ninjago imagines

and i think this is the end | lloyd g.

a/n: (POSSIBLE SPOILERS) 

ok this is set AFTER dragons rising season 3 part 1. so spoilers for that! but NO leaks spoilers for drs3part2 bc i know it leaked very recently :C enjoy le angst

Somehow, Lloyd knows this is the end.

His hands sting endlessly as neon bright energy crackles over his fingers, hissing and snapping as he sends it spiraling towards the dragons clawing the air at his back.

They need a plan. They need something— anything to get themselves out of this, to take the dragon down or at least scale successfully, but the battle cries are thick in the air and there's a sinking feeling in his stomach that Thunderfang will get the conduit power he wants so badly, one way or another.

Another dragon hybrid dives at him in a blur of scarlet and black, and almost nips his ear off before he forces another wave of energy at its snout, heart falling down his throat as he does, and every muscle in his body screams at him as he tries to stay balanced on Riyu. Adrenaline pounds through his blood so thick he can barely think, channeling his concentration towards blasting dragon after dragon, over and over again as they circle around him. Like vultures closing in on their prey, he thinks, as Roy curves towards the ground, wings beating against the air.

They dive. He blasts, and they continue coiling around the dragon, dodging death at every corner. Dive, blast, repeat. And so on.

Then— Thunderfang cracks open his jaw, a cold wave of power washes over him as the dragon yells, or maybe whispers, CONDUIT — and Lloyd barely has time to start screaming as the dragon's force closes around him and starts drawing him away.

Riyu barks and lunges for the back of his gi, but the pure amount of power forces him back into the mountains, disappearing from Lloyd's view.

Okay, he thinks, and his vision darkens as something reaches into his chest and yanks on what feels like every nerve in his body, this is how I die.

It hurts so much it's all he can do to reach out and shield his eyes from the blinding lights, the view of the gaping maw he's being dragged towards.

Like sand washed into the sea, that's how helpless he is as he's carried closer and closer, nothing to do but twitch and shake at the pain melting his bones. All around him, he can hear the faint sounds of his team calling out for him, Kai, Nya, Arin, but it's no use— they're too far, too underpowered, too small to do any sort of damage, and he wouldn't want them to come near this thing anyways.

The wind stirred up from the monster-mutant (he's really not sure) energy hurricane sweeps over his face, cool against his skin. His throat feels raw, like he's gurgled sands of glass, but he can't hear himself screaming anymore.

This is the end.

They were always bound to find themselves up against something they couldn't beat one day, he knew that. It was against the odds for them to have made it this far. Some of them haven't even done that, and they just stole them back from fate and death. But this time— it feels permanent. And at least— at least it's him, first, and he doesn't have to watch the others get taken. If they do. And he hopes they get away, he hopes it more than anything he's ever wanted in his life, but he knows he'd never leave one of them behind, even if it was hopeless, and they wouldn't either.

His bones are burning now, cold and nerve wracking, like every part of his existence is being stripped from his flesh, and in the back of his mind he suspects that's not far from the truth— surely, if he looked, he'd be blazing with fire, every inch of his body covered in the sickening dragon energy.

Lloyd closes his eyes.

____________________________________

Lloyd's eyes snap open. His chest seizes and he leans over and coughs wetly, lungs rattling as he wheezes for air. His palms dig into sun-baked rocks, sharp edges cutting against his bruised skin.

Somewhere someone is calling his name, pulling his mask off into the sand, and he looks up to see the sun burning into his eyelids, washing through the clouds.

It's bright, almost overwhelmingly so.

For a second Lloyd's sure he's died— died and moved on to the Departed Realm, or wherever his grandfather is currently residing, or whatever current realm it's been spat out in during the Merge, but then Sora pops into view, and Riyu, and Frak, and Kai, and the thought fizzles away.

His chest burns like it did when he was dying, but Lloyd's also somewhat familiar enough with the act that he's sure it's just an aftereffect of some kind— perhaps to do with his soul or powers somehow , and does his most to pull a grin to his face and spit out his best imitation of a snarky comment. Maybe something Jay would say, although he's just as sure the lighting ninja would be faking it the same way he was.

But he's alive. And everyone else is too, and he was the only one who got his soul drawn out or whatever, so it's okay. He'll deal with it, like always.

It wasn't the end for them, not yet. Lloyd just can't help but have the feeling they're drawing closer and closer to it.