Greetings, readers! FirstFandomFangirl here with the first chapter of my star fanfiction, Return to the Cursed Realm.

...for clarification, this is a rewrite of the first chapter. As of this moment, I only have the first three chapters rewritten, but I plan to do up to six or seven before leaving the rest of the story as it is. You can read the old chapters at the end of the book.

...and I know I was gonna say something else here. What was it?

Ah, that's right! Though this story is complete, feel 100% free to spam me with reviews by reviewing on every one of the 54 chapters. I would love that. :D

Happy reading!

Lloyd Garmadon was the green ninja.

By the title, it sounded like the best job in the world. Epic powers, being able to right wrongs and punish the wicked, and being the most popular person in the country. He got to live with the ninja, too, who were his best friends in the world. He honestly couldn't imagine life without them. However, there were bad things about it as well. Sometimes he lost and was injured, or, worse, the other ninja were. He couldn't go out in public without a disguise, or he would be swarmed by fans, wanting anything from a picture of him to a literal piece of him. It was like being eaten alive. Sometimes he would lose someone very close to him. Forever.

The particular instance that Lloyd was thinking of, as he wandered aimlessly through the complex of alleyways on the west side of New Ninjago City, was his father. Montgomery Garmadon, Lloyd's father, had sacrificed himself to stop a villain from taking over Ninjago a little under a year ago. Not by death, but by banishment to the biggest prison in the sixteen Realms: The Cursed Realm. Until about three months ago, Lloyd had clung to the hope that he might one day get him back from the ghost-infested realm. Then, about three months ago, Lloyd's hopes were crushed when the Cursed Realm was destroyed.

The last time Lloyd had seen his father, he had been chained between two poles, on his knees like a common criminal. It was all Morro's fault. The late wind master had escaped the Cursed Realm when Lloyd's father had allowed himself to be banished, then used his abilities to possess Lloyd's body in a sick plan for revenge. He had failed, and was now gone for good, but his father had been killed in the process. Lloyd almost wished that he had never let himself be banished in the first place. That Chen had succeeded in taking over the world. A world without his father was almost worse than a world ruled by Chen.

Lloyd had relied heavily on his family the last few months for comfort and support. His mom and uncle were devastated as well, of course, but no one was as affected as Lloyd. His father was more than just his guardian, he was his companion, his mentor, his sensei, and his best friend. The other ninja were his best friends too, of course, but none of them could replace his father. Not even Kai, though the red ninja had took it upon himself to act as a father to him.

Lloyd almost jumped out of his skin when a loud, metallic crash startled him out of his thoughts. Instinctively, he reached for his hood, only to remember that he wasn't wearing it. He was in casual clothing, as he had been trying to avoid being recognized as the green ninja. Instead, he grabbed the hood of the hoodie he was wearing, pulling it over his head. Better than nothing. The crash sounded again as he ran towards the source, flattening himself against the wall as he got close. He wasn't sure what to expect. A tramp digging in the garbage? Whatever it was, it was his job to check it out. Besides, he was curious. As the noise sounded a third time, Lloyd peeked around the corner. A glowing figure was rifling through a trash can with his back to him. So he was right. But why were they glowing? And why did they look so… familiar? As he continued to watch, the figure glanced up and spotted him, instantly jumping back in shock. Whirling around, the figure fled, but not before Lloyd could recognize him. Green skin, tattered robes, a green streak in his jet-black hair… Lloyd inhaled sharply, backing away in alarm.

"Morro?!"

Definitely an improvement over the old first chapter.

~FFF