Dragons Rising: The Merge: The Rewrite

The Crossroads of Fate

Author's Notes:

This took an unbearably long time to write.

~✦ ✧ ✦ ✧~

Lloyd's schedule fell into a simple routine that should have made progress easy.

Even though his schedule was simple, the damn ship just wouldn't fix! At least the Mergequakes haven't been occurring as much as before. His time was split between trying to fix Destiny's Shadow and closing rifts. He rarely ate or slept, only resting for an hour after closing a rift. He couldn't afford to rest. He didn't deserve it. There was too much work to do, and who knows how much time he has?

He spent hours toiling away in the base under the monastery hammering and screwing at the ship. He only left to patrol the areas nearby once in a while or to close a rift.

During his patrols, he realized that a lot of the people had forgotten about the ninjas and started to cause more crime, thinking that there wouldn't be anyone to stop them. He also found out that it was easier to track down criminals if they thought that there was no one around to stop them, so he kept to the shadows and made sure that no one saw him.

It hurt him to stay in the shadows and watch the people suffer just so he could do his job. Some thought the ninjas were dead, others thought that they had fallen through the rift and gone to another realm, and others thought that they turned evil.

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and before he knew it, it had already been two years since Kai left.

Two years alone in the monastery. Two years alone patrolling populated areas. Two years of having to stay to the side and watch as citizens lose hope of ever going back home. Two years of trying to stay strong and not lose hope.

Sometimes when he was working late into the night, he could hear Zane and P.I.X.A.L. trying to coax him into taking a break.

So that's why he's at the crossroads, watching the sunrise. Technically, he's still patrolling, but he can say that he's taking a break while keeping an eye on the city he's in. The Crossroads.

Buildings atop buildings, roads connecting in a circle with a fountain in the middle, and people bustling about, selling, purchasing, and chattering. If Lloyd closed his eyes, he could almost see Ninjago like it was yesterday.

"Pies! Freshly baked pies! Get your fresh pies from Grab-Barg!"

"Mmm, yes, Grab-Barg's pies are the best! That kid could never compete!"

"Let's go, Sora! Come on! Hurry up!"

"Come watch the brightest, most colorful, and amazing fireworks show you've ever seen in your life!"

"Even though I've seen it so many times, his fireworks are the best!"

"Yeah, I guess,"

"Fresh moss milk! Straight from the caves! This time with moss yogurt!"

"Yes! Moss yogurt! Finally!"

"Next step is the cheese!"

"Totally!"

"Enter the Mech Master 5000! It's the last day! The entry fee is 50 coins, but the winning prize is 10,000 coins!"

"This year is the year I win! You better believe it!"

"I know you aren't trying to pay your entry fee with a homemade pie, baked to perfection, Arin."

"I know that I haven't been able to save you, but I will get you back with this money. Those kids won't get in my way."