Chapter Text
It was an unusually quiet morning at the monastery. The ninjas had decided to sleep in. The sun had just begun to rise, casting golden light through the windows and illuminating the leaves outside with a soft glow. Birds chirped faintly in the distance, their songs blending with the rustle of wind through the trees. Everything felt still, as if the world itself had paused. It seemed like it was going to be a good day.
At exactly 6:00 AM, Sora stirred beneath a tangled mess of sheets. She stretched with a loud groan, her limbs heavy from sleep, and blinked her eyes open. Sunlight filtered through her curtains, casting a warm glow across her face and catching strands of her messy pink hair.
Her room was a disaster. Clothes covered the floor alongside tangled wires and empty water bottles. Her cat headphones sat abandoned in the corner of the room. She had no memory of putting them there. A ninja's room was supposed to reflect discipline and balance, but Sora's looked more like the aftermath of a storm.
Out of everyone on the team, Sora's room was undeniably the messiest. Perhaps it was because she had spent her entire life in Imperium, sharing dorms with roommates. She had never learned how to manage a room by herself. Arin, on the other hand, was far more organized. He would sometimes stop by to clean her room, claiming it was a hobby of his.
Then there was Lloyd. The students were not allowed in his room, which naturally sparked curiosity between Arin and Sora. The older ninjas had unrestricted access, but the students did not. It became a topic of debate for some time. What could he possibly be hiding?
Still groggy, Sora yawned and swung her legs out of bed. The floor felt cool beneath her feet. She stood, slid her door open, and made her way down the hallway toward the kitchen. When she arrived, she spotted Lloyd sitting at the table, engaged in conversation with Arin, who was busy preparing his usual pie.
Before either of them noticed her presence, Sora paused and observed Lloyd for a moment. Just for a brief second, he looked ordinary. Not like the legendary Green Ninja, but like a regular teenager having a casual conversation with a friend.
Even though Lloyd was technically their teacher, there was something youthful about him that set him apart from the others. Perhaps it was the way he laughed so easily, or the way he never acted superior to his students. That energy made him approachable. Sure, he was supposed to be the chosen one, the ninja who had defeated the Overlord and saved all of Ninjago. But Sora wasn't entirely convinced. Maybe people were exaggerating. Arin certainly had a tendency to overhype things. There was no way Lloyd had single-handedly defeated the Overlord. Right?
Lloyd turned just in time to catch Sora staring at him, her expression somewhere between confused and sleepy.
He leaned toward Arin and whispered, loud enough for her to hear, “I think Sora’s zoning out again…”
Arin snorted with a giggle, and the sound snapped Sora out of her thoughts.
“No I’m not!” she protested, sitting up straight.
Lloyd grinned and gestured to the table, where several fresh pies sat on plates. “Have a slice of pie, Sora.”
The sweet, buttery scent wafted right beneath her nose and made her mouth water. She plopped down next to him without a single thought, “Gosh, yes I will! For the record, I was NOT zoning out.”
Lloyd chuckled softly at Sora’s reaction, shaking his head with a sigh and a smile. Watching the two of them, Sora with crumbs on her chin and Arin humming while mixing another batter, it made him feel something he didn’t quite understand: jealousy. Not in a hateful way, but in a quiet, aching way. He loved to see the two of them relax and enjoy themselves. He wanted to join in on that too, laughing freely and not having a single worry on his shoulders.
But Lloyd wasn’t a student anymore. He was the teacher. The leader. The expectations to the title weren’t a joke, and it dragged him to play the role of the responsible one. It wasn’t right for him to sit down and act like a kid anymore.
“I should go set up the training ground. If someone could wake up Frak, I’d appreciate it.” Lloyd said with a smile, picking up his tea and heading out of the kitchen.
The wooden floor beneath him didn’t creak for every step he took. His movements were swift and light. It was something Arin kept in the back of his mind– how Lloyd could move so silently, like a true ninja! Perhaps it’s something he was trained for, or it’s something he picked up along the way. It made Arin wonder just what else Lloyd kept to himself.
Before Lloyd could step out fully, Arin called out, “Oh by the way Lloyd! Frak’s already training!”
Lloyd paused mid-step, his brow arching slightly. “You don’t say…” he murmured, the corners of his mouth tightening into a firm line.
Lloyd admired Frak's dedication and discipline. He did. Frak was determined, never wanting to skip training or sleep in. But deep inside, Lloyd couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated. Frak trained harder than his other students, but he was training the wrong way. No matter how many times Lloyd taught him about balance and self-control, Frak still held on to Ras’s teachings. He channeled his anger and fought with fury. Although it worked now, but it would soon be a dead-end path.
Lloyd knew from experience.
Frak punched the wooden poles aggressively and kicked the stone blocks like it was the last thing he was going to hit. Few of them were knocked out and dented. He’s definitely going to have a lecture from Mr. Frohicky later.
Frak hit a huge stone wall, hard. The block flew out and was coming straight towards Lloyd. Without flinching, Lloyd put his hand up in a fist and stood still. He had an annoyed expression as the stone wall deflected off his fist and fell straight to the floor.
“Oh—sorry, Lloyd! Guess I’m just too strong for these obstacle courses!” Frak called out proudly, jogging toward the Green Ninja with a wide grin on his snout.
Lloyd raised a stern brow, arms crossed. “This is the fifth time, Frak.”
Frak just grinned wider, clearly unfazed. “You’re stronger than you look, Lloyd! You took that stone pillar like it was NOTHING!”
Lloyd sighed, offering a tight-lipped, awkward smile. “Thanks... Frak.”
But just as he turned to reset the course, a sudden jolt of unease hit him.
His instincts screamed.
His body reacted before his mind could catch up. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
He scanned the sky, eyes sharp. Then he saw it. A glint of something metal plummeting fast from the clouds above. Without thinking, Lloyd lunged toward Frak, yanking him backward and diving under the monastery roof. A split second later, the object crashed down with a deafening clang, sending a shockwave of dust and leaves in every direction.
"What... what was that?" Frak coughed, blinking through the dust cloud.
Lloyd didn't answer right away. He stepped forward, calm and quiet as always. Frak crept behind him, hesitant but curious. As the dust cleared, the object came into view. A black, jagged chunk of metal with two razor-sharp ends. Sparks of yellow electricity crackled along its surface like lightning trapped in a bottle.
Lloyd stopped in his tracks.
He knew exactly what it was.
"No way..." he muttered under his breath, eyes locked on it. "It cant be..."
He bent down and picked it up without hesitation. Frak's jaw dropped. "Wait. Lloyd! Maybe do not touch the sparky doom-blade thing?"
But Lloyd was already holding it, staring into the pulsing glow like it had summoned an old memory from deep inside him.
"What is that?" Frak whispered, inching closer.
Lloyd turned slightly, still staring at the weapon. "One of the Time Blades," he said, his voice low. "I hid it away a long time ago. I have no idea how it ended up here."
Frak's eyes went wide. "Time Blade? Like... time-traveling blade? Mess-with-the-universe.. sort of blade?"
Lloyd hadn't answered. His face was clouded with something between confusion and concern.
"We have to show this to the others," he said slowly. "Who knows, maybe it..."
The blade suddenly twitched in his hands. Then it started to hum. A low, electric buzz building in intensity.
"Lloyd?" Frak backed away. "It's doing a thing. A bad thing!!"
The yellow glow flared, growing brighter, hotter, until it burst like a flashbang between them.
"Lloyd!" Frak screamed, reaching out.
But the blast launched him backward across the training grounds. Everything went dark.
"Ugh... Ak..."
When Frak's vision finally returned, he saw someone hovering over him. Frantic, shouting his name.
It wasn't Lloyd.
It was a girl. A pretty girl. With bright pink hair. A wild, worried look in her eyes.
"Sora?" Frak groaned.
“You idiot,” Sora snapped, brushing dust off her ninja suit. “What did you guys do?”
Frak scrambled to his feet, panic flooding his voice. “What happened to Lloyd?!”
He turned and saw Kai, Cole, Nya, Zane, and Arin all gathered around someone lying on the ground.
Lloyd.
He was unconscious, flat on his back.
Sora’s expression softened. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
Frak rushed over to the group, eyes wide with guilt and confusion. The older ninjas looked unusually serious—faces tight with concern.
Suddenly, Kai stood and marched toward Frak, fire practically flaring in his eyes. “Frak! What happened?!”
“Uhhh…” Frak threw his hands up. “I’m not exactly sure. A weapon fell from the sky, Lloyd picked it up, and he said it was called… a Time Blade or something?”
The instant the words left his mouth, Kai, Cole, and Nya all let out a collective breath of relief—like someone had defused a bomb.
Frak blinked. “Wait… is that a good thing?”
Cole chuckled, finally relaxing his shoulders. “Oh yeah. He’s gonna be fine.”
Sora tilted her head, clearly not convinced. “You sure? Because I’m being told that he just got smacked by a glowing, time-zapping weapon and dropped like a brick.”
Kai grinned, crossing his arms. “Let’s just say… we’ve seen this before.”
Frak, Arin, and Sora exchanged looks.
“I’m not following,” Arin admitted, glancing between them.
Nya knelt beside Lloyd, brushing his blonde, silky hair back. “Time Blades don’t just send you backward or forward in time… sometimes they do something weirder. Like rewind you.”
Cole nodded. “We’ve seen this kind of time-flux before with sensei. Lloyd’s not hurt—just… younger.”
“YOUNGER?” Sora raised a brow.
Arin stepped forward, narrowing his eyes. “Come to think of it... Lloyd looks... different.”
He wasn’t wrong.
The Lloyd they all knew—the one who guided them, trained them, stood like a pillar of strength—had thick golden hair that curled slightly with every breeze, and a face filled with a quiet wisdom. He had the aura of someone who had seen too much, fought too long, and lived to tell the tale.
But this Lloyd?
This Lloyd looked like a boy lost in his father’s clothes. His ninja suit hung off his frame, a size too big in the shoulders, sleeves too long. His hair was still blonde, but shaggier, messy with uneven edges. There were no tired lines around his eyes, no weight of the world on his shoulders—just raw, youthful fire.
In Sora’s head, something clicked. This was the Lloyd she had been dreaming about—the one who always showed up in her subconscious. Not a teacher. Not a legend. Just a kid who just happened to carry a big title.
For a moment, no one spoke. Everyone just… stared.
Kai and Nya sat cross-legged to Lloyd’s left, Zane and Cole quietly observing from his right, while Arin, Sora, and Frak stood uncertainly at his feet like they’d approached a sleeping dragon.
And then, he stirred.
Lloyd groaned, slowly blinking himself back to life with the kind of sleepy resistance Sora recognized—like her own sluggish mornings. The others flinched and leaned in with soft smiles.
But as Lloyd’s vision focused, the first thing he saw was three unfamiliar faces gawking at him.
A crease formed between his brows.
In a flash, he jumped to his feet. A surge of green energy erupted into his palms, the inside of the green having a bright golden hue. He glared down at the young ninjas, eyes sharp, voice laced with confusion and anger.
“Who are you?! Why are you looking at me like that?!”
His voice was heavy like thunder.
Arin, Sora, and Frak froze. None of them had ever heard Lloyd shout. Not even once. They had seen him serious, firm, even disappointed—but never like this. Never full of rage.
They were too stunned to answer.
Thankfully, Kai stepped in fast, slipping between them with practiced calm. He grabbed Lloyd’s arms gently but firmly, offering a calming smile.
“Hey, hey… easy now,” Kai said softly. “Let’s not threaten the students.”
Lloyd blinked, bewildered, his eyes darting from Kai to the trio behind him. And then his gaze lingered on Kai—really looked at him.
There was a pause.
“Kai…?” Lloyd asked, his tone laced with disbelief. His powers slowly fizzled out as the tension drained from his stance. “Why do you… look like that?”
Kai couldn’t help but chuckle. “What, older? Wiser? More ruggedly handsome?”
Lloyd looked him up and down, visibly confused by the subtle lines in Kai’s face, the broader frame, the deeper voice.
“No. Uglier.”
Nya chuckled at the green ninjas comment, and the jaws of all the three students were dropped to the floor. How could Lloyd say something like that? The older ninjas seem used to this, as they all joined in on Nyas laughter and Kai stood there awkwardly, not expecting that.
Lloyd stepped back, eyes scanning the others.
“What year is it…?”
Cole finally spoke up from the side, “Well, that answers our question.”
Arin leaned toward Sora and whispered, “Okay, so… time travel is real.”
Sora didn’t answer. She just kept her eyes on Lloyd—the young Lloyd who stood like a storm bottled in human form.
And for the first time, she realized...
He wasn’t just the legend they had been told about.
He was the storm.