The ninja were gathered outside the garage, preparing for their expedition. The Bounty was finally finished, and they were all packed and ready to go after the Overlord. Wu was giving Jay and Zane final instructions beside the ship, while Garmadon and Kai were talking a few feet away. Nya and Pixal were onboard, fixing the final touches.
"You must go with haste," Wu told the two ninja. "If you can't reach the Overlord before he arrives at the Fifth Cliff, catch him on the way back. We mustn't let him return with a weapon as powerful as the elemental weapons combined."
As he went on, the three groups began to merge together again.
"What about me?" Nya asked. "I can go with them."
Wu gazed at her. "We need you here," he said gently. "With them gone, there's only you and my brother and I left to defend the monastery as well as the City. And with Lloyd still at large, we don't want to leave the people unprotected."
"I understand, Sensei," Nya murmured, dipping her head.
"Make sure to keep communication," the sensei continued, holding out their communication devices. "You'll be out there for at least a few months."
Jay and Zane grabbed their devices and strapped them on, but Kai held back. He was staring at the last device, but his eyes seemed distant, as if he wasn't really seeing it.
"Kai?" Wu prompted, puzzled.
Kai turned his head toward the sensei slightly, only half-hearing him. Waveringly, he reached out and took the device, his fingers fumbling over it as he struggled to strap it to his wrist. But the others didn't seem to notice as Zane and Jay headed onto the Bounty and Wu stepped back with Pixal, Nya, and Garmadon.
"Now, go, ninja," Wu announced. "Stop the Overlord and—"
"Sensei?" Kai interrupted suddenly.
Both senseis turned toward him, but it was clear he was staring at Garmadon. The red ninja's eyes were wild with panic and he started to stagger on his feet. "Sensei!"
Garmadon rushed over to him, catching him before he fell over. "What's wrong?" he demanded, immediately concerned.
"It's my... my..." Kai gazed downward, finding a faint glow underneath his shirt.
Garmadon's eyes rounded as he saw it, too. "It's happening again?" he breathed, looking up at him again.
Nodding, Kai wrapped his arm around his stomach, wincing. Garmadon glanced around to see if the others were watching, finding his gaze locking with his brother's. Without explanation, Wu understood, and he turned to direct the others' attention away from them.
"Lloyd?" Garmadon murmured to the red ninja.
"No, i-it's Cole," Kai rasped out. "Something... Something happened..." He went silent for a moment before letting out a sudden gasp. "He's hurt! And it feels like he's... he's..." Kai's voice trailed off and he stumbled away from the sensei. "He needs help! I-I've seen him! I know where he is!"
"What are you talking about?" Garmadon exclaimed, breath quickening.
"He's alone," Kai went on, voice short with panic. "And I have to get to him before he's gone!" Without another word, he whipped around and raced for the trees.
"Gone?" Garmadon echoed, raising his voice to reach the ninja. "Wait! We'll get the others to help!"
"There's no time!" Kai called over his shoulder.
Garmadon stared after him helplessly. "At least take your communicator!"
Kai flared his arm above his head, revealing the communication device in his hand. "Got it!" he shouted back.
The calls attracted the others' attention and they looked just in time to see the last of the red ninja disappear into the trees.
"Oh, come on!" Jay complained. "He's off again!"
Nya shook her head. "Guess that puts off the mission again," she sighed.
"According to my calculations," Zane reported, "any more set-backs and we won't make it in time."
Jay glanced at him. "Maybe we should leave without him," he suggested.
"As if only the two of you could take on the Overlord," Nya huffed.
As the three bickered, Wu went up to stand beside his brother. "What is it this time?" he wondered, sounding exasperated.
"Nothing really," Garmadon murmured, heaving a sigh. "Kai's just making another attempt to be the hero."
Wu rubbed his beard. "When will it stop?"
"When either two things happen," Garmadon replied. "He proves himself or gets himself killed."
Wu shook his head. "Well, he almost went with the latter last time," he pointed out. "So let's hope he decides to go with the other this time."
* * *
Branches whipped against Kai's face as he raced onward, heart pounding in his chest. He couldn't get the image of Cole lying unmoving in the snow out of his head, the feeling of the black ninja's life slipping away out of his stomach. He followed the nag inside of him, ignoring the aching in his ribs. The trees began to clear and the grass underneath his feet faded into snow as he made his way across the plains. Cole was close. He could sense it.
"Cole!" he called, reaching the pines near the base of the mountains. Glancing around, he spotted a narrow stream a distance away from him and felt a jolt of recognition. Cole was beside it in my vision, he thought, racing over to it. Hopping across a path of stepping stones to the other side of the water, he weaved around a patch of boulders and came to an abrupt halt.
He had found the black ninja.
On his side, stretched over the ground, unmoving except for the slow rise and fall of his chest. Kai picked his way around the figure until he could see Cole's face and found the black ninja awake. His clouded eyes had been on the snow, but when Kai's feet appeared in his vision, his gaze trailed upward until he was staring at the red ninja. Kai felt a jolt of shock as he saw how lost his friend looked and his mouth dried for words.
It was Cole who spoke first.
"Come here to finish me off?" the black ninja grumbled, voice lacking any sort of emotion.
Snapping back to his senses, Kai crouched beside him. "Cole," he breathed, "what are you doing out here? Lying on the ground like this?"
Cole blinked slowly, gesturing toward his bandaged stomach. "Got nothing better to do," he sighed.
Kai's eyes widened as he glimpsed the black ninja's wound. "What happened?" he demanded.
Cole's gaze hardened. "What do you think happened?" he grunted. "The same thing that's happened to me over and over." He let out a faint scoff, eyes turning to the sky. "And to think I actually believed I'd finally escaped him. But I guess he can find me anywhere."
"He?" Kai echoed, gazing back at him. He was hardly able to believe it, but he knew there could only be one person Cole was talking about. "It wasn't... I-it wasn't Lloyd, was it?"
Cole only stared back at him, his face so emotionless it almost scared Kai. Breathing heavily, the red ninja shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Where's Raymond?" he asked. "He's supposed to be taking care of you."
Cole's eyebrows furrowed. Without a word, he flipped around until he was facing the rocks, his back to Kai. Confusion bubbled inside the red ninja. "What'd I say?"
Cole didn't turn to him again. "Raymond did take care of me," he spat, somewhat angrily.
"So..." Kai still didn't understand.
"So put the pieces together!" Cole suddenly shouted, sitting up and spinning around to face the red ninja. "Lloyd attacked the cave, Kai! And now I'm all alone." He looked away, wrapping his arms around his knees. His voice dropped to a whisper. "All alone."
Realization hit Kai and he let out a soft gasp. He gazed in the direction of the cave. "He's... He's..." He drew in a shaky breath as he turned back to Cole. "Gone?"
Cole only shut his eyes and curled tighter around himself. Kai swallowed, shocked. He hadn't known the man from the mountains too well, but he knew Cole had loved him very much. "I'm sorry, Cole," he murmured. "I didn't know."
Cole's eyes opened again. "It's not your fault," he muttered. "It's Lloyd's. It's always Lloyd's."
Kai felt a prickle of suspicion as he spotted a flicker of fire in the black ninja's gaze. What is he planning? he wondered. Deciding he'd rather not know the answer, Kai reached forward to grab Cole's arm. "Come on, let's get you out of here," he told him.
As the red ninja's hand touched him, Cole jerked backward in alarm, gasping and eyes rounding with fear. Kai clicked his tongue, taking a pace back again. "For the last time, Cole, I'm not going to hurt you," he huffed, struggling not to lose his patience. "You'll feel better once we get back to the others, okay?"
Cole's gaze grew wild with desperation. "Don't you see?" he whispered. "Raymond is dead. Vanessa left. What's the point anymore? I've got nothing left."
Only then did Kai realize the black ninja was feeling more than fear. "You got us, Cole," he coaxed. "Your teammates. We got your back—we always did."
Cole curled his lip. "Until Lloyd takes that away, too," he growled.
Uneasiness swarmed inside of Kai, although he wasn't exactly sure why. It's just Cole, he told himself. What do you think is going to happen? But as Cole heaved himself to his feet, Kai found himself slowly shifting backward. "What are you talking about?" he said nervously. "Lloyd's not going to take anything else from you, we won't let him."
Cole straightened up, and Kai noticed for the first time how strong the black ninja looked. I'm not really used to that...
"How can you be sure?" Cole demanded, pushing past the red ninja. He stared into the mountains. "Lloyd's taken everything from me. Everything! And he won't stop hurting people until he's dead. Cold, numb, and rotting—that's when it'll end!"
Kai's eyes widened. "Er... I-I don't think—"
"It's all coming together now," Cole interrupted angrily. "He has to pay for what he's done to me. And I'm gonna make sure he does." Eyes blazing, the black ninja looked down and pulled a knife from his belt. "I'm gonna kill him," he hissed quietly.
The words completely caught Kai off-guard. "What?" he shouted out before he could stop himself. "Are you crazy? You'll get yourself killed!"
"And that's fine with me!" Cole snarled, turning on the red ninja. "I don't care what happens to me! As long as he's dead..."
Breathing shakily, Kai continued to walk backward as the black ninja stared down at the blade in his hands. Kai hadn't known Cole had had the weapon on him. "Cole," he breathed, "h-how about you calm down. You're not thinking straight."
Cole locked his fierce gaze on the red ninja. "You don't think he deserves to pay?" he demanded, taking a step closer. "You don't think what he did to me was wrong?"
"That is not what I said," Kai stated, growing more and more uneasy. "But you can't kill him, Cole! That's mad! Breaking into the Bend, facing tons of Baddies? I know you're upset, Cole, but I can't let you do this!"
A growl rumbled in Cole's throat. "I don't need your permission," he snapped, whipping around. And he began to walk away.
With a jerk of alarm, Kai raced after him, seizing hold of his arm. "No, you can't!" he grunted, tugging him backward again.
Snarling, Cole flung the red ninja off of him before diving at him again. Before Kai could move he grabbed the red ninja by the collar, thrusting him against the boulder. Kai gasped as he found himself pinned to the wall and he struggled to break free from Cole's grasp with no success. Super strength's back, alright... he thought with panic. Not good...
Eyes flaming with rage, Cole drew back the knife, preparing to strike. Kai's heart skipped a beat and he continued to struggle. "Cole..." he chuckled nervously. "C-Cole, buddy..." Cole pressed him harder against the rock and another gasp escaped him. The black ninja brought the knife closer and Kai completely lost his cool. "Buddy, buddy, what are you doing?" he questioned more urgently, breath quickening. "Cole! Cole, snap out of it!"
Cole touched the blade to the red ninja's neck, panting angrily. Kai stretched his neck as far as it would go, barely breathing. "C-Cole," he croaked out, "y-you're not gonna kill me, are you?"
Cole glared at him a moment longer before pulling the knife away again. "No," he stated.
Kai felt a rush of relief. "Oh, that's good," he laughed uncomfortably.
But Cole's face only hardened. "The wolves will take care of that," he added menacingly.
"Er—wolves?" Kai echoed with another nervous chuckle.
And the next thing the red ninja knew, his wrists were tied to an overhanging branch of a tree, his body dangling helplessly in the air. Panic overwhelming him, Kai kicked his legs as hard as he could, struggling to break free.
The ropes didn't budge, and Cole took a step back, eyes cold as stone. "I can't have you messing this up," he spat. "Enjoy your last breaths."
And he was gone.
"Cole!" Kai shouted after him, grunting as he desperately continued to struggle. But then a wolf's howl sounded in the distance and he froze, eyes rounding in fear.
Cold dread shivered down his spine. Oh, no...