Harumi's POV
After Steepest Wisdom went up in flames, the Ninja had no choice but to keep us with them on the Bounty. Malevolence wanted us dead, so that helped them get it through their thick brains that we might have a bigger role to play. Wu decided that Morro and I would train to fight (under heavy supervision, of course), in case we were attacked again.
Every morning was filled with hardcore training routines that made me ache in places I didn't know could ache.
Morro was ecstatic about how his powers had started to return. He spent more time than necessary practicing his control, growing more and more confident that his wind was returning to its original strength. I could tell practicing with his elemental power took a big toll on him; there were times where I could hear Morro moaning in pain from inside of his locked room. Yet, as each day passed, he continued to show amazing prowess. It was almost as if the effects of the Departed Realm had not happened at all.
I was pleased about how my dagger throws regained their accuracy so quickly. I had trained myself for years how to kill; it seemed those skills had been locked into my brain. Sure, I still made silly mistakes like doing the wrong footing or kicking when I was supposed to be dodging. However, it felt good finally to not have to be working full-time. I relished the nights of sleep with vigor.
My left wrist, on the other hand, was a constant bother. When the wound had been properly examined, it turned out that the sword had not cut very deep. The blade had happened to hit the right vein, so it bled a lot. It took a while to staunch the blood flow, but once it stopped, it didn't break open again. It liked to throb whenever I hit it against something, so I had to be careful about where I was flinging my arms.
My head did also not take very well to being hit with a club; I tried ridiculous ways to wear my very long hair so it covered up the large bump.
The only downside to living with the Ninja was that I had to see them all the time. During meals, Morro and I would sit quietly at the table while the Ninja tried not to discuss anything 'top secret.' They would watch us while we trained, be at every corner we turned, and always stumble in whenever I was trying to have some alone time. After everything we'd been through, they still didn't trust me enough to leave me by myself for five minutes.
Kai was recovering nicely. The attack on Steepest Wisdom had set back his recovery a bit, but he could still participate in the Ninja's daily training. His flame was growing stronger and he insisted he felt ready to fight. I didn't blame him. I wanted to get Malevolence out of the way before she brought back the Overlord. If she brought him back, then we just might lose this battle. I might be able to take on a demon-queen, but there was no way I could stand a chance against an incarnated Overlord.
Strangely enough, there weren't any more Vermillion attacks. Day after day slipped by; each of them weighed down with dreadful anticipation. Before any of us knew it, a whole week had passed without a single peep from evil. Gail Gossip shared rumors on the Vermillion's defeat. While Ninjago City gained hope that the attacks were over, I only felt stress. Malevolence had waited hundreds of years to bring her first plan into action. She was probably using the time now to prepare for something terrible.
In the afternoon of the seventh day I had been on the Bounty, I leaned on the railing of the cockpit area, watching the Ninja do their battle training. We had parked in the steady waters of the Endless Sea. The gentle waves rocked the boat to a calming rhythm, while the placid sunlight heated the world to the perfect temperature. I felt lulled by the conditions. Morro was off doing something with Wu, so I was alone.
Each day there was a different weapon they trained with so they would be efficient with anything. Today, the air was filled with the sounds of swords clashing and taunts as the Ninja had their friendly rivalries. Jay went easy on Kai, Cole matched Nya move for move, and Zane easily kept up with Lloyd's intense blows.
I kept telling myself I didn't want to watch their pathetic play fights as they wasted more time. Yet, I couldn't help but ignore their dynamics. As they continued to trade blows, I saw less of professional heroes and more of a bunch of friends having fun in an extremely dangerous way. It was like they didn't even realize they were wasting time; they were just being normal people.
Lloyd laughed at something Zane said, which involuntarily flicked my attention to him. Beads of sweat rolled across his face as his golden blonde hair bounced with each strike. He was concentrated, yet at ease. Zane seemed to be similarly focused. Each of them knew this was a friendly match. Both of them were equals on the battlefield and they knew it. It was a battle to see who would last the longest.
Zane used his free hand to shoot a blast of ice at Lloyd, who dodged and countered with his own energy strike. Watching them, I could only think of how much had changed. Lloyd was older, more mature, and the leader his teammates needed him to be. He was no longer a boy who could be manipulated. He was a man who would go to tremendous lengths to keep his world safe; one who would die for those he truly cared about. I saw a true hero in Lloyd.
Before, he was just the bratty little boy who didn't deserve the honor of being Lord Garmadon's son. Now, even though he pretended to be the well-rounded war hero, I could still remember his sweet and sensitive side. There were bittersweet memories behind the angry ones, where I could recall how he'd blush and act all courteous towards me. His silly crush was way too long ago for me to still think about, yet for some reason it kept resurfacing in my mind. He acted all tough now, but was he still that little boy inside?
He loves you. Don't let him down.
Bansha's last words to me echoed in my head. I didn't question how she knew, I only questioned if she was right. While some part of me knew I wasn't doing everything I could for this request, I did think I was being pretty reasonable. I worked their long Steepest Wisdom shifts without complaining. I held back several of the biting insults trying to escape my mouth. I tried to be courteous at the very least towards all of the multicolored brats, but often I wondered if any of it ever helped.
The glares did soften over time, but they all still were on edge when I got near. Especially Lloyd. He never met my eyes, he refused to look at me half the time, and he always found an excuse to stay away from me. I didn't blame him, after what I had put him through. It still made me wonder if Bansha was right. Did Lloyd still love me? He certainly didn't show it.
We seemed to be trapped in a constant cycle of watching. I would look at him, he would glance at me, yet we would never meet each other's gaze. We both became silent around each other and glided around wary when we were in each other's presence. It was as if we were dancing to a music no one else could hear, yet both of us wanted to break free of it. I wondered if he was watching me to make sure I didn't do anything suspicious, and I wondered if I watched him to see if he would grow closer to accepting me. Or was I deathly curious to see if what Bansha said was true. He saved my life. That had to prove something.
Zane was able to get the upper hand on Lloyd and pinned him to the ground. Lloyd laughed after a second and congratulated him. I turned away. My heart was filled with emotional turmoil and watching the Ninja did not make it better. I retreated to the lower quarters of the Bounty and went to find my room.
The hallways were decorated with various pictures of the Ninja, nearly covering up every reasonable space of wall with their presence. In so many of the pictures they were being goofy, whether it was Cole making bunny ears behind Jay in his and Nya's wedding photos, Lloyd getting Kai to wear a childish looking pumpkin hat during the Day of the Departed, or the cameraman catching Zane and Cole in the middle of a cooking fiasco. I suppressed my own doubts as they started to rise. I had always believed the Ninja chose to wait and let the Devourer destroy my parents. What if they hadn't? What if they were just fledgling heroes trying to figure out a way to defeat it, but their inexperience led to delay? Were they really to blame, or was everything I had ever believed wrong?
"Where do you think you're going?" A particularly annoying voice sounded from behind me.
Doubts vanished. I spun to face the water ninja; my face drawn into a very thin smile.
Nya frowned at my display as she wiped her sweaty face off. After a second, she down the halls. "Come with me."
"Oh joy." I muttered, trailing the raven-haired girl as she redid her sloppy bun. The last time I was alone with Nya were fixing a bike for Zane. He had been trying to infiltrate the Sons of Garmadon, but that plan didn't work out very well because of my secret intercession. Nya had gone from hating me, to thinking of me as a friend, to loathing me. I didn't know where we stood right now, but I had a sinking feeling she was going to try something funny once we reached wherever she was going.
To my surprise, she actually led me to her room.
"Sit down." Nya barked, pointing to a small cushion sitting next to the dressing stand. She started rummaging through a small set of drawers as I made my way over there. It was obvious Nya had allowed Jay to help her decorate at some point, because the various pictures on the walls were in the same random pattern that they were outside. Several vases filled with irises dotted the nightstand, each with a heart-shaped note tied to the vases.
"I am assuming you either love those clothes or have nothing else to wear." Nya studied a tag on one of the shirts she had pulled out.
It took me a second to realize she was talking to me. Honestly, I thought she had just dragged me in here to keep an eye on me. I looked down at my dirty sleeves and picked at a loose thread.
"I'm assuming that you all don't want me walking around in the same clothes I sleep in, so I happily wear my uniform all the time."
My only other set of clothes were the ones I arrived in. Since I worked almost every day at Steepest Wisdom, and the Ninja were itching for a reason to lock me up, I never asked for another set. Both sets of my clothes were filthy, but it wasn't like I could do anything about it.
"Don't be sassy with me." Nya glared. "I'm trying to help you."
"Why?" I huffed. "You don't trust me anyway so trying to help me is pointless. Besides, what are you going to do? Erase everyone's prejudices?"
She looked about ready to explode but took a deep breath and turned back to studying the sizes of the clothes in front of her.
"Listen, nothing you could ever do would make us forget the past. You did some bad things, Harumi, really bad things. I hated you for it; I think we all did. But, even someone as dumb as a rat could figure out that we need you now. You have value to those villains for reasons we're not completely sure of. You could have easily figured out a way to manipulate us into doing something and have this prophecy end in your ruling everything. Yet, you haven't put one toe out of line. Through misery you have stuck to our commands like glue... mostly." Nya met my eyes. "If this is an act, then I have no words for your talent."
I was speechless.
After another few seconds of studying sizes, Nya sighed. She placed everything back in the drawers and plopped down on her bed. The quilt was an ocean blue, decorated with sloppy embroidered daisies that looked like they had been sewn by a clumsy hand. Nya sat up, tilting her head as she studied me.
"Look, I need to know the truth."
"About what?" I stifled a yawn.
"About what happened. I watched you die, Harumi. No one could survive that fall. Yet, for some reason, you're alive and in front of me. I've been putting off your side of the story for too long." Nya caressed the embroidered flowers, smiling to herself.
I huffed out a laugh. There were so many things I wanted to say to her, but strangely enough somewhere I knew now wasn't the time. So, I told her. I repeated what the magic of the realms could allow of my journey, watching as she processed the information.
"Jay was right." She mumbled. She didn't elaborate, but I didn't wish for her to. "Even heroes can be cruel."
I stopped fidgeting.
Nya stood up slowly. "I am going to trust you, Quiet One. You saved my brother, and I will not forget that act of kindness. From this point forward I will be your ally. Let me make this clear; we are not friends. I have still not forgiven you for what you did to Lloyd. However, Jay and I will not neglect you or Morro any longer."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You will work with me, and I will help you sew a ninja gi to adorn. I will take your accounts into consideration when it comes to vanquishing this new foe. I will also make sure you receive the proper toiletries and a new haircut." Nya gestured to my greasy hair and half-grinned. "No one should fight with hair that long."
For the first time in a long time, I felt something inside open up. There was a time in my life where Nya and I were 'friends'. She was offering the olive branch now. Even though it was probably because of the kind-hearted Jay, it will still welcome in my book. The more of the Ninja who stopped regarding everything I said as a lie, the faster we could get this ordeal over with. Then, I could hopefully return to the Cloud Kingdom.
The next few days were filled with endless stitching and altering as I put together new clothes. My thumbs were numb from so much pricking, and my fingers wanted to fall off. My wrist stung like mad, but every ounce suffered was worth it when I tried on my new gi. Nya had shown me how to sew armor into it, so it was both comfortable and protective. I had chosen shades of dark blue, black, and green. It looked like a homage to my Quiet One attire, but I honestly liked those colors. Besides, dark colors were easier to hide in.
I liked to look at myself in the mirror; clean, well-groomed, and posed like a warrior. I felt like I had slipped on a mask again, a mask that covered my insecurities. I would fight now, and I would win. I would not worry about the future, I had to give it my all now.
I twisted my newly cut hair into a bun with razor sharp chopsticks. My face still lacked makeup and I needed to sleep more, but I still reminded myself of the girl I was before.
Murderer. Liar. Thief.
I had served my punishment for those crimes. I had to move on.
"All ninja needed on deck!" Zane's voice came through the loudspeakers. "You all need to see this."
I knew I wasn't a Ninja, but I still went up there anyway to eavesdrop. Morro moved in beside me like he usually did. He was wearing his own new gi, which he helped make the minute he found out about my ordeal. Morro already seemed to be rubbing shoulders with Jay, so getting on Nya's good side didn't take him long. His gi supported more armor and was made with dark green and black hues. It was a homage to his life before this one.
"I see we had the same thought." He grinned at my appearance, but his fingers fell back before he could touch me. There was a falter in his movements, as if he were doubting what came next. Morro barely ever faltered.
"What's wrong?" The words slipped out as Zane turned the news on.
"A large army of Vermillion warriors have gathered on an open field just outside of Ninjago City. They seem to be guarding the great rock formation next to the mountain behind them. As to what they're guarding, we don't have word on that yet. We can bet it's something really important." Gail Gossip had the camera pointed at a rather large group of Vermillion simply standing in a massive field. There appeared to be several hundred warriors. Behind them were large pillars of rock in odd formations.
Morro shrugged beside me, whispering his next words. "Battles are always unnerving."
I gasped as a familiar figure on the screen stepped out from behind one of the pillars. It had been forever since I last saw the wicked creature. Malevolence was larger than ever, with her nefarious grin and streaming darkness.
"Listen, fools of Ninjago!" She commanded. Gail's chatter went silent immediately. Malevolence's voice was faded from talking far away, but we could still hear her threats all the same. I noticed the darkened area around her. A storm was brewing. Meanwhile, the Ninja were speeding the Bounty towards the site.
"I am Malevolence. Today shall mark your calendars as a day of terror and hatred. You will fear me and all that stand by me. You have survived weak adversaries, and all of them combined will be nothing compared to what I will bring forth. Mark my words, nothing you throw at me will stop this from happening. Your Ninja are useless. Surrendering is useless. Nothing will stop the inevitable." She laughed, making chills go through all of us.
"Start the combination!"
>(<>)<
Lloyd's POV
"What is she doing!" I roared, as the Vermillion mob came closer. PIXAL couldn't maneuver the Bounty closer to where Malevolence was, because the Vermillion would hurtle large chunks of rock towards our ship. As long as we stayed on the sidelines, they left us alone. If there was one thing for certain, we wouldn't be kept away.
Seeing the she-devil bark orders at Vermillion generals made my blood go cold.
I am Malevolence.
Malevolence.
Harumi and Morro tried to warn us. But we didn't listen.
Sparks of energy ignited at the base of four pillars.
"Combination." Morro appeared beside me, staring at the army posed to kill. "She going to reunite his soul with a body. That's how she'll do it."
"Who?" I curled my fingers around the railing, ignoring the reflex to get as far away from Harumi's little puppet as possible. This was the man who possessed me and made me attack my best friends. While he did help Master Wu all that time ago, I still felt cold towards his existence.
But I knew now he wasn't lying. Staying true to my prejudices would only delay the inevitable. So, I listened to him.
"Malevolence. She's been keeping the Overlord's soul safe for hundreds of years."
"All this is to bring the Overlord back." I realized. "He'll return to a large army of Vermillion ready to follow his commands, and the Time Twins will automatically be his allies. Time's Overlord. He's going to control them all."
I swallowed, catching sight of the Twins next to the pillars. They cowered nervously behind one of the pillars, as if they didn't want to be caught in the crossfire of the combination ceremony. The Vermillion's eyes followed us as we flew as close as we dared. They wouldn't let us get to their masters.
"How do we stop it?" I asked, for the first time ready to open up to my mortal enemy.
Morro bit his lip as the rest of my team waited on his answer. "You destroy the source."
The temperature suddenly dropped twenty degrees. Malevolence lifted a glowing stone high into the air, where it became suspended. Rain began to fall from the sky, splattering us in heavy drops.
"We can't break through the line, not on foot." I called to the others. "The plan is simple: we'll risk the flight across. Get as close as you can to Malevolence and do whatever it takes to stop her. Prepare yourselves for battle."
The Ninja responded by pulling their hoods over their heads. Harumi tried to mimic them, only to get a face full of hair. She ripped the hood off and tried again with similar effects. After a couple failed attempts and a lot of growling inaudible words, Kai moved over to help her.
Kai's skin had lost its paleness. He moved once again with vigor. Even though the poison hadn't completely left his system, he was feeling much better. We had tried to persuade him to stay behind, but he was insistent on fighting. Besides, Skylor had deemed him well enough to leave so she could return to managing her company. Kai insisted that said something about his physical state. I had suspicions that he bribed her to go, but I decided to trust my teammate.
It was strange that he was willing to help Harumi, even with menial tasks, since he was the most opposed to her even being anywhere other than Kryptarium Prison. Yet, just like Jay and Nya, he seemed to be opening up to her. I didn't know why, and I didn't have the heart to ask him. I didn't want to know the answer.
I locked eyes with my teammates. Dread and fear wormed holes in my heart, but I swallowed them. Every battle brought the same conflicted emotions. I knew how to handle them; I had fought with them several times before. We passed grim smiles around.
"Ninja never quit." I said quietly.
"Ninja go." My friends finished for me.
PIXAL pulled the thruster, making us shoot forward. Instantly, the Vermillion roared and started firing boulders at the Bounty. PIXAL was able to dodge a few of them, but several hit the side, jolting us around. I kept an iron grip on the railing, ready to jump out and fight.
A thundering scream rose above the whizzing of rock. It was so horrendous that I felt like my insides were tearing themselves up. It was a wail signaling agony. I looked around to see if one of us had been hit, only to see everyone looking for the source of the sound. It wasn't a human cry.
Malevolence stood in the middle of the four pillars, as bursts of energy shot forth from the base of each. Only then did I see what was planted at the base of the pillars.
The Time Blades are powering this.
Elemental power surged out of them in powerful bursts, hitting the glowing amulet with streams of different colored lights. Malevolence let loose another terrible wail. I realized why. While I had seen her as a creature of darkness, large and covered in tendrils of black, she suddenly looked bloated. One by one, the tendrils that made her up slowly began to unravel. They shot towards the amulet as a fierce circle of power started to surround it.
The Bounty's alarm went off as the ship jolted downward.
"The right thruster has been hit." Master Wu called from beside PIXAL. "We're going to have to pull away."
"Prepare to jump!" I pulled my own hood over my wet, stringy hair. Thunder clapped in the sky as the rain came down harder. My team gathered on the rails and unsheathed their weapons. PIXAL pulled away from the vast crowd. I swallowed the last of my anxiety and threw myself from the Bounty. A thousand hisses greeted me as I plummeted towards the Vermillion.
The dark tendrils joined the Time Blade's energy as they swirled around the amulet. From behind it, a dark shape started to rise. Malevolence looked a great deal thinner as the combination continued to steal the darkness from her form. I caught glimpses of white peeking through the peeling blackness. She started to laugh. It was crazed and painful. I could almost pity her for what she was going through.
Just in time, I yanked the strap on my parachute. It slowed my fall a bit, but the Vermillion shot arrows through the fabric. I plummeted towards the ground, yelling for my life.
Out of nowhere, arms caught me and dropped me closer to the ground. I shot energy from my hands the minute my feet hit the floor, knocking several Vermillion back. I risked a glance up to see my savior, only to see Morro using his power to fly and catch my falling friends.
They are our allies after all.
The incoming Vermillion hissed with anticipation of their new victims. I slashed out with my sword, my body moving in practiced motion. The sword clashed with an incoming Vermillion's dagger. I swept my foot around to knock it down, then thrust my second sword at its chest. With one upward sweep, I knocked its helmet off and into the sea of red and orange. The snakes slithered out of their armor, trying to find the missing piece so they could reassemble. Rain pounded against the metal armor with little clinks as I continued to fight for my life. There were several hundred Vermillion, and only eight of us. We had to get to Malevolence.
High in the air, a massive form arose. It was still limp, yet it looked like it was about to wake up. Suddenly, a beam of darkness shot out of the amulet and straight into the heart of the form. Slowly but surely, the limbs began to twitch one by one.
A Vermillion grabbed my forearm from behind. My aching muscles dragged themselves into action as I flipped the Vermillion forward. It hit the ground with a thud, scattering snakes everywhere. But, where one snake fell, twenty more came in its place. Fear coursed through me as the hovering body's wings rose high. We were running out of time.
Emotion often effected the intensity of my powers. Green wisps of light danced through the air even though I hadn't used Spinjitzu yet. The thought of using Spinjitzu triggered an idea.
I gathered green power around my hands and jumped, using Airjitzu to launch myself into the sky. Several arrows and spears followed me. The Vermillion would do anything to keep me from reaching their mistress.
I let go of the Airjitzu and shot a powerful blast of pure energy at the suspended amulet. The line of light went straight through the air, hitting the amulet from so far away. The storm of power surrounding the glowing stone reflected it right into Malevolence.
She screamed with such intensity the Time Twins covered their ears from afar. The cowards were hiding from the ceremony. Wind rushed in my ears as I started to fall. The Vermillion hissed below me, somehow readying even more spears to stab me through with.
At the last second, arms hooked under mine once again, saving me from immediate death. Morro soared higher into the air as Malevolence pulled herself around. The amulet continued to strip darkness off of her, but it no longer needed her to sustain itself. Her piercing eyes pinned us in the air as she cackled a painful sound. She had lost her shape and resembled a mutated skeleton, jutting bones and everything. The darkness had left her haggard and weak, yet she still hadn't lost the fire that burned in her villainous heart. It dawned on me how far she was willing to go to see this plan succeed.
"Her chest..." Morro thought out loud, staring at Malevolence. The energy blast had hit her straight on, leaving a large hole in her torso. Black tendrils scurried over the wound to fill it up but were immediately sucked up by the amulet's energy storm. "She's trying to heal herself."
"What happened to her?" Morro shouted above the thunder.
"I blasted her with energy." Indirectly, but the point went across.
Rain soaked us as Morro flew towards the others. His hold on the wind was weakening, but he was able get us close. They had found each other and were fighting for their lives. A few Vermillion stopped attacking them to shoot at us.
My friends took the opportunity to use Spinjitzu. They knocked several Vermillion back into the swarm of soldiers. More warriors stepped over the armor of their shattered comrades. They never stopped coming.
It was a good thing Ninja never quit.
Morro landed next to my friends and immediately rushed over to Harumi. Despite her lack of elemental power and injured wrist, she continued to fight with a vigor that was almost admirable. Morro looked drained from flying for so long, but he continued to defend his ally with everything he had.
Behind the amulet, two glowing eyes opened.
A deep groan echoed throughout the clearing, making all of us shudder.
"Malevolence is weakened." I overheard Morro telling the others. "Lloyd's energy actually harmed her."
"The darkness can't heal her because its being stripped away," I shouted over the chaos, shooting more energy at the incoming warriors. My friends and I were back to back, fighting as one. The endless wave of Vermillion didn't frighten us. We knew we had to stop Malevolence, and we would climb whatever mountain that task brought before us.
"Darkness," Harumi mused. "Malevolence has always hidden in dark places."
"I wonder if there's a reason to that." Morro followed her train of thought instantly, continuing to fight despite his obvious exhaustion. "She's healed by the darkness on her... what if she gained that power through the darkness itself?"
"That's why she was attracted to the Overlord," Jay caught onto their conversation and landed a perfect strike on the Vermillion soldier before him. It stumbled back into the violent gust of water Nya sent. The force of the wave made it explode and knocked the armor far away. "He's the materialization of darkness itself."
"I remember when she was in a properly lit room. Even if the light was artificial, she seemed weakened." Harumi said.
"Lloyd's energy is a powerful manifestation of light," Morro exclaimed. "That's why it hurt her!"
"She doesn't have darkness to defend her now." I bared my teeth. "We'll blast her with as much light as we can. We need to do everything we can to stop the combination."
"Ninja go!"
Six tornadoes of brilliant color made their way towards the pillars where Malevolence stood. Morro and Harumi followed in suit, each of them ready to help in any way they could.
"You fools cannot stop it." Malevolence hissed through tears. "It's—" She gasped loudly, her pain evident to the world. "—it's too late."
My team stopped in unison and focused their elemental powers on her. Yells rose in air from both them and her as she struggled to hold on to her ceremony. Kai's fire and Jay's lightning seemed to be the only ones actually doing damage, but even their effect was weak. Malevolence laughed in an insane manner as she realized this.
"You want to stop me like that?!" She shrieked. "You're even more pathetic than I thought! How you defeated the Overlord in the first place is a complete mystery to me."
"Destroy the source," I growled, readying my powers, "destroy the ceremony. Without your darkness the combination will fail."
"You will fall." Morro's murderous tone rose above us all. "Just like you made Mika fall."
Just like that, I felt the air start to lift me up to Malevolence's height. Morro directed the wind from the ground; Harumi protecting his hunched over form. Malevolence's eyes widened as she realized what was about to happen
She couldn't move with the amulet drawing so much power from her. Malevolence jerked her head in Twins' direction, both who were cowering behind one of the pillars. Her eyes flashed. If she wanted them to help her, they didn't get the message. The storm was fierce. Rain slashed at our heads and at the energy storm which surrounded the amulet. The power coming from the Time Blades flickered. I clenched my fists.
Oni and Light's son shall rise forth to take a stand.
And Time's Overlord will fall to his end.
With a primeval scream, I launched a large force of energy straight at the wicked creature. Malevolence clenched her jaw as it hit her, as if she were refusing to let us see the satisfaction of the pain it caused her. My energy ball pulsed and stripped the darkness off of her in a brilliant flash of light.
When the brightness faded, Malevolence stood before us, a complete and utter skeleton. I assumed this was her true form. Long spindly, off-white bones were arranged in odd figures. They were large enough to hold the vital organs inside, yet small enough to allow a lot of flexibility. The only recognizable part of her were the purple eyes in her head, still open, still seeing.
Then, she closed them slowly.
"I have not failed you," Malevolence whispered her last words.
She dropped to the ground with a large thud. What could be considered her chest fell one last time with all the gentleness of a lamb. Without darkness to sustain it or the Time Blades' energy, the amulet fell the ground behind its mistress with a clink. The light the combination was creating slowly drained away. Thunder clapped again. The sound of battle had disappeared.
The Vermillion had stopped fighting. They stood and stared at us. We killed their mistress. Realization shot through my team. We had defeated Malevolence. We had stopped the combination. We had won.
Despite the rain, Kai ripped off his hood and cheered. One by one, the rest followed his example. All except Morro and Harumi. Their brows were creased as they stared behind me with a suspicious look. Suddenly, horror filled their faces. Harumi backed up into Morro in shock. Slowly, my team's cheers disappeared too. I turned around.
Out of the darkness he had risen.
The Overlord.
The fight was all but over.