The ninja sprinted down to their dragon stable, hastily mounting up and making ready to leave.

"Wait!!" A shout gave them pause, and Kai looked up to see Lloyd chasing them down the path. "Let me come with you!!"

"Uh, I don't think so." Kai yanked his hood down over his head.

"Green Ninja or not, you're a kid, and this is an army of legendary snake warriors." Cole told him. "You're better off staying here."

"Look- I've been through this before!" Lloyd stopped beneath Zane's dragon. "I know more about the Serpentine than probably even Wu does! I can help you!" The ninja exchanged glances, and he went on. "Plus, I have to know how they escaped. This wasn't supposed to happen without me!"

"Unless you did release them before you met up with us." Kai suggested. Lloyd stamped a foot.

"Why would I do that??"

"Alright," Cole broke in. "You can come. Zane?"

"I've got him." Zane scrambled down from his dragon's back, going to meet Lloyd where he stood.

"What about me?" Nya's voice called out, and Kai looked up to see her standing on the stairs with her arms crossed. "Seems to me that you'll need reinforcements."

"Nya, no." Kai shook his head. "Like Cole said, snake warriors. It isn't safe." Nya's face colored slightly.

"So what, just because I don't have a brightly-colored outfit it means I can't fight?"

"You're not a ninja."

"I've gone through the exact same training that you have!"

"Yeah, but you don't have a golden weapon." Cole cut in. "Please, Nya, just let us handle it this time." Kai's sister scowled, but turned and retreated back up the stairs.

"Come on!" Kai snapped his reins impatiently. "Every moment we delay is another moment that those snakes are terrorizing Jamanakai!"

"Assuming it is the Serpentine," Jay cut in. "And not, like, 'the Serpentine's son' or something." On Zane's dragon, Lloyd snorted softly.

"Jay's right. Let's go." Directing his dragon forward, Cole took off, the rest of the ninja followed suit.

—

The first thing they saw was the smoke.

Lloyd leaned over in order to see around Zane, whom he had clung to the entire ride to keep from falling off. Jamanakai was burning, and he could see the faintest shapes of the townsfolk gathered in the square by the fountain. He grimaced. Whoever had released them, they definitely had a bigger agenda than candy.

"Down here!" Cole shouted from the head of their formation, and the dragons dipped, circling and landing in a clearing not far from the village. As soon as the dragons were settled, Lloyd released Zane, and slid out of the saddle to drop to the ground.

"Listen!" He stumbled a bit as he hit the dirt. How did he ever survive with such short legs?? "This tribe of Serpentine is called the Hypnobrai." He announced as the ninja dismounted as well. "Don't let them make eye contact with you, or you'll get hypnotized."

"Got it." Cole glanced around at the others. "You heard the kid. Don't look into their eyes."

"If you can get their staff from them, it has the power to cure anyone under their control." Lloyd went on. "Make that your priority, they probably have most of the townsfolk hypnotized already."

"Why?" Kai broke in. "Why hypnotize them?"

"To add members to their army, I guess." Lloyd waved them towards the town. "Now go!" After a moment's pause, "I'll stay here with the dragons." The ninja nodded, taking off, and Lloyd waited until they were out of sight to slip away. There was no way they would voluntarily take him with them into the village, but he had to know who had released the Serpentine.

The blond skirted around the village, listening for the distant shouts as the ninja engaged the Hypnobrai. The air was thick with smoke - hopefully Zane would be able to put that out. Eventually, he slipped within the village limits, keeping to the shadows and trusting his dark hoodie to shield him as he crept towards the town square.

As Lloyd had guessed, most of the village was hypnotized, standing blankly around the fountain as they waited for a command. When the ninja made their appearance, the captive villagers sprung into action, attacking them recklessly and forcing his brothers to fall back to avoid hurting them.

The Serpentine general was waiting in the midst of his captives, red eyes calculating as the ninja struggled to drive his followers back. Though he looked, Lloyd didn't see anyone who could've possibly released them. Had they escaped on their own, somehow...?

A rough hand landed on his arm, and Lloyd yelped as he was spun around to see-

"Acronix?!" He cried out in shock as he came face to face with the master of time. Acronix sneered down at him.

"Thought we'd gotten you all already." He hissed. "Oh well. You'll join the others soon enough." Lloyd blinked, trying to make sense of this, before meeting Acronix's gaze and realizing that he was clearly hypnotized. His eyes were red, unfocused, contrasting the rest of his steely expression.

Lloyd reacted on pure instinct. He lashed out, kicking Acronix in the knee and causing the man to shout and release him, bending down to cradle his knee. Lloyd brought an elbow down on his head, buying him an extra couple of seconds as he turned and fled. It wasn't until he'd reached the dragons and his adrenaline was winding down that he realized how much his arm hurt.

Cradling his arm to his chest, Lloyd sank down beneath one of the dragons, mind whirling. The Time Twins had joined him in this time- there was no other way Acronix could be here, he was supposed to be lost in time right now! Had they released the Hypnobrai?? They must have- and then it had backfired on them rather horribly. He had to let the others know, but there was no way he was going back in there with Acronix looking for him.

He felt something bump the top of his head, and looked up to find Zane's dragon peering down at him. Lloyd smiled, reaching up to pat the dragon's chin.

"Hey girl. Or, uh... boy." The dragon snuffled, then sank down to sit over him, waiting with him for the ninja to return.

It took a while, but they eventually did. The Ninja emerged seemingly victorious, all smiles and teasing as they approached him and the dragons. Jay held the Hypnobrai general's staff.

"Thanks for the help, Lloyd." Cole called as they got close. "That went off without a hitch."

"Without a hitch??" Jay protested. "I got hypnotized!!"

"Yeah, but you aren't now, are you?" Cole bumped him, heading for his dragon.

"Glad everything went well." Lloyd stood, letting his arm drop to his side, only for pain to shoot up through his elbow again. He winced, drawing it back up to his chest. Zane clearly saw as he approached, but only shot him a questioning look. Lloyd shook his head. Later. "I, uh, need to tell you all something else when I get back." He called as Zane helped him onto his dragon.

"More stuff about the future?" Jay's tone immediately shifted from affronted to interested as he strapped the staff to his dragon's saddle.

"Um, sort of."

"Ooh! I, uh, have a question about the future later." Jay tapped his fingers together. "Um, if that's okay." Lloyd considered this. Obviously he would have to be careful what he told them... he didn't want to overwhelm them or try to force them into a certain choice.

"It depends on the question."

"I for one am hungry." Cole announced. "Let's get back. We can talk more once we get there."

—

"So," Lloyd began, sinking down in a chair just inside the monastery. "I have bad news." The rest of his family, gathered around, exchanged a few concerned glances. "I tried to sneak into the village after you left," He admitted. "I just wanted to try and see who released the Hypnobrai, I didn't get close. But I did get caught." He met Master Wu's gaze. "By Acronix." Wu blanched, while the rest of the ninja exchanged confused looks.

"Acronix?" Jay echoed.

"One of the Hands of Time." Lloyd nodded. "Who were responsible for sending me back in the past." Wu's gaze dropped to the ground.

"So they are here as well."

"They are."

"Um, can someone explain the significance of this to me?" Kai cut in. "Sensei? Who are these 'Hand of Time' guys?"

"The Hands of Time are- were- the elemental masters of Time." Wu explained lowly, heavy gaze meeting his student's. "Almost 35 years ago, they betrayed me and our... other friends, attempting to use their powers to take over Ninjago. Lloyd's father, Garmadon, and I managed to steal away their powers in weapons known as the Time Blades.

"We created a temporal rift and threw the blades into them, intending for them to be lost forever, but the twins followed them in. I caught a glimpse of this very monastery in the vortex, and realized that the twins would return in 40 years time." Wu looked at Lloyd. "Apparently they have found a way around this." Lloyd nodded.

"Krux escaped almost immediately." He told his uncle. "And has been in disguise all these years. Acronix was lost in the time vortex, but, in 6 years, they return." He looked back to the other ninja. "Which is why I'm here."

"And so are the Hands of Time." Cole supplied. "Somehow, whatever happened to you happened to them too."

"As long as they don't have the time blades, they're still powerless." Lloyd assured his uncle. "But they have knowledge of the future as well, and they're competent fighters. Oh!" He lifted his left hand. "And they're hypnotized. At least, Acronix is. I didn't see Krux."

"It seems likely that they intended to release the Hypnobrai in your place," Wu mused. "And were hypnotized themselves. It stands to reason, I cannot imagine they would be very popular with the Serpentine."

"Aghhh, this is so confusing!" Jay scrunched his hands in his hair. "I hate time travel." Lloyd gave him a weary grin.

"Me too."

"Lloyd, you said you were caught by Acronix." Zane spoke up. "How did you escape?" The blond blinked, looked down at his aching arm.

"Uh, I hit him."

Kai snorted. "And that worked?" Lloyd shrugged.

"I got away, didn't I?" He mimed dropping an elbow, only to jerk and clutch his arm back to his chest as pain shot up his arm. Zane was on his feet in an instant.

"Let me see." He ordered. Lloyd sighed, holding out his arm as the white ninja approached him.

"You're hurt?" Wu asked in concern.

"I guess." Lloyd bit his lip as Zane prodded at his arm. Wu's stern gaze landed on the ninja, and Jay hastened to defend himself.

"He practically made us let him!"

"And he said he'd stay with the dragons." Cole added. "He didn't."

"It is still your responsibility to-"

"It's alright, Sensei, it isn't their fault." Lloyd interrupted. "They're not responsible for me." Wu fell silent, as did the other ninja, as they were reminded that this kid was not actually a kid.

"Your arm is swollen." Zane announced at last. "But it does not seem to be broken. I will get you some ice." Oblivious to the tension in the room, Zane marched away on his self-appointed mission.

"So what now?" Kai spoke at last.

"We need to figure out what the Hypnobrai are planning to do next." Lloyd mused. "And beat them there. Stop them in their tracks."

"No." Wu shook his head, getting to his feet. "A weed cannot be killed by simply cutting the stalks. We must strike at this problem at the root." Leaning on his staff, Master Wu turned to leave the room. "We must re-seal the Hypnobrai in their tomb."