The sun has begun to slip below the horizon by the time everyone regains their bearings. It casts long shadows across the walls of the canyon, staining the sky soft hues of red, orange, and pink. It's beautiful, like something out of a painting or a dream.
In the heart of the Corridor of Elders, the Elemental Alliance gathers. They're all sweating and panting like dogs as they recover from the events that have just transpired. Most of them have injuries that weren't there before: scars, scrapes, bruises, the works. One or two walk with a hint of a limp. Overall, though, nothing too severe has happened—certainly nothing that could contain their excitement. Whoops, cheers, and laughter echo far and wide throughout the canyon. High-fives, fist bumps, and hugs are given. Everyone pats each other on the back and congratulates one another.
"That. Was. AWESOME!" Taylor whoops as she bounces on her feet. "Did we show them or what?"
"I'd say we definitely did," Apollo smirks, violet eyes glinting in the dying sunlight. "Good work, everyone. That was pretty awesome, if I do say so myself."
"It was amazing getting to meet you all." Kira smiles as she gazes at her fellow Elementals. "Thank you so much for fighting with us. I hope we can keep in touch."
"Agreed! If you ever need our help in the future, just holler," Jay adds.
"You too, starboy," says Ivan. Jay chuckles at the nickname and rubs his shoulder, making him blush.
"Aww, so it's over?" Lemon pouts, folding her arms across her chest. "I was having so much fun!"
"Same here," Rose smiles shyly. "This might sound weird, but...well, even though we haven't known each other very long, I feel super attached to all of you. You're my friends, and I feel sad leaving you."
"Ditto," Katlain says. "I wish we hadn't spent so much time at each others' throats." Ray nods in agreement.
"Hey, all that is water under the bridge." Rain nudges her, tail wagging. "We're all friends now, right?" Everyone else murmurs in concurrence.
"So, um..." Razhai pipes up. Her gaze travels across the canyon, which has been trashed, to put it lightly. "Who's gonna clean up this mess?"
Silence falls over the group. Everyone looks at one another.
"Welp," Samuel sighs with a shrug. "Guess we're on cleaning duty."
The Elementals all share a laugh at their words before getting to work. They scatter across the place, still engaging in friendly conversation as they clean up the machinery and debris. Their allies join them, and soon, nearly half of Ninjago is pitching in. With their help, the cleaning process wraps up fairly quickly. When they finish, the Elemental Masters make their way to the top of the canyon, where a bonfire is formed thanks to Kai. Everyone gathers around it, letting the flames warm their skin as the chill of evening settles over them.
The Ninja, Nya, Misako, and Wu all hold cups of steaming tea, while Lloyd clutches Clouse's spell book. The presence of the object in his arms sends chills down his spine, like the book itself is pure evil.
"To the Anacondrai," says Kai. "The greatest warriors of their time."
"We thank you for your help." Kira's voice is soft, the bonfire casting shadows across her face. "Without you, this battle couldn't have been won."
"Yeah. And now, it's our turn to make our ancestors proud," adds Jay.
"Because we're proud of those who were here before us to show us the way," Lloyd says firmly. He hangs his head, a scant breath escaping him. "Goodbye, Father."
"His loss will affect us all," says Wu. His voice shakes, weighted with the emotion of losing his brother once again.
"Not his loss, his life." Misako's eyes glimmer with tears, her smile bittersweet, but her voice is still strong. "He made us stronger, and he brought us together."
The others murmur in agreement. Then, Lloyd takes over once more. "I am Lloyd Garmadon. Son of Lord Garmadon, student of Sensei Garmadon." He raises his chin, eyes shining in the dusk. "He made me who I am today. He was my father. He was my adversary. But in the end, he was my friend."
"Because of him, we will live to see tomorrow," adds Zane.
"And for every tomorrow, we'll live to honor him," Kai seconds.
"And because of Garmadon, we'll be ready for whatever comes next!" says Jay.
"Skeletons, snakes, Nindroids, and Anacondrai wannabes." Cole grins. "If they can't stop us, what can?"
"That's for tomorrow to decide," says Lloyd. "Today, we say goodbye to a legend."
Every pair of eyes looks to him. The blonde takes a deep breath, his gaze flickering to the book in his arms. Kira presses against him. He looks to her, she nods, and that's all the confirmation he needs. The Green Ninja raises the spell book above his head, and with one final exhale, hurls it into the fire. The group cheers as the pages are devoured by hungry flames, never to be seen or used again.
"Good riddiance," Rain mutters under her breath.
A few moments of silence follow. Everyone bows their heads, paying their final respects to the fallen Sensei. It's odd, really. Normally, the silence during a memorial is deafening and lonely. Here, though, it's welcome and rather comforting. Everyone stands together as friends, as a family. They all find comfort in the fact that they aren't grieving alone.
"Well, that was sad," Lemon says after a while.
"Aaaaand...moment over," Apollo mumbles.
"Ah, it's alright. No one wants to stay sad forever." Kai's amber eyes glint with a hint of excitement. "Hey, we've already got something going here. Anyone up for a bonfire?"
Samuel's brows raise. "I'm down." Everyone else nods eagerly.
"Jay, could you fly me up to the Bounty?" Nya asks the blue ninja. "I think we have supplies for s'mores in the kitchen."
"Absolutely."
——————————
Before long, the evening buzzes with laughter and life. There's a warm, fuzzy feeling glowing in everyone's hearts, and it's not just from the bonfire. Surrounded by friends and camaraderie, they all feel as if they're among family. They choose not to mourn the loss of Garmadon—rather, they celebrate his life. After all, it's because of him that they're here now.
Zane has returned to his status as the team's resident cook, whipping up a dozen s'mores a minute. He hands them to Kai, who melts the marshmallows and chocolate with his fire before handing them out to everyone else. The Titanium Ninja watches with a mile-wide smile, happy to be among friends once more. Even Pixal is happy in his head.
Melody and Apollo sit side-by-side. Apollo munches on a s'more while Melody plays her violin, humming along with it softly. The tune drifts into the evening air, simple yet beautiful, like a pleasant lullaby.
"Beautiful," the master of void remarks, grinning at her.
"Are you talking about my music or me?"
They wink. "Open to interpretation."
Melody rolls her eyes, but she's blushing as she continues to play.
"Sounding good, Mel!" Cole remarks as he walks past. He moves to stand by Razhai, who sits beside the fire nearby, and offers her a s'more.
"For me?" she asks shyly.
"'Course." He grins at her. "Come on, don't let perfectly good food go to waste!"
Razhai smiles and takes the s'more, taking a bite as he sits down beside her. Her crimson eyes instantly light up. "Oh wow, this is good."
"Duh! When is food not good?"
That makes her laugh, which makes him chortle, too. They keep each other entertained for the rest of the evening, a testament to how their friendship has blossomed in just a few days.
Jay, Taylor, Rose, Ivan, and Samuel sit in a circle around the fire. Jay and Taylor are locked in the world's most intense joke battle, trying desperately to out-pun the other while their friends judge.
"Okay, okay, how 'bout this one?" says Jay. "What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta!"
"Sorry, starboy, but that was awful." Ivan laughs and shakes his head. "Taylor, please tell me you can do better."
"Oh, I can. Okay, two muffins are sitting in an oven. One turns to the other and says 'wow, it's pretty hot in here'. The other says, "holy crap, a talking muffin!'."
"Yeah...think I liked Taylor's better," Rose admits, causing Jay to pout and Taylor to smirk. She's holding Noodle, who seems quite content in her hand, coiled gently around her fingers.
"Wow, he really likes you," Samuel remarks.
Her face flushes pink. "Well, I am a sucker for small animals."
Rain trots past them in wolf form, making Jay flinch. She notices and inches closer, a playful gleam in her eyes. The blue ninja swallows. "Um...g-good wolfie," he stammers, reaching out to give her ears a tentative scratch. To his surprise, he finds himself relaxing—her fur is surprisingly soft. Rain lets out a barking laugh, tail wagging as she returns to humanoid form and saunters off. She moves to join Ray, who waves hello and offers her an extra s'more. She accepts, smiling gratefully as she sits down beside them.
"Hey, I never got to tell you," Lemon says as she and Katlain chow down on their own s'mores. "I think you fought really bravely. In the Tournament, and in the battle."
"Thank you." Katlain smiles, black eyes glinting in the light of the fire. "You know, I came here to prove people wrong about me. But honestly? I think this Tournament has shown me that I don't have to prove myself to anyone."
"Aww, that's amazing! I'm proud of you, girly."
"Thanks, Lem. You did amazing, too."
She giggles and rubs at her neck. "I tried, heh."
Wu and Misako sit together at the edge of the cliff as the evening progresses, gazes fixed on the sunset. Both their hearts are heavy, aching from the loss of their brother and husband respectively. Still, their smiles are bittersweet, their minds wondering if they'll ever be reunited.
Meanwhile, the Green Ninja sits alone.
He huddles behind a large rock away from the bonfire, knees tucked into his chest as his lip quivers. This moment is supposed to be one of celebration, and yet the laughter and conversation of the others is just noise to him. All he really hears are the last words of his father, playing over and over again in his head in a haunting echo.
"I never realized I already had, in you."
He sniffles and hugs himself tighter, fighting back a fresh wave of tears. He should've been used to this by now. With all the other times his father has appeared and left his life just as quickly, slipped between his fingers like sand, he should've known destiny wouldn't have allowed him to stay.
Still...he'd hoped this time would be different. A foolish hope maybe, but he'd hoped nonetheless.
It's not fair, is all he can think as he buries his face in his knees. It's not fair. It's not fair. It's not fair.
He continues to sit alone as the evening goes on. After what feels like forever, he tenses, but doesn't look up at the sound of footsteps close by.
"Hey, you." Kira kneels beside him, her gaze soft. "I've been looking for you."
"Found me," he mumbles.
His girlfriend wilts, knowing all too well how he's feeling. Her mind flashes with images of her own father, someone she's never known and never will, and tries not to think about how badly it stings. "I know it hurts," she murmurs, shuffling closer to him. "Trust me, I've been there."
Lloyd finally looks up at her, eyes red and puffy. "I don't wanna talk about it anymore."
"I understand."
They sit in silence for a few moments, listening to the sounds of the celebration around them.
"You never told me," Lloyd says after a while. "When Chen and Clouse got you, back on the island...what happened?"
Kira swallows and bites her lip. "Clouse...made me see things," she says quietly. "With his magic."
"What things?"
"You." She shudders, a haunted look in her eyes. "You were destroyed. Gone, just like that, your body shattered into bits of blue crystal. I tried to rebuild you, and, well..." She trails off, sniffling a bit, and Lloyd catches the hint.
"Well, I'm here," he tells her gently. "And I'm not broken. Not physically, at least."
A puff of air leaves Kira's lips. "Sounds like we're both a little messed up. Come on, what do you say we join others? I'm sure some company will help." She stands, but the blonde hesitates, swiping at his eyes.
"Look around you, Lloyd," Kira says, gesturing to the bonfire. "You're among family, and they're only here for so long. Do you really wanna pass that up?" Lloyd looks around. He sees the smiling faces of his friends, hears their laughter and cheerful voices mingling with one another, and can't help but feel a little lighter.
He may have lost one member of his family, but that doesn't mean he can't appreciate the other members while they're still here.
He smiles and takes her hand.
Kira giggles and helps him to his feet, and they join the rest of the group hand-in-hand, choosing to sit with Ray and Rain. The wolf-eagle's tail wags as as Lloyd approaches and she stands to give him a hug, which he happily returns. Ray smiles at his friend as he and Kira settle down beside him, offering them both s'mores. They take them eagerly, content to eat and converse with their friends for the time being.
Everyone spends the rest of their evening in good spirits, their worries forgotten for a blissful few hours. All thoughts of Tournaments, evil old masters, sorcerers, and Anacondrai have disappeared, never to resurge again. All that's left now is to enjoy one anothers' company while they still can.
The sun is setting on today, and when it rises again, so will they.