wasn't running. I was sneaking out." The girl answered defensively. "What were you doing on that corner anyway?" She shot back.

"Wha- I was reading!" kid Lloyd sputtered and waved the silver comic book in annoyance.

Harumi smiled at his act, "Didn't look that way," 

"Well, at least I'm telling the truth." Kid Lloyd responded pointedly.

Harumi hesitated before saying, "Fine, I was just trying to get away from my…"

"my…"

Kid Lloyd tilted his head, "...problems?"

Harumi looked up and blinked, "Yeah,..."

"..."

A beat of silence passed as kid Lloyd shuffled. 

"Y-you're right," He finally said guiltily. Harumi stared at him in slight confusion. "I wasn't reading. I was just staring. You interrupted my thoughts." Rumi's face relaxed, "We're even then," she concluded.

"..."

Another beat of silence passed. Harumi pulled her hood back up and peeked around the corner that leads back to the main street. 

The silence was so awkward. Kid Lloyd racked his brain to start a conversation.

"So…" he started.

"You can leave now," Harumi answered before he can even talk. 

She didn't sound angry or anything so Lloyd figured he should stick around. "Maybe...I can help you with your problem?" he offered despite her distracted gaze.

She frowned in his direction. "You won't understand," she said blatantly.

Kid Lloyd lifts himself up to sit on a crate on his right and pats the space next to him. "My friends said, talking about it would help, so…" he looked at her hopefully.

She stared at him for a second before finally relenting. "Fine,"

"I don't expect you to understand." She grumbled as she sat on his left. Kid Lloyd turned to her in anticipation.

"I didn't want this." she started. "I didn't ask to be someone so important. The responsibility…" 

Kid Lloyd slowly tilted his face in her direction, her circumstance sounding familiar.

"I can't be a normal kid." she continued. "It's- it's like.."

"...You're afraid you'll let them down." kid Lloyd interjected. Harumi lifted her eyes to him in surprise.

"And afraid you'll never meet their expectations."

Harumi nodded slowly, a bit confused and surprised at how accurate he was. "How'd you know that?" she asked.

"I've been having the same problem," he said with a sad smile. She hummed in reply.

 

"I guess we'll suffer together?"

Kid Lloyd let out a huff as she suggested that. He softly smiled at her effort.

"How about this," he said, still determined to help her. "Let's promise each other."

"Promise?"

"Promise we won't run away from our problems."

Harumi stared at him again, like a thought suddenly occurred to her. "What was your name again?" She asked, her voice slightly higher than usual.

"Lloyd," Kid Lloyd answered. "Lloyd Garmadon"

Kid Lloyd was oblivious as her eyes hardened in a fraction. They stopped there, staring at each other's eyes. Lloyd was projecting confusion while Harumi was looking tense. Until it was broken by a call 

"Harumi!" Someone yelled out.

Kid Lloyd glanced at the street in confusion, "Is that your parents?"

"No," Kid Lloyd blinked at her harsh reply. 

"My parents...are not with me any longer." He didn't know what he did, they were getting along earlier, but she sounded angry this time.

"What?" He said dumbly.

"The Great Devourer…" She trailed off. Her voice hitched in her throat. She sounded angrier for a second. The way she said those words, it was like she was blaming him...

'Wait a minute.. '

Kid Lloyd's eyes widened in realization. "I'm-... I'm so sorry," He said immediately, feeling incredibly angry at himself too. 

The Great Devourer , it was all his fault. It was foolish for him to think that no one got hurt that day.

She didn't say anything, but Lloyd wanted to get his point around. He felt his heart break, not knowing what to do. "I really am, Harumi ," He stared back at the girl's eyes, hoping to convey his immense guilt.

Her hazel eyes stared back at him. Her anger seemed to falter for a moment. And as if some barrier broke between them, Harumi's eyes watered. Kid Lloyd opened his arms, an innocent offer of comfort. She launched forward and hugged him.

 

A few hours ago, kid Lloyd was having a rough day. He never would've guessed he'd meet someone who almost knew how he felt at the moment. Something about this interaction felt important.

The hug was short but it was enough to ease the tension between them. Kid Lloyd could hear someone call out her name again.

Harumi looked towards the street, "I...have to go." she decided. "It was nice talking with you."

 

"Me too, Maybe we'll meet again someday, Rumi."

 

"Maybe," She answered. Again, for a moment, she looked like she was in conflict with herself. She spared him one last glance and disappeared from his view.

 

Meeting her, somehow, made him feel a little bit lighter. 

Sure that talk didn't really solve his problem. But knowing that someone knew how he felt just gave him a little more sense of comfort.

Kid Lloyd sighed, allowing himself to relax.

 

"Lloyd!"

Kid Lloyd jumped as the blue ninja appeared in his view. Jay waved his hands, holding a few bags of whatever he bought. "There you are! I've been looking all over to find you!" 

"I thought you were- no never mind,"

Jay pats the kid on his back, unaware of the younger boy's distant thoughts.

"Come on, let's head back"

They started to walk back to the Bounty and kid Lloyd spared one last glance at the spot where the girl disappeared to.

 

--

 

Kai stares off as the young blonde and blue ninja make their way toward him.

"You're in a better mood," Kai observed as the kid jogs near. He nods to Jay as he walks inside.

"Hi Kai," The kid stopped beside him and greeted meekly. He was still wearing his old black hoodie and dark gloves.

Kai tried not to frown at the kid's shy greeting. "Lloyd-"

"-I'm sorry." The kid cuts off immediately. "I never should've yelled at you," he said, regretting it.

Kai blinked, to be honest, the argument was far from his mind. "It's okay, you were under a lot of pressure." He placed his hand on the kid's shoulder to comfort him.

Kid Lloyd looked back up with innocent wide eyes and relaxed.

 

"Come on," Kai said after a moment. "Lloyd's at the Golden Peaks."

The kid perked up at the familiar name from his Ninjago history lessons. "Golden Peaks?"

"Yeah, he and Ultra flew all the way there. He said to meet him there once you returned." Kai explained as they walked to the middle of the ship.

"But why?" Kid Lloyd asked, remembering his last conversation with his counterpart.

The Bounty jerked and the boosters roared suddenly. Kai gave the kid a shrug, "I guess we'll find out,"

 

--

 

The Golden peaks

Nothing but clouds and mountains embraced the horizon.

It was the first time kid Lloyd saw the mountain range. Based on uncle Wu's lessons, the golden peaks were not golden. It received its name when the First Spinjitzu Master forged the golden weapons on the crater of the highest point. 

Why was he here? He didn't know.

His thoughts halted as he spotted a green-suited ninja. There he was, his future self. It's hard to believe he'd ever be like him. So different .

"Lloyd!" Kai called out as soon as the Bounty landed. "You okay?" he asked. Kid Lloyd followed closely behind.

"Yeah, I'm alright" his older self answered then gave the kid an assessing glance. "I'll need a moment with... myself " Kid Lloyd subconsciously straightened his pose.

"Okay, I'll be at the deck." Kai patted Kid Lloyd's back fondly. "Don't do anything stupid." He eyed the steep edges of the peak and left. And just like that, kid Lloyd was left with no one but himself.

A beat passed as they watched Kai board the Bounty.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, "Come," his counterpart gestured to follow. Kid Lloyd didn't think that this could be awkward, but somehow it is.

"Are you mad?" kid Lloyd asked, trying to find an answer in his counterpart's face. His older self's lips turned down and faced the peak of the mountain. He didn't answer but he also didn't look angry.

"When I lost...someone very close to me, I came here," Lloyd said, kicking the rocks beneath him.

"I isolated myself for weeks, hoping to find something. An escape, or something to heal my broken heart." Lloyd's eyes were fixed on the horizon, but it looked like his mind was elsewhere. He continued to stroll, and the kid followed closely behind.

Kid Lloyd didn't really know what else to say. He didn't know why he was telling him that.

 

They walked up the steep stones of the peak and ended up near the crater of a volcano. Kid Lloyd stopped and hesitated, a crater was obviously dangerous, right? His thoughts were broken as Lloyd continued to head there, unafraid.

Kid Lloyd expected to hear the bubbling of lava but was only greeted by the calm sizzle of the volcano.

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't hot. There was something special about the crater that he couldn't quite place. 

"The ninjas came one day,..." His counterpart continued his story. "-needing help to find my m- Misako." Kid Lloyd didn't know who Misako was but he refrained from asking.

Lloyd stopped two steps away from the edge of the crater. The lava sizzled softly near them.

"That's when I realized what I was looking for, I already had." He said lightly. 

Lloyd finally turned and faced his younger self, "I had my friends, my family. I wasn't alone."

"Why are you telling me this?" Kid Lloyd had to ask.

His older self regarded him for a moment. "I know you don't want to be the Green Ninja but-"

"I shouldn't be running away from my own destiny. My responsibilities." Kid Lloyd interjected, remembering his encounter with Harumi.

"I- yeah," Lloyd's crimson eyes focused on him once more and continued. "I want you to know that you don't have to face this alone… not anymore . The Ninjas, they're your team, brothers, and most importantly, your family. You guys are gonna get through it together. You just gotta let them in."

Kid Lloyd huffed, but not in disbelief, more in tiredness. "Easy for you to say, you're amazing." His older self gave him a disbelieving look.

"Powerful. Confident." The kid added to prove a point.

Lloyd huffed a small laugh, "Wanna hear a secret?" Kid Lloyd tilted his head as if not knowing how to react to that. 

"Sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough to be a leader," Lloyd answered anyway. "There are times when my plans didn't work out well." He smiled, remembering the shenanigans of his team.

Kid Lloyd still didn't know what to think of that. " Scoff , no way."

"It's true. Most times I don't even know what I'm doing." Lloyd smiled again, "I'm you, remember? We're more alike than you think."

He let his words sink in for a while.

"Yeah, but I don't have control over my powers," the kid admitted, bowing down his head in embarrassment.

 

A few moments passed before Lloyd spoke again, "Then I'll teach you," 

"You will?" The kid whipped his head up in surprise, his somber mood disappearing.

"I won't teach you everything. But just enough to use your powers to some degree."

Kid Lloyd heard a soft thud behind him and turned around. Ultra purred and gave him a supportive nudge.

Kid Lloyd removed his gloved hands and pet the snout. "But how?" He asked after a moment. 

"We're at the Golden Peaks, remember?" Lloyd smiled softly at him. "This is where the Golden Weapons were forged."

"Yeah," the kid agreed, remembering his history lessons. "But what does that mean?"

"A weapon that powerful would leave a trail," Lloyd explained. "And in this case, that trail is energy. The energy given off by this vent helped me meditate and sharpened my focus on my power."

"I have a feeling you could do the same,"

"So I'll meditate here and...connect…" Kid Lloyd hated mediation. But if it could help him gain an understanding of his power, maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

"And then what?" he added.

 

Lloyd gathered his thoughts for a moment. "Remember when I came to find you, I told you about some connection I felt. That our powers are somehow connected."

"uh-huh?" Kid Lloyd answered, not really wanting to remember all of it.

"I believe it still works. My powers are not gone, only transferred." 

 

"If you concentrate hard enough, we could find Pythor."

 

--

 

Sunset ,

For the first time since he arrived here, Lloyd finally felt relaxed. It felt like his short arc of adventure here was coming to an end.

Sure, Lloyd didn't know what would happen if he returned to the present. But at least he's getting some kind of closure with his child self.

Speaking of his younger self,...

"gah!" The young boy thrusts his hands once more only to cause sparks.

Lloyd was still wondering what triggered his green eyes. He didn't get him until his powers reached a certain level of mastery.

"I don't know," the kid had said when Lloyd asked him. "When I woke up, Kai said I had green eyes. Then I started feeling too much of my powers."

Then it clicked, "True potential..." He muttered.

"What?" Kid Lloyd asked distractedly as he failed to blast the rock for the nth time. "Nghhhh" he grunted with all his effort, palms outstretched. Green particles formed unstable on his hands.

"Somehow, in the caves, something pushed you to unlock your true potential…" Lloyd explained. "Or at least half of it."

"We were gonna die…" The kid pointed out with all the sass that he had. The kid meditated for 30 minutes and has been trying to control his power for almost an hour now.

"I didn't have mine until later," Lloyd said vaguely. "But here you are, achieving something I haven't until a year later." He watched as his younger self fumbled through the stances he taught.

Kid Lloyd let out another annoyed groan, "I- I can't control it," he said tiredly.

Lloyd paused and tried to approach it from another perspective. "Then don't," he said. "Energy isn't meant to be controlled. It flows," The kid turned to look at him and gave him a 'That makes so much more sense' face.

"Don’t fight it, don’t chase it." he tried explaining.

Kid Lloyd let that sink in and stared at his hands briefly, and took a deep breath. 

He breathed out and let go. Almost immediately, he felt energy crackle beneath his hands. He flinched slightly out of pure reflex. 

"Don't be afraid, it's there to protect you." Lloyd's calm voice was what made him take the leap and guided the power he held. This time, he didn't seize the power, like reining in a horse and telling it where to go. Instead, it was like wind blowing through a horn. Like the wind, it is independent and can never be stopped. It was always there, just waiting for the right nudge.

Kid Lloyd outstretched his hand again and the green energy didn't form an orb, but a fire-like particle, free of any form. The energy blasted from his hands and into the targeted debris. The rocks crumbled and turned into dust.

"I- I did it!" Kid Lloyd exclaimed in joy.

Lloyd couldn't help but smile at his younger self. It was beautiful, a moment of happiness. Free from the scars of the past. So innocent from the dangers. He wished he could stay like that, never knowing about the Oni, the Overlord, Aspheera, and the dangers between realms.

"Good job!" Lloyd said. "If what I think is right then you still have the golden power." The kid perked up at this. "But," Lloyd immediately cuts off. "You won't be able to unlock it until the Final Battle."

"Unlock?" Kid Lloyd echoed disappointedly.

"yes," Lloyd's voice clearly showed he won't explain further. He cleared his throat and said, "Now that you figured that out, try aiming at those rocks." He pointed at the debris not too far from them. 

"When will I be able to summon a dragon?" Kid Lloyd eagerly asked, jumping on his toes.

"Woah slow down," Lloyd chuckled. "I'm not gonna teach you that. You have to figure that out on your own."

The kid shrugged in response and smirked, "worth a try," He took a stance and shot another energy burst at the rock.

"By the way, who's Misako?" He asked nonchalantly.

"She's…" Lloyd paused slightly, almost telling the truth. ' your mother' He almost said. "She's family. You'll meet her soon," he said instead.

 

After a few more hours of training, Lloyd deemed the day done. He was proud of the things the kid was able to accomplish in a day.

Now they stroll back to the Bounty, ready to conclude the day.

 

"So... " The kid positioned himself beside Lloyd. "everything you've been through..."

"...I'll have to experience?" he asked innocently.

 

"Maybe," Lloyd said, glancing at the figures of the ninjas aboard the Bounty. A lot has changed just by him being here. He has a growing feeling that his present was still intact. Lloyd doesn't know how time travel works. But he has a good feeling it won't be like the generic movies.

...maybe not." He added too softly for kid Lloyd to hear. Maybe things didn't need to happen the way they did.

 

--

 

"How'd the training go?" Kai had asked a few minutes after their training. The sun's rays slowly disappeared on the horizon, replacing the orange light with purple hues.

"Good," Lloyd answered. He sent the kid to clean up. The kid was sweating crazy when they left the peak. "We've made some progress." He added loosely.

They were just outside the control room. Kai fell silent and fiddled with something under his hands, seemingly lost in thought. "Are you okay?" Lloyd can't help but feel concerned.

"Kai?"

"You threw down a tea," Kai started. "Sacrificing your childhood." He said, quoting Lloyd's words from the first day he's been here.

Lloyd stared at Kai, unsure what to think of. His confusion turned to surprise as he glanced down and saw what Kai held. 

It was tomorrow's tea. The aging tea. The one that set everything in motion.

"Lloyd," Kai said all too seriously like he was afraid of the truth he'll get.

'Mystake must've given him that. It only takes someone to put two and two together'

"What happened?" Kai asked. "How much time do we have left until the Final battle?" The red ninja's voice was rough with emotion. 

"Kai-" 

"Please, tell me"

Lloyd closed his eyes for a long time, debating his choices. He let out a sigh and decided to answer, 

"In a few days, things will start to change." He started. "He'll grow up in a blink of an eye. And when he does, you'll only have a few days left before the darkness makes its move." He delivered it as vaguely as possible. He didn't wanna influence much on what was to come. It's all up to the Kid's choice. Though Lloyd doubts his choices will be the same as in his past, considering this version of kid Lloyd is more skilled than he was.

"And he'll need all the support he gets," Lloyd added in the end.

Kai turns to him, leaning on the balcony, his back facing the control room. "This was what you were saying, were you?" He said softly. "The first day you were here. How you didn't know your age?"

"Kai…" If he knew it would happen in a few days what would Kai do? ' He'll do something stupid,' Lloyd's mind suggested. ' Or even worse, prevent the tea aging incident from happening.'

 

"Tell me more about the Final Battle, please," Kai's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"I can't, Kai" Lloyd argued, frustration slowly creeping into his voice. 

"promise me- promise me you won't interfere. You can't change this ." 

 It's a pivotal moment. The tea-aging incident was key to many events."

Anything else can change, but not that moment. FSM knows what would happen if Lloyd hadn't aged quickly. 

 

"What?" Kai's face was scrunched in indignation and slight sadness tints his eyes. "You can't expect me to just-"

"- Kai ." Lloyd cuts off. " Please , promise me."

They locked eyes. Stubborn brown eyes meet pleading crimson eyes. A gust of wind flowed as a beat passed. 

Kai's dark brown eyes softened.

He took a deep breath, relenting to Lloyd's request. "Okay,...I promise."

 

--

 

Kid Lloyd saw his counterpart and Kai talking about something on the balcony and decided to approach. 

"soo… What's the plan?" Kid Lloyd shouted from below, cupping his hands on his mouth to modulate his voice. They shared a pointed look before glancing and walking down the stairs.

Lloyd placed his hand on Kid Lloyd's shoulder. "I need YOU to find Pythor's weapon and destroy it." He said simply.

"What?!" The kid jumped in surprise.

"Search deep inside you, I know you'll find it." His older self continued, unbothered.

Kid Lloyd interrupted once more "I thought WE were gonna find where Pythor is!" ' Destroy his weapon?? Tracking energy is one thing, but facing Pythor again???' His mind raced in anxiety. 

"I can't fight, not in this condition." His older self justified. "Plus, you won't be alone, you'll have the team. But YOU need to lead," He explained.

 

"What if I mess up?" His voice, full of worry.

"You won't." His older self responded as if it was the simplest thing. His voice softened, "I trust you, and they do too. It's time for you to believe in yourself."

"Just do your best Lloyd," Kai encouraged.

"Yeah, Kid!" Jay supplied. When did the others arrive? Kid Lloyd notices the whole gang was on deck. Cole and Zane are not too far. Nya was behind Jay. And Kai and older Lloyd were nearest to him.

He looked down at his hands, 'Here it is, a chance to prove myself' 

"What if my best isn't good enough?" 

"It's good enough for us."

And that was enough. As if the words jolted him out of his anxiety, confidence suddenly filled him. 'It's good enough for them ' And that's enough.

Kid Lloyd’s gaze drifted from Lloyd and towards the Ninjas behind him. The rest of the ninjas offered a look of encouragement and agreement. 

'You're not alone..not anymore.'

At that moment, he finally understood. He won't mess up, he has the whole team backing him.

It's only a matter of courage now.

Kid Lloyd finally returns his gaze to Lloyd, this time with resolve.

 

"Okay," The kid answered. 

 

" Let's face Pythor," 

 

Notes:

Thank you for reading!

I'm so excited for the Ninjago: Crystalized!

(Edit: 9/30/22)
- Chapter 12 is nearly done!

Chapter 12: Out Of The Temple

Summary:

There's always a calling
A compass to lead you home...

Notes:

Dig deep inside and you will feel,
An inner strength,
An inner steel.

OUT OF THE TEMPLE

---

 

scrape

scrapeee

The wheelbarrow's rusty wheels scraped along the ancient stones, its heavy load taking a toll on its state. 

"Place it here," the constrictai said.

The hypnobrai did as was said but his thoughts kept nagging at his state of obliviousness. "Do we really know why we're here?" He hissed as he complained. "Or what thiss place isss??"

The constrictai eyed him grimly. "No questions," He was ignored. 

A venomari perked up beside him and talked in a hushed voice, like sharing gossip, "-Pythor ssaid thisss place will lead usss to hisss 'world' -whatever that meansss." She shared. 

"Shut your slimy mouths and get the stones in here!" The constrictai snapped, slamming his metal spear on the surface.

The hypnobrai raised his claws in surrender "I'm jusst asssking the quesstionsss that needsss to be answered. We’re here following a ssserpent we thought dead!" At the end of his voice, the venomari paled in his view. “What??” He snapped in annoyance.

Suddenly, a shadow made its way to him. He turned around to see the pearl-scaled serpent.

"Now, now," The hypnobrai gulped as Pythor’s deep voice purred.

"We wouldn't want to have any mutiny in here do we?" The menacing red eyes narrowed at the questioning hypnobrai. Pythor brandished his chronosteel spear in front of him.

He shook his head hastily and left to fetch the rest of the stones.

Pythor smiled crookedly, "Good," he purred. The constrictai in charge approached from his side, "Our allies do have a point," he pointed out.

"Trust me," Pythor turned to him. "I know what I'm doing. We haven't seen the Ninjas in days , everything is going according to plan."

 

" This ," Pythor taps his chronosteel spear on the metallic material before him. "my friend, will lead us to a better world."

 

– 

 

It's coming full circle. 

 

Kid Lloyd had done it and was able to trace his power. 

" Towards the east ," The kid had said, pointing to the bright horizon. "I feel it, our element, it's calling." The bounty zipped past the clouds, a blurry of foliage and stone beneath them. It was early morning, and the dew from the leaves and fog in the sky hadn't left. The atmosphere was soft, pastel yellow and blue hues painted the skies.

Lloyd had felt uneasy as they followed the kid’s directions. His confusion was soon leveled as the fog parted and revealed a familiar structure.

 

It ends where it all began, 

the Time Temple.

 

"Wait!"

It took time for Lloyd to realize they didn't spot the temple. "It's somewhere here," his counterpart shouted on the deck, green particles spewing out of his hands.

"Here? There's nothing but the forest." Cole peered over the railings. With that, Lloyd was shaken out of his thoughts and decided to tell them before they zoom past the temple.

“I know this place,” Lloyd blurted out. Cole and the others turned to him in confusion. “There, down there.” Lloyd swung his arm in the air, pointing to the overgrown foliage below them. “Beneath the trees, covered in vines, is an entrance,” he explained.

 “An entrance?” Kid Lloyd asked , anxiously eyeing the ground. 

“An entrance to an elemental temple. Well, more specifically, the Time Temple ."

"The one that brought you here," Jay recollected from their time on the Bounty. 

“I don’t think we can go any further. The surroundings were grown to conceal it from anyone.” Lloyd explained as the ship stopped and hovered. From the looks of it, the foliage was twice as thick as the ones they had in his original timeline. ‘ Maybe it reduced gradually as time passed.’

“Lloyd is indeed correct.” Zane was suddenly behind him.”If it wasn’t for his familiarity with this place, we wouldn’t know it was there.”

The protective layer of plants on the temple was strong and intact, it could’ve fooled Lloyd too.

 

Silence fell on the Bounty. The wind blew smoothly and the birds sang softly. It was peaceful. It was calm.

It was then Lloyd recognized the feeling. A calm before the storm. 

Could this be his way back? 

FSM knows how much Lloyd's heart aches to see his family again.

Looking behind him, Lloyd realized he would also need to say goodbye to this version of the family he got attached to along the way.

But he won't regret it if this was his last day here. Seriously, the tea aging incident would, in theory, happen tomorrow . And he didn't want to be present when it did occur.

 

"I don't know if I'll see you guys after this,” He said out loud before he changed his mind. “This may be my last moment in this timeline." He couldn’t help but slip some sadness into his words.

They all turned to him. Their faces hold a mixture of shared sadness and determination.

"We're grateful to have met you," Zane said, offering a soft smile.

"You turned out just fine," Kai came forward and ruffled his hair. Lloyd laughed in surprise, "I'm gonna miss all of you," he confessed. Not them in general, but this version of them. The version where they were young and carefree, a version not as tired as his. 

"Miss us?” Kai looked at him incredulously. “Wherever you go, we're always with you." he finished, which earned a snort from Cole.

“Wow, never thought of you as sentimental,” He joked.

“I meant our older selves,” Kai replied.

“But that too,” he muttered slowly. Lloyd smiled as he heard, this version of Kai wasn’t as open as his, at least not yet. But the big warm heart was there. 

“Besides,” Kai added. “It's like what Master Wu said, ’Endings are…" Lloyd lifted his brow in amusement. He knew what Kai was trying to quote. "...beginnings’?”

“No, no,” Jay interjected without missing a beat. “it’s ‘Endings are not…uh..endings….’”

“-Endings are never really endings, only new beginnings.” Master Wu’s voice carried through the deck with the confidence, warmth, and wisdom that only time can provide.

“Master Wu,” Lloyd greeted. The master descended the stairs that led to the control room. Nya, just behind him. “I am glad to have met this version of you.” He said, saying his goodbye as well. “You turned out to be a fine man. You have done well for Ninjago, and you continue to do so. And for that, I am proud, nephew.” Master Wu placed his hand on Lloyd's shoulder and smiled kindly.

“Thank you, Master.” Lloyd offered his smile and bowed in return.

 

“So…” a scratchy voice interrupted the silence. “What's the plan?" 

Now that they said their goodbyes, it's time to focus on the mission.

Lloyd faced his younger self, "Kid, You know what to do…" he trailed off.

"Find Pythor, get to the staff, and destroy it, right?" Kid Lloyd recounted.

“That's right. Once the staff is destroyed, my powers will return and I'll come to join you.” Lloyd reassured his younger self.

Kid Lloyd nodded as Kai perked up from the side. "What's Pythor even doing here anyways?" He asked.

Lloyd frowned in thought, "I don't know, but whatever it is, it's not good."

Jay gasped suddenly, "What if Pythor's trying to travel somewhere in time?!" He jostled Kai's shoulder as he exclaimed.

"That's ridiculous," Lloyd answered. "I don't think you can activate the temple without using all of the elements of creation."

The ninjas shared a look before staring back at him.

"What?" Lloyd asked.

"But isn't your power all of them combined..?" Cole offered.

"That's-" He paused. 

"N-no... I- it's complicated." Lloyd concluded. He didn't want to explain the whole 'Golden master stole my powers' scenario he had to go through. 

"All I know is that the power he stole was the element of energy." The ninjas once again exchanged uncertain looks but seized to ask more. 'Thank FSM for that,'

"Maybe it has something to do with vengestone." Kid Lloyd's raspy voice suggested.

Lloyd stilled at the rather familiar name. "Vengestone?" Both he and Nya asked at the same time.

"Umm, yeah. They were mining those stones. And, uh, there were a lot of them."

"That's- no…" Lloyd rubbed his hands on his chin, thinking. "not good…" He muttered.

"Uhm, context..?" Jay asked.

"Vengestones are stones that could negate and neutralize our elemental powers when nearby." 

"That doesn't sound good," Cole commented.

Lloyd nodded in agreement, "If it has something to do with vengestone then you guys have to get moving." he concluded.

"You're right. We've wasted enough time already, let's get moving." Kai beckoned.

 

The branches snapped beneath them as the anchor was released. Cole and Zane were the first who slid down the ropes, landing with the crunch of dried leaves beneath them. "Let's go, Lloyd," Kai beckoned Kid Lloyd, Jay just behind him.

"We can do this," Jay clasped a hand on the kid's shoulder as he noticed his trembling frame. "Don't worry" He was always the one who kept the team's positivity up.

His words seem to do just that as a small smile made its way to Kid Lloyd's lips. He took a deep breath and grasped the rope.

His heart hammered in his chest as he slid down.

 

--

 

They stood in front of a large set of doors. It was stone solid and old but was ajar. Only a few inches opened but it was enough to tell them someone was inside.

Kid Lloyd's heart hammered in his chest. 'Find Pythor, destroy the staff' He repeated in his mind like a mantra. 

The ancient doors opened with little resistance. The light poured into the halls, illuminating the complex markings on the pillars and walls. The markings were round and dynamic, some even looked like stylized planets and stars.

"It definitely looks bigger on the inside." Jay gaped.

"And the hallway looks endless," Cole muttered, pointing to the other end of the hall, which when kid Lloyd turned to see, did look infinite. But wait…

There was a speck of light at the end of the halls. Barely visible with the front doors open.

"Wait! Close the doors," Kid Lloyd said. 

"And trap ourselves, are you crazy?" Kai raised his eyebrows at him. 

"I think Lloyd is onto something," Zane said neutrally. He pushed on the door to close it slightly and turned back to the halls. "There's a light down there, looks like it's coming from the left side."

 "Remember guys, there are snakes here. Exercise caution." Cole reminded them.

 

The silence was loud. Anticipation clung to the air. 

They sneaked towards the light. Cole in front took the lead and Kid Lloyd and the others were just behind him. There was no sound but the faint steppings on the stone.

 

And then they heard them.

CLANG!

"Careful with that!" A serpent admonished.

They stilled at the snake's hiss. Cole turned back and gestured for them to be silent. They rounded a corner and hid behind some loose rocks.

The hallway opened to a round spacious room. Four pillars stood around a circular metallic frame in the middle.

Kid Lloyd squeezed beside Cole to get a better view of the room.

The whole place would've been spectacular to look at if it wasn't for the snakes that were all over the place. They were pushing wagons of rocks with yellow veins.

Kid Lloyd's eyes widened as he realized, "Guys, I think that's the-"

"NINJAS!!"

They turned their heads fast to see a hypnobrai yelling and pointing at them.

"Aw come on!" Cole complained, taking up a stance and gripping the weapon that was attached behind him.

"I told you to watch our flanks!" Kid Lloyd heard Kai say.

"How was I- You only gave me the side-eye!" Jay shot back.

"Now is not the time to argue," Zane said, already up and armed, ready to fight.

The serpentine attacked and Kid Lloyd has never felt so useless. He should've grabbed a katana or dagger back on the Bounty when he had the chance. He flexed his fingers, remembering his powers. 

"Find Pythor, destroy the staff ." His older counterpart's voice echoed in his mind.

'Right,... No time to fight.' No snake was attacking him anyways. They were focused on the others. Kid Lloyd took that opportunity to run to the middle.

 

Cole and Zane were on the far side of the room where there was another hallway that leads to FSM knows where. And Kai and Jay were near the way they came in.

And Kid Lloyd was yet to find the malicious white-scaled serpent.

"Hisss"

Well, speaking of the devil-

Pythor stood near the metal frame, eyeing the battle. "Give up now, I will triumph!" He boasted.

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Kid Lloyd pushed through and ended up directly across Pythor. Like a one-on-one battle.

"Oh it's you , you're alive," Pythor said boringly like he wasn't surprised. 

"We both are! And we're gonna stop you!" Kid Lloyd countered.

Pythor narrowed his eyes and hissed with so much frustration you could feel the anger vibrating from his scales. "You think YOU and your MULTICOLORED FRIENDS could stop ME?!!" He exclaimed incredulously.

The white serpent aimed the tip of his spear toward the kid.

Kid Lloyd swallowed his fear and kept his feet rooted. "Whatever you're planning, it won't work." He said, shifting his feet, unsure if he should engage.

Pythor must've seen his hesitation for he loosened his grip. "There's a reason why the green ninja was able to travel here." He trailed.

'He had his friends.' Kid Lloyd's mind quickly countered.

"Time travel is tricky…" Pythor started, "But with this power,-" -He swiped and raised the chronosteel weapon- "-I can do exactly that!" And green energy burst from the tip and rushed towards the metal frame.

Pythor turned his back to him as it did like he wasn't much of a threat. Which is really insulting!

The energy struck the frame with a loud snap, illuminating the whole room with a yellow-green light.

"You're wrong!!" Kid Lloyd said shouting. "The element of energy alone can't open it-"

The light brightened and flashed for a millisecond. It dimmed immediately...

Then the portal lit up…

Kid Lloyd nearly double takes. ' Wait a minute-'

"HAH! Would you look at that, It worked!" Pythor boasted incredulously. "Now, GO!"

The ninjas were left to gape at the event. Kid Lloyd was still rooted in his place.

'But Lloyd said…

...well, whatever Lloyd said, he was wrong.'

 

"What are you doing you fool! I said go! START MOVING!" Pythor shouted to the snakes.

 

And that snapped Kid Lloyd out of his shock. "NO!" He leaped without thinking and landed near the white snake. Though he didn't plan on fighting Pythor head-on, he couldn't help the rise of confidence within him.

"Silly child, you should fear me!" Pythor hissed in annoyance. 

"Fear?" Kid Lloyd smirked, "Fear is not a word from where I came from!" With a shout, Kid Lloyd tackles the white serpent, pushing both of them into the portal.

 

Oof!

 

--

 

…But he didn't have time to comment as something suddenly barreled through him.

 

Going through a portal was not as he expected. A low hum and high ping echoed through his eardrums. And going through the other side was like surfacing from the water.

"AH!" Someone yelped as their surroundings changed.

 

They crashed into something warm...or rather, someone.

 

The body unceremoniously flopped against the hard rock floor as kid Lloyd crashed on him. His first thought being, 'it was warm'.

“Lloyd?!” The voice cracked. It sounded confused and scared. He opened his eyes and was locked with dark red ones. 'Kai ' He realized, ' Did he come with me?' It didn't make sense, Kai was across the room fighting with the others when the portal activated. 

A hiss behind him snapped him back into the present. 

"Pythor!" Everyone shouted...wait, everyone?

 

--

SLASH!

 

BLOCK! PARRY!

 

Kai could only groan in frustration as Kid Lloyd once again disappeared from his view. 

Kai parried another serpent and kicked their chest, which sent them flying back. At that moment he heard Kid Lloyd shout, and the portal flickered.

"What happened??!" He asked Jay.

The blue ninja turned, "Lloyd and Pythor just went through the portal!"

"They WHAT?!" 

 

"-Guys! A few are getting away!!"

 

--

 

"Pythor!" Everyone shouted.

The thoughts in kid Lloyd's head suddenly clicked into place. He and Pythor went through the portal! That only means-

"KAI?!" Kid Lloyd shouted, still clutching the red ninja he barged into.

"Lloyd?" A familiar voice coming from a girl holding a glove-like weapon asked.

Kid Lloyd squinted, "Nya?" he guessed.

"Lloyd??"

"Jay?"

"LLOYD!" Kai surged suddenly and tackled him to the side.

"BRAT!!" He heard Pythor shout. 

Kid Lloyd turned to look just in time to see him narrowly missing getting impaled by the serpent's brandished spear.

"Lloyd! Are you alright?" Kai asked, seemingly over the shock of seeing him. Kid Lloyd stuttered in response. Everyone calling his name made him feel a bit disoriented. He shook his head to clear his mind.

Kid Lloyd stared at the older version of Kai for a second, "It's you, it really is you!" This version of Kai seems to have faded scars on his face and much longer hair.

"As much as I love this reunion, snakes are pouring out of the portal!" Jay yelled out. Breaking the stillness of their shock.

"They're transporting vengestone!" Zane pointed out, already blasting ice at them.

"I'll head back to the Bounty to put this away," Nya said, gesturing to the glowing glove she wore. "It's too dangerous to keep it here."

"Go, we'll stop them." Cole agreed.

 

Kid Lloyd froze once again to process their looks. 

Nya was different...very different. She grew out her hair and wears a completely different color of attire. Her clothing was almost like a Ninja's gi…

Jay's hair turned all curly near the ends and had freckles now, but he's still Jay.

Zane was shiny! Silver even. And his eyes glow.

Cole was the one with the least changes though.

The crazy part was that they were all wielding elemental powers! Well except Nya...

 

"HAHAHA, YOU'RE TOO LATE!"

Kid Lloyd blinked, he must've missed some of the action. Pythor was boasting once again. 

Kid Lloyd looked around to see Kai still standing near him, fire in his hands.

The rest of the ninjas were scattered across the room. And yet the snakes kept pouring in. Seriously, where did they come from?

A shine from his right caught kid Lloyd's eye, he turned quickly and gasped as he saw a tail vanish into the hallway.

Kai glanced at him and followed his gaze. His eyes widened, "Some of them are getting away! We'll have to chase after them!" He told the others.

"But the hallways are like a maze! We'll never find all of them." Jay replied.

"Well, at least do something!"

 

'Find Pythor, destroy the staff.'

 

Kid Lloyd gasped as he remembered again. His older counterpart, the one that belonged to this timeline, must've been waiting on the Bounty this whole time. "I know what to do!" '...destroy the staff!'

 

"Wait, kid-"

 

Kid Lloyd sprinted across the vast room, sliding and dodging through the snakes. A constrictai jumped in front of him, blocking his way. The serpent swung his sword high and brought it down on him. 

"AH!" Kid Lloyd closed his eyes and thrust his hands forward on impulse. He opened his eyes to see the snake knocked out after hitting the wall. 'Woah, I did that.' He marveled . He shook himself and sprinted with one goal in mind. 

He was close.

Pythor hissed and frowned, his back facing Kid Lloyd. He sees Pythor raising the staff to use the element of energy against the ninjas. 

He saw the opportunity, and he took it.

"AHH" Kid Lloyd jumped as high as his legs could take him, and clutched and pulled the chronosteel weapon away from the snake.

He rolled on landing. And when he landed kneeling on the ground, He reeled back and slammed the staff down with all his might. 

SMASH!

It shined bright green before evaporating into nothing. Kid Lloyd was blinded for a second. He blinked and looked down to see the broken fragments of what once was a powerful staff. 

"FOOL!" Pythor slithered angrily towards him. "That was the only thing keeping the portal stable!" As if on cue, the portal started to flicker. A look of uncertainty passed on the snake's face for a millisecond.

But it quickly morphed into cold sharp anger.

"Everywhere I go. Every plan I make," Pythor stressed out his words. "YOU always come and mess things up!"

"I won't make the same mistake as my counterpart in your timeline." 

Kid Lloyd didn't like where this was going.

 

"He should've killed you when he had the chance!" 

 

At this point, kid Lloyd was slowly backing away as Pythor stalks forward. This version of Pythor was truly something more dangerous, more vicious than the one he met.

Kid Lloyd's back hits the metal frame and his eyes dart to find a way out of this situation. He could try to blast Pythor with energy, but he's afraid he can't control the element; That always seemed to happen when Pythor was around.

Plus, his older counterpart only taught him how to track the energy!

"YOUR LIFE ENDS HERE, CHILD!"

Pythor raises his claws, bares his fangs, and leaps.

Kid Lloyd thought he was a goner until something bright shoots out from the portal, slamming Pythor square in the chest.

Kid Lloyd gasps in surprise as the bright thing spun, it was spinjitzu. Then the particles dissolved revealing a familiar-looking blonde.

 

"I hope I'm not late to the party." His older counterpart stated.

 

Kid Lloyd could only gape in surprise, "You're here!" His eyes were no longer crimson red. Instead, his older counterpart's eyes shone bright green.

"Lloyd!" Kai ran towards them and engulfed the older Lloyd with a hug. 

"Kai!" He pats the red ninja on his back.

"We're gonna need an explanation later," Kai said. 

Lloyd nodded, "It's a long story. Where are the others?" 

"Nya's out on the Bounty; Jay and Zane are chasing the others that got away-"

"Guys, Pythor!" kid Lloyd interrupted.

 

Lloyd only saw a glimpse of Pythor’s tail before he disappeared beyond the main room’s gates. He grunted in annoyance. “I’ll chase after him-” he said same time as kid Lloyd volunteered, "we'll stop them from getting through-"

They stopped, his older counterpart’s face showed amusement before returning to his seriousness. 

A hand was placed on Lloyd's shoulder. “Go,” Kai said. "We got this."

 

--

 

Lloyd sprinted through the ancient hallways of the temple. He ended up just outside the main stone doors, barely catching sight of the white serpent. 

Pythor seemed to have grabbed a sword from the debris and slithered outside through the dense foliage that hid the temple. Lloyd pursued just behind him. 

 

Once Lloyd caught up, he blasted around where Pythor was heading, hoping to block his escape.

Furious, Pythor turned around and hissed. "YOU!"

"Yep," Lloyd replied.

 

Pythor swung his sword at him, which was easily deflected. They went like that for a few moments. Attacking and deflecting, back and forth.

Their swords clashed in the middle and locked in place. Both shook with the pushed force.

"Why are you transporting vengestone ??" Lloyd breathed out. "Why go through all this trouble!" He exclaimed.

Pythor merely chuckled, "That's for me to know and you to find out!" He pushed and their swords slid free. The momentum tipped Lloyd a little off balance and he had to step back to regain footing. Pythor, on the other hand, took the opportunity to slither back and put distance between them.

"As much as I would love to boast about my genius plans, you'll have to wait another year," he teased, promptly turning invincible.

"You're not getting away that easily!!" 

Despite not seeing where Pythor was, Lloyd aims his energy and blasts at where he thought the snake was.

The leaves on his right moved like someone was running through them. Lloyd quickly followed the invincible path. 

 

They reached a flowing river.

Lloyd slowed down and looked around. Suddenly, something slammed behind him which sent him tumbling to the ground. 

'Ow..' Lloyd winced.

 "Oh is your wound still mellow?" Pythor asked mockingly.

"It takes more than a stab to get rid of me," Lloyd said, getting up.

 

"Oh, I'll make sure to keep that in mind!" Pythor swung his sword again. Lloyd blocked the blow and twisted the sword out of the serpent's claws.

Pythor roared in frustration then quickly slithered away.

 

Lloyd powered up his hands with energy and aimed to knock Pythor off but the ground suddenly shook, changing his aim. The energy burst out and hit the large tree.

That blast, combined with the shaking of the ground, tipped the tree towards the river and fell. It anchored to another tree on the other side of the river, creating a vertically slanted bridge.

"Woah!" The shaking stopped immediately, "What was that?" Lloyd asked himself.

 

He sees Pythor rush to the bridge. "Oh no, you don't!" Lloyd sprinted just behind him. 

They were in the middle of the bridge when the ground shook once more. It shook both of them off balance. Lloyd nearly fell to the river. Luckily, he managed to grab a branch in time. Pythor, on the other hand, was hugging the log as it shook.

Lloyd pulled himself up and crouched on the log.

The shaking died down a bit but it was still there, preventing Lloyd from moving any closer.

"You think you're all powerful just because of a silly tea." Pythor seemed to have his tail curled on a branch to keep him from falling off the log.

"Deep inside, you're still that little boy kicked out from Darkleys." Pythor's voice rivaled the sounds of rushing water from the river below them.

"A heart too soft for this cruel world." He taunted endlessly.

"I'm not letting you get away this time!" Lloyd shouted, still struggling to maintain balance.

"But you CAN'T Lloyd!! " Pythor's grin widened, "It's either you catch ME! " He gestured proudly to himself. "And fight till one of us gives in," 

Pythor then leans forward and narrows his eyes at Lloyd.

 

"-or save your Family"  

 

Time seemed to slow down as Lloyd realized the weight of these choices. He could hear his heart racing inside his chest. In the quick silence, he heard the grumbling of stone. 'The Time Temple's unstable,' He realized.

 

'Live to fight another day' Master Wu's old words echoed in his mind. 

 

"What's it gonna be? " Pythor's voice cuts through his thoughts. 

 

--

 

"W-what's happening??" Kai asked, his voice shaking along with the ground.

"Earthquake?" Cole replied, uncertain.

"No, it's unstable!" Cole nearly jumped when he heard that young familiar voice. He forgot Lloyd's past self was here. This week can't get any weirder.

"What?" Kai asked the kid.

"When I destroyed the staff, the source of power on the other side was destroyed. That means…"

"-The portal is severing connections, but not in a proper way! Unstable power means-" Cole realized.

"-means the whole temple might come down on us!" Kai finished.

The quake stopped and they shared a look alarm for a second. The portal flickered again and a crack shined on the frame of the portal.

Cole quickly tapped his earpiece, "Nya, Jay, Zane, do you copy? Did you feel the quake?"

"We copy. We did. We're heading back now," Zane answered.

"Same here, I'm heading back as well," Nya added.

 

"Alright, looks like no more snakes are coming through," Cole sighed.

 

"What now?" Kai asked.

 

--

 

Lloyd was so caught up in his thoughts, he barely registered Pythor taunting him...again.

"-You're naive to think you could save everyone," The snake continued.

"Naive to think you could banish evil from this realm,"

"I am the Green Ninja." Lloyd finds himself speaking. "And I will do everything in my power to do so."

"OH REALLY? Then why is your father still roaming free? You don't even know where he is! Maybe he's off conquering a village, or lounging around in an apartment." 

Lloyd knew a bait when he heard it. He isn't as naive and reckless as he once was. So he replied softly,

"Maybe my heart is too soft. 

Maybe I care too much. 

And maybe I trust too easily." he breathed out slowly, standing up straight.

"But that's what makes me better. 

That's what makes me kind ."

 

Pythor huffs as if disgusted by his words.

 

Lloyd hardened his gaze, "You're wrong, you know. A lot has changed since the last time we've seen each other. I'm not the same Lloyd you fought on the Day of the Departed. "

 

"Darkness may rise time and again,"

But I'll keep fighting. Because a Ninja never quits ."

 

His calmness must've ticked Pythor off because he narrowed his eyes and roared.

"ARGHH THIS ISN'T THE END!!" Pythor shouted, his last effort to control the conversation. "You haven't seen the last of me, Lloyd! I will destroy you! And everyone who wronged me!!"

 

"Then I'll be waiting," Lloyd quipped back and swiftly turned away to head back to the temple. He couldn't afford it collapsing, the gang was still in there. Plus, it was probably too sacred to let it get destroyed. 

Lloyd heard Pythor shouts in frustration as he refused to get tempted into battle. Pythor's voice drowns in the background. He assumes Pythor is on his way to escape once more. He doubts the serpent would follow him back to the temple now that his plans have been foiled.

 

--

 

Lloyd entered the temple. For a place that had a battle a few moments earlier,  it was surprisingly empty. Looks like the serpents scurried away once they realized their plan failed.

He reached the main room, "Oh great, you're all here." he breathed out. Kai, Zane, Cole, Nya, Jay, and kid Lloyd were near the portal.

"What happened to Pythor?" His counterpart squeaked out. 

"He won't be a problem anymore, we-"

"AH!" They all shouted in surprise as the whole place shook again.

"We have to close the portal!" Zane announced. "If this keeps up, the whole temple might collapse.

 

Lloyd nodded and caught his younger self's elbow to help him stand up. "You have to stabilize it from the other side." He told the kid.

"If we do the sequence: hit the pillars with the four elements of creation, then energy in the middle, we might be able to detach the portals properly and not collapse the temple."

 

"But-but they don't have control over their elements…" Kid Lloyd pointed out.

 

"They do." There's no time to doubt now. It's either do or don't. " Power is never truly lost . You just gotta let them believe." Lloyd pointed out.

 

The place grumbled again. "He has to go now," Cole said.

Kid Lloyd nodded seriously, "Okay," He turned to look at them. "It's nice seeing you all," he said, walking back to the portal.

"Kid, don't forget...You don't have to follow in my footsteps....your timeline, your destiny." Lloyd said. 

 

"I won't,"

 

--

 

“Lloyd!” Kai shouts in relief as the kid emerges from the flickering portal. Kid Lloyd also felt relieved as they were all there.

"Guys! The-"

“-the snakes are retreating!” Cole shouted over him. 

"Guys!" He tried again. "We have to-"

"-If this keeps going, the whole place would collapse!" Zane said, warily looking up to the ceiling.

"We need-!" Kid Lloyd was losing patience now.

"What can we do?! I don't understand what's happening!" Jay panicked.

 

"GUYS LISTEN!" Kid Lloyd shouted, silencing them in shock.

"The portal is unstable so we have to close it properly!" He exclaimed. "Our counterparts are closing it at their end, now we have to do ours. But we have to do this together."

"Concentrate on your element and channel it to the pillars. Like this" He held his hand to one of the pillars. He looked back to the ninjas to find them staring at them, lost.

"Lloyd,..." Kai started. "We can't control our powers, remember?"

"You can, I believe you can."

 

"Older Lloyd said, 'power is never truly lost, ' He believed you guys can do it. And I do too, please, Trust me"

"Of course, we trust you Lloyd, but…"

The ground shook again but nobody reacted.

Kai hardened his gaze in determination. "I trust you Lloyd and If you say we can do it. Then why not give it a try." 

"I agree," Zane added, "there's no time to lose, we have to do it now."

"He's right!" Jay contributed.

"Okay," Cole relented. "take the lead Lloyd."

Kid Lloyd nodded, "Everyone to the pillars!" The four ninjas separated and assumed a stance on each side. Kid Lloyd stood rooted in the middle, in front of the shaking portal, and widened his feet apart.

He puts his hands together.

"Ready!"

 

“Don’t fight it, don’t chase it.”

His older counterpart’s words echoed in his mind. 

 

“Let it come to you, and let it flow through you.”

 

"All together now!"

 

--

 

"NOW!"

 

With a thrum, the glow of the portal brightened before letting out a wave of energy. The humming died down and the light disappeared.

...and the portal was closed.

 

They were all breathing heavily from the adrenaline. For a moment, it was only silence.

"Lloyd!"

The blonde turned his back from the portal frame only to be tackled by colorful ninjas.

"Ah!" Lloyd yelped as the ninjas surrounded him with their embrace. They lost balance and fell into a pile. "I missed you guys too." He chuckled, trying to hug all of them at once.

"Don't ever do that again," Nya said as she clutched harder into their embrace.

"Yeah, our little brother just disappeared on us!" Jay says incredulously.

"We were so worried! Especially Kai!" Cole added.

"Yeah. Umm... Sorry, next time I'll warn you when I decide to hop timelines again." Kai just rolled his eyes at him.

 

"I thought you shrunk when that brat version of you barged through me," Kai said jokingly.

"Can we talk about how weird that was!" Jay laughed

"Yeah, suddenly there was a really young Lloyd with us," Cole recalled.

Lloyd laughed, "You guys got it easy. Imagine my surprise when I saw all of your young faces." he teased.

They all laughed and loosened on the floor. That is until Lloyd's side suddenly ached, reminding him of his recent wound. "OW..Ow.." Lloyd winced out before his mind caught up with it. With all that's happened, it's rather easy to forget he almost died again.

"What? What's wrong?" Zane noticed first.

"Okay guys, give him some space." Nya stood grinning and offered a hand to help Lloyd up.

"Hold on, give me a minute." Lloyd sighed as he lay on the ground. The ground is stiff and dusty but he couldn't care less. All his exhaustion was finally catching up on him.

The rest of the ninjas were up and standing, staring down at him.

"Umm...Should we be worried..?" Cole questioned, unsure what to think of him sprawled on the ground.

'Yes,'  Lloyd thought. 'I fell off a dragon; I met the past versions of my mother and father; I got stabbed; Almost died again; And fought too many battles in one week.'

"I...I'm just tired," he said instead.

"I understand that ," Kai said.

"We're all tired. How about let's get back to the Bounty? This place still gives me the creeps." Jay suggested as Nya helped Lloyd up.

"No arguments here," Cole answered.

 

--

 

Back in the other timeline…

 

The light faded and the silence filled the temple. 

Kid Lloyd sneezed as he sat up. He blinked, “Cole, Kai?” he called out.

“Jay, Zane!”

The portal let out a wave of energy earlier which blasted the four ninjas into a corner.

“Ow..” Jay winced, then grunted. “Cole, get off me!”

All four of them start to stand up. Kid Lloyd spots them then sprints.

“Guys!” He jumps and tries to hug all of them. They all laughed as they tumbled to the ground again.

“I can’t believe that worked!” Cole said incredulously. He pats kid Lloyd on his back. “I guess you’re right, we do have power. We just have to find it.” 

“We’re sorry we ever doubted you kid,” Kai sat up and hastily patted kid Lloyd’s hair. “H-hey!” he laughed, trying to smooth his blonde hair.

Cole chuckled, “Let’s get back to the Bounty.”

 

“There they are!” Nya hollered. She waved at them from the Bounty. Kid Lloyd can’t help but feel like he missed a detail or two when he saw Nya from the other timeline. 

“I’m so glad you’re all safe.” She said as they boarded the Bounty.

“You have Lloyd to thank for that, he knew exactly what to do.” It took kid Lloyd a bit of a moment to realize Zane was referring to him. He blushed under the praise. 

“It was nothing,” he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. 

“Bask under the complement, green bean. You deserved it.” Kai mused.

 

“Everything alright Nya?” Jay asked, catching all of their attention. She looked hesitant now that they were all waiting for her to speak.

Master Wu emerged from the control room and descended the stairs.

“Should we tell them?” Nya looked up to Master Wu.

Wu nodded, “He needs to be stopped,”

 

Zane and Cole exchanged looks, “Who needs to be stopped?”

Nya sighed, “Sorry to cut the party short, but Lord Garmadon has been spotted in the museum .”

“You four need to head there.”

“The four..? What about Lloyd?” Kai asked.

“It’s even more dangerous to have Lloyd with you, now that he has access to half of his true potential. He has much to learn before he can fight with it.” Master Wu justified.

“But-”

“It’s okay guys,” Kid Lloyd interrupted. He’s grateful that they think he deserves to fight with them, but something tells him he’ll be needed when the time is right. He turned to Master Wu, “You’re right uncle. I don’t have proper control over my powers. I’ll stay in the Bounty.”

Master Wu nearly smiled at his mature response. “Thank you for understanding, nephew,” he said gratefully.

 

“Come on guys, this week ain’t done yet.”

 

“Just another day in Ninjago,” Jay added.

 

--

 

Back in the original timeline…

 

The ninjas walked in silence as they made their way to the Bounty. It's clear they were all exhausted. 

Lloyd finally has the chance to breathe out peacefully. Nothing was chasing them, nothing urgent was happening. He's so happy to be back.

He can't wait to return to the monastery and collapse on his bed and sleep all day.

He paused as he caught a glimpse of a yellow glow.

"I- is that a time blade?" ' What was it doing here?'

The Bounty's booster roared in the background as they lifted up. 

"Oh," Kai said lazily. "I'll tell ya later." He flapped his hand nonchalantly at him.

Lloyd eased up once he realized it wasn't a threat.

"We really are so glad you're safe, Lloyd," Cole said as he climbed up to the bridge of the Bounty.

"We did good." Lloyd praised.

"Yeah, we did," Kai agreed.

 

"Unfortunately,..." Zane interrupted. He clicked some buttons on the control panel. "Some of Pythor's associates were able to get an amount of vengestone through."

'Oh right, the vengestones .' Lloyd remembered.

"I'm sure we'll find them down the line," Cole reassured.

"Hmm" Lloyd hummed. "What about Pythor?"

"I've contacted the officials. They said the mayor dispatched a team. He couldn't have gone that far." Zane replied.

"Let's leave that up to them then,..." Kai said. "And let's get you home."

 

"Yeah, home…"

 

--

 

The wind was calm, and the sun was still up. It was the middle of the afternoon, almost noon even. Master Wu, Misako, and Pixal were already out in the courtyard before the Bounty could land. They dropped the anchor and ropes down. The Bounty powered down and the ninjas slid down the rope.

As soon as Lloyd touched the ground, he jogged toward them. "Mom! Uncle Wu!" And greeted them with a tight hug.

"Oh," Master Wu and Misako both said in surprise as they were not expecting it. Master Wu hasn’t heard Lloyd call him ‘uncle’ in so long.

"Are you okay?" Misako asked, pulling back to survey Lloyd.

“I’m okay,” Lloyd breathed out. Yeah, the wound he had was starting to throb. But that isn’t the point right now. He held her hands, "I just- I miss you," he answered.

Lloyd turned to look at all of them, "-all of you." He added.

 

“It’s good to have you back,” Master Wu said, gripping his nephew’s shoulder to convey his relief. Lloyd softened his gaze and Master Wu can’t help but be very curious as to what happened.

"I think now's a good time to explain what happened this past week." Kai interrupted. 

“Yeah, we are dying to hear it,” Nya agreed.

 

“How about we’ll have it over tea?” Master Wu suggested as he gestured for them to go inside.

“Sounds great, master,” Cole said before sprinting inside. “Dibs on the cookies!” his voice echoed out.

“HEY!” Jay shouted. “Leave some for me!”

“And me!” Kai added. 

The three of them sprinted, heading to the kitchen. “I’ll make sure they don’t destroy the cupboards.” Zane chuckled before jogging more calmly inside. Nya and Pixal just rolled their eyes at them.

 

“Boy do I have a story to tell, master,” Lloyd chuckled.

 

…

 

..

 

.

 

"YOU GOT- WHAT??!"

 

“I promise, I’m alright now.”

 

“Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, let me take a look at that wound!”

 

 

Notes:

Thank you all for reading! I appreciate and read every comment you guys leave <3

The epilogue is the next/last chapter :D

I'm not sure if I'll be writing more after this work, i got no idea at this moment XD

Chapter 13: Epilogue

Summary:

It's time to put the whole 'Time Temple mission' behind him

EPILOGUE

---

 

THUNDER! 

 

Lloyd woke up so fast he might've gotten whiplash.

"Quickly!" He heard someone shout beyond his doors. 

' What's happening?'

Lloyd's instincts kicked in as he burst out of the room and into the courtyard. His footsteps drown as the wind picks up.

“Guys!” He shouts out. Everything was dark, he couldn't find anyone. He looks up as purple lightning flashes and illuminates a slim body.

The tall creature dominates over him, slithering like a snake and roaring like thunder. Its eyes glowed and the rain crashed loudly in the background. 

 

For a long time, it stared at him. 

His stomach dropped and the feeling seized his heart. The same feeling he gets when he fails to protect Ninjago.

Lloyd covers his ears as the enormous serpent-like creature lets out a wrenching roar. 

' You can't defeat this and you can't protect them.'

He hears his own voice whispering in his mind as if all his fear, anxiety, and worries suddenly spoke to him.

“ YOU FAILED!"

He gasps and opens his eyes once more. This time he was greeted by the monastery. 

Gone was the dark storm. 

The loud thunders were replaced by the soft silence of the morning.

There were so many people, he noticed, all gathered around. Suddenly, it was bright, too bright . The sun was preventing Lloyd from seeing their faces. 

He strides to the front, where all of them are watching. Were they grieving?

Each step he took felt tiring. Like he was walking underwater.

He blinked and he was met with his own reflection. This time it was tinted with a purple hue. His self reflected off of a crystal-like surface. 'There's something special about the crystal'

If Lloyd could focus enough, he swore he saw something behind him. A silhouette grew behind him—a figure with horns.

And as quickly as it came, his surroundings changed. Everything faded and there was nothing but pitch-black darkness. 

"-That's just how the cookie crumbles…" a voice whispered. There were more voices, most of them incomprehensible.

"In order to defeat him, you must embrace-"

"Oni"

He felt his heart breaking again.

So much sadness…

 

" Don't you sense it? Can't you feel it?" the voice said.

 

"Something is coming," Lloyd found himself speaking.

He was talking with someone and yet he didn't know who.

His words left his mouth without control. "And I'm not ready,"

 

"This ends now,"

 

Lloyd gasped awake.

He lay there motionless as if he fell a thousand-foot drop and landed on his bed. His mind was spinning from the dream he just had. He quickly sat up and looked around, measuring whether he was still asleep or not. 'I really should talk to Master Wu about my dreams,' he thought. They were becoming more and more disturbing.

Lloyd moves to sit at the edge of his bed, remembering the events of the past days.

If it wasn't for the phantom pain in his abdomen, he would've thought the whole Time Temple fiasco was a dream.

It's still hard to grasp the idea of having alternative timelines.  

Kai even joked on their way back that maybe there's a timeline where the Ninjas never had powers. Lloyd smiled at the thought. If that were the case, they probably would rely heavily on their vehicles or mechs or whatever technological weapon they have.

Zane had said that there are infinite alternate realities. No matter how long Lloyd mulled over the idea. It still was a lot to swallow.

'Somewhere out there, I failed to protect Ninjago,'

He rubbed his temples then dragged his hand across his face.

The Time Temple mission was only yesterday. He slept the whole late afternoon till late morning and yet he still felt pretty tired.

They didn't know what happened to Pythor, whether he got caught by the police or not. Letting him go was the right thing to do though. He had no other choice.

 

Lloyd stood up and stretched. He grabbed his newly washed gi and changed clothes.

Aside from the uninvited nightmare-dream-vision thing, It was a nice day. It was calm and peaceful. He basked in it as he strode to the kitchen.

"I see you're finally awake," Nya greeted as soon as he stepped in. She was the only one there. And it looks like she just finished her chore.

"Who knew jumping through timelines can be so tiring," Lloyd joked, striding to the cupboards. He opened the cabinet and rummaged inside.

He found the box he was looking for and grabbed it. It was suspiciously light.

Lloyd took a look inside and frowned.

"No cookies?" He whispered to himself. 'Who puts back an empty box?'

"I think Jay took the last plate." Nya supplied from behind, seeing Lloyd's disappointment. 

Nya wiped the counter one last time and then disposed of the rag. She looked up and observed her young brother again. "How are you holding up?" She asked.

"Hmm?" Lloyd said distractedly as he looked around the cabinet, looking if there was another box.

"From what you told us, you've been through a lot in a few days," Nya added.

"I've been better," Lloyd admitted, subconsciously bringing his hand to touch his old stab wound. He stops rummaging through their kitchen and pauses to think.

He was about to turn around and leave to entertain himself with Prime Empire or something but then thought against it.

Nya saw his reluctance and waited in curiosity.

"Umm...I woke up from a nightmare or a vision...I don't know." He finally shared.

Nya blinked, she wasn't expecting that. "Wanna talk about it?" She offered.

Lloyd glanced at her, then back to the empty box in his hands. "Everything…" He sighs in frustration as the details of his dreams escape him. "I-it's so blurry."

"What's clear was what I felt. And I felt sad and angry ."

"Like I was losing someone or something," He ended.

Nya's gaze softened, "I may not know what your dreams meant, Lloyd, but I do know we'll do everything in our power not to lose anyone." she promised.

"Maybe talking to Master Wu would help,"

"Yeah,"

Maybe it was just his mind processing and reacting to the traumatic 'getting-stabbed' incident. Lloyd thought. He fiddled at the empty cookie box. ' But also, what if it wasn't.' 

'I don't want to lose anyone. I won't be able to forgive myself.'

The voices he heard from his dream were familiar, yet he couldn't place who.

Nya must've noticed his anxiety.

“I’ll always be here , Lloyd.” She said kindly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We all will,"

Lloyd turned around and leaned as Nya pulled him into a hug. He rested his forehead on her shoulder, grateful for the support. Through everything that’s happened, Nya was always there for him, an older sister looking out for him.

He can’t imagine ever losing her .

Lloyd could feel his worries start to disappear. Perhaps he was just overthinking.

 

"MY WALL!" 

Master Wu's voice echoed from outside.

Lloyd pulled back and they shared a curious look.

A smile made its way to Lloyd's face, "Any guess why Master Wu's yelling?" he asked, mood uplifting.

Nya shrugged, "Probably something Kai and Jay did."

Lloyd smiled at this, "Wanna check it out?"

Nya grinned in response, "You don't have to ask me twice,"

Both ninjas headed to the courtyard where another lesson awaited .

 

As long as we all stick together, everything’s gonna be okay.

…

 

..

 

.

 

.

 

..

 

…

A few months later…

"Okay," Pythor said unsurely as the bright multicolored smoke spilled into the atmosphere. 

It's been months since the time travel vengestone plan failed. Luckily, they were able to hide the stones in the forest. 

Now, Pythor was gathering the last of it.

 

Until the most unusual thing happened. 

"I didn't know there'd be a light show." He said sarcastically, rolling his sharp red eyes.

Smoke bombs, he observed. But it wasn't lethal, it was only for show.

"Wherever there are criminals," 

A teal-robed figure jumps out of the pastel smoke.

"-wherever there are convicts,"

Pythor watched as 5 of them revealed themselves. They wear an unusual color. Teal, Fuschia, Orange, Pink, and Yellow.

 "-wherever there are felons, you will find us!"

And they have a very long introduction.

"We are the New Ninja!-"

 

Pythor yawned mockingly, "-Are you guys done?" he cut off.

The teal one, who seems to be the leader, faltered for a second before shaking his head. He points his glowing blue blade at the serpent.

"You are under arrest, Pythor P. Chumsworth !"

"Hmm, persistent" Pythor commented, not really seeing the danger in the scenario.

"We never stopped looking." One of the 'new' ninjas replied, taking the comment as a question. "When the mayor asks, we deliver justice!" They boasted.

'The mayor,' Pythor thought in surprise. The mayor barely does anything for the city. Why now? 

"How did you know I'd be here today?" Pythor asked curiously.

Surprisingly and foolishly, they answered. "We found that vengestone and planted a tracker. Then we placed it back so- OOF!" The orange one elbowed the Fuschia. 

Pythor chuckled condescendingly, "Not very bright, are you?"

"Enough!" The teal one exclaimed. "You. Are. Under. Arrest."

"Yeah! Put your claws up and remain silent. I hope you enjoy your stay at Kryptarium Prison ."

 

"Hmmm," Pythor mused.

With many villains locked up behind the thick walls of the structure, maybe it wouldn't be too bad to be sent to Kryptarium Prison. 

Perhaps he can gather more intel inside their walls.

I'll just have to wait for a call.

His scaled lips stretched up into a grin as he raised up his claws. 

 

"Fine, boys, you've got me."

--

 

…

 

..

 

.

 

In another life,...

 

Flesh turned to bones.

The dust settled and parted.

The Grundle vanished,

And there stood the boy, 

“I’m...older,” he said with mixed emotions.

 

And Kai watched as everything clicked in place.

 

END

---

[BONUS] DELETED/UNUSED SCENES:

Chapter Eight 

• Lloyd hallucination fight..? (Oni moment). In addition to hallucinations, Lloyd was initially going to have mood swings.

Chapter Ten

• Lloyd and Krux fight in the museum. I removed it because it kind of doesn't have much of a purpose.
•  Kid Lloyd tells older Lloyd about his new friend, Harumi, during training on the Golden Peak.

Chapter Eleven

• Instead of Pythor's staff, the time blade was gonna be the one stabilizing the portal.

Epilogue

• Nya hides some cookies at the bottom cabinet and gives Lloyd some xD
• I was gonna include the first few dialogues of Lloyd from the 1st Core episode.
• Another villain introduced at the end. I didn't add that 'cause it will stray too far from canon.

 

 

Notes:

Aaaand it's done!

Thank you so much for reading this story! This is my first fanfic ever written so I never expected this to catch so much attention.

I have no idea what to write next, or IF ill write more. But i will be reading back the old chapters and improve them^^

Thanks again! <33