Chapter 1

                                    

                                          
The sun was shining over the green meadow. Flowers danced in the breeze and birds chirped cheerfully overhead. Laughter filled the air on that summer afternoon—where the ninja were spending the day.
                          
	Lloyd was under the shade of a tree, laughing as he watched his friends and family play in the sun. Garmadon, Wu, Kai, Nya, Jay, Cole, and Zane—they were all there, and Lloyd felt right at home. This is perfect, he thought, swelling with joy. Just spending time with my family. What could go wrong?
                          
	"Lloyd," a voice suddenly called.
                          
	Lloyd turned around in surprise, finding no one behind him. Maybe I'm just imagining things...
                          
	"Lloyd," it sounded again.
                          
	Lloyd glanced around uneasily, knowing he didn't recognize that voice. "Who's there?" he hissed.
                          
	His gaze snapped to the bushes as he heard a rustle, but everything went still when he set his eyes on it. Stomach twisting, Lloyd began heading over to the others. "Hey, did you guys hear—" 
                          
	He broke off with a gasp as he saw the others had vanished. He looked around wildly, noticing the laughter had faded into an eerie silence. What happened? he thought, breath quickening. Where is everyone?
                          
	Something silver flashed in the corner of his eye.
                          
	Lloyd turned toward it and thought he spotted some sort of sword lying in the grass. His suspicion only mounting, the green ninja headed toward it as a cold gust of wind hit him. He shivered and began to pick up his pace, but the more he ran, the farther the sword seemed to get. Finally, he skidded to a halt, panting.
                          
	"Lloyd!" the voice called more clearly this time.
                          
	Lloyd's eyes rounded as he realized it was coming from that sword on the ground. He saw the blade begin to glow and a tingle swept down his spine.
                          
	"Lloyd!" it cooed. "Lloyd!"
                          
	The glow suddenly grew brighter and brighter, and Lloyd staggered backward, shielding his eyes from the light. Then the light shot across the meadow with a burst of power—and everything went dark.
                          
	Lloyd's eyes flew open and he jerked upward, immediately letting out a groan. He fell back to the ground wearily, his muscles feeling like nothing but jelly. His clouded gaze rolled around the dark room, and it was only then he remembered where he was. His friends weren't there—no one was there; he was all alone in the dreary cell of where the Overlord kept his prisoners.
                          
	The room was almost pitch-black and really, really cold. Not to mention the leak in the roof, which caused the room to feel extremely damp. Lloyd lay shivering in the corner, not having enough strength to move anywhere else. Ever since the Overlord drained his powers, he didn't have enough strength to do anything. His energy was drained as much as his powers, and he felt weaker than he ever had been. His vision blurred no matter how many times he blinked and his breathing was heavy.
                          
	He grunted as he struggled to sit up. The shackles around his wrists jingled, and he looked down at them glumly. Vengestone, he thought with a sigh. It's not like I even need it. Even if he could use his powers, he didn't know if he'd have enough strength to.
                          
	He had only been in the cell for a day, but he didn't think he could handle the darkness any longer. The coldness—the loneliness. Every minute that passed he thought about his friends. Where are they? he wondered. Are they looking for me?
                          
	Even if the ninja were looking for him, he didn't think they would find him. One of the only things he noticed as he was being dragged into Baddie Bend was that it wasn't an easy place to find. Hidden behind a mountain, it was barely visible against the rough snow and tangly trees. If he were ever going to escape, he might just have to do it himself. 
                          
	When he got his strength back, he figured, was when he'd try to work something out. But for the time being, he had to focus on finding his energy again.
                          
	Through the darkness, a thin light suddenly shot across the floor. Lloyd strained his eyes to see, but he could barely clear the fog covering his vision. A shadow blocked the light and the sound of heavy footsteps hit his ears. Lloyd looked up and made out a person walking over to him. He tensed and straightened up as best he could, trying not to look weak in front of the Baddie.
                          
	Then the person threw something down at the ground in front of the ninja and it clattered loudly. "Eat up, kid," a gruff voice growled at him.
                          
	Kid? Lloyd thought. He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. That was the nicest thing someone had called him since he got there.
                          
	He shrugged the thought away as the man left the room, leaving him in darkness once more. Lloyd looked down at the plate of stale bread and cold porridge. Screwing up his face, he pushed the food away. I can't eat that, he thought. He didn't need to have another cold and heavy thing in his stomach. He needed something warm if he was going to get his strength back. Good luck getting that here, he told himself. He lay his head back against the wall with a weary sigh. Good luck getting out of here at all.
                          
* * *
                          
	Was luck on his side? Lloyd roused to awareness as a sweet scent drifted toward him—the smell of what he figured to be a warm bowl of soup. Could it be...?
                          
	He strained his eyes to see as he heard footsteps walking over to him, but due to the darkness of the room and his weak state blurring his vision, he could barely tell what was happening. He just made out the outline of a person stopping and crouching in front of him. A man or a woman—he couldn't tell.
                          
	A shrill scrape sounded against the floor and a fresh wave of heat hit Lloyd's face. His gaze traveled downward to see a steaming bowl in front of him, and his stomach rumbled at the sight of some good-looking food.
                          
	"Eat this—quickly!" a voice hissed.
                          
	Lloyd looked back up at the person. "Who... who are you?" he croaked.
                          
	"No one," the person said, standing up again. "Forget I was here."
                          
	Lloyd opened his mouth to speak again, but then the person was gone. Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, Lloyd looked down at the soup again. Shakily, he grabbed the bowl and took a spoonful without hesitation. He let out a sigh as it swarmed through him, warming his cold muscles. He gulped down the rest of the soup, feeling his spirits begin to return. Then he leaned back against the wall, relaxing for the first time since he arrived.
                          
	Who was it—that had slipped in here to give him something edible? Was it possible there was someone on his side here?
                          
	A stir of hope began to form inside of Lloyd. Maybe—just maybe—he had found the beginning of a way out.