Chapter 88

Heroes POV

Noah stared at Lloyd, processing the shocking revelation. Lloyd, his half-brother was Abaddon? It seemed impossible, Abaddon and Lloyd had different abilities, and Abaddon had become blind. But as he thought more about it, he couldn't shake the feeling that there might be some truth to Master Chen's words. Abaddon had once tried to kill him and his friends, but Lloyd? Lloyd wouldn't hurt his blood, right?

Elijah's voice broke through Noah's thoughts, filled with disbelief and anger. "That is impossible," he shouted. "Abaddon is more honorable than Garmadon."

Master Chen chuckled, clearly enjoying the chaos he had sown. "I was surprised too, but Lloyd is not the good person you thought he was."

As the unseen speakers crackled to life, an audio recording began to play, filling the chamber with the unmistakable voices of Lloyd and Sensei Garmadon. Noah stared at the ceiling, his mind reeling as he listened to the conversation. The tone, the inflections, the content- everything pointed to the authenticity of the recording. There was no way Master Chen could have faked something like this.

When the audio ended, an oppressive silence settled over the room. Noah turned to Lloyd, who looked more annoyed than anything else. Steeling himself, Noah managed to ask the question that had been gnawing at him.

"Lloyd, is it true that you are Abaddon?" His voice was barely above a whisper, trembling with fear and betrayal.

Lloyd met Noah's gaze, his expression cold and devoid of emotion. "Yeah," he said flatly. "I would have denied it, but there's no point in hiding it now."

Lloyd closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. When he opened his emerald green eyes again, he had turned a vivid, ruby red. Noah felt a shiver run down his spine at the sight- those eyes were something he thought he would never see again, a remnant of a past he believed was long buried. Noah was paralyzed with shock and a growing sense of inferiority for a moment. How did Lloyd always manage to outshine him, no matter what he did? He felt weak, and powerless in comparison to his brother.

Lloyd's eyes narrowed as he glanced at Noah, and then he turned his attention back to Master Chen, who was grinning like a madman from his high perch. The tension in the room was palpable, every eye fixed on Lloyd's transformed gaze.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Master Chen," Lloyd said, his voice carrying a menacing undertone. "But this doesn't change anything," His lips curled into a smirk that was both confident and dangerous. "You just made my job easier now that I don't need to hide the full extent of my power."

Purple smoke began to billow from Lloyd's hand, a menacing aura that filled the room with dread. Master Chen's confident grin faltered as he assessed the situation, realizing the danger he was in. Without a word, he turned to flee, knowing that engaging Lloyd in a direct fight was a fool's errand unless victory was guaranteed.

Lloyd's eyes narrowed as he aimed at the stage. With a swift motion, he unleashed a massive blast of dark energy that obliterated it. But he wasn't done. He turned his attention to the door where Kai had been dragged earlier and fired another powerful blast, reducing it to splinters.

The contestants, those who had somehow survived the previous carnage, seized the opportunity and scrambled for the exits. Panic and desperation fueled their escape as they trampled over each other, driven by the primal instinct to survive.

Noah stood rooted to the spot, his eyes locked on the blood-soaked ground. The metallic scent of blood filled his nostrils, mingled with the acrid stench of burning wood and dust from the collapsed platform. His mind is a whirlwind of confusion and disbelief.

"Noah, why are you looking like you saw a ghost?" Lloyd's voice cut through the chaos as he stepped closer, his red eyes piercing through the smoke. "Did you wish for me to be blind?"

Noah finally tore his gaze from the ground and looked up at Lloyd. The sight of those ruby-red eyes once feared and now revealing the true identity of his half-brother, sent a fresh wave of shock through him. "Why on the Destiny's Bounty did you act like you never met me or the gang before?"

Lloyd's expression softened slightly as he raised his brow, though the intensity of his eyes remained. "Would you welcome the person who was your half-brother and tried to kill you? Because I wouldn't. Besides, wasn't it better that way?"

Noah just stared at Lloyd in disbelief and disgust. Why is he acting like nothing happened between them? He's not even apologizing for what he did to me. "You made my life miserable, yet you think that you are not in the wrong?"

"Am I though?" Lloyd asked nonchalantly. "You're the one who took everything personally." He began to circle Noah, his presence menacing. "And you're the one who made my life miserable. I'm the one who got abandoned and abused all my life, so you shouldn't think that just because you're not the Chosen One and you're lacking the creativity to use your ability."

Noah could feel his veins bulging out of his face as his eyes went bloodshot from the sheer amount of anger he felt. He had truly given up on Lloyd; this was the final time he was going to say that. Turning away, he began to walk off, but before he could take more than a few steps, Lloyd called out to him.

"Where are you going?" Lloyd asked, his voice deceptively calm. "Weren't we going to have a proper conversation?"

Noah paused, his back to Lloyd, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. He slowly turned to face Lloyd, whose smile seemed almost mocking. Despite being twins, it didn't feel like they were brothers. It felt like they were more rivals than anything else.

"No," Noah replied, his voice strained with suppressed fury. "I'm going to check up on Kai, and let's hope we don't ever see each other again."

Lloyd almost smiled as he closed his eyes. "Same goes for you, Noah," he said, his voice low and chilling. "But don't forget, keep your friends close and your enemies closer." When he opened them again, they gleamed with a menacing light that sent a shiver down Noah's spine.

Noah frowned, turning away from Lloyd as he left, his heart pounded with a mixture of anger and determination. The weight of Lloyd's words hung over him like a dark cloud, but he knew he had to keep moving forward. He hoped with every fiber of his being that he would never have to see Lloyd again. The mistreatment, the manipulation, and the constant feeling of inferiority- it all had to end.

As he walked through the dimly lit corridors, Noah's mind raced. He replays every confrontation, every cruel word, and every betrayal. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. He was done being the weaker one always overshadowed by Lloyd.

"I'll get stronger," he vowed to himself, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I'll get so strong that if Lloyd ever pisses me off again, he won't be smiling."

…

Lloyd POV

I watched Noah disappear, handling the revelation better than I expected. I had half-anticipated him trying to stab me with his dagger or something similarly impulsive. But it wasn't as though he could harm me, not really. The smile faded from my face as I considered Master Chen's intrusion into my private conversations. Had he overheard my talks with Skylor and Eclipse in my suite as well? I would ensure Master Chen didn't expose anything else.

I turned to face Elijah, who was still standing there, unlike everyone who had fled. He looked less annoyed than usual, but his expression was filled with questions. "What do you want to ask?" I said, breaking the silence.

Elijah stepped forward, his face a mix of curiosity and confusion. "Are you truly Abaddon?"

I rubbed my hair in frustration, feeling the weight of the repeated question. "Yes, it might be shocking, but I don't go by that persona anymore."

Elijah brow's furrowed in disbelief. "How could someone like Abaddon be like you, Garmadon?"

"I've always acted like this if you think about it," I replied, my voice steady. "But you got so caught up with a grudge against my father that it made you blind."

I couldn't help but glance at Elijah, who was staring at me hard like he was trying to figure out if I was lying. I always wondered what happened to Elijah in the future, but no matter how much I tried to remember, it just didn't come to mind. However, I had a feeling that it had something to do with his sister.

"Elijah, why don't you tell me more about your sister?" I asked, attempting an earnest smile. "Everything seems to revolve around her lately, but I don't know anything about her."

Elijah's hard stare shifted to a twisted expression, a mix of pain and anger. "Why should I tell you?"

"Maybe if you give me a sob story, then I'll consider helping you," I answered, keeping my tone casual but firm. "I need to be motivated somehow, but it's not like you would blame me considering I'm helping someone who gave me quite a hard time."

Elijah's face flushed with embarrassment, but he pushed forward with his story. "It is nothing special, just a tragic story that you see in the movies."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with the classics," I replied. "You just have to make the ending of the story unique and with a twist that makes it stand out."

Elijah's expression shifted, the pain of past events evident in his eyes. "You already know a bit of the story," he began, his voice tinged with sorrow. "I had a normal life with my two parents and older sister. Sure, we were not the richest people around, but I was satisfied with what I had."

He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "One day, my sister and I decided to sneak out to play with the kids at the park. The park was quite far, so we decided to play for a moment. We soon had our fill and when we returned home, there was no home. There wasn't even a neighborhood left. Everything was destroyed, leaving not s single survivor."

He glanced at me, the pain in his eyes cutting deep. "Your father was the one who did the act, killing our parents. We had no other relatives, so my sister took care of me until she got sick, really sick. The doctors couldn't cure her, but I soon awakened my ability and decided to become a hero so I could get a lot of money and my sister could get battle. Master Chen ended up learning about my sister and now he is using her against her."

I listened to Elijah's entire story until the end. He was right- it was just like the movie, complete with tragic events and looming dangers. But even as I absorbed his words, I felt no real stir of emotion. It was a sad tale, yes, but it wasn't enough to move me deeply. Still, it was enough for my purposes. I knew that I had already altered the future significantly, and Elijah was never supposed to attend the Tournament of Elements in the first place. This meant I had no idea what might happen next or if some unforeseen catastrophe awaited him. The worst part is that my memories of what should happened to him were hazy at best.

I looked at Elijah, who appeared utterly miserable. "That is sad enough, so let's go."

"Go where?" Elijah asked, his confusion evident. "We're stuck on this island, and I bet Master Chen's men are hunting for us."

"Where do you think?" I replied with a smirk. "We're going to save your sister."