I groaned, rubbing my pounding head as my torso shuddered while I lifted myself up on a shaky hand. I blinked, vision watery as I stared at the greenish-black ground I had landed on. My ears picked up on a scuffle to my side, making me turn my head and then curse at the pain it caused me. Lloyd was stumbling to his feet, looking dazed and holding a palm to his head.
Oh.
Oh, we lived! We're not dead!
"Lloyd," I rasped before coughing from behind my dry throat. He glanced down at me before his eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Where are we?"

He helped me to my feet, his eyes darting as he took in our surrounding which wasn't anything too interesting; heavy green fog, dark purple pulsating walls and floors with large pillars hugging the curved sides. Ew. We had woken up in a cage made of what looked suspiciously like bones. The air was thick and musty, making it a little difficult to breathe. Ew and creepy... nice...
"I- I don't know," he mumbled before turning his attention to me. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," I replied, my hands grasping at his forearms for reassurance as he held my waist. "You?"
"A little sore," he confessed with a shrug before wincing. He lifted a hand and summoned a small ball of green energy. The tendrils glowed bright and strong in the murkiness we were surrounded by. "At least that still works. Do you have your water guns?"
I shook my head. I lost them sometime during the chaos of battle. Lloyd scrunched his nose in distaste of the lack of weapons. "Damn."

Speaking of defending myself...
"Hey-"
"Wait," Lloyd ordered as we stepped out of the cage. I froze as Lloyd held out a hand in front of my chest as he peeked his head around the corner of our cage. I followed his lead, staring down the murky channel.
"Uhh," I mumbled under my breath. Lloyd stiffened, eyes growing wide with fear.
A cluster of ghosts hovered, taking up the entirety of the area. I glanced behind us - the other way was dank and filled with smog, but at least there weren't any ghosts. "Let's go the other way," I whispered, tugging on Lloyd's arm. He blindly stumbled after me as we set off down the other channel.
We walked in silence for a few seconds, minds reeling. Lloyd's fingers were intwined with mine, his thumb rubbing circles on the back of my hand. I wasn't sure which of us was more terrified.

"Lloyd," I began quietly, my voice a little hesitant. He hummed in reply, on edge in case our safety was compromised. "What did... what did Morro say to you..?"
Lloyd paused, blinking. I was suddenly aware of the distant thump-thump sounds, like drums being beaten rhythmically from afar.
"Uh... nothing important," he mumbled, avoiding his gaze. "Don't worry about it."
I knitted my brow, sending the side of his face a confused look. Why was he keeping that from me?
Sensing my discontent, Lloyd sighed, caving. I crossed my arms uncomfortably.
"Fine," he said as we slowed to a stop and leant against a pillar. "He... he offered powers in exchange for the Realm Crystal."
I frowned.
"But you already have powers," I noted, confused. Lloyd quirked a smirk at my naivety which made me send him an amused scowl.
"Not for me," he corrected. "For you."

Kai grunted as he shot a ball of fire at an approaching tentacle. When Lloyd and Y/n disappeared, a large, spherical, ghostly-green monster took their place, spitting out ghosts from its tummy-churning orifice that hovered around it like flies to dung. It was truly a sight to behold.
The ninja nearly lost their lunch.
"I thought you were gonna get closer!" Nya called to her brother as she dispersed a ghost by spraying it with water. Kai snarled at his sister, struggling to keep calm in the chaos that had taken over Stiix. Losing both Lloyd and Y/n didn't help their panic levels.
"You don't think I'm trying?!" Kai recriminated as he shot more balls of fire and flung his deepstone aeroblade in defence. To his dismay, they did little to halt the Preeminent.

"It's too late!" Wu exclaimed as he, Misako and Garmadon ran into the middle of the chaos, taking down ghosts and forcing the Preeminent's tentacles to recoil when they could. Zane was the only one still with his mech, as Jay's had been destroyed and Cole attempted to burst the Preeminent by shoving his deepstone bike down her gullet... it didn't work. "We have to get to the ship and protect the people!"
"But what about Lloyd and Y/n?" Jay cried as he held off a tentacle, grunting under the effort.
"This is what Lloyd would've wanted!" Misako replied as she elbowed a tentacle, sending it a motherly-stern glare. It shrunk away from her in shame.
"They're together," Garmadon explained, hitting a ghost away with a wooden plank, surprisingly working. "Y/n's no fool and Lloyd is strong and wise beyond his years. They'll find a way."

"To the ship!" Kai cried as he launched his aeroblade and some approaching ghosts. "But we're not leaving anybody behind!"
A tentacle slipped around Zane's mech's leg, pulling him over with a yelp from the nindroid. He tumbled out just as his ice mech collapsed to the ground. Wu leapt atop it to scout out defenceless citizens before leaping off and racing up to two screaming people.
"Follow me!" he ordered as they clambered to their feet and shakily began to race after Wu. The team and Lloyd's parents followed, multiple tentacles hot on their heels as they made their way to the edge of Stiix, where a paddlesteamer was hitched and waiting with the rest of the population of Stiix already aboard.
Ronin defended the ship with the Sword of Sanctuary, stolen back from Morro. With a lively smirk, he sliced at the Preeminent's tentacles, holding them off.
"That's all of them," Wu nodded before turning and glaring at the Preeminent. The fight would have to resume another day when the ninja are less ill-prepared.
"We need to get this ship to sea to put as much water between us as possible," Garmadon announced, frowning.

"No problem," Ronin grinned before snapping the rope hitching the paddlesteamer with the Sword. The boat began to slowly leave the docks, making Ronin smile in accomplishment before a gust of wind behind him made him turn. His smile instantly dropped as Morro, with the Realm Crystal, landed before him.
"Maybe one problem," Ronin sheepishly corrected himself.

My arms slowly uncrossed, coming to hang at my side. My brain ran at a mile a minute. Powers? For me?
"... what?" I breathed, baffled. "Is that even... what for? Why?"
Lloyd ran a hand down his face, exhaling heavily.
"Because..." Lloyd clenched his eyes shut for a second before opening them, resting his electrifying gaze on me. "Because he's right. Morro's right. I pulled you into my life. I pulled you into danger. It's... it's all my fault."
"Occupational hazard," I shrugged, unfazed. "I knew what I was getting into."
"No, you didn't," Lloyd shook his head. He lifted a hand to gesture at our surroundings. "This- this is crazy, Y/n! If it wasn't for me-"
"Lloyd," I exclaimed sternly, making him pause in the middle of his sentence. "Stop. We have bigger things to worry about than your mid-life crisis. Like, for example, where we are, how do we get back and how to defeat Morro."
Lloyd's gaze dropped to the ground. I sighed through my nose, sliding my hands along his jaw to lift his gaze to mine.
"I went through hell during the past week," I said quietly. "I didn't care about that, I only cared about getting you back. And you're back, now. But you've got to stop second-guessing yourself. I'm here for you, Lloyd, even with all this craziness. Nothing will change that."

Lloyd slid his eyes up to mine endearingly.
"You're wonderful."
"I know," I replied, grinning. "Now let's figure out what the heck is happening."
Lloyd exhaled before standing, grabbing my hand and venturing down the tubular-like area we found ourselves in. He glared at the greenish-black ground, racking his brain.
"If... if this is the cursed realm," Lloyd began, playing with the pieces of the puzzle as we walked. "And we ended up here after Morro called whatever was beyond the vortex his master..."
I blinked.
"You don't think..." Lloyd trailed off, sending me a calculating look.
It clicked and I suddenly recoiled into Lloyd's side.
"Aw, that's disgusting!" I blanched, pulling a face as my stomach twisted. "Eugh! We're in the Preeminent!"
"The cursed realm is the Preeminent," Lloyd snapped his fingers before looking deeply regretful. "That's... that's kind of gross."

"Oh, god," I stuffed my face into Lloyd's shoulder. "I'm going to hurl."
The distant thumping suddenly made much more sense - it was the thing's heartbeat. And the pillars were actual bones. And the pulsating walls... I shuddered violently, feeling sick to my stomach. I don't wanna know.
"Do you think it's going to digest us?" questioned Lloyd. I whined, digging my fingers into his hoody.
"Don't say that!" I scolded, still not removing my face from the material of his hoody. "We're in a bad enough situation as it is!"
Lloyd wrapped his arms around me, holding me close as we stayed like that for a while. I breathed heavily, not admitting that my chest was beginning to contract in panic.
"How do we get out of here?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. Lloyd shook his head.
"I don't know," he replied. "I... I should be angry with you for risking your life but... I'm just really glad you're here with me."

I closed my eyes, pressing myself closer to him in reply. He inhaled a shuddering breath, resting his face in my hair.
"I suppose we can really say we went to hell and back," I said, giggling meekly into the soft material.
Lloyd pulled back and sent me a look. My weak laugh turned into a grimace.
"Sorry. Too soon."
"Too soon," Lloyd agreed.
A low, rumbling growl reverberated from the beast, making the ground shudder violently. Lloyd and I instantly clutched at each other, fear heightened as we tried to keep our balance. Lloyd ducked his head, pressing it against my shoulder as I clenched my eyes shut and held him tight. My heart thundered anxiously, telling me to run - but to where? Everywhere we turned, we got no closer to getting out of there. The rumbling soon ceased, but Lloyd still hid his face against me.

"Lloyd, it's okay," I whispered into his hair. "We'll find a way."
Lloyd shook his head and lifted his gaze to mine. I'd never seen him look so broken, so defeated.
"No, we won't," he choked out, eyes glossy with building tears and barely restrained panic. I felt my heart shatter. "It's my fault we're stuck in here. It's my fault that Ninjago's going to be cursed! And Morro's the Green Ninja now, he's got the gi-"
"Hold on, first of all, that's bullshit," I snapped, making Lloyd freeze. "Dude, I'm wearing your gi. Hell, so is Nya! Morro's just got her hood. That doesn't make us the Green Ninja, we're not suddenly bursting with green energy. It's not about the colour of your gi, it's about who you are. You are the Green Ninja, Lloyd. Nobody can take that away from you."
Lloyd stared at me for a beat.
"You're a lot wiser than what I first thought," he mumbled. I shrugged.
"I spent a week with your family," I reasoned with a smile. "Some wisdom was bound to rub off on me."

Lloyd grinned, rubbing the tears from his eyes and suddenly looking bashful.
"Sorry," he apologised, embarrassed. "I'm still a little frazzled."
"I can't blame you," I said soothingly. "But right now is not the time to lose our heads."
"But what do we do?" Lloyd asked, shaking his head. "I'm at a loss."
"Me, too," I mumbled before brightening. "What would Peter Pan do?"
"Probably stab everything," Lloyd shrugged. I frowned.
"Well... yeah, maybe, but I was thinking more along the lines of calling upon his powerful friend."
Lloyd cocked an eyebrow.
"Which is?" he asked, curious.
"Tinkerbell," I replied, smiling. "Or, more namely, your power."
Lloyd's green eyes narrowed, his brow knitted as he thought. It was only a second later when they widened in realisation.
"We cause enough ruckus and the Preeminent might just spit us out!" he cried, smiling wide. "Y/n, you're a genius!"

I giggled at Lloyd's sudden rise in mood as he summoned his energy and sent an impossibly large ball of green tendrils at the ceiling. It exploded when it made contact, making the Preeminent let out a discontented, heavy grumble. I had to grab Lloyd's shoulder to keep me from falling.
Not wasting any time, Lloyd struck at the ceiling again and again and again. His brow began to sweat from the effort, but he showed no signs of lagging. The shaking got worse, but that didn't deter us. It wasn't long before the Preeminent heaved, a large, gaping hole right where our feet were. It was practically letting us walk right on out.
Not hesitating in the slightest, Lloyd grabbed my hand and jumped through the hole before we lost our chance. I lost my breath as we tumbled through the air, but Lloyd hauled me close and summoned his Airjitzu, slowing down our descent and letting us land safely on the roof of a house.

"Holy shit," I breathed as I stared up at the Preeminent. "That's... that's still rank as fuck."
Lloyd followed my gaze and shuddered. We were standing right below the large monster, watching as she periodically spat out ghosts.
"Let's find the others," Lloyd suggested, grabbing my hand and pulling me along, making sure to stick to the shadows as to not grab the attention of ghosts.
"They could be at the docks," I offered as I thought back to our plan - if all goes wrong, get all the citizens to safety by using a large boat. Lloyd nodded in agreement, diverting our tracks towards the docks.

It wasn't too long before we made it, peeking our head around the corner of a building just as Morro called upon his power and sent Ronin tumbling back, landing right across from us. His gaze slid over to us.
"Oh," he said. "Hey, guys."
"'Sup," I replied as Lloyd ducked around the corner and snagged the Sword of Sanctuary before Morro could grab it, making the latter let out a howl of outrage and disbelief. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but Lloyd pulled the Sword from the wood and held the point out to Morro threateningly.
"C'mon," I said, gesturing for Ronin to follow as he got to his feet. We watched warily as Morro and Lloyd fought, each as strong as each other. Their fight would have to come down to who made a mistake first.
When Lloyd shot a ball of energy at Morro, making him crash through a window of a surrounding house, Lloyd nodded to Ronin and I.
"Ronin, Y/n, get to the ship and protect the people," Lloyd ordered. We nodded, racing down the docks and leaping onto the barely disembarked vessel. "Ninja, take out the stilts. We need to drop the Preeminent into the sea!"

As the ninja used Airjitzu to approach the Preeminent, I was pulled into a tight hug by Misako.
"Oh, thank god," she mumbled, standing back to assess me for damage. She shook her head at my busted elbow, grimacing in empathy. "Are you two okay?"
"A little shaken," I replied honestly, glancing out over the side of the ship to watch Lloyd and Morro continue their fight worriedly. "But other than that, we're fine."
Garmadon approached next, followed by Wu. They lightly clapped me on my shoulders, minds a mile away as they glared at the Preeminent. Thankfully, no ghosts had tried to approach our vessel yet, allowing Ronin to walk amongst the shaken passengers and offer his support to those who needed it. I took the time to process what the fuck just happened.

The docks Morro and Lloyd were standing on began to shake, making the master of wind snarl.
"No!" he cried. "They're taking out the supports!"
The Preeminent was howling and growling in pain as she sunk, twitching her tentacles when they made contact with water. With a resounding growl, Morro lifted the Crystal and summoned a vortex. He leapt in, only to reappear behind Lloyd and blast his unprotected back with a sharp gust of wind. Morro used the same tactic again, making my hands grip the railing of the boat. My knuckles protruded sharply, skin white.
Morro laughed, raising his arms in superiority.
"Protect the Preeminent!" he screamed, ordering. "Protect the realm!"

Morro turned with a smirk, only to find Lloyd not where he last saw him. He growled, turning on his heel to spot the blonde ninja, only to get shot in the back by a blast of Lloyd's energy. He tumbled with a yelp, calling upon a vortex that he then leapt up into and disappeared, followed by Lloyd. No vortex reappeared.
I felt my stomach sink. Lloyd, you idiot. I leave your side for five seconds-
"What's happening?" Ronin asked, horrified as he pointed at the Preeminent. Ghosts were lifting up whole houses, attaching them to the literal embodiment of the cursed realm. The buildings merged with the monster, more and more attacking to her tentacles. Eugh... still gross.
The buildings kept on coming, sticking to her like glue. My eyes widened as I realised what they were doing.
"They're building her a suit," I said, horrified. "They're preventing her from touching the water!"

Misako clutched at my arm, face pale. The paddlesteamer was making its way slowly, and by the way the Preeminent was lifting her 'legs' experimentally, I could tell we weren't going to last very long.
"Let's hope she can't swim," Wu said, frowning. Garmadon mumbled an agreement, face masked with fear.