Taking Control. (a Ninjago fanfic)

Chapter 52- Victory slipping through my fingers

C O L E

Zane's scream tore through the battlefield, pained and raw, and for a single, horrifying moment, the whole world stopped.

I saw it happen—saw the Overlord's claws dig in, saw the metal give way like it was nothing, saw the splintering sparks of torn circuits as he ripped Zane's hand clean off.

The ice ninja staggered back, his remaining hand clutching at the severed wrist. Dark blue liquid—coolant, his version of blood—spilled from the wound, dripping onto the dirt. His eyes flickered wildly, his systems trying to compensate, but his balance was already gone.

He was swaying, fading fast.

"ZANE!" Rue's voice was hoarse, desperate.

She barely had time to move before he collapsed, his body suddenly too heavy to stand anymore.

Zane never shook.

But he was shaking now.

His breathing—artificial, yet somehow so real—was unsteady, his core flickering erratically like a dying flame. He was losing too much energy. Too fast.

"I..." His voice glitched, barely above a whisper. "I cannot—"

Then his eyes dulled, and he went still.

For a second, I couldn't breathe.

No, no, no-

I couldn't do this without him-

The Overlord—Jay—dropped the shattered remains of Zane's hand, his lips curling into a satisfied smirk. His violet eyes crackled with dark energy as he turned toward us.

"Did you really think he was untouchable?" he mused, flicking his wrist. His gaze landed on Rue, smug and cruel. "Please. He couldn't protect you."

Something inside of me snapped.

Rue laid Zane down as gently as she could, her hands trembling.

My body was rigid with barely contained rage.

I rose to my feet, my fists clenched so tightly they ached.

"You," I growled.

The rage inside me wasn't fire—it wasn't something bright or explosive like Kai's. No, this was something deeper, something heavier, something that settled into my bones like an avalanche, waiting to crush.

"I'm gonna bury you."— ewww cringy eewww

Rue was beside me in an instant, wincing as she forced herself up. She was barely holding it together—bruised, bleeding, exhausted—but she was still standing. Still fighting.

Kai, too.

He was swaying, barely conscious, but the fire in his eyes was still there. Still burning.

We were all done with this.

But our top priority? Protect Rue. And make him look into the mirror.

The Overlord knew that. And his grin only widened.

"How touching."

Lightning crackled around him, the storm above raging harder at his command. His violet eyes burned with something dark, something vast and endless.

He wasn't even tired.

He should be.

But he wasn't.

We had thrown everything at him, everything we had left, and he was still standing. Still smiling.

Still enjoying this.