Taking Control. (a Ninjago fanfic)

Chapter 91- Flared to life

N Y A

Rue and Lloyd sat facing each other in the middle of the clearing. The charred ground around them was cracked and brittle, still warm beneath my boots. Every now and then, a faint hiss of steam drifted up from the soil, like the earth itself was exhaling.

The jungle was a wreck. But it was certainly worse in this particular area— barely anything had survived. It was weird, not hearing the birds or the faint call of an animal.. but I'm sure it must feel much weirder for the tribe members.

I stood with the others — Jay, Cole, Zane, and Pan — a few paces back, watching. No one said anything. None of us wanted to break whatever was happening.

Rue's hand was still in Lloyd's. Their connection glowed faintly, a steady pulse of light that moved between their palms, soft and golden-green. Her breathing had slowed — deep, deliberate — and I could see the muscles in her arms trembling with the effort of holding it together.

Then, slowly, she shifted.

She guided Lloyd's hand gently down, placing it on her thigh. "Keep it steady," she murmured, her voice low but clear. "Don't let the flow break. If it stutters, I could lose control of it."

Lloyd nodded, jaw tight, eyes bright with concentration. "Got it. I'm right here."

Rue inhaled deeply. Her hands hovered over the scorched soil, palms spread, fingers splayed. Her head tilted down, braids sliding over her shoulders, and for a heartbeat — nothing happened.

Then she shoved her palms into the dirt.

It started at her fingertips — a deep, earthy rumble that travelled through the ground, racing out in all directions like cracks in glass. Her flowers flared to life, braids floating upward, caught in a wind that didn't exist, twisting slowly around her like ribbons underwater.

And then the ground moved.

I stumbled back a step as the soil groaned and split open. Four enormous vines burst upward, each as thick as a tree trunk, coiling and writhing toward the sky. They reached higher and higher, the air vibrating with their force, until the clearing was bathed in green light and shadow.

"FSM..." Jay whispered beside me. "They're massive! "

Zane's eyes tracked every movement, his voice calm but tinged with wonder. "The energy transfer is stable — though the strain on both of them is significant."

Cole folded his arms, his tone low. "Significant's an understatement."

Rue didn't respond — she couldn't. Her whole focus was on the earth beneath her hands. Sweat glistened at her temple, and her jaw was clenched tight, but she didn't falter.

The vines began to move outward, their movements slow and deliberate, wrapping around the burned-out trees and bushes. With a sound like tearing fabric, they ripped the dead wood from the ground — dragging it free, pulling it away, clearing the blackened rot that had been choking the soil.

I could feel it — the ground breathing again beneath my feet. It felt lighter somehow, healthier already.

"Rue," Lloyd said softly, his voice strained. He was shaking now, sweat dripping from his forehead. "You're pushing too hard—"

"Not... yet," she breathed, voice taut. "Just a little bit longer."

"Rue," Pan warned, stepping forward. "You're going to—"

She raised one hand sharply, silencing him. The two vines on the left immediately crumpled. The motion was enough to send a burst of power through the clearing — the vines on the right surged higher, curling around each other and the few blackened husks that were left before slamming back into the soil with a deep, echoing thud.

The shockwave rippled through the ground, kicking up dust and ash. Jay stumbled back, shielding his face. I steadied him instinctively, heart hammering.

When the air cleared, I saw it — the dead trees were gone. In their place, the ground shimmered, still blackened and covered in ash and soot, but clear and free to regrow what once lived.

Rue stayed perfectly still, eyes closed, her breathing ragged.

Lloyd's hand was still against her thigh, his face pale, lips pressed tight as he kept the connection steady. Green light pulsed faintly through his fingers, flowing into her in steady waves.

"Rue," I said softly, stepping closer. "It's enough. You've done it."

Her head turned slightly, and for a moment, I thought she hadn't heard me. Then she exhaled — a sound somewhere between a sigh and laugh. "Not... quite," she murmured. "But yes, the hardest part is done."

Her braids slowly settled, the glow in the flowers dimming to a soft white.

Lloyd let go, his hand falling limp to his lap. His shoulders sagged, chest heaving, but when he looked up at her, there was nothing but happiness in his eyes.

"You did it," he whispered.

Rue smiled faintly — tired, but real. "We did."

No one spoke for a long while. The only sound was the faint rustle of leaves and the drip of water from somewhere nearby.

I looked at her — really looked — and I saw what it had taken. Her eyes glowed faintly, her face streaked with sweat and dirt, her flowers still faintly lit like dying embers. She looked exhausted. But the pained expression she'd been wearing was nearly gone, and she already seemed a lot more like herself than she had been before.

Pan took a cautious step forward, his voice gentle now. "Rue..."

She turned to him slowly, her voice a whisper. "I'm not done yet. The roots still ache. But I'll finish later. The pain is definitely bearable now."

She grinned. "I need my beauty sleep."

Cole nodded, his voice gruff but teasing. "Take it. You've earned it."

I let out a shaky breath, glancing toward Lloyd. He looked utterly spent, but there was a small, proud smile on his face as he sat beside her, both of them bathed in the faint, golden light of a forest beginning to heal.

And in the silence that followed, I could hear the first bird call return from somewhere deep in the trees.