Work Text:
Death is something that sticks with you, even years after it happens. The feeling of having your life ripped away from you as your body falls apart piece by piece is not one you forget easily. So when the cause of said death is brought into your home and treated exclusively as a good thing by your entire family, it can be a terrifying experience.
The power of the golden armor was evident to everyone at the monastery, even those who were not holding it. It radiated the essence of creation, a presence that overtook and choked out everything around it. (It spread through his body like poison, the sheer force of it ripping the skin off of his hands.)
They were going to melt down and reforge the armor into the golden weapons it had originally been formed from. This was fine. Kai was an excellent blacksmith, and Zane was sure that the fire elemental would be able to handle himself just fine even working with such volatile material. But he couldn’t help but have his doubts.
The armor wasn’t just the original four weapons. It was the Megaweapon as well. The weapons were never meant to be combined like this- the force of eight golden weapons all at once was far too powerful for anyone to bear. Yet despite this, they were going to use all of the metal available. The new golden weapons would be twice as potent as the originals.
And that scared Zane more than the Oni themselves.
Garmadon carried the armor to the forge, being the only one who was able to hold the armor without any major repercussions. Kai followed shortly after, hands already smoldering as he prepared to melt the metal. Zane’s gaze followed the pair even long after they disappeared from his sight.
He couldn’t see the armor, but he could feel it. It felt the same as it had back then. An overwhelming presence, crawling over his skin and overpowering his senses. (His ears had stopped working, his auditory processors having overloaded. His left eye had fallen out of his face entirely, and his right was beginning to fracture. His skin burned with a sensation best described as concentrated agony.)
Zane unconsciously brought a hand to his face, tracing the line where the left side had broken off. Even in this new body, he still remembered exactly where it had been. It was like someone had poured liquid metal into an open wound, burning the flesh and forcing it further apart. The wound was still there, the metal slowly dripping out as it continued to burn, never solidifying. Never settling.
A gentle hand startled him out of his thoughts, quickly snapping his head around to see who it was. Sensei Wu had come to stand at his side, looking at his student with pale golden eyes full of understanding. His own creation power, much less overpowering and more like a comforting blanket, helped Zane divert his thoughts away from the armor. The old master cocked his head slightly towards the inside of the monastery, silently inviting the boy to talk. Zane met his teacher’s eyes, contemplating if he really wanted to talk about this, then gave a small nod in response.
—
The two had settled in Wu’s tea room, two steaming cups of the beverage sitting on the small table between them. One of Wu’s favorite blends (lavender, chamomile, and catnip leaves), Zane noted. It was a smooth flavor that did wonders for calming its drinker without any magical ingredients.
Zane took his cup and cradled it in his hands, the heat seeping through the porcelain into his titanium skin. Wu mirrored him, raising the cup to his lips to take a slow sip. The air, though filled with his sensei’s warm presence and the blissful scent of the tea, still carried a tension that had yet to be broken. Wu, upon noticing his student’s hesitance, decided to take the conversation into his own hands.
“It’s about the armor, isn’t it?” He asked, knowing the answer but still giving Zane the opportunity to respond.
Zane sighed, looking away, then closed his eyes and nodded. He raised his head slightly, as if to speak, but elected to drink from his small cup instead. Wu noticed this, deciding to press on slightly farther.
“How does its presence affect you?”
Zane set his cup down at the question, bringing his hands to his lap. They were still warm from the residual heat of his teacup, and he clasped them together as if to trap the heat. His eyebrows twitched slightly downwards as he contemplated how to word his response. After a moment, he brought his eyes up to meet Wu’s.
“It’s… overpowering. I can feel the energy emitting from it even now, when it’s nowhere near us. It feels the same way it did back then. Like it’s trying to consume me. It brings back emotions that I would prefer not to remember.” Zane explained, his voice wavering slightly as he fidgeted with his hands. He rubbed the pad of his thumb over the side of his pointer finger, a motion that didn’t work to soothe him very well.
Wu took another sip, then set his cup down as well. It clinked lightly against the wood, now holding significantly less liquid than Zane’s. He stared at it for a moment, then extended one hand across the table, his palm facing the ceiling. Zane, understanding what his teacher wanted, placed his own hand inside Wu’s. His hands, soft with age yet firm with callouses, gently gripped his student’s titanium fingers, which curled slightly in response.
“I know this is a difficult situation. If we weren’t in such extreme circumstances, none of us would ever go near the golden armor. But I assure you that I, my brother, and your teammates will do everything in our power to ensure that it is properly handled.” Wu spoke, meeting Zane’s eyes with his warm gaze. His words did not seem to quell the younger’s concerns, though.
“But what if something goes wrong? What if the weapons can’t handle their increased power? What if something happens to Kai as he’s handling the metal?” Zane can imagine it. Kai grabbing it to keep it in place as he hammers the weapon into shape, molten gold and blood erupting out of his body as the skin on his hands and forearms blisters and bubbles and burns off. His elemental power being overloaded to the point where he burns alive.
Wu seems to ponder the thought, seemingly imagining the same scenario as Zane. The silence doesn’t last long, though.
“Nothing like that is going to happen. The gold will only be handled in small quantities, not nearly enough to cause any sort of damage. The gold is resilient; adding more power won’t destroy the weapons if they’re forged correctly, which I can guarantee they will be. Kai is a skilled blacksmith, and he knows his way around dangerous materials. Garmadon will be there the whole time, ready to intervene if anything were to go wrong.” Wu brought his other hand to envelop Zane’s hand entirely, the contact evening out the temperatures of each other’s skin.
Zane visibly relaxed at this, staring down at where his hand was being held. He trusted Kai with his entire being, and while he didn’t grant nearly the same level of trust to Garmadon, he knew the warlord wasn’t stupid enough to ruin their best chance at victory. Still, the presence of the armor made his skin crawl, the only relief coming from the hands clasping his own.
Wu recognized Zane’s discomfort, and moved to stand up, taking his cup with him.
“You do not need to go anywhere near the forge until the weapons are completed. If you’d like, you can stay here and I’ll come get you when the time comes.”
Zane nodded, watching as his sensei exited through the sliding door. He sat there for a couple moments, just sitting and processing the conversation. He turned back to the table, where the teapot still sat. Pouring himself another cup, he savored the warm beverage and felt as the presence slowly faded.
—
A couple hours later, Wu knocked on the door. Zane stood quickly, having grown rather impatient. His joints squeaked slightly from being in one position for long, and he made a mental reminder to ensure they were thoroughly oiled if he had time before the Oni arrived. He quickly exited the room and followed Wu as they made their way back to the courtyard.
As Kai handed out the newly forged Golden Weapons, Zane couldn’t help but admire the craftsmanship. The detail, the design, even the weight was exactly as he remembered it. Wu had been right about Kai’s blacksmithing skills, not that there were ever any doubts.
“And the Scythe… the Scythe of Quakes.”
As Kai looked down at the weapon in his hands, his expression a mixture of grief and rage, Zane steeled his resolve. Gripping the Shurikens tighter, he looked around at his family. Every person here meant so much to him, more than he could ever put into words. He wouldn’t let any of them be destroyed as he once was.
He wasn’t going to lose anyone else today.
rainydayspells Tue 26 Aug 2025 07:13AM UTC
Comment Actions
bostrichidae Tue 26 Aug 2025 07:20PM UTC
Comment Actions