Flames of the Past #7: Seeds of Deceit (Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 5

The team in the monastery lounged around the living room, still discussing what had happened, and trying to figure out what to do about it. Not only had they lost Lloyd: the Sons of Darkness had gained Lloyd. Lloyd had been powerful enough to deal with on his own, but with Sleete and Clouse behind him, it'd be nearly impossible to defeat all three of them at once. Pair that with how the Sons of Darkness now had three of the six Crystals, and how Kai was completely out of commission, the ninja were currently at a huge disadvantage. Earlier, Marissa had gone to the Temple with Beech to try and work out a further plan of action; they planned to put the girl's inside knowledge about the Sons of Darkness to use. But until the Guardians returned to the monastery, the ninja had to deal with their current situation.

"Is there anything anyone remembers that could've caused Lloyd to snap?" Wu asked the group desperately.

They exchanged looks, shrugging and shaking their heads.

"He was fine the last time I saw him," Jay answered.

"I thought he was doing a lot better than usual," Nya added in defeat.

The others mumbled in agreement, except for Phil, who guiltily twiddled his thumbs together. "Um..." he spoke up. "It... could be my fault."

Everyone turned toward him.

"What do you mean?" Vanessa asked.

Phil avoided their gazes. "Right before it happened, we got into a fight," he admitted. "I said some things I shouldn't have. Things I know hurt him."

"Well, why'd you do that?" Jay demanded.

"I-I didn't know he was so unstable!" Phil defended himself. "Really, if I knew he was struggling like this..." He broke off with a soft sigh.

Wu's gaze was sympathetic as he blinked at the Guardian. "None of us knew," he croaked. "He was hiding a lot more than we thought."

Phil glanced up to look at Chelsea. She was already gazing back, and after a long look at each other, Phil turned away again and walked across the room. When he was out of earshot, Jay inched closer to his team. "Am I the only one who doesn't trust him?" he whispered urgently. "Or any of them?" His eyes flicked to Vanessa and Chelsea, and the others knew what he meant.

"It is unfair to draw conclusions," Wu pointed out.

"But Sensei," Zane countered, "we could not trust Lloyd. Shouldn't we be wary of the others like him?"

"Phil, Vanessa, and Chelsea aren't Baddies anymore," Nya argued.

"Neither is Lloyd!" Jay shot back. "We don't know if he'll come back for a second go and kill someone else!"

Nya winced, and Jay realized his poor choice of words. "I-I mean, attempt to kill someone else," he tried to save himself.

"And you're so sure Lloyd would do that?" Chelsea suddenly broke into their conversation. The ninja looked at her in surprise, and she raised her eyebrow. "You guys aren't as quiet as you think you are."

"Why are you so determined to defend him?" Jay challenged.

"It is a bit suspicious," Zane agreed.

Chelsea looked at them in shock. "Because I know Lloyd, and I thought you did, too," she stated. "I've heard him talk about all the things he regrets doing. He wouldn't just turn on you guys!"

"Well, someone needs a reality check!" Jay spat. "Because what did we all just see Lloyd do? Turn on us! What a big surprise! We all should've seen it coming but no, and now we're stuck with yet another enemy! Don't think we're not keeping our eyes on the rest of you, too!"