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It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
He was supposed to win, to be victorious. Now look at him.
Powerless.
Drained.
Helpless.
Afraid.
No, not afraid.
Absolutely terrified.
“One by one the lights flicker and die.” Lloyd’s blood went cold at the sound of that sickening voice. “It’s only a matter of time before this realm falls into eternal darkness.”
“No!” The hero cried. “No! I won’t let you!”
The gravelly voice gave a chuckle. “What can you do? You have lost. You are no longer in control.”
Lloyd bit his lip, looking down and around him. No matter where he looked, he saw them. He couldn’t escape them. The golden chains that bound him in his own mind. They tightened. They burned. They drained him of his energy. But he still fought. Grit his teeth and struggled. The rattling chains echoed though the dark void.
“Fight all you please, but it will do you no good. You will never escape me.”
“Shut up! My friends will save me! I know they will!”
There was a silence, it made him uncomfortable. He felt his body grow tense. As much as his restraints scorched his skin, the dark around him made him shiver violently.
A small snicker was heard; it soon grew into a maddening laugh – ringing in Lloyd’s ears.
“Your friends can do nothing! They are just as powerless as you!”
Lloyd flinched. He was right. Their elements weren’t enough. If his golden power couldn’t stop him, then what could?
“Even if they could defeat me, they wouldn’t. Not as long as I control you.”
How long had he been here? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Lloyd wasn’t sure anymore. Trapped in the emptiness for so long, he’d lost the concept of time. When his body was taken over, he found himself here. Tied up and left to rot in the deepest corners of himself. It was worse than any cage he’d ever been in.
But he could still see. He could still hear.
The buildings falling into ruin. The people he swore to protect, fleeing in terror. His army growing. The screams. The cried for help. For his help.
It was hell.
“They’ll find a way! They’ll find a way to stop you!”
“You naïve boy.” Even when he could only see blankness, he could feel a wicked clawed hand stroke his cheek, mockingly. “If they try, they will fail. They will fall at my feet.”
“Stop it.”
“I will capture them all.”
“Stop it.”
“I will punish them for defying me.”
“Stop it!”
“I will kill them slowly, make them suffer and beg for death.”
“Stop it!”
“And they will die, at your hand.”
“STOP IT!”
The chains began to rattle again. Lloyd could feel his heart pounding. His lungs heaving. His entire body shaking. Out of fear. And out of rage. No! He wouldn’t let this monster win! He wouldn’t let him hurt his friends. He finally had a real family! He wasn’t about to lose it! He had to find a way to stop this. To free himself. There just had to be a way!
Right?
“I can feel your doubt.”
Lloyd cursed under his breath. That’s another thing they shared now. Their thoughts. Their emotions. And he hated it with every piece of his being. He could always tell when Lloyd was afraid, angry, and torn up. It made him more in control than he already was.
“You are lying to yourself. Clinging to false hope, desperate for your freedom. But you will never get it back. You will never feel the light of day again!”
The ninja clenched his fists and pulled against his shackles. They still wouldn’t budge.
“Don’t you see, child? You are nothing. A mere vessel I wear. You are nothing more than my slave.”
For once, Lloyd could see something in the blackness. Two glowing eye. He stared into them, fighting against his fear. He was stronger than this.
“I may be trapped. I may have been forced to my knees, but I will never submit! You are not my master! And you never will be! My friends will find a way to free me! And together, we will bring you down! And end your cruel reign of shadow!” He straightened his back, made himself as tall as possible.
Once again, there was silence. Lloyd’s shoulders grew tense. Waiting for some sort of reply. But those cursed eyes just bored into his jade orbs. But he wouldn’t cave. He had to be brave!
“The people adore you. We both know this. In their eyes, you are a hero. The chosen one meant to save them. The Green Ninja of legend. But I know the truth. I can see you the real you.”
Were his eyes getting bigger? Or closer? Either way, Lloyd didn’t like it.
“You are merely a child. A scared little boy. I can see it all. Your darkest secrets. Your deepest fears.”
Lloyd wanted to tune out his jarring voice. Yet he could do nothing to block out the words.
“When destiny chose you to be Ninjago’s savior, you smiled. Early accepted the role. And at such a young age. You were lying to your allies, to yourself. You were afraid. Afraid to face your father. Afraid to fail. Afraid to disappoint.”
The blonde shook his head, desperate to get the churning feeling to go away. It only began to hurt more.
“You are afraid they will leave you behind. Just like your mother did all those years ago. You say you’ve forgiven her. But I can see it. You still resent her for leaving you behind.”
Lloyd said nothing. A pained expression etched on his face as he looked off to the side. Anywhere was better than his glowing gaze.
“I can see your memories. You wanted so badly to be like your father. But even back then, you were lying to yourself. You never wanted to be evil. And all of the teachers and students could see that the moment you stepped into that school. They tolerated you for a fair amount of time, before chasing you away.”
He shivered, still remembering it like it was yesterday.
“You had no where to go. Your father was locked away in the Underworld. Your mother no where to be found. You wanted nothing to do with your uncle, still believing you were a child of evil. You were all alone. You had no where to go. No one wanted anything to do with the child of Lord Garmadon. I can see it in your mind. A sad little boy alone and shivering on the street. Fleeing through the snow. Trudging though the desert.”
“Stop.” Lloyd whispered.
“No one cared. The ninja, your friends, left you alone in the beginning. Humiliated you. And all the people you stood and laughed. You despise them too.”
“No! I don’t.”
“Once again, you lie.”
“I hated them as a child. But not anymore. They were different back then. I was different. But we’ve all changed for the better now.”
“Really? Then tell me, boy, how have the people changed in the way they see you?”
“They care!”
“Do they? Is it for you? Or for what makes you green?”
Lloyd was going to speak, but his mind fell short of words. He didn’t know what to say. What if he was right? He was a first the bratty spawn of the dark lord. Then he became the Green Ninja. That when they changed. He shook his head. Maybe the people loved their hero. But people still cared for Lloyd.
“You continue to lie.”
“I still have my friends! My family! They love me!”
“Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps it is all an act?”
What?
“An act?”
There was a dark laughter. “Foolish ninja. Think of all you’ve done. You released the Serpentine. They spread like fire. If it had not been for you, Pythor would have never unleased the Great Devourer. And the city would have never been destroyed.”
“I – I was just a child. I didn’t know what I was doing! I didn’t know it would get so out of hand!”
“People died because of your mistake.”
Lloyd flinched, shame clawed down his back.
“And that’s not all. What of the red one? The master of fire. You admire his determination. You look to him for comfort. You see him as the brother you never had. Yet he was jealous of you. He wanted the destiny you were given. He wanted that power.”
“He saved me!” Lloyd snapped, suddenly confident when remembering. “He had to chose between me and the fang blade. He chose me. He could have left me to burn to death, but he saved me!”
“You were an obligation. He realized you were the chosen one. He saved you because you had a role to play. Nothing more. He still yearns for your power.”
“No! You lie!”
“Then what of that night on Chen’s Island? The crazed look in his eyes as he used that staff.”
“The power was corrupting him!”
“Corrupting him? Or showing his true colors?”
Lloyd felt his breathing become uneven. His mouth went dry. “No! Kai is my friend! My brother! They all are! We’re family!”
“You have no family! You never did!” His scratching voice suddenly boomed. “You are nothing but a burden! A foolish child who fails and fails again. You mean nothing to them! They have been thrown into danger many time because of you! Every time you fail, they suffer!”
“SHUT UP! You don’t know them!”
“How could I, unless I saw them through your eyes. Which I have.”
“Stop it! I… I – I…” Lloyd’s voice went quiet, no longer sure how to defend his friends. Or himself.
“You know it’s true. You’re weak. Useless. Pathetic. A coward. A burden. They know it. And so do you.”
“Stop. Please.” He whispered.
“And even though you’re nothing to them, you don’t care. You cling to them, desperate for some form of attention; even if it’s fake. You are desperately lonely and want nothing more than to belong. That’s why you accepted the role handed to you. They give you a false sense of love. In return, they use you. And you allow it. After so many years of crying yourself to sleep at that school, you can pretend to have the life you have always dreamed of.”
He felt tears in his eyes. It didn’t take long for them to shed. His shoulder shook and his breath hitched as he choked on his sobs. His golden binds jingled as he trembled.
“You were theirs to use. And now you are mine to use. You belong to me, boy. And I will use your power, and wear your skin, as I see fit.”
Lloyd looked up, though his blurred vision he could see a figure before him. It was himself, but different. Glowing red eyes in the place of green. Black with gold armor instead of a gi. He was tall. Powerful. Menacing. And completely in control.
The dark ruler kneeled before Lloyd, gripping his chin. Sinister blood red eyes meet with tearful emerald eyes.
“You are mine, Lloyd Garmadon.”
Once he released his grip, the ninja’s head dropped; now truly defeated.
“Thank you for providing me your power. They shall be put to a wonderful use. I shall diminish the last of the city’s hope. The light shall fade. And you will be all that remains.”
A scared child, with an unfortunately difficult upbringing. So easy to manipulate. So easy to make think what he desires. His emotions flared up his power, and through the chains they were sent right to him. The power was almost overwhelming. The boy truly had much suffering for him to exploit. The ninja could see it all in his head, as they shared minds now, but he wouldn’t.
The boy was too broken now.
He wouldn’t dare challenge his master, the real liar.