Autobiography of a Legend

The Moment that Cost Everything

When I set foot on the Dark Island, everything about it felt wrong to me. It felt strange, all the way deep inside me. Misako said that was because I was a reflection of light, and had just stepped into a place of shadow. If that was true, then I wanted to leave immediately. If you've been outside in the cold before and felt those harsh shivers that go right through you, those were what I felt almost every time I took a step on that island. I felt sick to my stomach, cold to the bone and weak in a way that I hadn't felt before. I hated every minute that I spent on that beach.

That was partially because of a choice I was forced to obey while I was there: stay put. Once we landed, despite how awful I felt, I wanted to go out and stop my father. The Stone Army had wrecked Ninjago City and then vanished. I told myself at first I wanted retribution for that. I knew that was barely even a factor in my mind at the moment. The longer I waited, the longer I had time to doubt the decision I'd made to act the part of the Lloyd that everyone needed to carry out the final battle. The longer I stayed there, the longer I had to put my mind onto thoughts of the fact I was going to have to kill my father.

This was something that nobody said, but everybody seemed to understood: 'defeat' my father clearly didn't mean just beating him. He was evil, corrupted right to the core. The fact he was here, on the island, meant that I didn't have the chance to reform him. He had tried that already, and left me over it. I'd have to end it. I never said it, but it was something I had to understand. I had to be ready for it. And it only made it worse and worse every minute I had to think about it.

We spent the first few days disguising the Bounty into the beach so as not to attract the attention of the constant patrols. It was hard work, and more than once we had a close call of feeling it was the moment we would be caught. Thankfully, the beach was large and the Bounty was hidden behind a small hill to hide part of the ship. It was imperative that we remain hidden on the island, unless we wanted to prematurely start the final battle. Misako quickly grew afraid that if I was seen at all, that destiny wouldn't line up the way she claimed it had to for me to win.

While I was on the ship, it was hard to train. Everytime I did, I would end up just thinking that every move I tried, I'd use on my dad. When I'd try to stop and get rest, I'd be kept up by those same thoughts. If I went to talk to Misako or Wu, they'd both tell me that I had to be ready in whatever way I needed to be for the final battle. Even when I was out collecting supplies, I could never go very far in fear of being caught and, again, starting the final battle. Whatever I did, I couldn't stop thinking about the final battle!

I wanted to go help the ninja, but I couldn't. I wanted to train, but I couldn't. I wanted to talk to someone, anyone, but I couldn't. Not without being told what I already knew I didn't want to hear. I hated every bit of that situation, and even now, my feelings in that brief stay on the island were tangled, confused and angry. It left me stuck, stuck in a way that nothing I did to try to make myself feel better helped. I was just there, on the island, stuck.

The plan was relatively simple after we'd hidden the Bounty: the ninja needed to find the Temple of Light so they could regain their elemental powers and I could learn the fighting style of the First Spinjitzu Master: the Golden Dragon. Of course, I wanted to go immediately, partially because of how cool the powerup sounded, but mostly because I wanted to stop sitting around on the ship. Of course, I couldn't go. I was trapped again, and the ninja went off to try to get the location using a medallion that Misako had on her. (Come to think of it, my mom had most everything we needed whenever it was important.)

The ninja weren't gone for that long, a few hours at most. I was left sitting on the ship again, staring off into space and wondering where my father was hiding. I knew he was there, and according to Misako, he had teamed up with what was likely the Overlord to control the Stone Army. Those guys were strong enough that we didn't stand a chance of ever getting to beat them if they all came after us, so stealth made sense. Wu managed to get attacked looking for supplies, and even with my lightning powers and Wu's years of training and teaching, it took a lot just to imprison one man alone. He broke free after the ninja returned, so I guess either way, our presence on the island would have always gotten out.