Disclaimer: I don't own Ninjago

Master and Student floated in air, in mediation. Akira was using his wind powers to float, while Lloyd simply sat in the air. Legs crossed, hands resting on their laps, and eyes closed. Peaceful meditation.

"Master?" Akira whispered.

"Hmm?" Lloyd said.

"What are we doing?" Akira asked.

"Meditating." Lloyd answered.

"I know but why?" Akira asked again.

Lloyd was teaching the boy patience, but Lloyd was silencing his inner demons. Although he's forgiven himself, Lloyd still has nightmares of the deaths he's caused. Not of Lloyd2, the Erinyes, or any other evil being he's killed, but of the innocent ones he took when he was the Angel of Death.

"Do you think a ninja's whole life revolves around fighting?" Lloyd asked.

"Well…kind of." Akira answered honestly.

Lloyd chuckled.

"I know how to use a bow, but now I have a sword too. I need to know how to use it. What if we come across some bad ninjas?" Akira asked.

"You are not ready for sword training, boy. You will continue to use your bow against any foes we encounter. Stay back and distract them while I deal with them." Lloyd explained.

Akira sighed.

"Yes, sensei."

There was silence for a moment.

"Patience, Akira. I will teach you how to use your sword in time. When you are ready." Lloyd said.

"When will I know?" Akira asked.

"You won't. I will." Lloyd answered.

"Spoken like a true teacher." Akira said.

Lloyd chuckled again. He's grown quite fond of Akira in the weeks he's been his teacher. Akira is impatient, rash, pretty much a younger Kai, but he was determined. Lloyd saw a lot of the ninja in Akira and Lloyd liked that about him.

"I apologize for questions, sensei. It's just my last fight was with Rokk all those weeks ago. I'm ready for another one." Akira said.

"We stopped those bandits on Tuesday." Lloyd reminded.

"That was nothing. All I did was aim my bow and you pulled out your sword." Akira said. "I'm ready for another fight!"

"A wise ninja does not go looking for a battle…" Lloyd started.

"But he must always be ready for one. My point exactly!" Akira finished.

"Patience." Lloyd said in a hushed tone.

More silence passed. Suddenly, Hamato appeared, injured.

"Lloyd." Hamato said weakly.

"See?" Lloyd asked as he opened his eyes.

Hamato collapsed on the forest floor. Lloyd quickly sped over to him and helped his friend up. Akira quickly joined them. Lloyd turned Hamato over and looked him over. It looked as if Hamato was having a fever. He was hot, sweating, and looked sickly.

"Hamato?" Lloyd asked.

"What's wrong?" Akira asked.

"I see something. I see…dark. I see the Master of Lightning." Hamato said.

"Jay?" Lloyd asked.

"No. The lightning master…before him. His grandmother. But that's…impossible. She is dead." Hamato said.

"What do you see?" Lloyd asked. "Focus."

"She's…trapped. In a prison not far from here. In the mountains. She's…alone." Hamato struggled to say.

"Which way, Hamato. Which way is the prison?" Lloyd asked again.

Hamato pointed forward.

"Akira, grab your bow, we are leaving." Lloyd said.

Akira nodded and ran to grab his bow.

"I cannot see beyond this point, Lloyd. You'll be on your own." Hamato explained.

"We'll be fine, will you?" Lloyd questioned.

"Something at the prison is affecting my powers. Maybe another oracle or maybe it's something else. Leave me here, go to the prison and find out, I'll be fine." Hamato said.

"I can't leave you like this." Lloyd said.

"I've outlived your grandfather, Lloyd. I've seen my past, present and future. Go." Hamato said.

Lloyd nodded. He gently placed Hamato done and watched as Hamato slowly vanished. Lloyd turned around and saw Akira waiting for him. Lloyd walked towards him and they soon headed off for the prison.

"What if it's a trap?" Akira asked.

"Keep your wits about you, boy. It is undoubtedly a trap." Lloyd said.

Lloyd and Akira found the base of the mountains later that day. The sun was setting, and the skies turned orange. Lloyd helped Akira on his back, and he flew upwards. Akira held onto Lloyd tightly and watched as the ground got further and further from him. Eventually, Lloyd stopped flying and they saw a prison that was surrounded by the mountains. Lloyd received flashbacks from the Prison of the Damned.

"Master?" Akira asked as Lloyd grabbed his head.

"I sense a powerful elemental. Looks like we'll find a lightning master after all." Lloyd said.

Lloyd descended to the prison. He landed on a platform runway and Akira jumped off his back. Both looked around to see the prison look abandoned. Almost.

"Borg." Lloyd smirked.

There were no human guards at this prison, only drones armed with stun guns. Cyrus Borg designed this prison once Kryptarium Prison was beginning to overflow. Prisoners were dropped off by air and drones took care of them. Food was delivered to each cell by a machine. A drone flew to Lloyd and quickly scanned him.

"Green Ninja. Authority Access Granted." The drone spoke.

"Convenient." Akira said.

Lloyd and Akira walked inside the massive prison. As they walked trough the halls, the prisoners tried reaching for them. They were grateful for another human contact other than themselves. Akira walked in front of Lloyd so he could watch him closely.

Lloyd followed the presence in Spinjitzu of the other elemental in the prison. It was powerful, but it felt wrong. Lloyd would've ignored it, but Hamato needed this to be done. They made it to an elevator and rode it to the top floor. The prison was a maze of halls and cells, but Lloyd was getting closer to the source. Akira could feel a small presence.

"Master?" Akira said.

"I feel it too. That one." Lloyd said.

Lloyd pointed to a door and Akira ran over to it. They couldn't see inside, but both knew someone was behind it. Lloyd looked at a scanner next to the door. He hesitated at first, but he slowly placed his hand on the scanner which turned green at his touch. The door slid open and master and student walked inside.

A woman with blonde hair was wearing a prison uniform and hung her head. She lifted her head to see Lloyd and Akira standing there.

"If she's a grandma why does she look so young?" Akira whispered.

"Master?" Lloyd asked concerned.

The former lightning master stood up and walked to the corner of the room. Lloyd and Akira saw a large metal box with a small window on it. Suddenly, the master vanished. Lloyd ran to the box and examined it. He wiped the window and saw a skeletal corpse resting inside. It was the lightning master.

"I don't…understand." Akira said confused.

"No?" A voice from behind asked.

Lloyd and Akira quickly turned around and saw a man standing there. Although Akira didn't know who this was, a surprised Lloyd knew all too well. It was the assassin that was sent to kill Lloyd, back from the dead. Lloyd pushed Akira behind him and pulled out his Jade Sword.

"It doesn't seem complicated. I am the Specter." The man said.

He then pulled out a crescent shaped hilt and a long blade extended out of it.

"Welcome." He said with an evil smile.

Akira backed away from his sensei, sensing his rage and fear building up. Lloyd lifted his sword higher and looked at the Specter. He was dressed same as before only now he wore Musukoshi's dagger around his neck.

"Yes, I'm afraid this lightning master died with the alliance. However, her old bones still provide some use. Luring the last of the elementals to their end." The Specter said as he walked inside the cell.

"Sensei?" Akira asked.

"There will be no one to save you now." The Specter said.

Lloyd lunged at the Specter and swung his sword downwards, only for the Specter to step slightly to the left. Lloyd swung his sword again and this time the Specter blocked it with his own. Lloyd swung across the Specter's head, but the assassin then ducked to avoid the blade. The Specter sprang up and pointed his katana right at Lloyd's face. The Green Ninja knocked the blade away and swung his sword only for the Specter to block it. Both ninja tried to push the other back.

"Interesting. It seems I was able to analyze your fight patterns perfectly since our last, short, battle." The Specter smirked.

"Who are you?" Lloyd asked.

The Specter pushed Lloyd back and swung his blade multiple times only for Lloyd to block each one. Lloyd then swung his sword again and the Specter knocked it downwards. He then pointed his sword right at Lloyd's throat.

"Déjà vu?" The Specter smirked. "Sensei Wu taught you and the other ninja to practice their swordsmanship in an ancient fighting style known as Kyra-Tzu. In it, the ninja is quick to strike, but his blows are strong and fatal. Difficult to master, but not impossible to learn."

Akira backed away from them and ran to the door, which was locked.

"You, however, altered this to better use of your new-found strength." The Specter said.

Akira shot an arrow and the Specter easily deflected it.

With the Specter's back turned, Lloyd ran up and begun to swing his blade. The Specter spun around elegantly behind Lloyd and kicked him in his back, pushing him all the way to Akira. Lloyd fell on the floor, but quickly stood back up to protect himself and his student.

"Clearly you were a poor student." The Specter said.

Akira fired three more arrows at the Specter. The Specter held his hand up and the arrows all stopped moving. The Specter closed his hand tightly and the arrows all broke in midair.

"That all you got, my boy?" The Specter asked as he threw the broken arrow pieces.

"Well I also got this." Akira said as he took out a small bomb.

He pulled the pin and threw it between Lloyd and the Specter. It went off and smoke filled the entire cell. Lloyd kicked the cell doors open and he and Akira ran out of the cell. The Specter, walking out, followed them.

Lloyd and Akira ran through a myriad of hallways, hoping to lose the Specter. Lloyd didn't normally run from a fight, but this Specter survived a dagger in the throat somehow and beat Lloyd senseless in the cell. Not to mention, Lloyd felt remarkably weaker whenever he was around. Once far away enough, Lloyd felt stronger. As they turned a corner, the Specter was standing there, waiting and smiling at them.

The Specter held his sword sideways. Lloyd was confused until a second blade came out the other end. Lloyd rolled his eyes and prepared himself as the Specter charged. Their swords clashed repeatedly in every direction. Lloyd tried his hardest, but the Specter was clearly the superior swordsman. The Specter and Lloyd's blade locked on to each other and both ninja were pushing the other back again.

"Are you paying attention, boy?" The Specter asked Akira. "The Elementals are weak and dying out. But there is another path: The Society of Ghosts."

Although Akira was surprised the Specter addressed him, he decided not to listen to his words.

"Never heard of it." Akira said as he aimed down the Specter.

Akira released the arrow shot straight for the Specter's head. The Specter pushed Lloyd away and deflected the arrow by spinning his double-bladed sword in hand. Once the arrow bounced off his sword, the Specter raised his hand again and pushed Akira hard into a wall with his strange magic. Lloyd looked back in horror as Akira struggled to raise his head.

"Have you taught him nothing?" The Specter asked.

Lloyd turned back around to face the Specter and they fought again. With Akira down, Lloyd decided to move their battle away from his student, as to not hit him. The Specter realized Lloyd was doing this and thought it was admirable. Foolish, but admirable. Lloyd swung his sword down the Specter's left side, but the fallen ninja moved to the right. The Specter then swung his sword towards Lloyd's head, but the Green Ninja back flipped a few feet away.

"It is good to see you back to your old self, Green Ninja, but do you really think you can save him? For his sake, surrender." The Specter said as Akira stood up.

"I'll never make a deal with you." Lloyd said as he raised his blade.

"Hmm? Then we'll let him make one then, shall we?" The Specter said.

The Specter pushed his hand forward and once in the air, it threw Lloyd to the other side of the hallway. Akira barely had enough time to duck under. Lloyd hit the back wall and fell on the floor. Akira looked at Lloyd then back at the Specter.

"Your master has failed you, child. He's unfocused, undisciplined. Makes him sloppy." The Specter noted.

"I guess we're the perfect match then." Akira said.

Akira fired two more arrows at the Specter who blocked both. The Specter ran to Akira and swung at the young master. Fortunately, Akira jumped in the air to avoid the blade. He then jumped off the Specter's head and ran behind the Specter. The Specter growled and rubbed his head. He turned around and laughed lightly.

"I do admire your persistence. Ready to die?" The Specter asked sinisterly as he rotated his sword in hand.

Akira reached for another arrow as the Specter ran forwards. Lloyd lifted his head up and saw.

"No!" Lloyd yelled as he reached his hand forward.

The green jewel on his necklace glowed brightly before a green smoke shot out of it. The smoke wrapped around the Specter's limbs and waist before the dark ninja could strike Akira. The Smoke held him still and the Specter turned his head to Lloyd and growled.

"Run." Lloyd ordered.

Akira quickly grabbed Musukoshi's dagger from the Specter's neck as Lloyd raised his hand. The green smoke then lifted the Specter into the air until he hit the ceiling. Akira, dagger in hand, ran to his master and tried to help him up. Lloyd was weak, but he didn't know why. Lloyd dropped his arm and the smoke dispersed. The Specter landed on one knee before standing back up again.

The Specter turned around and held his double-bladed katana forward. A second crescent flipped off the first one and connected to the hilt. Once it did, the blades started to spin around the disc.

"Cool." Akira whispered.

"Come on!" Lloyd said annoyed as he pulled Akira's shoulder.

They ran from the Specter who continued his chase. Once again, Lloyd and Akira ran through the prison halls, looking for exit. Also, once Lloyd was far from the Specter, he noticed he was feeling stronger.

"Venge Stone." Lloyd whispered to himself.

Lloyd looked behind them to see the Specter was gaining. Before his powers left again, Lloyd shot a nearby lock panel at the end of the hall that opened the cells. The prisoners jumped out and cheered.

"Sensei?" Akira asked, surprised by his master's action.

Lloyd didn't respond. He simply picked Akira up and threw him on his back. Akira wrapped his arms around Lloyd's neck and held on tightly. Lloyd and Akira looked back to see the Specter killing the prisoners that attacked him. Lloyd was ashamed, but at least Akira was safe.

"Sensei!" Akira yelled.

Lloyd looked forward and saw a prisoner run straight towards them. Lloyd jumped over the prisoner and kicked his back.

The Specter looked forward and saw Lloyd escape. He smirked before killing all the prisoners. He chased after them again.

Lloyd could sense the Specter behind them. He wondered how he could move so quickly. Lloyd saw another panel and prepared to fire.

"No!" Akira shouted.

Lloyd shot a panel next to it. This one caused a large door to slam shut in front of the Specter. He chuckled slightly and ran down another hallway.

Lloyd continued to run away. Lloyd sensed his student's disappointment. Not in running away, but by using the criminals as bait only for them to die. Lloyd was disgusted as well with himself.

"Head down!" Lloyd ordered.

Akira lowered his head and Lloyd ran through a wall, destroying it. They were outside and in the air. Lloyd began to fly away, but the Specter shot his leg with a Venge Stone dart. It was deep in his skin and Lloyd yelled from the pain. He then started to fall out of the sky.

"Sensei!" Akira yelled.

Lloyd didn't reply, he was in too much pain. Akira then shot his hands forwards and created a gust of wind that lowered them safely to the platform below. With the stone in Lloyd's leg and it being a small dart, Akira was able to do it. Akira stopped using his powers once they were a foot off the ground. Akira jumped off Lloyd and checked his bleeding leg. It was the first time Akira ever saw Lloyd bleed.

The Specter jumped from the hole and landed on the platform, breaking every bone in his body. However, both master and student then saw the Specter heal at an alarming rate. The Specter chuckled and walked towards them. Lloyd stood up but wobbled with a wounded leg.

"We need a vehicle." Lloyd said through gritted teeth.

His Jade Sword then began to glow.

'When the times comes, you'll know.' Hanma's voice echoed in Lloyd's head.

Lloyd then grabbed Akira's arm and jumped off the platform, shocking the Specter. He walked to the edge of it and then saw a green and gold fighter jet fly in front of his face. The Specter fell over and watched as the jet flew off towards the skies and away from him.

The Specter looked down at the platform and saw Lloyd's blood. He wiped his fingers in it before licking it off them. The Specter's eyes glowed green.

"Fascinating." The Specter smirked.

R&R