Time, it seemed, had slipped past me while I lingered at the Temple of the First Spinjitsu Master.
The moment I returned to my castle, I activated my scrying arrays, layers of crystal and magic flaring to life. Images formed in the air before me—and what I saw made me arch a brow in mild surprise.
"Well," I muttered, amused. "Things certainly escalated."
The Serpentine were free.All of them.
Pythor had finally shown his true nature, betraying the child exactly as fate—and canon—demanded. Lloyd's trust lay shattered, his naïveté punished in the cruelest way possible. The serpents slithered across Ninjago once more, reclaiming their lost kingdoms with hunger and resentment burning in their eyes.
I watched as Pythor moved through the shadows, smaller than the others yet far more dangerous. Clever. Patient. Vindictive. The perfect catalyst for chaos.
"So that's how it plays out," I said softly.
The Fangblades were next. Of course they were. The serpents always reached for the same old myths, the same apocalyptic solution to their problems. Release the Great Devourer, let an ancient monstrosity consume everything, then feast on the ruins.
Predictable.
I leaned back against my throne, purple oni-flame dancing lazily across my fingers as I observed the unfolding disaster. The ninja were scrambling, Wu was gone, morale fractured. Everything was aligning perfectly—for someone like me.
And yet…
"I don't really care," I admitted aloud.
Whether the Serpentine ruled or fell made little difference to my long-term plans. Their war was noise—useful noise, but noise nonetheless. Still, my gaze lingered on the image of the Great Devourer's prison, ancient and coiled with venomous destiny.
"But…" I continued, a slow smile spreading across my face, "…defeating the Devourer would be interesting."
Not necessary. Not urgent.
Interesting.
The Devourer was no mere beast. It was an ancient weapon, a living calamity capable of corrupting even someone like Garmadon. Its venom reshaped destinies, twisted fate itself. To face such a creature—not out of desperation, but choice—would be a perfect test.
A test of my time powers.My oni form.My magic, refined to its peak.
And perhaps… an opportunity.
"If I let events proceed," I mused, watching Pythor scheme and the ninja struggle, "the Devourer will rise exactly as it always does."
I closed my hand, freezing the scrying image in place.
"And when it does," I said quietly, eyes glowing faintly with temporal light, "I'll decide whether history deserves to stay intact—or whether I'll carve my name into it instead."
For now, I would wait.
Let the serpents gather their blades.Let the ninja chase legends.Let destiny march forward, blind and confident.
After all—
I had already proven that time itself answered to m