Season 8: Game of Masks

The part you've all been waiting for is finally here!!

The worst possible way to reveal yourself.

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*Lloyd, Nova, and Harumi are going into the Oni Temple.*

Nova was still staying in the shadows after her little stunt, she was still recovering from using so much energy. But as they entered the temple she could already feel the power of the oni mask inside, she didn't like the feeling it was giving.

"The Oni Temple." said Lloyd as they went inside and jumped on some pillars. "If the last mask is here, it won't come easily. Trust me, I've had my share of deadly tombs. Follow my every step." Lloyd jumps on a pillar with a carving on it. It starts to crumble.

"Lloyd." Harumi worried when she saw the pillar crumble.

Lloyd jumps to safety. "Okay. Don't touch anything with that symbol on it. Harumi secretly touches one. "What's happening?"

"I don't know. I didn't touch anything." said Harumi.

Nova narrowed her eyes at her from the shadows. "It wasn't me. I'm still in the shadows so I couldn't have touched anything." [robotic] She said.

"Rumi, Del, the exit." Lloyd points to the exit, which starts to close.

"No. No, no, no, no, no." said Harumi worried.

".....Well there goes you guys the only way out." [robotic] said Nova since she could still get out through the shadows, but she couldn't do the same stunt as before because she didn't have the energy for it.

Lloyd sighs. "Guess there's no turning back now."

"Can't Delta just shadow thingy us out of here, should something happen?" Harumi asked.

"I don't think she has the en–" said Lloyd but was quickly cut off by Nova.

"Yeah it shouldn't be too hard, should the situation call for it." [robotic] said Nova though it was actually a lie. She just didn't want Harumi to know that she was very weak at the moment, after doing that.

"...Delta, can I ask you something?" Lloyd asked while they were going further inside, trying to avoid turning on anymore traps.

Nova looked over at him from the shadows and was quiet for a while until she finally answered. "...Sure" [robotic] She said, though couldn't help getting a bad feeling of what it could be.

"Back at the Dark Island a few years ago, did you see what happened to my friend Nova? None of us was able to find her after the fight against the Overlord, and just out in the jungle you used her elemental power of decay, which doesn't make sense." Lloyd asked.

Nova's eyes widened in the shadows at that question, she wasn't sure how to answer that without revealing herself But she was scared since this wasn't the right time or place for these questions.

".....Lloyd I-watch out!?" [robotic] said Nova but quickly saw that a trap had been turned on as a lot of arrows were shooting out from the walls towards Lloyd and Harumi.

Lloyd acted quickly as he grabbed Harumi's hand and quickly started leading her out of danger.

"Almost there. You okay?" Lloyd asked, looking at Harumi.

"Thank the First Spinjitzu Master for that trap, somehow I dodged a bullet from his question." Nova thought with a silent sigh.

"Yes, but it's hard to see." said Harumi as Lloyd picks up a nearby torch and lights it with his powers. "What is this place?" They see a mural on the wall.

"It's their story." said Lloyd.

"Who?" Harumi asked.

"The Oni. See there? It's amazing." said Lloyd.

"They must have built this place." said Harumi.

"When the First Spinjitzu Master escaped their world, they must have come looking for him." said Lloyd.

"Who?" Harumi asked once again.

"The Oni. He was the key to winning their eternal war with the Dragons. Ninjago was a new world to them. The Oni must've holed up here. Explains all the traps. Must not have wanted any visitors." Lloyd sighs. "This is a dead end."

"Look, the symbol from earlier. Maybe you can break through one of these walls. If the symbol is on here, this one must be booby trapped." said Harumi.

"That would be too easy, as a master thief I should know. No, we have to break the wall with markings." [robotic] said Nova.

"Hmm. Worth a shot." Lloyd uses his Energy but stops.

"What's wrong?" Harumi asked.

"No, Del is right. If the Oni wanted to protect the mask, they would know anyone who got this far would avoid the markings." said Lloyd.

"What do you mean?" Harumi asked.

"This has to be the way." said Lloyd.

"But you see the water? If you break the wrong wall, this whole room will flood." said Harumi.

"Mm-hmm. Then I sure hope me and Del are right." He breaks the wall with the marking. "Ha. Let's go."

Harumi gasps. "The Mask of Hatred." She strides over to the mask, tries to grab it, but fails. "Only someone with Oni blood can take the mask."

Lloyd goes to take the mask, but Nova quickly comes out of the shadows and grabs the mask before he could. "We can't have the Sons of Garmadon get their hands on this mask. If anything, we need to destroy it." [robotic] She said while sending a glare at Harumi.

"Can I...Can I see it?" Harumi tries to take it, but Lloyd gets in front of Nova keeping her and the mask out of her reach. "I just want to see it."

"How did you know?" Lloyd asked.

Harumi blinks, taken back. "It's an Oni Temple. It's safe to assume only an Oni could take it. Though I didn't know Delta was able to take it."

"No. How could you know that I was part Oni?" Lloyd asked.

"You're related to the First Spinjitzu Master. He was an Oni. And by the looks of it, it seems like Delta is too." said Harumi as she tried to get closer to Nova, so she could take the mask.

Nova let out a low warning growl at her keeping the mask out of her reach.

"I never told you that. Jay, Delta and I were alone when Mystake told us the story. You were never there." said Lloyd.

"Then I must've heard it from Jay." Harumi tries grabbing the mask but Nova quickly hits her hands with her umbrella now holding it up with a glare.

"I don't want to believe it. You're the Quiet One?" said Lloyd.

"Took you long enough to figure it out." [robotic] said Nova.

"How could you say that?" said Harumi.

Harumi tries to snatch the mask away, but composes her face as soon as Lloyd looks at her. "It all makes sense now. "The greatest villain is the one you never knew was there in the first place." You said that." Lloyd said, looking at her.

"Oh, yes. I'm the criminal mastermind. How could I have done this?" Harumi turns Lloyd to look at her. "Do you realize how silly you're sounding?" She strokes his chest "I...I love you." Tries to kiss him.

Nova growled as she changed the mode on her umbrella into a sword and pointed it right at Harumi's face, causing her to step away. "Back off bitch." [robotic] She growled.

"Lloyd, Delta." said Harumi, sounding hurt by this.

"You only wanted me to get the mask you couldn't find." said Lloyd.

"I didn't need you to find the mask. It would've already been mine had your idiot friends not stolen W-"

"Baby Wu." [robotic] said Nova finishing her sentence.

Lloyd stares disbelievingly at both of them. "The baby is Master Wu?"

"Oh, that's right. You didn't know." Harumi walks closer towards Nova "I knew to keep you close. Not everything goes to plan. Give me the mask."

"Oh hell no! I'm not letting you bring back Garmadon, over my dead body bitch!" [robotic] growled Nova, holding up her sword ready to fight.

"Well, then if you won't give it to me... Hua-yah!" Harumi throws her sword at Nova who easily blocks it with her own. Only for Harumi to spin on her right leg, back kicks her with the left, knocking Nova off balance and dropping her sword along with the mask. "Then I will take it!"

Nova glared at her as she started getting back up.

Harumi glares at Lloyd, who returns her glare. She screams. "Aagghhh!!" Leaps at the mask. Lloyd strikes the mask with his Energy. "Oh." Looks back to see the mask soar through the air. Gets up.

"Why?" Lloyd lunges at Harumi and pins her to the ground.

"I never asked to be a princess." Harumi presses Lloyd onto his back. "Just as I never asked to be an orphan, but you gifted me that." Lloyd throws her onto her back. "Oh."

"How did I do that?" Lloyd asked.

"The Great Devourer. It was too strong."Harumi pushes Lloyd slowly onto his back. "Too big for you and your friends". Laughs softly. "Oh, Lloyd. You aren't so naive to think no one got hurt that day, did you?" Lloyd gets up, throwing her onto the ground. She gets up slowly with her fist raised. "It wasn't until the almighty Lord Garmadon saved the day! But he couldn't save my family." Looks sadly at the ground. "It was too late. I died that day, too." Closes her eyes, angrily remembering the flashback.

"Bitch, just shut your stupid ass up already, we get it you're sad about losing your parents. Boohoo." [robotic] said Nova sarcastically rolling her eyes at her before going to pick her sword back up, but Harumi was somehow faster as she quickly ran over and picked up the sword.

Then everything just went in slow motion. When Harumi picked up the sword she swung it up without thinking, and then there was the sound of a crack and then silence.....

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"AAAAARH!!!!!" A blood curdling scream came from Nova, as she was holding the right side of her now very cracked up mask as purple blood started coming out.

Harumi and Lloyd froze at what had just happened and were looking at Nova's now broken mask.

"You fucking stupid bitch!" Nova growled in pain as her voice changer wasn't working anymore, and with how everything was going. So she was done and turned off her mask, finally revealing her face.

Lloyd was shocked when he saw her face, a large scar over her right eye where purple blood was running down her face. ".....N-Nova?"

Nova looked over at Lloyd when she heard him say her name, she wasn't sure what to say or do before turning her attention back to Harumi, who was still holding her sword.

"Hands off my weapon." Nova growled, summoned her sword back into her hand in its umbrella form again, while using her other hand to cover her right eye that had been cut by her own sword that Harumi had used.

Harumi was a little surprised to see the sword disappear out of her hand, only to end up back in Nova's hands now in its normal form.

"We can talk later Lloyd, focus on that fucking mask." said Nova as this wasn't the best time to talk about this whole thing.

Lloyd finally snaps out of his shock, turns back to the mask, and summons his Energy. "Give me one reason not to say goodbye to it right now."

Harumi turns around quickly. "I'll give you two. You want to see your father again, and you love me." Lloyd pauses, holding back his feelings. "Ah, your emotions. You can't get rid of them. It's hard to think, isn't it?" Slowly, she pulls out a dagger. "I felt those feelings too." She smiles kindly at Lloyd. "We truly are kindred spirits." She swings the dagger at him. "Arugh!"

Nova growled, switching her umbrella into its sword mode again, and blocked the dagger from hitting Lloyd. Though it wasn't easy with only one eye able to see at the moment, and the pain she was trying her best to ignore from her injury.

"You helped put the bug on the ship. You caused the crash." said Lloyd while looking worried over at Nova.

"A calculated risk. Your friends were so close to the truth. I couldn't let them stop me. But it looks like your friend here. Had already caught on from the very start." said Harumi pointing at Nova.

"Feeding the poor, acting scared? It was all an act?" said Lloyd.

"Ah, yes. The damsel in distress. You ninja really are from another time." said Harumi.

"The Emperor and Empress?" Lloyd asked as he noticed Nova was starting to have trouble focusing but was trying to hide it.

"They were never my parents! To protect Ninjago, I had to repress those feelings. I had to wear a mask until the time came for me to take control. I had to be smarter, stronger." said Harumi.

"You were never protecting Ninjago. You were only after revenge." said Lloyd.

"Revenge never solves anything.....it only brings more hate." said Nova as her vision was getting a bit blurry.

"Tell me, Lloyd, how many times has Ninjago almost fallen on your watch? How many times have you ninja failed and let others pay the price? You're not our protectors. You're just a bunch of little kids playing dress up. Ninjago is my home too. And with your father by my side, we can return it to glory. Give it the leader it truly des--" She goes after the mask but Lloyd grabs it.

"Bitch you're crazy, and I've already seen enough crazy in my life to know." said Nova, switching her sword back to its umbrella mode so she could use it for support.

"Then... I guess this is goodbye." Lloyd throws the mask off the cliff but Harumi jumps off the ledge and grabs it, hanging onto the cliffside with her knife. She puts the mask on. "Okay, so that didn't go as planned."

"Seriously Lloyd, maybe destroying it would have been better." said Nova.

"Well, why didn't you use your decay powers to do it in the first place!" said Lloyd looking at her.

"I was fucking planning to bitch! Now can we just focus on the other bitch!" growled Nova.

"This isn't going to be a fair fight." Harumi tosses him the knife.

"What did the mask do to you?" Lloyd asked.

"The Mask of Hatred. A taste of invincibility. Too bad for you." said Harumi in a deep voice as she runs at him and his knife.

Nova growled as she summoned two of her shadow clones, having them try and take Harumi down while she had to keep herself standing with her umbrella taking a deep breath.

"I never wanted my reveal to happen like this.....and now my mask is broken so I can't use it anymore until I can fix it." Nova thought but jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning her head to see Lloyd since Harumi was more focused on her clones.

"Nova.....I can't believe that you were Delta this whole time, we'll talk about this later.....but you can't fight in your condition." said Lloyd while he had a lot of mixed feelings about all of this along with Harumi's betrayal, he had to focus on stopping Harumi and getting back to the others.

Nova rolled her one good eye but winched from the pain she was getting from her right eye. "I can just have my clones do the work for me." She said.

"That is just wasting energy Nova, and we both know you're getting weaker by the minute." said Lloyd as he tried to help her over to a rock that she could sit on.

"I can handle myself Lloyd! I've been doing well so far on my own!" Nova growled angrily at him.

"Stop being so stubborn for once Nova!" shouted Lloyd frustrated at her as he was trying to control his temper, but it wasn't easy with how she was acting right now.

Nova let out an annoyed growl, her one eye glaring at him before sitting on the rock, hating this but she knew that he was right.

"Try and recover some energy while I handle Harumi." said Lloyd before turning around and going back into the fight as Nova's clones went back to the shadows.

"Stupid idiot.....I hate this so much." Nova thought to herself with a sad sigh.

Harumi throws Lloyd on the mask's pedestal.

"Hurt me all you want, but I'm never gonna let you get away with this." said Lloyd.

"Physical pain can only hurt so much. I intend far worse." said Harumi in a deep voice as she glared towards Nova.

Lloyd notices her looking towards Nova, so he picks up the broken knife and holds it out at her, fearfully while standing between her and Nova. "Then what do you want?"

"I want you to feel the emptiness that I feel! When your father is reborn, he won't be the man you recognize! His soul will be gone and I want his cold hands to destroy you!" Harumi screamed in a deep voice.

"You're a monster! I'll never feel what you feel." said Lloyd.

"We will see." said Harumi in a deep voice as she walks away.

"Fight me. Let's end it here." said Lloyd.

"I'm already two steps ahead." said Harumi in a deep voice before she runs out the entrance.

"No. Don't!" She breaks the walls without the symbols. The temple starts to flood. "Where's Nya when you need her?"

"Probably busy fighting." said Nova with a small sigh.

Lloyd turned his attention back to Nova as it seemed like probably the only time to talk while also looking for a way out.

"Why did you hide the fact that you were alive all this time? Do you know how painful it was believing your best friend was dead for three whole years!" said Lloyd, getting frustrated.

"I didn't plan for it to take three fucking years to tell you! Time just flew by faster than I thought, so give me a fucking break Lloyd!" shouted Nova angrily at him.

"I can't believe I was this stupid, I should have seen the signs. No one would have as bad luck with kitchens, and no one would throw knives at people for any reason. No one else would go around with the same plushie my best friend used to have. But most of all, no one can have the same power of decay unless you are the master of ember, or the same FUCKING PERSON I THOUGHT WAS DEAD FOR SO LONG!!!" shouted Lloyd just as angrily at her.

"What the fuck would you have want me to say. "Oh hi it's actually me, Nova, your best friend you thought was dead this whole time. Well guess what, I'm actually not dead and I'm also the Overlord's shadow, so how it's going?" Do you think it was fucking easy for me this whole time not saying anything!?" growled Nova getting up from where she was sitting, and walked towards him using the umbrella for support.

"Then why didn't you back on Chen's island! It would have been so easy for you to remove your mask, and just reveal yourself there!" shouted Lloyd glaring angrily at her and for a second his eyes was glowing purple.

"I was fucking scared Lloyd okay! Finding out I'm the Overlord's shadow and if you guys knew. You might have thought I would have been his spy, or even go behind your backs!" shouted Nova as she started glowing dark purple as her powers was going out of control, but her necklace was able to keep it at bay for now.

"You don't know that! We would have trusted you whatever you were his shadow or not!" shouted Lloyd.

"If you did trust me the ninja wouldn't have fucking attacked me! Back on the Dark Island when I was in my shadow form, and I WASN'T EVEN FIGHTING BACK, NOT EVEN ONCE!!!" Nova pulled down her hood showing her horns, along with letting out her tail that was lashing around angrily, before then taking off her necklace revealing her true form.

(This is what her oni form looks like, along with the injury/scar she just got to her right eye.)

(image)

"You think I wanted this?! Look at me! Whenever I lost control I would turn more into my oni form, and go crazy whenever I lose control of my powers! You saw it back at Cloud Kingdom. I didn't want to show myself until I had this whole thing under control!" shouted Nova as tears started running down her face mixed with her purple blood.

Lloyd looked at her a bit shocked when he saw her oni form, along with hearing her reason for all of this. But seeing the tears running down her face made him feel a bit guilty.

".....I can understand that you were scared, but you could have at least told me. We always had each other's back, and you could have trusted me with this. I'm sure we could have figured something out." said Lloyd, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Nova was shaking her head pushing his hand off her shoulder, tears still running down her face. "You think I haven't tried everything, the closest I got to being able to control this. Was by going to Mystake, and get this necklace along with trying to train on the Dark Island alone for a whole year." She said, looking down at the rising water as her vision was getting blurry again, along with seeing a few black spots.

Lloyd let out a heavy sigh, taking the necklace, putting it back on her neck. Changing her back to her mostly normal human form before pulling her into a hug, rubbing her back as he tried to comfort her.

"But you don't have to face everything alone. Not anymore Ocea, so please don't try to carry everything on your shoulders on your own." said Lloyd with a soft smile on his face.

Nova cried into his shoulder while trying to ignore the pain coming from her wounded eye along with the blood coming on Lloyd's gi.

"Now how about we try finding a way out of here." said Lloyd slowly pulling away as he smiled at her.

Nova looked up at him with a small smile and nodded. "I have a small idea, but you might not like it." she said with a smirk on her face.

Lloyd gave her a questionable look. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that."

*Jumping later to where Nova and Lloyd are thrown from the waterfall.*

"There he is....and wait, is that Nova?" said Cole as he pointed.

"Lloyd. Nova." said Baby Wu as the ninja catches them.

"You guys, Rumi is the Quiet One." said Lloyd while helping Nova keep her balance.

"We kind of got that much." said Kai as Crabby confronts them.

"Oh god, not Mr. Crabs again." said Nova, a little annoyed while still trying to ignore the pain from her bloody eye.

"What is that?" said Killow.

"It's back." said Lloyd.

"Over here." said Zane as he shot at it.

"We have to get you out of here, Quiet One." said Ultra Violet.

"Not without the masks." They leave on the Bounty. Zane freezes the giant crab.

"Hey! They're getting away!" said Jay.

"Get me close." said Lloyd.

"No Lloyd don't!" shouted Nova in a panic.

"I'm on it. Zane, I need an assist." Nya and Zane use their powers to make a path of ice to the Bounty. Lloyd then uses Spinjitzu and lands on the anchor of the ship.

"He did not just–" said Jay.

"He just did." said Kai as Killow captures Lloyd. "They have Lloyd."

"You motherfucking idiot, broccoli!" shouted Nova.

"They have the masks." said Cole as the ice encasing giant crab thaws.

"And we have trouble." said Zane.

"Puppy!" said Wu.

"No baby Wu, not a puppy." said Nova with a sigh, winching in pain because of her eye.

"...So mind explaining how you're still alive, Nova?" Kai asked.

"Ummm well I–" Nova tried to explain but was cut off.

"She has been alive since Lloyd beat the Overlord the first time." said Nya causing everyone to pause and look over at her surprised, even Nova.

"H-how do you know that?" Nova asked.

"I remember a bit when I returned to normal, and Garmadon told me not to say anything until you were ready." said Nya.

Nova just stood there with her jaw dropped, not able to say a word.

"We should probably find something to take care of your wounded eye Nova." said Zane.

"If we get out of this pickle." said Jay as the giant crab was breaking free from the ice.