Darkness from Within #1: Twisted Paths (A Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 3

Annoyance glittered in Phil's gaze as he glared at the two in front of him. "Is that so?" he grumbled.

The first man snickered and raised his hand, slipping off his glove. "See this?" he inquired, pointing to his wrist.

Lloyd tipped his head curiously as he spotted some sort of black marking on the Baddie's wrist. It was a four-pointed crest of some kind with a scripted 'B' in the middle. Lloyd's eyes rounded as he noticed the mark was giving some sort of magical glow. What the...

But Phil and the others didn't seem the least surprised. "I see it," Phil grunted.

The man smirked. "Good, because pretty soon, you won't!"

That was what made Phil look surprised.

"He's right." The second man took off his own glove and put his hand up next to the first man's, revealing the exact same mark on his wrist. They wiggled their fingers. "Our bonds will be broken."

"Unlike you." The first man stepped forward and nudged Phil's hand, making his sleeve slightly roll up. Shock shot through Lloyd as he spotted the same black mark on Phil's wrist.

"Hey!" Phil exclaimed, covering his marking again.

The second man chuckled. "Good luck getting out of here," he sneered. "What are you—bound for life or something?"

The first man snickered and began walking away. "See you on the other side, Phil!" he called back not kindly.

The other man slipped his glove back on and raced after his friend.

Phil gritted his teeth and looked at the ground, hiding his expression. Lloyd furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. What was that all about? he wondered.

He came up to the bars. "Hey, who were those two guys?" he asked Phil.

Phil sighed as he straightened up again. "Simon and Harry," he replied bluntly. "The most irritating duo around here." He shuffled his feet. "Maybe it'll be better once they're gone," he muttered to himself.

As the two went silent, Lloyd's gaze drifted downward to Phil's wrist, where he could just see the beginning of his marking. "What's that?" he inquired all too curiously.

Phil stiffened and hid his hand behind his back. "Nothing," he told him. "Nothing at all."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "By the way those two talked about it, it doesn't sound like nothing," he pressed. When Phil didn't respond, Lloyd recalled Simon and Harry's words. "And what were they talking about a bond?"

Phil looked away.

Lloyd nudged his shoulder from through the bars. "Come on, you can tell me," he coaxed. "We're friends, aren't we?"

Phil gave a soft scoff. "Baddies don't have friends," he murmured.

"But you're not like the—" Lloyd cut himself off and bit his lip.

"The others?" Phil finished for him. He furrowed his eyebrows. "I can be," he growled. Then he sighed. "It's just... not really me."

"Then why do you even stay here?" Lloyd wondered. "You can find a better life, somewhere besides this gloomy place."

"Ah, so innocent," Phil breathed. He shook his head. "You don't understand. I can't just leave."

Lloyd studied him curiously. "What do you mean?"

Phil hesitated. After a long moment of silence, he drew out his hand again, revealing the black marking on his wrist. "Every Baddie has this marking," he began.