Cold to the core

Chapter 10: Chained and restrained

The monastery was quiet.

Too quiet.

The usual hum of conversation, the distant sound of training, even the subtle background noise of Zane moving around—it was gone.

And it was wrong.

Jay paced back and forth in the main room, his jaw tight. "We need to talk about this."

"What is there to talk about?" Nya muttered, arms crossed. "He nearly killed the Mechanic. Killed. You saw it, Jay!"

"And what if he had?" Cole snapped, glaring at him. "Would you have blamed him? Because honestly, I wouldn't."

"That's not the point," Lloyd interrupted, his voice lower, heavier. "The point is, that wasn't Zane out there. That was..." He hesitated, trying to find the right word. "Someone else."

"Someone who's losing control," kai finished quietly.

They all fell silent.

Lloyd ran a hand through his hair. "We should've seen it sooner. He's been off for weeks."

"We did see it," Nya said bitterly. "We just didn't listen."
A heavier silence followed.

Wu exhaled, eyes closed in thought. "I failed him."

The words were quiet, but they hit harder than anything else.
"No," Lloyd said firmly. "We all did."

They had spent so much time watching Zane, judging him, trying to figure out what was wrong—

And yet not once had they asked.

Not once had they been there.

And now?

Now, Zane had locked himself away.
And none of them knew how to fix it.

"We have to talk to him," Lloyd said, standing at Zane's door.

"Talk?" Kai scoffed. "What if he snaps again?"

"What else are we supposed to do, Kai? Ignore him until he shuts down?"

"We can't just—"
"Enough."* Wu's voice was final. "Zane is in pain. But if he is truly losing control... we must take precautions."

The words felt wrong.

The idea of treating Zane like a threat—like an enemy—twisted something in their stomachs

But what choice did they have?

Slowly, he reached for the door handle.
It wasn't locked.

The door creaked open.

Zane was sitting on the floor, exactly where they had left him. His head was lowered, his posture unmoving.

He didn't react when they stepped in.

Didn't look up.
Didn't even flinch.

Lloyd's heart clenched. "Zane..."
Still, nothing.
"I'm sorry."

Zane did react to that. A slow blink. A flicker of recognition in his eyes.
And then—

"No, you're not."His voice was flat. Emotionless. "You fear me."
Jay swallowed. "That's not—"

"Do not lie to me."*

Something in his voice made them all tense.
And then—

"Now."* Wu's command came swift.
They moved fast.

Zane's head snapped up too late. He barely had time to react before Lloyd and Cole grabbed him, Kai striking fast with a pressure point hit to his neck.