Kai's POV

     "I hate getting wet." My gravelly voice echoed in the dark as I pulled myself out of the water. Nya emerged a second after me, clutching the Dragon Blade. I snapped my fingers, letting a burst of flame appear to light up the dismal cave. Nya didn't say anything, she simply sat at the edge of the water and panted. I heard the Geoatomic Rock Monsters growling from the cavern below us.

     The cave was steamy with the heat coming from the lava. I shuddered as the mist threatened to diminish my flame. When I surveyed the familiar surroundings, I caught sight of the bags under Nya's eyes. "You okay, sis?"

     Nya took a deep breath and nodded. She pulled herself to her feet while tucking the Dragon Blade into its sheath on her back. "Feels like old times, huh?"

     "Yeah," I agreed, watching her with narrow eyes. Nya smoothed her clumpy wet hair out of her face as she trekked towards the main cavern. I frowned as she passed me, reluctantly following my obviously tired sister.

    We reached the cliff that jutted out above the volcano's bottom. The Geoatomic Monsters' roaring was louder. I didn't think much of it, who knows why they did what they did.

     In the faint light of the cavern, I saw my sister's face more clearly. Her hair looked greasy, her face was pale, and the bags under her eyes had taken on a purplish hue. She surveyed the rocky slide in front of us and started to ready her water.

     "You have two choices," I said, stopping her. "You can tell me why you're disheveled, or I can guess until you tell me."

     "I'm not..." Nya ran a hand through her soaking wet hair again and sighed. "Okay. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

     "And?"

     She frowned. "And I haven't taken a proper shower in a couple of days."

     "And?"

     She was scowling at me now. "What else do you need to know?"

     "I need a reason not to chew out Jay for keeping you up so late."

     "We're literally married!" Nya exclaimed, her shriek echoing into the caverns. "It's not wrong for us to talk about things for hours on end."

     "What kind of things?"

     "Why do you need to know?"

     "Why are you acting so suspicious?" I put a hand on my hip.

     She looked downright malevolent, before finally whining, "You're going to hate me for this."

     "Nya—"

     "He thinks that what Harumi and Morro have been saying is true." She blurted out, burying her hands in her face. "I told him it was a stupid theory, but then he gave me those puppy dog eyes, and I may have allowed myself to listen to his points."

     "Jay thinks they're innocent?" I tore a hand through my immaculate hair, only to find it was still a soaking wet mess.

      "I told him it was stupid!" Nya waved her hands around. The Geoatomic Monsters' clamor was louder than ever, but both of us were ignoring it. "But then..." She paused, meeting my eyes. "People don't just come back from the dead, Kai. I watched Harumi fall. She couldn't have survived that. Both of us saw Morro die. How is it possible that both of them could be in front of us without something larger at play? They've had multiple opportunities to try something evil, but they've never taken them. Why?"

     "Harumi is acting, and she's brought Morro into her little gang. They're only being all innocent now because they're trying to get into our little circle." I crossed my arms. "Look, I'll try to get you some time off so you can nap later."

     "What?" She stared at me, not exactly sure how we got to this topic.

     "You can nap; I'll get to scold Jay for coming up with delusional theories—"

     A large crash echoed throughout the volcano, shaking the whole structure.

     Nya and I swiveled towards the sound, only to find a large cloud of dust billowing up from where the rebuilt library stood. Silence followed the crash. The monsters' growls had stopped. 

     Nya and I slowly turned to each other, both of us thinking the same thing.

     Someone was here.

     We creeped towards the slide, stopping at the top. There was now a huge pile of stalagmites, stalactites, and boulders at the bottom of the hill. The whole area was smoother, unlike it was before. Nya gathered water around us, and we began to slide down. We were about halfway down when a laugh echoed through the volcano. The sound was unsettling; it sent chills down my spine. That definitely didn't come from the Time Twins.

     So, who had gotten in?

     Doubt crept into my mind. Morro and Harumi had mentioned a monster named Malevolence, but I refused to believe she existed. I refused to believe anything they said. After what Harumi did to Lloyd, I could never trust her again. Lloyd had been greatly affected by his heartbreak; ever since he had a harder time trusting new people. He flinched whenever someone mentioned pairing him up or accused him of having a girlfriend. Whenever a nice girl tried to talk to us, Lloyd would take the longest to even be civil to them. Even now he seemed to be somber instead of blissful. He had grown up too fast because of her. And that didn't even include the horrors Morro had made him endure.

     There was no way I could just forgive them for that.

     Nya and I started climbing the pile of rocks that hadn't been there before. A lot of them had fallen into the lava, making the path across even wider. When we climbed the hill, we both stopped in front of broken library. My mouth dropped open as Nya similarly gasped. The Geoatomic Rock Monsters were all frozen. They were paused mid-attack, their mouths open and their fingers outstretched. Around them glowed a faint red tinge.

     Pebbles rustled. We didn't have time to gawk. Someone was coming.

     Nya and I ducked behind on of the monsters since there weren't any other places to hide if the mystery intruder was inside the library. Speaking of the library, Nya and I had spent hours rebuilding that with our parents so it would house the Reversal Blade again. Now, the front door had apparently caved in. I seethed quietly at all the wasted work as an uncomfortable chill sifted through the air.

     I peeked around the monster to see the creature in the library slither out. It was very big, over seven feet tall, with what looked like tendrils of darkness wafting out of it. It exited over the remains of the doors quietly, holding the Pause Time Blade in its hand. I frowned. How did it get its hands on the Pause Blade? Did it steal it from the Time Twins?

     The creature stopped after moving a few more steps forward, its gaze on the ledge where we entered.

     "I know you're there." It said. Its voice was like a sweet melody in my mind, so soothing and motherly. At the same time, the noise made me want to run away and never hear it again. "Hiding will only make things harder for both of us."

     I glanced at Nya, who was fingering the Dragon Blade. We didn't move. The air dropped another degree colder as the creature chuckled.

     "Pathetic. Here I thought seeing me might shock some curiosity into you. Maybe you're just scared, but that would be disappointing. I met the famous Ninja, and they refused to even fight me for this." The creature turned to face us and held up the Reversal Blade.

    My blood boiled as Nya started to bristle. I harshly motioned for her to stop before she sprang out of her hiding place. As much as I'd like to tell the creature to call me a coward again, we had to wait and see what would happen next. Revealing our positions now, especially when the creature had the Pause Blade, would only get us hurt.

     "You must think I'm not a threat." The creature made its way towards the large pile of rocks below the library. "Or maybe you want me to steal your Reversal Blade. You don't care about what I know about the Vermillion attacks. You don't even want to know how I got down here."

     That's it.

     I glared angrily at Nya, about ready to put caution aside and go after this obnoxious figure. She looked hesitant, though, not exactly angry anymore. After a second, she motioned for me to wait.

     "If your plan is to follow me back to my camp, I promise you I can disappear faster than the clues that will lead you to is behind all this."

     Apparently following the creature had been Nya's plan, since she barged past me into the open. I followed her a split second later. The creature grinned at us. "Finally got your attention?"

     "Call me a coward to my face." I seethed, drawing my swords.

     "Give us the Reversal Blade and no one gets hurt." Nya eyed me, nonverbally messaging this was not the time to avenge my ego.

     "And what will you do with something like this?" the creature mused, waving around the Blade. "Hide it where no one can use it? Store it away so its power is lost forever? I will do much more with this weapon. So much more."

     "What are you going to do with it?" Nya tried to extract answers.

     The creature merely laughed. "Something no number of wiles can get out of me."

     I stepped closer, getting myself into attack stance.

     "I must say, little Ninja, your work with the Oni was surprising. I thought for sure they'd finish you. But I guess that's what I get for letting Omega lead."

     I went slack with shock.

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

     "You're Malevolence."

     The creature's eyebrows raised, a crack in her performance. "How did you find that out?"

     "We'll give answers once you start telling us what we need to know," Nya jumped in.

     Malevolence looked distressed. "They survived then?"

     "Who?"

     "Thanks for the news. I'll personally strangle whoever let the princess and her accomplice out of that prison."

     "Harumi?" I felt like a fish, gaping as the truth hit. Harumi and Morro knew about Malevolence. She knew about them. Could they be telling the truth? About coming back from the dead? About some thief giving them a bigger purpose? About Malevolence controlling the Twins? Evidence seemed to support them. I could live in denial and make up some sort of lie to cover what I didn't want to believe, or I could accept it. Each choice seemed equally hard.

    While I was stuck in my thoughts, Nya had crept up to Malevolence. She lunged for the Reversal Blade, but Malevolence pulled it back just in time. The action snapped me out of my trance. I moved the confusion to the back of my mind and ran at Malevolence. I brought my swords down with force at her front. She lifted the Pause Blade to deflect, using her strength to hold my swords in place.

     Nya lashed out with the Dragon Blade at her other side. Malevolence countered by moving the arm holding the Reversal Blade in front of the weapon. Suddenly, little appendages launched out of her arm, spraying a violet liquid. The Dragon Blade did make contact; it sliced down into her arm. Nya pulled the Blade away as she avoided the liquid coming from the appendages. The visible cut in Malevolence's arm sealed itself up with the tendrils of darkness that seemed to crawl on her. I watched the healing, horror crossing my face. How could we defeat something that healed itself? With the blackness radiating from her, and the chilling effect of her voice, Malevolence seemed like a creature of darkness itself.

     She smirked and pulled the Pause Blade away suddenly, causing me to stumble forward. While I inwardly cursed myself for getting distracted, she swung up the newly healed arm and slashed the appendages across my face. I was knocked back by the force. My swords clattered against the rocky floor. I put a hand up to my face, which was stinging like fire. My fingers came back smeared with blood and some purple substance. Then, I realized what the liquid coming from Malevolence's arms was. It was poison.

     "What did you do to him?!" Nya screeched, flinging the Dragon Blade at Malevolence.

     She blocked the attack with the Pause Blade. "He just got injected with poison. I wouldn't worry. It's not a fatal dose."

    The stinging sensation started to spread. I pulled myself to my feet, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. Nya was about to assault Malevolence again when the she-demon let out a warning. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

     Nya gathered bubbles of water around her fists. "Try me."

     The volcano rumbled. Nya's gaze flitted over to where Malevolence was looking. The red light was dimming on the Geoatomic Monsters. They would start moving any second now.

     While Nya realized what was going on, Malevolence had moved over to me. She curled her claws and the poison glands extracted themselves from her arms. The little appendages were hovering at a dangerously close distance to my neck.

     "You'll do exactly what I say, Master of Water, for two reasons. One: you need your friend to fight off these rock monsters, and he'll soon be in no condition to fight. Two: if you don't, I'll make sure he gets a lethal amount and never fights again."

     "You underestimate my ability to fight." I hissed at her, blinking rapidly to keep my vision clear.

     "You underestimate how deadly my poison is." Malevolence responded, motioning to my obvious wooziness. Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Coward."

     "That's it!"

     I literally did not care what situation I was in. I tried to knock her arm up so I could slide out from under it, but somewhere in that messy plan she was able to punch the back of my head. I slammed onto the rocky ground, the pain and poison mixing in the most horrible combination. Malevolence grabbed my collar, pulling me back to my feet. My nose stung so much that my eyes started to water.

     I could barely see straight, but that didn't quench my determination to not let her get away with this. Despite the pain, I still tried to struggle. Nya had to see this wasn't hurting me, or else Malevolence could make her do whatever she wanted.

     "He is trying to convince you that my poison is not working on him, which stupid because he's in obvious pain. Let us skip the useless personal sacrifices and get to the part where you help me up the slide." Malevolence yawned.

     Nya bared her teeth. "You're a monster." 

     The Pause effect flickered on the monsters. I felt a wave of nausea rise in my throat. I put a hand to my mouth to try to quench the feeling. I wanted to lash out at the dangerous creature, but my stomach was lurching, and my swords were out of my reach. I had tried, and I had failed. No rebellion would save me now.

     Malevolence smirked as Nya took in her situation and sheathed the Dragon Blade. She shot me a guilty glance. "What do you need me to do?"

     Malevolence shoved me forward. "Use your water to get us up the hill. When we get to the top, you will allow me to leave with both Time Blades. You will wait five minutes before exiting yourselves." Nya's glare became murderous. Malevolence wasn't fazed. "I'd say I'm being pretty generous. I'm helping you get out and giving you enough time to find medical supplies before your friend's condition gets torturous. I could just kill you both."

     Nya took another look at the Geoatomic Monsters. She bowed her head and started collecting water around her hands. Malevolence led me towards the hill. We climbed over the rock pile. My stomach heaved as the poison continued to wear down my health. I felt about ready to collapse into a fit of shivering moans. The heat of the volcano seemed to rise until I felt like I was baking in an oven. The pebbles shifted below us, signaling the Pause effect on the monsters almost extinguished.

     With a grunt, Nya surrounded us with water. The ground shifted as the water rose up the hill. The monsters bellowed below us, startled and angry that their prey had gotten away. The water soaked into my clothes, and suddenly I was freezing. My teeth chattered so loudly I wondered if everyone else could hear them. I hoped not.

     Nya's face was strained with concentration as she moved us up the hill. Malevolence didn't move, nor did she speak. Her eyes were fixed on the exit. She was engrossed with her thoughts I could probably get away with grabbing the Pause Blade now.

     I gingerly reached out, only to feel my knees buckle. Nya saw me collapse in her peripheral vision. I was still being lifted by the water, but the world was back to feeling like it was cooking me alive. I groaned, putting a hand to my face. My fingers squelched against the blood that was trickling from my wounds. I closed my eyes, needing to curl into a ball until the sickness faded. Then, the floor stopped moving. The water drenching us splashed against the ground as Nya let go of her hold. The faint coldness next to me faded. Malevolence blended into the darkness as she stepped into the unlit cave.

     "Wait," Nya commanded, stooping down to wrap her sash around my head. "How do we cure this?"

     Malevolence's laugh made me want to hurl. "You can't cure it. He'll simply have to suffer until the poison leaves his bloodstream. He'll be back to normal before long. His nose though, that's a different story."

     Nya turned back to me, the faint light reflecting off of her fuming face. By the time she looked back for Malevolence, the she-monster had disappeared. Nya applied pressure to my wounds and lifted my head into her lap.

     "Can you still spark fire?" She whispered, a few unwanted tears leaking from her eyes.

     I held up a hand and snapped my fingers. The action took a lot longer than it was supposed to, and the snap was weak. Wisps of flames appeared on the ends of my fingers. A headache flared in my head, causing me to finally let out the moans I had been suppressing. It took all my strength to keep the flames alive.

     "I tried to take it." I whispered. "I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough."

     Nya nodded, gently squeezing my other hand. "Save your strength. We'll find a way to make this better."

     She pulled the Dragon Blade from its sheath and called water to her hands. She blinked away the tears falling from her face as she promised, "We'll figure this out, Kai. That creature won't get away with this."

    The Fusion Dragon flickered into existence as the world went dark around me.

>(<>)<

Morro's POV

    "I'm Seliel." A pink-haired girl held out her hand. I shook it tentatively. She gave me a half smile, then leaned against the shelves I was stocking. Cole had invited an acquaintance over to help with the prophecy. Since most of the Ninja were out scouting for Vermillion, and Kai and Nya were still not back from the Boiling Sea, PIXAL was the only one staying behind to help Sensei. Seliel was only with them for five minutes before popping out in the restaurant.

    "I'm told your name is Morro." Seliel raised an eyebrow, rubbing at her hair's brown roots. If she was aiming for a dangerously vibrant pink hue, she needed to get her wavy hair re-dyed.

     I didn't know much about the girl other than she was 'Cole's acquaintance', so this encounter had me quite guarded. The only thing I could discern from her ordinary appearance was that long scars ran across her arms, signaling her history as a fighter. But the fact that she knew the Ninja should have signaled that in the first place. I pulled my fedora down over my face, trying to hide the green stripe in my hair.

     "Nice to meet you," I bumbled out, not really knowing how to act. Comrades of the Ninja weren't usually this friendly to Harumi and I. Harumi was out front acting sweet for customers, so it was just Seliel and I back here.

     She watched me place box after box of pastry wrappings onto the shelf. "It's ridiculous. They want my help with this supposed prophecy, then they turn my ideas away. Judging by how you are out here, they did the same to you. I know I have something to offer. They just won't accept it."

     I paused, surprised by her directness. Normally this kind of blunt conversation was reserved for those who were close friends, but Seliel didn't seem to care about how well she knew me.

     "They have already been working on their interpretation for a while. Perhaps they don't want their version torn apart with new ideas." I suggested.

     Seliel snorted. "Yeah, what they have figured out is barely anything."

     "What do you think it means?" I asked. I had my own theories about Erasmus' message, but I desperately needed to talk to Harumi about them when we had time off.

     Seliel pulled a piece of parchment from her grey hoodie's pocket and cleared her throat. "The first part of the prophecy is completely useless. It's the second part that has all the important information. 'Only fate can tell and destiny can decide, which side will prevail and which side will divide.' I believe this means that there will be a big battle that will result in a division. One side will claim victory, the other will split up and start bickering amongst themselves. The divided side will be easy to wipe out completely. The deciding factor of this victory will be the part 'Oni and Light's son' plays. I am sure Wu holds this role and will determine the outcome of this coming war."

     "Interesting," I mused, taking the last box off of my cart. "What makes you so sure this is the right interpretation?"

     Seliel didn't falter. "I just know."

     Right then, the back doors burst open. Seliel and I swiveled to see Lloyd panting in the doorway.

     "Seliel, get the others." he commanded. Steepest Wisdom's dining area buzzed with commotion behind him. "Take whatever you need to get to them as fast as possible."

     Lloyd started for the room Sensei and PIXAL were in, his whole figure etched with anxiety.

     "Wait. What's going on?" Seliel stopped him. I hadn't noticed how tall she was before, but her head was almost parallel with Lloyd's.

     "Nya just messaged me—" Lloyd's voice cracked, "—Kai's been poisoned or something. He needs help quickly or she doesn't think he's going to make it."

     "Yikes," Seliel uttered as Lloyd pushed past her, muttering something about tea. She looked at me for a second, then rushed off to do as she was instructed. Harumi appeared in the doorway right after the pink-haired girl disappeared into the chaos. I met her eyes, both of us wearing the same shocked expression.

     Poisoned?

     Back in the front of the shop, the employees were trying to handle the mess that was the customers. Wu immediately ordered the shop be closed, and no one wanted to leave because leaving meant no news. Somehow Gail Gossip was able to get inside with her entourage while everyone was being ushered out. Harumi 'accidentally' squirted chocolate sauce all over the camera when Gail was distracted, immediately turning around to say they couldn't possibly film anything if their camera was dirty.

     In the middle of the chaos a girl's voice bellowed for everyone to clear the way. Instantly, meddling citizens parted as a sobbing Nya and a redhead pulled Kai through on a stretcher. Many gasps rang through the small crowd as cameras flashed. Harumi once again took charge and harshly got everyone to leave.

     I followed the two girls into the back, trying to catch a glimpse of Kai. Thin violet lines danced across his skin where the veins were supposed to be. He looked sweaty and feverish, constantly twitching and moaning like he was an inexplicable amount of pain. I noticed Nya's sash had been tied around his head, but it had slipped down revealing three large gashes that had scabbed up on the right side of his face. They were bubbling with an eminence purple hue.

     I stopped in my tracks, shock and dread weighing me down.

     I had seen that type of wound before.

     Malevolence did that to him.

     My eyes widened in shock. Malevolence went after the Reversal Blade. She was connected to the Time Twins and the Vermillion attacks.

     Nya's sobs echoed from upstairs, and Lloyd quickly ran up there with his arms filled with different teabags. I took one last glimpse at the hectic dining area, then followed him up the stairs.

     Sensei was calmly trying to gather information from Nya, who looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown. The redhead was the only one who was getting any actual information through. She explained that Kai and Nya had gone after the Reversal Blade, only to find it stolen by a she-demon, who also had the Pause Blade. The creature had poisoned Kai and threatened to give him a lethal dose if Nya didn't help her escape.

     "What if she already gave him a lethal dose?" Nya could barely help Lloyd look through the various teas he had brought up. "He's in such bad shape. I'm so afraid we're going to lose him..." She hiccupped, burying her face in her hands. The redhead looked torn between comforting Nya or trying to tend to Kai. It occurred to me that she must be his fiancée, Skylor.

     Kai started to cough violently, blood droplets flying out onto his damp gi. Skylor let go of Nya's hand to soothe him, Nya dissolved into a mess, and Lloyd was forced to drop the tea bags to help her through it. Sensei looked unsure of how to proceed, but then motioned for me to follow him out of the hallway.

     I followed him quickly, something trying to click in my mind. An idea was trying to break through in my head. Right now, I was too caught up with the outside world to remember it.

     "Was this because of Malevolence?" Sensei asked.

     I nodded. My brain kept grasping for a word. I had been there for Harumi's treatment. There was something Erasmus used on her, something that really helped—

     "Beetroot."

     We turned to see Harumi standing at the base of the stairs. Her apron was coated in various sauces and her fedora wasn't sitting right on her head. She wasn't exactly intimidating, but she did steal our attention.

     "Beetroot," I echoed, feeling excitement rise with memories. "Yes, beetroot! Sensei, Malevolence's poison isn't fatal. Kai will just have to endure a lot of suffering before the poison leaves his system. We can relieve him of pain and excrete the poison faster if we give him beetroot. That's the only cure."

     "Beetroot?" Nya's broken voice sounded from behind us. Her gaze flitted from my form to the white-haired girl at the end of the hallway.

     Harumi didn't back down from Nya's searching stare. "That will help your brother."

     Nya's face steeled as she wiped away the tears from her cheeks. She gave us a quick nod, before heading down to Harumi. "Very well, I believe you. Let's go."

     "Go? You mean like... outside?"

     "We're going to the grocery and we will be quick." Nya started down the stairs, pausing only momentarily to gesture to Harumi. "Come on."

     Harumi met my eyes and shrugged, following the water ninja down the stairs with a hint of a grin.

     Lloyd and Skylor poked their heads out the room as the two girls disappeared. The minute Sensei quickly debriefed them on what just happened, Lloyd's mouth dropped open.

     "She can't just trust... you can't just her..."

     He sprinted off after them, but at that moment Seliel had let in the storm that was Jay, Cole, and Zane. There was general panicking for the next few minutes. Lloyd was concerned about Harumi turning on Nya. Jay was concerned about Nya's mental health. Cole was trying to calm everyone down, and Zane just wanted to scan Kai's vitals.

     At some point Jay and Lloyd had raced off after the girls, not even taking time to throw mediocre disguises over their ninja gis.

     It took about an hour for everyone to return, but even that was chaotic since all of Ninjago had decided to stalk the building. I helped Skylor with brewing tea to calm down Kai's fits, but even knowing the poison wasn't fatal she was an emotional mess. Seeing someone she loved going through so much pain must have been unbearable for her, and I could relate. I would rather be flogged with an iron whip before letting someone hurt Harumi like that.

     Nya didn't bother with trying to puree the beetroot when her group made it back. She just shoved it in the microwave then used her throwing stars to cut it open. Jay held her shoulders as she fed the pieces to Kai, gently whispering it was going to be alright.

     Kai had trouble getting the warm vegetable down, but in the end, he was able to swallow it. Nya refused to leave his side for the rest of the day, Jay wouldn't leave his wife alone, and Skylor insisted she'd rather live with no sleep than not watch over her fiancé.

     Harumi had gotten through the whole ordeal unscathed, but that was probably only because she had Nya's protection.

     Nya's protection.

     Perhaps Jay was taking my earlier words to heart.

     Despite most of the Ninja still having qualms about my honesty, I was hammered with questions about how long it would take for Kai to heal. I tried to keep up with the constant stream of panicked inquiries, but my answers didn't satisfy them. The truth was, I didn't know how everything would play out.

     Optimistically, the poison would naturally filter out in a few hours. Pessimistically, it could take a few weeks or longer. Harumi and I had recovered quite quickly, but we hadn't been given a lot of poison. I had no idea how much Kai had been injected with.

     The only positive side to this that I could find was that the Ninja were more willing to believe us when it came to curing their friend. As I watched the them mourn their injured teammate, I knew that we had come one step closer to figuring out Erasmus' message. Malevolence was behind the attacks. It made sense that she would be the mastermind behind all of this, but what did she need the Time Blades for?

      And if she had been in Ninjago for all this time, then why was she stalling the Ninja for even longer?

     I turned this thought around in my mind until an idea clicked. Sure, Sensei and the Ninja might be figuring out their version of the prophecy's meaning, but that didn't mean Harumi and I couldn't make our own. We would have to figure it out. Or all of Ninjago would suffer.

>(<>)<

Malevolence's POV

     "STUPID IMBECILES! CAN I DO ANYTHING WITHOUT SOMEONE MESSING IT UP!" I roared, kicking over the barrel of water I was supposed to be using to cool off the Time Blades.

     "What did we do wrong this time?" Acronix yawned, not looking up from the map he was studying. He was near the exit of the cave, so far enough out of my reach where he could survive.

     I groaned, reminding myself of what would happen if I strangled the irritating twin. "Not you."

     Harumi and Morro were alive and with the Ninja. They were the only ones who could have told them who I was. I gritted my teeth. They were suffering in a triple locked prison when I left. They should have died there. Instead, someone broke them out and brought them back to Ninjago. Either it was a traitor Oni, some demented defect, or some other strange ally who somehow knew where they were. I wasn't going to question the logistics of it. They were out of prison, so I guess it didn't really matter how they got out.

     "You. Fill this up." I commanded one of the few Vermillion warriors on guard. He nodded and hauled the barrel out of the dimly lit cave.

     "What's wrong then?" Krux asked, leaning against the wall beside his brother. "Our army hasn't under-performed once, and you just got back from your mission victorious. You shouldn't have anything to worry about."

     The dim twin was standing next to his brother. It wasn't that Krux wasn't smart; it was just that he was too narrow minded. His thoughts were either on how awesome his soldiers were, or how I was such a good ally. He was too focused on his vision of the world to even consider me a threat, which aggravated me more than I wanted to admit. Even though I wanted to throw Acronix halfway across Ninjago every time he even entered the same room as me, I still respected him more than his brother. At least Acronix wasn't afraid to say what he thought.

     "I ran into the Ninja." I refrained from adding 'you dimwit' to my sentence. It was unnecessary to carry my point across. "And I found out that two people who could spoil my plans to the Ninja are alive and with the Ninja."

     "Do the Ninja know how to find us?"

     "Not yet." I turned the situation over in my head as the Vermillion soldier came back in with the barrel full of water.

     "Then you have nothing to worry about. Even if they did find us, we'd level them in an instant."

     I rolled my eyes when he wasn't looking, directing the Vermillion soldier to bring me my most deadly general.

     Viper had a strange sort of chill to him, as if he knew he could take out a lot of people without much effort. He was the most influenced by my darkness, which meant he was the most loyal to my cause. The others did as I said, but there was something about Viper that stood out.

     Even Acronix stiffened when the Vermillion walked past him. He bowed before me, his eyes glinting a cold magenta. "General Viper, gather your team. Kill the white-haired girl and the Master of Wind. Use whatever method is necessary."

     "It will be done, my queen." He left the cave, using his hive mind to gather his troops.

     "I thought you wanted the attacks to be random and without targets," Acronix drawled as soon as he was sure Viper was gone.

     "This is different," I said slowly, picking up the now repaired Time Blades. I set them in a container I had built. The container resembled a drill on the outside. Inside, there was a handle and complex machinery I spent hours planning out. I lived in the most inventive place in the Ethereal Divide for a very long time. After a while, I started to pick up on the native's techniques. I hooked in the Time Blades so that their blades touched at the top. Gripping the handle inside the drill, I squeezed the button, which made the drill start rapidly turning. It made a whirling sound, and I could feel the temporal energy stirring. I let the button go, and the whirling stopped. "I can't have the Ninja figuring my plan out yet. Right now, I need precision. I need accuracy. I need you, Krux."

     Krux looked up. I picked up a black cloak that had rocks sewn in the pockets. I handed it to him. He stared at the cloak, then at me. Acronix watched us both silently, his face becoming more suspicious with each move I made. The only noise was the sawing in the background as the Vermillion worked on armor.

     "Splitting Ninjago in two was not enough to stop the Overlord," I continued, my claws brushing my new invention. "The First Spinjitzu Master had to split the Overlord as well. The Overlord was weakened from transferring his control of the Stone Army to a helmet. The First Spinjitzu Master caught him off guard. He separated the Overlord's soul from his body. The body fell into the Endless Sea, destined to sink forever. The soul was banished to the Dark Island, where it would stay until Garmadon released him. I need you to go back in time and retrieve the body."

     Krux's eyes widened with understanding. "You want to reunite the soul with the body." He pointed to the amulet. It pulsed as if it heard his words.

     I fingered the case of the soul, wondering if they could sense his excitement to be set free. "Yes, only then will the Overlord be at full strength. Only then will he be too powerful for the Ninja to beat."

     "What's this for?" Krux held up the cloak.

     I ignored him. "This drill will work like your Iron Doom. Press the button and it will open up a vortex in time. Release the button and the vortex will close."

     "The cloak. What's it for?"

     His tone was very disrespectful. If didn't need him so badly, I would have to find a creative way to punish him for that. "This mission requires accuracy and speed. When the First Spinjitzu Master split the Overlord, the body fell into the water. The First Spinjitzu Master and I watched what happened to the soul. There is a small window where no one is paying attention to the sinking body. You will leap into that point of time, grab the body, and throw the cloak into the water in its place. When the First Spinjitzu Master looks back to see the body, he will see the sinking cloak and think it is the body. Meanwhile, you will bring the body back here, and we will move onto the next stage in the plan."

     Krux processed this. "How small is this window of opportunity?"

     "It's less than a minute. Twenty seconds at best." I tried to recall the time. I hadn't been watching the body either; I just remember hearing the splash.

     Acronix cut in. "You need someone young. Someone fast."

     "I need accuracy." I argued. Acronix would probably sabotage the mission on purpose. "If Krux gets caught, the world as we know it could change. The First Spinjitzu Master will make sure you don't exist. He'll recognize a Master of Time."

    "What if I do get caught?" Krux asked.

    "Jump backward in time, not forward. If you jump forward, you finalize the effects of what you messed up. Going back to fix it will cause more temporal problems."

     I handed the drill to him. "Repeat to me what I have instructed you to do."

     Krux studied the keeper of his elemental power. "Jump to the point in time where the Overlord's soul is split from his body. Grab the body and drop the cloak in its place. Leap away before anyone looks. If I mess up, I go backward in time, not forward."

     I nodded. "Good."

     Krux pressed the button on the drill. The temporal energy stirred and cackled. Before our eyes, a blue portal opened up.

    "Good luck, brother." Acronix said.

     Krux nodded, not looking at all nervous, and let the portal whisk him away.

    One step closer.

    You will be with us soon.

    I will not fail.