Lloyd POV:

I couldn't help myself from shouting when we were getting close to the temple. The temple which was close to our quest to stop Maou from his conquest of Ninjago. Though that changed once Kai walked in with a concerned expression on his face.

"Everything okay, Kai?" I asked.

"Yeah. For now, I need to tell you something about the temple." Kai said.

"Like what? We get in, grab the amulet and use it to destroy Maou." Jay said.

"It's not that simple. We have to go through a series of tests in order to prove ourselves worthy of the amulet. Even then, there is no grantee that the amulet could completely destroy Maou." Kai said. Before I could say anything, the Bounty shook violently.

"What is happening?!" I yelled. No one could answer, but I can see that Kai was weirdly calm  during this. Eventually, the shaking stopped which caused us all to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Um, Kai...why were you calm during the violent..." I started to say before I noticed that he was gone. 

"Guys, where did Kai go?" Jay asked.

"I don't know, but we need to find him before he gets captured by anyone under Maou." Cole said. We all nodded in agreement before slowly exiting the bounty to see that we were floating in an area with a purple, blue and green sky. The ground was a beautiful blue that seemed to have different patterns of stars on the grass. The lake seemed to sparkle while wisps of pink, blue and purple flowed slowly through this place. 

"Woah. This place is beautiful." I commented.

"It is, but we need to find Kai and head to the temple." Zane said. Sighing, I quickly took my gaze away from the beautiful mystical scenery as we continued to search for our friend/brother. 

Hopefully he's not in great danger again cause we already lost him once and we will never lose him again.

Kai POV:

After the shaking stopped, I stood inside the temple housing the amulet that we needed. If I didn't know what would happen to those who tried to skip the trials, I would've tried to rush over and snatch it.

So you're the one who he fell in love with.

I turned around to see a beautiful woman standing behind me with a bored expression on her face. She was Belinda who looked after the temple and was in charge of conducting the trials. Though, no one survived the trials due to their greed and deception with most trying to fool her. 

"It's an honor to meet you, Belinda. If only..." I started to say before she stopped me.

You cannot help the circumstances of your visit especially since that despicable man is still chasing after you. A fate that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies.

She said with a voice that was sweet yet filled with some malice. She held control of the temple and was the master of several serpents that were extremely deadly. Though one had a famous reputation of devouring the deceptive who entered this place.

"Why did you bring me here? Shouldn't I be tested along with my family?" I asked.

You think that I don't know that you were given several abilities during and after your transformation? I have kept on eye on that man since he started to develop his empire. I know all about what he does to the people that he catches.

"I see." I said before she continued.

Unfortunately, you were the unlucky soul to catch his eye. A soul that not only gained powers from your conversion, but also by force. Not to mention that bond between the both of you.

"Why did it have to be me? I never asked for any of this." I said before feeling Belinda's fingers on my face. 

You have a chance to become free from him, but it won't be easy. Your friends have faced plenty of enemies, but nothing like him.

I was about to speak again before an orb started to grow from the center. It showed the others looking around the beautiful landscape as they searched for my whereabouts. It touched me, but that feeling was soon replaced by dread since once they arrive here...

The trials will begin.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter...Bye👋