A/N: Ehehehe...

The sun was beginning to rise, morning had come to end the deadly night. Sirens could be heard all throughout the city as they rushed to the palace. What the emergency responders hoped to do was unknown. The Sons of Garmadon had made sure there was no one left alive and burned down a majority of the palace itself.

There was nothing left to save.

Harumi stood upon the deck of the Bounty, her eyes never left the palace. She wondered if her parents made it, were they safe? She had barely slept because of these thoughts. Lloyd knew the answer to her questions but he wouldn't- correction couldn't tell her, it wasn't like he wanted to anyways. If he told her that would only lead to more questions to which he didn't have the patience for. The ninja had contacted Lloyd asking for a pick up not too far from the palace. They had suffered some injuries and had managed to hide during the rest of the night but needed help. Lloyd lowered the Bounty down where the ninja had said they were. After a moment, one by one they climbed up onto the deck. Each of them looked awful but none of them seemed seriously injured. They made their way over to Lloyd, no one said a word but they all shared the same look of defeat. When Harumi noticed them, she came running over.

"Thank goodness you are all alright." She breathed a sigh of relief. She then looked around them and behind them. Her face grew worried. "Where are the Emperor and Empress? And Hutchins?" She asked. The ninja looked at each other. None of them knew how to break the news to her. "Please tell me that they're ok." She begged. Nya took a step forward towards her. If no one else would tell her, then she would.

"I'm so sorry, Princess." Nya started. "But they didn't make it." Harumi's eyes began to water as she turned away quickly, looking at the remains of the palace once more. The tears fell down her face. Her family was gone, leaving her the lone survivor.

"And the mask?" Kai asked somewhat quietly. He had walked over to Lloyd who simply shook his head. Kai sighed and looked at Harumi. "The Sons of Garmadon won't get away with this, Princess." He told her. She wiped her eyes and turned around.

"It would seem again I have had my parents taken from me." She started. "I am alone once more."

"You're not alone." Lloyd said as he walked over and stood by her side. "You can stay with us, we will protect you. And like Kai said they won't get away with this. We'll find them and stop them." The others all nodded in agreement. She gave them a sad smile but said nothing.

"We can't stay here though. They will be looking for us." Zane pointed out. "Some of us are hurt and are not able to fight as well."

"Zane's right." Lloyd agreed. "We need to go somewhere to hide just until we come up with a plan. Zane, you and I should stay up here and take us somewhere safe." He started. "The rest you need to get patched up." After Lloyd finished speaking everyone went their separate ways. Zane and Lloyd plotted a course to Dead Man's Squall. They believed it would be the best place to hide until it was safe enough to return to the city. Cole, Nya and Jay went below deck to help each other with injuries.

That left, Kai and Harumi, both of who were up on the top deck. Harumi was watching below the Bounty as the world zoomed by. She had never been out of the city before and was amazed by everything she saw. Kai was in the crows nest, he couldn't get the memory of watching the Emperor, the Empress and Hutchins die. He felt guilty, he should've been able to save them. They all should've, that was their main task; protect the Royal Family and they failed, he failed. He knew the person he saw had to be the leader of the Sons of Garmadon there was no question about it. If he ever ran into the leader he would not hesitate to end them right then and there. This leader had done enough damage.

"The Princess looks like she could use someone to talk to." Zane spoke suddenly to Lloyd. "From our brief interactions with her, I feel you are the only one she may feel comfortable talking with." Lloyd gave a simple nod in agreement. He walked over to her and cleared his throat hoping not to startle her.

"Oh hello, Lloyd." She spoke quietly, clearly very sad after the previous night's events.

"How are you?" Lloyd asked. "I mean after everything that has happened." He wasn't really sure how to go about the conversation. He had suffered loss himself but no one had ever talked to him about it. He wondered sometimes that maybe if someone let him speak about his father's death would he still be doing what he was now? Yes, he would. Because talking can't fix what happened, it can't change how they treated him. Lloyd had no idea what to say.

"Honestly?" She asked. "It was harder losing my birth parents, though that doesn't mean I don't mourn the deaths of the Emperor and Empress." Lloyd was taken back by this. Harumi was adopted into the Royal Family?

"What?"

"The Emperor and Empress were not my birth parents, I thought I had told you or that you knew." She said. Lloyd shook his head. "My real parents they died the day the Great Devourer attacked. I was separated from them and before I knew it they were gone from me forever." She explained.

"I'm so sorry." Lloyd told her. He knew he essentially caused the Great Devourer's attack but that didn't mean he felt guilty. Yes, maybe at the time he did but that was then. Now, he could care less about what happened to the city that expected everything from him. He was glad that he had released the serpentine for many reasons.

"It's alright." An awkward silence fell over them. "What about your parents? I mean I know a little about your father but what about your mom?" Lloyd wanted out of this conversation at the mention of his mother. Harumi didn't need to know anything about his parents, well the truth at least.

"My father died a few years ago and my mother is trying to find my uncle." Lloyd explained, he kept his answer short. "So I guess we can share in the sorrow of having lost a parent or parents."

"It's not something people like to have in common but it gives us something, you're right." Harumi agreed. "If you ever want to talk about it, your father's death, I'll listen. I talked with some people about my parents deaths and I'd like to think it helped."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Lloyd gave her a fake smile. They both turned back to the view below the Bounty, silence returning. Lloyd realized that he could use the information about Harumi's birth against her, to get her to see his way. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how much use the Princess could be. Of course once he no longer had a use for her he would dispose of her one way or another. Getting her to join him could be hard, should she refuse he would have give her a choice; join him or she'd die; it would be a simple choice. He glanced at her and saw Kai approaching them from behind her.

"Zane says we're almost at Dead Man's Squall. When we get there, we should talk about what our plan is." Kai suggested . Lloyd nodded.

"That's a good idea, we'll join you guys when the ship lands." Lloyd let him know and watched as he walked away. Kai had seen him last night, well he had seen the Quiet One. He had tried to keep his existence hidden, he hadn't expected the ninja to still be there when he arrived. At least they did not know what he was called he could still keep his leadership somewhat hidden. Though he feared his secret wouldn't be kept much longer. The ship landed in the water and splashed the two a little.

"Is this where we'll be staying?" Harumi asked as she looked at the endless fog surrounding them. Lloyd shrugged.

"For now, the Sons of Garmadon could be looking for you. We need to figure out our next move." Lloyd explained. They both started to walk over to the others. Harumi continued to ask questions.

"You don't have a base?"

"We do." Lloyd answered. "It's back in the city and that's the last place we should be. We'll go back though, we haven't abandoned the city." He climbed out the ladder and held his hand out to help Harumi up.

"So what do we know about the Sons of Garmadon?" Cole asked, getting the conversation going since they were all there. "Anything? I mean we must know something."

"We know nothing, absolutely nothing about them." Kai complained, clearly frustrated. Nya stepped forward and accessed the computer. She pulled up a photo of the two masks.

"That's not entirely true." She pointed out. "We do know they're after the three oni masks, though we don't know what it is they need them for."

"Quick reminder that they already have two of them!" Jay chimed in.

"Yes, but they don't have the third." Zane reminded them. "Pixal has scanned everywhere for the third one but she's come up with nothing. It's as if it doesn't exist."

"If Pixal can't find it, then there's a good chance the Sons of Garmadon can't find it either." Cole said. They all mumbled in agreement. Lloyd wanted to laugh. If only they knew that the Sons of Garmadon were on the verge of finding the last mask. It was within his grasp. There was without a doubt he would find it before the ninja could even pinpoint a possible location for it.

"There's a lot knows and don't knows but I say we focus on their leader." Kai suddenly spoke up. Lloyd immediately looked to him, curious on how he planned to catch him. "I think I saw whoever is running the group last night. I didn't get a good look at him but he was wearing a mask and it looked like he was giving orders to those around him." He explained. Lloyd decided he would have to lay low for a while. It was good Kai hadn't really seen what he looked like but it was better to be safe rather than sorry. He just could not wait for the day where he could remove his mask and step out from the shadows. He imagined what the looks of betrayal on their faces would be.

"Kai's right. We should start with finding out who the leader is." Cole agreed. "Lloyd," he looked over at the sound of his name. "You've been awfully quiet."

"Sorry, I guess I'm just still trying to understand why they call themselves the Sons of Garmadon." He lied. "I don't get what my father has to do with this. Part of me honestly doesn't want to." Lloyd would need to continue to contribute to the group or risk bringing suspicion upon himself.

"That's understandable."

"I think I may have a solution for us." Nya offered and pulled up some police footage. "There was a suspect captured from the Borg Tower heist, he's got to know something about the leader and the true purpose of this gang."

"The suspect is currently in Police custody but he's refused to talk." Pixal informed them. Lloyd was surprised at that information. He had half expected for the suspect to spill everything he knew. This pleased him to know this specific member of the gang wasn't a complete disappointment. He still wasn't welcomed back but at least he knew to keep his mouth shut.

"Then it's settled, you guys will go to talk with the suspect and I'll stay here with Harumi." Nya stated. "You better hurry though because from the looks of it, the suspect is set for release."

"We better get there fast then." Cole stated.

"I think I'll stay behind as well." Kai said as the other began to prepare to leave. "I have something I need to do." Nobody questioned what Kai needed to do or they didn't get a chance to before he walked away.

Zane, Jay, Cole and Lloyd walked over to Mystake's Tea Shop. Cole had suggested they grab some truth tea to use on the suspect. The only reason Lloyd had agreed to it was because he knew that the suspect had nothing important to share. The only thing he knew was that they had a temporary base at the karaoke bar. He didn't know where the main base was which was good. The boys walked inside and saw a woman stalking the shelves.

"Hello, we're looking for Mystake. Do you know where she is?" Cole asked as they walked in.

"She isn't here." The woman grumbled and the turned around. Her face lit up. "Oh Lloyd and the ninja. My apologies, it's been so long, I hope you have been well. How can I help you?" She asked with a smile.

"We're looking for-"

"The tea of truth, yes I know." Mystake answered. They stood their shocked, unable to figure out how she knew. But they had learned not to question her in the past. "I have some I can give to you but just remember the truth can be dangerous and also upsetting."

"What do you mean?" Zane inquired. Mystake shrugged.

"You may not like what you discover." She answered and then disappeared into the back of the shop. A moment later she returned with the tea. As she entered the room, Lloyd caught a glimpse of the painting behind her. It was that of an oni and a dragon. This could spell trouble, if she knew anything about Lloyd's family's history with the oni. It would be even worse if she knew what the masks could do. He had a feeling she did. But luckily it seemed Lloyd was the only one who saw the painting, or so he thought.

"Mystake," Cole, grabbed her attention. "That painting, is that an oni?"

"It is, that is the tale of the oni and the dragon but it is a long tale. I can tell you are in a rush, aren't you?" Mystake guessed.

"We are, yes. Lloyd what should we do?" Cole asked him. "We could learn something about the masks or the Sons of Garmadon." Lloyd thought for a minute, there was no way they would let him stay here himself and he didn't want them interviewing the suspect. Neither option was good here. They'd probably suggest to split up. Which one of three would be easiest for him to take down. Honestly the answer was any of them. He was much more powerful than all of them combined.

"Jay and I will stay here, Cole, you and Zane will go interview the suspect, see what you can find out." Lloyd finally decided. Cole and Zane nodded and grabbed the tea before running out of the shop. Lloyd glanced over at Jay, he had no idea what was coming for him.

"Come then, to learn the tale of the Oni and the Dragon." Mystake pulled back the curtain, allowing Lloyd and Jay to pass. "However in order to hear this tale, you must first drink the tea." They both sat down and waited as Mystake made the tea for them. Lloyd already knew everything about the Oni and the Dragon. There was nothing new for him to learn. Jay was going to learn much than Lloyd wanted him to know and that wasn't ok. He was going to need a plan to dispose of him and then he'd need an explanation for the others. He and Jay got separated during an attack and he barely escaped? He'd have to hurt himself if that was the case. That wouldn't work, injuries would just slow him down. He'd have time during the tale to figure out what he was going to do.

"Here you boys go." Mystake said as she handed each of them a tea cup. She then sat down in front of them. "Now then, long before Ninjago even existed, there was the realm of the Oni and the dragon." She began. Lloyd wanted to tune her out but he knew he would have to listen to make sure she didn't say anything that Jay would find helpful.

"One of the sixteen realms?" Jay asked.

"It is the first realm!" She exclaimed. "One had the power to create and the other to destroy. It lead to a war that lasted an eternity."

"I'm guessing the Oni were the ones who destroyed."

"You would be wise to guess that." She said. "But then there was a child who was born of both worlds, able to create and destroy. He understood his power, without one you could not have the other. The Oni and the Dragon fought over who the child should join and because that the child left."

"Where did he go?"

"He used his power and created his own realm." She said and turned to them with a smile. "And he named it Ninjago!"

"Hold up, you're saying the First Spinjitsu Master was the child of the Oni and the Dragon." Jay exclaimed and Mystake nodded. He turned to Lloyd. "Dude, you know what that means?"

"I'm part Oni and Dragon." Lloyd said faking his surprise. Mystake watched him as he spoke, almost as if she thought something was off about him, but she did not say anything. "Why did my Uncle never tell me about this?" He asked and it was a serious question. He always wondered why this part about his family was kept locked away. He had researching the Oni Masks when he discovered the truth.

"Sensei Wu feared you would follow in the path of your father." Mystake sighed. "When the First Spinjitzu Master fathered two sons, each one took more to one side. Sensei Wu followed the path of the Dragon and creation but your father was consumed by the power of the Oni and destruction. The venom of the Great Devourer ruined his only chance to fight his Oni side." She explained.

"Did my father know? About the Oni and the Dragon?" Lloyd asked, he was trying to stop himself exploding with anger.

"I do not believe so." She answered. "Like I said the truth can be dangerous and upsetting. Sensei Wu was tasked to keeping his brother at bay but he could not do it alone." She turned to Lloyd. "In the end Lord Garmadon was destroyed by the most powerful force known, the love of his own son." She finished the tale. "But without Lord Garmadon, a new darkness has arisen."

"The Sons of Garmadon." Lloyd stated. Mystake nodded.

"Yes. They seek the three Oni masks, those masks originated from the first realm itself. They hold power beyond your belief."

"What happens when they're reunited?" Jay asked. Do not say it.

"You cannot let that happen." She answered and Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tell us, we need to know what we're up against, right Lloyd?" Jay asked and glanced at him. But Lloyd was too busy staring at Mystake. She was very aware of the glare she was receiving. Don't say it!

"If all three are reunited the Sons of Garmadon will have the power of resurrection." She stated. "They will bring back Lord Garmadon, he will know nothing but destruction." She finished and the teapot in her hand exploded. Jay and Mystake jumped back but Lloyd remained unfazed. She just signed Jay's death certificate without even knowing it. He couldn't let the other discover the true plans of the Sons of Garmadon. It would put the ninja a step father than he wanted. It was too soon for them to know.

"Lloyd!" Jay called for him and he snapped out of his thoughts. He looked down and saw the dark power emitting from his hand, hopefully Jay hadn't noticed. Jay placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you ok?" Lloyd stood up.

"Yeah, this was just a lot to take in." He said. Jay nodded.

"We should tell the others about what we found out." Jay suggested. "Thank you, for the tea, Mystake." He said walked out of the room, leaving Mystake and Lloyd.

"I don't interfere with events that take place here, but just know Young Lloyd Garmadon, you have chosen the wrong path." She stated.

"What?"

"You destroyed Lord Garmadon but the darkness within him needed new home, I'm sorry it had to be you." She sighed.

"So you know then."

"I know more than you think." She warned Lloyd. Whether he would take it as a warning was up to him.

"The darkness isn't doing this." He turned to face her. "I am, for my father."

"So be it," She said. "Like I said I won't interfere nor will I reveal what you are. But you have chosen your path, be ready to walk it." Mystake cautioned him. Lloyd left without so much as a final glance at her. He knew she would keep her word about his secret. After all she had no right to mess with a realm that wasn't hers. Lloyd exited the shop and found Jay waiting for him.

"You ready to go?" He asked and Lloyd shook his head.

"I need time alone." He admitted to Jay. "That was a lot of information to take in, especially finding out that Sensei knew."

"I understand, I can wait for you if you want." Jay offered him a comforting smile.

"Yeah sure, if I'm not back in an hour just leave without me." Lloyd told him. "I might need more time than I think. Will you let the others know for me?" He asked and Jay nodded.

Lloyd studied the mask in his hands. Everytime he put it on he felt more like himself, this time would be no different. It had only been twenty minutes, he had forty minutes before Jay would return to the Bounty without him. That couldn't happen. He clasped the mask into place and got on his stolen motorcycle. The whole drive back, he decided he'd need to surprise jay, to not even give him the chance to fight back. Lloyd parked a few blocks away and texted Jay.

Lloyd: I'm going to be gone for a couple hours, just head back without me.

Without even waiting for a response, he left his phone on the bike and walked the rest of the way to Mystake's shop. I'm the distance he could see Jay beginning to walk away. Lloyd went from walking to running, sword at the ready. He spared a quick glimpse at Mystake's shop and saw the closed sign hanging on the door. She wasn't around to stop this from happening which was good. She said she wouldn't interfere but he feared she might've stopped him. He saw Jay stop and quickly dove into an alley.

"Is someone there?" Jay asked as he looked around. After a second Jay shrugged and continued to walk. Lloyd climbed up the building and landed right behind him. He was about to strike when Jay turned and kicked him away. "Who are you?" He demanded as he stared Lloyd down. Lloyd got back up on his feet. "You're part of the Sons of Garmadon aren't you?" Lloyd wanted to roll his eyes, way to state the obvious. As if the symbol on him wasn't proof enough of that.

"You're a problem for me, which means you've got to go." Lloyd told him, a dark look in his eyes. Jay got in a defensive stance as Lloyd started to move closer.

"How am I problem for you?" He asked, clearly confused. As if everything he just learned from Mystake wouldn't be enough to make him a problem. Lloyd stepped forward and charged at him, ignoring his question. Jay blocked the attack and his eyes went wide.

"You're the leader!" He gasped. That was the last straw for Lloyd. He should've known Jay would guess he's the leader. He couldn't let Jay walk away alive, not if he wanted his plan to succeed. Jay used his spinjitzu to fling him against a nearby wall. Lloyd but his tongue as he slammed

into the wall. He needed to focus or Jay was going to kick his ass. "We're going to stop you, we know you want to resurrect Lord Garmadon!" Jay told him. Lloyd laughed as he stood back up and spit out some blood.

"Stop me?" He mocked and dragged his sword on the ground. "Whenever you think you've caught up, just know that I'm three steps ahead of you and I always will be. Not that you'll be around much longer for that to matter." He laughed once again. This time Jay attacked first but Lloyd was quick to block him. "You're too slow, just surrender, make it easier." Lloyd advised him.

"I'm a ninja and ninja, we never quit." Jay said, his voice showed no fear. They continued to fight, the sound of metal clashing against metal rang throughout the city block. He was putting up more of a fight than Lloyd had expected but that didn't mean he was a challenge. He could tell Jay was growing tired. Each of them managed to land a few hits on the other, but nothing that was enough to stop the other. Jay managed to swing his nunchucks right into Lloyd's ribs, breaking one or two. The pain was unbelievable but Lloyd barely staggered. That's when Jay looked at him with fear in his eyes.

"What are you?" Jay asked. Lloyd took that opportunity to strike him across the abdomen and knock his feet out from underneath him. Jay hit ground with a thud, letting out a cry of pain. Lloyd studied his former ally on the ground, his eyes were squeezed shut in pain. The sight of the blood brought a sense of joy to Lloyd, joy he never thought he would feel when it came to violence...he really liked it. Lloyd dropped to his knees and wrapped a hand around Jay's throat. He applied pressure and Jay's eyes shot open and he began to struggle and fight back.

"P-please!" Jay choked out. Lloyd pulled out a knife and leaned down next to Jay's ear.

"Your enemy is always closer to you than you think." He whispered, removing his hand from Jay's throat as he brought the knife down.

Jay screamed.

A/N: I am not sorry. Anyways! What did you guys think of the chapter? Lloyd is definitely starting to become more evil or psychotic, I should say. Question is, how much longer will he be able to hide?