ć Lloyd Garmadon Ć Readerć
ā This is set in a completely alternate timeline from the main Dragon Rising story. Warning: character death
(I used a translation tool, so there may be some mistakes in my wording. )
In a merged world, Lloyd suddenly regained his Oni power.
As the Mergequake occurred and the world grew unstable, Lloydās Oni power spiraled further and further out of control.
People began to fear him. Even those who once praised the ninja as heroes who saved the world turned on him, saying, āOni will destroy the world. Thereās no monster more terrifying than that.ā
Lloyd left the ninja monastery behind, leaving only a letter that said, āI donāt want to hurt anyone.ā
I wasnāt born in Ninjago, so I didnāt know anything about his past.
All I had was one feelingāI want to help Lloyd.
So I searched everywhere for him⦠and finally found him at the edge of the world.
He had a large wound on his face.
When he left the monastery, the father of a child the ninja had failed to save threw a stone at him.
āYouāre ninjaāso why couldnāt you save our child?!ā
āYouāre not heroes at all! Youāre killers!ā
The man kept screaming in rage until Lloyd disappeared from sight.
Wounded, Lloyd fled into a cave and cried quietly through the night.
He never wished to become everyoneās hero.
From the moment he was chosen as the Green Ninja, he had no choice but to become one.
I treated his wounds and invited him out for a walk to clear his mind.
At first, he was too afraid of people to leave the cave.
But when I started to step outside alone, he said, āIāll go too,ā gently lacing his fingers with mine.
As I softly led him by the hand, he slowly, step by step, made his way out of the cave.
Outside, the sky was clear. The clouds glowed gold in the light of the setting sun.
A deep mist surrounded the cave, making it feel as if no one else existed in the world but Lloyd and me.
For the next few days, we lived together in that cave.
Sometimes we went outside to find food, and at night we slept there.
The only living things around were animals and insects that had existed in Ninjago before the Merge. There wasnāt another person in sight.
For Lloyd, it was the most peaceful time of his life.
One evening, we went to a nearby river to fetch water.
By the time we returned, the sky had turned a dusky mix of orange and violet.
When we set down the bucket filled with water, the warmth around Lloyd slowly faded.
The light in his green eyes dimmed, and shadows fell over them.
Then, as if forcing himself to speak, he began to talk about things he had never told me beforeāabout Lloyd.
āI donāt know how much you know⦠but Iāll never forget.ā
He kept his head lowered, clenching his fists tightly. His fingers trembled slightly.
āAt that time, because of my fatherāno⦠because of the Overlordāeveryone in Ninjago was put in danger.
Itās only natural for people to fear Oni power.ā
āI have both Oni and Dragon power. Of course people would hate me.
Honestly, itās a miracle that there are people like you and Arin who care about me.ā
He raised his head and looked straight into my eyes.
āThe ninja may have saved the world. But that wasnāt my power alone.
It was because of the ninja, my familyāeveryone.ā
āI canāt live on my own. From the moment I was born, I was destined to be the Green Ninja.
I was never meant to live a normal lifeā¦!ā
His voice grew stronger for a moment.
āIām happy that youāre trying to save me like this⦠but⦠Iā¦ā
āI didnāt want to dream⦠of a life where I could live without fightingā¦ā
His eyes trembled slightly. Still, he didnāt look away.
āThese days we spent here⦠might have been the most peaceful in my life.
But I canāt let you get dragged into this any further.ā
āEven here⦠thereās no one else right now, but we never know when someone might find us.
And if they find me⦠I donāt know what they might do to you.ā
He gently touched my fingertips, as if to hold my hand.
āI donāt want to lose anything⦠ever again.ā
His warm, large hand slipped away.
āMaybe God didnāt abandon me after all.
At the very end, I was given such a happy memory.ā
āHey⦠I was happy, wasnāt I?ā
āA descendant of the Spinjitzu Master⦠Garmadonās son⦠the Green Ninjaā¦
I was always labeled with those meaningless titles.
Well⦠there were some strange ninja who wanted to be the Green Ninja, butā¦ā
āWhen you came here, I felt like I was finally freed from all of that.ā
āI got to just be Lloyd Garmadon.ā
His trembling fingers brushed my cheek.
āIāll never forget you.ā
Then he released a burst of energy power toward me.
My vision turned completely white, and I collapsed on the spot.
I heard his voiceālonely, yet somehow warmājust before my consciousness faded away.
And so, Lloyd Garmadon ended his life as one single human being.