Ninjago:Rising

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

A month had passed since that dark day, yet Ninjago City still felt the impact of Lyra's unleashed chaos. Though the strange, dark rain she'd summoned had stopped, the city was far from returning to normal. The rain had left behind a strange gift—or curse. Many people, from regular citizens to school staff and students, had developed powers, powers they could neither control nor fully understand. For some, the abilities were mild, barely noticeable. For others, the powers emerged as erratic and explosive, triggered by stress, anger, or even fear. And with each passing day, it seemed that the chaos only grew worse.

For Lloyd and his friends, life had turned into a constant balancing act. By day, they continued with their classes, trying to blend in and maintain a sense of normalcy. But by night, they trained endlessly, honing their own elemental abilities while working to protect the city from the chaos left in Lyra's wake. They acted as a patchwork team of guardians, responding to emergencies all over the city. Yet the task was overwhelming, and Lloyd couldn't shake the feeling that their efforts were only putting out small fires while the true inferno burned on, just out of reach.

At school, the once-familiar environment was now unpredictable. Teachers struggled to control classes when students randomly burst into flames or floated midair without warning. Some students, unable to manage their own powers, were kept in isolated classrooms, a mix of shame and frustration on their faces. Others, who enjoyed their newfound abilities a little too much, misused them to cause mischief or even harm. With every passing day, Ninjago High became a reflection of the city's turmoil.

Through it all, Lloyd felt the weight of responsibility pressing down on him. He knew that, somehow, this was all connected to Lyra. He remembered their last confrontation vividly—the sadness in her eyes just before she vanished in a swirl of shadows, the pain on her face as if something were controlling her, pushing her to do things she'd never have done otherwise. The memory haunted him every day. He had to find her, to get her back. The others did their best to help, but Lloyd could feel a gap growing between him and the rest of the team. As much as they wanted to save Lyra, it was Lloyd who felt this need down to his core, like it was as much a part of him as his elemental power.

And as the weeks dragged on, one question burned brighter in his mind: What exactly is elemental energy?

The more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn't understand its true nature. Sure, he knew how to wield it, to shape it and bend it to his will. But where did it come from? Why did it seem so tied to emotion, to identity, to destiny? He remembered the reactor facility from that fateful field trip, the hum of the energy within its walls, alive and pulsing. What had truly happened during that explosion? And what kind of power was it that had taken hold of Lyra?

These questions plagued him as he walked home after another chaotic day at school. He realized that finding Lyra and stopping this chaos might mean discovering more about elemental energy than he'd ever known. Maybe the answer isn't just in our powers, he thought. Maybe it's in understanding where those powers come from.

Lost in thought, he almost missed the buzz from his phone. Pulling it from his pocket, he squinted at the screen. It was a message from an unknown number.

Come to the house if you want to save her.

Lloyd's heart stopped. He blinked, reading the words again to make sure they were real. His mind raced. Who could be sending this? Was it a trap? He thought of the battles they'd fought, the close calls, the enemies they'd made along the way. But he also thought of Lyra, of the last glimmer of humanity in her eyes before the darkness swallowed her whole.

He couldn't ignore the message. His instincts screamed at him to be careful, but the chance to save his sister, to bring her back—no matter the risk—overpowered every hesitation.