Family Sequel (A Ninjago Fanic)

Chapter 1

Lloyd could barely stand. His lungs burned. The Venge Stone chains holding him up seemed to drain his energy; like he had any to spare.

Suddenly, Scales was in front of him, appearing out of thin air. The snake waved a poisoned in the captured Ninja's face.

"Hold ssstill, little one."

He vanished. Lloyd's heart began to race, thumping in his chest. He knew what was coming. That didn't make it any less tolerable. If anything, it made it worse.

His back arched as the blade tore through his skin, branding him with the mark of the Hypnobrai Serpentine tribe. A scream escaped his lips as a sound like a gong echoed through his skull.

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Lloyd bolted upright in bed, breathing hard, his heart beating wildly.

"Wake up, wake up, my pupils! It's Wednesday, which means sunrise exercises!"

Sensei Wu entered the Ninja's room, banging on his gong, while, Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane all groaned in unison.

The Green Ninja just sat in his bed. He needed to calm down. He was safe, on the Bounty. His father was good, and Scales was dead.

The scars on his back stretched as he finally climbed out of bed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his uncle watching him, concern only half-hidden in his face.

Lloyd made his way towards the closets in the back of the room, performing Spinjitzu to quickly change out of his striped pajamas into his Ninja suit.

Even that simple act of agility taxed him. It had only been six months since his rescue. Only five of those months was he awake. The magical month-long healing process had done a lot, but it wasn't a cure-all. The marks of the Hypnobrai and Constrictai were still there, permanently. Of all the things Scales had done to him, those were the worst, the ones he wished the most would go away.

Physically, he was fine. Mentally, he was a mess. Every night, he had the same nightmare. Every night, Scales was branding him. The Hypnobrai General may be dead and gone, but he haunted Lloyd constantly.

Lloyd was aware, though he tried to ignore it, that the Ninja, even his uncle and Nya, still tip-toed around him, like they were afraid they'd break him. Sure, he had been through a lot. He had been tortured and held ransom by the Serpentine. But he wasn't fragile. He wasn't made of glass, like the slightest push would send him toppling over the edge and shatter him.

He followed Sensei Wu, Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane single file to the deck. Before he left the room, he took a deep breath.

I'm safe.