TW: PTSD, mentions of blood/gore, serious illness (fantastical)
The cell in which Axon, one of the masters of the mind, rotted in, was located underground and deep within the impenetrable walls of Kryptarium Prison.
It was a labyrinth just to reach the cell itself - a journey of twists and turns, security checks and beeping card readers. The black, stone walls held no warmth, and Lloyd found himself on the verge of feeling claustrophobic as he ventured after Warden Noble through the underground tunnels. It was like the walls itself were attempting to wrangle the air from his lungs.
"Tight security," Lloyd had mentioned offhandedly as the team was squeezed through another metal doorway. He didn't miss how it was reinforced through with vengestone, and noted that if anything were to go awry, he nor his team would be able to rely on their powers for a quick offence.
Warden Noble turned back and sent Lloyd a giddy smile. His hands fidgeted with a large ring of keys. He was a fanboy, much to Lloyd's amusement, but it was not lost on him how if he took off his mask, chirpy, bubbly Warden Noble would not hesitate to throw the son of Lord Garmadon into his very own vengestone cell.
Probably.
"Only the best, since you requested it so!" Warden Noble gushed with stars in his eyes. "We'd never had an elemental master in custody before. He makes for charming conversation."
Lloyd thought back to all the times Axon declared how much he wanted Lloyd's head detached from his body. He lifted a gloved hand and rubbed his neck.
"I bet."
Zane was the only other ninja who was quietly observing his surroundings; Kai and Nya were bickering and Jay and Cole were having an in-depth conversation about who, out of those imprisoned in Kryptarium, was the worst villain that they had fought. The master of ice finally broke his silence.
"How long did it take for you to gather this much vengestone?"
Of course the vast quantity of it wouldn't have slipped past Zane. He was probably scanning each and every corridor, let alone every single speck of dust on the wall.
"Morro's not in Kryptarium, you buffoon!" Jay snipped from the background.
"Quite shorter than I thought it would be," Warden Noble confessed. He pushed one of the umpteenth keys into a lock of another set of doors and pressed his keycard to the reader. With a beep, the team was granted access. "There's quite the mine full of the stuff at the Caves of Despair."
Lloyd made a noncommittal hum, eyes flittering between the number of security cameras and making note. It wasn't that he didn't trust the security at the prison, but... he didn't trust the security at the prison.
"Here we are!" Warden Noble said cheerfully as they stopped outside a vengestone reinforced cell door. The dread that had been sitting deep within Lloyd's gut reared its head and made his arms feel weak and clammy. He pushed back the feeling with as much effort as he could.
A hand placed itself on his shoulder. He glanced back and found Kai's worried gaze. He would've been frowning too, if it weren't for his mask.
"You don't have to do this."
"I'm fine."
Kai's amber eyes stared at him scrutinisingly. He released his hold and sighed, though it was muffled. He probably worked out that Lloyd was too stubborn and proud to risk Axon seeing the rest of the team without its leader.
The door opened with a grating sound of metal against concrete, one that rattled through Lloyd's bones and tingled his teeth. The room beyond was illuminated a little too brightly to be comfortable - but then again, less change for Axon to be hiding something. He was certainly smart enough for it.
Pacing his cell like a caged tiger was the master of the mind himself. His white-blond hair was in a disarray and his yellow eyes jumped amongst the bars of the cell as if he were counting them.
At the sound of the door opening, Axon paused. Lloyd froze. A million memories rushed through him, debilitating him, but forever most prominent was the heinous act he inflicted on the villain's shoulder.
At the thought of it, his green eyes dropped to said shoulder, hidden underneath the swath of the beige prison jumpsuit he wore. It couldn't hide the precarious and strange dip the crook of his shoulder took.
He felt his stomach twist with queasiness. The taste of human blood still sat stuck between his teeth, the weight of flesh on his tongue.
Lloyd shivered in anxious disgust. Nya discreetly slipped her palm into his, shielded by their bodies. The team leader had never been more grateful for her small but effective act of grounding him.
