I groaned, rubbing my pounding head as my torso shuddered while I lifted myself up on a shaky hand. I blinked, vision watery as I stared at the greenish-black ground I had landed on. My ears picked up on a scuffle to my side, making me turn my head and then curse at the pain it caused me. Lloyd was stumbling to his feet, looking dazed and holding a palm to his head.
Oh.
Oh, we lived! We're not dead!
"Lloyd," I rasped before coughing from behind my dry throat. He glanced down at me before his eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Where are we?"
He helped me to my feet, his eyes darting as he took in our surrounding which wasn't anything too interesting; heavy green fog, dark purple pulsating walls and floors with large pillars hugging the curved sides. Ew. We had woken up in a cage made of what looked suspiciously like bones. The air was thick and musty, making it a little difficult to breathe. Ew and creepy... nice...
"I- I don't know," he mumbled before turning his attention to me. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," I replied, my hands grasping at his forearms for reassurance as he held my waist. "You?"
"A little sore," he confessed with a shrug before wincing. He lifted a hand and summoned a small ball of green energy. The tendrils glowed bright and strong in the murkiness we were surrounded by. "At least that still works. Do you have your water guns?"
I shook my head. I lost them sometime during the chaos of battle. Lloyd scrunched his nose in distaste of the lack of weapons. "Damn."
Speaking of defending myself...
"Hey-"
"Wait," Lloyd ordered as we stepped out of the cage. I froze as Lloyd held out a hand in front of my chest as he peeked his head around the corner of our cage. I followed his lead, staring down the murky channel.
"Uhh," I mumbled under my breath. Lloyd stiffened, eyes growing wide with fear.
A cluster of ghosts hovered, taking up the entirety of the area. I glanced behind us - the other way was dank and filled with smog, but at least there weren't any ghosts. "Let's go the other way," I whispered, tugging on Lloyd's arm. He blindly stumbled after me as we set off down the other channel.
We walked in silence for a few seconds, minds reeling. Lloyd's fingers were intwined with mine, his thumb rubbing circles on the back of my hand. I wasn't sure which of us was more terrified.
"Lloyd," I began quietly, my voice a little hesitant. He hummed in reply, on edge in case our safety was compromised. "What did... what did Morro say to you..?"
Lloyd paused, blinking. I was suddenly aware of the distant thump-thump sounds, like drums being beaten rhythmically from afar.
"Uh... nothing important," he mumbled, avoiding his gaze. "Don't worry about it."
I knitted my brow, sending the side of his face a confused look. Why was he keeping that from me?
Sensing my discontent, Lloyd sighed, caving. I crossed my arms uncomfortably.
"Fine," he said as we slowed to a stop and leant against a pillar. "He... he offered powers in exchange for the Realm Crystal."
I frowned.
"But you already have powers," I noted, confused. Lloyd quirked a smirk at my naivety which made me send him an amused scowl.
"Not for me," he corrected. "For you."
Kai grunted as he shot a ball of fire at an approaching tentacle. When Lloyd and Y/n disappeared, a large, spherical, ghostly-green monster took their place, spitting out ghosts from its tummy-churning orifice that hovered around it like flies to dung. It was truly a sight to behold.
The ninja nearly lost their lunch.
"I thought you were gonna get closer!" Nya called to her brother as she dispersed a ghost by spraying it with water. Kai snarled at his sister, struggling to keep calm in the chaos that had taken over Stiix. Losing both Lloyd and Y/n didn't help their panic levels.
"You don't think I'm trying?!" Kai recriminated as he shot more balls of fire and flung his deepstone aeroblade in defence. To his dismay, they did little to halt the Preeminent.
"It's too late!" Wu exclaimed as he, Misako and Garmadon ran into the middle of the chaos, taking down ghosts and forcing the Preeminent's tentacles to recoil when they could. Zane was the only one still with his mech, as Jay's had been destroyed and Cole attempted to burst the Preeminent by shoving his deepstone bike down her gullet... it didn't work. "We have to get to the ship and protect the people!"
"But what about Lloyd and Y/n?" Jay cried as he held off a tentacle, grunting under the effort.
"This is what Lloyd would've wanted!" Misako replied as she elbowed a tentacle, sending it a motherly-stern glare. It shrunk away from her in shame.
"They're together," Garmadon explained, hitting a ghost away with a wooden plank, surprisingly working. "Y/n's no fool and Lloyd is strong and wise beyond his years. They'll find a way."
