| XXVIII | Remorseful Past

                                    

                                          
   *No POV*
                          
     Garmadon smiled as Lloyd landed on the ground, his dragon disappearing. He had already heard Chen's announcement, but wouldn't dare fall for it. Of course, his son wouldn't either.
                          
     "If we're going to find Nya before the others do, we've got a lot of ground to cover."
                          
     Lloyd pointed at the ground, finding petite-sized prints. "Look. Nya's footprints."
                          
     Garmadon smiled a bit, shaking his head. "Nya is more clever than that. No, she wants everyone to follow these tracks."
                          
     His eyes then lifted and he found a carving in a tree. "But only us to see this. Her Samurai X symbol."
                          
     "Can I give you a lift?" Lloyd offered, holding up his hand that was now full of green power.
                          
     "Save your energy." Garmadon shook his head, placing a hand on his son's and lowering it. "It's best not to draw attention. Come on."
                          
     The two then began to walk in the direction of the carved symbol, finding more as they walked. The pattern seemed endless, which proved that Nya had done a lot of running.
                          
    With the time they seemed to have, and it being just the two of them, Lloyd decided to clear the air about something that had bothered him since the beginning.
                          
     "You said before that Master Chen was your sensei, but nothing else."
                          
     Garmadon sighed at his son's words—he knew the time to tell him the truth was drawing near, and he almost didn't say anything. If he said one thing, he'd have to continue until the story ended.
                          
     But Lloyd was mature, now. He could handle anything thrown at him, and so, his father began.
                          
     "Son, there are things from my past I am not proud of. Perhaps it's time for you to know the truth."
                          
     And he started telling it all from the very basis.
                          
     "After the Devourer bit me as a child, it took years for all of the evil to fully consume me. I recall when I first started training under Chen... when he found me. I was unable to control myself, but he helped me. Trained me further as his pupil.
                          
     "Clouse and I were rivals back then as we are now. He was envious of how Chen clearly favored me over him—I constantly beat Clouse in our friendly-rivalry battles. It was when Chen offered an opportunity to become his right-hand and granted lordship, that Clouse did his very best to beat me."
                          
     Lloyd found himself intrigued with the story and he was soon sitting on some wood, listening carefully. He wouldn't miss a single detail.
                          
     "Despite his best efforts, using his sorcery, I bested him once more. However, I'm sure that if I hadn't used spinjitzu, a forbidden tactic with Chen, I would have lost. Clouse's sorcery is very powerful, and it has gotten much stronger over time. Now, it's proved to be too overwhelming. Perhaps..."
                          
     His voice trailed off, which left Lloyd on a cliffhanger. "What's wrong?"
                          
     "I was only thinking... we have not seen the full capabilities of Red's dark magic yet. It's similar, almost quite exactly the same, as Clouse's sorcery. I can't help but feel like..."
                          
     By now, the two were smart enough to understand where the man had gone—he had been right under their noses the entire time. The only question that itched their minds was—
                          
     "Why?" Lloyd asked. "Why would he...?"
                          
     "I believe he had his reasons—we will find out soon enough. By now, I am sure Cole and even Zane may know the reason behind his actions. But we cannot falter, not when the final battle against Chen is nearing," Garmadon assured his son with a nod of his head. "Once we find Nya, we can worry about Red."