Departed

Chapter 10: Vital Choice

Morro's POV

     The most tortuous thing about the enclosed prison was the obstacle it put on sleep. Mika told me to just lean up against a bar, but that was uncomfortable. Then again, she was probably used to it by now. I ended up just standing in the cell, trying to ignore the throbbing headache building behind my eyes.

      I couldn't really tell what time of day it was down here. I had gathered that this realm had different day cycles than Ninjago, but that knowledge didn't help me in figuring out how much time had passed since they stuck me down here. No one came to bring us food. No one came at all. The only other presence in the cell was the ever-stoic Oni guard, who still wouldn't even blink when I tried to summon my powers and failed.

      There was no wind down here, nothing for me to grab onto. I was too weak to make my own breezes, and I still wasn't sure how much power remained in me after my experience in the Departed Realm. Besides, how would wind help me incapacitate a full-grown Oni and get the cell's door open?

     I leaned against the bars while Mika snored away. Nothing in the world could make me settle down enough to sleep anyway. Malevolence was going to use Harumi as a pawn to get rid of the Ninja. I knew Harumi had changed a little bit, or why would she willingly be a princess again? But was it enough to keep her from getting the revenge she had wanted all her life? I didn't know. The thought hurt more than a thousand sleepless nights.

     With every evil act, she chipped away at her sanity. With every guilt filled moment, she let go of reality. My visions in the Departed Realm. Everyone had them. They were always about her. I saw it. I saw what she was willing to do to fix herself. To heal that chasm within her heart. I was all too afraid that killing the Ninja would set her over the edge. Harumi might just lose it completely.

     I could see that spark in her, that spark that knew what she was doing was wrong. Back in the Departed Realm I had wanted her to change to help keep us safe. Now, there was no reason for me to wish for her to be better. So, why did I still want her to be released from all the pain she bottled away? Why did I still want her to let go of her evil and finally live in peace?

     Maybe I related to her more than I realized.

     The prison door slammed open, causing me to leap backward and slam my head into the bars again. Mika's snoring ceased immediately.

     Four Oni guards walked into the large space in the middle of the prison. Two of them started messing with chains near the back. I heard Mika sharply inhale and start to move as far away as possible.

      Then, a dark figure strode into the prison. My jaw dropped in awe as I took in its appearance. It looked part dragon, part Oni, part human, and part something else. It was all to strange. Darkness radiated off of it like light from fire. I wiggled back, feeling the immense chill that came with it. A familiar chill.

      Malevolence grinned at the cell. "Enjoying your playmate, Mika?"

      She looked nothing like an Oni. So, why was she their queen?

      Mika didn't say anything. I couldn't even tell if she was glaring at Malevolence, since she was so far back in the bars.

      "Your silence says more than you intend." Malevolence said. She turned to the guards behind her. "Get the boy secured. I knew putting him in her prison was a good idea."

      The Oni guards forced open the cell doors and yanked me out into the open. I tried my best to struggle, but that was hard to do when you were being slammed against several hard metal bars. I was gagged and had ropes around my hands before I could even process that I was out of the cell. Mika yelped as more guards reached in and forced her out of her cell. I watched as they fastened chains to her waist, ankles, and wrists. They never let go of her in the process, holding her above the ground.