This chapter has mentions of death, suffocation, and choking, mild body horror (smell of burning flesh) and mature violence and it's outcomes. Viewer discretion advised
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Leaping off of the mech, you hid behind a crystal, waiting for an opportune moment. Lloyd broke off the crystal next to you, throwing it onto the Overlord. Wincing at the noise of it shattering, you took a deep breath, preparing yourself. It would work. It had to work.
"Really? You started without me?" Lloyd sighed, yelling at his dad.
The Overlord broke through the crystal, looking at who had previously hit him to the floor. "Garmadon. You have chosen to fight with the Ninja?"
The Oni laughed, crossing his arms. "Yes. That's precisely why I just.. attacked you." If this wasn't a life or death situation, you would've called him a girlboss or something.
"Then perish with them!" The Overlord shouted, pink crackles surrounding his body, as he went to launch a blast to Garmadon. He did it, knocking Garmadon to the floor with only one try.
Thankfully, he was able to quickly stand up, raising his wings and taking flight once more.
Lloyd blocked the second blast with the mech, turning and nodding to you. He looked so terrified. You had to do this, the world would be in chaos if you didn't.
It will be regardless.
Ignoring the voice, what it said quickly faded away, bigger fish to fry right now.
You raised your arm, focusing on the Overlord. The elements were unfamiliar to you, but you could feel them slowly circling around. There wasn't even any carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, or nitrogen... how was this thing even alive?Gripping your hand tighter, you lifted the demon off the ground, begining to try and figure out how his.. body(?) even worked. Shutting your eyes to focus, you managed to completely miss Harumi, who tackled you to the ground. Fuck, you almost had it.
"WHY WON'T YOU EVER JUST DIE?!" She shrieked, the dagger in her hand glistening.
Grabbing a shard of crystal from beside you, you used it to block her attack, trying to push her off of you. Eventually rolling to the side, you heaved to your feet, swinging the shard up. "Come any closer and I will fucking rearrange your face." You panted, the point of the shard towards her head.
Harumi scrunched her face in.. fear? Disgust? before running back to the throne of the Crystal King. Pussy. Lloyd.. used to like someone like that?
You tuned the voices of the others back in as the Overlord reformed into a large, stone centaur. "-It is you who are wrong!" He launched a bolt of pink energy at Lloyd, using his weapon to cleanly cut off the arm of the mech. Well fuck.
Taking all the fallen debris on the floor, you lifted it up, having it fly towards the Overlord, as some sort of distraction. Didn't seem like it was very effective.. fuck.
The god glanced at you briefly, before looking back as Lloyd tried yelling at the suit to reroute power. The Overlord swung his axe once more, effectively cutting off the leg of the mech. The mech's whole left side was useless now as it slid towards the edge of the island. Double fuck.
The Overlord went to hit the broken mech suit, but was met with firing from Garmadon.
While he was shortly distracted, you sprinted over to Lloyd as the mech got hit off the edge. He leapt out, his fingers gripping the edge of the platform.
You grabbed his arm, digging your nails into his arm as you managed to pull him up without falling off yourself. Now back on your feet, you turned back towards the battle as Lloyd ran to fight close up. Raising an arm you attempted to tug the Overlord apart again. The atoms were separating, you could feel it. Your arm began to go numb, spreading throughout your torso, to your legs, and it turned from a small buzzing to pins stabbing your body. Stumbling forwards onto your knees, you let the atoms slide back into place. "Fuck.."
A bright light caught the corner of your eye. What was happening down there..? Dragon form. They did it. They actually did it. You had a fighting chance.
Lloyd and Garmadon both leapt at the Overlord, giving you enough time to stand back up and prepare. "Lloyd, some Ultimate Spinjitzu Master shit would be really helpful right now!"
"Wish I could!" He yelled, sliding back next to you.
You threw the crystal, watching it shatter against the Overlord. Well you were being such a big help, weren't you?
Garmadon swooped around, helping Lloyd by hitting various limbs into his aim. Then they were both thrown to the ground next to you.
The Overlord raised his arm, pink lightning bouncing through the air, and striking all 3 of you.
Falling to the ground, you shut your eyes tight, as the electricity shook the cells and molecules of your body. Your throat ran dry as your hair stood up. You thought you had forgotten this feeling. Being electrocuted and feeling as your whole body attempted to diffuse into the air. The smell of burning flesh filled your senses, stomach lurching.
"Why did you think you could defeat me, Garmadon? Your powers were a gift from me after all." He shocked all 3 of you again with even more electricity."It was I who possessed the serpent that bit your hand! It was I who corrupted the Great Devourer and set him against you! All that has happened, was by my design!"
You tried to get to your feet and run, but you were only electrocuted again. You wriggled in pain, screaming as louder than you thought you could.
"The Devourer was merely a pawn. Set in motion by me to provide a worthy vessel for my return-"
The Overlord suddenly flinched, a black blood dripping from the back of his neck. He reached a hand back, looking at the blood. "Oh?"
A mess of white hair swung around, slicing off the arm of the god. "You created the Devourer! You took my parents away from me! You took everything- everything I had away! You're a monster! I should've never trusted you." She gasped, crying as she continued to swipe at the Crystal King.
You bit your lip, shaking as you stood up. Harumi. She was attacking the Overlord. Maybe Lloyd should've mentioned he created the Devourer before he was about to kill you all though.
Keeping an eye on Harumi, you helped both Lloyd and Garmadon up. Lloyd furred his brow, studying your expression. He grabbed both sides of your face, shaking his head. "You need to leave. He's going to do that again. If-"
"Nope." You swallowed unsure of your own words yourself. "I'll stay here whether you like it or not. Stop trying to make excuses that don't work. I'll hurt, but it's temporary. I'll be okay." It.. was temporary. Huh.
Then Harumi's screams went quiet.
Looking up, the Overlord had her in his hand, as he slowly tightened it. "I had such big plans for you, Harumi..."
Lloyd's hand flickered alight as he threw orbs of green energy over and over again. Harumi was going to die, and he understood that.
You tried to pull the Overlord apart again, but the pin feeling came back at every attempt.
Harumi started to turn a bluish purple, gasping for air. "I- I'm sorry.."
"No- No- Harumi! Harumi!" Lloyd yelled, a blackish glow surrounding his figure. His eyes grew red as long curling horns formed on his head. His skin turned into blackish scales, and his face warped, readjusting to an Oni's shape.
You stared at him, your throat tightening, looking for any sort of moisture. Oni-Form. What had it done to him? Who was this? Do not let your expression falter. As much as the voice told you, you couldn't bring your mouth to a smile, instead a small frown growing.
Harumi grew limp, her face purple as her open eyes bulged, and glazed over. The Overlord threw her body to the ground, causing it to slide.
Lloyd ran at it, but wasn't fast enough as the limp body fell over the edge. "You- you killed her.. someone I wish I never cared about.. and you still killed her.." He panted, his face attempting to scrunch in pain, but it just made him look angrier. "WHY IS MY LIFE SO HARD FOR YOU TO JUST LEAVE ALONE?!" The Oni screamed, shooting a blast of black energy at the god.
You watched him, slowly backing up against the crystal behind you. You understood him being upset over Harumi, You were too- she just died for the master's sake.. but this wasn't him. This was an Oni.. Those red eyes weren't his, but-
After blasting the Overlord to the floor, Lloyd glanced back, meeting your eyes. Though his whole eye was red, you could still see the creases around them shift as he studied your face. "I.." The scales covering his body shifted back to his normal skin tone. "Y/n-.. Y/n- it's- it's still me-!" The red eyes faltered, flickering from the red hue, back to his normal green iris. "Why- why are you so scared?!" He cried. "I thought-"
"So sentimental.. a shame." The Overlord announced, sending another shock of lightning towards you.
You flinched back, your muscles tensing with every volt shaking your limbs. Both Lloyd and Garmadon suffered a similar fate, falling to the ground in front of you. Lloyd's horns began to uncurl, weaving back into his head and shrinking. You had stupidly gotten scared and ruined your only chance at beating the Overlord. Temporary pain. The electrocution was temporary. Temporary.
Despite everything, it's still him.
And so was his Oni-Form. His Oni-Form was temporary. It was all still him in the end.
The voice was right. Even if he looked like one of those monsters, he wasn't. It was still Lloyd.
You had to be able to fix this, right?
Garmadon began shooting at the Overlord again, swooping around, narrowly dodging as the Crystal King waved his hands around, trying to catch the Oni.
But then he hit him. And shot him with another blast.
Falling to the floor, Garmadon lay, passed out. And a crystal above him had begun to snap.
In a panic, you ran over to him, begining to drag the tall figure out of the way, but you were too slow, and the crystal was too fast. Lifting your hands up, you braced for impact.
...But it never came.
Opening your eyes, you watched the crystal float overhead. Then you realized. You were doing that. You could feel the individual molecules bending to your will, levitating above your head. It felt so light and easy to do. But, holy fuck it was hard to keep. "Lloyd!" You yelled, shutting your eyes again to try and focus on the large structure. "Get him out of the way!"
He ran over, pulling his father out of the way as beads of sweat dripped down your forehead.
Once Garmadon was in the clear, you let it go, sprinting out of the way, and allowing the crystal to shatter across the platform. You glanced over to where Lloyd was crouched over his father's body. Oh shit. You didn't realize how bad it was.
"-Dont. Save your energy." Lloyd sobbed, bowing into his father's chest. "Please.."
"Do not fret, Chosen One. You will soon join him as well." The Overlord taunted, continuing to absorb more energy from the main crystal.
His eyes began to glow red once more, but then he looked up to you, his face a puffy mess. He looked scared. Because he was.
Swallowing, you crouched down beside Garmadon, looking at Lloyd. You sighed, pulling his forehead to gently touch yours. "I'm sorry I reacted that way.. But now I realize, it's still you. I'm so stupid. The Oni part of you is as important as the human.
"You're still just you, Lloyd, the man I love. And you're the only thing at this point that can defeat him. You're beautiful whether you appear human or Oni. You're not your father, not your grandfather.. Just you."
You could feel his skin tickle under yours, scales flickering. His eyes began to glow a pale red again. "What if- what if I hurt someone though..? Like my father- or Wu.. or you? What if I hurt you?"
Grabbing his blackened, and clawed hand, you pressed it up against your cheek. "See? You're clearly not hurting me, and I promise that you would never mean to even if you did. Now, go do what you do best. Go save the world. I love you so much, and this would never change that."
As he stood up, his black scales shimmered against the purple glow of lightning, as he held a hand out. "This ends now.." Two more arms grew out his ribcage, as he shot a dark blast at the Overlord, knocking him down.
The Crystal King shot a purple bolt of electricity at Lloyd, but he sent out a shock wave, shaking the entire Island and blocking it.
Garmadon stirred beside you, coughing. "Lloyd-" he paused, looking up at you. "Oh. Hi Y/n. Fancy seeing you here."
You furred your brow, watching him stand up. "Wait- you're not on the verge of death?"
"Lloyd had to achieve Oni Form somehow. I was gonna ask you to die if my fake death didn't work." He shrugged, putting his hands on his hips as he watched the fight.
Lloyd grabbed a long crystal, swinging it against the Overlord, smaller floating crystals trailed behind. The smaller ones swiped at the beast, causing small, blackish, bleeding cuts to form over the god's face. He reached up to attack once more, but then the Overlord took the opportunity to blast him again.
Flying backwards, he attempted to grab onto something, but there was nothing on arms reach.
So he fell off the edge.
You ran to the corner of the platform while the Overlord stumbled backwards.
.
.
.
Where was Lloyd?
.
.
.
Could you see him?
.
.
.
Did he hit the ground yet?
.
.
.
Had this all been for nothing?
.
.
.
Why had the air gone still?
.
.
.
Why was everything so quiet?
.
.
.
.
.
Though, your questions seemed useless as a giant, golden dragon dawning 4 different heads flew up from under the island. Lloyd was on the back of it. His Oni Form wasn't just black anymore, his eyes were a blinding green now and his scales had a golden shimmer beneath the black. Every few seconds you could see it flicker between his human form, and this.. Dragon-Oni Form?
The dragon had 4 different heads, one for each of the core Ninja. Kai, Cole, Zane, and Jay. You had to step backwards to experience its true size. It was gigantic. It was the powers of the Golden Weapons. Ultra was back.
Garmadon chuckled from behind you. "An Oni riding a dragon. Just when you thought you had seen it all."
Duck.
It swooped downwards, the heads all launching their various powers towards the Overlord. It formed a kind of shell over him, holding him still.
A statue of the once terrorizing god.
It seemed so easy. But you deserved easy after all you just experienced.
One of the heads, lowered to the ground, allowing Lloyd to step off. He looked serene, a perfect mix between his human and god side. It almost looked like his steps were off the ground. He held one of his arms out, palm just inches away from the Overlord's front leg.
"..." Lloyd sighed, looking to you, seeing your smile. A toothy grin grew on his face as he looked back to the devil. "See you never, you son of a bitch."
He pressed a hand to the leg, causing cracks to form around the body of the centaur. A golden glow grew from inside of them, quickly pushing to the outside and destroying the Overlord. The once evil stones now rained from the sky as clay sized stones.
The clouds on the sky quickly dissipated, turning the sky a greyish-blue hue.
Lloyd turned around, smiling as he panted. "Did- did.. did I actually do that..?" He stumbled, tripping forwards.
You ran to him, grabbing under his upper arms, helping him not fall to the floor. "Of course you did." You shook, grinning as you lowered gently him to the floor. Holding him in your arms, his extra arms blinked away, and his eyes flickered to the normal white sclera, before slowly shutting.
His breathing became shallow, and you watched him pass out on your knees. Hopefully, it was just him passing out. After that it had to be him just passing out.
Garmadon stepped forward, crouching across from you, and moving your hand away from Lloyd's head. He pressed his clawed hand into his temple, a blackish magic circling around it. Oni Healing.
Coughing, Lloyd's eyes flew open, as he glanced around. "I- We- we won.."
Nodding, tears welled in your eyes as you leaned down, kissing Lloyd. He craned his head up to meet your mouth. You tasted the salty, metallic taste of blood in his breaths, and the certainty in how his tongue slid along your lips. You could've stayed like that forever.
With a sigh, you pulled back, and helped him to his feet. You didn't need to have Garmadon seeing this shit, you were lucky he didn't say anything yet.
"We- we should get back to the team.. we won!" Lloyd laughed, picking you up and spinning in a circle. Placing you down, he grabbed your hand, pulling you along and onto the back of Ultra.
You shook your head. "Calm down! We can celebrate saving the world soon, I need to process what happened." You smiled, sitting down on the back of the dragon.
Lloyd rolled his eyes, sitting in front of you, sliding back to pull your arms around his waist. "Trust you can just fly down, Dad?"
Looking up, Garmadon gave a small, timid smile, accompanied by a nod.
Ultra began flapping up, flying above the crumbling Crystal Island. It dove down, pulling your hair back in the wind. How fast could this dragon go?
Apparently pretty fast, since the next moment you were thrown into Lloyd's back. That was.. quick. The entire team stood on the rooftop, smiling to you all.
You slid off Ultra's back, running into the team. Cole grabbed you, holding you tight. "I'm so fucking proud of you.."
Pursing your lips, you squeezed him back, not letting the lurking sob of joy out. Everyone else began congratulating you, but your mind wandered back to Lloyd.
He sat on top of Ultra, refusing to move.
With an exhale, you broke off from the team, wandering to the side of one of Ultra's heads. "..Lloyd?"
His gaze snapped down, softening when he saw you. "Y/n...?"
"Are you going to join the team..? It wouldn't be much of a celebration without the 'Chosen One'.." You muttered, a uneasy feeling settling in your stomach.
Biting his lip, he glanced out across the city. "I- I hear this voice. It's calling me to it, telling me to go. And go alone. But- I'm.. I'm worried.."
Studying his face, you nodded. "Worried it's like NYA's situation? You're worried you're not going to come back..?"
He nodded, still having the far off gaze. The horns on his head began to shrink. "It's calling me.. I can't hear myself think.."
You sighed, watching the horizon he was so focused on. "..Will you come back?"
"I will come home." Lloyd announced, deciding. "I will come home to you if its the last thing I do."
Climbing up Ultra's side, you sat beside him, hugging him tight. "I know you will."
He embraced you back, kissing your cheek.
You slid down, and explained to the team what was happening, as Lloyd rode away, into the sky. You just had to ignore the dampness of your eyes.
Wu placed a hand on your shoulder smiling. "My nephew will return. He has proven he's made for whatever life throws at him. We just have to hope for his quick return."
Nodding, you continued watching as the Golden dragon cut through the now blue sky.
"See you sometime, Lloyd."
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Five Months Later
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Scrolling on your phone, you clicked on the news article. Skimming through, you tapped on the attached video.
A video someone had recorded played, showing the green pools of sugarcane farms. Walking up to the long stalks, the video zoomed in to point out the Golden glow poking through.
"This footage is from a farm in Middle-East Ninjago, showcasing the Green Ninja's dragon flying overhead." The narrator's voice boomed, causing you to turn your volume down. "He is travelling northwest, and we're not sure where he came from, but I know I for one, am excited for this update after not seeing the Green Ninja for a few months."
Smiling, you raised your head from your bed. Were you technically stalking him virtually? Yes. But.. it wasn't your fault he didn't bring his phone. You had no way of contacting him for however long it had been since battling the Crystal King.
Dawn.
Squinting, you glanced outside at the rising sun. Had you really stayed up all night? "Thanks for the heads up." You yawned, putting your phone down. The voice had just been living in your head rent free for the past months, and it's not like you really minded. And it's not like you could do anything about it.
Before you went outside, you looked at the mirror. Your temple to your jaw and neck were littered with scars from the electrocution, they were even worse underneath your clothes. A faded purple contrasted these scars against the ones from the dragon. Garmadon had scales, so he didn't have any scars from electrocution.. and you never had enough time to see if Lloyd also had gained them. A feeling told you it wasn't true though. You were alone with these patterns painting your body.
It was fine though. You were still you, and you knew you were loved regardless.
Sliding your deck door open, you stepped out into the courtyard, stretching back. You opened the gate, slipping through and out onto the rocky cliff side. With a content sigh, you sat down on one of the damp rocks.
You rubbed your face, taking in the early light. The cold air of fall ran through, lifting your hair up.
With his grunt, you were able to make out the mailman panting as he climbed up the large staircase. When was the last time you had even used the stairs here?
Shaking your head, you made the last few steps down, smiling. "I'll just take the mail, appreciate you coming all the way up here."
"Do it every week, my wife says I'm starting to look leaner." The older figure said, a soft chuckle to his voice as he handed over the mail. "Did you hear the rumor? Apparently after being spotted in the Middle-East, the Green Ninja was seen flying up north, around the bend of Ninjago Island. Maybe he'll return soon?"
Flicking through the chunk of mail, you mentally sorted them to who it was going to. "Maybe, it'd be nice having him back in the monastery. But- hope you have a good day!" You smiled, walking back through the gates to the monastery.
Walking around the deck, you began leaving the mail at everyone's doorsteps (why did Kai have so much mail all of a sudden?). Until you eventually got to the last two letters.
The first one in your hand was for you, but the second one... The second one was for Nya.
Wandering over to the other side of the deck, you undid the wax seal, dipping it in a water basin before leaving it on the altar table. Glancing up to the picture of her, you sighed, reading the page out loud as the team did with all her letters.
"Dear Nya,
I hope you still can hear this, because I hear you in the ripples of the brook by the shop, the bubbles in the water tub your father uses, and the currents under the surface. I know you still live on in our hearts, and in the sunbeams under the sea, but it hurts. I still struggle with continuing life as normal, but the thought of you not with us breaks my heart over all again. I'm sorry I failed you. I'm sorry you were forced to make that decision. Someone your age should never have to do that and make that choice. I don't like cookies anymore. The cookie should've never had to crumble, it was a perfect cookie that should've been preserved. I'm sorry.
Love, your mother."
Biting your lip, you took a deep breath, dipping the corner of the letter into the basin of water. "She misses you. We all do." You sighed, stepping away before you got more emotional. And so you now looked at your letter
It had your name scribbled on the front in less than nice handwriting. Sliding the glue open, you leaned against the banister, reading through the chicken scratch. Ever since you had a break, you had been dedicating more time towards your own personal life, including keeping in touch with your brother. Giovanni talked about his adventures during his latest trip: going to a Krispy Kreme. He even included pictures this time of his hot chocolate with way too much whipped cream, him and Dillon both sat at barstools eating donuts.
It was mostly Dillon's idea to offer to babysit the 6 year old for your mother, and he brought him places, teaching him stuff about the world your mother would've never dared. You honestly had never had a right to be upset at him, he never asked to be the result of an affair, but he really was a great kid. Gio was great.
The ground rumbled, something you had gotten used to with all the recent earthquakes, but this felt a little different. Looking up, golden flecks of light began to fall out of the sky.
Your breath quickened as you ran out into the courtyard, whipping your head around. On top of the monastery, sat Ultra. The rumors were true. They were home.
Lloyd sat utop the dragon, his eyes softening as he met yours. His gaze never strayed from your face, as he slid of of Ultra's back. He leapt off if the roof, standing about 2 yards away.
He felt older. Not by how he looked, but he held himself with pride, and his emotions seemed focused, and at a balanced pace.
But his eyes were the same. Those green iris that you had begun to seek out in every image the news took of him. Tears fell out his eyes, catching the light of the morning sun. His eyes were filled with a greenlit light as he continued to step forward.
He kept his promise.
He was home.
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*ORCHESTRAL CRESCENDO ENDS*
HOLY FUCK THAT WAS A RIDE
Exactly a year ago I wrote the first chapter of Greenlit Light, "She in the Dark". And it has changed my life forever. I posted it on January 2nd, 2023 and got some views, but not many. As I continued to post each day, more and more people came to read, both leaving and staying alongside my wild journey. I eventually finished season by season, and I'm so proud of myself that I've been able to accomplish something to this scale.
Through both Greenlit Light and Promise of Particles, I have achieved over 91 THOUSAND views and I am so incredibly astonished that so many people read so many chapters of a literal Lego. All I have to say is-
:3 (you should go read the next chapter :D)