Harumi's POV

     "A tea shop?" Morro exclaimed. Morro, Wu, the Ninja, and I stood in front of a decent sized building that was crammed in between shops on a busy street. Cars honked and zoomed down the streets of Ninjago City, while gaggles of vibrantly dressed citizens pointed and stared at our group. A few cameras started flashing, so Cole had to politely ask them to stop recording 'official Ninja business'.

     Wu nodded as we approached the shop. "Steepest Wisdom was opened last year. I hoped it would provide a good set of living quarters for the Ninja once they moved out of the Bounty."

     "It's like you don't want us," Kai grumbled from behind me. He had a grip on the ropes tying my hands together. They insisted on extra security measures for me once I left the small room I had been locked in. Morro had been spared that treatment, courtesy of Wu, which was a really dumb move. If Morro could magically recover his elemental power, we could escape here and now.

     "You're getting married," Wu replied, "I'm sure Skylor doesn't want to share a room with Nya. Think of a few years from now. You don't want to live in the same room with five different families."

     That explained why the Ninja looked older. It was easy to forget how much time I had spent in the Cloud Kingdom, along with the time jump caused by the Memortea. Each of the Ninja had started to lose their youthful glow, especially Lloyd. His features were sharper, and his frame was sturdier. He had also grown taller. When I looked at him now, it was almost impossible to remember the scared little boy I had broken.

     "I get to move into a mansion when Wu kicks us out," Kai bragged. "Benefits of marrying well."

     "Wow Kai, such news," Nya said sarcastically, "It's not like you've told us that one hundred times."

     The rest of the group laughed. I felt my spirits sink. There was a time where I would have been able to join in their camaraderie without being glared at. There was a time where they trusted me and wanted to be my friends. They hated me now. I hated them now.

     "You will work here until further notice," Wu continued, mostly talking to Morro. "We have a full-time staff working. They have been trained in basic safety maneuvers if anything gets out of hand. During each day, two ninjas will be with you so that they can make sure you aren't getting into any trouble with the customers."

    Protests started rising the minute the words left Wu's mouth.

    "You never mentioned making us do work," Kai complained.

    "Why do we have to be stuck babysitting?" Cole huffed.

     "You should have just stuck them in Kryptarium," Lloyd muttered, still not looking in my direction. He was acting like if he ignored my existence then I would actually go away.

     You're the whole reason I'm stuck here.

     Wu held up a hand, signaling for them to quit talking. "You can decide who is on duty each day, I don't care if you split the days up equally or if two of you take one week while two others take the rest. Just make sure two of you are working each day. And don't complain about the job, you already work when you have spare time."

     "We work because we want to," Jay whined. "I don't want to be stuck watching her."

     "Thank you for volunteering to take first day," Wu replied. I had to bite my tongue to keep from snickering.

     "I can take the second spot," Nya immediately offered. Jay shot her a grateful glance.

     "Are we allowed to leave the tea shop?" Morro asked. He had somehow acquired a fedora over the course of the morning and kept messing with it while he walked alongside his sensei.

     Wu stroked his beard. "If your escorts think they can control you."

     The Ninja collectively groaned.

     "We have uniforms inside, which you will be required to wear at all times while you are on duty. Jay and Nya will show you how to perform your tasks for the day. If they are not available, our head manager will instruct you on what to do." Wu informed Morro. This 'pretending Harumi doesn't exist' thing was starting to get on my nerves.

    "Bold of you to assume your managers won't run away screaming at the sight of my face." I put as much snark into my tone as possible.

     "We'll handle that problem." Wu finally addressed me, his voice turning monotone. "Just remember, Quiet One, that any evil activity will immediately lead to you being apprehended and led to Kryptarium."

     I scoffed. "Knowing the way you all think, I won't last a day."

     Morro stepped in before Wu could say anything else. "Harumi will be fine. She's just being difficult because..." he hesitated, glancing at me.

     "I'm evil."

     No one was amused, not even Morro.

     "She doesn't like being tied up to the point where it's literally cutting off circulation." Morro tried to get Kai to move, but the fire ninja wasn't going to have it.

    Wu sighed and led us inside.

>(<>)<

The only reason I cooperated was on Morro's behalf, but even he was losing his credibility. It was quickly apparent that Morro could get away with a lot more things than I could, and if I even tried to talk to him I might be scolded for 'manipulating.'

     My uniform was brown and simple, without any flair to distinguish me from anyone else. To keep anyone from recognizing my white hair, I was told to wear it under a fedora like Morro. The problem was, they just told me to tie up my long hair without giving me anything to tie it up with. When I sarcastically pointed this out, Jay and Cole had to intercede before Nya or Kai strangled me.

     The staff was afraid of us but tried their best to appear in charge. I hadn't trained in any physical combat since before I died, and I'm pretty sure I could take down all of them without even trying. The only real threats in the room were our babysitters for the day, but even they didn't really appear threatening. Jay wasn't exactly mean when he showed us how to do our tasks, and Nya was 'nice' enough to untie my hands.

     Morro and I settled into a routine quicker than I expected. We had rooms in the shop that we stayed in overnight. Each morning we would get into our uniforms, the staff would provide us with a small breakfast, then we'd work until the lunch break. Our tasks consisted of cleaning, sweeping, stocking, and boiling water for tea. We'd have our lunch, repeat our tasks until dinner, help close the restaurant, then be locked away in our rooms until the next morning.

     It was a simple life; one I might be able to enjoy if I wasn't forced to do it by the hateful Ninja.

     "They'll get used to us sooner or later," Morro said on the sixth day, while we were washing dirty dishes in a large sink. "We can gain their trust quicker if you try a little bit harder to show them you've changed."

     "What are you trying to say?" I scrubbed a gunk covered plate.

     "I know you well enough to know you're being difficult on purpose."

     "Why should I be cooperative?" Frustration simmered under my skin. I wiped the now-clean plate harder, just to let some of my anger out. "They're the ones who killed my parents—"

     "The Great Devourer killed your parents."

     "They loused around while he did so! They didn't show up until they thought it was convenient." I sighed, handing him the plate so he could dry it. "How many more people have they made like me because they weren't good enough? How many more are victims of them and their 'heroics'?"

     "Harumi."

     "And then they have the gall to ask me to 'not be difficult'." I grabbed a handful of tools, not really paying attention to what I was doing.

     "Harumi."

     "Of course I'm going to be difficult. Of course I'm not going to be the quiet little princess they all expect me to be. Of course I'm not going to change for them, because this is all their fault!" My hand slipped and Morro barely caught me before I slammed into the counter. "Why did we have to come here?" I whispered, breathing heavily. "Why did the thief want to punish us like this?"

     "Deep breaths," Morro's calm voice penetrated the blurriness of my anger. "Keep the emotions under control."

     "Is there a problem over here?" A slightly monotone voice asked. We both turned to see Zane surveying our current situation. Between him and Lloyd, he was the only one who actually watched us. Lloyd had no desire to be anywhere near me. Morro had an arm around me, holding me steady, and somehow my long sleeves had gotten soaked even though I had rolled them up. I looked at the Ice Ninja, starting to shake from my own emotional turmoil.

     "Harumi just slipped." Morro made an excuse when I wrestled out of his grip to go back to the dishes. "She'll be fine."

     Zane went back behind his corner to talk to an employee.

     "I'm sorry about what I said, I didn't realize how being around them made you feel." Morro quietly said once we were side by side again. "I just thought if we played along, then it would be quicker until they looked into Malevolence for us."

     I couldn't stay angry with Morro. Well, I could, but now was not the time. He had the bigger picture in mind, which is what really mattered.

     "I had a thought about what we could do about that while we wait," he said.

     "Do share, scrubbing these dishes isn't going to get any more interesting."

     Morro grinned at my comment. He smiled a lot around me lately. "Erasmus said he was going to contact us when he found out more about the thief's plan. What if we do our own research? That way, if Erasmus sends us a vague prophecy, we can put two and two together."

     "What exactly are we researching?" I asked. We barely had anything to work with.

     "I don't know yet," Morro said. "If I think of something then I will tell you."

     The ground shook slightly. Morro and I looked down, only to feel the atmosphere shift.

     "Did you feel that?" I whispered.

     "Kai, Nya, can you read me?" Zane called for help, rushing into the area to make sure we weren't behind this. He got a crinkly reply, but at that point no one was paying attention. Because at that moment, everyone teleported with a ground-shaking pop. I found myself by the doors of the tea shop, Zane and Lloyd behind me and Morro beside me. There was general confusion as we were escorted back into the back of the shop.

     "Lock them in their rooms until we assess the situation." Lloyd ordered. The only reason I didn't make a run for it right there was because I knew how close my room was to the main backroom where they would probably discuss what just happened. Eavesdropping would be easy.

     "Time jumped forward five minutes," Zane said quietly after dismissing the disgruntled staff.

     "The last time that happened disaster followed," Lloyd noted.

     "Specifically, it was the Time Blades' arrival," Zane said, "which means, in all logical thought, the Time Twins have reentered our timestream."

     "We have to warn the others." Lloyd said, his voice slightly desperate.

     "I will direct message them." Zane replied. "We need to stay here to complete our task of watching Harumi and Morro."

     I missed Lloyd's reply when I slid away from the door. I had heard of the Time Twins during my stay at the palace; how they were twin elemental masters who tried to take over Ninjago. If they really were back, then their timing was impeccable. Could this be part of the reason I was written to come here?

     I didn't know, and I wasn't sure what to do with this new information.

>(<>)<

Morro's POV

     Surprisingly enough, not another word of the Time Twins was mentioned. I had to eavesdrop on the Ninja team's conversation after they locked me in my room. It was the only way to find out what was really going on. Harumi and I were locked away until the next morning, where we were told to entertain ourselves. Apparently, Steepest Wisdom closed every seven days to give the staff a day off. Harumi and I were watched by Wu as we attempted to play chess with teacups. We spent the morning feeling restless, talking about whatever weird thing came to mind. We switched from topic to topic, until Harumi mentioned that the Time Twins' arrival was strangely coincidental. I put more thought into that over the next few days, my mind scouring every memory I had to see if I could piece something together.

     Why had we been summoned here?

     The oddest thing was that another week passed without a single reference to what happened. The customers were up in arms with gossip, but the Ninja said nothing. Another week of constant labor had passed when it was once again time for us to have free time. Sensei sat in the almost empty shop beside me and asked how I was doing.

     "If you don't mind me asking," I said quietly after making the polite reply, "Why did you never tell anyone about Mika?"

     Sensei closed his eyes. "After she was taken captive, our mother went after her. When Father found Mother dead, he decided to keep the Mika situation quiet. I guess he realized there was nothing he could do to save her, and he didn't want to worry the citizens of Ninjago. Still, now that I have seen what she had to go through, I am saddened he didn't try harder to get her back."

     "Were you and Mika close?"

     "She was my little sister," Sensei sighed. "even though I didn't see her as much as I should have, I still missed her."

     "Why didn't you try to rescue her?" I asked, feeling my wrists subconsciously to make sure nothing was biding them. Mika's screams echoed in my head; a constant reminder of another person I had failed.

     "Father forbade Garmadon and I from trying. I didn't understand why at the time, but I do now. He wanted to keep Malevolence from manipulating our powers as well."

     "Some rules are meant to be broken," I argued.

     "You can hate me all you want after I say this." Sensei said. "I guess over time, with all the battles, Garmadon turning evil, and training my Ninja, I forgot about it. Mika became a problem I couldn't solve, and to not feel guilty about her, I tried to banish her from my mind. I made a mistake by doing that, but everyone messes up at some point in their lives. There are parts of my past that I am not proud of, but I can only learn from them."

     "Erasmus said she is in a better place," I said, bowing my head. The world was unjust and unfair, but there was really nothing I could do about it.

     "I just hope she can find it in her heart to forgive me for forgetting." Sensei murmured.

     "Even though she had spent hundreds of years in prison, she still had hope. She wasn't completely a broken shell." I said. "I think she can and will forgive you."

     "Thank you, Morro," Sensei said. "I needed that."

     I nodded, but my thoughts soon began to race back to what I had been pondering for the past week. Harumi was right, there hadn't been much to go off of. We were sent back to Ninjago to do something, but there were no clues as to what. That's when I remembered my visions in the Departed Realm. Everyone had them, I just preferred not to talk about mine. They had always featured a white-haired girl, a girl that I soon came to meet. And I think I had just discovered a pattern with them.

     "Sensei, I had an idea about what we were brought here to do. Harumi and I have agreed to try and figure it out."

     "You finally came up with something?" Harumi entered the room, twisting her way too long hair into a braid.

     "Everyone had visions in the Departed Realm." I said. "Those have to happen for a reason. They could be connected to what the thief had planned for us."

     "You're flinching," Harumi noted, plopping down on my other side. She wasn't exactly subtle about sitting as far away from Sensei as possible.

     "Normally Bansha would get violent when I mentioned the visions. She hated talking about them." I rubbed my arms, trying to block out the memories of our final moments together.

     Let her be the one you were able to save.

     "Why do you think visions would be connected to our destiny scrolls?" Harumi questioned, her normally critical features taking on a self-conscious demeanor.

      I turned to Sensei. "You remember the destiny scrolls right?"

      He nodded. "Yes, the one that said you were going to—"

      "Yeah, that one," I cut him off before he could say anything important. It was true the first part of my destiny scroll said I would accompany Harumi to Ninjago. But, the second part, no one could know what it said. It would change everything. "I thought that our visions in the Departed Realm might have something to do with our destinies."

      "Why would they be connected?" Harumi asked, frowning at the strands of hair that had already found their way out of her braid. "You said Bansha had visions and her scroll wasn't altered."

      My face flushed as I forced myself to say the embarrassing truth. "All of my visions were about you, Harumi, and then you came into my life. That couldn't have been a coincidence." This shouldn't make me so flustered. Why was my face heating up? Why was I curious but scared to see her reaction?

      "You never mentioned having visions." Harumi said quietly, not meeting my eyes.

      "It seemed unnecessary to talk about at the time."

      "You think your visions are connected to what has been happening to you," Sensei steered us back on track.

     I shot him a grateful glance and returned to my trail of thought. "I did some thinking about what I saw in the visions, and I'm convinced they have some sort of pattern."

     Sensei raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

      "My first vision showed me Harumi's betrayal." I said. As I suspected would happen, Harumi's eyes clouded with an angry memory.

      "The second vision was of Garmadon warning Harumi of a coming darkness."

      "He knew all along Malevolence was coming," Harumi whispered, her head bowed. "He knew, and no one listened."

      Sensei looked confused briefly, then he remembered Malevolence's master plan from my memories.

      "The third vision... well... I wondered if it was only a dream because it hasn't exactly happened. I saw Harumi again, but she was wearing battle armor. She was also surrounded in a green light, but she wasn't being attacked. When I think about it, the first vision took showed me something from long ago. The second showed me something pretty recent, and the third may or may not have taken place in the future. If it was then, there must be an upcoming battle that Harumi and I will fight in. Harumi, I know you had a least two visions in the Departed Realm. Can you tell us what took place in them?"

      "Um, right," she looked uncomfortable. "The first showed me Lloyd and Garmadon fighting. All I can remember are the words, 'People don't change. They just reveal who they truly are.'"

      "Sensei, do you know when or if that happened?" I asked.

      "I think that was during Lloyd's final fight with Garmadon. After that we were able to take our city back from the Sons of Garmadon." Sensei didn't look at Harumi.

     "When did you have that vision?" I asked Harumi.

     "It was a few days after you found me." Harumi rubbed her temples.

     "The vision showed you a past scene," I eagerly put the pieces together. "What was in your second one?"

      "I saw the Ninja rebuilding the city." Harumi reminisced. "Lloyd had hurt his leg."

      "That was a couple weeks after Garmadon's defeat." Sensei sounded excited.

      "Present," I beamed. "Did you have a third vision? That could be our key to unlocking what comes next."

      Harumi's eyebrows furrowed. "I-I don't remember. Not in the Departed Realm." She scrunched her eyes shut. "Wait. I might have something. It was in the desert—the Seventh Realm. I might have been hallucinating." She looked up at me. "I saw light and darkness. I saw the Cloud Kingdom too."

      "A vision of our future!"

      "I don't know," Harumi said. "Like I said, the first part was just voices, light, and darkness. How can pure light or endless blackness be a vision of the future?"

     "Perhaps the vision was mixed in with hallucinations," I tried to make sense of the situation, "you were pretty dehydrated."

     "That is an understandable conclusion." Sensei backed me up, which was strange since he had stated he didn't trust Harumi. Perhaps he had changed his mind with more meditating on the subject. "Sometimes in between regular dreams we get glimpses of what is to come. We normally forget what we see though."

     "I am having a hard time remembering everything I saw," Harumi admitted.

     "So, this basically settles it." I said. "There was a pattern to what we saw. If my assumption is correct, in the future there will be a battle where we are involved. Let me go write that down." I got to my feet and raced to my room. I had asked the Ninja for a notepad a few days ago, which they handed over quite easily. I had been logging any spare ideas I had down there, trying to piece clues together.

     I was on my way back to the open area when the stewing silence was broken by Harumi.

     "Can I ask you something?" I paused behind the wall, wondering if I stepped in if she would stop. Harumi went out of her way not to speak to the Ninja, so willingly talking to their master was a strange move for her.

     "What is it you would like to know?" Sensei's voice wasn't unkind, but it wasn't welcoming either.

     "Have the Time Twins really returned to Ninjago?"

     Sensei's chuckle had no mirth. "Why is it you want to know, Quiet One?"

     Harumi was silent for a second, then burst out laughing. It was a cold, empty laugh that sounded almost villainous.

     "I've about had it with your insipid group of multicolored brats. I show up, back from the dead, ready to behave like a decent human being, but you immediately bound me in chains and shove threats down my throat. Well, Master Wu, if you aren't willing to give me a chance, then I know how to play the game. You've seen Morro's memories. You know what we're talking about isn't some lie I've crafted to get back into your little circle. All I want to do is get rid of the threat and go about my day. So, you can either help Morro and I by giving us trivial information, or you can watch your precious little city burn to the ground when Malevolence comes for it."

     I pressed my back against the wall, anxiety leaking through my being in shallow breaths.

     Sensei's voice finally broke the silence in a hesitant tone. "We have been searching for them, but we have found no results. That is why we haven't shared anything yet. We don't want to worry people for no reason."

     "Thank you," Harumi said, getting to her feet. I could tell she wanted to let out another snarky comment but managed to keep herself under control. Only then did I realize it was too late to get away from the doorway that I had been hiding behind.

     Harumi's already flushed face turned a tomato red when she realized what I had been doing. Slowly but surely, a smile seeped onto her face.

     I barely caught her whisper before she sauntered off to her room.

     "I would have done the same thing."

     Sensei watched us with a grim look on his face. "I only put up with her because she's not being as difficult as she could be. The evidence piled in her favor is enough to keep me from acting irrationally. But still, that does not excuse her past actions."

     "I believe she understands that, Sensei."

     "With the threat of the Time Twins hanging in the air, we need to be honest with each other. If you discover anything else that might pertain to Ninjago's danger, please speak with me immediately." Sensei stood up, straightening his robes.

     "Of course, Sensei." I gave him a short bow.

     They only wanted me to speak to them. No wonder Harumi couldn't hold her frustration in. They refused to treat her like an actual person, instead opting to learn everything through me. Hopefully, in time, I could figure out a way to reconcile the two sides. It would solve both problems so much faster.

>(<>)<

Malevolence's POV

     Oh, this world was too cruel for words. The outside was filled with the despicable rays of sunlight, which weakened me more than I liked to admit. It had taken me this long hiding in these 'Caves of Despair' to gain a decent amount of power back, and there was no way I could go forth with any plans at this rate.

     Everything had been executed perfectly. I killed the foolish royal family, I took over one of the most powerful armies in the Sixteen Realms, I marched into Ninjago with my amulet, with victory close at hand. They still defeated me. Once again, the Ninja destroyed all the perfect pieces I had in order.

     What was the weapon that defeated me? A shiny tornado of magic. It was ridiculous. No matter what I threw at them they overcame my power. I had given this battle my everything, and they still beat my forces. Now I was forced to hide in a cave, waiting for my strength to return. I was humiliated. I was ashamed. Even worse, I was once again a failure.

      The amulet against my chest pumped steadily as I held it close. He was inside, my Overlord of shadows and despair. After I defeated the Ninja, I was supposed to find a body for his soul to finally inhabit. With the only threats to my power out of the way, I was supposed to bring him back again. I closed my eyes. No matter what I did; I failed. I always failed.

     "I'm sorry," I whispered to the glowing stone. It heated up in my hands.

     A reminder.

     "I will try again," I told it. He was telling me not to lose hope. "As long as part of you is within this amulet, I can at least have a chance of bringing you back. I will not fail the next time. I promise." I pressed it against my forehead to feel the steady coolness of the dark soul within. "All I need is a decent opportunity to work with."

      It was then that the world popped. I was suddenly facing the outside of the caves, the harsh sunset blazing in my face. As I retreated back into the caverns, I felt the amulet start to vibrate. "Excited? Whatever just happened, my dear?"

     It started to levitate off of my chest. "Power," I whispered, grasping it in my hands. I closed my eyes and concentrated, to try to identify the source. My senses picked up distortions in the air. "Temporal power," I whispered. "Those idiot elemental twins have finally left the timestream." Hope blossomed within me as a new plan came to light in my head. I cupped the amulet close. "Who needs to find you a new body when we can just get you your old one?"

     I cackled deep within the dark shadows. When nightfall came, I followed the levitating amulet across the plains on the outskirts of Ninjago. I trailed the source of power across moor after moor. Finally, I found myself before another large set of caves. Two figures were arguing in the dust, with thousands of tiny snakes slithering around them. Scrap pieces of metal were scattered everywhere, along with several hundred snake eggs. I cracked a grin and made my way towards the former elemental masters.

     The twins looked up in shock as I rose above them.

     "What in Ninjago?" the younger-looking one stammered.

     "My name is Malevolence, and I can help you finally wipe out those pesky Ninja and their master," I said, my voice growing stronger in the darkness.

     The older one grinned. "I like where this is going."

     Me too, you little imbeciles. I will use you just as I used the Oni. But this time, I am going to win or die trying. There will be no defeat. The Overlord will be raised again.