Wu had been sitting near the tree for twenty minutes or so and the rain had slowed down to a drizzle. He couldn't hear anymore shouts. All was silent.
But it was broken by soft footsteps growing louder.
"Can I join you?"

Wu looked up to see his father smiling at him. For some reason, seeing his father made him want to cry all over again. And so he did. He hugged his father, hiding his face in his lap and cried.

"Shh. It's okay," his father calmed him down, stroking his blonde hair.
"I-I'm sorry, Father. I didn't m-mean for any of this to happen," Wu sobbed.

"I know. But what's done....is done," his father replied sadly.
Wu stopped crying. He looked up and wiped his eyes. "W-what's wrong? What is it? Tell me!" he begged, tugging on the sleeve of his father's kimono.

"Let's get you inside and dried up first or you'll catch a cold. I'll tell you," his father said, grabbing Wu's hand and leading him inside. Wu hesitated.

"Don't worry. He's asleep," his father reassured him.

He gave Wu some dry clothing. He wrapped him up in a comforter and gave him a mug of steaming hot chocolate. He poured himself a cup of tea and sat down with his son at the table, taking a sip.

"Wu, what I will tell you now will be kept a secret from Montgomery until I reveal it to him myself. Understood?"

Wu nodded.

"Good. As you know, your brother is the victim of a snake bite. But not just any snake bite. That snake was the Great Devourer," his father said, his face half hidden in the shadow cast by his hat. Wu felt a chill running down his back as soon as he heard that name. Who could blame him? It sounded horrible.

"The Great Devourer?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Yes. An evil has found its way into your brother. And it won't stop till it consumes him."

"But- but I know Montgomery. No matter what snake it is, he will never be evil. I refuse to believe that," Wu protested.
The First Spinjitzu Master sighed.
"I wish that were true. But, alas, it is not. The Great Devourer's venom can turn the purest of hearts wicked."

Wu processed this new information.
"But why? Why is the Great Devourer so dangerous?"

"Long before you were born" his father began,"I created Ninjago with the four Golden Weapons. It was, and is, beautiful. Filled with colours, magnificent creatures and music. It was full of light." There was a pause. He took a sip of his tea and continued.
"But as you know, every light casts a shadow. And this one casted a rather big shadow known as the Overlord." A feeling of nostalgia and sadness washed over him as he echoed the words of the Dragon.

Wu gulped. The sun was setting lower over the far off mountains and the monastery was growing darker with every passing minute.

"The Overlord wanted to take over the land and I had to fight him. The battle continued for years and years. His Stone Army was just as strong as my Elemental Masters. Many were lost and there was no end in sight. I had to take some action. So I split Ninjago in half and banished the Overlord to the Dark Island."

The monastery was now dark enough that the need for candles couldn't be ignored. The First Spinjitzu Master lit some up and sat down again, his shadow dancing on the wall in the flickering light.

"But what does all this have to do with that snake?" Wu asked, setting down his half empty mug.

"When the war was over or rather had been stopped for a while, the people rejoiced. The Stone Army was sealed away in the depths from where they had come into being. Years later, I was given the greatest blessing I've ever had."

"And what was that?" Wu asked.
His father smiled at him. "Children."

Wu gave a little giggle and smiled one of his smiles in which all his pearly whites would show and his blue eyes would light up.

"Yes. The day you two came into my life was .... tiring but also the best day I can remember. I vowed that I would never let anything happen to you. And here I failed," The First Spinjitzu Master said, his smile fading.
Wu put his small hand on his.
"You didn't fail. I failed you."

"Well then, you'll have to forgive yourself. Blaming ourselves only makes matters worse."

Wu didn't think he could ever forgive himself. From all he had heard up till now, he had exposed his brother to one of the most dangerous creatures in existence who, by the looks of it, was somehow associated with the legendary Overlord.

The First Spinjitzu Master continued his story.
"People started saying that they weren't so sure they were safe just yet. Monks believed that the Overlord had certainly left something behind that would be the source of his rebirth. And so the legend of the Great Devourer came into being; a snake which the Overlord had corrupted so that whoever it may bite will become his servant. Using this unfortunate person, he would free himself from banishment and return once again. I thought it to be a rumour and nothing more. Until today."

Wu looked at the corridor where Montgomery's room was. It was eerily dark. And silent. It was so unnatural that Wu half expected the Overlord to jump out of Montgomery's room and come running at him. With a shiver, he turned back to his father.
"So you think that Monty is the Overlord's servant now because of this Great Devourer?"

The First Spinjitzu Master nodded.

"But how did you know that it was the Great Devourer that bit him and not some other devil snake I haven't heard about yet?" Wu asked, thinking that this was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

"Because I felt him. In there, with Montgomery, I felt a dark presence. That feeling of fear and dread I hoped I would never feel again. But I knew I had to someday. The battle has to be finished. The Overlord has chosen his servant and he will use him to free himself."

Wu slightly shook his head in disbelief, lips parted.
"You're saying that Montgomery is now some sort of an evil conduit for the Overlord?"

"Yes. Your brother will now act differently than he used to. He will have a short temper and he will be easily upset. He will have small sudden outbursts like the one you saw this morning. He'll feel insecure and may even have nightmares."

Wu looked down into his mug.
What a bust, he thought. Now instead of a big brother, I have to deal with a kid who has anger issues.
He looked up at his father, a new and rather disturbing thought coming into his mind.

"So if Montgomery is going to, uh, work for the Overlord and that million year old battle will continue then that means that .... you'll have to fight my brother, right?"

The First Spinjitzu Master smiled and shook his.
"I don't think I'll even be alive by then. Montgomery is not someone who gives into things easily. He is going to fight this venom inside him, I'm sure of it. So because of this it may take the poison years to fully consume him. It will be hard for him at first. He won't be able to keep it in that easily but as he will grow, he will get used to it and will learn to control it. But a word of warning is that the older he gets the less frequent his attacks will be but they will be a lot more destructive. People could get hurt."

"But then what will we do?" Wu asked, looking worried.

"Love, my son. Love is a very powerful thing and only it can wipe out all the darkness. You can only beat destruction with creation and if love isn't the best example, I don't know what is. As long as he has people who love him as you and I do, he will be alright. We have to make sure he stays away from people who may trigger him and for that I'm restricting your outings," his father said, raising his finger.

"What?!" Wu cried in disbelief. "You can't do that!"

"Yes, I can. You are allowed to go but only where I find it suitable and safe. We have to hide this from everyone. I will inform him when he is ready. But you must not speak a word of it to anyone."

Wu rested his head in his hands and grumbled, "How can I when I'm not even going anywhere?"

"I know you are too young to understand this but it has to be done," the First Spinjitzu Master said, leaning forward and brushing Wu's golden locks sideways.

"No, I'm not. I may look eight but I've been around for almost, let me see, hundred years now," Wu stated.

The First Spinjitzu Master got up, taking his cup and Wu's mug, and walked towards the kitchen.
"Why don't you help me get supper ready? After eating, we will get down to your reading lesson and then I'll tuck you into bed with a story."

Wu followed him into the kitchen, leaving the comforter lying forgotten on the wooden floor.
"Don't you think I've had enough stories for one day?"

His father chuckled, pulling out a pot.
Wu sat on the stool they kept in the kitchen so that he and Montgomery could reach high places.

"What about Monty?" the blonde asked. "Isn't he going to join us?"

The First Spinjitzu Master looked at him. "He will be sleeping till morning. I did give him something to eat but he refused."

Wu nodded. He helped his father cut up some vegetables but his mind was focused on the things he heard that day. He was going to help his brother get better. He was going to make up for what he did.
_______________________________________

Montgomery slept until the next morning as his father had said and woke up to a horrible pain in his stomach. Without realizing what was happening, he threw up all over himself. He was breathing heavily, the taste of vomit still lingering on his tongue. He called out to his father who came running in a few seconds later. He cleaned up his mess, gave him a new pair of clothes and told him to go have breakfast. His stomach still feeling queasy, the brunet refused but upon a stern look from his father he reluctantly obeyed.

When Wu saw him, he almost dropped the plate of eggs he was carrying. His brother's eyes were back to being brown, thank goodness, but they were dull and devoid of any happiness. His face was still pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. Montgomery looked at Wu for a brief moment then sat down at the table without greeting him.

Wu felt an unfamiliar aura as he sat down next to him. He placed Montgomery's plate in front of him and glanced at his brother.
"G-good morning, Montgomery."

"I told you I hate that name," Montgomery said coldly, not looking at his brother.

"Oh, r-right. What I meant was Monty," Wu replied, smiling sheepishly.

Montgomery banged a fist on the table, causing Wu, and the plates, to jump.
"I hate that name," he repeated, this time glaring at Wu.

"Th-then what do you w-want me t-to say?" the younger stammered, shifting away. Montgomery looked back down at his plate. He thought for a moment.

"Garmadon," he said finally. "Call me Garmadon."
He started his breakfast without another word.

Wu looked at him with fearful eyes. He didn't like this Montgomery at all but he knew it was his fault. He just had to deal with it and call his brother by his last name: Garmadon.