Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sky was darkening as the falling snowflakes were thickening the snow on the ground. This side of Ninjago City was farther away from the city center, so people's lifestyle was a mix of country and city life. Normally, bad weather like this would worry Lloyd, because snow in the evening meant another night he was gonna spend in the storm. But today, he was so happy that he didn't even care about the weather. The sound of his footsteps in the snow was getting mixed with the sound of the coins in his pocket.

35 coins. When had he last had an amount like this? Before he got kicked out of Darkleys? The time he had worked in that mine? Maybe he never had an amount like this. He was already thinking about what he was going to do. Should he go and have a full meal? He was trying to keep his energy with the protein bars from markets, but it had been over a week since he last had a full meal. Maybe he could rent a room somewhere for the night. He could even make it two nights if it's a basement or a barn.

He put all those thoughts aside. A coat was his priority. He had sold his coat last year to buy food, and if he didn't get a new one immediately, he was gonna freeze to death. He couldn't risk it for a one night comfort. Maybe he could have bought more stuff with his future payments. He was recently hired by an honest woman who pays him fully, unlike most employers. She had even paid him his money for the next 3 days beforehand.

How long had he been thinking about this kind of stuff? He couldn't remember since it's been years. He had lived in a kindergarten until he was around six years old. When he got to school ages, no boarding school in Ninjago accepted him. After all, who would want the son of Lord Garmadon, the most horrifying villain in Ninjago, to join their school? In the end, he had to go to the only school that accepted him, Darkley's Boarding School. This was a school dedicated to raising the villains of the future, it was a mystery how it hasn't been shut down. Lloyd has had to deal with a lot of bullying there. He didn't really have any knowledge about being "evil" since he's never met his father in person before. He actually didn't have anything in common with him other than his red eyes. After bearing his life there for about a year, they finally kicked him out, saying he didn't have the "the right qualifications to be evil." He has been living on the streets ever since then. He has been mostly sleeping outside, working in any job that accepted him and feeding himself. He didn't have space in his mind to think about anything besides surviving. He was even calculating the years and his age by the winters that come and pass. (He must have been around ten now.)

Most people would expect him to be brutal and survive by crushing others. Being Lord Garmadon's son made people believe he was evil too. But honestly, Lloyd didn't really like the idea of being "evil." It was hard for him to see other people suffer. His teachers from Darkley's had told him that he wasn't good at it anyway, so he decided not to waste time on a job he wasn't good at. The years he spent on the streets have taught him that every second he wasted might cause his death.

But his luck was turning around. This money could save his life. He could shower more. He could wear better clothes than his old hoodie that wasn't fitting him anymore. He could buy or build a small shed, he could even eat in a restaurant.

A hard object he ran into pulled him out of his dreams. He couldn't keep his balance and fell to the ground. Great. he thought. My pants got wet from the snow. Now my behing will get cold all night.

When he looked up, he saw a tall teenager around sixteen-seventeen years old. He was wearing a white gi with black highlights. His gaze was stiff and creepy. Lloyd was surprised that the thing he ran into was a human. He felt so hard, as if he was a pillar. He then heard a voice from his side.

"Watch where you're going, brat."

Only then could Lloyd notice the other three teens who looked around the same age as the first one. The one who spoke was wearing a black sleeveless gi. He had a lot of muscles and countless scars. He had a stern and aggressive demeanor. The one on the other side of the white one was wearing a blue-black gi, but his gi's fabric seemed to be higher quality. He also had a gold chain on his neck. He was eyeing Lloyd up and down. The last one behind them was wearing red. His cold gaze was fixated on Lloyd. They were all holding various weapons that seemed like they were made of gold.

He stood up and swallowed. He has lived on the streets long enough to recognize dangerous gangs. He bowed his head.

"I'm so sorry, my bad. Have a good day."

Just when he turned around to walk away, he felt something cold and hard on his nape. The one with black gi has bashed his golden scythe on Lloyd's hoodie.

"Wait up now." He said and pulled Lloyd back. Lloyd fell to the ground again. He turned to his friends. "Doesn't this kid look familiar to you? I mean, I haven't seen him before, but he reminds me of someone."

"I came across his picture once online. That's the son of Garmadon. His name was Lloyd or something." Said the one with blue gi. He chuckled and eyed Lloyd again. "The son of a literal lord living on the streets, huh?"

Lloyd looked down. "I really need to go, sir."

The one with red gi walked up to him and looked down at him. "Do you know who we are?"

Lloyd shook his head.

"We're the Ninja. The protectors of Ninjago and the wilders of the golden weapons. Also the people who killed Lord Garmadon, your father."

Lloyd was surprised. Everybody knew about the Ninja. They had recently saved everyone with their battle in the Underworld. Four teens who were chosen by his uncle Wu; Kai (the red ninja), Jay (the blue ninja), Cole (the black ninja), and Zane (the white ninja). Now he knew who was who. These teens' appearances fit the descriptions he heard around. Tho he didn't expect the famous Ninja to look like some thugs. He already knew that his father was dead. Despite the fact that he never knew him and that he didn't like his evil doings, he was still a bit upset. He still had the slight hope he might have been able to meet his dad, but now his chances were zero. He wasn't mad at the Ninja for this. They have done what's right after all.

"Look at you." Said Kai, the ninja in front of him with a frown. "You even have his disgusting eyes."

Before Lloyd could realize, Kai tripped him, and Lloyd fell down for the third time. Kai kicked him back as he was trying to get up. Lloyd screamed in pain. Then Kai turned to the other Ninja.

"What do you say we give him a good punishment?"

"This is the son of Garmadon, I'm sure he's done something worth punishing."

"Sure." Cole said,cracking his knuckles. "My fists were itching anyway."

Lloyd tried to object, but Zane grabbed him from underneath his arms harshly and lifted him up before he could. He was getting ready to speak again, but this time his words were interrupted with Cole's fist landing on his stomach. In the meantime, Jay came to Lloyd's side and grabbed the 35 coins from his pocket.

"Wow, some homeless you are. Look at this amount!"

This time Lloyd was filled with real panic. He was struggling against Zane's grip as he begged.

"No! Please don't touch that, I need that money."

"Too bad, because I need it for arcade."

A fist hit him on the eye. Kai came closer again and looked down at his face.

"What, can't take it? I bet you stole that money anyway. You deserve all this."

"I didn't do anything!" Lloyd said. He immediately got kicked in his stomach after saying it. He coughed a few times, and a drop of blood fell on the snow.

"You carry Garmadon's dirty blood. Even your existence is worth punishing you for. You will become a monster like him eventually, why would it be a problem if you suffered the consequences beforehand?"

After he got kicked one more time, Zane let go of Lloyd's arms, and he fell on the snow. The Ninja walked away without even looking back.

Chapter Text

Lloyd glared up at the Ninja leaving. He laid on the ground for minutes. He couldn't move his body. He was feeling the cold in his bones.

The money of the next three days, the coat he was gonna buy, all his plans for tonight were gone. But it wasn't the time to think these. It was getting dark and it was still snowing. He didn't have a coat, and if he kept lying on the snow in such a weak state, he was gonna pass out. If he stayed here all night, he was gonna freeze to death.

Death. The thought gave him chills. He needed a shelter immediately. He gathered all his energy and stood up. He looked around for a place. Shops, houses, farms... Who would let him in in such state?

A house with a barn caught his eye. This was his only hope. Stumbling, he barely made it to the door. He held on the wall after knocking. A farmer opened the door. When he saw Lloyd he seemed creeped out, probably because of his eyes. "We don't do charity work, sorry." and pulled the door back. Lloyd held the door, he was running out of energy.

"I'm not asking for anything, just let me stay at your barn tonight." A girl around Lloyd's age with white hair came to the door and stood behind the farmer, glancing at Lloyd with curious eyes.

The farmer pulled the door again. "Don't cause trouble, boy. I have my family in here. I don't know what kind of a demon you are, but you're clearly no good. Get lost before I call someone."

"I'll pay you back by cleaning it as soon as I gather my energy in the morning. Please, if I stay out I'll die." Lloyd was pleading at this point. His hope was fading away slowly.

"Dad." The girl behind him said. He turned to her, then she whispered something to the farmer. He thought for a while and then sighed. "You're lucky we sold our cow the other day, I want that place spotless in the morning." Then he closed the door. Lloyd went to the barn as quickly as he could. He collapsed to the floor as soon as he got in and locked the door. The barn wasn't that warm, but it was better compared to the outside. He had a feeling he knew what those sticky stuff touching his clothes were, but he didn't want to think about it. Inside smelled really bad, but Lloyd still let out a relaxed sigh. He couldn't stom himself from smiling. I won't die.

And he passed out.

The strong smell of the barn woke him up. His body was still aching, but he could move now. He wondered what time it was. He suddenly remembered he needed to go to work. He should have been there by the time the sun rose. He looked up and looked out the window, the sun was already in the sky. He was late.

He stood up and tried to wipe his clothes with his hands. Was he even gonna be let in the shop with these clothes? But there was no time to clean up. Just as he was moving towards the door, he remembered a glimpse of what he said last night.

I'll pay you back by cleaning it as soon as I gather my energy in the morning.

He took a look at the barn and noticed the shovel and hose by the wall. He got to work right away. The cleaning was done in about half an hour, but now he smelled even worse. Just when he was putting down the hose and getting ready to leave, the farmer opened the barn door. He seemed surprised to see Lloyd there. He took a look at the barn.

"Wow, you really did clean it. I honestly expected you to run off in the morning."

Lloyd lowered his head. "Thank you for providing me with shelter, sir. I'll leave now, I wouldn't want to disturb you any more."

"Hold on now, why don't you join me and my family for breakfast? See it as an apology for my prejudice. You could also get cleaned up."

Lloyd tried to suppress his stomach growling with his hands. He couldn't have dinner last night, and after getting beaten up, he didn't have any energy left. But he was already late, he couldn't risk losing his job.

"Thank you, but I'm really in a hurry. Have a good day."

He lowered his head again and ran out of the barn. He made it to the shop after passing by a few streets. He pushed the door open.

"I'm sorry for being late, Ms. Mystake."

Mystake was an old lady who ran a small tea shop and didn't have that many acquaintances, but pretty much everyone has encountered at least once. Her whitened hair would stay under her hat. She was a really mysterious person, she wouldn't talk much about her past. Her shop was filled with various teas. As most of the shelves covering the wall behind the counter were filled with herb teas normal customers bought, some of them had unknown products that only travelers and mysterious strangers bought. There was also one shelf of books. There was a small living space behind the bead curtain by the corner of the shop: Mystake was living here.

When Lloyd came in the other day and asked for any kind of job she would give him, Mystake hired him fully.

She grimaced when she saw him. "Where have you been? You're an hour late. And what's that on your clothes? You smell disgusting."

Lloyd desperately tried to wipe his clothes again. He didn't want to come here in this state, but he didn't want to seem like he ran off with the money either. "I'm so sorry, I had some trouble last night. I can go find a fountain to clean up and wash my clothes if you wish. It might take long for them to dry, but I'll think of something."

"Are you out of your mind? It's snowing out there."

"I have no other chance, Ms. Mystake. I have no money to rent a shower." He squeezed the hem of his hoodie in his palms. "I have none."

Mystake knew how hard life on the streets could be. She could piece together that Lloyd's money was stolen. She sighed, then sat down on the chair behind the counter and pointed inside.

"Go take a shower there. Wash your clothes too. Wear some of my stuff until they dry."

Lloyd looked up and smiled. "Thank you so much." Then ran to the shower inside.

He took off his clothes and washed them first, then started showering after he left his clothes to dry. He relaxed under the warm water. He felt a sudden pain as he rubbed his arms. He noticed bruises at the spots Zane had held him. His eye was in a bad condition too, but he believed it would get better in the future.

He kept on showering. Why had this happened? Why had the ninja done something like this? Was he really responsible with his father's evil doings? No, that didn't make sense. Lloyd didn't even know his father. How could being from his generation make him evil? And he couldn't be evil even if he tried. How could he threaten people's lives when he couldn't even steal his classmate's pencil without feeling bad?

In the future. He thought. What if his feelings now were just some childish innocence? What if he actually ended up like his father in the future? The thought gave him chills. He shut his eyes and finished his shower.

Mystake's clothes were a bit big for him, he needed to folk his sleeves. When he entered the shop again, he saw a plate of rice on the counter. Mystake gestured at the plate without looking up from her newspaper. "Eat up."

Lloyd shook his head, trying to hide his hunger. "No, you helped me enough already. I can't ask for any more favors."

"I'm not doing it out of kindness. I don't wanna deal with it if you pass out from hunger in the middle of the shop. Your stomach was growling so badly that I could hear it from all the way here. Eat it."

Lloyd didn't object more and sat across the counter. The rice was probably leftover, it seemed like it was warmed up in a microwave. As Lloyd eas eating, Mystake read from the newspaper unpleasantly. "'The serpentine thief was sentenced for execution.' Execution isn't even legal in Ninjago. This happened only because they're a serpentine. If it was a human who committed crime, they would have gotten away with a few years of prison sentence. In fact, if it was someone rich, the case would've been closed immediately."

The serpentine were snake creatures that lived in the lands of Ninjago for centuries. It was said that they originate from another realm. They were all trapped in underground tombs after the Serpentine War. Rumors said that in the past twenty years, they got out of their tombs and formed their civilization underground. The Ninjago Government decided that their lives would be spared as long as they didn't come to the surface. Lloyd tried to peek at the newspaper. "What kind of creatures are serpentine?"

Mystake turned to one of the shelves. After searching for a few seconds, she pulled out a book and handed it to Lloyd. "They're quite complex, it's best if you read it here."

Lloyd took the book and read the title. "The Serp... Uh, serpentine we- War?"

"Your reading is slow. How old were you?"

"Ten, but I haven't been to school in a while. I honestly don't remember the last time I picked up a book."

Mystake though for a second, then pointed at the bookshelf beside her. "I have some books here, you can read them if you want. They won't count as education, but it will grow you culturally. You can read them if you want."

"Really?" Lloyd said in excitement.

Mystake shook her finger at him. " As long as it doesn't disrupt your work."

Lloyd saluted her. "Yes Mam! Thank you, Ms. Mystake."

"You can just call 'Mystake'."

Chapter Text

The tea shop was at a quiet side of the city. Lloyd was responsible with stuff like carrying the orders or moving the furniture when needed and standing in front of the counter for checkout. The shop's system was pretty simple once you got used to it. He would pack the tea easily and put the cash in the till completely. Since he was always respectful to the customers, mostly no problems accured. Tho, sometimes the customers would ask him questions.

"Where do you know Mystake from?"

"Why aren't you at school at this hour?"

"Why are your eyes like that?"

Lloyd would usually smile and send the customers off politely while avoiding a proper answer. He has been working with Mystake for days, but she had never asked anything about his eye color. Honestly, this made Lloyd feel better but he was still curious why.

His days went pretty well, until his shifts end. He'd eventually have to go out into the snow with his thin hoodie, make it to his other jobs and find shelter and a place to sleep. Though his biggest problem was the Ninja. They they had started picking on Lloyd every time they saw him. They'd even come to the neighborhood Lloyd lived in more often. His body was constantly filled with scars. He'd need to leave his big money amounts in the tea shop. He had spent nights worn out because of the damage he took.

Lloyd was feeling really tired that morning. He felt extremely cold despite the fact that inside of the tea shop was warm. He was struggling to keep his eyes open while sweeping the floor. Mystake crossed her arms upon seeing him like this.

"What's wrong with you? You're almost unconscious. Are you sick?"

Lloyd sniffed and shook his head. "No, I'm just tired. But it's ok, I'll keep working. I just..."

He couldn't finish his sentence. His hands holding the broom were shaking. He needed to hold onto the counter to not fall down, but it still didn't stop him from collapsing on the floor. Mystake approached him; she was getting worried. Lloyd's face was red, he was muttering to himself while trying to get up. "I'm sorry. It's ok, I'll work. Please don't fire me..."

"This kid..." Mystake grumbled with a painful glare. She picked him up, he was quite light for his age. Probably because he didn't eat much. She carried him to the couch inside and put a blanket over him while Lloyd was still mumbling apologies.

"Where do you sleep at night?"

"Depends. I usually find a cabin or something, but I slept on the sidewalk last night."

"In this cold? This stage?"

"It normally wouldn't be a problem, but I still couldn't get a coat for this winter. Let me work some more, I'm saving up for one."

"Don't you think of anything other than work?" Mystake said as she walked to the stove. She chose a tea from the cabinet and put some water to boil. She walked back to Lloyd and put her hand on his forhead. 

"You have a fever, but it's no hospital business. It's best if you rest until tomorrow."

"No, I don't wanna cause..." His words got cut off with a sneeze. Mystake rolled her eyes. "I'm including this to your shift, I'll dock your pay if you don't rest. Understood?"

"But-"

"Understood?"

Lloyd nodded, then rested his head back and closed his eyes.

After getting better, Lloyd kept working for Mystake for a week. He finally managed to afford a coat. It wasn't the highest quality, but it kept him warm. It made his fear of falling asleep on the wrong place and dying decrease.

That evening, he was done with his work again and leaving the tea shop. As he was walking he was planning his expenses, thinking what food would be the best choice. He looked up when he heard some people talking on the opposite sidewalk. He froze on his tracks when he saw who they were. The Ninja. He had enough experience to know they can't be reasoned with. He turned around quietly and started walking the opposite direction.

Get away. He thought. Go the other way. Get out of their sight.

He tried to seem casual, his eyes were locked at the corner of the street. A few more steps...

Someone grabbed his coat's collar and pulled him to the ground.

"Leaving without saying hi?" Cole said. "How rude."

Lloyd stood up quickly, but the rest of the Ninja had already caught up with him. "Nice coat, is it new?" Jay said. Zane got behind Lloyd when he tried to step back.

"It looks thin tho." Cole said, holding it's collar. "Wanna do a durability test?"

Lloyd pulled his coat back and moved away from him. "No, just leave me alone!"

He had accidentally raised his voice. He covered his mouth with his hands as soon as he realized. The Ninja went quiet.

"What did you say?" Kai said, stepping closer to him.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry!" Lloyd said, but his words didn't mean anything to Kai. He grabbed Lloyd's neck and lifted him up. His feet got lifted from the ground.

"I heard you, so you talk back now huh?"

Lloyd tried to lift himself up by holding on Kai's arm. His fingers were tightening slowly. It was getting harder for Lloyd to breathe.

"You know, we always let you live so we can come back and have fun later. But you're making it really hard not to kill you just here and now, Garmadon."

Lloyd was getting short of breath by second. The Ninja's voices were sounding far, and his sight was getting blurry. He put in one last effort to breathe in, but he failed. Is this it? He thought. Is this the moment I die?

Just in that moment, something hit Kai on his knee. Kai stepped back in pain and let go of Lloyd. He dropped on the ground, he looked up as he tried to steady his breathing between coughs. Mystake was standing next to Kai, and from her position it seemed like she kicked Kai's knee. After rubbing his knee, Kai stepped towards Mystake with anger.

"What's your problem geezer?"

"Wu is an old acquaintance of mine." She said calmly. "What do you think he'd do if he found out you treat his nephew like this?"

Upon hearing Lloyd's uncle's name, Jay's sharp expression turned into worry. Cole frowned and took a few steps back. Even Zane, whose face hasn't changed once this whole time, seemed a little tense.

"This is the child of Garmadon!" Kai raised his voice. "Are you seriously defending this, thing?"

"He might be the child of Garmadon, but he's still directly related to the First Spinjitzu Master. As long as he doesn't pose any serious threat, Wu would see these actions disrespectful. I can call him right now."

"Listen here-" Zane put his hand on Kai's shoulder and shook his head. After measuring the situation in his head, he finally turned around. He gave Lloyd, who was still coughing on the ground a final glare before walking away. A raging, flaming glare. Lloyd knew what exactly that glare meant. This isn't over.

The Ninja walked away without looking back. Mystake looked at Lloyd who finally stood up. "So they've been beating you up like this this whole time? I suppose that explains all your bruises."

Lloyd looked down and pulled down his coat's sleeves. "Thank you."

Mystake looked at him for a few seconds, then turned around and stared walking towards the tea shop. "Come with me."

"No, there's no need." Lloyd said hurriedly. "I appreciate your help but I have to go back."

"To where?"

Mystake's question made him freeze. To where? To another bench? An alley? Even he didn't know where he was gonna go. Was there even a place he could go back to?

After seeing Lloyd looking down again, Mystake sighed and kept walking.

"You're coming."

Chapter Text

They had returned to the tea shop together. Lloyd was sitting inside, drinking a cup of tea Mystake gave him. Meanwhile Mystake was talking on the dial phone on the counter. Lloyd wasn't listening at first, but his curiosity got the better of him upon hearing Mystake's voice rise, so he approached the bead curtain and started listening.

"Of course it's your responsibility, this kid has no relative he can reach out to other than you! Your students could have killed him if I didn't make it in time. You're unbelievable... You know what, never mind. I wouldn't want him to grow up with someone like you anyway. Goodbye."

She hung up the phone harshly and placed her fingers on her temple. Lloyd slowly came out from behind the curtain and approached her. "Was that my uncle?"

Mystake nodded quietly.

"So you knew who I am?"

She nodded again, then moved her hand away from her temple to cross her arms. She turned to face Lloyd with a determined look. "We're changing your working system. You won't be paid with money anymore."

"What? But why?!"

"You'll be paid with shelter. You will stay here at night and eat three meals a day in return for your work. Deal?"

Lloyd couldn't speak. Was this real? Was this offer real? He looked up at Mystake. She seemed serious. A roof over his head. A bed to sleep in. A place to go back to.

Home.

Tears started falling down Lloyd's eyes. He was crying more than he ever had in years. He nodded as he lowered his shaking head.

"Do you think Master is asleep?" Jay whispered. The ninja were quietly sneaking in through the monastery's yard gate. They closed the gate carefully and walked to the monastery.

"Probably not." Zane answered. "But he's most likely meditating. If we make it to the bunks, at least it will give the impression that we came earlier."

They went in and walked in the corridor without saying a word. They were passing by the meditation room cautiously when they heard a voice.

"Ninja."

This one word made all four of them stop at their tracks. They turned back and entered the meditation room one by one. Master Wu was sitting on his meditation carpet with his back to them. The Ninja formed a line side by side. After a short silence, Master Wu spoke.

"Where were you?"

"Our patrol took longer than usual." Zane answered. "We apologize."

"You know the consequence of lying to me, don't you?"

Ninja tensed. The air was thickening by time. Master Wu stood up slowly. "I am aware of what you've done to my nephew."

"But Master, he's the son of-" Kai started, but he was interrupted by Master Wu's slap.

"He's the grandson of the First Spinjitzu Master, not any stray child! What made you believe this kind of disrespect would be excused?"

Kai barely managed to keep his balance and got back in the line. He placed his hand on his aching cheek. Master Wu turned to Zane. "And you, I didn't expect this from you out of everyone, Zane. Honestly, why do you even live if not to obey?"

Zane's gaze didn't leave the floor. His expression was still.

"Why do you interfere with our decisions anyway?" Cole said in a sharp tone. Master Wu slowly turned at him and squinted his eyes. "What did you say?"

The other three tensed. Jay gestured at Cole to knock it out, but he didn't care. "You never gave us any orders regarding Lloyd until now. Also, we get to decide what we do with our power. I'm sick of you trying to control us like puppets."

Master Wu approached Cole and gave him a strong punch in the stomach. He bent over and pressed his arms on his stomach, and fell on his knees in pain. Master Wu came from behind and stepped on his back, pessing him down.

"You four were nothing more than a group of poor, useless, miserable orphans. I gave you your power, position, and strength. And I can take it away anytime I wish. I don't want to see you being ungrateful ever again. You are nothing but pathetic dogs beneath me. And you will do as I say, as the dogs you are. Understood?"

Cole struggled to breathe with the pressure on his back. After he managed to nod, Master Wu removed his foot from his back. Cole quietly stood up and got back in the line.

Master Wu turned around and looked at the rug on the wall. This was one of the many objects the Ninja didn't know where came from, and was probably older than they were. It had the silhouettes of the First Spinjitzu Master and his two sons embroidered on it. The good side and the bad side. It had always been like this. Master Wu was the good brother. Nobody could argue, no one was allowed to.

"Starting with tomorrow..." Master Wu said. "We will start working on your elemental powers. This way, you'll be able to use them without the golden weapons."

This information stressed them slightly, but they straightened up and nodded.

"Yes Master."

Lloyd had been staying with Mystake every day now. Mystake had set a mattress on the floor for him. Lloyd wasn't working in other jobs as much as he used to. He was providing most things he needed in the tea shop.

Mystake's deal only had shelter and food, but she would sometimes buy Lloyd things he'd need with different excuses. And Lloyd would buy the other stuff he needed himself with the tips he got for his good works. He had bought a few sets of clothes in his hoodie's place, which didn't fit him anymore. He had new shoes, his own cleaning products. His life was in the best stage it has ever been. The only downside was the Ninja.

They made it into a habit to come and pick on Lloyd regularly. It was getting worse since they improved their elemental powers. His clothes had burned, his body had filled with bruises, and his money got stolen many times. He had started to only wish he wouldn't encounter them every day. He had hundreds of questions, but the Ninja would never answer them. Only beat him more. So he had stopped asking.

It was two years after Lloyd had found a home. That day, he was in his break. He was planning to walk around the city a bit before returning to the tea shop. His red eyes were still grabbing attention in his neighborhood, but at least people were used to him now. Now that he was closer to the city, he was feeling the eyes on him more. As he was walking on the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets, he noticed someone in the crowd. He wasn't looking where he was going, counting the money in his hands. Jay, Master of Lighting. Lloyd's hand quickly covered his pocket. It seemed like he was alone. Jay would usually just steal Lloyd's money and run away when the rest of the Ninja isn't with him. They weren't that scary when they weren't grouped, especially if Kai wasn't there. Specifically Jay was the one that avoided problems nost. He cared about his profits more than his wants.

He noticed Lloyd, who was looking at him nervously once he looked up from his money. "Oh, it's you." He murmured. He stuffed the money in his pocket and walked past him. "You're lucky I'm too hungry to deal with you right now."

Lloyd turned to look at him. A voice in his head was telling him to let him pass and not interfere with him. But on the other hand, Jay was the least scary one out of the ninja. It was easier to have an agreement with him.

"Stop!" He called out. Jay turned back at him with a raised eyebrow. Lloyd was nervous, but now that Jay wasn't up to any harm, he had to use this opportunity. "There are a few things I wanna ask you. About my uncle and the Ninja."

"Is there a reason for me to answer?"

He knew he was going to get this kind of reaction. He hesitantly reached his pocket and pulled out his money. "Lunch's on me."

Jay raised his eyebrows, and after a few seconds of considering, he smirked. "If you insist."

Chapter Text

In fifteen minutes, they were in a noodle house nearby. The place had red wallpaper, dragon themed wall ornaments and paintings, when the walls without ornaments were fully glass. Lloyd and Jay were sitting across each other on the red velvet seats. Jay was slurping his noodles as he held his boba tea at the other hand. He had ordered the most expensive food on the menu, Lloyd couldn't tell if he did this because he was hungry or only to annoy him.

"There's no place like Chen's Noodle House. It's definitely the best place in the city." Jay said after swallowing his food. "They don't really like me around here, tho."

Lloyd looked at the girl behind the counter with a red ponytail, who was eyeing Jay with suspicion. It had taken them a while to convince her to let Jay in, Lloyd didn't believe he ever paid for anything he had eaten here. "I wonder why."

"Alright then." Jay said, leaning back. "You have time until I finish my meal. Ask away."

Lloyd breathed in. He had a lot of questions, but he couldn't ask them all. He had to start with prioritized ones.

"Why do you guys hate me?"

Jay moved his chapsticks inside the noodle blowl. "Hate is a strong word. I personally don't have that much of a problem with you. I just tag along with everybody else. Cole is fine as long as he has something he can take his anger out on. And Zane just does whatever he's told. The only one who actually hates you is probably Kai." He leaned forward. "That guy wants you dead."

Kai's flaming anger came to Lloyd's mind. It gave him chills.

After swallowing, Lloyd spoke again. "But why? I mean, I never knew my father. I'm not responsible for his actions."

Jay's smile faded slightly. He took a sip from his boba tea. "It's kinda related to his past."

"Right, I was gonna ask about that too. What were your lives like before you became ninja? How did my uncle reach you?"

After eating some more noodles, Jay wiped his mouth with a tissue and tapped his bowl with his chapsticks. "I was born in a junkyard. My family has struggled financially ever since I've known. I was around your age when Master Wu came to take me, all of us were. My family said they sent me away to give me better living conditions. As if I didn't know they were dying to get me off their hair." He took the gold chain on his neck into his hands. "Now they're still living in a junkyard, when my condition is better than it has ever been. They say money can't buy happiness, but having money makes me happy."

He let go of the chain and ate some more, then continued. "Cole had daddy issues. From what I know, he ran away from home to piss off his dad, who was pressuring him. That's why he hates listening to Master Wu's orders this much. He does pay the price to standing up to him, tho.

We didn't know where Zane came from for a long while, and that also got revealed the other day."

Jay looked back to make sure no one was listening, then leaned forward and whispered. "I wouldn't normally tell this to people, but deal is a deal. We found out Zane is a robot."

Lloyd's eyes widened. "What?"

"We found his blueprints in Master Wu's stuff. He had a mechanism that made him look like he was growing up by automatically increasing the body size. That's why we never figured it out."

This information was way more than Lloyd expected to learn. He thought of Zane's ice-cold glares, the way his arms were hard and still like metal, the way Lloyd would feel like he was being beaten by an iron stick every time he hit him... It all made sense now.

"I call him a nindroid, but he gets mad at me when I do. He can't stomach the idea of being a freak, I guess."

"Nindroid?"

"Yeah. Ninja droid, get it? I think it's a good joke. The guy reacts as if it's a slur."

Lloyd never had thought he'd think this, but he understood how Zane felt. Being ashamed of what you are, the want to be like everyone else.... He felt the same way when people drew attention to his red eyes. "And Kai?"

"Kai was different than the rest of us." Jay looked out of the window, his gaze softening. "Because he had a sister."

"A sister?"

"Yes. They didn't have their parents. They afforded a living by running a blacksmith shop in a small town. When Master Wu came for him, he accepted becoming a ninja with one condition: His sister was going to receive money regularly. Unlike his current stage, Kai was the most genuine and hopeful one in four of us. Because we became ninjas to escape our past, when he did it for the future he wanted to have."

That was unexpected. Lloyd hadn't even seen a genuine smile from Kai, who has been torturing him for years. Him being a good person and having a close bond with someone was hard to believe in. Lloyd was surprised to find out he had a sister to begin with. Why hadn't he ever heard of Kai's sister when the ninja were this popular?

"He talked about his his sister a lot. Master Wu wouldn't let him go and visit her, so they'd send letters. They corresponded for a long while, until our battle with Garmadon.

After finding out Garmadon was after the golden weapons, we went out to collect them as well. Garmadon decided to kidnap one of our loved ones to threaten us, and Kai was the only one with a known and alive family. He kidnapped his sister, chained her above a lava pit in the Fire Temple. Kai tried to save her. But he couldn't make it in time.

That poor girl burned inside the lava. Melted in front of Kai'e eyes. When we made it to the Underworld, Kai killed Garmadon all by himself. He stabbed his dead body repeatedly, but it wasn't enough. His sister's death angered him too much. Even though Garmadon was already dead, his revenge didn't feel enough.

That's why he hates you. You remind him of Garmadon, his sister's murderer. He takes his anger for Garmadon out on you."

Lloyd froze. Suddenly, everything made so much more sense. Kai's never-ending anger, him treating Lloyd like a monster and the way he called him "Garmadon"...

He didn't like Kai at all, but he felt bad for him. He couldn't possibly understand his pain, since he hadn't had someone close enough to grieve for yet. This didn't justify his actions of course, but it explained them.

He pushed this information away in his mind. He was running out of time and there were still questions he needed to ask. "And, my uncle? What is he like?"

Jay put down his chapsticks and turned to Lloyd. "Strict, very strict. Discipline and obedience are more important than anything to him. He never allows mistakes, you always pay for the ones you make. He always tells us to be strong, that we need to be strong to survive in this world."

"That's so wrong." Lloyd frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be the heroes of this city? You should use your powers to protect others, not yourself."

"We can't protect others if we don't survive. We help people either way."

"From who? Is there a single villain you're fighting recently?"

"There are serpentine." Jay said, eating his noodles again.

Lloyd stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "Who does serpentine harm anyway? I personally got tormented by you way more than the serpentine."

The girl by the counter looked back at them hearing Lloyd's outburst. She seemed interested in what Lloyd was saying. Jay responded by squinting and glaring at him coldly. That moment, Lloyd realized he had relaxed too much. It was still a ninja in front of him, who could leave him completely beaten if he wanted. Just like he always did.

Lloyd calmed down and sat back on his seat. After a short silence, Jay finised the left noodle soup and put his bowl on the table. "Your time is up."

He picked up the half empty boba tea and stood up. Lloyd was about to object, but he changed his mind. After Jay turned towards the door, he looked back at Lloyd. But this look was softer. It had emotions inside Lloyd wouldn't understand.

"You're a good kid, Lloyd." He said. "You're a good person. But we're not. That's the problem.

He turned back at the door and left the noodle house.

Chapter Text

Jay stepped into the main lounge and put the empty cup into the trashcan. The other three of the Ninja were sitting on the couch in the middle of the room.

"Sorry I was late." Jay said, walking to the couch comfortably. "I had lunch outside. What are you guys doing?"

He got behind the couch and rested on the back of it, looking over Zane's shoulder to sed what he's holding. It was an old scroll, it had pictures of four ninja hand drawn on it. In the middle was a bigger, green ninja figure, and there were writings around the picture written in the old Ninjago language that Jay couldn't understand.

"It seems like some sort of prophecy. Kai took Master's bag by mistake and we found it inside."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jay said to Zane with a mocking smirk. "Your whole reality got shattered the last time you looked into Master's stuff."

He thought of the blueprints Zane took from Master Wu's room. Zane's horrified gaze fixated on the plans showing his metal parts, the panic attack he had when he opened up the panel on his chest and revealed the energy source. It had taken them half an hour to calm him down.

"Shut it." Zane said coldly, but Jay kept pushing it.

"What? Come on, don't get pissed that easily. You might rust."

Zane quickly took out one of his golden shurikens and held the sharp side against Jay's throat.

"I said shut it."

Jay put his hands up and pulled back nervously. "Alright Alright, got it."

He walked to Zane's other side and leaned towards the scroll again. "So, what does it say?

Zane translated the writing. "One ninja will rise above the others and become the Green Ninja, the ninja destined to defeat the Dark Lord."

"So, what does that mean?"

Cole rolled his eyes and turned to him. "In retarded level: One of us will be stronger than the rest and level up as the green ninja."

"It cannot be referring to Lord Garmadon in 'The Dark Lord', right? He is already dead." Zane said.

"Maybe that means I'm the green ninja, since I killed him." Kai said, pulling the scroll to himself to see better.

"You should be killing him as the green ninja, moron." Cole said, pulling it back. "It's probably talking about someone else. Also, you must've forgotten that I'm the strongest one among us."

"Brute force doesn't make you superior. I am Master's favorite student, after all." Zane said.

"Licking Master's boots doesn't make you superior either." Jay rolled his eyes. "The only reason he likes you more is because you do everything he says like a slave. Also, green would look best on me here, honestly."

"In your dreams." Kai frowned. "I will clear Ninjago of freaks and monsters. And if I need to be stronger than anyone else to do that, I won't let anyone get in my way."

He's taking this a bit too seriously, Jay thought. He was always obsessed with being the best anyway.

"I thought I made it clear last time what would happen if you touched my stuff again." Master Wu said, taking the scroll from their hands. The Ninja hurriedly stood up and turned back.

"It's different this time, Master!" Kai exclaimed. "The bags got mixed, we found it on accident."

"That's not a reason for you to read it." Master Wu rolled the scroll back up and walked to his bag on the floor. "No food for any of you all day tomorrow."

The Ninja were relieved. They were lucky they didn't have to go through a way more terrifying punishment.

"Master..." Jay spoke up hesitantly. "Which one of us is the green ninja?"

Master Wu paused, then put the scroll back into his bag. "That does not concern you. If you're looking for something to keep your ming busy about your ninja work, focus on your next mission."

"What mission?"

"We will start tomorrow at dawn. I will give the details in the morning. This is a big step we will take in clearing Ninjago off serpentine. We will be busy for a while."

Lloyd came back to the tea shop towards the evening, and they closed the shop. After setting the table for dinner with Mystake, they sat down to eat. As Lloyd stirred his soup with his spoon, Mystake turned on the TV to listen to some news. The first channel that showed up had a discussion progtam on. At the bottom of the screen, the caption said, "How should the serpentine problem be dealt with?" The discussions on the serpentine's living locations had increased lately. There were rumors saying the number of illegal serpentine living on the surface had increased. There were news about serpentine crimes on newspapers and TV.

A man with brown hair wearing a suit, with the name Dan Vaapit under his image, spoke. "The city should inspect the locations serpentines can enter and exit. They only come up on the surface because it's so easy for them to."

The woman who had the name Gayle Gossip under her image had brown raised hair, glasses, and a pink shirt. She spoke up as well. "I understand that, but such locations are mostly closed anyway. Also, in both the citizens that were interviewed and the ones that entered the surveys, the number of people who's seen a real serpentine with their eyes is pretty low. Truthfully, the only resource of the information that serpentine entrances increased is Master Wu's announcements."

Dan Vaapit leaned forward on his chair and raised his eyebrows. "Are you suggesting that the Ninja's Master's statements are inaccurate, Gayle?"

Mystake laughed bitterly. "They believe everything that comes out of that guy's mouth."

"So you think the news about immigrants increasing is wrong?" Lloyd asked.

"They're not immigrants, Lloyd. When the First Spinjitzu Master created Ninjago, he brought them here willingly. These lands are theirs as much as they're ours."

"I know, it's not fair that they're not allowed to come to the surface. But that doesn't mean the news are false, right?"

Mystake turned to face him. "They've been living here, underground for years in hard conditions. Their population must be around the same number, if not decreased." She sipped at her soup, then continued. "If a human commits a crime, it's a 'criminal'. If a serpentine does, it's a 'serpentine criminal'. The angle the news is being transferred affects society's opinion greatly. Ninjago is an island. There's nothing other than the ocean for miles. For them to be 'immigrants', there must be a homeland they can go back to. But they don't have one, because humans took away the one they had.

Where can they go, Lloyd? A far island? Should they climb to the Shintaro Mountain? What can they do when they don't even have the circumstances to get into a ship? When their existence is a crime? They shouldn't have to go to begin with."

They had talked about these type of topics with Mystake before. They couldn't meet their needs in the underground cities. Even if they could, it was still a life like hell. They weren't even allowed to show their faces on the surface, let alone work and buy things with their earnings. Everyone was ordered to report to the police or the Ninja when they saw a serpentine outside, and the police were allowed to shoot any serpentine they see with no limitations. And even worse with the ninja.

It's not fair, he thought. Over forty years had passed since the Serpentine War. The serpentines that were being punished right now weren't even born back then. It wasn't fair at all.

Lloyd knew exactly how it felt to be punished for the bad things your ancestors did. He was upset that other people had to suffer that as well.

What made serpentines so different than them anyway? Yes, their bodies were shaped differently, but their minds worked the same way as humans. He had read a lot of books from Mystake on this. Their powers made them physically superior, but that wasn't a superiority that threatened humans considering the current situation. Their powers were causing humans to fear them, but humans have been oppressing them for years despite their powers.

"I wish I could help them." Lloyd spoke, more to himself. "I would give my hand immediately if I knew they were in reach. Nobody deserves a life like that."

Mystake smiled and ruffled his hair. "You're a bit young to be saving the world, but it's good that you have right ideals. Keep on trying to learn more. People wil always try to hide the truth from you, that's why you must dig into it more."

Lloyd shook his head and kept drinking his soup. While Mystake reached out for the salt on the table, her arm accidentally hit Lloyd's. Lloyd pulled his arm back, wincing in pain. He pressed his arm on his chest and looked away as Mystake stared at him.

"Lloyd, show me your arm."

"It's fine. I just got startled-"

"I said show me."

Hearing her certain tone, he extended his arm. He winced again as Mystake rolled up his sleeve. A reddened burn mark that was covering half of his arm was awkwardly wrapped in bloody bandages.

"When did this happen?" Mystake asked calmly.

"Yesterday evening. I didn't wanna worry you."

Mystake stared at the scald for a while. She knew Lloyd was being bullied by the Ninja. Her calling his uncle hadn't really changed anything. There wasn't much they could do, so Lloyd started avoiding letting Mystake know completely when he was in a difficult situation. He wasn't sure how right what he was doing was, but even though Mystake pretended to not care much, it was obvious she worried. Lloyd didn't like seeing her furrowing her brows, deep in thoughts as if there were wheels spinning in her head to protect this boy. Just like right now.

She finally looked at him. "What do you say I teach you self defense?"

"Ha? Like fighting?"

"Yes. It won't make you a ninja, but if you counter a few times, you might manage to get away without getting injured."

"You know how to fight?"Lloyd said, raising an eyebrow. Mystake laughed.

"Don't underestimate this old lady, Kid. Now go bring some bandages so we can wrap this up properly."

After saying "Thank you." he stood up and walked to a drawer to get bandages.

Chapter Text

Lloyd was now regularly training every morning and afternoon with Mystake. It wasn't warrior training, but it was enough to deal with people who gang up on him.

Strangely, the Ninja had stopped showing up around. There were rumors saying they were on a long heroic quest. It was said that there were sightings of them in different places in Ninjago, seemingly looking for something. Lloyd wasn't compliant about this at all. The Ninja were never in his neighborhood anymore. Even though he had trained to defend himself, he would have rathered to never have to use his skills on the Ninja.

This way, three years passed without trouble. Lloyd was now fifteen, he was living a calm life in the tea shop with Mystake. No bullying, no survival worries. He was happy.

That morning, Lloyd woke up on his matress on the floor with a yawn. Once he was fully awake, he sat up and looked around. Something was off. Sunlight that falling on the rug through the gapped curtains, the full shelves above the kitchen counter, the old square television in front of the floor table, the calming scent of teas that never dispersed... Only one thing was missing: Mystake. Ever since Lloyd started living here, there hadn't been a single day that Mystake didn't wake him up. The silence in the room made him feel uneasy.

He looked at the alarm clock by Mystake's empty bed. 7 AM. Mystake would've never let him sleep past six. He had a bad feeling about this. He got out of his own bed and looked around once more. "Mystake?"

A rustle came from the other side of the bead curtain. Lloyd reached to the coat hanger on the curtain's side, grabbed his pale green jacket and wore it. It was an autumn jacket with beige fur on the hoodie's edges, one of the gifts Mystake had given him. It was quite comfortable despite being old, and Lloyd had been wearing it all the time lately.

He felt relieved once he passed through the curtain and saw Mystake sitting behind the counter. But when he noticed she was leaning on the counter, staring at a letter in her hand with blank and tired eyes, the uncomfortable feeling came back. "Why didn't you wake me?"

Mystake looked at him from the corner of her eye, then sighed and passed him the letter. "It came with the mail this morning."

Lloyd reached and took the letter. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what was written there,but his curiosity took over. He leaned to the counter and started reading:

Dear citizen,

It was determined that your property is included in the area of a search that was started by our city's heroes, the Ninja, to protect us. In order to allow the search, your plot will be seized by our government and your property's demolition will be ensured in order to allow the search. If you have an object in your possession that you believe the Ninja might need, you are required to submit it immediately. You will be given a two days notice to empty the property. The demolishment and search will be started by the Ninja the next day at 6 pm. Thank you for your cooperation and support to our city.

-Ninjago Municipality

Lloyd held onto the counter to not slip and fall. He read the letter again and again, in case he misunderstood. He hoped he did.

But he didn't. Tomorrow evening, the tea shop was going to be demolished. After all the years he spent here. After finally having a life he can hold onto...

He threw the paper on the counter with anger. "Is this a joke? What search? How is the tea shop being demolished help them? They can't do this!"

"They can if it's an order from above." Mystake said blankly. "Wu has the city's management wrapped around his finger. He can make them do anything he wants."

"What's there in the shop that they want anyway? Do you know what they could be looking for?"

"No, but it doesn't matter. Either way, they won't back up from this."

"But it's not fair! We can't leave by tomorrow! You built this place with your own effort. This..." The anger in Lloyd's voice changed to desperation. "This is our home."

Mystake stayed silent for a few seconds, then sighed again. "Life isn't fair, Lloyd. We don't have time to think over this." Her gaze traveled around the shop. "We must finish all our products as soon as possible. I don't normally do house delivery, but we may give it a try. If I then sell some of the furniture, that with my savings, we will have enough money to afford an apartment and its bills for a few months."

Lloyd raised his head. "Then what?"

A heavy silence filled the shop. Lloyd hoped Mystake had an idea. Somewhere they can go, a plan for the future, anything. Mystake was clever, she always had an idea. But she murmured hopelessly. "I don't know."

Lloyd's shoulders fell. This feeling of emptyness, the future being a creepy darkness... The feeling was disturbingly familiar. He remembered the days he was homeless, had to make plans in his head every second to survive. Even the thought of returning to those days was creeping him out.

Why? Why here specifically? Was it really a coincidence?

The Ninja.

It couldn't be true, right? They couldn't be attacking Mystake just because of Lloyd.

Mystake pulled a dark green shoulder bag from under the counter and took different tea jars from the shelves to fill up paper bags with them. Then she put them in the bag. "Let's have breakfast first. Then you can go around in the neighborhood and stop by the neighbors, try to sell some."

Mystake didn't like forcing her products on the customer like this. "If they need tea, they'll come to the shop anyway." she always said. Her giving Lloyd such an order was enough to explain how dire their situation was.

After breakfast, Lloyd went out to go around houses. The number of tea being sold was really high. The people of Ninjago loved tea, so they were always open to one extra bag. Some customers refused politely, some slammed the door on his face before he could even speak. And some was more focused on his creepy red eyes rather than the tea bags in his hands.

He had time to gather his thoughts while going around houses. They needed a place to stay. It was almost impossible to find an apartment for rent in one day like Mystake said. They might've have to stay outside for a few days.

What was really important was a job. Were they going to keep selling tea? Where they gonna cut contact with the suppliers?

There wasn't a place that they could make sales at. They needed to find a job. It had used to be hard to find jobs as a kid, but now that he was around high school age, it wouldn't seem weird for him to get a job. But could he find a good job? Could he make enough money? Mystake probably wouldn't struggle to find a stable job with her current savings. The income Lloyd would bring wouldn't be useful. Maybe he would only get in the way.

He sold teas all day without clearing his mind for a second. Once his bag was emptied he went back to the shop to fill it up again. In the end, he had managed to sell a good amount of the product at hand. Before leaving for his last stroll, he had made a decision. Before leaving, he went inside, making sure Mystake isn't there, and looked around. He took a look at all his stuff. His matress on the floor, a few comic books on the bookshelf in across his bed, the drawer where he kept his clothes... He picked out the useful one out of his few stuff. He took as many of his clothes that are in good condition as possible and put them in his bag. He took his comic books, took off the watch on his wrist and stuffed them in the bag with the clothes. Then he quickly left the shop without running into Mystake.

Chapter Text

The dinner was way less than usual. It seemed like Mystake made a one person meal and split it in two. They still had the means, but Mystake had still started saving money. There was a heavy feeling of emptyness in the house. Maybe it was because of some furnitures that were taken out and sold. Maybe because of the absence of noise and light coming from the TV even when no one was watching, which was now sold. Or maybe because they were both unusually quiet.

Lloyd took some money from his pocket and placed it on the table without a word. It wasn't much, it was less than the money the shop made in one day. After staring at the money for a few seconds, Mystake looked at Lloyd. "What is this?"

"I sold my stuff." Lloyd said, his quiet voice cutting through the silence like a knife. "It's not a high amount, but this is the least I can do."

Mystake put down her spoon and turned to him fully. She knew there was something else Lloyd was about to say. He knew she did. He took a deep breath and lowered his gazd to his jacket's zipper.

"Mystake, you can fire me. According to our deal, you were supposed to give me shelter and food in exchange of my work. You did that and way more for years, and I'm really thankful for that. ButI can't work for you if there's no tea shop. So..."

He swallowed. He was trying hard to stop his voice from shaking. "So, you can kick me out."

Mystake looked at him for a few seconds that felt like hours. Then she slid the money back to him. "Don't be ridiculous, you're not going anywhere. And take this back as well."

"But Mystake-"

"Whether there is a shop or not, you're still my employee." She cut him off. Her expression was certain and serious as she stirred the food in her bowl carelessly. But then her gaze softened, and she spoke in a softer voice without looking away from the bowl.

"I've been alive for a quite long time, Lloyd. As much as I had people who helped and supported me, there were also so many that I've lost. Just like you have no one other than me, I don't really have anyone else other than you."

She looked at Lloyd and slid the money to him again. "So stay put. Whatever we will face, we will face it together."

Lloyd didn't know what to say. Ever since the first day they met, there hadn't been a time Mystake opened up like this. She was a person that always made the logical decision, and never brought her true feelings to surface. Maybe there had never been anyone whose seen her vulnerable side like this, and now it felt weird how she opened up to Lloyd like this. But at the same time, it felt nice to know she trusted him this much. After all, like she said, they didn't really have anyone other than each other.

He took the money from the table and put it back in his pocket.

Lloyd spent the next day selling tea bags as well. Their products had decreased and they had made made a good amount of money from it. They were fine for now, but the fact that they were going to lose the shop in a few hours overwhelmed him. There were about four hours left. In four hours, he was going to be homeless again. He tried to push away the thought.

He focuses his attention to the road. He was a few streets away from the shop, the colorless buildings filled the street familiarly. There weren't many people around. People going to their jobs or schools, folks who always walked this street. Though four faces were standing out among them, they caused Lloyd to freeze on his tracks.

The Ninja.

The signs of the past four years were evident on them. They were now in their twenties. They had more scars on their bodies, their expressions were more tired, and their gis were a bit different. But they truly were here.

He had already started hearing those familiar voices.

Get away. Go the other way. Get out of their sight.

But his feet didn't move. His eyes were locked on them. Despite the words ringing in his ears, his thoughts were only focused on the memory of a sentence from that letter.

"The demolishment and search will be started by the Ninja."

The Ninja weren't here only for a walk or to pick on Lloyd. They were here for the tea shop.

But they still had time, why were they here so early? Either way, this thought stopped him from taking any more steps.

He finally looked up and started walking towards them without giving himself a chance to hesitate.

Get away. Go back. Go the other way. Go back.

"Hey!"

Hearing Lloyd, the Ninja stopped and looked back at him. It took them a second to recognize him, but how many red eyed boys were there in the city anyway?

His head was ringing with warnings. He could feel his hands shaking more the closer he got to them. He could feel the ache of the fear spreading in his chest. But he ignored it all. He stood right in front of the Ninja and looked them in the eye.

"What do you want from the shop? Is it only to cause me harm? Don't tell me you stooped that low."

The Ninja seemed surprised. Lloyd couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth either. But he did his best to not reflect his nervousness to his expression.

Jay raised his eyebrows. "Wow. This is Lloyd, right? I'm not mistaking him?"

Cole shook his head. "Been a while since we've last heen him. Though I can't tell if he's being brave or foolish."

Lloyd clenched his fist until his nails hurt his palm, they would shake if he didn't.

"We have time until six pm. You can't demolish it now."

"We hastened it because of some changes in the program." Kai said, eyeing him. Then he smirked. "Right, you live with that tea seller now, don't you. Too bad. But no worries..."

He bent down to get to Lloyd's level. Even though Lloyd had gotten taller in the past three years, there was still an obvious height difference between them.

"After all, you're experienced with being homeless."

The words sent a shiver down Lloyd's spine. He knew he was eventually going to be homeless, but hearing somebody else say it out loud smacked the truth on his face.

Kai carelessly pushed back Lloyd from his shoulder. "Now move, we got work to do."

Lloyd balanced himself back after stumbling for a few seconds. Before the Ninja could move forward, he blocked their path again by stretching his arms.

Zane frowned. "Don't ask for it, kid."

His hands were shaking even more now. It felt like his chest could explode from his heartbeats. The warnings in his head were so loud that it hurt his head.

But he didn't take a single step back.

He was going to protect his home. He had to.

"Well, if you missed us that much." Kai said with another smirk. "We could waste a few minutes."

Kai stretched and threw a punch towards Lloyd's face. But Lloyd dodged it just in time. Kai stumbled forward and barely stopped himself from falling.

Compared to the times he remembered, the Ninja's attacks were now easier to see. They weren't that fast, he had time to respond to the move. Mystake's training had really helped.

Before even a second could pass, he noticed Jay's kick approaching. He quickly kicked behind his other kneecap. Jay lost his balance and stepped back in pain.

Alright, he had dodged two attacks. He needed to pay attention to his surroundings. If he was quick enough-

Slam.

He fell on his knees with a punch behind his head. Then he crashed completely on the ground with a kick behind his back.

"Gotta give it to him." Cole said. "He really improved."

The attacks kept going. The more he tried to sit up, the more he got hit. He hadn't missed this feeling at all. Spending minutes balled up on the ground, begging to the Ninja, hoping the next attack will be the last. It would never pass five minutes, but that was enough to ruin the rest of his day.

As if today wasn't bad enough already. Even though he had gotten used to this feeling, it was somehow worse this time. His body wasn't as fragile as it was in his childhood, so h dealt with the pain better. But it was rather disturbing than painful this time.

He had tried to fight. He had responded, he had stood in front of them and looked them in the eye. Ignoring his fear, gathering all his courage. And he was in the same spot again. Lying on the ground, battered. The Ninja were beating him like a tin can garbage. Laughing. Back in the day, pain was the only thing he could focus on. But this time, something else made him feel nauseous.

Humiliation.

He had felt this humiliation when he was little as well, but it wasn't as bad as now. It hurt more than the physical pain. The blows weren't the reason for his tears.

The Ninja finally stopped and gave Lloyd enough space to breathe in. He tried to force himself up on his feet. His body felt heavy, his elbows were shaking. Just as he managed to get on his knees, Kai gripped his neck firmly.

He lifted the boy up at once. Upon his feet losing contact to the ground, Lloyd started moving his legs in panic. He tried to lift his head by holding Kai's arm to breathe. He used all his strength to part his fingerd, bu failed. Just like always.

"Encountering you wasn't part of our plan. It's disgusting how full of yourself you are."

His fingers tightened, and suddenly, with an orange light, Lloyd's neck started hurting like it was cut. No, like it was burned. Kai was burning his neck with his elemental power. He couldn't breathe at all, his screams came out as hoarse coughs. He could feel his skin peeling off.

"Enough, Kai."

Lloyd noticed Jay looking up at Kai from the corner of his view.

"We're wasting time."

He couldn't see Kai's face in between his panic and fear. But in a few seconds, his body dropped on the floor among the scattered tea bags. His limbs collapsed down with exhaustion. He coughed to compose himself. In a few seconds, the Ninja's footsteps faded away, and Lloyd was left there all by himself.

Chapter Text

The parts of his neck that Kai's fingers touched and around them were completely burnt. Everything that touched the wound hurt excruciatingly. Hood of his jacket, his hair, even the light breeze hitting his neck. It felt like his fingers were still there, choking him. He could breathe, but he felt like he couldn't. Though all this wasn't what was important to him in thay moment.

Tea shop.

The Ninja were headed to the shop. It could've been destroyed any moment. He had to get up. He had to protect the shop. He had to at least make sure Mystake was safe.

When he lifted his head, the pain on his neck increased as if a dagger got stabbed. His hand reached for his neck, but he pulled back his hand with a wince as soon as his fingers touched the wound. He carefully sat up and tried to steady his breathing.

He needed to get up. He couldn't afford wasting time.

But what could he do? He wasn't strong enough to stop the Ninja. What happened just now was proof of that.

But he still had to go. He had to fight. Even if it didn't mean anything-

"Sir?"

The unfamiliar voice startled Lloyd. It sounded like a child, a quite young child. He looked over to where the voice came from. His neck hurt like hell from the sudden movement, but he tried not to focus on that. It was coming from a dark alley on the right side of the sidewalk. A small figure standing behind a large trash can was looking at him. It was hard to make out the person from the darkness, so it took Lloyd a few seconds to notice this wasn't just any random child. His head was way too large. His eyes were on his face's sides, they were glowing in a light green color, reflecting the little amount of light that entered the alley.

Lloyd got scared at first, he tried to crawl back on his knees in worry. But then, the scene in front of him clicked with the drawings he's seen on Mystake's books and videos online.

A serpentine.

He couldn't be wrong, even though it was barely visible in the dark, this was definitely a serpentine's anatomy. And considering his size, he was really young.

Seeing Lloyd's fear, the serpentine hid behind the trash can. But one of his eyes were still peeking, watching him.

"I'm sorry. Does uh... Does it hurt? I have the ointment my mama gave me, I can share. Mama says to always share."

Even though the image of the humanoid snake watching him in the darkness looked really scary, Lloyd started calming down hearing the serpentine talking. He had a noticeable accent. Lloyd had heard people talk about the serpentine accent, but most he heard was people mocking it. This was his first time hearing the real thing.

He spoke like a little kid. He realized how stupid that thought was as soon as it came to his mind. Of course he would, he was a kid.

Lloyd calmed himself down. The serpentine was probably scared of him as well, and running away wasn't going to be helpful. He still wanted to stand up and get to the Ninja, but his curiosity for serpentine that's been building up for years was growing again. He was also still feeling like he was choking. So if this kid really had something that would help his wound, he needed it.

He turned his knees to the alley and moved towards that way. Every part of him was hurting, but he tried his best to not show it. He needed to calm him down.

"Hi." He said softly. His voice came out hoarse and quiet, but his tone was still kind. "Thank you for your offer. Could you come over here?"

The serpentine stepped forward at first, but then stepped back. "I can't. Mama said if humans see me, they will do bad things."

Lloyd took a deep breath and tried to convince his brain that the air was reaching his lungs. Then smiled. "It's okay, I'll come."

After taking a few small steps on his knees, he entered the alley. He carefully approached the trash can and stopped after leaving some space between. After hesitating a little, the serpentine came out from behind the trash can and stood in front of Lloyd.

Now he could see the kid more clearly. His head was a big head of a snake. His skin was fully orange skales and he had some green parts on his head. His eyes were lime green, they were gloving in the darkness luminously. Rest of his body was shaped familiar to a human, the only thing grabbing attention was the claws in the place of his hands and feet. He had a gray, dirty hoodie and dark colored pants on.

Lloyd forced himself to not creep out. He had q lot of questions in his mind, but he knew that he shouldn't overwhelm the kid with them. He seemed stressed out enough already. He reached to his pocket and took out a small leather gab and some bandages.

"Spread this on your wound, then cover it up so no germs will come."

Lloyd took the bag and opened it to peek inside. There was a green, jelly substance in it. He tried not to grimace, but the kid noticed the change on his face.

"It heals really fast, it's not harmful."

Lloyd smiled again. "Thank you."

He dipped two of his fingers in the ointment and took it out to examine. Then he carefully spread it on his neck. He shut his eyes with the sudden pain, but kept covering the whole wound with it. He knew what he was doing wasn't very smart, but for some reason, he felt like he could trust this kid.

He was still concerned, but a few seconds after spreading the ointment fully, he felt the pain on his neck fading away. He breathed in as much as he can, he had never seen an ointment that showed effects this quick. It must've been a medicine that originated from serpentine.

He took the bandage the kid gave him and wrapped it around his neck like he said. It still hurt, but it was more bareable now. He cleared his throat and gave the bag and bandages back to him. As he was taking the materials, Lloyd noticed noticed a cut on his claw.

"It looks like you got hurt as well?"

The kid nodded, then handed the bandages back to Lloyd. "Sir, could you hold this?"

When Lloyd nodded, he opened the bag and put some ointment on his wound as well. At least now I know it's not poisoned or anything, Lloyd thought.

He reached out his hand to the kid and waited for him to extend his wound to him. The kid hesitated at first, but then gave him his claw. Lloyd wrapped up the wound carefully, then gave him the bandages back.

"What's your name?"

"Frak." He said timidly. He put the bandages and bag back in his pocket.

"Nice to meet you, Frak. I'm Lloyd. How did you get here?" He was careful with his choice of words. He didn't want to question the kid too much and scare him away.

Frak turned around and pointed at the manhole cover. "Down there, there is a place. When the ninja attacked our home, they helped us and took us there."

Lloyd's eyes widened. "The ninja attacked your underground cities?"

Frak nodded and looked away. "We ran away with mama. Then the lady with silver hair-" He suddenly paused, then stepped back and shook his head. "No, I can't tell. Because it's a secret, others can't know. I shouldn't have come to the surface either."

"Then why did you?" Lloyd said, he decided to not dig too much into things the kid didn't want to explain.

Frak looked up. Because the alley was so narrow, the sunlight was being blocked by the buildings at the top. But the blue sky was still visible as a straight line.

"I wanted to know what the sky looks like."

Lloyd felt a shiver upon hearing that answer. But it did make sense that he's never seen the sky before. This kid was probably around six years old. The serpentine were banned from setting foot on the surface for over forty years. Future of Frak and other kids like him were already decided before they were even born.

This got him even more curious about the living conditions of the underground. Was there a place they were currently staying at? Where were they providing their needs? Did they have enough food?

Either way, it surely wasn't a comfy life. The fear from earlier was now completely gone. Why had he gotten scared from the beginning anyway? That was a child. A child.

"I need to go back." Frak spoke up. Only then Lloyd noticed he hadn't spoken for a while. "My mama will worry."

In that moment, letting him go was the last thing Lloyd wanted. He wanted to take this kid with him, protect him. No child should have lived a life like that. But he also knew the surface was way more dangerous for Frak compared to the underground. And his family was probably already looking for him.

"Alright. Be careful and try not to be seen by other humans, ok?"

Frak nodded and opened up the manhole cover on the ground. Once he stepped on the rungs, he waved Lloyd goodbye and closed the cover over his head.

Lloyd just stood there for a few minutes. The ninja were attacking the serpentine's underground cities? Since when? Weren't they supposed to be not allowed to do thag according to the law? How many cities were attacked? Were the serpentine ok? What had he meant by 'the lady with silver hair'?

He pushed away all of his thoughts. He quickly got back on his feet with two words that popped up in his head.

Tea shop.

Chapter Text

He had lost at least five minutes here, and the ninja were probably already at the tea shop by now. His limbs weren't aching as much now that he hadn't moved for a while, and his neck was now in a better condition. He now had enough energy to run.

When he formed this thought, he had already sprinted towards the shop. His heart was pounding like it could break his ribs. Normally in these kind of situations, he'd prepare himself for the worst case scenario. But right now, he didn't even want to think of the best possible outcome.

He passed the streets rapidly. He turned the last corner in a breeze, but his steps immediately stopped at the sight in front of him.

There was a big pile of rubble where the shop used to be. The empty bookshelf, pieces of the thorn bead curtain and the broken sign were visible among the brick pieces. 

Lloyd felt his heart sink. He knew this was going to happen. When he read the letter, when he saw the Ninja, he always knew it. His home was going to be destroyed either way. But still, seeing it now with his own eyes...

He noticed Mystake, who was sitting on the ground in front of the rubble. She was looking down, pressing her hands on her chest.

"Mystake!" Lloyd ran and crouched next to her. "Are you okay? Did you get out in time? Are you injured?"

When he leaned forward and looked at her face, he saw an expression of panic. It didn't seem related to the shop. In fact, it seemed like the shop was the last thing in Mystake's mind. When he looked down, he noticed an object in her hand. It seemed like some sort of knife, but it was hard to see.

"Mystake? What's wrong?" Lloyd gently placed his hand on her back. Mystake looked up, her wide open eyes locked into his.

"Lloyd, they are looking for this. I should've known, from the start. He entrusted it to me, they cannot get their hands on this."

"What? Mystake, I don't understand."

She quickly handed the knife to Lloyd, now he could see it more clearly. The knife was made of some kind of silver, which had a weird texture. As if it wasn't silver or metal, but rather a bone. It was also shaped like a big fang. There was a pattern on it that resembled the skales of a snake. It was shining under the sunlight with a green glow.

"This is a Fangblade. This is what the Ninja were after, I realized it last moment and hid it."

"What? If they were looking for this, why didn't you give it to them? You could've saved the shop!"

"Because the destruction we will face if they get this blade will be way greater than this loss. Lloyd, this isn't just any blade. It's one of the four silver Fangblades. They probably already have the other three. If all four unites, they will be able to awaken the Great Devourer."

Lloyd felt a shiver hearing the name. "The Great Devourer?"

"A horrifying monster, a creature that devours everything that's alive. Lloyd, take this blade and leave. Go as far away as you can, neither me nor anyone else should know where you go. No matter what you do, don't let the Ninja reach this blade."

"What? But why just me? Why aren't you coming?"

"I was here when the Ninja came for demolishment, it will raise suspicion if I'm not here when they come back. I will hold them back as much as I can, you should leave now."

Countless thoughts were filling Lloyd's mind. Where was ge going to go? How far? How long could he go all by himself? Where was he going to find money? He didn't want to leave Mystake. His home was destroyed. The Ninja were scary. Why? What was the Great Devourer? Was he going to do? What? What?

When he looked back at Mystake again, all his doubts disappeared. Mystake was smart, wise and experienced. Mystake was never wrong. If she had decided he needed to leave, then that was the best option. He stood up with resolution. "Okay."

He put the blade in his shoulder bag and ran away from the rubble.

Lloyd didn't look behind even once while running. He didn't have time to hesitate. Even though he didn't completely understand what was going on, he knew he needed to hurry.

He thought of a route in his mind while running. There was a bus stop nearby, but it would've been too obvious if he went there. He thought of the four different stops he knew of, and ran towards the one that was most out of sight. When he got there, he got on the first bus he saw and quickly scanned his bus pass. He had no idea where it was headed, but it seemed like a long distance bus. Just what he needed.

The bus was quite empty, with only five people on with the old driver included. He looked at the illuminated sign. It was headed to south. There were a few settlements.

Once he caught his breath, he felt that familiar gaze on him that he felt every time he entered a new environment. His eyes. Of course. He covered his face with his hoodie as much as he can and sat down on a seat in the back. He held the bag tightly in his grasp.

In a few minutes, the bus started moving. Lloyd's heartbeats finally slowed down while watching the familiar neighborhood disappeared from the view. He was now calmer with the threat far from him, but he was still a bit nervous with the fact that this was his first time going this far from the neighborhood he lived in ever since he started working at the teashop. He was once again filled with the fear of the unknown. He had absolutely no idea where he was headed to, where he was going to go from there, or what he was going to do. He still had the money from the teas he sold, but that wasn't even nearly enough for living in a completely stranger place for longer than a few days. He didn't have a home, anyone to turn to. Without Mystake, he was all alone. The situation was full of unknowns.

He opened the bag and took another glance at the blade. It wasn't that large, it was the size of a kitchen knife. It was hard to believe that such a small and basic knife could release a monster that could destroy Ninjago. A lot of things had happened in the past fifteen minutes. As much as he trusted Mystake, he was still confused about a lot of things.

He closed the bag and rested his forhead on the window. I should gather what I know, he thought.

The Ninja's goal was destroying the serpentine. The tea shop's demolishment had nothing to do with him. The blade was given to Mystake by someone, and Mystake knew how it was going to be used. If all four of them were united, some sort of monster was going to be set free. The Ninja had the other three.

But why were the Ninja setting a monster that could harm Ninjago free? Lloyd was against the Ninja's goal. But weren't the serpentine the ones they were antagonizing? There wasn't a reason for them to harm Ninjago civilians.

Then he remembered the serpentine kid, Frak. The Ninja had attacked the underground city he lived in. How many moee cities were attacked? How log had these attacks been happening? He didn't have a certain answer, but he was sure the Ninja looking for the Fang Blades had something to do with the serpentine.

No, that wasn't sure. They might have had multiple goals. Mystake had told him the blades would "awaken" the monster. That would mean the monster was asleep, right? It was probably better for it to stay that way, considering it wasn't seen as a threat until now.

And then there was this "Lady With Silver Hair." Was she on the Ninja's side or the serpentine's? Or was she on a whole different side that Lloyd didn't even know of? Was she working alone? Were there others with her? What was her goal?

Since Frak encountered her after the Ninja's attack and is currently in a safe location, it would make sense for her to be on the serpentine's side. But he still didn't know much about her.

He sighed. It didn't matter, his information was limited either way. He didn't have any option other than to get away like Mystake told him. He continued watching the view outside the window moving and changing.

Chapter Text

Jay kicked a piece of brick on the ground. After the long search in the rubble, he wasn't even trying anymore. Zane, who was lifting a big, thorn apart closet, called out to him.

"Search properly."

"Why does it matter? We searched this rubble three times, it's not here. We should've looked into thr place before destroying it."

Either way, if it was here, we would've found it by now." Kai said, leaning on the only standing piece of wall. He looked at the woman named Mystake, who was sitting on a bench on the sidewalk in front of Cole, out of the corner of his eye. "She's the only card we have left."

Jay looked over at her. "I knew this woman was old, but I didn't think she'd be old enough to know the First Spinjitzu Master in person. Is she really as strong as Master said she is?"

"If she is, that would mean she's underestimating us. Because she still hasn't tried anything."

Cole suddenly raised his voice and set his foot next to her on the bench. "Don't play dumb! Where is the Fang Blade?"

The woman didn't seem even slightly phased by Cole's rage. She looked up with a calm expression. "Fang Blade? Never heard of it."

Cole clenched his fists. He would've probably already started beating her if it wasn't for Master Wu's order. "We know the First Spinjitzu Master entrusted it with you. Where did you hide it? Spill."

Mystake pointed at her bag and scattered stuff on the ground with her eyes. "You destroyed my house and searched all of my belongings. If I had it, wouldn't it have been found already?"

Cole groaned and tried to calm his nerves, while Jay looked over at the way they came from. "I wonder why Lloyd still hasn't shown up. I thought he'd sprint here first thing he got on his feet."

"Yes, the harm we caused was not critical. He must've recovered by now." Zane agreed.

"Wait..." Kai frowned after thinking for a few seconds, his gaze locked on Mystake. The woman's blank and calm expression, briefly changed to irritation.

Kai quickly pushed himself up from the wall and straightened up. "Damn it, Garmadon has the blade."

"What?" Jay said in panic. "But wasn't he behind us?"

Zane looked up to the ship hanging in the sky with it's anchor forming a hole on the ground. "He must have taken it from the tea seller when we left to bring the Bounty."

Cole looked around. "Which way did he go? He can't get too far on foot, we'll catch him."

"No, that kid isn't dumb enough to run without a vehicle." Jay said, putting hid hand on his chin. "He must've taken the bus. We should get on the Bounty and look for the routes of nearby bus stops."

Everyone quickly agreed. Kai, Jay and Zane started climbing up the anchor's chain. Then Cole, without wasting a single second, harshly grabbed Mystake's arm.

"You're coming with us too. You thought you could just send off the blade with your dog without us seeing? You'll pay for this."

"Hey kid, wake up."

Lloyd immediately opened his eyes and squeezed the bag im his arms. When he looked around, he realized he was still on the bus. But they were no longer moving. There was the sight of a green alley with rice fields outside the window. There was a village formed by small, simple houses behind the bus stop. The sun had risen, and the weather was warmer compared to where he took off. I can't believe I fell asleep. I can't risk someone taking the blade. He thought to himself.

"Get off, it's the last stop."

Only then, Lloyd remembered the bus driver standing in front pf him. He stood up, thanked and got out of the bus, ignoring the guy's suspecting gaze.

When the bus drove away, he looked up to the village name written on the stop.

Ignacia. He had never heard pf this place before. It must've been a small place in the countryside. It would have probably taken a long time for the Ninja to find this place.

He left the bus top behind and started walking to the village. It was far from other settlements, in the middle of a wide valley. It was like nobody would even know about this place if it wasn't for the bus services here. He pulled his hoodie low enough to cover his face and held onto the bag on his side tightly. After passing a few houses, he kept walking on a path through the fields full of working farmers.

He needed a place to go. Somewhere he can hide and not stand out. He had to make sure none of the villagers saw the blade, a single order from the Ninja would've been enough for them to hand him over.

Was he going to look for a job? Working could attract attention. But he didn't have any other option. He needed money. A girl's voice coming from behind him pulled him out of his thoughts.

"You're not from around here, are you?"

When Lloyd turned around, he saw a kid around twelve years old. She had jeans and a dark pink sleeveless jacket on. The had her dyed light pink hair put in two ponytails, the hair's original brown color showing at it's roots. The frame of her round glasses were again, pink. Her arms were crossed. She was looking up with a confidence Lloyd never had in his life, let alone when he was twelve. Her focus stayed on Lloyd's eye color for a few seconds, but she didn't seem bothered by it.

"No, I'm a visitor." Lloyd said. He had to be careful to not give away any information about himself. The girl pointed at the rice fields and open valley casually. "Don't know if you noticed, but Ignacia isn't exactly one of your common sightseeing places."

"...Yes, uhm, I came to visit someone."

"Visit who? I know everyone in this village, I can take you to them."

Lloyd tried his best not to cringe. The talk was headed exactly the way he didn't want it to. He quickly tried to change the topic. "You know everyone, huh? What are you, the sheriff of this place?"

Te girl tossed her hair and put her hands on her waist "More like the older sister. Everybody likes me, and I inspire all the kids here. Name's Sally, and you are?"

"Lloyd."

"Alright Lloyd, are gonna tell me your real reason for coming here? Because the only people who come here are the villagers themselves and their relatives. And you don't look familiar to anyone around here, you also don't have a suitcase to travel with."

She was good. Lloyd couldn't think of any vague replies. After staying silent for a while, Sally sighed.

"Alright, seems like you're also one of those mysterious visitors. This is the second time after that robot woman."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "Robot woman?"

"Yeah. Her eyes glow, she has metal hair, stuff like that. She comes here once in a few months to look through the ruins of an old shop. She's nice, but she never tells anyone her full purpose. We don't question it much either anyone."

"Wait, did you say she has metal hair? Like, silver haired?" Lloyd said curiously.

Sally shrugged. "Eh, that's another way to put it."

Lloyd thought of Frak's words again. ...Could it be?

"Is she currently here?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah, she came yesterday. Might still be near the ruins. Why?"

"Yes, her!" Lloyd said, pretending to have just remembered it. "She's the one I came to visit. Can you take me to her?"

Sally raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms again. "Wow, you suck at this."

Lloyd panicked momentarily, but Sally started walking carelessly. "This way."

He started walking behind her. They passed by houses, shops, working or resting villagers. Meanwhile, Sally started singing a song to herself.

"When things are all dark and grey, and nobody knows just what to say, dig deep inside and you will feel, an inner strength, an inner steel."

"I've never heard of this song before." Lloyd said while walking.

"Of course you haven't." Sally Said with pride. "Because I made it."

"Really? All of it?"

"I mean, my parents helped with the lyrics a little bit. But it's mostly by me. I'll soon go to Ninjago City and become a famous singer."

Aren't you a little young for that?"

"I'm twelve years old, for your information! I count as a teenager." Sally said in a defensive tone. "But true, that's the only reason I'm not going right today. I'm gonna wait until I grow up and improve my music so I can go to Ninjago City as a star."

Sally's passion for her dreams made Lloyd smile. "I'm sure you'll reach your goal."

This made him think about himself a bit as well. He had never had a career goal before. Survival had always been the only thing he focused, and he honestly would've been fine working at the tea shop all his life.

But there was no shop anymore, so he was going to have to make plans for his future eventually. But thay wasn't his priorityat the moment. He placed his hand on the shoulder bag. There were more important matters than himself that he needed to focus on.

"There she is." Sally pointed at the ruins ahead on the path. The building had a few walls destroyed and all the windows broken. There was a big pile of rubbles overflowing out of the door. Combined with the destroyed water tower, it had a mood gloomy like a cemetery's. There was a plain van parked near the ruin and a person picking up the rubbles, her back turned to them. She was wearing gray cargo pants and a baggy purple jacket. Her hair that seemed to be made of thin, metal stands were put in a ponytail, blowing and glowing under the sunlight.

Lloyd turned to Sally. "Thank you."

"I'll head home now. Let me know if you need anything else, I'll do my best to help as the older sister of Ignacia." She said and ran towards a small house located between the rice fields ahead on the path junction. The woman sitting on the house's patio stroked Sally's head, and they headed inside together.