Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1. When a Miracle Happens

Tory McDermott slids trough the streets of Ninjago City. "Thank the stars I took cover under the train station."  He thought to himself. "Everything looks really gross, and I eat some of Cole's leftovers..." He snickers at his own thoughts.

It happened suddenly. The sky got heavily dark. After that, the last thing he saw was a wave of green coming into his direction. The only thing he could think of was that somehow the Ninja were able to defeat the Great Devourer. The fuchsia ninja wished he could have done more to help, but the attack on the city came out of nowhere, and he couldn't blow his cover to the other ninja.

Don't get him wrong. He would love to finally meet them and have fun together, but Tory was Wu's secret weapons, the one going after Intel and shady persons without anyone knowing. The less people knew about him and the elemental power of Surprise, the better. Like, a elemental master capable of using a teensy tiny bit of other elemental powers? That was better kept to himself. That's how surprises work after all.

All Tory had to do now was help anyone who was still in need and wait until the dust settled so he could share his last findings with his master. Finding Misako's whereabouts was not easy, but eh, he had worse tasks in the past.

His stomach growled. When did he last eat again? He immediately thought about his favorite taco hut, but it would probably be closed for some time until the city came recovered...

That's when Tory stopped in his tracks. Right in front of him, a few meters away, was someone colapsed on the street. He quickly ran to help, but as soon as he turned the person away, the boy gasped. The person was Wu. He looked paler than a ghost. He was without his classic straw hat and his clothes were pretty damaged. He also had his trusty staff on his right hand.

"Master Wu...!" Tory mumbles, shocked. "What... happened to you...?" He quickly got closer to the old man's face. "Still breathing." The ninja sighs, relieved. That wasn't the bigger problem, though. When Tory checked the latter part of his master's body, he notices Wu's legs, below his knees, where in raw, living flesh, like some kind of acid had spilled on there.

"Crap, that's not good...!" Tory looked around, but there no one that could help him. What should he do? "Okay, deep breaths." He said to himself. "He's alive, I just have to bring to a hospital, and hope they can help him. Yeah." He quickly picked the old man from the street, which was not an easy feature. Tory had a good physique, but a limp body is a limp body. He took just a few steps when someone by his right side spoke.

"Oh my. I don't think a hospital is a good idea." He turns in the direction of the voice and founds a old woman coming out of a alleway, with two Skulkin coming right after her. "They won't be any help with those kind of wounds, at least."

"And you are...?" Tory asks, suspicious. It was better not to drop his guard, especially with a odd group like that.

"A friend." The elder simply spoke. "Wu's friend, actually." She adds. "My name is Mystake. Those..." She pointed at the skeletons. "...are Kruncha," the one with a helmet grunted. "and Nuckal." The one with an eyepatch waved enthusiaticaly.

"Mystake... I heard about you." Tory pondered. "Wu is always buying tea from you."

"Yes, and sometimes I can do a little more than that." She said with a mysterious smiles. "Now, listen. If you really want to help your master, you better come with us. Wounds like that are better treated quickly."

"And how do I know I can trust you?" The ninja asks, suspicious again. "For what I know, you could very well be part of the Anacondrai Cultists."

Mystake smiles at that. "You're a very sharp one, aren't you?" She chuckles. "But I'm afraid that, unless you plan to make an poor old lady undress herself, that will be a point hard to prove."

Tory sighs. He knows he can't do much right now. "Fine." He said. "But at least some of you help me carry him, at least."

Of course." The old lady nods to skeletons. They both run in Tory's aid. "Now, if you can come with us..."

Tory nods. It's all he can do now. The rest he would have to leave to destiny's end.

2. Meanwhile, On a Distant Shore...

He... Well, what word he could use? Could a being that was not even a being at this point open a pair of eyes he doesn't have for decades? No, he don't think so. After all, as a ghostly vail of darkness, there was nothing much corporeal things he could do.

But, his senses were not taken from him. And he was proud to say his senses were unstoppable. How else could he feel the loss of life from one of his minions? Maybe "minion" was a strong word, but what else could he call a creature he corrupted with his essence? The snake was just a small pawn of his plans that fullfilled her role.

However, if he was right, and he normally is, the defeat of that creature could only mean one thing. After all, there was only one person capable of definetely slaying the beast. Garmadon was getting stronger. As strong as he predicted. Perfect. Slowly, all the pieces were making their definitive moves. It wouldn't take long now for the world to know his name.

"Soon... Very soon..." The vail murmured to himself. Then, something else caught his attention. The Devourer was dead, and yet... He could feel another presence alongside Garmadon. That made him curious. What would that new presence be? The vail of darkness concentrated. Trough the eyes of his newcomer, he could see... the streets of Ninjago City. He could hear things, as well.

"I'm alive..." The voice mumbled, shocked. "I'm actually alive...!" Now, the being could see its pale white arms. "What happened to my body...? What- what- AAAAAAAAGH!"

That was enough for now. The vail had enough understanding of the situation to know what happened. This was an interesting turn of events. If he could, he would be smiling now. That could be a valuable asset. A ace in his sleave if, just if, things didn't got out as expected.

The vail retired itself to the jungle, away from the shore. Just a little longer. He needs to wait just a little longer...

3. Saunders Makes a Discovery

Dr. Saunders slowly opens the big doors of the museum. The first thing he sees is the streets covered in Green blood. He sighs. "Thank goodness that thing didn't came around these parts." He thought to himself. "I don't know what I would have done if any of those delicate pieces." He turned to admire everything inside the museum.

Most people would think that having a love for old customs and simpler times would make you an oddball. Saunders didn't cared about that. Each one of those pieces carried a history, a legacy. They were symbols of how great Ninjago's past was. Unfortunately, times changed, and people were losing themselves slowly, day by day. They were getting soft. They needed someone with power to command them. To show what true power. How time itself was the only thing they should appreciate, especially how things were before then...

Saunders shooks his head. He's getting too much into his how thoughts again. Yes, the world was becoming a failure, that was obvious. He moves to a shelf, taking off some dryed old Serpentine eggs.

And still... There was that small group of ninjas he found. There was something about them. Something that reminiscense him of the old times. And they clearly had the legitimate Golden Weapons with them as well. Which means... Wu and Garmadon were still around. That could be a problem in the future.

He should- no, he will keep an eye on them. He need to make the perfect preparations for the day his brother returns. He owns him that. Saunders sighs, putting the eggs on another shelf without thinking. He needed help. As much as he hates that, he needs as much information as he can gets, and he knows there's only person that knows everything to know about what happens on Ninjago. Zhao Xian-Chen.

The old man was still pondering about his options when he felt something drip on his head. He looks upwards and immediately finds the cause of it. A green liquid is slowly dripping from the ceiling. It was even damaging the dried eggs! Saunders quickly took the box away, looking inside to see what he could salvage. That's when he was surprised.

The eggs that were splashed with the green thing were... not dried up anymore. They seemed almost like they were brought back to a healthy and lively! Like they were been recently been put on.

"Fascinating..." The curator mumbles to himself. He smelled the liquid to understand what exactly was that. "Blood." He noticed. Was that the Great Devourer's blood? If so... Saunders slowly laughs, enthusiaticaly. He needs to study this. Comprehend. If small drops of that blood could revive the cells of those eggs... What more could it do?

"Crux, Crux..." Saunders smiles sickly. "You may have hit the jackpot... And if you're lucky enough, you could have just have find the game changer you were looking for...!"

With a dark look in his eyes, the curator retired himself to the insides of the museum.

4. In Need of Eyes

A man walked away trough the hallway. He had black hair that ends in a ponytail, and his face wore a moustache, with dark circles under his eyes. The man's name was Clouse. Soon he finds himself in front of the door he was coming for. His master's... rec room. The guards outside nodded at him,  and he nods back. The doors open, and inside, right in the center of the room, on his throne, is him. His master, surrounded by Kabuki dancers. The man wore red robes and a skull with a purple snake on his head.

"Ooooooooh! It's that time of the day already?" The master clapped his hands, excited. "Sorry, girls. You can shower me with your little charm later. It's time for little Chen's business!"

"Master Chen." Clouse bowed his head in most respect as he could.

"And there you go again, always soooo formal!" Chen complained. "You're no fun, Clouse. You have to let it loose some times."

"Yes, well." Clouse coughed. Dealing with Chen was a headache waiting for happen. "As much as that sounds marvelous, today's report is serious business."

"Hm-hm-hm. That means we have something 'spicy' today!" The master brushes his hands together lively. "Okay, then. Come on, Clouse. Spill the tea. Someone's dead? Someone I hate? Please don't be Wu, things would be so boring if he died!"

"I don't have anything especifically about Wu, but..." The student rolled his eyes. "I have some things to say about his students. Somehow," he sighs. "they were able to somehow kill the Great Devourer."

"They did what?!" Chen gasps, shocked. "Aaaww come the fuck on!" He yells. "She was going to be our personal safekeeper, the priestess of our cult!" He grunts after a few moments, resigned. "Well, can't cry over spilled noodles I guess. Just... I don't, tell them to retrieve one of her teeth for my collection or something."

"I'll see what I can do." Clouse dryly replied.

"Was that it, or there's something else?" Chen asks, curious. He needs to have more. He needs compesation for his losses.

"Well, there's the matter of your son, Chad." The student sighs. "Since the Devourer didn't come trough Darkley's, no harm came to-"

"Yeah, yeah. Fine." The man in the throne waves one of his hands nonchalantly. "Good for him I guess, it's not like him being dead or alive changes anything.'

Clouse sighs. He doesn't know why he even bothered mentioning the kid. "Then I believe the only matter we still have to discuss is the Darkley's situation." He spoke, finally.

"What about Darkley's?" Chen give his pupil a confused look.

"You abandoned the school after all those years." Clouse pointed. "Our real loyals followers are questioning this decision."

"That's their own fault." Chen simply said. "They weren't able to terminate Lady Iron Dragon or the McDermott boy, so I thought it was best to cut any loose threads before they got into my plans."

"Isn't that bad thought?" Clouse asks. "Without the school, we won't be able to harvest more boys with the potential to join the cult."

"Eeeeeh, we'll be fiiine." Chen grinned. "You worry too much, Clouse. I know what I'm doing." He drinks something from a cup. "Buuut, just in case, if something interesting happens inside there, we could have a agent infiltraded."

"Do you have someone in mind?" The pupil asks in a monetonous tone. Chen took a few seconds before answering.

"Actually, I do." He grinned. "Bring the equipment here, I think it's time for another call with Ronin..."

Clouse bowed his head again, walking away from the room. Chen chuckled to himself. He had the feeling that things were starting to get fun.

5. Quiet One

She is quietly sitting on on what she think it's a steel table. There's a lot of people. A lot of them still shocked with the recent events. Who wouldn't, after all? A giant snake appears and... and...

The girl sighs deeply. She still didn't found her parents. Were they okay? They had to be. They promised her they would. All she need is to wait and soon they will come and hug her and everything was going to be alright.

Two paramedics approached the girl and begin to examine her. The girl does not react, only following their lead. One of them spoke.

"I saw them fighting that thing trough the TV though." The other replied. "Didn't you?"

"Yes, I did." The woman says, jaded. "But they sure took their sweet time putting that monster down." She sighs. "Who knows how much people died today..."

The little girl agreed with the woman. Who knows how much people died? What were the Ninja doing? She heard some cool things about them, about how they were always stopping the snakes. Só why didn't done something faster this time? What if, because of them, her parents were...

"Brave little girl you are." She heard the paramedic say to her. "Where are your parents, child?" She didn't answer. How could she? Her parents should be here. They wouldn't never leave her behind. "Do you have a name?" No answer still. "Well, aren't you the quiet one." They patted her on the back and walked away.