I never thought I'd tremble in the face of death. Ever since I consented to leaving with the Ninja, I courageously awaited my imminent demise. Even after the Songdragon incident, I kept my head held high. I handed myself over to the Overlord. I didn't resist as I was left unfed and without much sleep. I was completing my mission in the prophecy. There was no avoiding it.

      Yet, in that singular moment, with my fingers intertwined with another's as the flames fell to eat my corpse away, I felt myself tremble. I assumed it was a very human response to death; I guess I was more concerned about Morro's fear than my own.

     Death was warm and sticky, like sweat from an overheated forehead dripping onto white knuckles.

      It was the smell of smoke and yet the feeling of being protected.

      I had never thought about death before, or what came after it (Father told me not to concern myself with such things, as death did nothing but pain the Grand Master), but here in this warm, protected area, I found my spirits being lifted. Perhaps death would finally be a chance to live as I chose, without endangering the Grand Master's precious economy.

     So, I opened my eyes to see my new haven.

     But only Morro was there.

     I leaned back from the bars—hold on, bars? Sure enough, I was still holding the bars, and Morro was still gripping my fingers like they were the last thing he could ever hold onto. Which, theoretically, was correct. I was just puzzled by the fact there were prison bars in my fingers after death.

     That's when I saw the gold.

     A brilliant, shining gold, covering our heads and the area around us. It was like we were trapped in a bubble of the purest metal, that is, until I saw the burnt remains of the tent scattered around us. The gold was transparent like...

     Like a bubble of energy.

     That was Morro's elemental power, wasn't it? Creating energy? Slowly, I turned back to the boy in question, who still had his eyes squeezed shut. He had tensed up upon preparing for his demise. Morro hadn't trembled. He had only braced himself for impact. I suddenly wondered if his parents had ever told him what was supposed to happen after death, and that was what he was preparing himself for.

     "Morro," I whispered, attempting to pull my fingers away and miserably failing. "Morro wake up."

     When he opened his eyes, I lurched backwards in shock.

     His eyes were glowing gold.

     In fact, it wasn't just his eyes. His hands started pulsing with the energy he was creating. The air sparked with golden power around him. Then, he started to float, releasing my hands as he rose into the air.

     I squeezed into the back of my cage, watching as the golden force field flickered once, twice, then disappeared.

     And Morro dropped to the ground, seemingly unconscious.

     "Morro!" By the time I had scooted to the front again, he had weakly raised his head and rested his chin in the dirt.

      "We're alive," he breathed, incredulous.

      "Yes," I said.

      The charred remains of the once camp stretched out on all sides. The fire was still blazing, but it had moved on to a different section of tents. Ash flitted through the air, and I could see the miniscule forms of the Vermillion moving about to find armor to inhabit. I took a deep breath of the smoky air, nearly laughing at the insanity of it.

     We were alive.

     "How?" Morro asked, still too weak to move from his splayed spot on the dirt.

     I looked at the boy carefully, composing myself before admitting the truth. "You created an energy field. It must have shielded us from the fire."

     "An energy field?" Morro propped himself up on his elbows so he could stare at his hands. "I... I didn't know I could do that."

     I stayed silent, wincing when a look of realization passed over his face.

     "Did... did I glow or something?" he asked.

     Tentatively, I nodded.

     His cheeks flushed red. He struggled to pull himself to a sitting position, nearly collapsing against the cage in exhaustion. When he met my eyes there was a new sort of spark there. This was not a conversation I wanted to have.

     "Father once told me one of the most powerful states an elemental master could reach was called 'True Potential'. A true potential could only be reached once the elemental accepted the deep truths about themselves they didn't want to face. For my father, it was accepting his role to defeat his father, Lord Garmadon, even though it meant fighting his own family." He paused, staring back down at his hands. "If I was glowing gold and I reached an unspeakable amount of power, that means I must have unlocked it. So that leaves the question: what truth did I have to face?"

     I didn't reply. I knew exactly what it was, for I was there when that light had turned on behind his eyes for the first time. He'd been too afraid to say the words aloud, but he wasn't afraid to act on them. And I... I had allowed it because... because...

     "Noria," said Morro, breathless, "I was once told the greatest love is to lay down one's life for one's friend. Does that mean I'm in love with you?"

     I couldn't—shouldn't answer, and no words were able to leave my mouth. I was stammering, unsure, more of an Ominiran child than I'd ever been. I knew exactly that the words coming out of his mouth were true. I knew it, and I hated that I knew it. The minute I acknowledged those words they became real. A truth I couldn't pretend away. He was in love with me, and I was...

     Still trapped in a cage.

     I don't think either of us acknowledged the realm-shattering blast that shook the area. Morro inched closer to the bars, his hand reaching out to touch me once again. He was a toucher; it was how he showed affection. If I allowed this, then it was the equivalent of—his hand caressed the side of my face, and the rest of my thoughts melted away like warm butter.

     And he smiled, a broken smile that still managed to be genuine.

     I should speak, I should tell him to step away, but I was frozen in place.

     A scream shot into our ears, breaking the trance. Another round of hoarse screaming followed soon after, aching with more pain than was imaginable. The sun went dark again, and our heads swiveled to see the Overlord landing in the center of the camp. We could see his massive, dark form unfurl its wings as he snarled down at something.

     "Shade," I said suddenly, rushing to press my hands against the other side of the cage.

     "What?" Morro asked, his voice suddenly flooding with several emotions. I was both surprised and unsurprised to find jealousy in the mix.

     "He's down there. The Overlord is taunting him." I gripped the bars, pulling at them even though I knew they wouldn't budge. "He's going to fight him alone."

     Morro's face faltered.

     I turned back to him, surprised to see him hesitating. "I'm fine, but your brother may not be. You need to go to him."

     "I need to get you out of here," Morro said, his fingers playing with the lock again.

     "Morro, he's your brother! This is your destiny!"

     "I wasn't the son, and I never am going to be," he shot back, his gaze locked onto the dust and ash gathering in the dirt. "He won't need me."

     "And what if you're wrong?" I countered, hearing my own voice lift. "What if you're wrong, and Shade dies because you couldn't save him in time?"

     "I'm not going to leave you to die!"

     "I'm not your concern anymore! You saved me, and I'm sure one of your friends will find me and figure out how to free me. Until then, you can't waste your brother's life on mine. The prophecy said my sacrifice will save the son of Oni and Light. I don't think it did anything to help Shade."

     Morro hesitated, finally met my eyes again, and was silent. I could see the doubt there. He had finally found something and didn't want to let it go. Sometimes it was easier to stay in the happy places, where the warmth of your heart created a bubble of protection around those you loved. But happy times always ended. I had to leave my family. The Songdragons gave their lives to protect us. And now, Morro had to face his greatest fear.

     He had to accept his destiny as the son of Oni and Light.

     Slowly, he nodded.

     He knew that I knew what that meant.

     He pressed his hand through the bars once more, opening up his palm. I blinked back tears and gently squeezed his hand. His smile was heartbreakingly hopeful.

     "I will come back to you," he promised.

     I barely had time to nod before he stood up, stepping away from the carnage. Morro reached up and pulled his canary yellow hood over his messy hair, using the other hand to fasten the spear to his back. He ran down the hill, ran to his brother, ran to his destiny.

     I turned away, not wanting to watch. I knew I had no parts left to play. My role was complete, there was nothing more I could do to aid this fight.

     I don't know how long I sat there, in the ash and sand, waiting for a sign of life. The forests of the Dark Island stretched out far, blocking out any interesting view. It was fine, though, I needed an empty set of space to help me think.

     An axe smashed through the metal bars at full force, shattering the metal cage like glass. I screeched in shock, but I was already being whisked through the air and onto the safe ground. Arms held me a safe distance away from my collapsing prison, the protective limbs fading back into a normal color after being lit up with elemental power.

     Peak dropped to his knees beside me, blocking out my view of the fight behind him. There were no words between us; we fell into a routine that was so similar to both of us that we had no idea how to break it. He titled his head to the side to ask a question, and I nodded.

     It was enough.

     I was okay, I was safe, I was free. Peak wiped dark, stringy hair out of his eyes, then sat down on the dirt beside me. Dead snakes and scattered armor lay strewn across the dilapidated camp, turning darker as thick clouds came to cover the sun. In the center of the camp there was a large black dome, blocking out any view of the Overlord or the two sons. Their fight was up to destiny now.

     And we waited, watching to see who would emerge from that dome first.

     My heart twisted in my chest just thinking about it, but I pursed my lips and was silent.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins and my throat burned for air. I ran through the camp, striking down anything and everything that tried to stop me. Vermillion burst into their original forms. Pieces of hurled wood were batted back like baseballs. Even the flames faltered as I neared the Overlord.

     He was tall, taller than I'd imagined, with a form so black he looked like a void in midair. His eyes were glowing, and the world around us was turning darker and darker as the Overlord's magic tendrils created a dome. I felt Shade before I saw him, since the atmosphere twisted before his snap.

     "Kill him," the Overlord hissed, causing the tightness to falter.

     That's when I skidded to a stop behind the wretched beast and met Shade's eyes. The anger, the pain there instantly dropped into an expression of shock. His hands faltered, and the Overlord kicked him so hard he went ricocheting off the walls of darkness surrounding our area.

     Instead of clutching his sides or back, Shade dug his fingers into his hair, screaming at the pain in his head. The Overlord grinned as he made his way over to my brother, and raised a fist to make Shade one with the ground.

     It hit a bubble instead.

     Slowly, both Overlord and son looked over to see me, arms outstretched. Energy was pulsing through me; my form began to glow gold. With two well aimed strikes, I blasted energy straight at the Overlord's face.

     He swatted it away without much effort, but his temporary distraction gave Shade enough momentum to get back to his feet. My twin ran up to the large beast, thrusting his hands out to touch the Overlord's massive tail.

     The Overlord let out an inhuman sound as his tail began to shrivel.

     He whipped around, fast as lightning, and scooped me up so tightly I didn't have time to breathe. I yelled as I was thrown across the dome, slamming my shoulder against the walls of darkness. My spear clinked out of its sheath, falling to the ground. Just as I started to drop, the Overlord struck me again, causing me to fly all the way over the other side. Meanwhile, Shade continued to scream.

     How do we win?

     I crashed against a wall yet again. The Overlord allowed me to fall, since now he was both trying to stay out of Shade's physical range as well as land a killing blow on him. The Overlord was much faster and in better medical condition, but Shade was visibly draining as much energy out of the air as possible. The dirt beneath him was becoming cracked and parched as the water dissipated into thin air.

     I was pretty sure I broke something when I hit the ground. My insides felt like they had all been messed up; I could barely move enough to lift my head.

     The only source of light in the blackened dome was the faint glow coming from the embers in the remaining tents. I could tell where Shade and the Overlord were simply by the darkness they radiated. Gasping, I forced myself to get to my feet, despite the blinding white light of pain threatening to consume my consciousness.

     I tried to concentrate on the air around me.

     There was warmth in the embers. I could amplify that.

     Just like that, the warmth began to swell.

     I grabbed a discarded tent pole from the dust and ran at the Overlord.

    The prophecy just said that we would win, not how we would do it. I assumed this fight would end with the Overlord's death, but how were we supposed to kill a beast that size?

     The pain was too blinding for me to see properly, so I stabbed the darkness wherever it thickened. The tent pole rebounded back in my face, knocking me back to the ground. I hissed in agony as sparks from the amplified fires hit my face.

     "Weapons don't hurt me," the Overlord rumbled, raising a foot to crush my trembling form.

     Nori's worried face flashed through my mind, and suddenly, the bubble of golden energy was around me once again.

     The Overlord wailed once again; I could hear something thud against the ground. It took all my strength to move, but when I did, I saw his tail sitting lifeless on the ground.

     Detached from his body.

     Shade prepared to snap.

     "How much do you wager that bubble will protect him?" The Overlord shot up into the air, disappearing into the darkness at the top of the dome. Shade hesitated again, quickly dropping his hand to run to my side. Even my energy bubble was flickering with my fleeting strength.

     "Morro, no no no," Shade cried, his dirty hands reaching out to check for my pulse.

     "I'm alive," I wheezed.

     Then the Overlord nosedived from the sky. Before I could blink, Shade was at his feet, a fist raised to the Overlord's falling form.

     The air became unbearably cold.

     And the Overlord screeched again.

     A large appendage smacked against my face, causing me to splutter in pain. The Overlord flew off again, while Shade heaved for breath, standing over my disabled form. He held out his hand, and despite the overwhelming urge to lay on the ground until the aching subsided, I took it and let him pull me up.

     We stood there, trembling against each other, when Shade's hand smacked against his face and he started to moan.

     "Shade? Shade!"

     "He's in my head," Shade forced out the words, squeezing his eyes shut like that would mentally push the intruder away. He attempted to say something else, but right then the Overlord swooped down from the darkness.

     We were both flung backwards across the camp remains; the tattered poles tearing up our gis. It took Shade a considerably longer time to rise to his feet, stumbling forward in his armor and the thin clothes we wore to protect our skin from the armor. I could barely breathe.

     The world was a hazy mix of black and red.

     I could barely process what happened next due to the pain overwhelming my senses. Someone yelled something about energy, a deep, throaty voice inhaled, and suddenly the pain subsided.

     I thought I was dead, but that was not the case. When I opened my eyes again, the world was only in black and white. Memories slipped through cracks in my mind. I could no longer remember why the world wasn't red, nor could I remember what had caused me pain in the first place.

     I stood up, looking around the darkened area. A large dragon hovered in the air, with a grin as wicked as sin, while a small blond boy cowered in fear. I stepped forward, instantly feeling my chest twinge in discomfort. It was leaking dark liquid. In fact, my entire front was leaking.

     Hello Morro.

     "Hello," I said dumbly, not sure where the voice was coming from. I found I didn't care. The boy started screaming at me, but he didn't advance closer. There was a stickiness all around me; I was standing in a puddle of something darker than night.

      I knew I would finally be able to reach you. You have no idea how much I've wanted to talk to you.

     "Who are you?" I asked. The blond boy reeled on the dragon, tears of disgust streaming down his face.

     I am your friend, Morro. I am creating a world where you will be perfectly happy. Everyone will think just like you. Doesn't that sound nic—

     Someone slammed into me, hard.

     I was knocked out of the sticky substance onto the ashy ground beside it. Instantly the pain returned, worse than ever. I screamed out, hoping the burning in my throat would somehow distract from the agony in my chest.

     "Snap out of it, Morro! He's in your head!" The blond boy—Shade—shook my shoulders hysterically.

     The Overlord growled. As he hissed, more sticky substance leaked through his jaws. It was some sort of matter. Dark matter.

     He shot more at us, but the bubble was there again, protecting both my brother and I from the blast.

     "We can't beat him like this," Shade's fingers curled into fists. "We have to come up with something."

     That's when I noticed two of the Overlord's toe-claws were missing. As was his tail. Had I noticed that before? I didn't remember. My world was a blur of colors and voices.

     "His tail is missing," my voice slurred.

     Shade muttered words under his breath when he looked back at me. He glanced at the intact bubble, then began to pull my armor off. His face paled considerably after he saw what was underneath.

     "Your entire chest is covered in blood."

     That would explain the pain.

     Something massive slammed into the bubble, and it flickered once again. My hands were practically glowing with the heat they were gathering. Keeping the force field intact was draining me quicker than I wanted to admit.

     Shade braced himself for the next impact, then stood up straight.

     "His tail is missing!" he practically shouted. "You're a genius, Morro!"

     I'm pretty sure I tried to reply, however, I only heard incoherent noises escape my mouth. Shade's hands faded as the depleting power surrounded them, and the air froze our next exhales.

     "I can kill his body piece by piece," Shade explained. "If I get close enough I can take enough energy out of it to make it fall off. If..." he glanced at me and swallowed. "If I could snap, I'm pretty sure I could kill him. It's the only way I can think of and—"

     "Do it," I wheezed.

     The Overlord slammed against the bubble again, and I gasped from exertion to keep it standing.

     Shade's face faltered.

     "Do you have the strength to protect yoursel—"

     "Do it!" I cried as the Overlord finally broke through, the force of the impact blasting us all aside. I crumpled in the dirt, fighting back the urge to sob and fall prey to unconsciousness.

     The Overlord tried to warn Shade, but it was too late.

     Shade snapped.

     And I wished for death.

     It felt like a thousand ice shards were piercing my skin; the world was so cold I was sure I was going to shatter like glass. The pain in my chest didn't matter. All I could feel was cold. Everything was dark and bitter and freezing.

     I started screaming as my life flashed before my eyes. Ver's face appeared in my mind first, smiling as she beat me in a game of chess. I saw my mother's dusty apron and large smile as she presented us with fresh gingerbread plucked straight from the oven. I saw Father's excited grin when sparks of energy finally started to form around my fingers. Shade was there too, always there, ever constant.

     They were my family.

     But someone else's face was there too.

     And she was the reason I clenched my fists, forced my raspy cry to stop, and tried to find a single source of heat. Noria was my first real connection outside of my ninja life, my first real friend who endured every part of me. She didn't put up with me because of my brother. I could survive this fight, then I could return her to her family. I could fulfil my promise to Noria and my promise to Silvari. Maybe after this fight was over, Noria and I could spend some more time together. I could show her Ninjago City, maybe take her to some of the libraries—

     I had stopped trembling.

     I wasn't ice cold, and the world had become a lukewarm place. I opened my eyes to the black of the dome, with Shade standing above a slumped form. The only reason I could see him was because of the golden sparks dancing around me. The fires had been completely drained from the snap. Even the dirt was nothing more than cracked rock beneath my hands.

     Shade's face was pale and grim; his mouth was set in a firm line. In that moment I could see ages of pain weighing down on his shoulders. He was no longer a perfect boy. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were dim, and he was torn and rugged, bleeding from various scratches.

     Combined with the odd light from the sparks, he looked partially insane.

      I attempted to prop myself up, hissing every single time I moved. I was starting to get lightheaded from blood loss, but I tried to ignore that. The longer I could keep fighting, the better. I had to make sure Shade survived this fight. Never mind who was the son of Oni and Light. The only thing that mattered was who was going to come out of this alive.

     Shade kicked the slumped form.

     It was still.

     When Shade met my eyes, I instantly knew it too.

     The Overlord was dead.

     The prophecy was completed.

     Shade had killed the Overlord.

     H-hello... hello M-morro...

      Shade stiffened in front of me, then kicked the body again. He kicked it until he started crying, moans beginning to slip through his lips as he clutched his head.

     "You're dead," he blubbered, tearing at his hair, "I killed you. Stop it... stop doing this to me!"

     Hello Morro. 

     The voice was stronger, more potent. I looked up to meet my scared brother's eyes. He was so terrified, terrified of the voice I knew he heard too, terrified like Ver had been her entire life. The owner of the voice was dead. His body was lifeless right in front of my eyes.

     You're such an interesting boy, Morro. Your power is both like your father and grandfather's, yet also incredibly unique. Neither of them could suffocate someone to death. I should like to get to know you better.

     There was a new light in the dome.

     Shaking, both Shade and I turned to it. A floating magenta mass glowed above the Overlord's body, expanding with each word it spoke.

     "I should like to get to know both of you very well. Too bad one of you has to die."

     Before either of us could react, the magenta mass flew straight into Shade's body.

     Shade's eyes turned pitch black.

     "Hello Morro," he said, his voice unlike his own.

     No, not just 'unlike' his own.

     His voice was the same as the one in my head.

     And then he started horrendously laughing, laughing, laughing...