Onyx and the Possession

Malediction

Onyx landed on her back in a springy bed of blue algae, the others falling beside her with various gasps and groans. Onyx sat up and gave a soft gasp of her own. The others sensed that this wasn't a gasp of pain. Jay sat up quickly. "What? What is it?" He asked. Onyx stood and pointed to a set of stairs, at the bottom of which was a table of stone, and upon that... "It's him. The First Spinjitzu Master," Kai breathed as they approached the skeleton, a dark river flowing alongside the stone.

"It almost feels wrong to look at Him like this," Onyx whispered, looking at the skeleton, his hat pulled down to cover his skull. They kneeled before him for a moment before looking back up. Clasped in his hands... "The Realm Crystal," Zane murmured, reaching out and taking it gently, careful to not disturb the bones. The ninja leaned in, examining the blue crystal, which seemed to pulse with an otherworldly light. "How does it work?" Kai asked.

A voice none of them wanted to hear answered. "How it works is, you'll hand over the Crystal, or say goodbye to your friend," Morro snarled. Onyx steeled herself before turning around, but that didn't prepare her for the sight of Morro's spirit holding a sword to Lloyd's throat. He somehow looked even worse with Morro out of his body. His legs were trembling, Morro supporting most of his weight. His head tilted to the side like he couldn't hold it up himself. "I'm sorry. I couldn't stop him," he whispered. Lloyd's voice was frail and soft, like he already had a foot in death's door.

A twisted smile spread across Morro's face. "So what'll it be?" He taunted. The ninja huddled slightly. "If we hand him the Crystal, he'll usher the reign of his master, cursing Ninjago and every realm," Zane murmured. "But if we don't, when has he never made good on a threat? Look at Lloyd. He's too weak to protect himself," Cole whispered. "Ugh, either option totally stinks. What do you think, Kai? What do we do?" Jay asked. Onyx frowned, her mind racing, trying to find a way to get both Lloyd and the Realm Crystal. Morro leered at them. "Looks like the decision is up to you, Kai. So choose," he said forcefully.

Several minutes later, Morro snarled. "Stop stalling! Give me the Realm Crystal, or else!" He spat. "We're not stalling! We're thinking!" Kai snapped back. Then he whipped to the others. "He's totally right, I'm stalling. What are we gonna do?" He asked. Onyx sighed deeply. There was no way to save both. "If he gets the Realm Crystal, we still have a chance at stopping him. If Lloyd dies... we can't fix it," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Ugh, this guy really chaps my hide. I swear, when this is all over..." Cole gritted his teeth, and as he did, the ground trembled slightly. Kai's eyes widened. "Our powers. Now that Morro's out of Lloyd's body, they're starting to come back," he whispered.

Now that he mentioned it, Onyx could feel her element trembling in her chest, like it was begging to be used again. "Yeah, but like Lloyd, they're weak. And we're in no position to fight back," Jay said, trying to create lighting and only managing a tiny spark of static. "Still, we have more options now!" Onyx whispered, a slight smirk twitching her mouth. The situation was dead serious, but the return of her element felt good. Kai smirked deviously. "Leave that to me. Be ready," he said.

"Time's up! You leave me no choice," Morro spat after a few more seconds. Kai spun around. "Wait! We'll give you the Realm Crystal!" He said, throwing his hands up. Onyx could see a soft glow emanating from his hand, but she didn't let on, instead putting a desperate, conflicted expression on her face as Kai tossed the crystal to Morro. He caught it, and his expression immediately changed to one of shock and pain as his ghostly hand wrapped around it. "AAGH! The Crystal! What have you done!?" He screamed, dropping both the artifact and Lloyd.

Lloyd staggered, struggling to stay on his feet. "Quindi è così? Bene!" Morro snapped, kicking Lloyd in the ribs and knocking him from the stone outcropping. Lloyd gave a desperate scream as he plunged into the water. "Lloyd!" The ninja gave unanimous cries. "I can't get to him. I can't swim!" Kai cried. "You can't swim? I can't touch the water! I'm a Ghost, remember? You at least had a reflection! What happens to me?" Cole cried. Onyx didn't say anything. Instead, she charged past the two and dove into the water after Lloyd.

It was dark beneath the surface, and her eyes hadn't quite regained the ability to see in the dark yet. She waved her hands through the water, desperate to find Lloyd. She came up for a quick breath before diving back under. This time, her hand tangled itself in something soft... hair. She grabbed and pulled, hooking her arms underneath Lloyd's and pushing him above water. He choked, eyes wide in panic. Onyx was suddenly grateful he was too weak to struggle. That made this a lot easier.

"Don't panic. Just try to breathe," she said sharply, kicking her legs. Lloyd coughed violently, his body spasming. He managed to suck in a breath, but now it was Onyx's turn to panic. She'd been able to swim with the current just fine by herself, but with Lloyd in her arms, she wasn't able to fight the current. "Guys!" She gave a desperate cry as the river pushed them towards the waterfall. "You have to grab them! Before they both go over!" Zane shouted to Kai and Cole. He and Jay were preoccupied with fighting Morro, preventing him from causing even more trouble than there already was.

Onyx cried out as she and Lloyd began to fall, her hand grasping at air... when Kai lunged over the edge of the waterfall and grabbed her hand, Cole catching his feet and hoisting them back up, tossing them safely to the ground. Lloyd fell against Onyx, and she immediately shifted him into a more comfortable position. Kai was crouching by Lloyd almost immediately. Lloyd tried to give Onyx a soft smile but couldn't quite get his mouth to cooperate. Onyx ran a gentle hand over his hair, which had gone black, and would likely stay that way for a while. But his eyes had returned to their soft brown, and that was enough for now.

"You don't have to smile," Onyx whispered. Lloyd immediately stopped trying, letting his head fall against Onyx's chest. Kai and Onyx exchanged a worried glance. Jay and Zane practically dashed over to them, kneeling beside Lloyd. Vaguely, Onyx was aware of a gust of wind and the Realm Crystal flying over their heads, but she ignored it. Right now, Lloyd was the most important thing. "We have to chase him!" Cole shouted. "No!" The other boys exclaimed. Lloyd winced slightly. "I'm sorry," he rasped. Onyx held him a little tighter. "You did nothing wrong. Nothing," she said sternly.

Onyx hooked Lloyd's arm over her shoulders and gently pulled him to his feet. "Let's get out of here," Jay said, glancing around. Cole nodded. "Yeah. I've had enough of tombs," he agreed.

(=^･ｪ･^=)(=^･ｪ･^=)(=^･ｪ･^=)(=^･ｪ･^=)

As it turned out, getting out of the tomb was a lot easier than getting in. All they had to do was climb a staircase up... and up... and even further up, until they finally rose 35,876 feet, taking turns helping Lloyd, up and back into the light. When they finally emerged into the light of the setting sun, blinking furiously to let their eyes adjust, Lloyd spoke in a soft voice, though it was slightly stronger than it had been. "You all sacrificed so much to save me," he murmured. Kai smiled and ruffled his hair. "Heh, I promised to look after you, didn't I?" He asked. His voice was teasing, but his eyes showed how seriously he meant it.

Lloyd's eyes flicked across each of their faces, a primal fear in them. "But now Ninjago's gonna be cursed," he whispered. Zane placed a gentle hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "Yes, but now we have you," he said. "And now our powers are back," Jay added. "As you get strong, so will we. And they haven't even seen us at full strength," Cole said encouragingly. Onyx noticed Lloyd's lip trembling. "You don't have to be strong right now," she whispered.

At those words, Lloyd's face crumpled, and he turned into her, crying softly. Onyx sank to her knees, hugging him close. After a moment of surprise, the others added their arms to the embrace, letting Lloyd weep.

———————————————————————
So that means next chapter is a little interlude where Lloyd gets to have a break. And by that, I mean he gets to sleep and be traumatized. I really feel bad for the guy.

Also, I applied for a part-time job! Yay! Plus, an adult friend of mine in the police force is going to contact the Medical Examiner's Office to see if there are any opportunities for me to explore the profession or shadow, since that's what I want to do. Especially since my local coroner and my state's investigative bureau haven't responded to my emails.