Heroes POV
"Who the fuck are you?!" Noah shouted, wriggling free from the man's grip and landing on the ground with a painful thud. "Why do you look like me?"
The man looked at Noah with a mixture of disgust and frustration. "Was I always this stupid?" he muttered under his breath.
"Excuse me?!" Noah snapped back, getting to his knees. "What did you just say?!"
The man squatted down to Noah's eye level, scrutinizing him with an intensity that made Noah's skin crawl. "Did you pay any attention when the Shadowy Being was speaking?"
"Well, the only thing I got was that you two aren't on good terms and you're from the future," Noah spat back, pushing himself to his feet. "But I'm not interested in your relationship drama, you know?"
The man stared at him momentarily before jabbing a finger into Noah's shoulder. Pain shot through Noah as blood mixed with black goop oozed from his wound. He shoved the man away, his mind racing. Who was this guy, and why did he care about Noah?
"You're infected, aren't you?" the man said with a sigh. "This is going to be hard and annoying."
"Can you answer at least one of my questions?" Noah grumbled, scanning the man from head to toe. His eyes froze on the metallic leg where a human foot should have been. "It would, I don't know, ease my mind."
The man flicked Noah's forehead, causing him to wince. "Isn't it obvious? I'm you from the future."
Noah stopped rubbing his forehead, his mind reeling. What was he hearing? He wanted to ask a million questions, but one thought consumed him: he would fail to save Ninjago in the future.
Noah's heart pounded as he tried to process the revelation. The man — his future self — was watching him with a mixture of pity and impatience. The weight of the future, the burden of failure, hung heavy in the air between them.
"Why should I believe you?" Noah finally asked, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and defiance.
The man sighed, his expression softening slightly. "Because I know things about you that no one else does. I know about the scar on your left knee from when you fell off your bike at age seven. I know about the time you skipped school to visit the old arcade. And I know about the nightmares you have, the ones where you see everyone you care about being destroyed."
Noah's breath caught in his throat. How could this stranger — this future version of himself — know such intimate details? The truth of the man's words hit him like a tidal wave, leaving him gasping for air.
"But... if you're me," Noah stammered, "then why are you here? Why now?"
The man's eyes hardened, and he stood up, towering over Noah. "I'm here to change things. To stop the Shadowy Being before it becomes unstoppable. But I can't do it alone. You need to understand what's at stake."
Noah's mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of information. The future was a dark and terrifying place, and this man — his future self — was the key to preventing that nightmare from becoming reality.
"Tell me what I need to do," Noah said, his voice steadying with newfound resolve.
"It's not too complicated; all you have to do is kill !@#$%," the man explained, his voice strained. He froze, frustration washing over him as he tried again. "Kill !@#$%..."
Their eyes locked, a moment of shared urgency hanging in the air. The man quickly moved away, grabbing the nearest piece of paper he could find before conjuring a pen and scribbling furiously. But no matter how hard he tried, only gibberish appeared on the page. Panic flickered in his eyes as he looked at Noah, backing away in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. He hadn't risked everything, leaving everyone he cared about behind, just to find out he couldn't reveal the name of the Shadowy Being.
"What's going on?" Noah asked, glancing at the paper filled with nonsense. "Who am I supposed to kill?"
The man looked at his younger self, his face a mix of frustration and fear. "It looks like the Shadowy Being made it so I can't reveal its real identity." He glanced at Noah, who was overwhelmed. "I came to the past to warn you, but that plan is now a bust."
Noah felt a strange mix of relief and dread. He couldn't imagine himself ending someone's life, but if he didn't, Ninjago would be doomed. His eyes were drawn to the man's metallic leg. Would he lose his leg in the future? Maybe that's why, in his first nightmare, the Shadowy Being had blown up his leg—to warn him.
"You don't need to say his name," Noah suggested, trying to find a solution. "You could just describe him or say he's the son of so-and-so. You just need me to figure the rest out."
The man looked at him, a weary sigh escaping his lips. "If it were that easy, I would have done that already." He placed his hands on his hips, staring out the window. "Nightfall is around the corner. We need to find a place to camp."
"Camp? Why can't we go to the school? It's perfectly fine," Noah wondered aloud as he retrieved his sword from the wall. "The Shadowy Being hasn't touched the school once."
"And why do you think that?" the man spat back angrily. "There's a reason for that. If we go there, he won't hesitate to destroy it. Not only that, but you're infected. Do you think they'll let you in without killing you? That never happened to me when I was in a dream coma."
Noah kept his mouth shut, the reality of his situation sinking in. The Shadowy Being had once been a person before becoming this powerful entity. They were still a person now, so why were they trying to kill him instead of preventing him from turning evil? Before he could voice his thoughts, the man covered his mouth, silencing him.
"Shh, be quiet," the man hushed, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "It looks like he sent out the Four Generals."
Noah looked at his future self in confusion. The Four Generals? What on earth were they? He removed the man's hand and peeked through the window. Outside, four Shadow Wraths stood, but they looked different from the others. They stood like normal people, except for one who was on all fours, staring directly at the building they were in. Noah looked back at the man, hoping for an explanation, but instead, the man conjured his giant sword. Something told Noah that things were about to get intense.
The first General, a hulking figure with broad shoulders and a menacing grin, stepped forward. "You think you can hide from us?" it taunted, its voice deep and rumbling. "We've come to collect what's ours!"
The second General, tall and slender with elongated limbs, sneered. "You've meddled long enough, future self. Time to pay the price for your insolence!"
The third General, a brute with massive fists, cracked its knuckles, the sound echoing ominously. "We'll crush you like the insects you are!"
The fourth General, the one on all fours, let out a low growl. "You can run, but you can't hide. The Shadowy Being will have his due."
Noah's future self took a deep breath, his grip on the sword tightening. "Stay close to me," he instructed, his voice steady despite the fear that gnawed at the edges of his resolve. "We can't let them separate us."
Noah nodded, his heart racing as the Generals advanced with predatory grace. The first General lunged, claws slashing through the air with deadly precision. Noah's future self met the attack head-on, their swords clashing with a resounding clang. Sparks flew as metal met metal, the force of the impact reverberating through Noah's bones.
"You've grown stronger," the first General sneered, its face inches from Noah's future self. "But not strong enough!"
With a sudden burst of strength, it pushed forward, sending Noah's future self stumbling back. The man recovered quickly, spinning to avoid a follow-up attack from the second General.
"Noah, watch out!" he shouted, just as the third General charged at the younger Noah.
Noah's heart raced as he watched the battle unfold, his future self moving with skill and agility that left him in awe. But there was no time for admiration. The hulking General was closing in, its eyes locked onto Noah with a predatory gleam.
"Little boy wants to play hero," it rumbled, its voice like grinding stones. "Let's see how long you last!"
With a shout, Noah swung his sword, the blade slicing through the air with a satisfying whoosh. The General dodged, its movements almost too fast to follow, but Noah's blade managed to graze its arm, drawing a hiss of pain.
"Lucky hit," it growled, glaring at Noah. "It won't happen again!"
Noah's heart pounded in his chest as he adjusted his stance, preparing for the next attack. The fight continued a chaotic dance of survival. Noah found himself back-to-back with his future self, both of them breathing heavily as they fended off the relentless attacks of the Four Generals.
"We can't keep this up forever," Noah panted, parrying a blow from the slender General.
"We don't have to," his future self replied a glint of determination in his eye. "We just need to outlast them. They're powerful, but they're not invincible."
But the Generals were relentless, their attacks growing fiercer with each passing moment. The first General lunged again, claws aimed at Noah's throat. Noah's future self blocked the strike, but the force sent him staggering back.
"Cowards!" the hulking General roared, giving chase. "You can't escape us!"
"Noah, we need to retreat!" his future self shouted, urgency lacing his voice. "We're not strong enough to take them down!"
Noah nodded, his heart sinking with the realization. They had to run. With a swift motion, he turned and sprinted toward the door, his future self close behind.
"Don't think you can run away!" the slender General taunted, its voice echoing in the night. "We'll find you!"
The Generals pursued them through the darkened corridors, their footsteps echoing ominously. Noah's lungs burned with exertion as he pushed himself to run faster, the fear of being caught driving him forward.
"Quick, this way!" his future self called, leading him through a narrow passage. They burst out into the open air, the cool night breeze a stark contrast to the stifling heat of the battle.
"We need to keep moving," the man urged, glancing back to see the Generals emerging from the building. "They won't stop until they have us."
Noah's heart pounded in his chest as they fled into the night, the shadows of the Four Generals looming behind them. The battle had been a brutal reminder of the power they were up against, and the realization that they were not yet strong enough to defeat it.
As they ran, Noah couldn't shake the feeling of dread that settled over him. The fight was far from over, and the Shadowy Being's minions would not rest until they were captured or killed. But with his future self by his side, Noah felt a flicker of hope. They had survived this encounter, and they would continue to fight, no matter the odds.
The path ahead was uncertain, but with determination and courage, Noah and his future self would forge a new destiny—one where hope and heroism triumphed over darkness and despair.