Morro's POV

     "Strangely enough, there are still no words from the Ninja about the temporal disturbance that took place nearly a month ago." Gail Gossip chattered on the TV. "It's likely the Ninja took their adventure somewhere outside of Ninjago. Still, we'll continue to be on the lookout for more exciting news on the matter. Stay tuned for big leads and sensations! This is Gail Gossip from the Ninjago City News."

     I tried to ignore Gail's chipper voice as I cleaned some tables. No amount of hiding my internal stress behind fake charm could stop my brain from worrying.

     Nearly a month.

     No message from Erasmus.

     Barely any clue on what Harumi and I were sent to do.

     I guess it was a good thing, seeing as it meant the future my destiny scroll showed me was still far off. I wanted to put that off for as long as possible.

     "Hey, can you get me some napkins?" A middle-aged woman came up from behind me. "My son spilled his tea."

     Sure enough, right behind her, hot tea had been spilt all over the table and was currently soaking the floor. I cringed at the sight of the bawling kid waving his arms everywhere. Why did messes always cause commotion?

     "Hey, did you hear me? My son spilled—"

     "Yes, ma'am. I'll get that cleaned up for you now." I gave her a short bow, biting back a thousand insults.

     "And I want a refund!" The woman called after me, but I ignored her.

     I ducked behind the counter, heading into the back to grab a mop. I had been let out into the front about a week ago. The first day customers saw my face the Ninja held their breaths and wished that chaos wouldn't break out. It had been forever since I was spotted by everyday citizens, and they were mostly in Stixx. No one had said a word to me and since then I had assigned a lot of duties in the front of the store. I did a better job of not yelling at people than Harumi did, so she was still stuck in the back.

     Well, she was supposed to be working in the back.

     When I returned to the messy area, Harumi was making the screaming toddler smile as she wiped up the table. The middle-aged woman was laughing at something Harumi said. I nearly dropped the mop at the sight.

     "Ah, look out little one. Here comes the magical cleaning mop." Harumi said to the toddler, who burst out in a cooing laughter. Why the woman had decided to feed a toddler hot tea was beyond me, but at least he wasn't screaming anymore.

     I made sure Harumi saw my expression before silently mopping up the rest of the mess. She merely grinned in reply, a mischievous look that stated she knew what she was doing was wrong. If the Ninja caught her out here, bad things might ensue.

     Harumi broke yet another rule by giving the woman a free cup of tea for her troubles, taking advantage of the busy staff's ignorance of where she was. The small family left smiling and promising to come back, while Harumi waved with the nicest expression on her face. As soon as they were out of eyesight, I pulled Harumi back towards the closed off area of the store.

     "You're not supposed to be out there." I hissed at her.

     Her grin was constant. "The greatest villain is the one who gets away."

     "You're hopeless." I said, shaking my head. She nudged me until I smiled. I could see it though, behind her eyes, her fear. She didn't like the life she was being forced to live, so her little moments of rebellion helped her through it. She liked it up front where no one knew who she was. It was like the Cloud Kingdom, where we could work from a clean slate. No one judged us for who we had been. We were just another normal person trying to work for a living. It was a strangely liberating mindset.

     "But in all seriousness," I said quietly. "Please go back to where you're supposed to be. I don't want them going off on you where I can't... where I can't..."

     "I get it." Harumi responded, taking my mop into her own hands. "I'll go to the back. This never happened. There's nothing more to say."

     I nodded. She adjusted her fedora, tucking away any loose strands of her white hair, before disappearing behind a set of swinging doors. I let out of sigh of relief that no one had come after us yet and turned to meet the eyes of a blue-clad Ninja.

     Jay studied the situation, then slowly walked away. Not a word was uttered. The rest of the day I braced myself for a lecture.

     Once the night shift ended and the customers had left the shop. I adjusted the tables back to their original positions as the staff filtered out of the store. Jay watched me work, waiting for the right moment to say something. Despite a day's worth of planning for every type of lecture that might come our way, Jay still surprised me with his first words.

     "As the world's greatest romantic, I can classify that look in one and only one category."

     What in the world of Ninjago—

     "The look of a focused worker?" I guessed, desperately wishing I wasn't blushing as bad as I was now.

     He let out a slightly hysterical laugh. "No silly," he said, his expression turning serious. "That look of being in love. I've had it, Kai's had it, Zane has had it, even Lloyd's had it."

     "Excuse me?"

     "It's obvious you like Harumi." Jay said, biting back a cocky smile.

     He may have been amused by the comment, but I definitely wasn't. What if Harumi was in the area? What if she walked in and heard that? What if she was listening to this conversation right now from behind a cracked door as punishment for her little act earlier?

     She didn't need to know. She needed a leader, not a lover, in her life. Telling her about my feelings would only complicate our situation in life. The Ninja didn't need to know about this either, but apparently my luck was against me.

     "You're not denying it, which says a bit about you. If I were reasonable, or any of my friends, I would say this affection would give proof that you are not to trusted." Jay said as I pretended to be invested in wiping the tables. "However, after much observation, neither you nor Harumi have done the slightest evil thing since you got here, apart from her small rebellions that inconvenience us."

     I paused; my momentary humiliation forgotten. "You believe we have changed?"

     Jay's tone had been drained of humor. "I can't be convinced of anything right now. But villains or not, I still think you should have a shot to be happy."

     "I don't understand," I said.

     Jay fiddled with his ring. "You two work with a rhythm that suggests you've known each other for a while. Which means your 'coming through a portal' story makes sense. I'm getting off topic. This isn't about what I think of you."

     "Then what is it about?"

     "This is about what I think you should do. I think you definitely should tell Harumi how you feel."

     I had never been so embarrassed in my life. "Why should I do that again?"

     "Because that way she'll stop staring at Lloyd when he's not looking," Jay stopped when he saw my expression. He forced out a laugh. "I'm kidding. I think it will make you happier and Harumi will a... perhaps let go of some of her stress. Relationships can often take away some of the emotional burden we force ourselves to carry."

     "Why are you even suggesting this? You don't even know if we've changed."

     "Master Wu trusts you, so you must be fine. Don't think I don't pay attention when you talk about scrolls, thieves, and then go silent even though your mouth is still moving. The evidence going for you is too much to ignore. You have to have changed." Jay waved his hands around.

     "What about Harumi?" I asked, a sense of resentment rising in me.

     "What about Harumi?"

     "If I've changed, then why don't you trust her? If you're convinced that I'm innocent, then why shouldn't she be? The only reason she's stressed and rebelling is because you all don't have the decency to treat her like a normal human being. Sure, she messed up in the past. But, just like me, she's trying to help you all now. Getting into the touchy-feely stuff isn't going to solve anything."

     "I was just offering a suggestion." Jay retorted, his voice getting higher. "Even though Master Wu trusts you, it's hard for us to see past what you did to Lloyd. At least some of us are willing to give you a chance and look to what good you did. I'm just trying to be more civil than my frie—"

     "I get that." I said. "But if you want to help either of us, then try being nicer to her."

     I grabbed my tools and left before he could utter another word. No, telling Harumi how I felt wouldn't solve any problems. Only the Ninja could help her now. They had to forgive each other if everything was going to be okay. Hopefully, Jay would take my advice and help start both sides on that path.

>(<>)<

Malevolence's POV

     I understand why my Oni army failed now. I had sat back in my seat of power and waited for them to come back victorious. That was when they failed, when I released them from my hold.

     Omega had been the most known general of their kind. He was brave, strong, powerful, and the Oni thought of him quite highly. I assumed with his experience, Omega could simply storm the Ninja's fort and come back to me with their heads. From far away, I watched a brilliant light flash, and the darkness disappear. Word quickly spread that the Ninja had destroyed the entire army I had sent with Omega. The Oni turned on me in fear of them suffering the same fate at the hands of the Ninja. They left Ninjago, sealing the last portal behind them and leaving no way for me to get through. Hundreds of years I had worked towards that moment of defeat for the First Spinjitzu Master's pathetic offspring, and it failed in an instant. I thought Oni were actually going to be a challenge to them. I had been told the Ninja had faced a few ghost, false Anacondrai, and a few robots. I thought a shapeshifting army of doom could easily conquer such tiny threats. They took out my army with a tornado of light. It really was the dumbest way to die for my noble warriors.

      After the collapse of what I had spent hundreds of years building, I fled to the darkest spot possible, because the light drained energy from me with its scorching heat. I waited in a delirium, trying to regain my strength. I didn't know how many other threats the Ninja had defeated in that time. I didn't know how strong they were. But now I have time on my side. They were going to pay.

     "What exactly are you planning to do again?"

     I swiveled towards the younger of the Time Twins, Acronix

     "You hide in this cave all day while we slave away getting our army put back together. You said you would help us." Acronix whined. Krux elbowed him in the side.

     "Ignore my brother. He just likes watching the soldiers battle it out. He's a bit childish in that respect.

     I narrowed my eyes the two morons. I may not have liked either of them, but their army did have potential. It was the only thing the Ninja technically hadn't defeated. "You said there were lead snakes, like generals?"

     "Yes," Krux stated proudly. "They control the other Vermillion. However, the generals only answer to us."

     "Bring them to me."

     Moments later, Krux came back with a barrel full of snakes. "We've been keeping them locked away while the soldiers work on the machines for obvious reasons."

     Obvious reasons being that they didn't like not being in charge and would probably attack Krux if he tried to let them out.

     I leaned down to inspect the barrel, gently removing the lid. It was fascinating how the snakes could assemble themselves into large warriors.

     Krux studied the slithering pile for a second, his eyes flickering with fear.

     I stuck my hands into the barrel of snakes, feeding them my darkness.

     Do you feel that little snakes? I can grant you your freedom and power. Consume what you wish in my name.

    Slowly but surely, the snakes gained enough traction to slither out the barrel, combining once they were on the floor into three figures. They were not the forms of the twins' past generals. These new warriors would be under my command and my command alone. They had lost respect for the Time Twins. It was time they followed a new master.

     Three large Vermillion generals stood before me now: one red, one orange, and one a mix of both. Their eyes glowed with the same violet color my own eyes were alight with. At Acronix's strangled noises of shock, I grinned and pointed at the red warrior.

     "General Ire." He bowed. "You are in charge of all the pure red soldiers. Your purpose is to attack humans. I don't want them dead, just scared. Prepare your troops."

     Ire bowed again and pounded a fist against his chest. "As you wish, my queen." He left the room, shouldering past his former masters.

     While Krux's eyes widened at the display, I acknowledged the orange warrior. "General Boisterous, you are in charge of the pure orange soldiers. Your purpose is to attack structures. Destroy as much as you wish and take anything valuable. Prepare your troops."

     Boisterous saluted and left without another word. Acronix looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown.

     "General Viper, you control all the snakes who are a mix of both red and orange, the Vermillion warriors. Your goal will be to sneak into your designated area undetected. Destroy what you wish. Your team will be the deadliest. Prepare your troops."

     Viper's eyes glowed. "Your command will be carried out swiftly, my queen." He left like his companions, leaving the room stewing in a steep silence.

     Acronix was trying to decide whether he wanted to bang his head into a wall or yell at me. Krux looked vaguely unsettled at the display. I took a calming breath, ready to sweet-talk them into going along with this. Yes, I had just stripped them of their army. Yes, I had made them practically useless. But my plan would only work if they were still on my side.

     "You see," I started, "now we have three controlled units instead of none."

    Acronix paused his erratic pacing to glare at me. "You just took control of our entire army. That's why you came to us, isn't it? You wanted our army. You don't need us."

    "Wrong," I said, deciding honesty would work best. "I need you and your brother in order to make sure my plan carries out well."

    "We've heard so much about this plan, yet you never have told us what you are planning to do," Acronix challenged. "Do you really expect us to trust you?"

     I took a deep breath to calm the irritation building in the back of my mind. "Fine. It starts with the Vermillion warriors. My units will attack in random places at random times. The attacks will not only wear out the Ninja, they will keep them distracted from what we will be doing back here."

     "Smart," Krux commented.

     "Back here we will be repairing the Time Blades."

     "You need our power, you don't need us," Acronix snapped.

     "Don't interrupt me." My nostrils flared as I glared at the ungrateful twin. "You see, in this amulet there is a soul." The amulet began to glow, as if the Overlord wanted to prove my point. "The soul belongs to the most powerful villain ever seen in Ninjago. The one person the First Spinjitzu Master couldn't defeat."

     "The Overlord," Krux breathed.

     "The Ninja have defeated him twice," Acronix pointed out.

     "Technically," I agreed. "But, as long as part of his soul remains in my amulet, he can never fully die."

     "You want to bring him back," Krux put the pieces together.

     "In order to bring him back, I will need to transport his soul into a body. His true form was lost to the ocean long ago during his final fight with the First Spinjitzu Master. If we can use the Time Blades to go back in time, we can retrieve the body."

     "One problem: the Time Blades are broken." Acronix said.

     "That's what the distracting Vermillion attacks are for," I nearly rolled my eyes. "to buy us time to fix them. Once the Overlord is back, we will combine forces to completely wipe out threats. Once Ninjago is ours, you two can do as you wish with it, while the Overlord and I will move onto other realms to conquer them."

     "We can finally reverse the clock on this city," Krux rubbed his hands together. Acronix didn't look convinced. I grinned to myself. Manipulating Krux was almost too easy; he only saw his grand plan of turning back the clock on Ninjago. Acronix would follow his brother to the end of the world, even if he wasn't one hundred percent on board with my activities. Little did they know as soon as the Overlord and I took out the rest of the realms, we would come for Ninjago. One could never have enough power.

     "The attacks will start as soon as the Vermillion are ready. I will direct the forces, and the generals will do the rest. Once the Ninja are well worn out, we will start on the Time Blade repairs."

     Krux smirked. "It won't be long before we have Ninjago."

     I was all too happy to agree. This time, I would not stand on the sidelines. When the time came where the Overlord would smash the Ninja to pieces, I would fight alongside him. This time, I would actively participate in battle. This time, I would not lose.

     My plan will not fail. You will be brought back. Then, nothing can stop us from taking over everything.

>(<>)<

Lloyd's POV

     "Don't come back!" Kai shouted, flinging his broken sword towards the many snakes slithering away. He winced; his hand immediately going to his right shoulder. I caught sight of torn fabric. There were probably wounds underneath.

     "Is everyone okay?" I shouted, wiping a hand across my face as my teammates gathered around me. My glove came back smeared in blood.

     "I'm about as okay as Cole is when he runs out of cupcakes to snack on," Jay answered first. He was limping pretty badly. Nya grunted as she supported him.

     "This is getting ridiculous," Cole ranted, while I took off my glove to feel the cut on my face. It was near the hairline, small, and would probably be unnoticeable. The ache would be there for days. "This is the third time this week that there has been another 'surprise Vermillion attack'. I'm getting sick of fighting, and I love to fight the bad guys."

     "The strangest thing is that these attacks have no purpose. I cannot find an apparent pattern or target to the attacks." Zane commented. People started to emerge from their houses when they sensed the danger was gone.

     "Maybe there is a purpose, and we haven't found out about it yet." I went over to support Jay's other side. "We need to get back to Steepest Wisdom to inform Master Wu on how things are playing out."

     "Rest and strategize," Cole nodded. "Sounds good."

     Some citizens began to cheer at our victory, while others helped the ones that were wounded from the attack. I set my mouth in a grim line as my team moved towards our transportation. I had a feeling these attacks were only part of something bigger yet to come.

>(<>)<

"Harumi, can you get me some ice water?" Morro asked, offering Kai bandages. Kai didn't look happy at accepting help from him, but even his ego couldn't ignore the wound in his shoulder.

    Harumi gave him a curt nod before disappearing into the back. She only helped him, refusing to be cooperative with the rest of us. I wasn't very happy about it, but she was Harumi. Harumi only hurt people; she didn't help people. At least, that version of her was the only one I could see when I looked at her. Sometimes I would catch her looking at me, but I didn't know if she was plotting my death or... perhaps trying to figure out how to apologize.

     I rubbed the sore spot on my chest, trying to ignore the clash of emotions that came with that thought. Harumi hadn't changed. She was just trying to trick us again.

     "Have you figured anything out?" Cole asked, drawing my attention back to reality. Master Wu and Zane had entered the room.

     "I think it's best you all split up and patrol the city each day. The Vermillion have been able to do too much damage while you all have been rushing to the attack site. It might be a good idea to warn the other Elemental Masters about these attacks, just in case they can get there before you." Master Wu reasoned. Harumi came out of the back room carrying a large tub of ice water. If there was one person she actually listened to, it was Morro. That was unbefitting of the version of her that existed in my mind. Harumi only cared for herself. She had to be using Morro for some reason.

     "We need to stay after we've driven the Vermillion out, to see who and what was attacked. Perhaps then we can find out what the Time Twins are after." Zane noted, leaning down to help Kai with his bandages.

     Master Wu nodded. "Good idea Zane. Jay and Nya, can you head back to the most recent attack sites to collect evidence?"

     Jay nodded his head in thanks as Harumi handed him the tub of water for his leg. Nya frowned at the white-haired girl, shooing her off to tend to her husband.

     Harumi's visage turned sour. She huffed, getting up to leave the room again. Morro watched her with an agonized look that made me feel uncomfortable.

     "So, we're off babysitting duty?" Kai asked, snapping my attention back to the conversation. I was getting way too distracted lately.

     "Until we get the Vermillion under control," Master Wu agreed. "PIXAL and I can handle watching our two guests here."

     Out and about, away from them. Away from her. It's what I need.

     The pounding in my chest started to intensify. The world was literally under attack and right now, all I could think about was Harumi. Why did she have to show up? Why did she have to show up and mess up everything?

     No amount of rubbing could lessen the pain. The room closed in on me as the air became stuffy with my own stress.

     Lead the team. Keep yourself under control. Don't let her manipulate you. Don't let the world down.

     Before I knew it, I was on my feet, hastily grabbing my boots and a coat. When I glanced back to see the room staring, I gestured to my chest and left. They would understand. The past few weeks the pains had been getting worse for no explainable reason. Something was wrong with me. I had to be stronger.

     I needed to get away from her.

     They didn't say anything, which was relieving. I raced out the door and pulled the coat's hood partially over my head. It was nighttime outside, which meant Ninjago City was illuminated in various streetlights and city signs. The sound of traffic was a soothing background noise as I trotted through the packed walkways. I wove my way through the various people and headed towards the center of the city. Even though the night was cool, I felt myself burning up. What had come over me?

     There a weak part inside of me, a part that wanted to believe Morro and Harumi's pathetic story about changing and scrolls. A part of me remembered the happy moments between Harumi and I and wanted to give them a chance again. A part of me was getting distracted when I should have been focused on the threat of another villain. I shook my head, walking faster through the streets. I would not fall for her again. I. Would. Not.

     I stopped as I realized I had subconsciously walked to the fallen building. Harumi's grave stood dark in contrast to the saturated lights of the city, looming over all the small headstones placed at the bottom of the grassy hill. I didn't really care who saw me right now, since I was technically disguised. I hiked to the top of the hill and stared at the piece of my labor and love. The waste of my time. I clenched my fists at the memories.

     A large clap of thunder sounded through the square. I looked up, expecting to see storm clouds. The sky was clear. Panic building, I scanned the area for robbers, my hands going to the ninja stars I kept hidden in every outfit I owned. There were barely any people around the hill, since most people were afraid of it, and I didn't spot criminals anywhere. I peered around the area uncertainly, not sure what made the sound.

     "Schreeeeeeeeech!" a massive white falcon flew straight at my head. I yelped, diving out of the way before its claws made contact. I tucked and rolled, but the falcon was nowhere in sight. I pulled the shurikens from the folds of my clothes, preparing to throw them. There was nothing but a dark sky above me. I felt something hit my head. I reached up to feel it and saw a white flash. Spinning around, I saw the falcon fly off towards the stars. Another clap of thunder sounded, and the sky seemed to warp until the falcon had disappeared.

     I stood for second, open mouthed, before scanning the area again to make sure some sort of villain hadn't just popped out the ground somewhere. The first thunderclap came with the falcon, so the second one must have also been the falcon. But who was the falcon and how was he able to do that? Not to mention he was a white falcon. Did those even exist? The only falcon I had seen was Zane's, and it was black. Something fell off my head into the grass.

     I reached down to see a tiny scroll. Though it was crinkled, the wax holding it shut was still warm, as if it had been sealed recently. I gently broke the wax and unraveled the scroll. The pieces were coming together in my head. The falcon had come to deliver the scroll. The scroll must have a message or a warning. I scanned the contents, my eyes widening at every sentence. Without another word, I rushed back to the tea shop.

     "It's a prophecy," I gasped at the doorway, out of breath. It was a good thing Steepest Wisdom was closed, or I would have just freaked a lot of customers out. My head was pounding along with my heart. Every member of my team sprang to their feet, even Jay. He nearly ended up falling backwards if it weren't for Nya's intercession. I held out the scroll, which Kai immediately grabbed and opened.

     Everyone waited in a tense silence. Kai's eyebrows rose higher and higher as he read it, until Nya finally had enough of waiting. She snatched it from his hands, ducking behind Cole to avoid Kai's tackling. Sadly for her, Cole wanted the scroll just as badly as she did. He plucked it from her grasp, holding it up in triumph. Zane stole it from him while Jay whined that no one was letting him look it at.

     I stood watching the affair, not sure whether to be amused or aggravated. When Master Wu finally had enough of their mischief, he demanded they hand it over. I was surprised the scroll was still in one piece.

     Wu studied the document. "It looks like these two are trying to prove their story." He said, gesturing to Morro and Harumi.

     They perked up as Wu started to read aloud.

     "The tides have turned from bad to worse.

     But, upon this land there is no curse.

     Only fate can tell and destiny can decide,

     Which side will prevail and which side will divide.

     A great evil shall come to conquer the land.

     Oni and Light's son shall rise forth to take a stand.

     And Time's Overlord will fall to his end."

     Morro couldn't contain himself. "It's a message from Erasmus!"

     "Time's Overlord," Harumi mused, turning to her companion, "perhaps it is talking about the Time Twins, since they have control over time.

     "Or it is talking about Malevolence's master plan and that she will succeed in trying to bring back the Overlord." Morro replied.

     The excitement in their eyes. It was almost like they actually believed what they were saying.

     "Malevolence?" Cole echoed, revealing that he actually was paying attention to the two.

     Morro tilted his head. "She led the Oni army to attack Ninjago. Don't you remember a big monster looking she-demon holding control over the Oni?"

     "Likely story," Kai huffed, messing with his arm again. "An Oni named Omega was in charge of the army."

     "Omega was her lead general." Harumi rolled her eyes.

     "Again, likely story. We never heard of or saw this 'Malevolence.' I think you're making her up to try to get us to fall for your act."

     "Enough!" Master Wu stopped Kai's biting remarks. "We should not be arguing whether Malevolence exists or not. If this message is a prophecy from the Cloud Kingdom, we need to be focusing on preparing for the events to come. As for figuring out what it means, I will take a look at it while you all continue to brace for Vermillion attacks. They might just be part of the 'great evil coming to conquer the land.'"

     "Yes, Master," we all bowed.

     "Get some rest," Master Wu ordered, "I have a feeling there will be some long days ahead of us."

     My friends and I headed into the back of the store, then up the stairs to the bedrooms above. Master Wu had an extra floor of living quarters installed in Steepest Wisdom. He continued to tell us it was where we were moving once we settled down. I had hoped that time would come, where a long period of peace allowed my friends and I to finally lead a normal life. I could leave behind the past that tore at my heart and soul and finally live in a placid happiness. Sadly, I didn't think that would ever happen.