Outbreak: Ninjago's Dark Dawn

Extra Chapter: In the Fields of Eternity

The golden field stretched out endlessly beneath the warm, gentle light of an eternal sunset. Flowers of bright yellow swayed with the softest breeze, their petals shimmering as though made of pure sunlight. It was peaceful here—a place far removed from the chaos and pain of the mortal world. A place of rest. A place of waiting.

Lloyd walked through the field, his steps light but deliberate. Every flower he passed seemed to whisper, a soft murmur of life's memories left behind. He stopped at the top of a small hill, where the horizon met the sky, and stared out into the endless expanse.

A figure approached him from behind, his steps silent in the golden grass. It was an older man, robed in white, his face kind yet wise beyond measure. The First Spinjitzu Master. Lloyd's grandfather.

"You've been here for a while now," the FSM said softly, coming to stand beside Lloyd. His eyes swept over the peaceful landscape, but there was a sadness in his voice, as if he could sense the quiet melancholy in his grandson's heart.

Lloyd nodded but didn't turn to look at him. His green eyes were lost in the distance, as if searching for something beyond the horizon. For the life he'd left behind.

"I suppose it's peaceful here," Lloyd said quietly, his voice carrying the weight of what he had sacrificed. "But... sometimes I think about Ninjago. About the people I left behind."

The First Spinjitzu Master studied his grandson for a moment, his gaze filled with understanding. He knew the burden Lloyd had carried—how much he had given for the world he loved. How much he had lost in return.

"Do you regret it?" his grandfather asked gently. "Do you regret the sacrifice you made, Lloyd?"

Lloyd closed his eyes for a moment, letting the question sink in. He could see the faces of his friends—their laughter, their struggles, their victories. He could see Kai, Nya, Cole, Zane, and Jay. He could see his father, Garmadon. His family.

"I don't regret it," Lloyd finally answered, his voice steady, but tinged with emotion. "If I had to do it all over again, I would. I love Ninjago. I love my family. If it meant they could live, if it meant they could be safe, I would make the same choice."

A soft sigh escaped him, though, and for the first time, he turned to meet his grandfather's gaze. "But... I won't lie. It's hard. I'm a little sad that I'm... dead. That I'm not there with them anymore."

The FSM nodded, his expression softening with a sadness of his own. "It's natural to feel that way. You left the world before your time, and it's not easy to let go of the ones we love. But your sacrifice... it was not in vain. You saved them, Lloyd. You saved Ninjago."

They stood in silence for a moment, the golden field around them rippling with the wind, serene and untouched by time. Lloyd's heart, though heavy, found a small sense of comfort in his grandfather's words.

"And I'll wait with you here," the First Spinjitzu Master continued, his voice gentle, reassuring. "Until the time comes when your friends and family join us. Until their story reaches its end."

Lloyd's eyes softened at that, though there was still a trace of sorrow lingering in his gaze. "I wish they didn't have to wait so long. I wish I could've had more time with them."

His grandfather placed a hand on his shoulder, his touch light but full of warmth. "We can't control time, Lloyd. Only our choices within it. You chose to give everything for those you love, and that makes you the greatest soul this land has ever seen."

Lloyd blinked, his heart swelling with a mixture of pride and sadness. He had spent his whole life trying to be strong, to be brave, to protect the people he cared about. But now, in this place of eternity, there was nothing more to protect. Nothing more to fight for.

It was strange to feel so at peace, and yet... so incomplete.

"Thank you," Lloyd murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

The First Spinjitzu Master smiled, a smile filled with both pride and deep affection for the boy who had become so much more than anyone could have imagined. A hero, a leader, a savior.

"Your time will come again, Lloyd," his grandfather said softly. "But until then, rest. You've earned it."

Lloyd looked out at the endless fields of flowers once more, the sun's warm glow bathing them both in light. And though a part of him would always long for the world he had left behind, he knew now that he wasn't alone. He never would be.

And so, he waited. Peaceful, yet longing. A hero waiting for the day when all of his loved ones would join him in these golden fields of eternity.

For now, he was at peace.