Y'all read the title, y'all know what's gonna happen!

Disastah is about to ensue!

Candy! 🍭

☯️~☯️~☯️

Centuries had passed. Generations came and went, dynasties rose and fell, legends turned to dust, promises were made and broken. Wu and Garmadon stood through it all, their supposed ages increasing significantly slowly and providing means to endure all that life threw at them.

Now, grown young men, the brothers had become more experienced and adept at fighting, surviving and facing life in general. By now, the stories of their skills and accomplishments had traveled far and wide and they had become well known.

One of them, however, wasn't doing that good. The strange thing was that no one knew if Garmadon's condition was getting better or worse. He had learned to control his anger the best he could but the transformation was now picking up pace.

The venom of the Great Devourer had resulted in mood swings that came and went as they pleased. One moment he would be excited and the next, the smile would fade and violence would take over. The transitions were so aggressive and sudden, no one could guess what emotions were going to manifest themselves next.

Garmadon's nightmares became more frequent and his outbursts, more violent. One was so severe that it eventually led his brown eyes to permanently become red with an ominous glow in them. He looked more menacing due to it and so people kept his distance from him.

The word about him being the first victim of the Devourer's poisonous wrath had finally got out. It was done so to warn people so that, in no way, could Garmadon be triggered to hurt and destroy.

The brunet never really complained about him being treated like a monster that had been let loose nor did he give any indications of having a problem with it. At least, that was what Garmadon confirmed himself. It could be a lie that he didn't feel insulted from all the horror stories about him.

But if Garmadon had been blessed with that much endurance then Wu had been endowed with an equal amount of observance.

Quiet, mature for his age, wise eyes decorating a young face, Wu read his older brother like a book. Page after page was filled with sorrow and hurt and Wu knew that his brother was just lying. He was being destroyed from the inside at the aspect of being labeled as a thing that you had to avoid at all costs.

Like a deadly virus in a pandemic or a ferocious lion in the savannahs. Like the monster under your bed or the shadows of doubts in your mind. Garmadon was taken as such things. Wu couldn't imagine himself in that position and day after day, the guilt of exposing his other half to that infernal serpent snapped at him.

He would see the shame and self-hate in Garmadon's crimson eyes everytime a mother would pull her child away from his path or when he would manage to overhear the fearful whispers of the passers by. But on the brunet's face, their would always be a ghostly expression of calm and peace. He would always have an I-don't-care-what-you-think-of-me attitude.

But it was all a lie and Wu knew it.

When the blonde consulted his father regarding the matter, the First Spinjitzu Master advocated that mingling with society on a positive mutual level would perhaps make Garmadon be more open towards people.

Wu couldn't help but agree with that suggestion. Before now, Garmadon had been extremely unpredictable. Exposing him to the outside world was a big blunder Wu and his father hadn't been ready to pay the price for.

But now that the "danger" had learned to control his emotions and bubbling anger, both father and son thought it was only possible for Garmadon to get better if they began to take risks.

It was high time that Wu's older brother had some real companions.

☯~️☯~️☯️

"Come on, brother," Wu huffed, tugging on Garmadon's arm with all the strength he could muster - which still didn't seem enough. Garmadon had always been stronger and heavily built than Wu despite them being only a day apart.

"We'll be in and out," the blonde continued, finally succeeding in dragging his brother along to the library of Jamanakai village. "I just need to return some books and borrow new ones."

"We had made no plans on making a stop at the library, Wu," Garmadon hissed, verbally resisting but physically letting his brother pull him along. "We were just here to buy Father's medicinal herbs."

"And I had to return the books back to the library before they were overdue," Wu added rather pointedly, stepping aside outside the library's double doors to let a trio of young girls pass by.

The one who was struggling to keep up with the other two inhaled sharply as she tripped and landed on the ground, her pouch of coins freeing itself from her grasp.

Garmadon winced, stepping back as the little girl picked herself up. Wu immediately crouched down when he realized that she had frantically begun to search for her pouch.

He took it up and displayed it to the girl. "Here you go, little one." Wu smiled one of his kindest smiles as he handed the pouch back to the girl.

"Thank you, mister!" she chirruped, her cheeks depressed by tiny dimples.

Without even so much as looking up at Garmadon, the girl took off after her friends, the pouch bouncing in her hand, issuing the sound of clinking coins.

"I love little children, don't you?" Wu commented casually, pulling on the door to the library but struggling to keep it open due to the stack of books in his arms. "They just make life so . . . . colourful."

This statement earned a divergent scoff from his brother who shifted all the grocery bags to one hand in order to hold open the door for Wu. "They're a nuisance, if you ask me."

Wu shot a look at him but proceeded inside without saying another word. He had learned that initiating small talks with his "much too preoccupied" brother was no use as he would always respond with a grouchy reply.

Garmadon wasn't exactly thrilled about visiting public places and, in his opinion, a library was always considered home by the very observant or rather judgy type of people.

In short, he despised libraries.

Wu started, letting out a surprised noise and stumbling back as Garmadon haphazardly shoved all the bags into his already overloaded hands.

"Here," the brunet muttered, ignoring the scowl on his brother's face. "You find what you're looking for and take care of the groceries while I walk around and try not to draw attention to myself."

As he said this, he noticed a short man jump in his peripheral vision. Both the brothers turned to face him, smiling when they realized it was the local carpenter who had visited the monastery quite a few times to do repairs.

"Hello, Silas," Wu greeted him with his comfortable smile which would never fail to ease a person's anxiety on the spot.

"H-hello, you t-two," the man trembled, eyes darting back and forth between Wu and Garmadon, fearfully lingering on the latter for a few seconds.

This did not go unnoticed by the brunet and he got reminded of the last time he had seen Silas. The time when the venom had taken for some unimportant reason and had compelled him to hurt the carpenter who had been there to recondition the training course.

However, Garmadon did not wish that to be the last memory of them together so he decided to act ignorant to the way the man was shivering in his mere presence.

"How do you do?" he asked as politely as he could manage.

"I-I'm fine, th-thank you." Silas kept inching farther from the duo and closer to the double doors, wanting nothing more than to zoom out of there.

Wu had acknowledged the carpenter's motives and made haste in ending the awkward situation. "You must be in a hurry, Silas. If you are, then we mustn't hold you back. Have a good day."

Relieved, Silas managed a small smile as he stumbled out of the library, crashing into one of the lamp posts that flanked the entrance of the building. He rallied his balance again, shooting them a thumbs up through the window before dashing down the street.

Hearing a downhearted sigh, Wu glanced at his brother who was walking towards the rows of bookshelves that crowded the huge hall. The blonde made to go after him but eventually decided against it. Instead, he slowly trudged over to the front desk to complete his own errand.

☯️~☯️~☯️

Legendary Beasts Of The North

Dragons, Kappas and Yōkai

Elemental Spirits And Animals

Hebi Gaido: A Guide To Serpents

Garmadon frowned, backtracking to the last book that he had ran his finger on. He stared at the title on the thick black spine, his gaze loitering on the swirly font. A million thoughts ricocheted off the walls of his mind and for a moment, he heard a faint voice hissing out his name.

Garmadon . . .

The brunet shook his head, holding up a hand to his temple. He ran his finger in a circle to massage the area, a growing ache plaguing his forehead. The temperature seemed to be descending below normal and the present world appeared to be fading right before his eyes.

Glancing to his left, he saw nothing but a chilling, dark hall that stretched for miles into nothingness. His right displayed the same view. The shielding shelves of the library had vanished completely.

Garmadon.

He froze. That voice. It was familiar.

Heed my warning.

It was that same hiss that had plagiarized his reassuring dreams. The same howl that had haunted his sleepless nights. Tormented every smile on his face. Severed every string that connected him to humanity.

It was the same whisper that had petrified him the night he was told of his destiny all those years ago. It was back.

Don't make the same incursion as your father.

Don't betray the darkness.

Garmadon had now begun to shiver. His eyes were wide open, the red lines prominent in the whites. He respired, fog rushing out of his mouth with ever breath.

"Wu, help me," was all he could manage to say.

You dare to ignore me?

Pain. Nothing but excruciating pain propagated through his body. Choked gasps escaped Garmadon's dry lips as he felt his throat being crushed by an invisible fist. His eyes threatened to roll back into his head and his hands twisted about his wrists. His body convulsed, giving one the feeling that he was having a fit.

Your father was destined to be the ultimate king! The sovereign emperor! The supreme ruler of all the realms!

His body burned all over. The intensity of the heat shot higher with every sentence being screamed through his mind.

"Help me, please!"

But he deluded the darkness! He deceived the Oni! And now, look at him! Nothing but an old hermit with two worthless sons!

"You're wrong!" Garmadon assembled every ounce of strength left of his being to scream back at the raspy insults. "My father and brother mean everything to me! And I am not worthless!"

Only if you surrender to the dark side. Let the shadows through. Let me in! You can't hold me back forever!

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

With a loud cry, the brunet shook himself free from the voice's grasp. Fresh air rushed back into his despairing lungs, resulting in the return of his strength.

The voice screamed, it's severity decreasing fast. Light exploded from every corner, gobbling up the dense blackness. It felt like all the evil in the world had ceased to exist. The entire ordeal seemed to familiarize with the dream he had when he was younger.

Of Wu, the snake and the huge, dark dragon . . .

Twisting away from it all, Garmadon forced himself to run. However, he paused as he came face to face with two glowing flashes of green. Emerald eyes met his and, for a fraction of a second, everything seemed resolved-

- till he bumped into that being.

Garmadon was only pushed back to a little extent but the other person completely fell backwards and was on the ground. The books they were carrying plummeted to the floor and scattered everywhere.

The brunet grunted, rubbing his nose as he steadied himself with the help of a bookshelf. He could practically feel the eyes of the other occupants of the library watching him in amusement. So much for not drawing attention to himself.

"Hey, watch where you're-"

He stopped midsentence as his eyes fell on the young woman who was sitting in the middle of the aisle, massaging her head.

Now that the voice had disappeared and he was back in the library (and had caused a scene as well), he focused on what had just happened. Was it all in his head? Like it had been last time?

The pain that had accompanied the shouts had terminated completely without a trace that it had been there. And how did everything return to normal so suddenly? Did he do that?

He was tugged out of his presumptions as he registered movement below. The woman had gotten on her knees, gathering up her books and mumbling apologies. Putting himself in the blaming position, Garmadon winced internally.

He hesitated a few seconds before finally crouching down to assist her. "No, I'm sorry," he muttered, not looking up and trying to reach for the paperback that had slid under a shelf. "I was lost in thought. I didn't see you."

As soon as he was able to pull the book out, Garmadon shook off the dust lingering on it, giving it a final wipe with the sleeve of his kimono.

"Here you are." He smiled proudly as he proceeded to pass the book to the woman. Looking up from gathering the rest of her load, she reached for the one in the brunet's hand.

That's when their gazes met. Her pale, oval face held the same lively eyes that he had witnessed just mere minutes ago. He felt drawn to them as if they were the only means of his salvation from the darkness. Time seemed to have slowed down. One could say it had stopped entirely.

Garmadon forgot everything. He didn't care if people frowned at them in displeasure or whispered at them to keep it quiet. He yearned for nothing more than to sojourn those emerald depths and continue to exist in them. His heart hammered against his chest so loudly, he was afraid it might break free.

Was this what Wu's nonsense childhood books were about? Was this love at first sight?

He came zooming back to reality as the young woman gently pried the book out of his grasp with a thankful smile. He realized that he had been staring at her and frantically jerked up to a standing position.

"S-sorry!" he stammered, shifting to the side only to stumble into a bookshelf. The furniture wobbled, making a book or two beat down on the flustered male.

The woman, still on the floor, watched Garmadon's antics with an amused half smile. She failed to suppress a giggle when the brunet advanced to lean against the same shelf but missed it with his elbow.

Pink took no time in painting itself across the brunet's cheeks. He stood there like a statue, his crimson eyes watching as the woman slowly got up to her feet. Gentle laughter poured out of her lips all the while, causing Garmadon to be more self-conscious.

"Is this a clown act?" she asked playfully, hugging her books close to her chest.

"What?" Garmadon frowned.

The woman tucked her brown strands of hair behind her ears and adjusted her reading glasses that rested on her nose. "I mean," she began, a smile teasing her lips, "first you bump into me and make me drop my stuff, then you stare at me like a deer caught in a lantern and then you stumble about like a clumsy parrot."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized once more, his face red in embarrassment. "I was lost in thought. I didn't see you."

The brunette was unable to smother her chuckles that grew every time she gazed up at the young man's bewildered face. "You already said that."

"I . . . I did?" Garmadon mentally slapped himself as he discerned his awkward behavior. Not wanting to convey the message to the woman that he was a fluctuant, insecure young adult, he managed to give her a calm smile.

"I, uh, don't know what's gotten into-"

"Are you okay?" the bespectacled woman spoke, finally concerning herself with Garmadon's fidgety conduct.

"I'm- I'm fine," the brunet blurted out, not really meaning what he said. He wasn't fine. His entire reposeful and placid being was jittery and muddled. He couldn't think straight, couldn't decide on what to say.

He forgot his words every time he would hear her laugh or see her eyes shimmer with amusement. This was a completely foreign feeling that he had never experienced before . . . and it felt nice for some peculiar reason.

The woman, however, noticed other things besides the young man's nervousness. She knitted her eyebrows as she finally alluded the tell tale red irises that had horrified nearly half of the people she met in this village.

She wondered why it was so. She didn't find those red eyes that discomforting. The colour almost seemed natural when not looked at too closely.

"You're Garmadon, right?" she eventually uttered aloud.

The bearer of the name froze. It was a few indecisive seconds later that the brunet dropped his frankness and gave her a curt nod.

"I wish you have a nice day ahead," he mumbled emotionlessly, suddenly acting very ambiguous as if trying to conceal a secret. He apologized for the disruption he had caused and quietly moved around her.

"Wait!"

Garmadon paused, twisting his head to look back at the woman askance.

"Where are you going?" came the soft and gently voiced question.

"My brother is waiting for me. I must go to him."

"Don't you want to know my name?"

"Your name?" Garmadon turned around, curious at why his acquaintance wanted to move on with the usual pleasantries of first meetings.

"I'm Misako," the brunette prefaced with a sweet smile.

Garmadon was appalled at how she stood perfectly calm, conversing casually with him as if he was a normal person like the rest of the world. His own lips stretched upwards as he extended his hand towards the woman. And then he revealed to her something he never would've to anyone else.

"Nice to meet you, Misako. I'm Montgomery Garmadon."

☯️~☯️~☯️