Taking Control. (a Ninjago fanfic)

Chapter 56- Meltdown

K A I

I lunged.

Fire roared around me, searing through the air as I tore toward the Overlord, my body moving before I could think. The heat inside me was all-consuming, a force I could barely contain, barely direct. It wasn't controlled—it was raw, it was vengeful, it was... hurting me.

But honestly? I didn't care.

The only thing I cared about was getting revenge.

Something shot towards me.

A flash of metal—too fast—

I barely had time to look before a cable wrapped around my ankle, yanking me backward. I hit the ground hard, the breath escaping from my lungs as sparks shot up around me. Snarling, I kicked out, flames bursting from my hands, burning through the metal coil.

"You really thought I'd let you just charge in like that?"

The Mechanic's voice was a rasping sneer, and when I pushed myself up, he was already standing over me, his arm crackling with energy.

FSM, I fucking hate this bastard

He swung.

I barely ducked in time. The punch hit the ground where my head had been, shattering the stone. Electricity snapped through the air, the sheer force of it buzzing in my teeth.

If that had hit me—

I threw myself backward, fire lashing out from my palm, but the Mechanic was ready. He dodged, sneering, backing away from the scorching heat lingering in the air.

I bared my teeth. "You're really pissing me off."

The Mechanic laughed. "Oh, I'm just getting started."

He shifted his arm, and before I could move, something fired from his machine. A blast of force slammed into me, sending me flying. I hit the ground and rolled, heat flashing through my ribs.

I pushed myself up, coughing.

Focus, god damnit

Lloyd was already facing the Overlord— I should be. I couldn't afford to waste time. I had to finish this, now.

I surged forward again, flames igniting around my fists as I threw a punch. The Mechanic dodged, but I twisted mid-swing, catching him off guard. My other fist slammed into his side, sending him stumbling. He barely had time to recover before I followed up with a kick, flames bursting from my palms as I drove him backward.

He grunted, but then his fingers twitched— then curled, metal plates shifting as something embedded in his gauntlet came to life.

A pulse rippled through the air.

And suddenly—my fire was gone.

It wasn't just flickering out. It was ripped from me, stolen, snuffed out like it had never existed. My whole body lurched, a sickening weight settling in my limbs as a strange, cold, dead feeling crawled through my veins.

No.

No, I knew this feeling.

Vengestone.

Panic slammed into me like a fist. I tried to move, tried to summon even a flicker of flame, but my power—my very connection to it— was cut off.

The Mechanic grinned. "Yeah, I did my homework." He flexed his gauntlet, and I could see it now— the jagged, black and gold veins of vengestone running through its now exposed plating, pulsing with an eerie, unnatural glow. "Fire's real fun—until it's not yours anymore."