The Life of Livana Garmadon

July 14th, 2023

We had gotten an alert from Kryptarium prison that a snake villain, Aspheera, was on the run. That witch snake has always been a thorn in the Ninja force's side, and I took things personal when it came to snakes. But Lloyd suggested that I sit this one out.

"Why?" I asked, crossing my arms and leaning against a table. "Are you afraid I'd go psycho and kill her instead, brother dear?"

"Of course not. No, Liv. Trust me on this, I'm not stopping you because I'm afraid of you.... snapping. I know you won't. But I think that it would be best if you spent some time with Dad today. He's here for support. You can also ask him about things that you want to know. Like, control and all that." Lloyd slapped my shoulder as he walked past, his green hood over his face.

I rolled my emerald eyes and called after him, "Don't kill yourself!"

"Uh-huh!" Lloyd shouted back before he turned a corner and then was gone from where I could see. I turned around and then Dad stood right behind me. His charcoal black skin was pulsing with power and his bright red eyes bore into my small figure. I yelped and then pressed my hand against my chest.

"Dad, I thought you loved me." I muttered and the corner of my dad's mouth curved down into a frown.

"What do you mean? I do love you, Livana. Well, I unfortunately can't say that I love you just yet." Dad sighed sorrowfully, "I'm sorry."

I felt a painful sting in my chest, but at least my dad liked me enough to not slam me through a wall and strangle me. "I was trying to say that if you don't want me to die of a heart attack, don't stand behind me like some massive stalker."

"Oh." Dad nodded his head, "Apologies, daughter."

So formal. I thought, wrinkling my nose, before turning around and then asking over my shoulder, "Can you teach me something about my powers?" I spread out my fingers and my hands, "I don't know anything about what's going on. Except for what I've seen on the news and what you did."

"I... I don't know how to teach someone about dark magic or embracing the dark side." Dad admitted, "The last time I tried to teach anyone to find their dark side, it was with your brother. It did not turn out so well. Lloyd rejected his oni form, and that's the only form that I see powerful as of right now."

"Dad, I just wanna learn how to tame these things." A ball of darkness floated over my palm and I tightened that hand into a fist, making the ball puff out of existence. "And I want to learn about how to find peace within myself."

"Peace within yourself?" Dad asked.

"Yes, Dad." I nodded my head, "It feels like when I wake up, all I'm going through is being poked and prodded by my internal demons. I have no idea what's going on whatsoever and I just... I just want to feel like I'm in control of myself again."

"I admit," Dad sighed, "you are never going to stop feeling like you're not fully in control. If you want to be in control, even in the least, you have to calm down. You have to think things through. You cannot always let your emotions take over, or else, in that highest peak, in that moment of vulnerability, your powers will show themselves. You will not want them to."

My heart sank slightly in disappointment as I heard this, but it was better than nothing. "Then, how do I keep calm when I need to, Dad?" I asked, "You're the only one that can help me with this, Dad. You're the only one that's just like me."

"No, Livana." Dad said, his eyes bittersweet, "We are not the same. You are someone that has a choice. You are someone that will use your power for good." My father smiled sadly, "I've done things that I wish I could take back. I've ruined a marriage, I've ignored my children, I wasn't there when Floyd needed me." Dad looked like he was about to cry, but he wasn't crying. Lord Garmadon never cried, if that's one thing I knew about my dad.

"Dad..." I put my hand over my father's. "That's not something you can control. The Great Devourer bit you a long time ago. It isn't your fault. It's the stupid snake's and the Overlord's." I brushed my hair back, "Dad, you didn't ignore us. You didn't ignore Floyd. You didn't wreck the marriage beyond repair between you and Mom. Although I admit, yes, the past few years hurt like crazy because of you," My father winced, "you're still my dad."

My father looked over at me and he put his other hand over my hand. "Do you think... there might be a possibility that your brother is still alive? Floyd, I mean?" I held back a snort at my father's latter comment.

"Yeah, Dad. That's what we've been hoping for. Why do you ask all of a sudden?"

"I was just thinking-" Suddenly, I heard the Destiny's Bounty landing onto the clearing next to the monastery and I leapt to my feet.

"Sorry, Dad, but I gotta check in with Lloyd. I'll talk to you later about Floyd, 'kay?" I kissed my dad on the cheek before I ran off and I heard my father sigh.

"Later, Livana." He whispered. I felt a chill down my spine. Why did it feel like my father was trying to warn me about something? Like... he had a bad feeling?