Flames of the Past #8: The Cost of a Hero (Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 34

Everything went silent. Everything went black. Lloyd didn't feel hurt, and he knew he was still awake. He looked around, but he was surrounded by darkness. His ears started ringing in the silence. Where was he? What had happened to the battle? Was something wrong with him? Was... he dead?

"You're confused."

Lloyd started at the sudden voice. Sleete's giggle echoed all around him, without source, without stop.

"I do love it when you're confused."

Unsheathing his sword, Lloyd began slashing at the darkness. "Where are you?" he demanded.

"In your head, love," came the haunting reply. "And my, what a mess it is!"

Lloyd's breathing picked up. He looked this way and that, but there was no escape from the darkness, and no sight of Sleete. "How did you get in my head?" he prompted, nervously twisting his sword in his hand.

Sleete cackled and a chill ran down Lloyd's spine. "See how easy it is to manipulate you?" the Dark Lord laughed. "I'm not really in your head." Suddenly, his voice sounded clear and close. "I'm right here, love."

Lloyd whipped around to find Sleete behind him. Gasping, he sliced his sword, but the Dark Lord vanished again in a puff of mist. His giggles echoed through the shadows again.

"Can this be?" he cooed as Lloyd's panic grew. "The green ninja, the legendary hero, is afraid?"

Lloyd struggled to keep his sword steady. His hands were shaking, his mind clouding, his eyes darting but finding nothing in the dark. Dark. He was in the dark. Bad thing happened in the dark.

"Perhaps it's because you're... all alone?" Sleete boomed.

"All alone."

"All alone."

"All alone."

The words echoed around Lloyd, beating off the darkness, consuming his every thought.

"All alone."

"All alone!"

"No!" Lloyd screamed, dropping his sword to grip his head. He shut his eyes as he struggled to block everything out. Dark. All alone. With Sleete. The knife, the needles—the burn—

"Stop," he choked out. But his plea went unheard. The memories kept haunting him, while Sleete kept laughing.

"Or perhaps," the Dark Lord chuckled, "it's because you're no legendary hero at all! Who was it that stole, tricked, murdered? Who was it that turned on his team, threatened Ninjago? Who gave the Mega Weapon straight to the Overlord and caused the destruction of his own people?"

"That's not me," Lloyd gasped, throat tightening with guilt and grief. "T-that was in the past!"

"You can't escape your past, Lloyd!" came Kai's barking voice. "You're doomed to die!"

As he opened his eyes, Lloyd saw him in the spinning shadows, a flicker of his brother here, a flicker of him there. His glare never shifting from Lloyd's eyes. Then someone else appeared beside the red ninja.

"You were supposed to save me," Ariana said.

"We were counting on you," grumbled Joseph's voice.

Lloyd turned around. They were surrounding him, more and more people, people he'd wronged, people he'd killed. He couldn't escape their accusing eyes and regretful words.

"I was innocent," Raymond said.

"Did you forget about us?" Katy questioned.

"You left me to die," Cree growled.