Chapter Text
Burning.
████ was crying, crouched watching the remains of his home.
His home?
████ home was–
Burning.
Burning.
████ didn't mean to do this.
████ didn't mean to hurt everyone.
The smoke was thick. It haunted the village like a ghost. It haunted the village like death.
████ cheeks were stained with soot, tears pooling in his eyes.
Crying?
No, he shouldn't cry.
That was for the guilty.
He was not guilty.
████ was not guilty of this.
He was not guilty of flooding the streets with redredred blood.
No
No
No
No
Everything
Was
All
HIS
Fault.
YOU ARE NO LONGER MY FAMILY.
Kai woke up with clarity.
And If it were any other situation, he would have been grateful. With the constant thinking, planning, stressing, he had quietly come to accept that a clear head was something far out of the realm of possibility. So, when Kai found his mind suddenly free of the clutter that haunted his waking hours, free of the muttering he couldn’t even tell was his own or someone else’s, he should have been comforted. Surely, this was a well-deserved reprieve? A breather, maybe?
But he didn't want a level head right now. One so perfectly fit for thinking.
What would clarity bring him, at a moment like this? Comfort?
Far from it.
Instead, It trimmed the fat cushioning his emotions. Left doubts to be shown off bare. It sanded down the hope clinging stubbornly in the back of his mind. Every thought it allowed was like a knife slipping between his ribs. Deliberate, unavoidable, writhing through his inner organs like a parasite. There was no haze to soften the edges anymore, no noise to drown out the truths he didn’t want, because he saw everything for what it truly was. Every movement, every scream, every choice. Choices Kai wasn’t sure were his. There was no fog to stumble through, no confusion to hide behind, just the clean, razor-edged truth.
The Red Ninja. A hero, a protector, a brother, a pillar of ninjago, a good fucking person—
Was a murderer.
He felt sick.
Kai felt sick.
And not in the way his nausea sat hot and coiled in his gut, waiting to be heaved over a surface. Not in the way the slick coating his hands made him gag. It was feral. It sat buried like a corpse in Kai’s chest, old and rancid, the kind that made your eyes water and your throat burn. Something rotten was festering in him. Something far beyond dead.
He held himself, his Gi crinkling under the movement— but even that sound felt sharp, like it might slice his skin open if he wasn’t careful. The silence was heavy, sterile, but full. Not empty. Not blank. Watching.
It was watching.
That thing.
Kai unheld himself, trembling, every breath jagged and shallow while his hands clenched into white fists at his sides. Rage and horror twisted together in his chest as he stared at the unseen presence before him. "You…" The word shuddered out of him, but it tore through the void like a knife. "You made me—" His breath hitched, jagged. "All those innocent people..."
The form in front of him watched, unmoved. Its amusement was a quiet, cruel thing. Curling at the edges of its melting mouth like tar. "It was necessary."
Kai's eyes widened, haunted. “Necessary— Some of them were kids!” his voice erupted, the last word holding a realization that shattered in his throat like glass. His knees nearly gave out beneath him, but he stayed standing, if only because collapsing would feel like surrender. And he wasn’t going to give it that. Never again.
“They screamed,” he whispered, voice hollow as his gaze traveled to his shaking hands. If he focused long enough, he could still feel the hilt of his sword. “They cried. They begged. And I heard them. I felt everything.”
A shrug. "And?" It tilted its head, the motion smooth. "There was no other option. You know that." It tilted closer, and Kai didn’t retreat. Not when his body was still thrumming.
"If you were so uncomfortable with losing your autonomy, perhaps you should’ve listened. Killed them quickly, painlessly if you wanted! before I had to step in.”
Kai went still.
Silence.
It drank it in, savoring the way his breath stuttered, the way his fire guttered low in his chest. Then, softer, almost fond: "You know very well there was no other option. Our agreement was cut and dry, so very simple: do what i say, and I leave you alone." A pause. A smile. "Or…"
The shift in its voice was immediate. But whether it was lighter, mocking, sadistic, Kai couldn’t tell. "Would you prefer to dissolve the contract? Maybe the job was just too daunting for you." It mocked, low and humming. "Well, then I'll need a new vessel. What about, that sister of yours? Nya, was it? Maybe her mental fortitude will outlast—"
Like flint striking steel, something in Kai snapped.
He lunged.
Hands flung towards the chained presence, skin boiling and bubbling at it clamped down on skin. His knuckled ached and screamed as it tightened on a neck, Kai squeezing with all his might as he willed his eyes to stay open from the smell of burning flesh. The presence choked and wheezed, and Kai’s pupils dilated from pure catharsis.
“Haha! So you can get hurt!”
It only scowled back at him, still coughing. Fingers flew up to claw at his face in streaks of charred flesh. Kai screeched away from the contact, but his hands never loosened. Instead, he doubled down, planting two thumbs directly on the trachea and pressing. His fingers boiled and merged with the flesh in return, the skin oozing off and revealing the muscle tissue underneath.
“My sister? You think you can even speak about my sister???”
His voice didn’t sound like his own. It was a growl, a snarl, something feral and primal, dredged up from the deepest, ugliest parts of him. In reality, Kai would be lying if he said he wasn’t scared. That he wasn’t using every inch of his soul to not pull away, to spare his hands and arms feeling. But In that moment, he didn't care about consequences. The thing had crossed a line.
And there were lines even death— even pain— couldn't make him cross.
"If you want me, then come at me. If you want to break me,” Kai’s left cheek was clawed open, “then fine. But if you even think about putting a finger on her, or anyone else,” Kai’s right eye bubbled with with tears, "Then i don't care if i break. I don’t care if I deserve hell for what I’ve done. I sure as Hell will make sure,” he squeezed, “you’re coming down with me.”
The presence growled low, an animalistic, territorial, fearful sound. “You would threaten— kegh— me?” it asked, hands now clamping down on Kai’s arms. Kai yelped from the pain, blobs of blood and fat drooping from under the contact. “You’re a hollow shell.” The sound of sizzling grew louder, “You’re cracked down the middle and leaking. You'd destroy yourself even further to harm me? Such a selfish egotistical being such as yourself?"
Kai’s lip curled, a grin forming. For the first time of a lot, he would never come to regret destroying himself for this sight.
“If it means dragging you back to whatever pit you crawled out of?” he spat, “I’ll destroy everything. Myself included.”
The thing stared.
Not blinked. Not breathed. Just stared.
Something trembled in the edges of the void, like the dream itself held its breath, unsure of who would break first.
Then, it laughed.
A simple, quiet laugh, low and unbothered, like someone watching a defanged snake try to bite.
Then, dangerously, it launched forward, right in Kai's face. “Oh,” it said at last, voice smooth and slow, like oil sliding over broken glass. “I will enjoy seeing you broken.”
Kai’s expression didn’t waver. He bared his teeth.
“Get in line, bitch.”
"These stupid– ugh!" Nya gritted her teeth, her fingers scraped raw from tugging at the cold, rusted metal binding her wrists.
As she continued to struggle, Nya could only lament at the sting of salty air in her nose, especially since she lacked any free hands to scratch said nose. The absence of wind also made the sweat on her brow all the more noticeable, adding yet another layer to her growing annoyance. Her Elemental power buzzed faintly just beneath her palms, itching to be used, but it seemed that the chains had some sort of vengestone property, although not entirely potent. There wasn’t much she could do. Trust her, she’d tried.
Chest flattening in utter defeat, she felt the tick-tick-tick of seconds fly by in her head. It had been around 10 minutes since their last encounter with Kalmaar, and she and her mother have not made any progress to being freed from their restraints whatsoever. The constant dripping of water outside the cavern, however, was still very constant to Nya. Mind numbingly constant.
Her mother, bound beside her, seemed oddly composed. Her expression was calm, almost nostalgic. Nya didn't expect her to help much—her being blasted point blank in the spine and all—but her composure struck Nya as... odd. But then again, when wasn’t her mother odd to her?
“One time,” Maya started, “when I was the Master of Water, your father and I were handcuffed to a pole. Similar to this one. We got out by climbing right over the top.
Nya turned toward her with disbelief, but her vision subtly traveled upwards. About to retort, her inner protest died in her throat as her eyes landed on their future escape. The top of the pole was warped, its metal bent and scorched, most likely damaged during Princey Kalmaar’s earlier tantrum. “Uh, huh,” she murmured, a spark of something mischievous in her eyes. "I guess we could try it. But it has to be at the same time. No mistakes.”
Maya gave her a knowing grin. “On three?”
Nya shifted her weight, gauging the distance to the pole’s top. “One…”
“Two…” Maya echoed, fingers twitching subtly.
“Three!” they said together, and both Ninjas swung their legs around the base, Nya counting on using momentum and sheer stubborn will to hoist them both up. It wasn’t graceful, far from it—there was a lot of grunting, slipping, and one close call when Nya’s boot almost knocked her mother straight in the chin—but they climbed, inch by painful inch.
By the time they reached the top, Nya’s shoulders burned, and her breath came in heaves. The metal seared against her skin where the cuffs had dug, but she could feel the cool air at the top of the cavern.
Maya shifted to wedge herself against the bend in the pole, angling her wrists against the damaged edge. “Hold still,” she said. Nya turned her head. “If we can wedge the cuffs just right, we might be able to break them.”
Nya gritted her teeth and angled her own bindings to match, the rusted links grinding against the jagged edge. With a synchronized grunt, they both twisted and lodged the cuff taut against the warped pole.
SNAP!
Only one cuff broke. It was Maya’s. She wasted no time swinging her arm down to help her daughter. “Come on, Nya! We’re not getting left in some fish-boy’s underwater dungeon today.”
Nya nodded, grinning. She used her closer hand to grasp the open arm tightly, wrapping a free chain around for extra stability. With a final heave, they hurled themselves over the bent top and crashed to the floor in a tangled mess of limbs. Grunts sounded from both of the water ninjas, air being knocked out of their lungs. The landing was rough, rumbling every bone in their bodies, but the hot ache in their limbs was nothing compared to the excited thrumming through their chests.
“We did it!” Maya cried, breathless and laughing. They clapped their half-shackled hands together in a victorious yet clanky high five. The chains hit with a sharp clink, and Nya finally felt like they were getting somewhere. “Now," Nya huffed, shaking the remaining handcuffs, "to get rid of these.”
Maya chuckled, raising her free hand over Nya's shoulder. Nya winced, the ache still there, but giggled back nonetheless. “Well, dear, one time, when I was the Master of Water—”
A sudden energy blast screamed past, singeing the wall just inches from Nya's head.
“Down!” Maya hissed, dragging Nya to the floor just as another shot rang out, this one smashing into the bent pole they had just climbed down from. Shards of rusted metal clanged to the ground.
Nya felt the remnants of the blast's shockwave reverberate through her bones, the tip of her pony tail singed. She quickly glanced at her mother, who was already on her feet, eyes narrowed and searching.
From the shadows at the edge of the cavern, the familiar groaning of gates echoed through the chamber. A voice sounded through, cold and amused. “And here I thought you'd be smarter than this.”
Nya gritted her teeth in anger. Kalmaar.
He stepped into view, trident raised, flanked by two guards clad in coral-encrusted armor. His smirk curled like seaweed in a current, regal and cruel. “Running? Really? I expected more from you two. But i suppose high expectations don't suit you surface dwellers.”
Nya growled, backing up slightly, tugging her still-chained wrist closer. “You’ll get more than that if you don’t back off.”
Kalmaar raised a brow, as if genuinely entertained. “I’d truly love to see what you’ll do chained, little usurper.”
With a flick of his wrist, the person Nya assumed was gripe suddenly screeched at the guards. “The prisoners are attempting to escape! Attack!”
At that, one of said guards lunged at them, trident aimed straight for Nya. She barely dodged, the metal scraping against the stone as she leaped to the side. Without any free hands, her movements were heavily restricted, but she wasn’t going to give up that easily. As the guard rushed forward once more, Nya quickly bended backwards, a smug expression on her face. Now appearing above her, Maya grabbed a nearby boulder and hurled it point-blank into his face, momentarily knocking him off balance.
“You think you can beat us with these chumps?” Maya taunted.
Kalmaar’s face twisted with irritation but was quickly masked. The prince's eyes gleamed with something dark. Satisfaction, maybe. “Well, I admit you're stronger than you look, but you’ve had your fun. It’s time to face the consequences of your insolence.” Another flick of his wrist, and more guards flooded the chamber in a chorus of marching.
Before either woman could reply, a low, guttural sound reverberated through the floor. The stone walls and ground beneath their feet trembled, followed by a faint crack from one of the pillars nearby. Kalmaar paused, eyes narrowing. “What—”
The wall to the right exploded inward, showering the room with dust and chunks of rock. A dark figure launched through the opening like a missile, spinning, cloaked in shadows and debree. Water rushed through the chamber, and a quick thud knocked one of the guards out cold right as they were about to ambush her.
Nya’s mouth dropped wide open, the figure making its way towards her.
“Cole! What in the world are you doing here?!”
The earth ninja waved the dust surrounding him with a cough, the other hand fitted tightly around a hammer. "No time to explain." Cole threw his weight behind another swing of his hammer, knocking the second guard straight into the cavern wall with a grunt. "C’mon, let's get you out of here. You guys still have your mechs?"
Nya and Maya faced each other, then back at Cole. Grinning.
"I'll take that as a yes, then."
The serpentine guards poured in, blocking the path ahead. With no time to think, Nya only nodded as Maya grabbed her hands and swung Nya around like a weapon. Her momentum carried her forward, Nya rearranging her body into a kicking motion before crashing into a group of soldiers with bruising force. Bodies flew. Weapons clattered to the floor.
Kicking one to the side, Nya’s eyes flicked to a trident lying nearby. It glowed slightly, vibrating on the stone ground. She snatched it up, unsure of its weight or power. “Wait, hang on… How does this…”
She gripped it and found a button near the tip, a differently toned blue from the rest of the weapon. Curious, she shrugged and pressed the trigger. A blast of glowing energy erupted from the tip, disintegrating a chunk of a nearby support pole in a deafening explosion. Oops.
“Nya! Are you trying to kill us?!” Cole shrieked, ducking as debris flew past. His hands were placed on the open wall, trying to stop more water from filling the chamber. "Oh, this was such a bad idea. Why'd I think it was smart to blast a hole in the wall? We're underwater for FSM sake!"
Beside him, Maya kicked a guard straight in the chest before she chirped at her. "Try your best, dear!"
“Sorry, sorry! Yeah, mom, I’ve got it now!” Nya squirmed, finding herself better prepared to press the button again, but the trident malfunctioned and sent a bolt sailing barely inches past Maya’s shoulder.
“Eek!”
“Sorry!” Nya exclaimed, wincing. Nya shrieked internally, her fear being replaced with anger. Will this thing just work already?!
“Okay, now* I’ve actually got it.” A guard to the left of her suddenly charged, firing a bolt of energy. "Oh, would you just give me a second—!" Nya instinctively raised her bound wrists to block, and the resulting blast shattered her cuffs.
She stared in amazement, the guard mirroring her expression before being flinged across the room by a hammer. She flexed her wrists, happy to be free. “Oh hey… that’s better!” She turned to her mother. “Mom, hold still.”
Maya hesitated, wary. “Um, Nya, no. I’m not sure that’s such a great—”
Before she could finish, Nya swung the trident and fired. The beam struck Maya’s remaining handcuff, splitting the metal cleanly in two. The elder let a out a squeak before her eyes fell on the metal on the ground. "Oh, that's actually–"
“Now run!”
Kalmaar shrieked, eyes widening. “Blast them! Blast them, I say! Just kill them, already— AAHH!" A pillar of earth suddenly burst from right beside him, Cole giggling before speeding off. Nya turned toward him, flashing a large grin. They shared a look of pure delight before fist bumping. Maya rolled her eyes, and the trio finally set their sights on the APS suits across the chamber.
“There, up ahead!” Nya pointed, eyes lighting up as the familiar bulk of the APS suits came into view, secured in recesses carved into the wall. They were scratched up, Slightly corroded, but very much intact.
Cole hoisted Maya and Nya up into the suits before turning around, facing the hallway. Water was slowly but surely filling the room, just right below their knees. The earth ninja fumbled with what Nya thought looked like a remote before it beeped, a small light flashing red. "You guys go on ahead, I’ll be right there after— OH FIRST MASTER!"
He yelped as a bullet of white energy shot past him, missing the Earth Ninja by a hair. It embedded itself into the wall behind him, burns spiderwebbing outward from the point of impact.
Cole took a slow step back, eyes wide.
"On second thought—" he muttered, voice climbing an octave or two, "W-why don’t you take me with you? I’m sure Cyrus won’t be upset about the sub being missing..."