A Second Chance

Part 89 - I'm back

I got back from the lighthouse.

Echo Zane... hope you listen to me. No matter how hard it is, you have to break out of your chains if you want to ascend, and this is one of them.

Now, what should I do?

I was standing on the corner of Prime Empire Avenue, holding a completely ordinary cup of coffee, when all of a sudden...

BOOM!

The entire city block exploded into absolute chaos.

There was no warning, no subtle buildup.

One second, the afternoon commute was completely normal, and the next, a massive fleet of matte-black armored transports tore through the intersection, smashing civilian cars out of the way like toys.

The symbol of the cars gave it away.

The Vipers finally decided to step out of the shadows. Dozens of heavily armed mercenaries flooded into the streets, wielding the volatile, glowing purple crystal technology I had seen smuggled in from the City of Glass.

They started firing indiscriminately, blasting massive craters into the sides of skyscrapers and shattering every glass window within a three-block radius. The sound was high as well, and honestly reminded me a bit about Shockwave.

Panic erupted instantly. Civilians were screaming and running in every direction, desperate to escape the blinding beams of crystal energy.

I dropped my coffee and instinctively ducked behind the concrete husk of a crushed bus stop. My heart was hammering against my ribs.

This was the massive, coordinated attack I knew was coming, but the sheer scale of it was completely overwhelming. I reached into my coat, gripping the hilt of a makeshift baton I had engineered back at the mansion, preparing to do whatever I could from the shadows.

Before I could even move, a bright blur of color swung down from the rooftops above.

"Hey, check this out!"

Arin zipped through the air on his bright yellow grappling hook, kicking a Viper mercenary square in the chest. Sora followed right behind him, her tech-elemental energy flaring as she dismantled one of the enemy's crystal rifles with a wave of her hand.

Huh? She could do things like that? What was she again, the master of technology?

Either way, the New Ninja had arrived.

"Ninjago!"

A second later, the ground shook violently as Cole dropped into the intersection, slamming his hammer down to smash the ground, paralyzing the cars.

Kai and Lloyd landed right beside him, unleashing a torrent of fire and green energy to push the frontline back.

And then, I saw her.

Nya landed flawlessly on top of an overturned taxi, her water blasts slicing through the air with surgical precision.

Seeing her in person, fighting just a few hundred feet away from me, completely stole the air right out of my lungs. She looked fierce, beautiful, and incredibly focused. For a split second, I forgot about the battle. I just wanted to run out there and embrace her.

But then, I suddenly remembered the trial. Where she demeaned and tortured me. My mind had two conflicting beliefs fighting for first place.

That is where...

"I got you!"

A silver-haired slid of Nya and used his silvery element to take care of the remaining Vipers.