Harumi struggled while the oni tendril pulled her deeper into the cloud of destruction. The longer she's in there, the harder it gets to breathe. She could've sworn that she saw something glow gold when she entered the cloud, she could still see it but she didn't know where it was coming from. She held her breath for as long as she could, but it was hard with the oni tendril pulling her. She heard from Lloyd that an oni tendril comes from an oni's power, obviously, but that meant that an oni was pulling her towards them, and after hearing Lloyd's explanation about the Omega Oni, she wasn't looking forward to seeing any oni, especially not the Omega.

She recognized this part of the forest while getting dragged. She then saw a root and accidentally opened her mouth to gasp. She needed to take another breath but there was no fresh air anywhere, so she could only breathe in the oni cloud. As soon as the cloud went into her lungs, she could feel herself starting to go stiff as if she was turning into a statue. She looked down at her hands and was horrified to see them starting to turn into stone.

It reminded her of the first time she used the Oni Mask of Hatred, not a good time. Using the Oni Mask, her body was covered in a stone armor that made her powerful and invincible. The oni cloud was doing the exact opposite. It was making her weaker by the second. It started getting harder for her to breathe after she felt her hands turning stiff.

In no time, she was already taking in deep breaths just to breathe. It stung. It hurt. Her whole body started aching, it was the worse pain she's ever felt in her entire life. Even worse than the time Lord Garmadon choked her with his powers. When it was with Lord Garmadon, he was only merely closing her lungs, now, with the oni cloud, it was turning her whole body into stone, slowly closing her lungs tighter and tighter.

Even with all this pain, it was no match for the pain she felt when she had to fight with Lloyd. Every time she and Lloyd crossed paths in the past, they fought. It gave a painful feeling in her heart whenever she fought him. But in the past, she hated him, didn't she? Now, she wasn't sure of her feelings. Sure, she just sacrificed herself for Lloyd and the other Ninja, but that was to save Ninjago, right? It wasn't for Lloyd, right?

So many questions, but so little answers. It frustrated her. All these emotions inside her was killing her. She hasn't felt anything like this ever since she was with Lloyd. She had blocked out all of her feelings after her parents' passing, but now, it was coming back. Why? Again, so many questions, but so little answers.

She put all those feelings aside and focused on the task at hand. She wasn't planning on returning to the Ninja, but she wasn't planning on meeting an oni either. After she finds a way to release herself, she'll just sit here in the cloud. She orchestrated a small plan in her head and placed it in action. She looked around to see if she could find anything sharp. She mentally cursed at herself for not grabbing her dagger from the ground when she was pulled. It would've saved lots of time from getting dragged on the ground but the past is the past.

She saw something shiny in the cloud and she was heading straight for it. She got closer and closer until she could finally see the object. It was a katana. She smiled at her luck and placed her hand out, ready to grab the weapon. She was hoping that she didn't jinx herself. She closed her eyes and sighed before opening them again. "Come on, come on." She murmured as she got closer to the weapon.

It was her only shot at getting out of this, she couldn't miss. Taking in a deep breath, she reached her arm out as far as she could and swiped at the ground where the katana was. She zoomed past the katana so quickly that she didn't even know if she got it. She opened her eyes slowly and let out a sigh of relief. The katana was in her right hand.

She held it up and brought it down to the ground, cutting the oni tendril off of her leg. She got up and positioned the katana behind her back, just in case she needed it. She then started to run around the dark clouded place. She could barely see anything, everything was so dark. A bolt of lightning would strike at the ground every now and then. She found a decently safe place and sat down, waiting to get frozen completely. The stiffness was starting to move up her feet, which indicated that her ankle was starting to turn to stone.

She took another heavy breath and prayed that the Ninja made it away from the cloud safely. They were Ninjago's only hope for light. If they had succumbed to darkness like she was about to, then all hope is lost. She could only wait.

⊱ ─────────{.⋅ ✧ ⋅.} ─────────⊰

Lloyd ran into the oni cloud, holding his golden blade in his right hand. As soon as he got in, he started breathing heavily. His breath was starting to short out. He forgot that even though he was part oni, the cloud would still try to poison him into darkness. He started regaining control of his breath and let out a sigh of relief.

"Harumi!" Lloyd shouted out her name, wielding his blade, ready to attack. He kept shouting her name repeatedly hoping that she would hear him, "Harumi!" He didn't even care if he were to attract any oni towards him, he just wanted to find the former Princess. He can't even decide what his feelings for her are anymore. A part of him is telling him not to care for her, but the other part is telling him to follow his heart and do what's right. Both of the feelings were equally as strong.

He decided that he wasn't going to let another person die on his watch if he could save them. He had the chance to save her, so he was going to do it. His heart was telling him to go after her and so he listened. He didn't want to make the same mistake twice, he wasn't going to let Harumi fall into darkness again. Not on his watch. She's come too far to back down now, even if it was for a good reason.

He let Harumi almost get away with resurrecting his evil father all because he had a soft spot for her, but this time, he wasn't going to let some oni stop him from saving her. He wants to save her. And he will save her. She still has his heart, she never did return it. He felt something around her, something somewhat comforting. He still feels a fuzzy, warm feeling inside of him when he's around Harumi, even when she turned out to be something he didn't expect. Every time they fought, it felt so wrong. Attacking back at her just to protect himself felt wrong. So wrong.

The deeper he walked into the cloud, the more his hopes lessen. He kept thinking that there was no way Harumi would've survived even a second in the cloud of destruction, but there was this small voice that told him to keep searching for her. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. If Harumi were to fallen into darkness already, her frozen stone self would be somewhere near the entrance of the fog. He didn't see her anywhere near the entrance so he told himself to keep searching for her. Even if it was her frozen statue, he would still bring her back with him. Maybe he could find a way to change her back if that happens.

"Harumi!" He screamed again, "Harumi! Can you hear me?! If you could, please respond to me!" He begged. He just wanted to find some assurance that she was still awake. After a few more minutes of calling, he wanted to give up. That was until he heard something.

A very small, weak gasp. It sounded like someone was having trouble to breathe. It sounded like they were choking themselves just to get a word out. In the far distance, he could barely make out a very familiar, sweet feminine voice calling out to him, "L-Lloyd..." She tried to yell, but instead, it sounded like a choke.

He looked in the direction of the sound, "Harumi?!" He called out in question. He didn't hear a response, just a hard, dry cough that was followed by another. She couldn't respond to him, she just kept choking and coughing. He gaped and ran towards the direction, yelling, "Harumi!"

He heard straining and then slow, soft footsteps. Soon enough, he saw Harumi's figure in the distance. Now, this was either an oni pretending to be Harumi or it was the real Harumi. He had to be careful. He kept running. It felt like ages before he finally got to the white-haired girl. He gasped at her state. When he touched her, her skin was colder than ice. Her whole body looked stiff and some parts of her was already starting to turn into stone. She looked awful. He positioned his blade back on his back.

Even with all the pain she was experiencing, she was still trying her best to stand for him. Her posture was terrible and her body looked so weak. "Harumi? What happened?" He noticed that he was being an idiot and said, "Actually, never mind. You can't even answer. Just... Hang on tight." He scooped her up and held her, bridal-style since she was straining just to walk. He also raised a brow when he saw her chest glow gold for a second before disappearing. He shook his head, "I'll get you out of here. I promise." He promised.

Harumi tried to reply but couldn't make out her voice, so she answered by nodding weakly, her eyes half-closed. Lloyd was about to move when he stopped. She gave him a questioning look but then she saw him taking off his mask. He positioned it in front of her mouth and she let out an easier breath as if saying thanks. He nodded back, saying you're welcome.

He then started running and Harumi slid an arm around his shoulder to keep her from falling out of his arms. Lloyd went behind trees to hide every now and then just to make sure that they don't run into an oni. Everything went smoothly before something bad happened. It was always the quiet before the crazy.

Lloyd looked back for a second to make sure that no oni were following them. He looked back to the front and froze in his spot. Harumi, who was closing her eyes, opened them and let out a tiny squeak. An oni was standing in front of them. Not just any oni, the Omega Oni. Just their luck, both of the allies knew that they had no chance against him. Harumi was severely injured and Lloyd couldn't even beat him the first time they crossed paths, and that was with his father, now he was alone and he had to protect Harumi in the process.

Lloyd gently set Harumi down on the ground behind him. She rested herself in a sleeping position on her back, it was starting to get hard to breathe again. He stood in front of her protectively. The Omega Oni held his staff while Lloyd held his blade, both ready to fight each other.

"What are you going to do? Your friend is injured and you're alone. Your father isn't here and even with him, you don't stand a chance." The Omega mocked.

Lloyd stood his ground, having no fear, "I may be alone, but I'm not about to back down from a fight just yet. You better stand aside or else you're going to be in a world of pain." He threatened.

The threat didn't scare the Omega at all. He just let out a mocking laugh, "You're a fool if you think you stand a chance against me." He stated before running at Lloyd, his stick up in the air, ready to fire.

Lloyd knew that he couldn't stay in his spot or else Harumi might get hurt in the fight. He started charging at the Omega, letting out a battle cry. Their weapons clashed and they both held their ground. The Omega started using his incredible strength and Lloyd was starting to slip backwards. The Omega broke free of the block and Lloyd got fired back in the process, but he didn't fall down.

They charged at each other again, weapons clashing and slashing each other. The Omega quickly got the upper hand and threw Lloyd at a giant rock. His back hit the rock hard and he let out a cry of pain. The rock even had a crack in it. Lloyd regained his breath and got up again, only to be met with a punch to the face. He tumbled across the dirt, starting to get some scratches.

He couldn't get up in time and the Omega kicked him before hitting him with his staff. Lloyd got up and powered up his energy, but since he was weakened, it took longer. The Omega took the opportunity to blast destruction energy at the ninja. Lloyd was caught off guard by this and he got thrown through a few trees and he landed on his back, weak.

He looked up and saw the Omega slowly approaching him. He pointed his staff at him and Lloyd waited for the pain to come. But in the very last second, he heard someone let out a cry before jumping on the leader of the oni. Lloyd opened his eyes and saw Harumi pouncing on the oni. His eyes were wide in shock and his heart fluttered for a brief second. Harumi was willing to put herself in pain to save him.

The moment was short lasted as the Omega grabbed her by the neck and threw her away. He threw her high in the sky and she let out a scream. Before she could hit the ground, the trees softened her landing but she landed on her right, frozen foot. A sound of a crack could be heard before she let out an ear-piercing scream. It sounded like she was in pain, which she was. She fell to the ground, limp, and held her right ankle, groaning in pain.

Lloyd forgot all about his pain and ran towards her, "Harumi!" He cried out. He made it to her side and looked at her in worry. She was freezing more and more by the minute. If she were to be fully frozen, there was no way he could save her. He leaned in to touch where she was clutching her foot. He touched it ever so slightly and she cried out in pain.

He panicked, not knowing what to do. Just then, he remembered that the Omega Oni was still here. He swiftly turned around and looked at him dead in the eyes. The Omega Oni made no sudden movements and he just let out a breath.

Lloyd let out a shaky breath as he was still slightly injured. The Omega came closer to them slowly and said, "We are just a messenger for the Greater Darkness to come. Only the Golden Child will have the power to defeat it." He then started walking backwards, into the forest, "The Greater Darkness will come." He whispered before disappearing.

Lloyd raised a brow, "A Greater Darkness? The Golden Child? What does he mean?" He thought in confusion. He then remembered the situation he had and looked at Harumi. He could barely hear her breathing, it was so quiet and shaky. He shook his head, worry filled his eyes, "We'll make it out of here. I'll get you to safety, I promise." He picked her up, bridal-style again, and started running, wincing every now and then from the injuries he got from the fight earlier.

They were lucky that the Omega Oni left by himself or both of them would've perished. He kept running and running, heading north. He could barely even see the sun, its light was so dim. But he could still see it, just slightly. His own breath was starting to get heavier and heavier with each step he took. He was getting tired from the running and the cloud. If he doesn't make it out to the safe spot in time, he might just pass out in the cloud.

It would be fine for him since he's part oni, but he was more worried for Harumi than himself. She sacrificed herself to save him again. He would've been dead by now if she hadn't had pounced on the Omega like that, he'll thank her for that when he gets both of them to safety, that he promises. He could only hope that he makes it out in time, Harumi's body was getting colder each second that passes.

He kept running but to no avail, they were still stuck in the oni cloud. He let out a scream in annoyance and stopped to catch his breath. He closed his eyes and let a tear slide down as he frowned. He then noticed something glowing and he opened his eyes. The golden light, it was coming from Harumi again. He gaped before it dimmed again.

He started running again while thinking, "The Golden Child? That golden light from Harumi, it's as if it's protecting her... Could she be the Golden Child? Maybe that's why she was brought back..." He thought in his head. He's been trying to find the reason on how Harumi had survived. No one could've survived that fall, even if they were rescued immediately. Now that he thought about it, the golden light he saw from Harumi's chest might've been how she survived. Maybe she was protected by something? But what protected her?

Questions ran through his head as he ran through the forest, and before he knew it, he saw light. Sunlight. It was the home stretch. He forced his legs to go faster and he ran faster than he ever did. The light blinded him as he made the run for it.

⊱ ─────────{.⋅ ✧ ⋅.} ─────────⊰

The rest of the group had finally made it to the safe spot. It took them around 20 to 30 minutes but it was worth it. By Zane and PIXAL's calculations, the oni cloud was not going to pass the safe spot any time soon. It would stop somewhere after the Enchanting Hills and then it would continue to spread little by little, but fast.

Jay looked at the ground as he sat on the grass, "Do you think Lloyd has found Harumi by now?" He asked, looking uncertain.

"Lloyd's strong, but I'm not sure how Harumi would've survived being in that cloud." Kai stated before giving everyone a head shake.

Zane nodded and turned to Cole, "Cole, you've been in that cloud before. How did you survive?" he asked the Earth Ninja.

Vania gaped at her boyfriend, "You've been in that thing before?! Why didn't you tell me?" She asked.

"It was a thing from the past so I didn't think to tell you. Sorry, Vania." Vania pouted and Cole turned to Zane, "And to answer your question, Zane, I had to get to my car by walking through the cloud. Each step got harder and harder but I managed to make it inside the car without getting frozen." He smiled, feeling proud of himself.

"If that statement is true, then Harumi might still be alive somewhere in there. All we can do is wait. If Lloyd returns without Harumi, then we'll have to continue without her." PIXAL said in a slightly monotone voice.

"We'll just have to wait. I'm positive that both Lloyd and Harumi will come out of that cloud in any moment." Skylor smiled.

Kai looked at the cloud that was a safe distance from them, not moving any closer, "Hate to break it to you, Sky, but I doubt that the both of them will make it." He frowned.

"Be positive, Kai." Skylor scowled.

Jay rubbed the back of his neck, "He might be right, Skylor. That cloud isn't just filled with destruction, but also with a bunch of onis." The corners of his mouth turned downwards.

"Just you wait. The two of them will come out in any minute and they both will be safe." She stood up and placed her hands on her hips while she stated that.

"I second that. In times like these, it's best to keep a positive attitude. It's normal to feel negative in situations like these but you should try your best to be positive." Vania gave some advice while smiling proudly at herself.

Kai and Jay looked at each other before Jay spoke up, "Look, it's not that we don't want to act positive, but we kind of see no happy ending in this situation." He started the explanation.

Kai continued it, "You can't possibly expect us to just be like 'Hey! Lloyd and Harumi will come out alive at right this moment'. It's hard to do that." He finished the explanation and Jay nodded in agreement.

Cole shook his head, "You guys think what you want, but I'm with Skylor and Vania. Both of them make a valid point." He sided with the two girls while Skylor smirked at Kai.

"See? I make a valid point." Skylor said smugly at the two boys, but mostly at Kai.

"I, too, stand with Skylor and Vania. Cole is correct, they both make a valid point, and I for one, agree that we should think positive in times like these." Zane agreed.

PIXAL nodded and smiled before standing beside her boyfriend, "I have the exact same thoughts. We should think positive for our friends who could be in danger. It's better to think good for them instead of thinking bad for them." She stated.

"I do hope that they'll both make it. It just seems impossible-" Kai got cut off by a scream in the distance. He turned around right in time to see Lloyd jump out of the cloud with Harumi in his hands.

Everyone gasped and ran towards them, "Lloyd! Harumi!" Vania yelled, coming to their aid.

Skylor looked at Kai, "See? Positive thinking helps." She smiled before coming to the duo.

Kai gaped and sighed, "Huh... I guess positive thinking does work." He shrugged before running to check on his honorary brother, "Lloyd, you okay, buddy?" He asked in concern. Everyone helped move the two of them away from the oni cloud, just in case.

Lloyd regained his breath after running for so long and gave a shaky nod, "Y-Yeah! Just," He paused to let out a deep breath, "Ha-Harumi. She... S-She needs h-help..." He gasped.

Everyone turned to the slightly frozen girl in the Green Ninja's arms. Everyone gasped at her state. Most of her body was turned to stone, but being out of the cloud seemed to help reverse the effects. Her face was pale. And her right foot was slightly bent in the wrong direction.

"PIXAL, Zane, Vania, you guys go help Harumi." Kai gave orders since their leader was badly injured. The three mentioned nodded and complied. They slowly took Harumi out of Lloyd's arms carefully and lied her down on the grass, a small distance away from Lloyd as they started treating her injuries. Kai looked back at his honorary brother, "Lloyd, you look banged up too. The rest of us, we'll help Lloyd." Everyone nodded.

Lloyd wasn't worried for himself. Harumi had been asleep the entire time he ran, he was starting to get worried for her. She got a severe injury from that fall and just the slightest touch made her scream. He also had a few bruises and wounds here and there, but overall, he was fine. Harumi was in worse shape than he is.

Those weren't the only thing in his mind. The Omega Oni's words were stuck in his head. He wondered what he meant by that. He shook it out of his head for now but after his injuries are done being treated, he was going to inform his friends about it. This oni invasion just might be more than what they think it is.

"We Ware just a messenger for the Greater Darkness to come. Only the Golden Child will have the power to defeat it. The Greater Darkness will come."