Rise of the Overlord

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Nya knelt down in the charred and burned throne room, the smell of ash and burning flesh stung her nose. She struggled to keep her stomach down as she bowed her head. Stone Warriors and miscellaneous citizens hurried around the outskirts of the room; removing and replacing the seared tapestries on the walls, ignoring the samurai as she awaited the Overlord.

Heavy footsteps shook the floor. A dark shadow crossed over her as the Overlord stormed past, collapsing onto his throne. She glanced up and swallowed the bile that shot up her throat; the Dark Lord's face was severely burned to the point where she could see his charred skull and partially blackened teeth underneath his flaking skin, she could see the muscles in his neck and the violet veins pulsing. His eyes burned with rage as his scorched hands clenched and unclenched with each enraging thought. Part of him was surprised to see that the Samurai kneeling before him was emotionless, he was sick of seeing emotionless people, he needed to see a fire behind her eyes, and he knew the untouched kindle ready to burn with a few single words.

"Your team has abandoned you, your brother left you for dead," the Overlord grumbled, his eyes flickered over to her. "You were left behind to die by his hands. Don't you feel anything?"

She ground her teeth together, fury burning in her darkened heart at the Overlord's truth. Her brother left her in a burning castle, deciding that his teammates were more valuable than his own flesh and blood.

"I will make him pay," she spat.

The Overlord nodded, "I know you will. You have a power that has yet to be unlocked, in a sense, you have yet to unlock your True Potential. I can feel your energy flowing through your veins, unstoppable like a waterfall yet blocked like a dam. You have the potential to be more powerful than your brother and his team, possibly matching the Green Ninja himself."

"But I am a Samurai, I don't have elemental powers!"

The Dark Lord rolled his eyes, "Who told you such a ridiculous statement?"

"Sensei Wu."

The Overlord hesitated, a sneer grew on his face, "The Son of the First Spinjitzu Master..." He turned to one of the Stone Warriors working nearby, "Bring me the old man!" The warrior hurried off without a word, the Overlord turned his attention back to Nya. "Your old master failed you, he kept secrets from you and your former team. I will train you personally. You shall be my crowning achievement."

The door opened, the warrior dragged in a trembling old man with white hair, wearing a cream lab coat, and thin wire glasses teetering on the tip of his nose. Nya said, "That's not him, that's Doctor Julien. He's useless to you."

The Overlord sighed in frustration, "Get the other old man!"

Doctor Julien was quickly dragged away. A few minutes later Sensei Wu was dragged up, vengestone chains hanging from his wrists. He looked up at the Overlord, emotionless. The Stone Warrior kicked at the back of his knees, causing him to collapse with a grunt.

"Ah, the man who kept my name a secret," the Overlord hissed. "I see it's not the only secret you've kept from your former students."

"I kept silent what they did not need to know," he responded, avoiding Nya's deadly glare.

"What about my True Potential?" she asked. He finally looked away.

"It's not your time to know," he stated.

"What is my power?!" she snarled, quickly getting to her feet.

"It's not your time to know," he repeated.

"TELL ME!" she screamed, grabbing the front of his kimono. He remained silent, she shoved him to the ground and punched the marble next to his head, leaving spider-webbed cracks behind.

The Overlord looked over at the Stone Warrior and said, "Take this old man and make him talk. Do not stop until he either speaks or is dead." The Warrior dragged Wu away, leaving behind a fuming Nya and unamused Overlord. "Do not worry, my apprentice," he purred, glancing down at the Samurai, "Either he will talk or we'll be rid of him forever, and if he does talk then we'll still kill him and that other old man." With that, he stood from his throne and said, "We shall begin your training immediately, you'll be the greatest warrior to grace this cursed world."

She stood straighter and bowed deeply. "I will not let you down, Master."

As they left the room, the Overlord turned over his shoulder and sneered, "See you soon, Garmadon."

***

Garmadon jolted awake in the middle of the night, covered in a cold sweat and gasping for air. That dream...that nightmare...was it a premonition? Was it similar to the Spirit Smoke his brother and Father used to use? He could still see the violet eyes of the Dark Lord staring into his soul, how did he know he was there? Garmadon himself didn't even realize that he was there!

"Garmadon?" A sleepy voice asked from his side. "Are you alright?"

"We need to get the Ninja to the Temple as soon as possible," he said, his voice shaking slightly.

Misako sat up, her gray hair puffed up from being windblown, removed from her braid, and tossed around during sleep. "What happened?"

He took in a shaky breath, "I believe I had a premonition of sorts. Wu is being interrogated about Nya's potential and Nya... she's being trained by the Overlord himself. He believes that she can match Lloyd in power. As they left the room, he... he turned and stared directly at me, telling me that he'll see me soon."

Misako's eyes cast downwards in thought, after a moment she said, "We can leave at dawn. The Ninja need their rest, as do you." She pressed her hand against his chest, gently pressing him back to the floor. She rested her head over his heart and murmured, "Sleep, Garmadon. We'll be alright."

He stared up at the ceiling of the rundown pagoda, his thoughts running rampant. Did Nya have the potential to match Lloyd? He knew about Ray and Maya; figuring that if Kai inherited his father's ability, then why not Nya inheriting her mother's? How long did they have before they would be caught or discovered? How long until the next battle? Could the Ninja unlock their true powers before it's too late? Could Lloyd survive another encounter with the Overlord?

Too many questions! He scolded himself. Trust your son, trust in his friends, trust in Destiny. They will defeat the Overlord. They will unlock their abilities. They will save Ninjago.

Right?