Between Lloyd and Kai and Zane and Nya as siblings.
The city of Ninjago, with its many-armed cranes and scaffolds, was a hive of rebirth. People milled about, rebuilding what had crumbled under the Overlord's dark siege. The very air buzzed with the sounds of construction—and hope. Yet inside this cacophony, a strain of discord began to whisper.
Amid this bustle, Lloyd Garmadon moved like a green specter. He helped where he could, lifting beams with the ease of one who commands the elements, but his heart weighed heavy with the responsibility of the city's—and his friends'—well-being. Today, the son of Garmadon found himself in the ruins of what was once a grand museum.
"Lloyd," Nya called, her voice echoing against the fossilized remains of once-mighty beasts. "Think you could give me a hand here?"
He nodded, approaching a massive pedestal where she struggled with a bronze chest of ornamented design. They worked side by side in companionable silence until the chest heaved free with a groan of stone and metal.
"Alright, on three," Nya commanded, and together they lifted the chest down. It was then, when they set it on the ground, that a glimpse of gold from within caught Lloyd's eye.
"What's that?" he asked, pointing.
Distractedly, Nya replied, "Some old artifact, Sensei Wu said it's dangerous in the wrong hands—"
The wrong words at the wrong time. As Lloyd reached out, his fingers grazed the artifact's shimmering surface. A pulse of dark energy coursed through him.
Nya's gaze snapped to the artifact, eyes widening with realization. "Lloyd, no!"
But it was too late. The pulse of energy surged, and a shockwave of force radiated through the museum. Every bone in the building seemed to moan as a spectral chasm cleaved the air between Lloyd and Nya. Their eyes met across the divide, but the warmth that once bridged brother to sister was gone. Instead, mistrust and suppressed rivalry seethed in the silence.
Kai, hearing the commotion, rushed to the scene, his heart racing as Sensei Wu had always said trouble was afoot when things were too quiet. He found his younger teammates staring at each other, looks of confusion and hurt exchanged without words.
"What happened here?" Kai demanded, eyes quickly taking in the scene—the chest, the artifact now glowing a menacing crimson, and the rift between his friends.
"We... aren't sure," Lloyd admitted, his voice measured but carrying an unfamiliar edge of defiance toward his sister. Nya looked away, her own expression betraying an unspoken resentment.
Kai glanced at the artifact again, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "We need to contain this—now!"
Together, they secured the artifact back in its chest, but the damage was done. Whatever curse lay dormant within its gold-adorned casing had reached out and tainted the invisible bonds of friendship and family. As night crept over Ninjago City, the curse of the artifact began its insidious work, clawing subtly into the hearts of the ninjas, whispering of betrayal, and turning siblings into strangers.
Lloyd and Nya, bound by blood yet divided by a newfound darkness, would soon find themselves walking a treacherous path. For in Ninjago, some shadows lurked not in the alleyways, but within the heart, and dispelling them would take more than just Spinjitzu. It would take uncovering the truth of their shared past—a truth that may have remained better hidden.