Nya slowly opened her eyes, her vision still fuzzy from being knocked out cold.
"Nya, are you all right?" Garmadon asked by her side, in the same position as she was, chained to a pole in a room filled to the brim in skulls.
"Yes." Nya answered, "What--? What happened?"
"We have to get out of here." Garmadon said and the two struggled against their chains, but to no avail of breaking them.
"My pet loves the smell of fear." Clouse said as he, Chen and Skyler walked into the room.
"Where is my son and Anirei? What have you done with--"
"I have you son and the little girl." Chen answered Garmadon, "But Lloyd's power will become mine at the ceremony tonight. I'm sorry you didn't get an invite. I'm still a little hurt by my pupil deciding to betray me so long ago"
"But how did you defeat him?" Nya asked.
"Oh, I had a little help." Chen said, gesturing to the entrance and revealing Kai looking down with a sullen expression. Right behind him, was Anirei, no longer wearing her hooded cloak and facing the two with no emotion whatsoever.
Nya gasped in shock seeing her brother and the girl she looked to as a younger sister walking to Chen's side. She was even more horrified that Anireis' eyes were so blank and lifeless. As if she was a doll.
"And I didn't even have to get my hands dirty. Reanii here was more than willing to fight my battle for me. Lloyd didn't stand a chance fighting against the girl he cares about so much." Chen laughed.
"You pitted the ninja against themselves, just as you did the Elemental Masters!" Garmadon shouted, "And not only that, you decided to take someone so precious to my son and the Ninja and use her against them. You are a vile creature."
"Why, Kai?" Nya asked her brother almost in tears, "How could you do this?"
"Chen holds all the power and he has Anirei in his hand. Lloyd alone never stood a chance. I had to think what was best for us, and I wanted Anirei to be safe. He'll let you go if--"
"I'd rather be snake food!" Nya shouted in disgust of her brother.
Garmadon kicked his legs up and used his feet to drag Skyler over to him, keeping her in his hold.
"Untie us!" Garmadon demanded, but Chen and Clouse laughed at his attempt of negotiation.
"Or what?" Chen asked through his laughter, "You've changed, remember? You're Sensei Garmadon. You're a good guy. Threats don't frighten me."
Garmadon knew that he couldn't hurt Skyler, so with no other reason to hold her, he let her go free and pushed her towards Anirei, who quickly latched onto the red haired woman. Clouse smiled and gestured for the door behind them to open.
"My pet may be napping, but she's always hungry when she wakes up." He said.
"You had a good run, Garmadon." Chen smiled, "But all good things must come to an end."
Chen and Clouse cackled as they began to walk away.
"This isn't you, Kai. Don't do this." Nya shouted.
"Sorry, sis. This is the way it has to be." Kai answered, but then snuck in a wink and a smirk, showing them that he was only faking and that he had a plan in motion.
"Have a factory prepare a feast in honor of the ceremony, Clouse. I'm in the mood for noodles!" Chen ordered.
Kai grabbed Skyler by the shoulder and pulled her and Anirei away from Chen.
"This is how your father treats you?" He asked, "It doesn't have to be like this."
"But he has the staff." Skyler pointed out, "And with Rea-- I mean, Anirei under his control, there's nothing I can do about it."
"But what if I can?" Kai asked, "Lloyd didn't stand a chance against Anirei alone, Chen used Lloyd's feelings for Anirei against him, but Chen trusts me, I can get close to the staff, and then--"
"Why would you tell me this after I betrayed you and kept Anirei away from you?" Skyler asked.
"You spared me for a reason. And you know I'm far too fetching to resist." Kai said making Skyler smile, "And also, it's what Anirei would do for you."
"What do you mean?" Skyler asked, looking back at the girl who clutched onto her hand, but didn't seem to be paying any attention to conversation the two were having.
"I saw how you were taking care of Anirei while she was still hidden as Reanii. That's not something someone with a pure black heart would do. That look in your eyes when you were by Anirei, helping take care of her, that's something that can't be faked. Anirei is a good girl, and she repays her debts of kindness to others. And anyone who helps my little sister out, is worth repayment."
Skyler nodded and pulled Anirei closer to her, facing her towards Kai.
"She's always a little out of it after using her powers." Skyler said, "If you want to, you can hug her. She won't feel it, but if I think it may help her come back just a little bit."
Kai didn't hesitate and pulled Anirei into a tight hug. His heart jumped feeling Anirei in his arms, like his fire and had just back.
"El.... der...... brother...." Anirei whispered so softly that Kai had almost barely missed her words. But he simply smiled, not wanting to ruin the moment he had with his little sister.
~~~~~
Chen led everyone to the ceremony where he would finally take Lloyd's power for his own. Kai held onto Anirei's hand while standing near Skyler, preparing for his chance to take the staff from Chen when it was time.
Two of Chen's worshippers walked down the tall flight of stairs with Lloyd in hand, leading him down to the center of the room and locking him down in chains on the floor. Kai, with Anirei still in hand, walked up to Lloyd with a sad look on his face.
"Why would you help them? They took Zane and Rei from us." Lloyd said angrily.
"Don't worry." Kai said, but changed his mood when Clouse came closer, "It won't hurt, heh, that much." Kai laughed and leaned just a little bit closer when Clouse turned away to his master, "Get the stone to Anirei when you're finally released."
Lloyd looked at him confused, but quickly understood what Kai meant.
"All right, first thing's first. Daughter!" Chen shouted at Skyler. Skyler looked over at Kai, who smiled and nodded for her to continue.
"I offer my power to you, Father." She said and knelt down so he could take the power of Amber. Chen didn't even think for a second to stop as his staff lit up and stole Skyler's power from her, leaving her dizzy and unbalanced.
"Only one can remain." Chen said after the process was complete. Chen's smile grew even larger when he turned to Lloyd and walked closer.
"And now for the final element." He said, "Only one can remain."
The staff shone brightly over Lloyd, who bent down to his knees and groaned from his power beginning to leave him. He screamed in pain as a green light was sucked out of his along with his powers into the staff as the minions in the room chanted.
"Behold!" Chen announced holding the staff high into the air, "Every elemental power, all in my control! Do you feel the power? I do!"
Clouse stood next to Chen, chanting in a foreign tongue of a more ancient time.
"All of you who bare the mark of the Anacondrai, it is time. We will shed out skins for new ones, and be the most powerful force in all of Ninjago!"
"Father, let me stand beside you." Skyler smiled and walked over to her father's side.
"Yes. Yes. Join me. After today, Master Chen will not only be Ninjago's number one noodle house, but Ninjago's number one ruler!"
Skyler turned around and smiled at Kai, the two moving onto their next move.
"Hey, Chen!" Kai shouted, making Chen and Clouse turn around, "You forgot one element. The element of surprise."
Skyler spun around and kicked the staff out of Chen's hand while Kai kicked away the guard standing by his side.
"You betray me?!" Chen shouted at his daughter.
"Runs in the family." Skyler said, then kicked her father away. Kai let go of Anirei and jumped for the staff, grabbing it and holding it tightly.
"Get him! You too, Reanii!" Chen ordered. Anirei's eyes widened and she sprung into action with the other worshippers in the room. Kai used the staff to control the element of Lightning and shocked a few of the soldiers who had tried to keep Skyler from moving anywhere. He then used the lightning to shock Lloyd's chains and set him free.
"That was all an act?" Lloyd asked.
"Don't worry. I had it all under control." Kai said, "Well, almost. Lloyd, get the stone you have to Anirei, now! Her spirit is split and---"
Kai couldn't finish his sentence as he used Lloyd's power over energy to create a dome around the Green Ninja, after Clouse had pulled a nearby lever and released acidic venom to fall on Lloyd. Kai quickly used Zane's power of ice and hit Clouse, freezing him solid in a block of ice. Even Skyler helped keep Kai safe by using her father's own trap doors to keep the guards from attacking him.
"Hurry, Kai, you must destroy the staff." Lloyd said, but Kai was hardly listening.
"Chen was right. This thing's awesome." His eyes turned red and he stared shooting off all of the elemental powers at the men in the room. Anirei suddenly jumped up from behind Kai and pushed him down to the floor.
"That belongs to Master Chen!" Anirei said, but was tackled by Lloyd.
"Kai, it holds too much power! Destroy it!" Lloyd shouted.
"No, Master of Fire. Think of everything you stand to gain from that staff. All the power you could have ever wanted right at your fingertips. No one can stop you." Anirei said trying to coax Kai into keeping the staff with him.
"Skyler!" Lloyd shouted, "That staff is corrupting him. If we don't get that staff out of his hands-"
"No one is taking my staff!" Kai shouted, his eyes still glowing a bright red, "You had all the power. Now it's my turn!"
"Yes, Kai, keep that power all for yourself!" Anirei shouted and in his moment of distraction, Lloyd was pushed off of his friend, falling back into Skyler's arms and the girl stood up and ran to Kai's side.
But Kai came out of his controlled mind-state, his eyes turning back to black, "Ah, what am I saying?" The power came back to him, "Nothing I don't already feel!"
"Yes, Master of Fire, take that power. Master Chen will be most pleased with your progress of evil nature."
"She is right, Kai!" Chen shouted from the sidelines, "Embrace the power!"
Kai's eyes turned black again, "I can't-- I can't control it. I don't want to control it! I should've been the Green Ninja!"
Kai walked towards Skyler and Lloyd, threatening to hit him with the power in the staff, but then something stopped him.
"Elder Brother!" A voice shouted from in front of Kai. The jewel Lloyd wore suddenly burst into light, the light forming a being everyone was familiar with. The second half of Anirei's torn spirit. The one that had been speaking to them through their dreams.
She looked at him and her body sadly, reaching down and taking Kai's hand in her ghostly ones.
"Please, Elder Brother Kai. Release the staff. Do it." She begged and for a moment, KAi's grip on the staff loosened. Anirei smiled and turned back to Lloyd.
"Lloyd, my sapphire. Get it close to my body, please. Bring me back home." Was all Anirei said before she disappeared.
Before anyone else could do anything, the walls collapsed as something burst through it. Cole, piloting the Roto Jet, flew through the hold and smiled as the other Elemental Masters, Garmadon and Nya all ran into the room and started attacking Chen's men.
"Anyone order a little Lung Pao?" Cole shouted from the air. Lloyd ran towards the fights, but Anirei caught him by the shoulder and threw him into the wall.
"You are not messing up Master Chen's plans." She growled, stomping closer to him in anger.
"Rei, I know this isn't you. You don't want to fight your friends!" Lloyd said.
"How many times are you going to call me that stupid name?" Anirei shouted, reaching out her to use her power again, "MY NAME IS REANII!"
Just before she could even try to use her powers, Lloyd rushed towards her, ripping the stone off from around his neck and clutching it in his hand tightly. Anirei was stunned by how close he was getting, but something inside of her told her not to move. And for the first time, she was compelled to listen to that horrible voice in her head. The one that always told her she wasn't Reanii.
"You're Anirei. My best friend. And my one and only." Lloyd didn't hesitate a moment longer and placed the sapphire on Anirei's forehead where it used to be before she disappeared. Anirei screamed as the stone was pressed onto her forehead and slowly sunk into her skin. It was as if it was being burned into her head. Lloyd quickly took Anirei into his arms and held her close.
"It's all right now. You can come back. I've got you." He whispered to her. The stone gave off a soft glow and Anirei's entire body was outlined in a gently silver light. Anirei's dull gray eyes quickly brightened to their natural bright blue color, a sign that her two halves have become whole once again. They closed, her entire body feeling calm for the first time in many weeks.
Her body became limp and Lloyd followed her movements until they were on the floor, Lloyd still holding Anirei in his arms as she opened her blue eyes.
"Rei...?" Lloyd hesitantly asked. Anirei looked up at Lloyd and gave him a smile.
"Hey... what took you... so long...?" Anirei asked him jokingly and chuckled. Lloyd couldn't help but chuckle, too.
Just then, Kai and Chen raced to grab the staff, but Kai rolled in and got it first. He took the staff in his hands and slammed it against the floor, shattering the crystal into pieces and releasing all the of the stolen elemental powers to their rightful masters.
"Now bad guys in big trouble!" Karlof shouted as his body was covered in metal once again.
Lloyd smiled with pride as all of the elemental masters embraced their power once again.
"Go, Lloyd." Anirei said, "Take a few hits for me."
Lloyd chuckled and nodded, gently sitting Anirei against the wall and running to join the Ninja in battle. All five of the Ninja used their Spinjitzu to take out the rest of the enemies in the room. However, Chen, Clouse and Skyler had disappeared.
~~~~~
The elemental masters took all of Chen's minions outside, chained so they wouldn't escape of course. Lloyd was one of the last ones to get out, having to help Anirei walk out with his assistance. She had insisted that she walk on her own feet, but after she fell down for the fifth time in a row, Anirei had reluctantly allowed herself to be helped by the Master of Energy.
"Ready to see the guys again, Rei?" Lloyd asked.
"Of course..."
Lloyd spotted the group in the corner of the courtyard and slowly brought Anirei over to them. Zane was being funny, switching on his funny switch and dancing while singing a ridiculous song.
"I've almost forgotten how hilarious you are, Elder Brother Zane." Anirei said, dragging everyone's attention away from Zane and towards her. Everyone almost burst into tears, rushing over to Anirei bringing her into a tight group hug.
"Thank goodness you're all right!"
"We thought we would never see you again."
"Don't you ever do that again!"
The words of comfort and sadness kept coming and filled Anirei with a sense of peace. She was so at peace that she fell asleep in their arms. When they felt her body go limp, the group pulled away and saw her smiling as she slept.
"I'm not surprised. She's been through a lot since she was taken by Chen." Garmadon said, "Lloyd, why don't you find a room for Anirei to sleep in. We'll handle everything here."
Lloyd nodded and picked Anirei up bridal style before taking her to the room was given when they first came here. He gently placed her on the bed and covered her with the blankets before pulling up a chair and sitting next to the bed. He didn't let go of her hand and only clutched it tighter as he watched her sleep so peacefully.
"I finally found you." He whispered, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss on her cheek, "I finally found you, my Rei."