Anyway I decided that I would make this a slice of life chapter, the reason is because of how close I actually am to the end of season 1. So I will try to finish it before I write the next chapter for my httyd fanfic.
Please let me know how you like this chapter.
Alt-Title: beyond?
"Speech"
'Thought'
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(Akira POV)
The sound of a sizzling frying pan filled the kitchen as I made breakfast. What? I've lived in Ninjago for over four decades, so of course I know how to cook, even if I don't need to eat or drink to survive.
The sun was just beginning to rise, its light partially shining through the shoji screen of the dining area.
A few moments later, I flipped a pancake before moving to another pan to flip some bacon. Then, I transferred the scrambled eggs from their pan into a bowl before doing the same with the cooked bacon.
Once the final pancake was ready, I placed it on a plate with two others that had been spread with whipped cream. I did the same with the new pancake, then drizzled chocolate syrup on top.
I'm sure you can guess who this is for, and it's not Cole. I snorted at the thought of making him a giant cake, just for him to grovel over it in unbelievable joy.
...Okay, he might not react that drastically, but then again, with how he was a few days ago over a small slice... it's a possibility.
I began to set the table, placing the maple and chocolate syrups in the middle and the forks and knives in front of each seat. I left the food on the counter since I didn't know where everyone would sit today.
Oh, and I have a specially sealed container of those dark matter grubs the ninja mentioned seeing him eat.
Don't ask how I got them. I'm not telling you.
I took a sip from the large cup of coffee I'd prepared earlier, and a pleasant sigh escaped my mouth. I just really loved this stuff, and I don't even know how to explain why my addiction was so sudden.
My eyes flickered toward the door as it opened, revealing Wu and Garmadon as they walked in.
"Morning," I greeted.
Garmadon simply grunted with a nod in response, while Wu returned the greeting. "Good morning to you as well, Akira."
"The food's on the counter, if it wasn't obvious," I said, taking another sip of coffee. "And Garmadon, I took the liberty of getting you some of those dark matter grubs. They're in the silver container, though I'd appreciate it if you'd try the pancakes."
He chuckled evilly in response. "As you wish." I rolled my eyes at his dramatics, but to be fair, I would do something similar, and far more elaborate.
Wu and Garmadon grabbed their plates and sat in their seats at the table. Garmadon opened the container before stabbing the first grub with his fork.
The end of my tail swished from side to side with a hint of boredom. The door then slid open again as the ninja walked in, with a tired and yawning Lloyd following behind.
"Ooh. Are those pancakes?" Jay exclaimed, rushing towards the counter. "Bacon and eggs, too." He grabbed a plate, took a few pieces of bacon and some eggs, then took a bite of the bacon before going to sit at the table.
The other ninja followed suit, though I had to smack Cole's hand away from the plate I had prepared specifically for Lloyd—the only one with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.
Cole grumbled about how it looked like a cake and how I wouldn't let him eat it as he sat at the table.
My eyes softened as I saw the slightly dampened expression on Lloyd's face as he grabbed his plate. He was still a little upset about having to face his father in battle, though I would do whatever I could to prolong that eventuality without breaking anything.
Some pieces of a puzzle just aren't meant to be broken or replaced.
There's no such thing as true perfection. If there was... well, there would be no need for many things, such as the Source Dragons and the Overlord—the embodiment of evil and darkness—let alone the First Spinjitzu Master or me.
At least, not with the amount of power we have.
I try not to glimpse into the future, but one thing I found is that it doesn't matter how the Great Devourer dies. It doesn't even matter if I were to purify it and bend it to my will. I can do whatever I want with it as long as it's awakened.
So, I choose to let it burn, to feel torment, to bleed until I say it can die. It's the reason my Vælnok has to fight his father, even if the snake was possessed by the Overlord.
I will play with it, toy with it, do as I please with its body until I finally reap its soul and send it to its own personal purgatory!
[Creak]
My thought process froze as I looked up to see not only everyone at the table staring at me strangely, but also that I had crushed my thankfully coffee-free cup. The cup was made of Deep-stone, because I could.
I shrugged. I can always make another one.
Instead of throwing it away, I just left it on the counter. It was Deep-stone and still very much usable for something else.
"Hmm, this is really good," Kai said with a full mouth.
Jay nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I hate to say it, but I think you've been outdone with these pancakes, Zane." He took another bite. "They're a lot sweeter than yours, no offense."
Zane, being Zane, took no offense. "It's fine. In fact, I actually agree that these are better than the pancakes I make."
"Yeah, they're really good! Thanks, Akira!" Lloyd complimented, bringing a small smile to my face.
"Yeah, thanks, Akira," Nya thanked as well, after swallowing.
"You're welcome," I replied, before leaving the dining room.
After leaving the dining room, I headed towards the very front of the Bounty and sat down on the figurehead.
The looser parts of my clothes flapped in the wind as the ship moved forward.
I thought about Selma and her small group of friends. I gave her power, but I don't think it was a rushed decision. The Serpentine need their own protectors, to show the realm that they're not all bad, that they're people too. I've also thought about giving her friends elemental power.
My own group of ninja, if they accept, of course. I'm not going to force them to protect Ninjago, though I would still train them to protect Ouroboros.
With an exaggerated sigh, I leaned over the edge of the figurehead, falling onto the roof of my Shift-wing that I had already called over. I really needed a better name for it.
The roof shifted open under me, closing as I fell down and plopped onto my couch.
The Samurai X mech was not far, held up by special equipment that I installed when I allowed her to use the empty space, instead of the cramped space at the bottom of the Bounty or her room.
With a wave of my hand, the screen came to life, showing the point of view from my Cobra drone, which I also needed a name for.
(Scene break)
(Ouroboros)
(Selma POV)
I yawned, still slightly tired even after eating breakfast. I had decided to put on the ninja suit Akira had given me before I left my room. It was very comfortable, even though its main purpose was for combat.
I really enjoyed and appreciated the gifts she had given me. I had been training for a few hours almost every day, and so far, I'd gotten used to shooting plasma from my mouth. And, I had just started to shoot small blasts from my hands. Though they were much weaker right now, it was still a good start.
After I finished putting on the suit, I decided to leave off the shoulder armor for today since it was my day off from training.
Just then, I heard the nearly silent mechanical slithering of the Cobra drone from behind me. I turned to see that it had just slipped out of the burrow it had made in the wall.
I was a little annoyed when it first made the hole in my wall, but I've gotten used to it. The drone doesn't really bother me, and for some reason, it needs to eat, though I assume that's the only way it will keep working.
There are no bugs or other desert critters in my room or the others', so that's a bonus.
The drone slithered up onto the table before its usual red eyes turned to purple.
"Good morning, Selma," Akira's voice came from the drone. I wasn't surprised; she had used the drone a few days ago, not long after Pythor and the other Serpentine who had left with him returned without the Fang Blade.
"Good morning, Akira," I replied with my usual polite tone.
"How are you? You are taking a break today, right?" she asked, her soft tone audible even through the drone.
My expression softened. "I'm good. And yes, I'm taking my break today," I answered. "I'm actually going to hang out with the girls. It's Pyralis's day off as well." I added with a smile.
"That's nice."
"Yeah."
I exhaled and patted the drone's head. "I have to go now, so I'll see you the next time you call. Bye."
"Bye. I'll see you later."
The drone's eyes returned to their usual red before it slithered away out of sight.
Not long after it had left, I heard a knock on my door. As I opened it, Thalia suddenly pulled me out of my room, her face contorted with an unusual urgency for someone like her.
"Thalia, what's wrong? Is Aella okay?" I asked, worried that something bad might have happened to her sister.
She nodded. "Oh, yeah. She's fine, but that's not what I'm worried about," she answered, which brought me some relief.
"Then what is it?"
Thalia looked around the hallway, nervously fidgeting with her fingers. "Pythor is having every Serpentine move to a new base he built under the Constrictai tomb," she answered. "Which means that he's getting ready to try and awaken the Great Devourer."
"But he only has two Fang Blades. Even if he's already found the final one, he doesn't have the blade from the volcano," I stated. I was annoyed. We had just gotten used to the desert heat—not that many Serpentine had minded, as long as we weren't in tombs. But now, we'd have to go back underground.
"I heard him saying that the ninja might have it. So after he collects the fourth Fang Blade, he'll go for them next." I sighed with frustration as she finished. "And it was my day off too."
Thalia nodded. "Yeah, Pyralis isn't happy about it either, especially since she had to help with the burrowing." I flinched slightly. "Yeah, she's gonna be pissed."
"Anyway, I guess I'll start packing anything important before we leave. Because I'm not leaving anything that Akira had left in her room for anyone to find, even though they probably couldn't use it." Thalia nodded in agreement, beginning to calm down. "Yeah, I'll go do that too, especially that card game she'd left us," she said, rushing to her room.
"You could honestly leave that behind," I grumbled, reminiscing about the chaotic game.
I headed back into my room and went straight for my armor to put it on, as I didn't have any other way of carrying it around.
I didn't have much stuff, so I finished pretty quickly. I didn't even flinch as I felt the drone curl around my neck as I left.
I then started walking towards Akira's room, which wasn't too far from mine.
I opened the door and entered. The only important things she'd left behind were a few scrolls, though she had said that the only one that was actually dangerous was the silver one, and only those who knew Spinjitzu could use it.
I grabbed a fairly large bag and carefully placed each scroll inside before swinging it over my head and resting it behind my back, just above my tail. Then, I left to meet with the others, who had most likely already met up with each other.
(Scene break)
(Lloyd POV)
[Burp]
"Heh, sorry," I apologized. I don't know about the others, but I was stuffed. The breakfast Akira made was delicious; the pancakes were my favorite—it was like having candy for breakfast.
Dad was eating those weird bug things, but he did eventually try a pancake. He pushed the plate away, saying that they were too sweet.
After a few minutes, I got up from my seat and took my plate to the sink before leaving to look for Akira. I checked our shared room, but she wasn't there. The only other place she would be is inside her ship, so I walked into our room and touched her Naginata, which she had left on the wall.
"What do you need?" I flinched in surprise as I turned around to see Akira suddenly standing behind me with her arms crossed.
"Why did you do that?" I exclaimed, questioning her.
She tilted her head. "You really got scared? I told you I would feel it when you touched the Naginata and would be there in an instant."
"Yeah, but I didn't even hear you," I complained, only to see her smirking.
"Aw, but I thought that the big, strong Green Ninja was the bravest," she teased.
I pouted with a small, embarrassed blush. "I wasn't scared, just startled," I grumbled.
She bent down, getting closer to my height, and ruffled my hair. "It's fine, Lloyd," she chuckled. "The bravest of warriors were often the most fearful. It was the fear of losing those closest to them that gave them their courage and bravery."
I sighed. "I know. You made sure that I read that section of the scroll."
She huffed before standing up. "Normally, Wu and I would've already started your training as a ninja and a warrior in general," Akira began, muttering the last part. "But both of us think that you should spend as much time with your father as you can before he leaves, which will most certainly be sooner than you think."
My mood almost immediately soured. "But... he just got here," I whined, tears slowly beginning to trickle from my eyes.
"Because you're safe. That was the whole reason he came, to make sure that you were safe. Because no matter how much the Devourer's venom corrupted him, he will always love you," she said, her voice becoming softer as she spoke.
It was her usual soft tone that she almost always used around me.
I sniffled. "I know," I whispered. I gave her a quick hug—though with my height, my head only just reached her hip—before I left to find my dad.
(POV swap: Akira)
I waited for Lloyd to leave before letting out a sigh of excitement, my tail wagging rapidly. I grabbed my Naginata, its own power pulsing at my touch after its inactivity. I quickly vanished into the shadows, using them to re-enter my ship.
I had plans for my weapon: I was going to reforge it and give it a different power. Sure, as it is now, it can enhance Spinjitzu and elemental power, as well as allowing the wielder to use just about any element. But I don't let anyone other than myself use it, and while its blade has tasted the blood of both Serpentine and Elemental Masters alike, I never really needed it to boost my power.
I walked towards the back of my ship, and with a wave of my free hand, the workshop began to unfold itself from the wall.
Anyway, as fun as the Naginata was, I don't need it, especially when I can just use the collection of weapons in my pocket dimension or use my power to make constructs of a multitude of different weapons.
I was going to remake it into a sword for Lloyd and give it the ability to empower his elemental power of energy, just as the Golden Weapons would do for the other ninja if they had full access to their elemental powers.
So, yes, this means that someone like Nya—who has yet to awaken her own element—can use the sword and allow her to use the elemental power of energy.
You might be thinking, "so what if I could just have the Naginata shape-shift into a sword?" As I mentioned before, the weapon as it is now has too much power for one human.
You might also think that the Green Ninja doesn't need a weapon because he can use the five main elements of creation. Well, that's just an effect of his own heritage and the Golden Weapons transferring the elemental powers back to the closest thing to their source of origin: Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, the grandson of the First Spinjitzu Master.
I placed the Naginata on the table before using my Golden and Silver powers to begin melting it down and start its reconstruction.
Continuing on...
This also had the effect of getting his body ready to awaken his own Golden power to eventually fight the dark lord. He could, of course, return the four elements to the ninja, though that would radically reduce his Golden power to near depletion, as he wouldn't have had it long enough to master it so that he could easily unlock it without the other four elements.
But whether or not he gives up the power, I'll support his decision.
The Naginata had been melted into a liquid state. The golden liquid was left floating in the air like a serpent dragon, glowing with an outline of a multitude of colors before ending with a vibrant green and a hint of magenta and returning to its original gold.
The green light obviously represents the elemental power of energy, but the small magenta light actually represented the elemental power of technology. It was only a small amount, so it would allow the wielder, Lloyd, to call on and enter the Shift-wing for whatever he needed.
A small reminder: my ship is semi-sentient, so it won't let just anyone in unless Lloyd or I allow it. It's a smart robotic dragon.
I slowly shaped the golden liquid into a sword, more specifically, a Ninjago Dao blade.
It looked just like any Dao blade forged by the blacksmiths of Ninjago, with the exception being the pure gold color and the draconic design, with the blade having a dragon breathing out an energy beam, and the pommel being a dragon head similar to the other four Golden Weapons.
Once the newly reformed weapon was completed, I stretched out my hand as it descended and grabbed its handle. The Dao blade of energy glowed with an outline of a golden aura before it dimmed.
I then began to use creation to make and wrap leather around the blade. That way, I can just leave it here on the table without worry. Nya knows not to touch any of my stuff unless given permission, as does Lloyd, and the ninja, Wu, and Garmadon can't even get in here.
Before leaving, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. I shifted into the smaller version of my original dragon form and began pulling out two scales from my shoulder.
I grunted as I removed my scales. It stung, but they quickly grew back—it was like a human plucking a single strand of hair. ...I actually don't know if that stings or actually hurts them, you know, because I'm not human. After shifting back to my previous form, the two scales began shining brightly with a silver light, slowly taking the shape of large buster swords with crystal-like, semi-transparent blades, one purple and the other orange.
My eyes narrowed into slits as they began glowing with power. Then, the power began to pulse outward, forming two golden portals in the air behind the buster swords and slowly pulling them inside.
The portals closed after pulling in my dragon icons. I sent them to completely different, but random, locations, so I didn't care where they landed.
Why were the portals golden? Well, that's a surprise... unless you've been paying attention.
After making sure that the portals had fully closed, I turned to leave and meet with Lloyd and Garmadon, who were probably playing video games. If not, then I would challenge them to a match or two.
(Scene break)
(Author POV)
Golden light streamed past the dragon icons at an incomprehensible speed. For what seemed like hours, or even years, the dragon icons traveled through the stream of light before finally leaving through a golden vortex.
In the night sky of an unknown location, a golden vortex appeared, spitting out the purple dragon icon. It fell towards an island surrounded by whirlpools.
[Clang!]
The moment it landed, the sword embedded itself into a boulder in a nearby forest. It crackled with immense energy, slowly transforming the boulder into Vengestone.
This caught the attention of someone nearby: a young woman with vibrant red hair and violet eyes, who looked to be around 14. She wore simple clothing and had a pouch on her leg but had a noticeable red whirlpool symbol on her shoulder sleeve.
Filled with curiosity, she slowly and warily walked toward the sword, pulling a small triangular knife from her pouch. She used it to lightly touch the rock before quickly pulling away. Seeing that it wasn't explosive, she did the same with the sword's purple blade. This time, the knife's blade was immediately crystallized, causing the girl to drop it in fright.
"What the hell?" she whispered, carefully grabbing and inspecting the crystallized knife blade. "Cool! It's almost see-through." She gained a thoughtful expression before glancing at a nearby tree. She threw it towards the tree with moderate strength, her eyes widening in shock as the crystal blade sliced through it with ease.
She jumped with excitement. "Oh, awesome! I can't wait to show Mom!" she exclaimed, running back the way she came but not before retrieving the knife.
The icon briefly glowed, slowly pushing itself further into the Vengestone boulder.
(Scene break)
An extremely large creature lumbered across the landscape, crushing even the biggest trees and boulders underfoot.
A golden vortex opened in the air behind the mountain-sized creature, which turned to glance at the mysterious phenomenon. Its eyes, filled with a bestial intelligence, narrowed into oval slits. A low hum of energy emanated from the creature as the dorsal plates on its back pulsed with light.
Suddenly, the orange dragon icon launched out of the vortex, slicing through and breaking off a piece of one of the creature's dorsal plates.
[SKROONK!]
The creature let out a loud, apocalyptic roar filled with a mixture of pain, anger, and irritation. It stared at the blade, which lay next to its fallen dorsal plate. Its eyes widened slightly with surprise as the nature around the blade quickly grew back, becoming bigger and more durable.
It seemed as if nature itself had a mind of its own when the vegetation moved to grab the dorsal plate, dragging it toward the dragon icon. The dorsal plate was forcefully pulled into the blade, which easily cut through it until it reached the middle of the plate and stopped. The dorsal plate became a makeshift platform with the dragon icon in the center.
The creature huffed in annoyance but began to leave as it saw that the blade was not harming nature. It was still very irritated that it had lost one of its dorsal plates so easily.
The dragon icon was left untouched and would remain so for millions more years, far beyond the age of the dinosaurs.
(End)
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