Greenflame--The Journey Beyond

Chapter 3

  Immediately after reassuring his friend, someone stepped inside the kitchen. He had glowing but transparent skin, his face lined with green patterns. He had murky black hair, a streak of green lining down the front. His eyes looked emotionless, and Lloyd froze, recognizing the boy immediately.

  "M-Morro?!" he exclaimed. It had been a few months since their last battle with the Preeminent and Morro being sent to the Cursed Realm once again, but he didn't expect him to be here, in the Bounty. Just seeing him here made shivers go down his spine, his legs shaking slightly. He still wasn't used to imagining Morro without an edge of fear seeping into his mind. The experience was a nightmare itself.

  Everyone in the room heard Lloyd's exclamation and immediately stood up and changed to their fighting stances, their faces contorted with rage when they saw Morro. Lloyd noticed that Kai's expression was one of pure anger, his brows knotted together, nose flaring.

  He remembered when Kai had continuously thought about the outcome of the situation he had been in. He'd been terrified of how he would've ended up, and ever since Lloyd was no longer in Morro's grasp, he was more protective of him than usual, always keeping an eye on him, especially when they'd faced any sort of danger. It sometimes annoyed Lloyd how much the eyes of his friend were plastered on his back, but he knew as well as any of the other ninja that it was an act of wanting to keep him safe.

  "Morro!" Cole spat, his teeth flashing. "What are you doing here?" Surprisingly, Lloyd noticed that Morro's expression wasn't one of vengeance, but... worry? Morro's ragged voice spoke up. "Wait, I'm not here to—"

  Nya cut him off. "Cut the act, Morro! After all that you've done, all the people you've hurt, all the damage you've caused! You better keep your mouth shut before I extinguish you with my element of water!" Lloyd was slightly taken aback from her harsh words. He knew how much of a warrior Nya was from the outside as well as on the inside, but he sometimes forgot how aggressive she could be when messing with people that were family to her.

  He looked over to Jay and Zane, their expressions fierce. Jay held Flame tighter than before. He knew that Morro was the one who had frightened her earlier, and he wasn't about to let it slip easily. Morro's dark eyes flashed a look of fear at Nya's outburst, but it vanished as quickly as it had come.

  Kai stepped forward. "After playing a dumb move of possessing Lloyd before, don't think that we've forgotten it just like that!" he nearly yelled. His voice was getting louder after each word. His right hand burst into flame, sparks of red and orange swirling around his palm. He balled his hand into a fist and pulled back, only to strike a hard blow directly at Morro's face. Seconds before it reached him, Morro brought his hands in front of his head and used his element of wind to prevent the force of Kai's punch, blowing out his fire in the process. "Would you all just listen?" he said, raising his voice so that everyone could hear.

  His hoarse voice rang in the silent room. There was a low growl coming from Kai's throat, his eyes wide with anger. He fought the urge to strike another blow, but his eyes remained on the boy who'd hurt his best friend. Lloyd watched with uneasiness as Morro stood straight, watching everyone in the room. He realized that Flame was hiding behind Jay now, looking terrified. Everyone told her some details about their battle against Morro and the Preeminent, but that wasn't enough for her to get the full depiction of him. "I'm not here to fight you," he said. "I'm here to warn you, to tell you about something I've seen." He looked over to Lloyd, his expression grim. "Lloyd, your uncle, Wu, he's been captured!"

  Suddenly, everyone's faces switched to surprise and anxiousness. "What? How? Sensei's gone on a month-long journey! Wherever he's gone, there aren't supposed to be any enemies!" Jay exclaimed. "Or, that's what we thought..."