C O L E
Chasing after him was harder than I thought.
The cold bit at my skin, clawing at my clothes. I really regretted not wearing sleeves now. FSM, that was stupid of me.
Each breath formed clouds that dissipated almost as quickly as they appeared.
Jumping over fallen logs, dodging hidden rabbit holes, weaving through the network of trees and bushes—all to follow the blue figure darting ahead. My best friend.
Snow crunched loudly beneath my feet, making my boots half sink in the snow before I had to yank them out again to take another step.
My body ached from running- Jay was just too damn fast.
He'd always been the fastest one, probably because he was the master of lightning, but- still. This was on a different level. The Overlord- the Overlord was just too powerful.
I couldn't stop. I couldn't. I wouldn't. I'd left Kai, injured- first master why did I do that- because he told me to go after Jay. This might be the only opportunity we had to get him back. So I couldn't just give up now. There was still hope.
Somewhere ahead, weaving through the dense, snow-laden forest, was Jay. Or what used to be Jay.
Now, all I could see of my friend was the occasional glimpse of blue fabric darting between the snow laden trees, whose branches stretched out like skeletal limbs.
"Jay!" I shouted, my voice cracking as it echoed around the forest. The only answer was the relentless howling wind, carrying my words away as if they didn't want them to be heard.
I didn't even know why I was calling out to him. It was clear Jay couldn't break through. I wasn't even sure if he could hear me or not, I could only hope.
My mind churned with doubts, but I clenched my fists, my breath quickening. "Stop! You don't have to do this!"
The figure in the distance didn't infact stop. Instead, they moved even faster, running in uneven, rapid movements, like they didn't know how to use their limbs properly. Still, they were so fast. Like they were using Jays lightning to power their steps.
My frustration boiled, heating me against the cold. "I'm not giving up on you!" I yelled, my voice hoarse.
The darkness crept through the forest, narrowing my vision. The snow didn't help either. It was cold and dark, and I was scared and alone with the Overlord- oh god, what was I doing? I was going to get myself killed!
The blue blur came into view again, this time closer, almost deliberate in its taunting. I could barely make out Jay's silhouette through the flurry of snow, but there was something unnerving in the way he moved. It wasn't Jay's usual frantic, high-energy motion. It was uneven, unnatural. Wrong.
That's not him. That's not him.
My chest tightened, memories of Jay flooding into my thoughts. His ridiculous jokes, his clumsy actions, the way he always managed to bring light to the darkest situations. This figure ahead? He wasn't Jay. That was just someone wearing his face.
The Overlord.
My teeth ground together as a surge of anger pushed me forward.
"Come back!" I roared, my voice raw, my feet slipping on the icy ground. I stumbled, nearly falling face first into the snow, but caught myself just in time. My heart pounded painfully, my lungs burning from the cold air and desperate for oxygen, but I didn't stop.
I got up slowly, my limbs protesting. A step forward, and another. Then, a flicker of movement ahead—the flash of glowing purple eyes, haunting and unmistakable. My steps faltered.
"Jay..." I whispered, a chill deeper than the winter air creeping into my veins.
The figure stopped. For the first time since the chase began, Jay—no, the Overlord—turned to face me. Snow swirled around us, and it was so quiet it was like the forest itself was holding its breath.
For a long moment, neither of us moved. It was like the world has frozen, even the wind had stopped howling. It was just me and him. I'd wanted to catch up to him, but now I was unsure.
My heart was hammering so loudly it was all I could hear. I didn't even know what I was looking at anymore. This wasn't Jay, this just wasn't. My best friend- my best friend wasn't that creature.
"Jay," I called out, my voice strained but steady, cutting through the wind. "I know you're in there. Fight him! Don't let him control you!"
The figure didn't react immediately. Then, slowly, it raised its head, the purple glow in its eyes seeming to intensify. A cruel, crooked smile spread across his face—too wide, too sharp, too wrong.
"You're wasting your breath," the Overlord sneered, his voice like a low growl layered over Jay's. "Do you really think he can hear you?"
My jaw clenched, hands curling into fists. "You don't get it, do you?" I snapped back. "Jay's stronger than you think. He- he'll push through. He's been through worse than this." I tried to sound confident like Kai, but my voice faltered.
The Overlord laughed, a chilling, jagged sound that seemed to rattle the very air around us. "Oh, earth ninja... How naive you are. Strength? Resilience? What does that matter when the very core of him is mine?"
The Overlord's smile widened further, almost splitting Jay's face. "Do you really think he can overcome me? That he can release himself from my grip?" he asked, his tone mocking.
I froze, not really expecting the question. The Overlord wasn't just some villain. He was the very embodiment of evil. All of us combined barely managed to beat him last time, so it was basically impossible that Jay could do it all by himself.
But I couldn't let the him know that.
I nodded, trying to look certain and confident.
He took a step forward, cocking his head to the side.
"Why don't we ask him?"
YOU ARE READING
Taking Control. (a Ninjago fanfic)
FanfictionThe Overlord returns, more powerful and cunning than ever, by possessing the lightning ninja, Jay. Consumed by a malevolent force, he becomes the Overlord's weapon of destruction, trying to kill all the ninja one by one. With their brother being pos...