I'm so sorry for not updating motivation is completely not on my side for this book. T~T

Also, I've decided to call Splenda and her students the "Silent Soarers" as an easier way to refer to all of them (like a group name). I'm going to go back through the book (again) and edit that in along with a couple other things before I get to the next chapter. 7/12/20

⚠️WARNING, SOME SCENES IN THIS CHAPER ARE GORY.  I WILL TELL YOU WHEN THOSE SCENES ARE.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED⚠️

No One's POV

Splenda tosses and turns in her bed, sweat rolling down her face. Her eyes are squeezed shut and she whimpers and mumbles in her sleep. She suddenly shoots up from her bed, tears in her eyes, trembling uncontrollably. She looks around the room and turns on a lamp next to her bed. She breathes in deeply, trying to calm herself down. "No..." she says in a shaky breath. "Not now... it's... it's too soon!" She gets up from her bed and exits her room. She makes her way over to her elevator. She takes the elevator up to the level floor of her house and walks over to her front door, opening it and stepping out into the cool summer night.

She takes a stroll through the sleeping village and through the jungle she's walked through a billion times now. She finishes walking through the jungle and finds herself on the other side of it, now on the beach she's trained her students on for many years. She watches the waves crash onto the shore, and the trillions of stars dancing around in the sky. "How long, until you die out, little ones?" She asks the stars in the sky. She sighs as the wind blows through her silver hair. "I thought I'd have more time..." she says.

The night progresses and soon the stars in the sky begin to fade, but she does not move. Streaks of color begin to creep their way through the various blues painted across the night sky, yet she still just stands in the same spot, watching time flow by. And soon, the sun is visibly seen rising above the horizon to greet the day, a painted silhouette of her which casts a shadow on the cold sand.

Lloyd POV

"What the-?!" A voice sounds from the doorway. Kai and I stop what we're doing and we whip our heads to the doorway to see Jay standing there in complete shock. He turns on the lights in the room after Kai and I have shoved each other away, trying to find an excuse for what he's just seen. But right now, we're mostly just panicking.

"J-Jay, what are you doing here?!" Kai asks him.

"I-I was just looking for Lloyd to tell him Splenda and the rest of the Silent Soarers are starting to head back, but..."

I start to panic. Jay saw us!!!! What will he think?!?! I'm not ready to come out yet!!! I've always known I never liked girls, and I've had a few crushes on the boys in the village, but I've never told ANYONE about me being gay, not even Katie!!! What if Jay hates me after this?!? What if he tells the others?!? What if THEY hate me?!? Oh no I'm so done for!!!

"You two are... gay?!?" He says louder than I wanted him to. In a panic I grab Jay by his gi and I pull him in the room, slamming the door after him.

"You cannot tell ANYONE, Jay." I warn him.

"Listen, we're kind of new to this..." Kai explains, stepping in as I try to contain myself. "We just started dating like, a week and a half ago."

Jay stares at us in disbelief. At first I think he's going to reject us but then he says, "Guys, why didn't you say anything? Especially you, when we're you going to say you were gay?" He says pointing to Kai.

"First off, I'm bi, and second, like I said, we're new to this." He says back.

"Also... we've never told anyone." I say sheepishly.

"Well, guys I totally support you, I'm just... surprised. Like, really surprised." he says.  "How long were you planning on keeping it a secret?"

Kai and I look at each other.  We never really talked about how or when we were going to tell the others.  "I don't know," I say.  "Probably after the war with the Overlord and after a couple months of us dating?"  Jay hums in response.

"Okay, I promise I won't say anything." Jay says, lifting a huge weight off my shoulders.  But, anxiety and doubt lingers through me.  What if he doesn't keep it?  What if it slips?  As if the two boys are reading my anxiety, they both start to reassure me that everything will be okay.  I just nod along with them.  They tell me I should be getting back and I leave the room, praying to the First Spinjitzu Master that despite Jay being extremely talkative, he'll keep our secret.  I leave the bounty and fly home to be greeted by my sister asking where I've been.  I give my excuse and I go to the basement and into my room, flopping down on my bed.  Tomorrow will be an interesting day... that's for sure.

~~~time skip~~~

It's been a few days since Jay found out, and apparently he can keep his mouth shut.   He hasn't said a word about what he saw or anything regarding the topic in general. My sister, Ash, Haru, and I are making our way through the dense forest over to the bounty. Splenda decided to stay behind and catch up with us later.  She's been doing that a lot for the past couple of days.  She seems distant, and not at all like herself. "Hey guys," I ask them. They turn their attention to me. "Does Splenda seem... off... to any of you?"

They all look at one another. "Now that you mention it," Katie says. "She does."

"Yeah... I wonder what has her acting so weird." Haru says.

"Maybe she's just nervous for the battle today." Ash offers. "I know I am." Despite the heat of the humid jungle, a chill runs down my spine. I've secretly been dreading this day since I announced the plan last week. Today is the day we put an end to the Overlord's rein, and I'm one of the main keys. I'm so nervous I'm having a really hard time keeping a straight face. It's odd though, how I've suddenly taken charge of the whole situation like I'm some kind of leader.  I'm no leader though.

"Well, whatever the reason may be, we shouldn't be too concerned with it. We have bigger things to worry about." Haru says, drawing our attention back to the topic at hand. We trudge along the damp earth for a little while longer until we reach the cave hidden by the waterfall where the bounty hides.  Jay greets us happily, as usual, from the deck of the bounty as we walk up to it.  Before we can get to it he points over to a large table on the stone floor on the other side of the ship where everyone else awaits our arrival.  We walk over, give our greetings, and gather around the table to discuss the plan once more.

~~~time skip~~~

The plan is now in motion.  It is noon, the brightest part of the day. Every one of us hide in the bushes far out of sight from the soldiers surveying the abandoned town. We were brought here by the bounty which sits not too far from where we hide.  Misako is on the bounty, ready to take off in case something goes wrong. With our hoods on, we creep unnoticed through the town and towards the fortress. We duck behind buildings and I signal with my hand for us to split into out arranged teams.

Team A consists of me, Splenda, Garmadon, Haru, and Zane while team B consists of Wu and the rest of the ninja and Silent Soarers. We all move forward and group into our teams.  As team A approaches the fortress we duck into the underbrush, making sure the coast is clear. Haru turns into a fly and flies up and through an open window to survey the hallways. After a few seconds we see his arm wave out the window to signal to us that the coast is clear. I turn into my dragon form and I fly Splenda up as Zane uses ice to lift him and Garmadon up. We enter through the window and start navigating through the hallways with the help of Zane who mapped the fortress last time he was here.

He leads us down multiple hallways until we reach a large spiral staircase to which we descend. Finally, he brings us to the closed doors of the Overlord's throne room. As I gaze upon the large, heavy doors my heart beats so fast I feel it's going to leap from out of my chest. I've been keeping myself under control the whole journey here, but my nerves are now starting to show. Garmadon notices, alerting the others. "It'll be okay." He tries to reassure me. I can only nod as I grab my sword from it's holder on my leg and extend it, ready to fight. Haru does the same as me but with his kwando.  Garmadon grabs a staff, Splenda grabs her sword, and Zane has his shirkins. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for the most intense fight of my life.

"Be ready guys, B team hasn't said anything about a fight outside so no one knows we're here yet. Once we're inside though we are no longer hidden in the shadows, so be prepared." They all nod and I look at the door once again. "Let's do this." I run up to the door and use my earth element to kick it open with so much force it slams into the walls behind it and makes a huge bang. We run in there expecting there to be a battle but we find the room completely empty. We look around in confusion.

"Wait, where is he? Where are the guards?" Haru asks us, already knowing we don't know the answer.

"There were guards?" Splenda asks him.

"I thought there might be..."

I look around the room. I place a hand on my earpiece. "Katie, what's going on out there?" I ask into the earpiece.

"Nothing, we're still hiding in the bushes. Why? Is something wrong?" She asks me.

"We're in the throne room, but the Overlord isn't here! No one is!"

"What?" I hear Jay's voice ring out through the earpiece.

"Where do you think he is?" Cole asks.

"FOOLS!" I raspy yet loud voice rings out like an echo in the room. The voice is so familiar it sends a shiver down my spine. I heard the voice many weeks ago. I couldn't forget it.  The voice from my dream: the Overlord. I spin around to see him standing, or, more like floating, at the entrance to the room. My blood runs cold and my veins turn to ice. "DID YOU REALLY THINK I WOULDN'T KNOW SOMEONE WAS SNEAKING I TO MY FORTRESS?!" We get into a ready stance and he summons some sort of darkness into his hands. He shoots them at us and we dodge it. Haru turns into an eagle and flies into the air. He stops at the ceiling and dives towards the Overlord with this claws open and ready to strike, only to be shot aside by a blast of the darkness into a wall.

"Haru!" I call after him as I watch him hit the floor with a loud thud. I'm drawn from his sight as I dodge another attack from the Overlord. Zane shoots multiple large spikes of ice at him only for the ice be blasted into a billion little shards. Garmadon goes in for an attack but is also blasted back. The Overlord stops and starts to circle around where Garmadon landed.

"My my, Garmadon, how long has it been? Sixteen years since I last sent my assassins after your family?" Garmadon gets up and gets into a fighting stance.

"Hasn't been long enough." He tells him. As the Overlord continues to circle him, he looks over at me and smiles with a sickening grin.

"Ah, and this must be one of the little pests who managed to escape my assassins' attack." Escape his attack? What? The Overlord sees the confusion in my eyes and cracks a loud and horse laugh. "You haven't told him? After all the time you had you still haven't told him you're his one and only long lost daddy?" A large breath I didn't know I was holding leaves my lungs. My face grows pale. I look at Garmadon. Surly this is just a mind game... I don't have parents... they abandoned me, they abandoned my sister! The overlord continues to laugh as he looks at me. "He lost a hand trying to protect you you know. His love for you is disgusting. Well, it's not like it matters anymore. You're all going to die anyway."

⚠️SLIGHT GORY PART AHEAD⚠️

"That's enough!" Splenda says as she throws her sword right into his back, causing the blade to pierce deep into his skin and, or at least, his shadowy substitute for skin, and all the way through the other side of his body. He cries out in pain as he looks back at her with a deadly glare. He reaches behind him and grabs the handle of the sword. He rips it out of his back with little care or cries of pain at all. I watch in horror at the sight of his wounds healing and dark energy summoning up into his hands again. I break free from my trance and charge towards him. I use the element of earth to break apart the ground and trap him off from Splenda, Zane, and Garmadon.

⚠️SLIGHT GORY PART OVER⚠️

I charge up lightning and shoot it at him, only for him to break my barrier and jump into the air towards me, darkness surrounding him. I summon fire and water at the same time and I create steam to blind him temporarily. I run around and try to get behind him but he detects me and blasts darkness at me. I create an energy forcefield which deflects the attack. "So, you're the little dragonkin who hid away from me for all these years? Pathetic." Dragonkin? Wait, is that the name for my dragon form? "You think you can defeat me?! An all powerful being thousands of years old?! I've waited too long for this moment for some CHILD to ruin it! Not that you could stand any chance since you're so puny and weak."

"Shut up! I may be young, but I will NOT let you take over the Dark Island or Ninjago!" I send large surges of energy at him and he deflects all of them. Unexpectedly, he appears behind me at the blink of an eye and punches me in the back so hard he sends me across the room and into the wall, cracking it at my collision. I fall to the ground and lay there in pain. I lift myself up slightly to see the Overlord laughing at me. "PATHETIC!" He yells. Haru runs over to me.

"Are you okay!?" He asks me. I look at him.

"Haru? What happened to you?" I ask him, not knowing what happened to him after he hit the ground.

"I'm fine he just left me in a daze from that blast." He grabs my arm and pulls me to my knees. I look up to see the Overlord has stopped laughing and is now fighting both Garmadon and Splenda at once. Zane runs over to us for cover.

"You guys okay?" He asks us. Haru responds 'yes' but I don't respond at all. My attention is on the battle in front of me. But it's not the fight I'm lost in, it the fact that Garmadon... is in a dragon form extremely similar to mine, but black and purple. He attacks the Overlord mid flight with claws and everything. I watch with wide eyes and my jaw to the floor. H-he wasn't joking... the Overlord was telling the truth... Garmadon... he... he HAS to be my dad. That explains where Katelyn got her black tail fur and purple scales from...

Garmadon takes a swing at him with his sharp claws but the Overlord dodges it and gets ready to blast him. Splenda slices a bit of his face with her sword causing him to redirect the blast and miss.  The Overlord heals the wound and punches Splenda away.  He turns to Garmadon, successfully blasting him with darkness and sending towards the floor.  Garmadon attempts to get up but falls back to the ground because of the excessive amount of darkness he was hit with; Much more than Haru and I were hit with.  Splenda tries to take another hit at him while his back is turned but he whips around and blocks her sword with the golden claw/gauntlet he wears on his arm.

⚠️GORY PART AHEAD⚠️

"Splenda..." he says slowly and deeply.  "You are the trainer of the group of children you hoped would defeat me.  Well, look at what a waste it was." He says, pointing to us.  This triggers something in me and I quickly get up and retrieve my sword.  I'm about to charge at him when he grabs Splenda's sword and disarms her, twisting the sword around to point at her and before she can react, he plunges the sword into her stomach and out through her back.  I stop dead in my tracks.  I look in horror at my mentor, my friend, my family, as the sword gets ripped out of her, shooting blood everywhere.  She slowly falls back and lands limply on the ground, a pool of blood spilling out from and around her.  Blood drips onto the floor from the very sword she would always carry.  The overlord drops the sword on the ground like a piece of scrap, looking me straight in the eyes.

⚠️GORY PART OVER⚠️

I feel something snap in me.  All my senses go numb and my vision becomes black except for a spotlight on the Overlord.  Everything seems to fade away, the cries of those around me, the echos of the room, my own heartbeat, everything.  My entire body goes numb.  I stop thinking.  I don't even realize that I've turned into my dragonkin form and am now charging at the Overlord full force with huge surges of lightning-like energy, and my eyes completely fade into pupil-less, glowing green abysses.  I also don't notice the tears flooding from my eyes and my bearing fangs.  I don't realize the loud dragon-like growl that escapes deep from within my throat, and I won't realize any of this until it's too late.