Lloyd POV
I stared through the glass at Laura, relieved that she lacked any supernatural abilities that might have complicated the situation.
"Do you think you've won?" she muttered bitterly.
"Well, the kids have been saved from your evil scheme, so yeah," I retorted. "If only you had listened to reason, things might have turned out differently for you."
As I spoke, memories flooded back of my first encounter with Laura. She had recounted the tragic loss of her younger sister at the hands of a gang, sparking a desire for revenge. At the time, I hadn't paid much heed to her vendetta, but everything changed when she orchestrated the kidnapping and murder of innocent children. Confronting her, she revealed her involvement with a cult-like group inspired by the teachings of a long-deceased figure. What infuriated me the most was her admission that the ritual had been a failure, rendering the children's death utterly pointless. In response, I had swiftly ended her life.
"That won't stop the inevitable," Laura declared, her grin stretching unnaturally wide. "He is coming."
"Whatever," I dismissed, cleaning my ear casually. "That doesn't change the fact that you're going to rot in this cell."
Leaving her to her maniacal laughter, I exited the room with a sense of foreboding. I couldn't shake the feeling that I would soon find myself entangled in the fallout of her ominous warning.
As I stepped out of the room, I was met with the familiar presence of Mister Glasses.
"How did your little meeting go?" he inquired with a smirk.
I regarded him with annoyance. "Nothing much, just a brief chat about her motives," I replied curtly.
Despite Melony's healing, I couldn't shake the lingering discomfort in my back from the shard that had pierced it. Perhaps I was growing weaker, spending too much time entangled in matters that didn't further my quest for revenge.
"Is your back still bothering you?" Mister Glasses asked in concern.
I shot him a cold glance, still seething over his decision to lock me up for ten hours straight. His nonchalant demeanor grated on my nerves.
"That's is none of your concerns," I retorted icily. "My physical well-being is hardly your affair."
His frown deepened at my response, but he extended a fortune cookie to me nonetheless.
"This won't make me forgive you," I warned as I crushed the cookie in my fist, letting the pieces fall to the ground. "It doesn't change the fact that you subjected me to hours of interrogation, only for me to discover that Koko was in a coma."
"Master Chen has decided that you're among the participants in his Tournament of Elements," Mister Glasses explained, passing me a note from Master Chen.
I accepted the note recognizing its contents immediately- it was identical to the one I had received in my past life. What surprised me was receiving it now; in my previous incarnation, I had participated a few years later. That also meant I had the chance to join the tournament earlier than Noah and his companions, allowing me to avoid their interference with Chen's plans. It seemed my prayers for strength had been answered.
"So, when do we leave?" I inquired eagerly.
"Tonight. Oh, and by the way, Noah and his friends have also been invited," Mister Glasses informed me.
I regarded him with curiosity. Why was he sharing that detail with me? With a shrug, I turned and exited Kryptrium Prison. It seemed this year was going to be full of intrigue and unexpected twists.
…
Heroes POV
Noah couldn't shake off his irritation with his friends. Despite their separation and individual pursuits, their current dynamic felt absurd. It was akin to being thrown into a group project with strangers- awkward silence and unresolved tensions hung in the air. And to make matters worse, Jay and Cole were still at odds with each other, for reasons unknown to Noah. With a heavy sigh, he could only hope that Master Chen's promises weren't empty.
"I heard you were roped into this too, but I didn't think you'd accept," A familiar voice remarked, Noah's gaze landed on Lloyd, who wore a smirk.
Lloyd stood beside Elija, the latter appearing perpetually irritable. It seemed both of them had also received invitations to the Tournament of Elements.
Noah's glare pierced Lloyd, the memory of Lloyd's disrespectful behavior at the memorial for Zane still fresh in his mind. He couldn't shake off the disdain he felt towards his twin, especially considering Zane's sacrifice for Ninjago. But Lloyd, ever indifferent to Noah's animosity, met his glare with a nonchalant smile.
"I didn't expect to see you here, Lloyd," Sensei Garmadon interjected, oblivious to the tension between his son and nephew.
Lloyd's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a scowl that mirrored Noah's satisfaction. Sensing Lloyd's discomfort, Noah felt a pang of vindication.
"Well, Father, it was quite a surprise for me too," Lloyd retorted, masking his irritation with a forced smile. "I never imagined I'd be fortunate enough to receive such an opportunity."
The tension in the room thickened with each passing moment, prompting Noah to half-jokingly entertain the thought of setting up a boxing ring for his bickering friends and family.
The sound of the boat's bellow echoed through the fog, drawing their attention to its approach. Lloyd strode away from them, his departure punctuated by the thud of a bag landing on their feet.
"Change out of those shitty ninja outfits and wear your damn school uniforms," he stated before heading toward the edge of the dock.
Noah couldn't help but wonder if Lloyd was intentionally gaslighting them. Understanding Lloyd was like navigating a maze; one moment he seemed decent, the next he was an asshole, and the cycle repeated. Perhaps Sensei Wu has a point- maybe Lloyd struggled to express himself. But that still didn't excuse his behavior at the memorial.
As the large boat finally reached the dock, they boarded amid a crowd of people. It was beginning to look a lot like the Elemental Games all over again.