The bright morning sun was already making its presence known as the rays of light gently warmed the peaceful jungle tree house village. The surrounding area was lush and the long, winding, vines snaked up the tall trees. The fragrant smell of damp earth and the soft wisps of a morning breeze filled the air. In the midst of the jungle was the Jade village, nestled between the trees. The inhabitants were now an assortment of various people from different tribes who had gathered together to form a newfound settlement. They had lived in peace for a few weeks now, but slowly, problems started to occur. Two people stood in the center of the village, engaged in a fierce argument. Both of them were from different tribes, and they were at loggerheads over something that neither could agree upon. A few other villagers watched from the sidelines, unwilling to get involved in the disagreement. The first one, a woman from the Jade tribe, argued that the other one did not understand the culture and customs of the village, and wasn't respecting them. He was an outsider after all, and had yet to prove himself fully trustworthy. The other, a man, from the Desert tribe, angrily refuted her statement, further escalating the heated disagreement.
The noise of the argument reached the ears of the village’s young leader, Lloyd. He had only recently taken over as leader, and he struggled to manage the villagers. As he watched the two bickering, he knew he had to intervene before the situation boiled over.
He stood before them, making sure to be seen, and spoke calmly, despite the tension. He reminded them that they were all part of the same village, and without unity, they could not expect to prosper. He urged both sides to think carefully before taking any rash action, and finally, they agreed to put the matter to rest, at least for now.
As the two finally parted ways, Lloyd let out a sigh.

"Nice work Lloyd, you make being chief look easy." The master of energy glanced up to see Harumi walking over.

"Yeah, but it's not. I'm barely keeping everything together. There are so many things to do, I feel like my head is going to explode!" He hung his head in exhaustion. "I don't know how father managed all this..."

Yeah, Lloyd was tired. He'd only been tribe leader for two weeks, and he already needed a break. A few days prior, Garmadon had left the village to "go take care of something"- leaving Lloyd to deal with everything on his own. Of course, he wasn't entirely abandoned, there were several people in the village that helped to the best of their abilities. And the fact that he left in the first place, meant that Garmadon trusted him. Though, Lloyd was beginning to wonder if that trust was a mistake.

"Oh, come on, don't be that way. You're doing great!" Encouraged Harumi. "You saved everyone from Clouse by literally transforming into a raging beast. I'm sure this is nothing compared to that."

Well, she had a point there. But regardless, he was mentally and physically drained. "Hey, you don't mind if I step out for a minute, right? I gotta check on something. Um- tribe leader business!"

Harumi rolled her eyes and smirked. "Oh, of course. I got this place under control. You go do your... sworn duties."

The young master waisted no time and darted off with a relieved sigh. Lloyd ran, the wind crashing through his golden hair, his strides eating up the wild terrain beneath his feet. He weaved around trees while the high canopies of the jungle formed a protective shield overhead. He felt alive. As the trees gradually died down, Lloyd looked ahead to where a large golden field was slowly unfolding in front of him. He could make out some trees dotting the land and long patches of grass swaying in the soft breeze. Lloyd smiled once more and as he neared the field. It felt like it was just yesterday that he was leaving the jungle for the first time; looking over this exact field. He was so uncertain back then, but now, there was nothing he'd rather do than run to it. He turned into his Oni form and allowed the energy to course through every fiber of his being. He darted straight up, getting ever higher. Lloyd started to do loops and twirls as he flew, the sheer joy of being able to do so taking over his body.

Not long after, he was headed over a village. His eyes lit up as he glided over the Lightning Village, Jay was out talking to someone when he caught Lloyd's golden form flying over.
"Hey Lloyd!" He waved.

The green ninja waved back as he continued forward. Hot on his heels, the field soon disappeared and the roaring sound of the ocean reached Lloyd as he glided down to the beach. He landed on the soft sand, finally able to really appreciate how wonderful life could be without always having to worry about his duties as the new Jade leader. He stayed there for a little while, allowing the sunlight to wash over him. Then, he remembered why he had come back to this place. He turned back into a human and walked off to the dots along the shore in the distance. When he finally arrived, he almost regretted it, being immediately crowded by several people. Well, sort of people. Sea monsters of sorts? They were the same species as Nya; having blue-gray skin with many dark blue and black patterns. A white chest and facial markings, with sharp shark-like teeth and tail. It didn't take long for Nya to intervene, scattering them away. "Hey Lloyd. Sorry about them... My tribe gets a little- 'exited' easily. They're so used to being in the water that seeing land dwellers is still a bit of a shock."

Lloyd nodded in understanding. He looked around at the village they created on the shore. Originally, they were going to go back to their old  destroyed village and try to rebuild, but it didn't work out. Knowing there was nothing they could do for the old one, they decided to build a new one from scratch. One that sat on the coast of the main land. The houses were bamboo huts, thatched-roof lodges, and made from driftwood, with decorative shells. Clearly a beachside paradise for all who lived there. Even though majority of people there were Water Tribe, there were a few others that weren't. Most notably a young couple from the Jade tribe, and an elderly woman who was originally in the Lightning Village. Nya watched the others go about their lives proudly before turning and asking Lloyd what brought him there.

"Oh. I just... wanted to check up on this place! Yep, making sure everything is in perfectly working order! Totally not using this visit as an excuse to get away from my duties back home."

"Yeah, that's what I figured." Nya chuckled. "But in all honesty, you can't keep running away from your job as leader. I understand it's tough, but ask any of the other leaders, they'll tell you the same thing. Being in charge of a tribe is incredibly difficult, but you're in charge for a reason. You stopped Clouse and saved everyone, so-"

"Would people PLEASE stop using that as an excuse!" Lloyd snapped. "I know what I did! But I don't even remember doing it! Let alone HOW?! I was in some sort of overload frenzy of power... whatever banished Clouse WASN'T ME!...... I didn't deserve to be given the title of chief. Not yet."

Nya felt bad for Lloyd. She too had been forced into a leadership role when she swore she wasn't ready. Her mother died having her, and the one who adopted her, Trimaar, died of illness only 3 years ago. She and her two brothers, Kalmaar and Benthomaar, had to find their own way after that. Kalmaar was never really around, seeing as he was selected to be the protector of Wojira's resting place. Bentho, on the other hand, was a part of the main guards, so he was always around somewhere. Regardless, she was placed front and center by Trimaar's dying wish. She became the full-time leader. At least with Lloyd, he still technically had his father. She reassured him that he was indeed the one who saved the day, and not to doubt himself. Lloyd appreciated the pep talk and headed back to the jungle a while after.