Lloyd's POV:

"Hold the line!!!" I yell, instinctively glancing up at the Destiny's Bounty to see her.

"Focus," Shade hisses beside me but Kai sends him a dirty look.

"Shush," I murmur. "There's something going on there." A commotion has blossomed on deck: a white thing with a book in its tiny hands. Wait- that's Clouse's spell book. I find Harumi's green eyes which are searching for mine dejectedly, and I know it's not good.

"Guys, keep everything alright down here. I need to go up there and see what's going on,"

Cole pushes to the front. "But we need you here!"

"He just wants to see his girlfriend," Jay taunts.

"She's not my girlfriend! She doesn't even know I like her!"

Harumi- I don't know how to explain. The moment we met, we just clicked, you know? Apparently she has these purple powers that don't work for some reason, but sometimes things like these just need to be unlocked. That's why she didn't compete at the Tournament of Elements with us.

I remember this one time we went to the beach, after I defeated the Overlord and became everyone's Golden Boy - literally. The whole community was staring like they had nowhere else to look, but we just ignored them. Me and Rumi got ice cream: I had chocolate and she had vanilla. We sat down on our beach mat, the parasol shading us, and I remember her platinum blonde hair glinting white in the blazing sun, vanilla ice cream rolling in huge drops down her arm, a huge grin on her face. She looked so kissable.

I guess that was the first time I realised I like her. And a year and a half later, I still do. They say that if you have a crush on someone for more than four months, you love them. I think I do. And I'm happy with that.

Kai rolls his eyes, bringing me back to the present. "Sure, buddy." I scowl at the boys. "Now how am I going to get up there with you all arguing?"

"Look," Zane points. I follow his hand to see the Destiny's Bounty anchoring down on the ground.

"So, you going up there or not?"

"YES!"

Elbowing through the crowd, I reach the anchor and shimmy up the metal, freezing cold stinging me. On deck, I gasp to see Dad in mid-air, a minuscule Pythor cockily reading out from Clouse's spell book. My eyes dart to Rumi, who looks like she never agreed to this. "What's going on?" I bellow. The ritual halts and Dad collapses to the floor, groaning about shins. Pythor claps his hands. "Well, you see, old chap-" Rumi cuts through his inevitable monologue, and I can't help but smirk. "So, they say that if they send Garmadon to the Cursed Realm or something, the real Anacondrai will come and stop this madness."

Pythor sputters. "I am a real Anacondrai! And who cares if this time-guzzling buster dies?"

"I do," I say darkly. He goes pale - oh wait, he's already as white as paper.

"So, can I start the ritual now?" I gaze at Dad, my jaw tightening. Heart pounding. "Do you have to?" I whisper, almost a mouth. He nods seriously. My shoulders sag and I sigh, melancholy. "If you have to."

Pythor doesn't waste any time to smirk at me. I glare at him. Rumi slides her fingers in mine, smiling sympathetically and I return it. Pythor begins to read out the spell, his deep voice ringing out; an anchor to my inner chaos. Dad rises up in the air and a raging portal, lightning zapping, curling around the circle, a dark abyss leading to who-knows-where. The ghost of a large snake slithers out of the portal, while my dad - my dad floats into the portal, never to be seen again.

I cough back a sob, and Ru squeezes my hand tighter.

My dad is gone.

I close my eyes, not really listening to the Anacondrai soldiers sweeping across Chen's army, immobilising them, enlarging Pythor. I'm there, but I'm not. I'm on autopilot, my brain still working through the - incident.

Harumi embraces me at the burning of Clouse's spell book. "I am so, so sorry," she murmurs, brushing a lock of hair away from my eyes.

"It's not as bad as your parents," I smile, but it doesn't quite reach my eyes.

Rumi is a soothing balm to my troubled soul. I would protect her at any costs, whether I get possessed or taken over by an over-powerful ancient scroll.

I love her.

Garmadon's POV:

"Well, well, well," a familiar voice drawls, echoing across the empty cavern.

"Morro," I snarl. "What do you want?"

A ghastly figure comes to view, coal-black eyes and lank hair with green streaking through. "What I've always wanted. What is rightfully mine."

"But that's already been given to-"

"Yes, yes, I know, your son," he interrupts. "He's quite insufferable, isn't he?" He arches an eyebrow when I don't answer. "I can change that, you know. I can change everything that wasn't meant to be with the portal you son so kindly ripped up for me."

"There's nothing that needs to be changed," I seethe.

"Oh, but there is." He flexes his translucent fingers, studying how they furl in and out."I can bring your father back, and you can say all your silly apologies for turning evil." He pretends to think for a moment, and utters a small aha!, lifting his index finger up."Ooh, and maybe I can tell his little girlfriend who was really responsible for her parents' death. How Pythor was able to do what he did."

"Don't you dare," I rasp, my voice turning hoarse with the polluted air. For him to pointedly hover dangerously close to the exit. "Wait!"

The ghost snickered. "Waiting isn't really my strong suit." And then he left, leaving me in the dust of the Cursed Realm.

Harumi's POV:

We lay on the roof of the monastery, a comfy mat spread out underneath us, my head on his chest. Platonic, of course. Staring at a blanket of night sky woven with glimmering lights blinking at us cheerily. "What was it that you said? That your parents, like, became stars? When they died?"

I giggle. "No, they're just in stars. I don't really know how it works. It's just like you look at the night sky and you know they're there." He hums, his chest vibrating. I close my eyes.

"Which star do you think my dad is?"

"The North Star. Because he guided you as a sensei and all. Or maybe he turned into a ghost."

He lightly chuckles, for which my cheeks burst into flames for no reason whatsoever. He doesn't know that I like him, and I'd like to keep it that way. Lloyd obviously doesn't have a crush on me. I'm too useless. I barely do anything to help and I have powers I can't even control.

"Ghosts don't exist, Ru."

"You never know. But if I could choose, I'd want ghosts to exist. But only the good ones."

He smiles softly.

"Me too."