Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lloyd stood there, stunned in amazement but felt an ever chilling sense of dread creep up his spine as he watched Euphrasia ease herself onto the pathway by elegantly controlling her fall with the wind.

Morro’s element.

How. How?! How was that possible? Morro is the Master of Wind! There can’t be two Elemental Masters of the same element at the same time! The former ghost ex-villain, now turned human and ally, was still in control of his elemental power when Lloyd had left him at the Monastery so that he and the others could go to the Cloud Kingdom!

Was this another feature of the merge? Lloyd thought anxiously. Were elemental masters everywhere unexpectedly losing their powers? Is there a reason why, or was it nothing but the chaos brought by the merge?

“So, you are the new Elemental Master of Wind, huh?” Lloyd asked cooly, attempting to sound friendly but the fear and mortification that was churning in his stomach made Lloyd grateful that his mask was still covering his expressions. This was not good. This was not good at all. A worried frown remained concealed underneath the green fabric of his mask. He could only imagine Morro when Lloyd returned to the Monastery. Confused, terrified and angry, angry at Destiny for taking away from him once again.

Convincing Morro to see Lloyd's perspective, that the Cloud Kingdom didn't control Destiny, was bound to be a fruitless endeavour. Morro clung fiercely onto the belief that anything and everything that has happened was because of the writings of the Cloud Kingdom. Even out of his phase of villainy, anger directed at the Cloud Kingdom and Destiny was not absent.

They needed allies. Their own team was already scattered due to the merge, and contact with other elemental masters had been terminated by such too. Euphrasia seemed to hold promise from what he had seen in their fight against those strange tentacle monsters in the Cloud Kingdom today. She would need training, and Morro being the only known previous Master of Wind, was the most suitable to train her and optimise her potential. 

But of course, how was Morro meant to get along with Euphrasia, a successor he didn't even choose, when she was a part of the Writer of Destiny he so hated?

Lloyd suppressed a shiver as he speculated how Morro would react. Morro was sure to accuse her of abusing her liberties as a Writer of Destiny, insisting that she had written it for his powers to be transferred to her. There would be little chance at swaying Morro's view, or at least, not without substantial time passing and active work in removing his prejudice to form a fair and informed opinion.

“Hehe, that’s what it looks like, I guess!” Euphrasia giggled bashfully, blissfully unaware of Lloyd’s ever worsening internal panic. 

*                *                *

Later that day…

Lloyd shakily gripped the steering wheel of The Bounty, bracing himself the entire trip back home for Morro’s reaction to losing his elemental power. He couldn’t help but think about what Morro would say, what he would say to Morro to calm him down, what he would do if Morro did not calm down… Lloyd loved and cared for Morro like a brother, but Morro still had his rough edges and although it was unintentional, it made it very difficult for Lloyd to help Morro. 

Morro had gone through a lot, and it showed.

In spite of the fact that Morro had grown and become more at peace, alongside having spent the last few years fighting beside Lloyd and the other ninja, as an ally, as family, he still retained his competitive nature and fragile identity. 

Much time has passed since Morro made peace with the fact that he wasn’t the Green Ninja, which Lloyd was very proud of him for. However, it did not go unnoticed by Lloyd that Morro still placed all his worth on his elemental power. To Morro, the wind was his life blood. It was his primary reason for feeling like he was a person worth of anything. But now that those powers had left him, what now? Morro will think he is useless, just like how Kai did when Aspheera took away his powers. It hurt Lloyd enough to see one of his brothers feel so helpless, he needed to ensure that Morro would not be the same. 

Absent-mindedly, he laughed humourlessly. 

Morro was going to be so much worse he thought deliriously, unsure whether he wanted to laugh or cry.

Lloyd shifted uneasily as he considered how Morro came to be this way. He knew Sensei Wu was not the perfect teacher, especially at the time that he had began to train Morro. Sensei Wu hadn't taught Morro with the same kindness and care his father had taught him with, and he had failed to notice that the way he pushed Morro in his childhood would only would reinforce Morro’s unstable self-esteem and lead him down the path of evil that he did.

Sensei Wu had been aware that Morro had been a kid that had never had as much as a scrap of food to his name. That much had been obvious when he had found him going through his trash cans. Sensei Wu knew that Morro had spent his entire life all alone, always teetering on the verge of starvation, sleeping in dimly lit alleys infested with rats with nothing but mouldy cardboard boxes to keep him from sleeping on the cold concrete pavement because no one wanted to see a scrawny street rat, much less outside of their businesses or homes. If they did, help wasn't given. Angry shouting and physical violence to drive Morro away, were. 

They didn't allow for Morro's existence to be acknowledged. As far as anyone was concerned, he didn't exist. At best, he was viewed as a parasite. 

Of course, when Sensei Wu had told Morro that he could be the Green Ninja, that he could be somebody, somebody important, somebody people would not only acknowledge but respect and love, what else could have been expected from Morro except pure obsession?

Becoming the Green Ninja had been the essential prerequisite to being worth anything at all, to being someone who didn't deserve to suffer and die unloved. He could only be loved when he was the best of the best, there was no room for error. 

Now, Morro was stuck with the rather unhealthy habit of constantly needing to prove his worth and getting incredibly defensive whenever someone offered advice or help to him. 

Lloyd admired Sensei Wu, he wanted to be like him to Arin and Sora. Just not like the Sensei Wu who taught Morro.

The last thing he wanted for his students is for them to have been trained like Morro had, and although Sensei Wu’s harsh training methods secured Morro’s place as the strongest out of the team, excluding Lloyd, it also solidified Morro's place as the most volatile. Mistakes were inevitable, but little could be done to bring Morro out of the state of self hatred he would enter and draw him away from the feelings of inadequacy once they were made. 

He became closed off and quiet when he felt ashamed of himself. Lloyd recalled how Morro struggled to speak when anyone would talk to him, how minimal his responses would be when he managed to speak at all. He would train by himself for hours, usually outside the vicinity of the Monastery so that he was by himself. 

Undeniably distancing himself from others because he was afraid of being punished, more because of what a punishment symbolised rather than the punishment itself. Being punished meant that he had disappointed and failed to deliver. That meant that he had not earned the right to be exist, and that he should be starved, beaten and hated.

Lloyd clenched his jaw at a conversation he remembered having with Morro, not long before the merge had happened. It had been a late night, Lloyd and Morro had been spending the last couple of hours happily talking on the tiled roof of the Monastery. Lloyd had just finished recounting all the times he had his powers drained and stolen from him.

“How would you have been able to cope with that?” Morro had asked, diverting his gaze from the stars in the night sky to meet Lloyd’s eyes. “No powers, no elemental dragon, not even your elemental shields… I know you can still fight, use your Spinjitzu and Airjitzu, but it isn’t like you can do much without your powers. How did you not feel completely useless?” 

The immense confusion that his tone had held worried Lloyd, then and now.

“It’s true, I’m not as powerful without my powers, but my powers don't define me. I would still help people any way I can.” Lloyd pointed out.

“But powers sure would help, wouldn't they? I would hardly see myself as a person if I didn’t have my powers.” Morro admitted casually, tilting his head a little.

“You wouldn’t?” Lloyd echoed, tilting his head as he frowned. 

“Well, how could I? I’m not the Master of Wind without them, and if I’m not the Master of Wind, then who am I?”

Lloyd deeply regretted how he had simply looked at Morro with his mouth agape and stunned in silence, instead of overcoming his shock to reassure Morro that, although powers could be part of your identity, powers did not determine if you got the 'privilege' of being a person. He wanted to reassure Morro that existing in itself was enough of a reason to deserve happiness, safety, and love. 

A hand on his shoulder broke Lloyd away from his thoughts. He quickly turned his head to his left to see Kai, sharing the same concern frown that Lloyd had.

“You seem to be deep in thought.” Kai observed, and Lloyd sighed.

“I’m worried about Morro.” He began, returning to facing forward. “You saw Euphrasia, there can only be one Elemental Master for one element at a time. If she can control the wind, that means Morro…” Lloyd hesitated, biting the inside of his cheek. “Morro isn’t the Master of Wind anymore. I’m scared about how he will react, how he will see himself. You know how he is, Kai. Morro is going to think that he is completely useless.”

“I get it.” Kai replied, gently squeezing Lloyd’s shoulder. “It is not going to be easy for Morro to come to terms with this, but we will be there to help him through it, just like you were there for me when I lost my powers. We're brothers. We help each other no matter what." Kai smiled, which Lloyd couldn’t help but reciprocate. 

“You are right.” He said, letting out a tired sigh. “I think it would be a good idea if you went and talked to Morro at some point too, since you have a bit of a shared experience.”

“Hey, you’ve lost your powers more times than I have.” Kai teased with a grin, his voice laced with half-hearted defensiveness. 

“Yes, but I’m not the one that had an existential crisis after I lost them. Besides, you and Morro are very similar, and I don’t see him reacting any better to losing his elemental powers than you did. He will feel more seen if you talk to him about it.” Lloyd suggested, casting his gaze to the mountains in front of them. The Monastery was finally in sight. 

“Okay, I’ll talk to him.” Kai promised, and Lloyd beamed at him.

“Thank you.” 

“Arin, Sora!” Lloyd called, and two heads popped out from the trapdoor at the front of The Bounty, stained with small splotches of grease, power tools in hand.

“Yes maste- I mean, Lloyd?” Arin smiled, Riyu leaped from the hole and landed on Sora’s shoulder, purring curiously.

Lloyd could feel the amused glance that Kai was giving him, he could practically hear him say: Master, huh? Someone has been promoted.  Lloyd playfully nudged Kai in retaliation.

“When we get back to the Monastery, I need you both to go straight to your rooms.” 

“Wait what?!” Arin winced. “Did we do something wrong?” He fretted, Sora too gave Lloyd a questioning look, raising a brow at the Green Ninja.

“Yeah… we just helped you defeat that weird floating tentacle eye thing, why are you punishing us?” Sora grimaced, helping herself and Arin out of the hole. 

“No. I’m very proud of your bravery today,” Lloyd didn’t miss the way Arin’s face lit up, eyes sparkling at the praise.

“Then why are you sending us to our rooms?” Arin asked cautiously. Both Arin and Sora made their way up to where Lloyd and Kai were and Riyu pounced off Sora’s shoulder so he could walk beside them.

"Kai and I are going to break the news to Morro that we have had an encounter with the new Master of Wind. Either he is already aware that his powers have found a new host, or he would discover that once we mention Euphrasia to him. I want there to be privacy for him since it's going to be difficult for Morro to come to terms with the news, hence my request."

"Ohhh..." Arin and Sora echoed in unison. 

"We'll give you your privacy then." Arin smiled as Sora gave a nod of agreement.

“Thank you. And just… don’t get scared if you hear any shouting.” Lloyd said softly. "I know that thus far, you've only seen the Morro that is rather calm and composed, but considering how sensitive of a nerve this news is bound to hit, do not be surprised if you hear curses being shouted at Destiny. Arin, you studied Ninjago villains in school right? I'm trust they didn't neglect to mention how big of a deal Destiny was for Morro's villain origin."

Whilst Arin nodded, Sora blinked rapidly as her eyes widened in shock.

"Excuse me, Morro was a villain?! Since when???" She cried out, looking between Lloyd, Arin and Kai questioningly. 

Kai shrugged with a smile. "Arin and I can catch you up on all this later."

Sora huffed with a small smile. "You two better. They didn't teach us this in Imperium."

Lloyd hummed as the Bounty rapidly approached the Monastery. He pulled back on the lever beside him to slow down the ship before parking it levelled with the Monastery walls.

“Now, both of you to your rooms please! I’ll tell you when you two can come out.” Lloyd reminded as his students walked away. Then, he caught the way Kai was looking at him. “What’s with the look?”

The Master of Fire had his signature smirk on his face, and he made his way to give Lloyd a playful smack on the back. 

“Nice work Master Boogers.” 

Lloyd groaned. “Stop it.”

Chapter Text

Morro smiled.

It was perfect. 

Perfect.

Who knew that one day, Destiny would be this kind to me? Morro thought blissfully before huffing softly in amusement. Must be my lucky day.

The late afternoon sun brought upon a soft golden glow on the Monastery and tinted the clouds a pale pink and orange colour. From his place on the roof tiles where he perched, Morro could see a lone tree outside the Monastery adorn in purple flowers that were gently swaying in the breeze as a soft buzzing emanated from the bees that peacefully drifted from one vibrant flower to the other. Stray petals intertwined with the long grass occasionally stirred when the wind blew just that little bit stronger, similarly to how his black hair would be blown backwards to rest behind his shoulders.

The faint aroma of the dinner he had spent the last few hours making lingered in the air; fresh rice, prawn tempura, takoyaki and pad see ew, it made Morro’s mouth water with temptation. But no, he would wait for the others to return so that they could all eat together (Morro did not eat any of the merchandise whilst preparing everything, especially not the prawn tempura), and hopefully, when Lloyd and the others returned from the Cloud Kingdom, there would be four others, three of his missing brothers and his sensei, joining them to dine.

Morro reached out with his free hand to comb his bangs out of his eyes, whilst the other held onto the needle he was using to sew the last few details on his new uniform, which rested on his lap. 

It was somewhat impractical to be making his own uniform all by himself. Even when his duty had been to protect just Ninjago, finding the time to first learn how to sew, and then develop the skills to be proficient enough to design and produce his own uniform, had been a difficult task. More so now that all 16 realms had combined. But what living as many lives as he had had taught him, and after listening to Garmadon's words when Morro was in the Departed Realm with him, was that learning was a slow and tedious process, more often than not.

Morro had grown up being accustomed to being good at the things he tried for the first time. Sewing had not initially been one of those things. 

In what time there had been to spare, Jay had taught him how to use a sewing machine, as did Zane teach him about material choices and what shops to purchase the materials he needed from. Strangely enough, Morro had even learnt something from Dareth of all people, which really shouldn't surprise Morro as much as it had. It was only natural that the majority of Morro's education came from someone as knowledgeable in costume design as Dareth.

The Brown Ninja just so happened to be the reason why Morro now regularly wore eyeliner, occasionally even eyeshadow and mascara.

Sensei Wu had taught him one thing he applied in his design, before the Merge happened and had gone missing, and that was how to write the symbol for ‘wind’ (風). It was one of the few characters he knew how to read and write. Because Sensei Wu was the one who had taught him that, it unintentionally made Morro all the more attached to the character, even at times mournful and overwhelmed with sadness because it was the last lesson Sensei Wu had ever taught him. To Morro, the character was a gift, the final gift Sensei Wu had ever given him before his master got lost in the chaos of the Merge many years ago.

Since then, Morro's idea to have the character 風 on his uniform became his favourite part of it. It was his way to pay tribute to Sensei Wu, his Master and… the closest thing he ever had to a father.

“Your absence pains us all, Sensei.” Morro murmured as he caressed the back of the uniform where the character was, before turning to face the mural of Sensei Wu on the far right hand side of the porch.

“One day, we will find you. Years have passed, but if Destiny had written it so that we could be reunited once before, then I have to believe that the Writers of Destiny will do the same again in due time. I must be patient. Ninja never quit.” He promised, bowing his head in the direction of Sensei Wu’s portrait before returning to work on his uniform.

To Morro, it felt quite fitting that he was choosing to be crafting his own uniform from scratch. It was a practice which Morro progressively realised as his uniform came closer to completion, that was quite sentimental. Every pass of the needle through the fabric followed the knowledge and lessons of those who have changed his life for the better. Everything that the Ninja, Sensei Wu, Garmadon and... Dareth, yes, had ever taught him was now being compiled into the creation of his new uniform. It was a representation of his identity, forged with their help, to make up his very being: Morro, the Master of Wind.

Once having finished the final few weaves of his needle, Morro held the needle between his lips and analysed his work, holding it out with his hands.

“Huh, not too shabby.” Morro chuckled as he admired his handy work.

The chest and pants were black, excluding the sage green lapel that was outlined in reflective gold, as was the symbol for ‘wind’ on the back of the uniform and the two smaller ones inside the lapel. His belt, sleeves, mask and the ribbons that were tied around the knees were the same shade of green as the lapel, which reminded Morro a lot of the elemental robes the Ninja had worn during the Final Battle. Admittedly, Morro had taken much of his inspiration from those uniforms, but decided that it needed a little something more, so he had decided to decorate the sleeves with shiny golden embroidery shaped like swirls to represent the wind, which Morro later realised appeared very similar to how the clouds and wind were depicted in many of the traditional artworks hung around the Monastery. Although it tested Morro’s patience and sanity, he was so glad that he had taken the time to embroider both arms. The light of the setting sun made the thread glimmer and sparkle, Morro became mesmerised by the moving shining as he tilted his uniform back and forth for a few moments, then beamed excitedly. 

He was going to look so good wearing this.

“Well.” Morro sighed, smiling wistfully. “Just need to cut this thread off, then I can attach the shoulder pads and metal hood piece and actually wear this. Now where… where did I leave the scissors…” He muttered, looking around for a few moments before catching sight of the scissors on the porch beneath him. 

“A haphazardous hiding spot, but I’ve found you.” Morro smiled as he reached out his hand to command the wind to bring the scissors to him. He had had to bare many lectures from Garmadon in the Departed Realm about how elemental masters shouldn’t be relying on their powers so much, to which Morro had always stubbornly retorted that if you have something, you ought to use it. What did Garmadon think would happen? That he would forget how to pick stuff up with his hands?

A moment passed with Morro hand casted in front of him, but nothing happened. The scissors hadn’t stirred and the air had remained passive.

Morro’s heart skipped a beat, he froze for a moment before he shook his head, trying again. Yet, no wind left his hands and the scissors remained on the wooden flooring, mockingly still. 

“What the…” Morro hissed quietly, staring at his hand. Was he hallucinating? He must be, or at least, he had somehow forgotten to actually command the wind… twice. Morro clenched his jaw, furrowing his brows uneasily. 

Yeah, as if. Morro thought nonchalantly, but contrasting his calm tone of thought, panic began to seep from his heart and spread across his body. He flexed his hands to compensate for the freezing sensation that he began to feel on his fingertips, but simultaneously in hopes that a little bit of wind would flicker from them.

He commanded the wind. The wind was his to control. When Morro called for the wind, it responded.

Morro hesitantly jumped down from the rooftop, temporarily setting aside his newly finished uniform, needle, and golden spool of thread on the wooden planks of the porch. His hands trembled as he raised them in front of him, observing them with intense fear as he tried to conjure the wind once more, but the air remained settled. Nothing. Not a gust, a draft, not even a breeze.

He tried again.

...

Again.

...

Again!

...

“The fuck?!” Morro choked, clenching his teeth as he tried again and again and again but nothing happened.

“Shit shit shit SHIT. ” Morro cursed as he stumbled backwards, clawing his hair and clenched with his rapidly cooling fingers as his chest painfully tightened. Morro’s heartbeat was deafening in his ears, the rhythm continued to accelerate as he began to sweat all over his body.

“This is not happening! It just can’t be! My powers… my powers! They can’t be gone-” Morro murmured weakly and began to subconsciously crouch on the ground slowly, hiding his face in his knees as his body trembled. Nausea rippled sickeningly in his stomach, causing Morro to instinctively tense the area before clenching his teeth in regret of doing so. There was a gust that brushed his face teasingly and Morro swore that he could hear it giggling, snickering and laughing at him, relishing and thriving at the sight of his anguish. 

You're imagining it. Morro told himself. Then, he swallowed unsurely, trembling. But it sounds so real-

Abruptly, he stood up and jumped up onto the Monastery roof, ignoring the sudden dizziness he felt. A breath in and shut eyes marked the beginning of his futile attempt to calm down and feel out for the wind, to try reconnect with it somehow. 

However, it was difficult even from his position on the roof to feel the wind and focus on it when his body and mind refused to calm down.

His vision became spotty with slowly pulsing black shapes, the roof and walls of the Monastery began to twist and turn, seemingly melting with the sky. Morro gripped onto the wall beside him with shaky hands, constantly having to readjust his grip as his fingers kept twitching. 

I need to lie down... Morro realised slowly and absent-mindedly, but those thoughts of getting himself to safety were overshadowed by panic revolving around his powers, similarly to the light headedness he had been feeling being overshadowed by dread and nausea. 

What happened to my powers?!

That's it, I'm done for!

I'm worthless without my powers!

Open your eyes and lie down somewhere safe before something bad happens, idiot!

I need to fix this now!

Without my powers, I'm useless!

The ninja will abandon once they know!

Get down on the floor and lie down, you fool!

I can't loose my powers now!

I can't protect people and be useful without them!

I'm nobody without them!

Destiny... why did you do this to me?

Morro let out a shaky laugh. “Destiny loves to make me suffer, doesn’t it?” 

He couldn’t help but whine weakly as another wave of lightheadedness swept over him. Morro's grip on the wall beside him faltered, suddenly making him drop to his knees. Morro's voice cracked as he let out a half-sob, breathing heavily in a vain attempt to gain a slither of control of his body. 

His consciousness became obsolete as the darkness completely captured his vision and collapsed onto the hard tiles of the roof, before sliding down and landing head first on the concrete.  

*               *                *

Moments later...

Morro groaned, slowly opening his eyes. 

“What… what am I doing, where- where am I… huh?” Morro sat up, looking around slowly as his vision came into focus and his delirious state steadily ebbed away. He looked behind him, and then sharply jerked away as he processed the fact that there was a puddle of blood where his head had been lying down. “Ack!” 

Morro quickly analysed himself, instantly noticing that his clothes were stained with patches of blood. 

“Oh FSM-”

A sudden splitting pain corrupted the back of Morro’s head, he gasped sharply and hastily pressed a hand against the bleeding wound, almost curling his fingers in shock at the feeling of yet even more blood, some of which had dried and become sticky against his hair. The sky hadn't changed colour.

I haven't been out for long, that's good… Oh shit, I’m actually bleeding from my fucking head - where is the First Aid Kit??

Morro slowly walked into the Monastery instead of running to discourage his heart from pumping more blood to his head and in turn aggravate the bleeding. If he fainted again, Morro wasn't sure if he would be able to wake up a second time, and he had no idea how long it would be before the others returned. Little splotches of blood stained the carpet he walked on in spite of Morro doing his best to keep the wound covered. Once he entered the kitchen, Morro found a red plastic box with a white plus displayed on it in one of the cupboards and with his spare hand, speedily undid the clips. He staggered backwards at the sudden piercing pain that shot hot white pain up his spine and seared the back of his head, roughly pressing himself against a wall to keep himself standing. 

“Ahh-hgh-h…” Morro winced, pressing his hand against the open wound. 

At the sight of all the food he had made laid out on the dinner table, Morro gagged, his earlier nausea returned and worsened at the once pleasant scent of dinner, it smelt so awful and revolting now Morro was sure he was going to puke. Morro quickly opted to hold his breath so that he could take the kit and dash to the bathroom, away from the overwhelming smells. 

In the bathroom Morro set the kit on the floor and began to dress his wound, sitting down on the cold tiles and resting against the wall for stability. It was difficult to treat the bleeding, not only because he couldn’t see the back of his head, but because his consciousness kept on dipping in and out. It became increasingly difficult when the natural light of the bathroom made his eyes throb.

Morro’s vision persisted in being overrun with fluctuating sizes of blotches of darkness that threatened to drag him into unconsciousness again unless he stopped every few moments. Unfamiliar emotions of fear and panic paralysed his body so fiercely that Morro felt like he was back dying in the Caves of Despair, suffocating and burning slowly and painfully, but he forced himself to suppress it. He needed to. There was no one else to help him but himself. He could handle this. He was used to this. He could take care of himself.

"I’m fine I’m fine I’m fine I’m completely fine!" Morro babbled to himself weakly as he unravelled fresh bandages, but the delusion that had been a core part of his identity in the past did not lie within him anymore to feed his delusions. He was not fine. Once more, Morro was dying. Morro hadn't felt nor notice the tears that burned at the back of his eyes and trickled down his cheeks amongst all the pain coming from a lethal injury. A steady stream of tears trailed the blood from his face and splashed onto the floor, seeping between the crevasses in between the white tiles. 

I am in so much pain.

With what little energy he had left, Morro wrapped the last bandage around his head before being forced into the rapidly spreading darkness again. There was no use fighting it anymore. It was hopeless. There was nothing he could do. Just before Morro stopped resisting the relentless tides of the darkness, one last moment of consciousness granted him the ability to faintly register a mortified shriek from outside, quickly (or had it been minutes later? Morro couldn't tell) followed by the bathroom door being slammed open. Two fuzzy blobs of green and red rushed towards him. 

“-orro!”

Did he know those voices?

“-ro, can you hear me??”

No, he couldn’t recognise them. Not at all. What were they saying?

“-ai, call the ambulance! He’s bleeding from his hea-”

The darkness returned. It was beckoning him, oh it all sounded so lovely to finally rest. 

This will all be over, and the pain will be gone. Morro thought tranquilly, fluttering his eyes shut one final time before he succumbed to the darkness once more. 

“Morro!!!”

Chapter Text

“Nice work Master Boogers.” 

Lloyd groaned. “Stop it.”

Kai laughed and ruffled the younger one’s blond hair.

“You will need to fight me if you want that, cuz I ain’t letting that go.” He teased and began to walk to the edge of the Bounty to jump off it to escape any retort from Lloyd, but before he could, they hear Arin scream.

“AHHHHH! LLOYD, KAI HELP!!!” 

Kai and Lloyd snapped their heads around to the Monastery and swiped on their hoods, leaping off the Bounty and raced into the Monastery training grounds with their weapons drawn. Arin clutched onto Sora's arms and trembled behind her, as was Riyu fearfully curled up behind her, whimpering helplessly.

“Arin, Sora, what’s happened?” Lloyd began but tensed as he realised that the two were staring at a big puddle of blood. 

Lloyd and Kai’s eyes widened, petrified as they realised that there was also a thick trail of blood leading into the Monastery. The front slide door had red smears in the shape of finger prints all over the wooden supports and on the white washi paper. Droplets of the blood began to slide down the brown wooden framing, collecting themselves into bigger drops before splattering onto the floor. Lloyd stepped forward and touched it.

“It’s still warm,” Lloyd strained, returning his weapon into its sheath and turned to face the others. “This is fresh blood. And if it is leading into the Monastery...”

Lloyd and Kai immediately shared a look, in a brief second of silence they telepathically shared their frantic panic.

Has someone attacked Morro?!

If another merge quake happened whilst we were gone…

Something could have come through and hurt him, and if something like what we faced in the Cloud Kingdom came through, without his powers he would have been totally defenseless! 

And if there is blood, he has to be hurt!

Follow the trail, we must find him fast!

“Arin, Sora, stay here!” Lloyd commanded as Kai sprinted into the Monastery and began to call out Morro’s name.

“What is going on??” Arin cried. Lloyd was quietly paralysed, fear having seized his throat.

Without answering, Lloyd ran into the Monastery.

“Wait Lloyd–!”

*               *               *

“Morro? Morro, where are you?!” Lloyd exclaimed urgently, quickly running down the hallways when the blood trail ended at the kitchen, almost tearing the paper screen doors from their rails as he forced each door open. FSM, where is he?!

He soon checked the bathroom, door left agar. Lloyd all but slammed it open to see Morro plopped on the white blood stained floor tiles, lying against the wall helplessly. Blood had stained the uppermost part of his uniform and his finger tips. His stomach dropped when he noticed blood trickling down his neck and his own body became flushed with hot fear that spread from his chest to his fingertips.

“Kai, he’s in the bathroom!” Lloyd called out and quickly knelt down to Morro to assess his state, the floor around him littered with stray bandages and their plastic packaging. Kai rushed into the bathroom and choked at the sight. 

“Morro! Morro, can you hear me??” Lloyd pressed his hands against Morro’s shoulders and squeezed them, but Morro’s body remained limp, eyes beginning to shut slowly. There was a brief, ever so fleeting and barely-there moment where Morro sluggishly cast his gaze to him, weakly opened his eyes and Lloyd unsettlingly registered that Morro’s pupils were horribly out of proportion. His left eye’s pupil was almost so wide that you could barely see the iris, and the right was just slightly smaller than what was normal. The sclera was glassy with tears and tinted red.

Lloyd grasped Morro’s left hand, who’s fingertips were stained in blood and stung Lloyd’s from their coldness upon contact, he pressed two fingers against his wrist, tensely searching for a pulse.

Ba-dum.

Ba-dum.

Ba-dum.

Ba-dum. 

Ba-dum. 

Ba dum. 

Lloyd’s breath hitched, fear excruciatingly constricting his chest as guilt wormed into his heart. 

Morro was dying. 

“His heart rate is lowering!” He voice cracked and trembled as he shouted. “Kai, call an ambulance! He is bleeding from his head, tell the paramedics that we will meet them at the bottom of the mountain! I’ll take Morro down there with my elemental dragon!” 

“Got it!” Kai bolted to the living room and harshly pressed the keys on the dusty beige home phone to dialled the emergency service. He pressed the phone against his right ear as it buzzed, impatiently tapping his foot against the floor as paranoia began to claw at his mind. 

“Come on, come on, come on, pick up for FSM’s sake!” Kai snarled, continuing to quietly mutter bitter curses and desperate pleas under his voice.

Meanwhile, Lloyd dragged Morro’s body into recovery position with the little grace and delicacy Lloyd had left to give with his shaky hands. 

“The paramedics are coming!” Kai rushed, hastily putting down an orange stretcher he had retrieved from the store room on the blood stained floor. “Come on, help me put him on this thing!” 

“Lloyd! Is everything okay?” Sora’s voice echoed and was shortly followed by Arin’s. “We want to help!” 

Immediate fear pooled and sat thickly in Lloyd’s stomach, stirring with overwhelming dread as the realisation as to what his students were about to walk in on swept Lloyd’s mind in a vicious flurry of panic. 

“What are you– OUT! GET OUT!!!” Lloyd snapped angrily, temporarily abandoning Kai so he could prevent his students from witnessing the gruesome scene unfolding all too rapidly. Arin and Sora, alongside Riyu, jolted backwards in shock, wincing as Lloyd turned them around and put his hands behind their backs to hurrying them down to the end of the hallway to where their rooms were. 

“Now stay in your room! You'll come out when I say you can!” Lloyd instructed quickly as Sora, Arin and Riyu were forced into the room before Lloyd shut the doors hard and sprinted off to help Kai. As the footsteps faded, Sora growled.

“What the heck! He can’t just treat us like that!” She fumed, scrolling her hands into tight fists but made no move to leave and instead angrily ran up to the punching bag that they had hanging at the back of their room and ferociously kicked it. “We are just trying to help!” 

Riyu squirmed, taking a couple of short leaps so he could hide behind Arin’s legs. Sora sighed apologetically, pressing her hand against her forehead before walking over to Riyu and crouching down to him. “Sorry buddy, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Sora said quietly and offered her hand to Riyu, who affectionately nuzzled his head against it. 

“I’ve never seen Master Lloyd so angry…” Arin mumbled with his eyes narrowed sadly, shoulders slumped forward and he pinched the sleeves of his orange hoodie. “Did we disappoint him? I don’t want to disappoint him…” He trembled, and Sora stood up and tightly hugged her friend, gently rubbing her thumb against Arin’s back. 

“I don’t think so.” Sora began, then latched off of Arin. "I think-"

Before Sora could reassure Arin and further comfort him, there was a high pitched electric hum followed by a sudden flash of bright green light that consumed their room. They exchanged brief glances of confusion before running to the window, where they saw Lloyd’s elemental dragon materialise as it unleashed a mighty roar. Riyu chirped excitedly and let out a prolonged squeal in attempts to copy the other dragon. Sora and Arin paid little attention, still fixated on Lloyd’s dragon, but their amazement was subsided by the sight of Kai helping Lloyd haul a body strapped onto a stretcher onto the dragon, and immediately dread stabbed their hearts. Even from a distance, they could tell that the body had blood over their head. 

“Is that…” Arin breathed, Sora nodded.

“FSM… this is bad.”

Another dragon manifested, this time red. 

“Lloyd, I’m coming with you! If you lose control of your dragon I’ll be able to catch you and Morro!” Kai called as both of them took to the skies. 

Lloyd glanced at Morro’s still body, strapped tightly onto the stretcher.

“Okay!” 

There was a distant wailing, and as Kai and Lloyd submerged below the orange clouds, they could see flashing red and blue lights. There was an ambulance roughly parked at the bottom of the mountain, paramedics already opening the back of the van in preparation to intercept their patient. Lloyd and Kai eased their dragons onto the ground, Lloyd having his to kneel so it would be easier to take Morro into the ambulance. Two paramedics came rushing towards him, both carefully taking hold of the stretcher Morro rested in before sprinting to the ambulance.

“Green Ninja!” A third paramedic called and waved him into the ambulance. Lloyd gave them a quick nod and jumped into the ambulance before turning to face Kai.

“Go back to the Monastery and keep my students safe! I’ll call you when I can!” 

“Got it!” Kai replied and tugged at the reins of his dragon, ascending back to the top of the mountain. The compartment inside the ambulance sealed shut, Lloyd forced himself to look at Morro. The paramedics had strapped him onto their own stretcher, it was much larger and cushiony, a little like a bed, and one of them was swiftly connecting Morro to a machine that tracked his heart rate whilst the other was undoing the bandages Morro had poorly wrapped around his head and started to disinfect the wound.

The third paramedic approached Lloyd.

“Green Ninja, do you know how this happened?”

“No, no one was with him when this happened." 

“What was his level of consciousness when you found him?”

“Uh– he was about to pass out when I found him.”

“How long has it been since he has been unconscious?”

“I think five minutes now?”

“Are you aware of any other injuries or medical conditions that he has?”

“No, he doesn’t have any as far as I know, and I don't believe he has any history of severe injuries either. But he has been recovering from about seven years of malnourishment if that is of any use to you..?.” 

“Not on any medications either?”

“No, sir.” 

The paramedic finished scribbling onto his clipboard before he grabbed his phone from his pocket, forwarding the information to the other doctors in the hospital. Whilst he talked, Lloyd glanced down at Morro.

He looked so frail, Lloyd had never known Morro to be without vigour. The other was always looking strong and confident. But now, he was so pale and covered in blood.

Lloyd wanted to hold Morro's hand to reassure him, even in his unconscious state. But Lloyd hesitated. What if Morro shattered when he touched him? What if all it took for Morro to die right in front of him now was a single touch from him? The touch of someone who got him into this state in the first place because Lloyd hadn't been there for Morro in time to stop this all from happening. Lloyd shook his head, he couldn’t be superstitious at a time like this. 

Lloyd nervously stepped away to give the paramedics space. He wanted to ask if Morro would be okay, but the words die on his tongue. 

*               *               *

Meanwhile, at the Monastery…

Kai dematerialised his dragon once he was over the Monastery training grounds, effortlessly landing himself on the stone flooring. There was a glimmer of gold on the porch that he hadn't noticed in the panic of minutes before, but Kai quickly realised what it was. He walked to pick up Morro’s new uniform, smiling sadly as he checked for any blood stains. Kai believed it was beautiful handiwork, he especially liked the shiny embroidery. Having found none, he took the needle and scissors that were on the planks of the porch and took them into the Monastery, resting those two items on a nearby table but kept Morro’s uniform in hand, taking it to be put in Morro’s room.

He slid the door to Morro’s room open, unsurprised at the cleanliness. Morro’s room was simple, equipped with a double bed with a sage green blanket that were tucked with an absurd tightness–

Old habits die hard. Kai thought to himself.

–a wardrobe, a viola in its casing beside a music stand holding a couple of music folders, a full body length mirror that resided on the right corner beside the slide doors, a sword rack for the Sword of Sanctuary on the wall, a desk with a dragon-shaped censer and a red haberdashery box. A mannequin was on the left corner beside the slide doors. Kai assumed it was where Morro placed his uniform when he wasn't working on it, so he placed it there before he left to go to Sora and Arin's room.

Once he opened the door to Sora and Arin’s room, the two looked at him in silent questioning with even Riyu trilling curiously.

“Is everything okay?” Arin asked carefully, voice hardly daring to be louder than a whisper. 

“It’s… under control.” Kai murmured. “Don’t you kids worry about it, ‘kay? Its not-”

“Please.” Sora interrupted. “We want to know.” 

Kai hesitated for a moment, deciding to surrender some information. "Morro is going to the hospital right now. It's likely that Lloyd will be staying with him until we get some information on his status."

"But what happened to Morro?" Sora pressed and took a step forward. "There was blood everywhere."

Kai pursed his lips. "Head injury. I'm not sure how it happened, but we'll find out with time."

“How much time do you think Master Lloyd and Morro will be in the hospital for?” Arin asked, and Kai let out an exasperated sigh.

“It’s hard to tell… Look, I don’t know much about this type of stuff but I think a few weeks may be a good guess. It did look pretty nasty…” He explained, then let out a defeated sigh. “Maybe more in that case. I don't know.”

The air became thicker with unsaid tension and worry, silently tormenting them.

"But Morro is tough." Kai reasoned. "And he is in good hands. He'll make it. He just has to."

Chapter Text

Lloyd ran behind the paramedics that were carrying Morro on the stretcher through the narrow hospital hallways. He was frazzled, he could hardly recognise the loud uproar of sprinting footsteps on the dull blue vinyl flooring. He only paid attention to the heart monitor attached to Morro. The beeping was an omen, a good one when it was stable and consistent, but a curse when it was too fast, too slow, or too irregular.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Morro was regrettably the latter. 

“Green Ninja!” One of the nurses called out from in front of him and Lloyd accidentally bumped into him awkwardly as he suddenly halted to a stop. The nurse stumbled back a little but remained unfazed.

“O-oh FSM sor-” Lloyd began shakily, but was swiftly disrupted. 

““You can't enter the room. Please give the doctors their space to work." 

“But… but I can’t leave him–! I have to protect him!” 

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

“You are already protecting him by letting the professionals handle it. I’m going to have to ask you to go to the waiting room if you are going to stay here in the hospital. We’ll update you once the time comes.”

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Lloyd stepped away, face flushed red with guilt and embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I just–”

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

"Worried for your friend," The nurse said for him. "That is a natural response to such a stressful situation. But rest assured, the doctors will take care of him."

Beep.
Beep.
Beep. 

Lloyd's stomach heaves, queasy as each breath became more shallow– as if he was trying to save all the air for Morro.

Beep.
Beep.
Beep. 

"Sir, please follow me. I'll lead you to the waiting room." 

Lloyd nodded meekly and followed the nurse down the hallways. Just when he becomes out of earshot, there is a prolonged beeping sound.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

*               *               *

The darkness didn’t feel as nice as Morro thought it would.

It felt drowsy, the warm air was heavy– almost like he was drowning but looking down at the ground he was clearly on land.

The darkness that had been plaguing his vision slowly crumbled away to reveal a flat plain and a green mist that hovered above the ground, hugging the stumps of the forest trees. The twisted skeletal branches of the thick willow trees towering him did not sway. The air was still as if the forest itself was holding its breath in anticipation. Morro looked up. He couldn’t see the tops of the trees. They kept on stretching upwards until the darkness of a pitch black sky that was devoid of any stars to provide contrast. 

Morro groaned softly and lowered his head back down to face the ground after an irksome dizziness made his head pulsate painfully. He remained sitting still on the floor until it ebbed away. The thick green mist clung onto his knees as he tried to move, almost beckoning him to stay down. He squirmed a little, but his legs felt fuzzy and wobbly as he tried and failed to stand up. 

“U-ugh…” He groaned, His ears felt like they were being pressed down by the air, and his own voice sounded so muffled and faint to him that Morro wondered if he was even speaking. Groggily, he raised his hands to his ears, expecting there to be something there that was blocking them, but to his own surprise, he only touched the sides of his long, black hair. Morro mumbled softly, trying to shake off his disorientated state. He yawned in attempts to ease the pressure around his ears, but the satisfying relief that usually followed did not grace him to alleviate his discomfort. The air continued to press against him uncomfortably and warningly.

Morro caught sight of the water of a small and shallow creek trickled between gnarled roots and small mossy stones. The water was completely black, reflecting the void of darkness overhead. Disorientated with curiosity, Morro wobbled as he stood up, leaning against a willow tree to support himself before shuffling towards the water unsuspectingly.

Perhaps it was because of his current deafness, but he couldn’t hear the water flowing. The water didn't look like it was either. It looked to be in a permanent state of laminar flow. 

“Huh…” Morro echoed softly, before turning his head to see that the creek continued to slope downwards and continued to get wider. The landscape became tightly packed with willow trees, appearing darker as it slipped away into complete darkness.

Without any thought, Morro followed the river through the depths of the forest.

The creek quickly grew deeper and wider. Morro could barely in front of him without it being almost completely pitch black. The willow trees that loomed over the riverbanks grew thicker and became more knotted, their twisted branches casting eerie, contorted dark shadows that were visible on the ground and almost were as dark as the water. 

His own footsteps began to leave prints as the once dry dirt slowly ground began transitioning to a much thicker and muddier substance. 

Morro could finally hear as the silence of the river become replaced by the sound of surges and churns, echoed by the willow trees from deep inside the forest. It was beckoning Morro to follow its lead. Obediently, he ventured deeper. 

Morro only stopped when he caught sight of stray pieces of red and golden fabric that flowed in the river. Curious, he went closer to the water’s edge, before gasping softly at the sight of a much larger piece of fabric entangled between rocks and small branches of reed. 

“My kite...” He exclaimed, waddling as far as he could so that he didn’t cross the sudden river drop, but close enough to be in range before reaching out for his kite. He hasn’t seen his kite for years, how did it manage to get here of all places? Last Morro checked, his kite was stored away, back in the Monastery. Before he could grab hold of it, Morro yelped.

What the fuck?! How am I–?!

Transparent and green.

Morro quickly looked at his body and trembled, realising his entire body reverted back to how it had been when he was a ghost.

How am I still cursed?!

Before he could try to figure anything out, Morro took a step back, but slipped from the mud and fell into the river and as if it was conscious, he was tugged far beneath the surface. 

“Mppft–!” Morro struggled against the invisible force, it clung onto his entire body and viciously swept him through the river. He tried kicking and using his arms to swim back to the surface, but the force of the water kept him under. The river had him at its mercy.

Panic set in as he struggled to hold his breath, his lungs burning desperately for air as he tried to cling onto something so that he could have hope of escaping, but Morro was left flailing his arms around fruitlessly. The river rushed him downstream with a relentless force, twisting and turning through the forest and spared no expense in hurling Morro against sharp rocks and the jagged surface of the river bed, effectively knocking the air out of him.

His vision blurred as the river's relentless pull disoriented him and overwhelmed him with a blur of brutal and chaotic currents. Just when Morro thought he couldn't hold on any longer, the river plunged downward. His heart raced as he hurtled toward a waterfall as the deafening roar of the cascading water filled his ears.

Then, with a constant sound of thunderous crashes, Morro was forced to descend down the waterfall. His eardrums ached with the sound of bubbles viciously rushing past them, the world spinning around him in a dizzying whirl as terror completely consumed him. Fear coursed through him as he fell, unable to control his descent and at that point, Morro decided it was high time to let go.

He tried to disconnect himself from the pain, to put his focus elsewhere.

Morro braced for the impact at the waterfall, but a thick green tentacle suddenly grabbed his waist and flung him out of the waterfall and forcibly belly flopped him into a shallow lake before he reached the bottom.

“MFPT!!!”

He broke through the freezing surface of the water at full speed, and the tentacle tossed him in so violently onto the surface and with such great force that his body was immediately invaded by sharp and searing agony. Not only, but Morro collided with the rocky bottom of the lake, and was battered with the agonising jabs of ridged stones all over his body, sending particularly mind numbing pain on his knees and hands, which he had used to try to brace himself.

The water was shallow, hardly enough to reach his knees, meaning that he could actually breath whilst being on his hands and knees like he was. And unlike the turbulent river, the lake was actually calm.

Morro sputtered for air, coughing and choking on the water he had inadvertently swallowed earlier. His vision was blurry, his entire body was scorching and seared with raging pain, and he still had no idea where he was. He jerked his head up and scanned the area, realising that he was in a lake spanning far further than the horizon allowed him to see. The water was all shallow, he could see small trees poking out from the water alongside mossy boulders even in the distance. Without any trees to hinder his view, Morro could see that the sky was vibrantly decorated with familiar stars and the two moons.

What the fuck is this place? 

“Morro…” A weak and faint voice rasped. 

As if the cold water didn’t freeze him enough, the way his blood ran cold at the sound of that voice may as well have. He snapped his head forward as Morro’s pupils shrank in unmistakable terror at the sight of green tentacles disappearing under the darkness of the the lake. 

“Morro.” 

He quickly turned to behind him to where the voice had beckoned him, but he couldn’t see her, only the waterfall he had fallen off and the cliffs surrounding it. Morro stood up sharply yet clumsily, grunting as he tried to get into a battle stance but the water and his exhaustion restricted the sharpness of his movements and his lightheadedness did not help him retain his balance. His clothes clung onto him, heavy and soaked with the black water even in his ghost form. He looked around in a frenzy, checking his sides, the water underneath him, above him, behind stray trees and boulders, every crevice there was to hide in.

But then the lake started morphing.

The black water beneath him rapidly began to seep into the ground which grew red and dry. Groups of stalagmites poked through the smooth rocky surface besides on the walls, which mutated to press closer and closer to him. Morro stumbled backwards, tripping over some newly formed rocks and fell backwards on his back against ragged stalagmites. He winced upon feeling the scratches on his back sting. The air became increasingly humid and hot, Morro coughed as he recognised the all too familiar scent. It was pungent and irritated his lungs as his breathing became increasingly more shallow to avoid it.

Ethanol. Morro realised with a chill.

The cave stopped warping and settled, and then it became painfully clear to Morro what it resembled. 

The Caves of Despair. 

Morro quivered. It was all happening again. What he had thought was left in the depths of over 40 years ago was coming back to haunt him in the most absurd way possible.

“Morro…” The voice called, but this time it was sweet and youthful, overwhelmingly gentle and motherly. “Come home, my child… Come back to your master… I can help you out of this nasty predicament you have found yourself in. You’ll finally be at peace, if you let me take you back home with me.”

Morro hissed, even in his drained state. “Never! Leave me the fuck alone!”

The Preeminent laughed softly. “You are just as stubborn and impudent as the day when I first found you dying in this cave… Come on, child, don’t be silly. You want the pain to end, don’t you? Come with me…”

As if on cue, the cave began getting hotter and stuffier, just like it had been when he was dying for the first time.

“Aren’t you fed up with all the suffering? Isn’t what you’ve craved? Peace? My child, let me take care of you…”

Thick green tentacles began to slither from the burning hole in the centre of the cave, slowly creeping closer to Morro. He winced quietly as he further backed up against the stone ledge, desperately scanning the cave for an escape; a passage, an opening, anything to get as far away from her as he could manage. 

But the cave was closed in, sealed. Morro turned to face the Preeminent, eyes wide with fear and disgust. 

“I’ll never come back to you!”

“You would rather stay with the so-called ‘friends’ that you made back in the living world?” She cooed with faux sweetness. “You still give that green one nightmares from when you possessed him. He hasn’t truly forgiven you, nor does he feel entirely safe with you. He doesn't trust you.”

Morro winced. Of course Lloyd still had nightmares about him.

“That’s a lie! Lloyd does trust me, and we stick together because we are brothers! You only kept me around because you needed me to resurrect you! That’s all you’ve ever wanted! You’ve never cared about me beyond the lens of me being your tool!”

The Preeminent hummed thoughtfully. “Oh you misunderstand, my child… Even after you left me to die in Stiix, and betrayed me by joining the ninja… I’m willing to give you a second chance, Morro, my dearest child.” She chuckled softly, before more tentacles began to emerge from the pit and began to slither towards him briskly. 

“Should I remind you who was there to save you when you were suffocating the Caves of Despair, suffering agonising pain, all alone and still a foolish little kid? Where was the one you called your master, who you thought cared for you so much, when you needed him the most? Wu wasn’t there to save you, but I was.” Her voice grew harsher, getting louder and louder as it lost its gentle tone and became laced with bitterness.

“I saved you when you were dying. I cared for the poor boy who was dying all alone, because the people that he thought cared about him didn’t love him and didn’t care to save him.” She snickered cruelly. “Wu happily forgot about you for over 40 years. It took you being in a complete crisis, threatening the life of the students that replaced you, for him to think about you again. You know how Wu introduced you to your replacements?”

She laughed again as Morro flinched, her laughter echoing around the cave and bouncing off the walls to create the illusion of multiple voices. “Wu liked to call you his greatest regret.” The Preeminent chuckled. “Morro, my child, you were my champion. I put you on a pedestal and made you the important person Wu and Destiny had denied you to be. Are you going to be a fool a repeat the same mistakes that got you here-," she gestures to the cave with her tentacles "once more? Are you going to let yourself be deceived and believe that Wu and the ninja actually care about you?"

The Preeminent laughed. "Where are they now then? And where am I? Here, for you, just like last time. And where is Wu to save you? He's far, far away, not giving his greatest regret a single thought."

“Shut up!!!” Morro shouted, visibly shaking. “You’re lying, you’re lying, you’re lying! He couldn’t have said those things about me, what you are telling me is all bullshit!”

The Preeminent laughed once more, louder this time. “Aw, my dearest child, you are as feisty as ever. I’m glad to see that your temper has not changed… You are the exact same person I had first found in these caves…”

“Shut the fuck up! I have changed! You on the other hand, are still the same lying bitch!" 

“So you don’t believe me when I say that Wu says that you are his greatest regret?" She replied calmly, unintimidated by his insults. "How about I prove it to you? Would you like that, my child? Would that help you to see that I’m right?"

Without waiting for a response from him, a small patch of smoke began to manifest in front of Morro, before it disappeared to reveal an appirition splayed with dark blues and flickering oranges showing Wu, sitting around a campfire with the other ninja except Lloyd, affirming that this was the time when Morro had possessed him, and Morro’s face tensed fearfully as he saw the pensive expression of his master. 

“Morro might have been my first student, but he was also my greatest regret.” Wu said neutrally, staring deeply into the fire. 

He said that? Morro felt a pang in his heart. Master Wu really did say that about me… But does he still think that of me?

Morro shook his head, hastily swatting away the vision. “That’s fake! You’re lying! You’re a liar, a manipulator, and you always have been and you won’t ever change! Don’t think I believe that for a second!”

“You are clearly struggling to accept the truth. It must hurt a lot when you hear the person who you respected so much talking about you so poorly, doesn’t it?” She cooed, her voice was laced with sarcastic sweetness and concern. “Is it really that absurd though? You tried to kill his students, you tried to kill him.”

Her green tentacles pressed against his body tighter, suppressing Morro’s attempts at setting free as they gripped his torso. If pressing against him wasn’t causing him enough pain, alongside the worsening heat of the cave, then the guilt coursing through his body, was.

Yes, I tried to kill him and hurt the ninja… but they’ve… forgiven me because I was willing to and had changed. But does… that make me worthy of their forgiveness..? Was it deserved? 

Morro hesitated. He contemplated over the ninja’s behaviours surrounding forgiveness, particularly Lloyd’s. Even not having met Harumi, the stories recounted about her horrific crimes by the ninja were all he needed to question the ninja’s choices because Lloyd, and in turn the others, had forgiven her. The crazy princess with a severe moral ambiguity who shattered Lloyd’s heart more than once, who tried to kill him so many times and manipulated him and tormented him to no ends even when she wasn’t around, had been forgiven by Lloyd instantly, just like Lloyd had with Morro. Morro didn’t believe she deserved it. 

Then I didn't deserve it either. He thought ruefully.

“But,” She started. “You can expect forgiveness… from me. I can forgive you, take care of you, and put an end to all your suffering.” Her voice became soft and gentle. “Just listen to my commands. Listen to your master, just like you had before, and everything will be okay."

The tentacles slithered up his neck, slowly constricting his breathing. He winced, hardly able to make a noise.

“N-never…” Morro trembled as he gasped for air. “I would never side with you again… I have found… m-my place, and I k-know it’s with the ninja… and not y-you …”

She hummed thoughtfully. “How naïve… the ninja really do have you convinced that they care.”

He kicked and flailed against the tentacles squeezing him, of which were slowly dragged him closer to her, to the pit in the centre of the cave where she stayed.

“It is only a matter of time until they turn on you. That is what Wu did to you, and that is what the ninja are in the process of doing to you right now. Wu took care of you, led you to believe that he loved you, and then abandoned you when you ran away, leaving you to suffocate and burn to death.” Then, she began laughing maniacally. “Oh how foolish of you! You really believed the man saw you like a son! And you still believe it, even after he left you to die!” 

Morro shook his head, on the verge of tears. 

“You are only safe with me, my dearest child. You are my pride and joy, my champion. To Wu, you were never good enough for anything, you were only a regret.” She hissed. 

Morro trembled, shaking his head weakly. “I’m… not…” He winced. “I’m not his greatest… I… I can’t be…”

Morro reluctantly set aside arguing with her to consider his own words. 

Why shouldn’t I be his greatest regret? He wasted his time training me and taking care of me, all for me to disappoint him by not being everything that Master Wu thought I could be… Morro squirmed, frowning and squinting his eyes to stop the tears. He thought about the possession, his ruthless attempts at killing the ninja and Wu, trying to curse all 16 realms. He choked down a sob as guilt overwhelmed him. If Morro regretted everything as much as he did, he could only imagine how much Wu regretted taking care of Morro, being the person who was responsible for him. 

If Wu never took me in, nothing bad would have ever happened…

Morro considered it all for a moment. Where would he be if he never foraged through the Monastery bins to find food, and in turn had Master Wu become his caretaker? He clenched his teeth at the thought, feeling queasy. Would he have even lived that much longer if he hadn’t been taken in? 

Unlikely. Morro thought bitterly. Death was after me long before I met Wu, but at least I would have avoided being entangled with the Preeminent. Morro paused, before thinking back to what the Preeminent had said.

Even if things are resolved between us now, would that really stop Master Wu from calling me his greatest regret..? Would forgiveness have even changed anything? It’s not like the past has changed, so what good does it do? If I asked him, what would he say? Could he really regret anything more than me?

“Oh, I believe that you are aware that you know you are wrong. Of course you are his biggest regret.” Although lacking facial expressions, Morro could tell by her over satisfied tone that if the Preeminent did, she would have the smuggest grin on her ugly face. “What else do you think he is going to regret more? You made your anger the problem of every possible living being in all 16 realms. You threatened the existence of completely innocent beings because you couldn’t accept the fact that you weren’t the Green Ninja. Do you really believe Wu couldn’t have regretted you as much as he does? Do you really believe it is possible for Wu to have regretted someone or something else more than you?”

Morro winced, choking as he tried to speak. “I’m.. not…” He coughed, squirming in the hold of the tentacles. He didn’t finish his sentence. 

Am I just lying to myself?

The Preeminent laughed. “Come on, Morro my child, it isn’t so hard to admit it." She cooed, taking him closer into the burning pit as Morro struggled against her. The heat began to worsen and Morro’s body became increasingly limp and weak.

She laughed loudly. "You aren't putting up much of a fight, you aren't even using your powers on me! I guess that really means you know that you want to come back to me. That's really cute."

Morro was temporarily relieved that the Preeminent didn't notice that his powers were gone, but he quickly reminded himself that if he did have his powers, getting out of the situation he found himself in would have so much easier. He could have fought back against every insult the Preeminent had to throw at him. But without the wind to obey his will, Morro was left helpless to the Preeminent's whims.

“No, no no! I’m… I’m not..!” 

Morro panicked, not knowing why he felt so desperate to say it. “I’m not his… n-no…” 

He kept squirming against her hold as Morro was being dragged into the hole.

“Come, my dear child…” The Preeminent cooed, coiling another tentacle around his neck, bringing him closer to the burning pit of bubbling lava where she resided. “Come with me. You’ll never have to be a disappointment again…” 

“No! I’d never… n-neve…” Morro groaned, feeling woozy and lightheaded. Even in his ghost form, Morro could actually feel the way his clothes and skin began to burn away, peeling and blistering, swelling to become a brighter shade of lime green. 

“Oh you will… One way or another, willingly or not, you are coming with me. You belong to me, Morro,” She hissed wickedly. “And you are staying with me.”

“No!” Morro struggled, his legs dangling over the edge of the hole, and for the first time since being revived as a human, he saw the face of the Preeminent. The silver teeth around her mouth she had against her green and spherical body glimmered dangerously. He squirmed more, desperate to fight against her. The heat continued to blister his body, his vision becoming warbled and orange. Her laugh grew louder and boomed in his mind, completely possessed by sick enjoyment.

“I– I’m not... no!”

His vision darkened and bubbled with black spots, hardly rendering his view of the Preeminent. Morro choked weakly, frantically shaking his head in refusal as he felt his body fall, catching one final look at the silver mandibles of the Preeminent as dread brutally consumed him.

“I’m not… not his..!”

*               *               *

“I’m not his greatest–!” 

Morro sprung up from his bed, immediately regretting it as he felt an aching pain seer at the back of his head as he breathed heavily. He groaned sharply before roughly pressing on the area with his eyes shut, instantly wishing he hadn't done that as he felt a hot stinging that burned and flared. He choked down a wince. Fuckkkkkkk.

Something smelt. There was an overwhelming and unmistakable stench of disinfectants and sterile linen that made him want to heave from the way it irritated his lungs. Morro looked around to see hospital cots, and after looking down at where he was lying down, he realised he was in one too. Not only, but his body was human again. 

Oh what the fuck–

Morro suddenly and involuntarily arched his back as he felt an aggravating itch on his back after a string of rough fabric brushed against it, and when he went to scratch it, he realised that he wasn’t wearing his uniform, but a boxy white hospital dress instead.

He wasn’t wearing that before.

…

Morro’s face then morphed into disgust and fear. 

Wait an FSM damn minute–

Who put these clothes on him..? What had someone been doing undressing him and putting him in these clothes?! Morro winced, holding onto himself as if to check if his body was still his to control. Someone… someone had seen him completely vulnerable. Without asking. Without… Morro choked down a sob, hiding his face into his hands. They saw his entire body. His entire pathetic, skinny body covered with ugly scars and wounds that had never faded. They took off his clothes, and put these new ones on him as if he shouldn’t, or couldn’t, have a problem with it, that it couldn't make him feel unsafe and feeble.

Whoever the fuck they is… Morro hissed internally, but the aggression quickly dissolved into utter dread and helplessness.

It was done. 

It happened. 

It was irreversible.

There were strangers who did this now who have those memories of him, and there was nothing Morro could do to change that.

A hot flush of humiliation crept up his spine, and a cold sweat beaded on his forehead. As if to protect himself from anyone who would suddenly appear to try to change his clothes again, Morro began to curl his body inwards and tucked his legs and arms tightly into his chest. 

He wanted to cry. He begun crying. He was so confused. What in the name of the First Spinjitzu Master was going on??? Why was he just fighting with the Preeminent? Why wasn’t he burning anymore? How is he suddenly in a hospital?!

“You’re awake...” 

Morro’s heart seized beating at the sound of an old voice.

Master Wu?

Morro ignored the tears were sliding down his face as he sat straight up on his bed to look over to the door where the voice came from, and slowly, a man wearing a blue scrub entered. He had had spiky brown hair and was clean shaven, standing taller than most people and wore crescent moon shaped glasses. The small rays of moonlight that shone from the windows highlighted the man’s sharp facial features, but the softness of the light made him appear gentle. However, it did not put Morro at ease. This was not his master. Morro’s body tightened and crushed itself from the humiliating misunderstanding. He cleared his throat awkwardly as he cleaned away his tears.

“What’s going on? Why am I here?” He asked quietly.

“I’m Doctor Alessio, and I’ll be your doctor until you get discharged. You were admitted into this hospital after you were found in your home passed out and bleeding from your head. You’ve been treated by myself and my team, and until we deem that you are safe to go home, you’ll be staying in the hospital so that we can monitor your health and decide if you need further treatment."

Morro’s face burned in shame as his stomach began to churn with an uncannily warm thickness. It was all slowly coming back to him in shameful waves of remembrance.

Losing his powers, fainting, trying to bandage his injury, then fainting again.

He silently grumbled as an ever worsening redness invaded his face. I can’t believe I’m this pathetic… Did I seriously..? Morro progressively gripped the blanket that covered thigh with more roughness, clenching his teeth after groaning weakly. How fucking stupid of me. I shouldn’t have let that get to me, how did I let that get to me?!

Shame, shame, shame!

He thought about Lloyd and Kai. Of course they were going to be disappointed in him for landing himself with a concussion after being left alone for a few hours. Morro wasn’t a little kid anymore, he was almost an adult! Not only, he had existed for over 50 years now! And besides that, he was a ninja, he was meant to be better than this! If he was going to be sent to the hospital, it was going to be after sustaining a vicious, life threatening injury from his enemies in a feat of bravery! Not because he freaked out! The redness flushed on his cheeks spread down to his shoulders, his body began to tremble.

"How are you feeling?" Doctor Alessio asked cooly. "You just went through quite a stressful experience-"

I know you're not talking about my confrontation with an evil realm who is obsessed with manipulating the shit out of me and making me follow all her commands, but yeah whatever happened to my head was pretty stressful too. 

"-so it is important to monitor how your body is feeling."

"I'm fine," Morro sighed flatly. 

I'm not dead, so yay. Also great that I'm not stuck with that bitch anymore. Big yay.

“Oh, really? No headaches or feeling tired?" He asked curiously, raising a brow questioningly. "I see... well, do not hesitate to update me if that changes. You have a visitor, by the way. He’s been waiting ever since you were admitted into hospital."

Morro paused. “Who..?”

The doctor gestured to the door, where Lloyd entered the room. Even from a distance, Morro could tell that Lloyd’s eyes were swollen and red from crying, his eyebrows were furrowed upwards and there was an ever so weak smile on his face. 

An immediate coil of gut wrenching shame and guilt was set off within him, it burned his fingertips with prickly ice and made his stomach flutter with butterflies as heavy as stones. This was his fault. Because he wasn’t strong enough to save himself, Lloyd now suffered. Morro winced. FSM, he was making Lloyd suffer again. First, the possession, and now this. Morro lurched, wishing for Lloyd to leave just as much as he was wishing to comfort him.

It’s mistake after mistake. Swear to the First Spinjitzu Master, I must be broken.

"I'll give you both ten minutes." Doctor Alessio said coolly to Lloyd and then dismissed himself, shutting the doors and leaving Lloyd and Morro to themselves.

There was tension. It wasn’t spiteful nor bitter but the room reeked of something far sweeter, something far more fragile and more vulnerable but it was no less suffocating.

Morro cringed, turning away from Lloyd's gaze. 

“Are you okay?” Lloyd began softly, his gaze was gentle and kind but his voice was hoarse and fraught. He didn’t move closer to Morro, instead he stayed petrified in his place a few metres away from Morro’s bed as he fiddled with the sleeves of his uniform.

“Yeah… peachy.” Morro replied awkwardly after making eye contact for the briefest moment, stiffened at the amount of tenderness and care there was twinkling in Lloyd’s eyes. It made him uncomfortable, his entire body rippled with a painful stinging from his chest to his fingertips again. The back of his eyes began to burn as Morro felt a heavy lump in his throat that was becoming almost impossible to suppress. He kept on being tested with what little strength.

Lloyd's gaze was all too similar to the way he was looked at on the streets when he was little, some strangers would pass by and give him woeful looks when they saw him freezing on the sidewalk in his little cardboard box with only his torn and dirty clothes to keep himself warm. 

Pitying him.

Pitying the poor little child who was starving, freezing, and all alone. 

Morro hated it. He hated those looks more than starving, freezing, and being all alone, because at least he was use to all that. Morro had spent his entire first life living like that, and as much as he would never prefer that lifestyle over living in a warm home with food on the table, it was manageable for him, Morro could adapt and survive. He was strong, he could handle it.

It was a strange concept to Morro, how he despised the looks strangers would give him more than the actual lifestyle he was being pitied over for. It wasn't as though Morro didn't want to be seen and recognised for all that he had suffered, or that he didn't want to be saved, he just didn't want people to think that he was weak. He had survived as long as he had because he was strong. He was smart, he was resilient. 

He saw Lloyd jerking his upper body forwards and backwards in spontaneous and short intervals. It was becoming abnormally irritating, Morro didn’t like the uncertainty he felt revolving around what Lloyd was doing, it was making him become increasingly anxious and tense. 

As much as telling him to stop tempted Morro, he couldn’t bring himself to tell him off.

One of the first things that Morro had noted about Lloyd when he had been in the process of getting redeemed was that Lloyd was a physically affectionate guy. Lloyd was used to hugging and physical contact. After a while, Morro could tell that that was what Lloyd wanted from him. To hug him, hold him, to reassure that everything was going to be alright. 

Uncharacteristic annoyance boiled beneath his skin, but simultaneously did sadness. Morro was so fed up of feeling so cynical and weak when he was feeling vulnerable, especially in front of Lloyd.

His brother. 

This was meant to be easy, to be vulnerable once again with someone who he has been calling his brother for so many years. But it never got easier.

Morro couldn’t wallow in these overwhelming feelings. Not yet. 

And hopefully, not ever.

“Shit, I’m sorry, I got blood all over the Monastery–," Morro said suddenly. "I’ll make sure to clean that up. Hopefully they can let me out by tomorrow morning so I can get to that.” 

Lloyd stared in silence, mouth agape. He articulated his words slowly and strenuously.

“Is that what you think I’m stressing over..?” He began breathlessly. “Morro, forget that. Doctor Alessio told me you flatlined. You died. And FSM, you almost stayed dead!” Lloyd’s voice quivered, and Morro just offered a warm, jovial smile as if he didn’t just flinch at Lloyd’s response.

“Kinda becoming a regular thing, it hardly phases me now. It’s rather blasé, you know?” Morro joked and he felt a small wave of relief wash over him as caught Lloyd's mouth twitching upwards slightly into the smallest smile. 

“I can’t believe you are joking around at a time like this…” He chuckled humourlessly without looking at Morro, his voice hardly audible as he hid his eyes with one hand. Lloyd returned his hand to his side before he looked at Morro and returned to a frown.

“Morro.” He began seriously. “Please don't joke about this. I was terrified. I can’t keep on losing my family.”

The words echoed in Morro’s mind. He wanted to hurl. He knew that Lloyd considered him family, but FSM the full force of knowing that he was part of Lloyd’s found family savagely swung at his heart and pulverised it. 

Morro instead laughed, pushing down the urge to wince at the pain that pricked his throat from doing so. He needed to lighten the mood somehow. Dealing with all the emotions that were swelling within him now wasn’t what he could do at the moment, and the last thing that Lloyd needed was something else to worry about, especially if it was him.

Fuck, he still needed to tell Lloyd that he lost his powers.

“Word on the street is that I’m Destiny’s bitch. Killing me off means they lose their favourite plaything, so you don’t have to worry. They aren’t gonna let me die and be dead for too long. You can't get rid of me that easily.'' He smiled softly, tilting his head a little to try appear unaffected.

“Don’t.” Was all that Lloyd managed to choke out. “Please don’t talk about yourself like that. This is important. We need to talk about this.”

Lloyd thought back to their talk on the Monastery roof, the regret he felt after not telling Morro everything that he was and meant to him.

Shit, does he still not know he lost his powers? If he hasn’t figured it out, I shouldn’t tell him. The last thing he needs after having a concussion is the knowledge that his powers have found a new host– and to a Writer of Destiny, no less. 

Shakily, but without hesitation, Lloyd perched on the chair next to Morro’s bed. He did, however, hesitate at the thought of wrapping an arm around Morro. Instead, Lloyd clamped his hands together over his own lap.

He’ll break if I touch him.

“Morro.” He started sternly, forcing down tears that made his voice quiver. “I… understand that Destiny has not been kind to you–”

He paused to swallow uneasily.

“–and that you have been desensitised to…”

To suffering, to death, to dying.

Lloyd shivered.

The Caves of Despair.

Stiix.

The Hospital.

“...but please, the last thing you are is someone who deserves to suffer more than you already have, especially because this suffering was my doing. I’m sorry. This is my fault. I shouldn’t have let you stay all alone in the Monastery.” Lloyd whimpered, looking away. “Because of me, you–"

“Lloyd, shut the actual fuck up.” Morro interrupted sternly, looking at Lloyd with genuine annoyance. “There is absolutely no way this way your fault, and you’re fucking delirious if you think I’m going to let you believe that it was.”

Pausing for a few moments to comprehend the strange comfort and aggression his exchange with Morro had, and Lloyd’s facial expressions contorted from guilt, to confusion, to sadness, then to guilt again. Lloyd opened his mouth.

“Morro–”

“Lloyd." Morro repeated harshly before staying silent for a moment, staring at his lap before facing the other. His face eased, the wrinkles from frowning on his face disappeared and his voice became amiable and gentle.

“I’m the one who told you that I was going to stay at the Monastery whilst you all went to Cloud Kingdom.”

“Yes, but–!”

“That is what happened, Lloyd. It was my decision to stay, and there wasn’t any way in Ninjago that you could have dragged me along to the Cloud Kingdom of all places.” He retorted bitterly, before sighing, exasperated. He paused for a moment, before he spoke again, this time calmly and softly. “I didn’t expect this to happen just as much as you. You are the Master of Energy, not a fortune teller. Only the Cloud Kingdom knows what happens in the future.”

“But I’m the Green Ninja.” Lloyd quivered quietly. “I’m meant to protect and save people. I… didn’t do that for you.”

Morro scoffed, frowning. “You really think so?” He hissed, tone becoming challenging as he shuffled a bit to sit up straight. “If you didn’t save my ass, I would still be bleeding in the bathroom at home.” He said bluntly. “But because of you, I’m here. I’m still alive, and I’m doing okay as I can be, alright? You did save me, Lloyd.”

Lloyd hesitated, still looking unsure. Morro didn’t miss the way his fingers twitched, curling inwards for a split second. Sighing, he looked up at Lloyd.

“I’m not glass, Lloyd, I’m not gonna break.” He chuckled weakly, spreading his arms out. “Come on, you big softie.” 

Now with Morro’s permission, Lloyd stood and carefully hugged him, burying his face in the junction between Morro’s shoulder and neck before whimpering. 

“How…”

Morro hummed in confusion. “How what?”

The other pulled away, but stayed close. “How did this happen? Was there a merge quake and something came through and attacked you..? How did you… get hurt?”

“Ah.” Morro stated simply, his neutral expression fading and was replaced with tension but he still tried to smile. “No. Nothing attacked me. I ah- was the only one in the Monastery.”

Lloyd paused, eyes widening in shock as he considered other options. “Was this… self… did you..? Where you trying to..?” He asked shakily, holding onto the other’s forearms firmly.

“What?! No!” Morro interjected quickly, voice full of taken offence. 

Lloyd shivered, putting his hands up to his chest in surrender. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to assume!” He said quickly.

“Goodness Lloyd, if I wanted to die, I would have jumped off the Monastery mountain!” 

Lloyd winced, clutching onto Morro’s forearms so hard that Morro could feel his fingernails through his gloves. “Don’t say that.” Lloyd strained, feeling tears well in his eyes. “You seriously cannot be saying those things after everything that has happened!”

Morro pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling awful for saying what he had but simultaneously feeling so fed up and annoyed. As a few moments of silence passed, Morro quietly spoke up.

“I panicked.”

Lloyd looked at him, perplexed but still overwhelmingly guilty. “You… panicked..?”

Morro hesitated, shifting his body uneasily. 

Fuck it. You need to know this.

“I lost my powers.” 

Lloyd remained stunned, his mouth opening and closing a few times before it stayed shut. After a few seconds with no words said from him, Morro took it as his cue to keep talking. He looked out the window displaying a calm night sky instead of looking at Lloyd. The embarrassment from earlier was slowly displaying itself again on his face again in the form of blush.

“I freaked out so much when I found out that I lost my powers that I fainted from the rooftop, and next thing I know, I’m bleeding from the back of my head. I wake up after FSM knows how long, I go try bandaging myself up and then you and Kai find me right as I faint again. So…” 

Lloyd remained tense, looking away briefly before looking back at Morro. “Why didn’t you call us? We could have gotten back faster to help you.”

Morro laughed softly. “I have no idea how to use those stupid devices… phones, are they called? I would have been wasting my time figuring out how to operate them to call you and it wasn’t like bleeding from my head gave me the benefit of being able to concentrate. Even trying to bandage myself up was a pain in the ass, and I know how to use bandages.”

“I should have taught you how to use one.” Lloyd replied quietly, fiddling with his sleeves again. “That’s the first thing I’m doing when we get home. I’m going to teach you how to use a phone. The intercom, too. Both will come in handy should you have an emergency again." 

Morro smiled a little, ignoring the small flicker of belittlement and shame that ignited within him as Lloyd said ‘if you have an emergency again'.

“If it puts you at ease…” 

“It would.” Lloyd said quietly, before hugging Morro again. “FSM I’m so sorry…” 

Morro hugged back, tightly holding onto the other and rested his head on Lloyd’s shoulder before sighing deeply. “You have nothing to be sorry for, if anything, it’s me. I terrified the living shit out of you.” He murmured softly. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for scaring you, for making you go through all this bullshit.” His voice faltered mid sentence and he hugged Lloyd tighter as the tips of his own ears turned red with embarrassment and shame. 

His heart panged painfully as he heard Lloyd sob, Morro began to rub the other’s back therapeutically, instinctively bringing Lloyd closer to him. 

“It’s okay, cry it out...” Morro murmured quietly, hugging Lloyd tighter. 

“I’m just…” Lloyd’s voice cracked, before smiling through tears as he pulled away from their hug. “I’m just happy you’re alive.”

Lloyd returned to hugging him, and after recovering from the way those words stunned him, so did Morro.

“...me too.” Morro whispered softly, almost trembling. 

Lloyd hummed happily as he smiled, tightening their hug. 

They were able to stay like that with peaceful silence for a few minutes before being interrupted by a soft knocking.

"It's Doctor Alessio, I'm entering." Doctor Alessio announced calmly before looking over at Lloyd apologetically. "Forgive me, it's been ten minutes. You are welcome to visit within the designated visiting hours tomorrow, but for tonight, I can't allow much more time."

"I understand..." Lloyd said softly before turning to Morro. "You'll be okay?"

“I have the doctors and nurses.” Morro pointed out with a smile. “I’m not alone this time. Go back home to the Monastery and get some rest for me, yeah?”

Lloyd squeezed Morro’s hand, smiling warmly. “I’ll make sure to visit as frequently as I can, hopefully that could be every day.”

Morro chuckled softly. “You have 16 realms to protect. You’re gonna be busy, so don’t worry about visiting that often. Hopefully I will be discharged real quick, so that way we’ll all be back together.”

“Okay then.” Lloyd grinned, before hugging Morro again for a few brief moments. “I’ll see you again soon, alright?”

Morro playfully rolled his eyes at him and laughed softly. 

“Yeah. See you soon.”

Chapter Text

Lloyd hopped off his dragon mid air, quietly landing at the stone stairs of the Monastery before dispersing his elemental dragon, which left behind softly glowing green particles that drifted in the air for a few moments before they faded away. There were crickets chirping quietly amidst fireflies, and the faintest breeze blew the ever growing blond hair of Lloyd’s back and out of his face. He felt better after talking with Morro. The anxiety that had been pressing on his heart had eased enough for him to have been riding his elemental dragon home without the fear of it disappearing at any point and in turn punishing Lloyd to a brutal free fall from cloud height. But even in his calmer state, Lloyd couldn’t help but feel responsibility for Morro lingering in his heart, as did worry taint it. 

He said he was doing okay. Lloyd reminded himself as he exhaled deeply. Morro has the doctors and nurses to aid him, that is as much as I could ever ask for to guarantee his safety. They are professionals, they know what they are doing. I must rest my faith in them.

Morro was his brother, of course Lloyd would get worried after witnessing Morro go through all that he had regardless if he said he was alright. Even the doctors couldn't be of much reassurance. Although they could provide such for his physical health, Lloyd doubted that Morro's emotional health would be receiving a mere fraction of that attention. Besides, Morro concealed his emotions to those he didn't have deep emotional connections with.

The Monastery gates squeaked open as Lloyd pushed them apart, he was careful to lock them quietly as to not awaken his likely asleep students. Lloyd hoped that they were still awake. Apologising to them for shouting at them earlier had been on his agenda ever since it had happened. It had been infinitely irritating and overwhelming for Lloyd being stuck, although by will, in the hospital for so many hours without being able to apologise to his students, and the only thing he could do was mentally rehearse said apology when his mind wasn’t as occupied with thoughts about Morro.

Lloyd slowly walked towards the main entrance of the Monastery but the sound of it sliding open paused his movements as he saw Kai looking at him with wide eyes.

“Lloyd!” Kai called out, running to embrace Lloyd in a fierce hug. Lloyd tightly hugged back, shutting his eyes and smiling whilst sighing breathlessly into Kai’s shoulder. “How’s Morro?” Kai inquired quickly. “Is he alright?” 

Lloyd offered an exhausted smile as they stopped hugging. “Morro is as good as he can be.” He murmured softly, and thankfully, the other smiled and let out his own relieved sigh.

“Okay... Good. That's very good. I cleaned up the blood by the way, your students didn’t see anything more than what was on the training grounds when we had first gotten home.”

Lloyd sighed loudly in relief. “FSM, thank you so much. I owe you one.”

Kai laughed, nudging him playfully. “You can repay me by telling you how you are feeling at the moment.”

Lloyd chuckled softly. “As good as I can be.” 

Kai tilted his head sadly as he caught on, but he still smiled gently. “You know, things might be as good as they can be, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are good.” Kai pointed out understandingly as the two entered the living room. “How are things really? You can tell me you know. We’re brothers, and I promised to take care of ya, remember?” He said sincerely as Kai nudged him. Lloyd smiled at him, returning the nudge lightly.

“I will get to that in a moment. First of all, I need to talk with Sora and Arin. Are they still awake?”

Kai laughed. “I didn’t give them a curfew, and if you gave them one, I certainly didn’t enforce it. They’ve been in their room the last few hours, I think Sora is testing out her powers to repair her mech and Arin is helping her out. Why do you ask?”

Lloyd sighed, frowning a little. “I want to apologise to them for shouting at them earlier. Could you wait a couple of minutes for me so I could go do that?”

“Of course.” Kai nodded, pausing for a moment before speaking again. “You have a good heart Lloyd.” Kai lightly pressed his hand over Lloyd’s heart. “You’re a good person, and an amazing teacher for the kids. I just… thought that I should remind you.”

Lloyd chuckled softly, smiling brightly at him as he hugged Kai for a brief moment. “Thank you… I had a great brother to look up to.” He replied quietly with a small smirk, catching Kai’s surprise and heartfelt smile before walking off to the corridors. When he came to the shut doors of Arin and Sora’s shared quarters, he hesitated, waiting just a couple of steps away from the doors with his teeth clenched uneasily.

Breathe. He told himself as he took a deep breath before knocking on the wooden supports of the shoji slide doors. “Arin, Sora? Are you awake?” 

There was a loud metallic clunk from the other side of the room which made Lloyd flinch in response. He heard a yelp from who Lloyd could tell was Arin, alongside a small laugh and apology from Sora. The two shared a brief and muffled conversation before Sora slid the doors open with a small smile on her face, but it quickly warped into a more serious and concerned frown. Riyu was trilling curiously on her shoulder whilst Arin was standing behind Sora, sporting a shy smile whilst fidgeting with his own hands nervously. 

Sora was the first to speak after a little consideration as to what to say. “Is everything okay?” She asked quietly, tilting her head sympathetically at Lloyd. “How is Morro?”

“The doctors are taking good care of him.” Lloyd started softly. “But… I actually wanted to talk to you two about something else first. It’s important.”

Lloyd glanced at Arin as he said the last sentence, noticing that his student had tensed once Lloyd had said such. His shoulders were squared, and his eyebrows were furrowed upwards slightly. 

Sighing uneasily, Lloyd decided to speak. “I–”

“I’m sorry for disappointing you earlier.” Arin blurted quickly, a little squeaky. 

“I am sor– wait, what?” Lloyd tilted his head quizzically at Arin, concern embedded and glowering in his eyes.

I won’t repeat the mistake Sensei Wu made for Morro… I can’t let my students think that they have let me down, especially when they haven’t. 

“Disappointing me? What are you talking about?” 

Both Arin and Sora exchanged glances, Sora’s being of concern and Arin’s of guilt.

“Earlier, when we got in the way of you and Kai helping Morro. I feel bad for almost jeopardising his life.” Arin admitted, averting his eyes from Lloyd’s and looked at the floor shamefully.

Lloyd frowned as he shook his head, placing a reassuring hand on Arin’s shoulder. “You did not disappoint me. Neither of you did. And you didn’t jeopardise his life either. This is actually… what I was wanting to talk to you two about, but I’m the one that should be apologising.” 

Sora and Arin tilted their heads in confusion. “Huh..?” Arin prompted.

Lloyd smiled softly, but it was weighed down by guilt. “I’m sorry for shouting earlier. I didn’t mean to be so mean to you both, I was just… afraid in the moment that you would see what was happening and that it would scare the life out of you both. But regardless, I shouldn’t have handled it the way I did.”

Arin bit the inside of his cheek. “So… you weren’t shouting at us because you were mad at us, but because you were afraid of what we’d see?” 

He nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know your own personal experiences, but it was my better judgement that you two were not going to take someone being this… hurt… very well. It shouldn’t be something that you, or anyone else, needs to see. I’m just sorry that I shouted and that I was… aggressive, really. I want to be the best teacher that I can possibly be to you both, but in that moment, I definitely wasn't role model material.” 

Arin smiled softly, taking a step forward towards Lloyd. “You’ve been a better teacher than we could ever ask for, Master Lloyd.” He said gently.

Lloyd’s eyes lit up, smiling brightly. “So… you both forgive me?”

Arin and Sora exchanged glances with a smile, nodding to another before facing Lloyd.

“Consider yourself forgiven by I, the Master of Technology,” Sora laughed as she posed regally before bowing, nudging Arin so he could speak and do the same. Arin followed Sora's lead and bowed as well. “And by I, the Master of… weird Spinjitzu!” 

Riyu trilled playfully, leaping off Sora’s shoulder and nuzzling Lloyd’s legs. 

“Thank you, Arin and Sora.” Lloyd grinned. The guilt he had previously been feeling began to ebb away as relief began to substitute it. “Now, get some rest. We still have training tomorrow morning, and we are still working on finishing that training course.” He teased, making Sora groan with half-hearted dread.

“Ughhh, not the training course!” 

“Yes, Master Lloyd!” 

Lloyd laughed at their unison response, holding onto the shoji door edge. “Goodnight, you two.”

Riyu squawked demandingly, glaring at Lloyd expectantly. Lloyd smiled, scratching Riyu under the chin. “Goodnight to you too, Riyu.” He looked back at his students, giving them one last nod before closing the shoji doors and walking to the kitchen, where Kai was propped up on the counter beside the Monastery’s small alcohol cellar. The lights were faint and low, making the beige room appear all the easier on Lloyd’s eyes that had become strained from all the hours being exposed to the overly bright hospital lights.

Kai smiled at Lloyd, hopping off the counter and carried a plate filled with rice, takoyaki and glass of water that he carefully gave to Lloyd. 

“Eat up, Master Boogers.” He teased.

Lloyd groaned but without much conviction, taking the plate and glass of water off Kai. “I was going to thank you for this, but after calling me that stupid nickname, you don’t deserve my gratitude.”

Kai laughed loudly, nudging Lloyd before pulling out a chair for him. “Well, I didn’t decide to take care of you because you were going to be grateful and overwhelming me with praise and thanks.” He chuckled as Kai winked at Lloyd. “Never too late to give me those things, by the way. I will always welcome the people who stroke my ego.”

Lloyd laughed, shaking his head in disapproval but his smile stole all of its effect. “Fine, thank you for the food, and for taking care of me Kai.”

“You’re welcome, Master Boogers.” Kai smirked widely as he retorted all too quickly, and to his surprise, it earned him a warm smile from Lloyd. “Aw, is the name starting to grow on you, bud?”

“Shut up.” Was all that his brother said, unbothered to conceal his own bright smile. Kai’s own smile grew wider upon seeing it. But instead of admitting it, he decided to playfully and briefly pinch the other’s right cheek, before going over to the sink.

There was a gentle clatter from Lloyd's plate setting on the table, alongside a muffled thump from the glass of water being set onto a coaster. Lloyd tapped his chopsticks together before using them to bring a takoyaki into his mouth. He sighed happily. How long has it been since he had last eaten?

Since leaving for the Cloud Kingdom. Lloyd realised as he turned his head to face the clock hanging on the wall that read 10:25pm.

The sound of tap water flowing was heard as Kai finished washing the remaining dirty dishes from his earlier dinner with Arin and Sora, shortly followed by the gentle clattering of stacking the plates in their respective cupboards. By this time, Lloyd was done eating, so Kai pulled out the chair next to Lloyd and sat down beside him.

“So…” Kai began quietly, his smile dipping into a small frown. “What happened, Lloyd?”

Lloyd frowned as well, setting his chopsticks together on his plate before sighing deeply. “A lot. A lot happened, Kai.” He spoke in a hushed murmur. 

“Like what?”

Tell him.

Lloyd opened his mouth and closed it a couple of times unsurely, before finally speaking quietly and with a quivering voice after deciding to focus on the most pressing topic. 

“Morro died.”

The other blinked, gripping onto the edge of the table as Kai’s muscles tensed. “Excuse me..?” He uttered breathlessly. “You… What?! You said that he was okay!!! Is he..? Oh FSM Lloyd is he–” 

“What?! No!!!” Lloyd objected hastily. “He died, yes, but was revived by the doctors. Morro is alive, Kai! Very alive!”

Kai sighed deeply, pressing a hand to his temple and his face wrinkled as he frowned. “FSM Lloyd, don’t scare me like that…”

Lloyd gave a weak chuckle, delicately patting the other’s back for a moment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I know,” Kai let out an exasperated sigh, before resting his hand on Lloyd’s shoulder. “I… definitely wasn’t expecting him to die… ”

Lloyd tensed. “I wasn’t either… I just…” He sighed, exasperated as he gave up trying to speak about it. “I was able to talk with him after everything, after the doctors treated him. He’s doing okay now.” Lloyd chuckled fondly as his frown began to curve into a smile. “As feisty and selfless as ever. He was having a go at me for worrying, heh. Morro is still going strong even after everything.” He said reassuringly to Kai, who tilted his head slightly and offered Lloyd his own smile. 

“That’s our Morro.” Kai grinned, leaning back on his chair before frowning suddenly as he stared at the table, before looking at Lloyd intently. “I can’t believe that I completely forgot to ask this, do you know how did he manage to hurt himself so badly in the first place? Was it as we theorised, that something from a merge quake attacked him..? What happened to Morro, Lloyd?” 

There was a pregnant pause as Lloyd bit the inside of his cheek, briefly glancing away before looking back at Kai.

“Morro figured out that he lost his powers. He told me that he panicked so badly that he fainted from the roof.”

“I… oh FSM…” Kai breathed tensely and quietly. “That’s why we saw the blood on the training ground...”

Lloyd nodded slowly. “Yeah…”

There was another tense pause. Kai's foot was drumming against the floor quickly, but it was hardly audible because of the large rug under the table that was drowning out the noise. “I didn’t expect losing his powers to take such a big hit on him… it’s just so far-fetched for Morro cuz like, he’s usually really good at dealing with stress and shock. I would have understood if he was angry and stuff, but…” Kai shook his head. “I’m just surprised that finding out about losing his powers did such a number on him.”

“This is a matter of his elemental power.” Lloyd pointed out softly. “You know how he is, Kai. To Morro, being the Master of Wind is all there is to him.”

Kai suddenly jolted, grabbing Lloyd’s arm. “You didn’t tell him about Euphrasia, did you?” He asked urgently with furrowed brows as he dismissed Lloyd’s previous comment.

Lloyd quickly shook his head, a little taken aback by Kai's reaction. “I didn’t tell him. Morro doesn’t know he has a descendant. I didn't think it would be a good idea, given everything that had happened.”

Kai sighed deeply, slowly retracting his hand from Lloyd’s for him to cross his own arms over his chest as he reclined on his chair. “Good. And whatever you do, don’t tell him. We’ll figure out a way to break the news to him, alright? But we're going to have to wait a while, yeah?”

“...alright.” Lloyd agreed reluctantly. “But we can’t keep this secret from him for long. Euphrasia is likely going to become a close ally of ours, since she can help us close the merge quakes. Morro needs to know about her sooner or later."

Kai nodded. “I know. But we are going to tell him later rather than sooner. Discovering that he had lost his powers got him into the position he's in now, can you imagine how he would react when he finds out who his successor is? At least wait until he is out of the hospital and has made a good recovery, okay? Promise me this.” 

Lloyd nodded. “Okay then… I promise.” 

“Good… Is there anything else that I should know about?”

Lloyd hummed as he thought, pressing one of his hands to his temple unsurely, before jerking his head upwards a bit and setting both his hands on the table again. “Oh! Yes there is. We need to get Morro a phone and teach him how to use it.”

The other nodded. “Good thing we have all that sponsorship money from Cyrus. We'll get him one."

“...and maybe I’ll use that money to buy some more hair gel too.” Lloyd heard Kai mumble mischievously to himself with a smirk, eliciting Lloyd to huff a little in amusement.

“Amazing, thank you Kai.”

“Heh, of course big shot. Did the doctors tell you when Morro will get discharged?”

“Not the exact dates, but they did tell me anywhere between three days and three weeks. It’s all really unclear at the moment.”

Kai’s lips formed a thin line, neither frowning nor smiling. “Lovely… Do you know anything about the visiting hours at the hospital? We should try to give Morro as much company as we can offer, and I want to give him his sketchbooks so he at least has a little entertainment as he waits to recover and get discharged. Hospitals are boring as fuck.” 

Lloyd beamed at the thoughtful gesture. “Great idea, that should cheer him up a bit too. Visiting hours are from 6am to 9am, and 4pm to 7pm. Only two people are allowed at a time though, so if we bring Sora, Arin, and Riyu, they are going to have to be in the waiting room.” Lloyd said with concern edging his voice. “Not my preferred situation, but hopefully the hospital makes an exception for us so that my students can at least be waiting outside Morro’s hospital room in contrast to being so far away in the waiting room. I already learnt my lesson about leaving them unprotected in the Cloud Kingdom when I told them to stay with the monks whilst we went to the library.”

“Heh, just remember that if it wasn’t for splitting us up like that, we all could have been in those freaky cocoons.” Kai pointed out, nudging Lloyd in the ribs to which Lloyd squirmed a bit, smiling as he tried to push Kai’s hand away.

“I wasn’t saying that I should have brought them with us to the library, I’m saying that I should have left them with you or Nya so that they were at least supervised.” Lloyd commented. 

“Supervised? Lloyd, they’re both 16 years old, they are pretty responsible. You were hardly 15 when you defeated the Overlord for the first time, not to mention you were only 15 because of that funky ageing potion. Realistically, you were like, 10. ” He corrected with a small, but prideful smile.

Lloyd chuckled, bopping his head forward for a moment in acknowledgement. “True, but I had powers, and powers that I had mastered at that. On one hand, Arin doesn’t have powers and his Spinjitzu is too premature, and Sora doesn’t have mastery over her technology powers yet, at least by herself. It’s a very different situation.” Lloyd said in a matter of factly tone, to which Kai chuckled quietly.

“Alright, alright, whatever you say, Mr Ultimate Spinjitzu Master.” Kai teased, making his way to the doorway. 

“Come on now, let’s go to bed. I don’t know about you, but today really drained me." Kai chuckled. “I’m going to shower before I get into bed though, I think I still have remnants of that weird silk cocoon thingamabob in my hair… need the bathroom?”

Lloyd quickly raced past Kai, standing in the hallways. “I was going to take a shower! And I’m not waiting an hour for you to be done with it!” He exclaimed with half hearted annoyance, the other half of his voice bared amusement. Lloyd began sprinting to the end of the Monastery, where the bathroom was.

“Oh come on!” Kai cried out, racing the other. “I’m not that bad!”

“You never leave any hot water for me to shower after you either!”

“I can heat some more up for you! I’m the Master of Fire!”

“Last time you did that, you melted the pipes!” Lloyd retorted as the two raced down the hallway childishly, both smiling in excitement but no less determined to get into the bathroom before the other did. Both were ignorant and dismissive of the noise they were making. 

“Ugh, you still remember that? That was ages ago!”

Lloyd laughed. “I still haven’t forgotten about the time where you and the other ninja hung me up on some pole in Jumanakai village and ate candy in front of my face, of course I’m not going to forget!” 

Lloyd was able to sprint that little bit faster to the bathroom, and perhaps with a bit more harshness than needed, he got into the bathroom and locked the door in Kai’s face. “Hah! Take that as payback for doing that to me!”

Kai, albeit smacking his face into the bathroom door, laughed after groaning and clutched his face for a brief moment of pain. “Oh I should have known you weren’t over your evil phase yet!” 

“Never! Mwahahaha!” Lloyd laughed mockingly from behind the door, grabbing a fresh towel and hung it on the towel rack closest to the shower.

"Oh please! Not your horrible evil laugh!"

Lloyd snickered to himself quietly as checked the inside of the shower, realising there was no soap. Lloyd squatted down to the cupboard under the sink and opened the small squeaky doors. 

He shook his head to chase away the images of Morro leaning his head against the cupboard, smearing blood all over it in his unsuccessful attempts to stay conscious. 

Lloyd grabbed a new bar of soap before doing a double take at the rest of the contents inside the cupboard.

There were the usual items in storage, bars of soap, shampoo and conditioner, and spare mouthwash bottles alongside deodorants and basic skin care products like facial cleanser and moisturiser. But accompanying that were also a handful of short glass jars with vibrantly coloured sugar scrubs, translucent golden bottles of hair oil, and at the back of the cupboard was an overly generous amount of hair gel in black packaging that made Lloyd shake his head in disbelief.

“Kai, you don’t need this many containers of hair gel!” Lloyd shouted through the door.

“Yes I do! It takes a lot of gel to keep my hair looking this good! And it’s called buying in bulk! That’s what you do when you live with so many people!”

“You are the only one who uses them!” Lloyd laughed, amused by how heated their ‘argument’ was becoming.

“Yeah well, you can use them too if you wanted!” Kai retorted with a tone too argumentative to match the genuineness of his statement.

“I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to become bald.” He began with a small smirk, taking off his gi and throwing it in the dirty clothes bin before turning on the shower. 

The shower head began to flow with warm water, quickly steaming up the room. Lloyd held out his hand under the water, entering the shower after deeming it an appropriate temperature. He hummed in satisfaction, smiling as he closed his eyes and relished in the way the warm water soothed and relaxed his muscles. Lloyd rolled his arms forward for a moment to alleviate the discomfort he still felt in his shoulders from keeping his arms behind his back for so many hours. His bones popped and cracked as Lloyd sighed, satisfied.

“Noooo! I can't believe I have to wait now.” Kai exclaimed over-dramatically, sliding down the door sadly. Lloyd, on the other hand, laughed as he began to massage shampoo into his hair. “Oh please, Kai! I’ll be done in 5 minutes, tops.” 

He could hear a muffled and pained groan coming from Kai, to which Lloyd chuckled. “In the meanwhile, can you get me my PJ’s?”

There was no response.

“If you get my PJ’s, the next time it is your turn to clean the Monastery, I’ll do it for you.” Lloyd said with a sing-song voice, smirking widely as he rinsed the shampoo off his hair. 

“Consider it done!” Kai exclaimed eagerly, bolting off to Lloyd's room. His footsteps faded, and as Lloyd waited for him to come back, he applied conditioner and washed the rest of his body thoroughly, turning off the shower soon after enjoying its warmth for just a little longer. 

He took the towel he had hung up earlier on the rack beside the shower, using it to dry his blond hair first before wrapping it around his waist. There was a gentle knock on the door.

“Got your stuff bud!”

Lloyd smiled, opening the door just enough for Kai to pass him his clothes. “Thanks.” 

After locking the door, he quickly changed and brushed his teeth before exiting. Lloyd smirked at Kai, teasingly patting him on the back as he passed the other. 

“All yours.”

Kai scoffed playfully, nudging him as Lloyd made his way to his bedroom. “Goodnight Lloyd. By the way, if you have any nightmares tonight, you know where to find me.”

Lloyd looked back and beamed appreciatively. 

“Thank you… The same goes to you by the way.” Lloyd offered. “I can take care of my older brothers too.”

Kai laughed softly. “Go to bed and get some rest alright?”

“I will.” Lloyd smiled. “Goodnight, Kai.” 

Chapter Text

Ding! 

Brad’s first customer of the day was at an absurd 6:03am. He hadn’t been open for even five minutes yet, but alas someone had already come into his humble flower shop! 

He set aside a crate of gardening supplies he had just taken out of the storage room on the vibrant Moroccan tiled floor, before hopping up to press his hands against the teal counter. 

He gasped softly upon seeing a man with long blond hair clad in a green uniform, grasping onto a caramel-brown coloured bamboo staff in his right hand.

“I know it’s been so many years since we last saw another, but I was hoping that you would at least remember what I looked like, Brad Tudabone.” Lloyd teased with a wide smirk, putting his hands on his hips cheekily as Brad’s smile grew larger.

“Lloyd Garmadon!” Brad exclaimed, laughing in joy and disbelief as he rushed to embrace him. “You are alive! Thank the First Spinjitzu Master, no one knows where you went after the Merge had happened!”  

“Yeah you bet I’m alive! Did you really believe that I would be gone and leave you off the hook for putting fire ants in my bed? Not a chance buddy!” Lloyd laughed, returning the hug as Brad scoffed playfully. 

“Oh of course you haven’t forgotten about that… Wow Lloyd, I can’t believe that I am actually getting to see you after what, a couple years shy of a decade? I missed you, Lloyd. I haven’t seen you since you visited Darkleys.”

Lloyd shifted his weight onto one leg and put a hand on his hip. “FSM, you are right… We were children the last time we met, and now you are all grown up.”

“And so are you. Though, I heard you cheated in that department.”

“Hah, so you heard about that. Well yeah you know, it happens when you find yourself fighting a resurrected dinosaur and meddle with magical ageing tea.”

Brad blinked, opening and closing his mouth a couple of times before pursing his lips and waved his hand dismissively, letting it slap against his thigh after. “It’s just another day in Ninjago.” He mumbled with an exasperated smile. “So how old are you now? Or did that weird tea, potion thingamabob force you to just guesstimate your age?”

"Eh, Borg actually helped find that out. So according to his feral technology, I’m 24.”

To Lloyd’s amusement and slight surprise, Brad laughed, slapping Lloyd’s back. “Wow, you are old. No wonder you are walking around with that staff, you are using it as a cane! And here I was thinking that being a ninja meant that your body would outperform us in health in all stages of our life! Did kicking butt all those years really deteriorate your body that much?”

“PFFT– oh come on!” Lloyd groaned with a playful grin. “My body is perfectly functional and able, AND 24 is still pretty young!”

“Still not as young as 19.” Brad sniggered, before taking a few moments to breathe and calm down, still smiling. “So, how did you know I was here anyways?”

Lloyd smirked, slowly wandering around the shop and admired the colourful displays of flowers. 

“Oh, my students had sneaked out to come to the Crossroads Carnival not too long ago, and when I was looking for them, I passed by your flower shop.”

Brad smiled in awe. “You have students?”
“Two of them, yes. One of them is even an Elemental Master.” 

Brad leaned against one of the tables displaying small potted flowers as he gave Lloyd a coy look. “See, you’re already so old that you are training students. Why’re you mentoring students Lloyd, huh? Afraid you’re too old to fight?” 

Lloyd scoffed and he took a few steps towards him with a challenging grin. “Oh shut up, I’ll be living thousands of years from now and will still be at my peak health. Now help me out stupid, I want to buy some flowers.” 

“Not with that attitude.” Brad joked. “Come on, ask nicely Lloyd Garmadon.”

“Fine… can you please help me, Master of Flowers? I’ll even forgive you for putting fire ants in my bed if you do.”

“Much better! So, Mr. Legendary Green Ninja,” Brad teased. “How can I help you?”

Lloyd smiled warmly. “I need help choosing out some flowers for a friend. Like a little bouquet. He’s in the hospital at the moment and he will be for quite some time, I figured I’d get him some.”

“Oh FSM.” Brad frowned, titling his head in concern. “I hope they make a quick recovery. Who is this? One of the ninja?”

There was a short pause as Lloyd considered answering Brad’s question.

“Yeah, it is one of the ninja.”

“Which one? Is it Kai, Jay, Cole even?” Brad guessed, tilting his head curiously at the blond.

“Ah, you haven’t met him yet. He only joined the team a couple of years ago.” Lloyd answered after a while, shyly rubbing the back of his neck. Brad hummed thoughtfully.

“A 7th member to the team? Well then, let’s hear a name, don’t leave me hanging.” Brad requested kindly, readjusting the straps of his brown apron.

“Well, his name is Morro-”

“Morro?" Brad strained, looking infinitely confused. “The Green Ninja wannabe ghost who possessed you and released the Premenint on Ninjago, the Master of Wind, THAT Morro?! He’s part of your team now?! How did THAT happen?!”

“It’s just another day in Ninjago.” Lloyd chuckled, a little nervous. “Morro has changed a lot and for the better, I can promise you that much. I mean, if I forgave him, that must mean quite a lot, right?”

“Oh– okay w-wow…” Brad tapped his finger on his chin. “I mean, I guess if you of all people forgave him it means quite a bit… but dang, it’s just so weird. It’s just that, like, in school, we had to study Ninjago’s villains and Morro was always one of the main focuses alongside the Great Devourer, the Overlord and well, your father. We even learn about your freaky ex.”

Lloyd tensed, laughing awkwardly at the indirect mention of Harumi. Alongside the rest of his team and friends, he hadn’t been able to find Harumi, of whom he tried to find with more desperation than his team would have likely approved of. What they had was messy, to say the least. But they could salvage something, right? 

"School taught us that Morro was quite vicious, you know? Powerful and determined, selfish too. I find it hard to believe he just… changed, and changed enough so that he is now part of your team… isn’t it awkward sometimes?”

Lloyd smiled understandingly and nodded a couple of times. “It used to be in the beginning, and I get your hesitance, but just consider the two of us. We were both evil when we were younger, obviously nowhere near to the same degree as Morro, but it was a matter of influence. After we found some help and met the right people, we changed for the better and are now good people. We all can change with time and with a little bit of help. And Morro needed a lot of help…” Lloyd laughed softly, unsure whether to be humoured or pained at just how long it took for Morro to clean up his act. “But, we are getting side tracked. Can you help me pick out some flowers for him?”

Brad smiled, putting a hand on Lloyd’s shoulder. “Well, it is my job, heh. Does Morro have any favourite flowers? We have flowers from all over now that all 16 realms have merged together, so there are some rather exotic new arrivals.” 

“Mh… well, I don’t know what Morro likes but I’m sure that I’ll know what he’ll like once I see it.”

Brad let out a half-hearted groan. “You have no idea how often I hear that, it drives me up the wall.” He sighed, tugging at the fabric covering Lloyd’s shoulder. “Come here green bean, I’ll show you some samples.”

As Lloyd allowed himself to get led by Brad, he chuckled softly. “Thank you.”

“Heh, you’re welcome.” He replied before gesturing to a long wooden table covered in potted flowers of exquisite and dazzling colours, each varying in size and shape.

“So we have your standard flowers like tulips, sunflowers, roses, daisies and all that yada yada,” Brad pointed to each flower as their name was listed. “But some lesser popular flowers we got that I think are pretty neat are your peonies, daylilies, zinnias and euphrasias–”

“Wait up,” Lloyd paused. “Euphrasia? That’s a flower?”

Brad smiled, picking up a small dusty burnt umber coloured pot with small white and purple tubular flowers hardly bigger than his own eye, borne in dense clusters on the tops of celadon green stem branches that were decorated in leaves with small ridges on its edges in a way that reminded Lloyd of coriander.

“Euphrasias are sometimes called eyebright, and it’s used to make remedies for colds and some eye problems. If it interests you to know, euphrasias symbolises clarity, perception and seeing past the surface.”

Lloyd cast his gaze down to the flower with a thoughtful hum as Brad continued to ramble on. 

Fitting for a Writer of Destiny to be called that, but I’m definitely not getting those flowers for Morro. He thought as he surveyed the rest of the shop from where he stood and smiled upon seeing a particular flower that caught his eye.

“You know what.” Lloyd gestured to large, purple pom-pom shaped flowers. There were hundreds of tear drop shaped petals that were darker at the centre of the flower and spiralled outwards into lighter shades of purple. “I think Morro would like these.”

“Mh? Oh!” Brad grinned as he walked over to where Lloyd was pointing. “Chrysanthemums, excellent choice! These symbolise happiness, love and longevity, the purple ones specifically symbolising a wish to get well! These are pretty great for bouquets too. Should I make one out of ‘em, Lloyd?”

Lloyd smiled appreciatively. “Yes, thank you."

After paying for the bouquet and exchanging numbers, Lloyd waved Brad goodbye and jumped onto the anchor of the Bounty that was resting on the pavement outside Brad’s shop before it hoisted him up.  

“Got what you needed?” Kai inquired with his lips curled into a curious smile, his hands tight on the steering wheel. Arin and Sora were behind Kai trying to overcome their sleepiness.

Lloyd smiled at Kai, showing him the purple bouquet from his spot on the main deck. “Yup. I think Morro will like these.” He walked up the wooden stairs leading up to the helm of the Bounty to stand beside Arin and Sora. “I hope you two don’t mind this whole ordeal, I just didn't want you two left in the Monastery all alone.”

Sora laughed, albeit a little hoarsely from her exhaustion, but she still smiled. “Are you kidding me? I’d take this over the training course any day!”

“Heh, I should have known. What about you, Arin? How are you feeling?” 

“I don’t mind,” He smiled with a mixture of politeness and tiredness. Then Arin’s stomach growled and in a futile attempt to stop the noises, he hastily covered it with his hands. He chuckled sheepishly.

Lloyd chortled affectionately. “Ah, I apologise for not making a lot of time for breakfast this morning. But once we're back home, we can have a big lunch, yeah?"

“Food after the hospital sounds good, Master Lloyd.” Arin yawned as he stretched his arms out, which made a few cracking noises. Lloyd took a few steps towards Kai, looking at him with care and tenderness in his eyes.

“You think you will be able to handle this?”

“I think… I think I will,” Kai said slowly as he continued to steer the Bounty. “I want to see how Morro is and talk for a while. You know, be there for him and all.”

Kai gave a couple of soft pats to the brown satchel that was hanging around his shoulder. “And I want to give him a couple of things, like his sketchbooks. Even if he is only there for a few more days, he should have some entertainment. I just wished I paid more attention to the ones he used. I went to his room to get some and discovered that the guy actually has a ton of ‘em and I’m pretty sure he has a system about which he uses. He doesn’t label them with dates or anything to make it obvious which ones he is currently using so I just had to take a guess. I brought him three of them.”

Lloyd laughed softly. “I don’t think Morro will mind. So long as there is a blank piece of paper, rubber and pencil in his hand, he is pretty happy.”

“Heh, yeah, you’re right.”

“You also have Morro’s new phone with you?”

“Yup, thanks to Borg’s speedy delivery bots it arrived earlier this morning, and Borg even threw in complimentary headphones– like the really good ones, sound cancelling and all.”

“Noise proof huh? Borg is very generous.” Lloyd smiled warmly. “That would definitely come in handy if Morro has to deal with people snoring at night in the hospital. Are they charged?"

“Yeah. Just gotta teach Morro how to use them, which should be a pretty simple task.”

Then fell a silence where Kai continued to sail the Bounty through the air and where Lloyd analysed the bouquet in his hand, frowning as he thought. 

He kept on thinking back to the euphrasia flowers in Brad’s flower shop, then back to the Master of Wind Euphrasia. Although Lloyd quite liked Euphrasia, he did not like the problems that would undoubtedly transpire in the future between her and Morro, problems that would begin entirely because of Morro. Then there were the problems that would unfold between Morro and himself, Kai and Nya. Morro doesn’t even know Euphrasia existed, much less knew that she was the new Master of Wind, but what was worse was that although he, Nya and Kai did know, did trust Morro, and did respect him, they were still deciding to keep it a secret from Morro.

Out of everyone, Morro deserved to know the most. But the circumstances weren't right for him to know, right? Maybe Lloyd could wait until after Morro resolved his esteem issues and hatred towards the Cloud Kingdom to tell him about Euphrasia. But that would take too long. He would have to be keeping Euphrasia a secret to Morro for years, and then what? Reveal that he knew about Euphrasia all along? That he purposefully lied about Morro's successor and went out of his way to keep Euphrasia away from Morro?

It’s for the best. Lloyd reminded himself nervously. What good would knowing do for Morro whilst he’s being hospitalised and recovering from a concussion, not to mention recovering from the shock of losing his powers? I’ll tell him when the time is right. I only hope that I can keep Euphrasia and Morro away from each other until that time comes without it looking too suspicious… FSM knows what will happen if he finds out about Euphrasia before I tell him about her. This is a dangerous game…

Lloyd let out a shaky but inaudible sigh. I’m risking his trust in me. But… it's for a good reason. He’ll understand… Or at least, eventually. Lloyd glanced at Kai for a moment, who was focused on steering the Bounty to notice, and recalled their conversation the night before. Lloyd’s promise to Kai to keep Euphrasia a secret from Morro. The wrapping paper of the bouquet Lloyd was holding began being used by him to fidget, rubbing the smooth white material in between his gloved fingers anxiously.

Small and quiet crinkling noises came from those movements, of which Kai became aware of.

"Mh?" 

"...nothing."

*               *               *

Meanwhile…

Morro groaned as he once again shuffled and tossed in his hospital bed, growing impossibly restless in spite of how his entire body was completely spent and exhausted, screaming and begging for rest. The pains of his little ‘adventure’ in where Morro could only assume was the Departed Realm were still viciously imprinted on his body, throbbing and pulsating agonisingly.

Doctor Alesio had offered some pain-relief medication right before going to bed to prevent any pains caused by the concussion, unaware of Morro’s horrendous pain that was earnt from falling off an FSM-knows-how-high waterfall and almost burning to death again in a reanimated version of the Caves of Despair whilst simultaneously being choked by the Preeminent. He had rejected the medicine. 

Naturally, when Morro had been asked by Doctor Alessio why he was declining the medicine, Morro had said it was because it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

It’s whatever. I don’t need him to give me meds for pains that make no sense, and for pains that aren't nearly as bad as the other shit I’ve dealt with. Morro thought with a mixture of bitterness and pride. I can handle it… 

So after a night of restlessness and no sleep that could have been prevented if Morro had been open to receiving help, morning came.

Doctor Alessio rhythmically knocked his knuckles against the frame of the open door.

“Good morning Morro,” He greeted politely with a clipboard full of papers attached to it in hand. He walked inside the room before he lifted the beige blinds without a warning. Admittedly, it was just enough so that the room was gently illuminated. Morro, who was racked with fatigue and his eyes were heavy and sensitive, hissed.

"I hope you had a pleasant sleep. Nurse Fitzgerald will be coming in soon to give you your breakfast, but before that is scheduled, it seems you have some guests eager to visit you."

"Oh?" Morro blinked, a little bit of warmth blossoming in his heart. He hadn't expected the ninja to be visiting so soon! 

A woman clad in blue scrubs soon appeared at the door, long ginger hair kept in two french braids, and smiling brightly. Similarly to Doctor Alessio before he had walked in, she knocked on the door a few times.

“Good morning Doctor Alessio!” She greeted happily. “I have the visitors here with me. Would our patient permit them to come in?”

“Nurse Fitzgerald! Good morning to you too!” He exchanged glances with Morro, smiling softly. “I should remind you that you do have the option to reject visitors, if that is what you desire. The staff have no problem in handling unwanted visitors and escorting them out of the hospital.”

Morro hummed in consideration before turning to face the nurse. “Who is visiting?”

“The Green Ninja and the Master of Fire, sir.”

Morro sighed quietly in relief with a small smile. “I would like to see them, please.” 

She nodded and went to retrieve Lloyd and Kai, who appeared at the door shortly after and to Morro surprise, with a bouquet of flowers.

Doctor Alessio stood up and walked out of the room, exchanging polite nods with Lloyd and Kai on the way out. Afterwards, the two sat down on the chairs set out beside Morro, who was dumbfounded with happiness.

“Are you doing alright there buddy?” Kai asked softly with a sympathetic glimmer in his eyes. 

Morro sighed fondly. “Please, I’m completely fine. What’s with the flowers? I'm not that old.” Morro gestured to the purple flowers in Lloyd’s grasp. 

Lloyd chuckled as he carefully put the Chrysanthemum bouquet into the glass vase on Morro’s bedside table. 

Do they think I’m going to die or some shit? I mean I did but that part is over.

“You’re our brother, Morro. You have no idea how much you mean to us,” Lloyd explained with a sympathetic smile, but Morro couldn’t help but realise it was still rather sad. “You… you have gone through a lot in a span of hardly 12 hours. You don’t have to act like nothing has happened, you know. No one is alright after anything like this. Your powers, your concussion… It’s a lot.” 

Morro tensed a little at the reminder of his lost powers, but put on a strained smile, laughed tensely, and waved his hand dismissively. “Eh, it's fine. I’m alive, aren’t I?”

“It takes so much more than being alive to be alright,” Lloyd pointed out and gripped the railing on Morro’s hospital bed.

Do not touch him. It will give him bad luck, and it will all be your fault. Lloyd's mind echoed worryingly. 

Kai nodded. “Lloyd’s right, Morro."

For what Lloyd was afraid to do, Kai didn't hesitate and reached out to press one gloved hand on Morro's shoulder. "And we're going to be here for you every step of the way. We're brothers. We look out for each other, don't we? Brother sharpens brother." Kai recited with a cheeky smirk. 

“Dumbass, if you say that phrase one more time I think I might actually lose my shit.” Morro sighed with a small smile. 

“It’s a good phrase, dumbass,” Kai mocked lightheartedly. “The point is that we are here for you, no matter what happens. However it falls on the spectrum of 'fighting the Overlord' to 'damn the sad is sadding', we want to help you feel supported, alright? And FMS, you bet that we’ll be doing whatever it takes to get you to be happy.”

Morro hummed in acknowledgement, temporarily letting his mind wander back to his encounter with the Preeminent after Kai mentioned the idea of battling the Overlord. Would she come back to take revenge, to get Morro back to serving her again? Would it be possible now that all the realms have merged together, now that the only thing stopping a powerful force like herself would only be a marathon?

He thought back to her words. 

Similarly to how she behaved with Morro when he first died, her words were full of sweet promises and much yearned for care. The Preeminent called him her champion, her child, her dearest child at that. She wafted sweet pet names right in front of his face because she knew the full and embarrassingly great extent of Morro's desire to feel valued and cared for. It was a twisted transaction, a scam, the illusion that she cared for Morro in exchange for him serving and risking his life for her malicious plots.

The Preeminent dragged him into the ocean that day in Stixx only to ensure that she could still use him. If she hadn’t killed him, the Preeminent would have lost her greatest asset and in turn, any chance of being freed again. She was possessive to such an uncanny degree that Morro couldn’t find himself humoured at the irony of it all. The Queen of the Cursed, the realm baring ghosts with the ability to possess others, was possessive herself. 

The uneasy feeling of being unprotected and vulnerable suddenly flared within him. She could be on her way to him right now. Maybe she knows that he is in Ninjago, and maybe she would be so mad that Morro managed to escape her the day before that she would come bolting to Ninjago in a fit of rage. 

She wouldn’t try anything without a plan, and I bet even after she comes up with one, she’ll be waiting around just to mess with me. Morro fretted, still deeply pondering until Kai began to loudly empty the contents of his satchel onto Morro’s bedside table.

“I bought a couple of things for you since, ya know, you’re gonna be stuck here for a while.” Kai smiled, and although initially irritated by Kai’s interruption of his anxious thoughts (as if they would lead to a break through), his demeanour immediately changed when he saw Kai pull out two sketchbooks.

“My sketchbooks!” Morro exclaimed breathlessly, gladly taking one of the black vinyl covered books from Kai and clutched onto it gratefully. To his delight, Kai took out a third.

“I didn’t know which ones to bring, so I just took a few at random.” Kai smiled sheepishly as he gave Morro all three. “All of them looked unfinished so I couldn’t really tell which one you were currently using. I hope you are alright with using these ones.”

Morro took the three sketchbooks and plopped them onto his blanket covered lap. On the center of each sketchbook’s front cover was a sticker, which came from a sheet of stickers gifted to him by Zane. Years ago, the nindroid had been out with P.I.X.A.L in some market of sorts, and in consideration of Morro’s artistic interests, bought him stickers of cute cartoon animals and a handful of sketchbooks.

Because each sketchbook’s exterior looked the same, he used the stickers Zane gave him to indicate each sketchbook and their purpose.

The final sketchbook Kai had pulled out was coincidently Morro's favourite. Indicated by the Menelaus Blue Morpho Butterfly sticker, the sketchbook he was holding was  his illustrated journal. 

“No, no this is wonderful. Either way I don’t use my sketchbooks chronologically.” Morro looked up at Kai with an appreciative smile. “Thank you for this. You… didn’t look through them, right?”

“You’re welcome,” Kai smiled. “And don’t worry, I didn’t look.” 

“How come you don’t number your sketchbooks?” Lloyd asked curiously with his head tilted slightly. "Wouldn't it be easier to tell which is which if you did?"

“Eh, that’s lame. I don’t wanna put a massive ‘#1’ on the front cover, that’s ugly as fuck, not to mention unoriginal.” Morro replied with an amused chuckle. 

“Oh!” Kai exclaimed suddenly, taking out Morro’s new phone and black headphones. “Before I forget, we’re going to teach you how to use headphones and how to use your new phone for calling and texting.” 

Morro’s eye’s widened and his eyebrows perked up, surprised. “Wow, I didn’t realise we were doing that.”

“Well, Lloyd and I thought it would be a good idea to get you familiar. How about we teach you how to call first?” 

After showing Morro how to turn his phone on and off, Kai pressed one of the icons on his home screen which had a little phone illustration.

“This is where you go when you want to call us. Lloyd and I already put our contacts in, all you have to do to call is just–”

Whilst Kai continued to explain how to call, Morro was focusing on trying to visually remember what to do. It played to Morro’s advantage that everything thus far was mainly icons and symbols rather than words, and even when his worry began after Kai announced that he would teach Morro how to text, Morro quickly discovered the beauty of voice messages.

“Oh that’s so cool! I can just record my voice and it just sends it through?” Morro asked excitedly, taking the phone from Kai and already being on a chat with Kai, he pressed the microphone button.

“Hi dumbass.” Morro says into the phone, before pressing the send button. 

There was a ping from Kai’s pocket He took out his phone from one of the pockets and played the message.

“Hi dumbass.” The phone played back, and Morro's eyes widened in wonder. 

Lloyd laughed with Kai, shaking their heads fondly at Morro. 

“Let me show you how to use your headphones too." Kai added with a grin. 

After Kai demonstrated how to use the bluetooth headphones, he also taught Morro how to charge them and his phone, all before Doctor Alessio and Nurse Fitzgerald were at the door again.

"Hello again." Doctor Alessio smiled warmly. "Unfortunately, visiting time is over. There is much my team and I need to do to ensure Morro's recovery." 

Kai and Lloyd nodded at Doctor Alessio, before returning to look at Morro.

“We’ll see you soon.” Lloyd smiled with a hint of sorrow. “I promise.”

Morro, ever needy to avoid making conversations over emotional, scoffed with a playfully unimpressed expression on his face. “Don’t make this sappy, I know that already.”

Kai laughed and nudged Morro. “Just give us a call whenever you can, windbag. Hopefully you’ll be out of this place soon.”

Morro grinned. "I will be."

Chapter Text

“What the–!? No! No, I’m not doing that!!!” Morro shouted and stormed out of the examination room, furiously slamming the doors shut on his way out. 

Having never stayed in a hospital before, Morro realised over the next few days that being a patient in the hospital meant you did two things. 

One, was wait. A lot.

And two, was being treated like a lab rat. 

Morro could handle the first far better than the latter. 

“Wait, sir!” Nurse Fitzgerald dashed through the doors, catching up to Morro and putting a gloved hand on Morro’s shoulder. “Sir! It’s important that you complete the examination, it’s an essential part of ensuring that you are fit to be discharged from the hospital!” 

“No, you can not convince me to do it!” Morro hissed, letting more fear than he would have liked seep into his voice. “You can not be telling me that being half-undressed is a normal part of this, it’s repulsive!” 

“Sir, I understand that it can be daunting, but our staff are trained professionals-"

Morro did not care to listen to Nurse Fitzgerald for a minute longer and he hastily walked down the hallways, trying to navigate his way around them to find his room. The purple bunch of Chrysanthemums that Lloyd had gifted him were his only indicator to his room– to safety. It was the only thing in the hospital that made Morro feel like he was at home, back at the Monastery with Lloyd, Kai and Nya. They always made him feel secure and respected. But here, at the hospital with the staff?

Morro felt humiliated. 

He had felt humiliated his entire stay in the hospital. The last few weeks have been all about Doctor Alessio and his team treating him (aka, invading his personal space and privacy, in Morro's eyes). He felt vulnerable and insecure from all the tests and examinations, everything that was meant to be testing him to see if he was up to scratch. They were judging him. If he wasn't up to their requirements, that had to be fixed.

"The Golden Weapons will judge you and see if you are worthy of becoming the Green Ninja,'"Sensei Wu had said. "You will want to make sure that you are perfect before you decide to be judged by them."
Morro smiled with excitement. "I think I'm ready! I'm already super good!"
"No." Came an immediate response from Sensei Wu, making Morro's smile droop. "You are far from being ready. There is much we need to fix before you are judged by the Golden Weapons. The Green Ninja must be perfect, Morro. You can not fail when you're protecting Ninjago, and you haven't been working hard enough to reach that level. I will not allow the weapons to judge you just yet, and should I find that you have gone behind my back to receive said judgement, there will be severe consequences. Do I make myself clear?'

With a soured face wrinkled with barely concealed anger, Morro nodded. "Yes, Master Wu."

The voice of Nurse Fitzgerald faded somewhere along the lines of his pondering as Morro passed by vacant rooms down the hallway. His search ended a few moments later when he spotted purple flowers in a clear glass vase. Morro sighed quietly in relief. 

Finally, safety. Morro thought as he entered his room, shutting the door gently and flopped onto his bed. His initial irritation and fear gradually faded away as he took deep breaths, feeling a little light headed from doing so which wasn’t the best thing to feel when he was recovering from a concussion, but Morro couldn’t care less. He was feeling calm, or at the very least, calmer. It was difficult to tell what being calm felt like at this point. The hospital was beyond uncomfortable and irritating due to the waiting and medical exams, but above all else, what irritated Morro was how little privacy he had. 

There were three other beds in his room, one set at each corner of the room. The one beside him was vacant, but the two in front of him were being occupied, and by two elderly men who snored louder than Elemental Dragons roared, depriving Morro of any sleep even with his noise-cancelling headphones on. Whenever they weren’t asleep and the three of them were in the same room, they kept on staring at Morro, especially when he was drawing. They bugged him with incoherent questions even when Morro had his headphones on, and saliva dribbled from their mouths when they did so. 

They threw around curses and slurs in every sentence without hesitation and openly criticised Morro, as if he wasn’t right in front of them, for having long hair as a boy. It should have been no surprise that his body was not safe from their snarky remarks either.

Visiting time was even worse. Both had large families who lingered even after being asked to leave (and why was it that they were allowed more than two people to visit them?), and their unsupervised children have on every occasion have tried to steal Morro’s sketchbooks, or fiddled with the remote that controlled the way his bed reclined. The parents of said children either remained oblivious, or encouraged the children's actions and claimed it was 'harmless' and 'all in good fun', that the kids were just 'bored' and needed 'something to do'. 

Because Morro was the bigger person, he did not cuss the parents (and children) out and shout. But then again, was it because Morro was the bigger person, or because Nurse Fitzgerald intervened before Morro came to that point?

Morro blamed Destiny for the fact that his own schedule lined up with the two elderly men, meaning that Morro only ever had downtime when they were also in the room as him. Surely it was another punishment that Destiny ever so righteously sought to torture him with, because why wouldn’t Destiny decide to meddle with him some more?

Needless to say, Morro thanked the First Spinjitzu Master that he now had the room to himself.

He stared at the pasty beige ceiling and groaned, pinching his nose ridge as he sat up on his bed, which made the metal squeak a little. Three of Morro’s sketchbooks were stacked on top of another and he took the one from the top of the pile, the one that had the blue butterfly sticker. Morro opened up his pencil case and rummaged through the alcohol markers and posca pens before he took out his pencil.

He flipped through the sketchbook, until he reached a handful of pages with dark blues, greens, and oranges.

The Departed Realm, the Preeminent, and the Caves of Despair. 

It had been three weeks since he had that encounter and in turn, three weeks since he was last visited by Lloyd, Kai and Nya. Even over the phone he had received nothing from them, except a voice message from Kai telling them that they would be going to Imperium for an undefined amount of time for a mission that he would explain once they had returned. Morro wasn’t the slightest bit upset that the three hadn’t visited him since, it was understandable after all, but having grown accustomed to their company over the years made him feel a small twinge of loneliness. 

Pathetic, even. He wasn't used to being affected by the absence of what Morro often considers 'privileges'. Said privileges were friends, his first ever friends at that. Friends were an extra that Morro didn't know he could even grow to depend on. He always thought that the only things he could ever depend on were food and water.

Morro tapped his pencil against the edge of his sketchbook and thinks back to the events of the previous day.

He was quick to draw out every detail he could possibly remember in hopes to quench his worries and questions. One was the fact that he had become a ghost in the Departed Realm, albeit he did turn back into his human form once waking up in the hospital bed.

I’ve still retained my curse even though I was revived… of course Destiny has to fuck me over like this. I don’t want to return to the Preeminent when I inevitably die again so… how do I break my curse? 

"..."

Maybe I should go to the Cloud Kingdom and find some answers. If I am not banned from the place already, that is. Morro sighed deeply and clenched his jaw. I hate that shit hole, but not enough for me to spend the rest of eternity stuck with the Preeminent. I just need to be cautious about how I get this information from the Cloud Kingdom… I can’t let anyone else know about this, but I can’t go on a solo-trip to the Cloud Kingdom because that would be so fucking suspicious. But then if I go with the others, I’ll have to worry about being subtle. Ugghhhh so many fucking problems.

He had no powers, somehow was still cursed and was recovering from a concussion. He had his work cut out for him.

I wonder who my powers went to. Morro wondered to himself absent-mindedly. I may never know. Now that the realms are combined, the powers could really have gone anywhere and to anyone. It still doesn’t make sense though. I should have been able to at least choose who they got passed down to since I have no descendants. But then again, my powers shouldn’t have left me in the first place! I hadn’t died, and even when I was trapped in the Preeminent for 40 years I still had my powers! He sighed. Destiny is just taking away from me again. Whenever I think I have control or own something, Destiny just has to take it away!  

He took his pencil and opened up a new page, quickly and lightly sketching out the room he had been inside for the physical examination alongside Nurse Fitzgerald and Doctor Alessio, who had been conducting the exam on him. He hesitated upon drawing the next frame. 

Do I even want to remember this..? Morro thought hesitantly. Morro hadn’t spent time depicting the fact that the hospital staff had swapped out his gi for the uncomfortable and itchy medical gown whilst he was unconscious for obvious reasons.

Because it was irrelevant. Morro told himself.

Did it make him feel violated? 

Yes. 

Did it make him feel unsafe at the hospital?

Yes. 

Did it make him feel like he couldn’t trust the hospital stuff? 

Of.

Fucking.

Course.  

But there was no way that Morro didn’t feel pathetic for feeling this way, and he didn’t want to immortalise his (hopefully temporary, but Morro was not hopeful) insecurity of his body by drawing the event into his journal. Morro didn’t want to admit that it was part of him. 

In the end, Morro opted to rub out his sketch of the exam room. He did not wish to record his embarrassing sensitivity to judgement.

“Morro,” 

He quickly shut his sketchbook and clutched it to his chest with one hand before looking up at the person at the door, sighing softly. 

I know Doctor Alessio is just doing his job but could I get just five minutes of peace to myself FMS pleaseeeee. Morro thought exhaustively as Doctor Alessio entered the room. Morro felt overwhelmingly guilty for how he wanted Doctor Alessio to leave, more so as he thought back to when the Preeminent had said he hadn’t changed. 

It terrified Morro to become his old self, someone so angry and irritable.

I can’t be entitled anymore. I lived two lives like that and it hurt those around me to extents far worse than just physical. I ruined people’s lives. If I want to be good enough for the people around me, I can’t be thinking about myself. I should only be thinking about others and their needs and desires. Morro thought and sighed deeply. He suppressed a flinch as he felt the tips of his fingers prickle from his guilt. 

“Was there something wrong with the exam?” Doctor Alessio asks calmly, sitting on the chair opposite Morro. He cringed. He felt like he was a little kid all over again. FSM Destiny was really working hard to ensure that Morro had the most humiliating hospital experience, weren’t they? He was asking if there was something wrong with the exam, as if it wasn’t Morro’s fault at all. Morro found himself repulsed and boiling with discomfort, he felt so wrong footed at the moment. 

Although yes, the exam did make Morro feel unbearably vulnerable and uncomfortable due to the fact that it required him to reveal his upper body, but he forced himself to bury those feelings down as he recalled how he behaved so rudely and shamelessly towards Nurse Fitzgerald.

Oh you’re an embarrassment, you of all people barged out of that room whining like a spoilt little kid, selfish and arrogant as ever. Come on, you should have been able to handle it. Morro scolded himself mentally. Start being cooperative, you ungrateful piece of shit. 

“No, there was nothing wrong.” Morro replied quietly. “I’m sorry I just… I am just not used to this. We can try again. I’ll be cooperative this time.”

Doctor Alessio smiled softly. “Oh, thank you! Though… I am curious about why you had such an outburst.”

“It’s nothing. I'm fine now.” Morro promised hastily, jumping off his bed and put his sketchbook away, before walking to the door. 

Doctor Alessio was a little surprised at how quickly Morro’s attitude changed, but passed it off and followed the other. “Splendid! Well then, follow me.”

Morro didn’t complain as Doctor Alessio and Nurse Fitzgerald conducted the exam, even when his dress was lowered to reveal his chest and torso. He remained quiet as Doctor Alessio felt Morro’s head and abdomen for any abnormalities, lumps, or tenderness before pressing a stethoscope to Morro’s heart. Morro was ready to scold himself if his heartbeat was too fast and in turn would reveal his discomfort, but because Doctor Alessio was asking him to take deep breaths, his heart remained at a normal rate and didn’t betray him.

The previous nights that Morro had spent learning the alphabet on his phone rewarded him with passing the Snellen Chart test, and after a couple more checks on the recovery of his concussion, Morro was deemed fit to be ejected from the hospital. After texting Kai (or rather, sending voice messages to him) that night and getting a reply, it was organised that Lloyd would be picking Morro up from the hospital the day after in the afternoon. 

I'm so ready to leave this shithole. 

*               *               *

A Day Later, in the Monastery…

Lloyd, Kai, and Nya let out a satisfied sigh, wiping their sweaty foreheads with towels. They took a couple of steps down the stairs outside the Monastery, collectively smiling proudly.

A big white banner spelling out ‘Welcome Home!’ in big black letters hung between the entrance of the Monastery gates alongside balloons and streamers. In the gentle pink sky of the sunset, dragons from their recent mission in Imperium lingered and flew elegantly across the sky, excluding Heatwave, who slumbered in the middle of the Monastery training grounds.

“I hope Morro likes this.” Nya says, admiring the banner with her arms wrapped around Kai and Lloyd, who were to her left and right respectively. The Monastery gates opened, and both Cole and Jay walked out of them. “Are you kidding me? He’ll love this welcome home party!” Cole grinned enthusiastically, standing beside the three. 

“Morro will definitely love the fact that you two are back too.” Kai says. “Though I don’t think he’s going to love that you self appointed yourself as the guy in charge of the food, Cole.”

“Please, Arin has been the one cooking this entire time, I’m just there telling him where specific cooking equipment is.”

Lloyd sighed in relief, pressing a hand to his chest. “Thank the First Spinjitzu Master he is cooking. We're not eating poison tonight.”

“Hey!!!” Cole whined defensively. “My cooking is not poisonous! It’s just an acquired taste!”

Zane waltzes out of the Monastery Gates, happily holding P.I.X.A.L’s hand with a loving smile. “On the contrary Cole, my scanners indicate that your cooking, if consumed in their full portion size, can give the consumer 14 separate severe health problems.”

“Fifteen, actually.” P.I.X.A.L. corrects him naturally, giving Zane a teasing look as she does so. Zane rubs the back of his neck bashfully as he grinned at her. “So smart…” He says breathlessly and quietly, shimmering with admiration and love.

Whilst Lloyd, Jay, Kai and Nya stifled their laughter at the statistics and Zane’s flustered behaviour, Cole stared at Zane and P.I.X.A.L. with a look of disbelief and half-hearted offence. 

"How dare you!"

Nya grinned, and turned to whisper to Lloyd. “Just like old times, huh? It’s good to have the team back together.” 

“The whole team isn’t back together yet. Best course of action is for me to bring back the one person who will make it whole, no?” Lloyd replied with a grin and quickly retrieves an empty satchel, then jumps off the Monastery mountain to ignite his dragon. 

“I’ll be back with Morro in 10 minutes everybody! Make sure everything is set up and ready to go, and that the dragons don’t set anything on fire or destroy anything!”

“Will do!” Kai shouted back enthusiastically, pressing his flat hand to the top of his forehead to look at Lloyd without the sun in his eyes. “You hear that Wyldefyre?” Kai teased and looks inside the Monastery to see Wyldfyre leaning against Heatwave. “No fire or destruction!”

A roar of complaint followed from Wyldfyre, alongside her hands igniting once she jumped up to her feet and stomped on the ground. “WYLDFYRE LISTENS TO NO ONE!” She snarled.

Spheres of water appeared in Nya’s hands instinctively as did Zane’s hands with ice, pointing at Wyldfyre and tensely awaiting to see if she would fire. 

“Hey!” Kai yelped and ran to be in front of her. “No fire in the Monastery! This place has burnt down too many times already!”

Lloyd chuckled quietly to himself, before he nodded his head in acknowledgement and flies away. Zane, P.I.X.A.L., Cole, Kai, Jay, and Nya waved goodbye until Lloyd disappeared into the golden clouds of the sunset. 

*               *               *

“First Spinjitzu Master, you WHAT.” Morro exclaimed as he clutched onto Lloyd's waist from behind, who was steering the reins of his dragon. “So we have a shit ton of dragons back at the Monastery now?? Not just tiny ones like Riyu??” 

Lloyd smiling brightly. “We do! We even made a bigger dragon stable!”

And that's not the only thing we have at the Monastery! Lloyd thought in excitement. 

“A lot has happened since we last saw you, and our adventures in Imperium were not the only thing.”

Morro raised his brow questioningly, though he wore a large and curious smile. “Then you better start telling me, I don’t like secrets being kept away from me.”

Ah- Lloyd cringed. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to tell you all about it. But maybe later, we have other things to do once we get to the Monastery.” Lloyd grinned cheekily. 

"Oh?"

Lloyd smiled innocently, to which Morro laughed at.

This kid… Morro thought to himself fondly. Always up to something.

"Sly bastard." Morro ended up saying, grinning.

The two reached the top of the Monastery, and the gates swung open and Morro was hugged (or rather, was leaped on) by more than just Kai and Nya, but Cole, Zane, Jay and P.I.X.A.L. too! It happened so quickly that Morro didn’t even have time to recognise the massive banner on the gates.

“Morro!” They cried out in unison, hugging him tightly as Morro was dazed, smiling giddily as he processed what was happening with overwhelming joy.

“You’re all… all…” Morro trailed off, smiling like an idiot.

Cole, Jay, Zane and P.I.X.A.L… they were back.

Cole laughs and grips Morro’s shoulder gently. “You bet we’re back, Windbag!”

“You can’t blame me for not being able to process this!” Morro huffs in disbelief. “I mean, you all are back!”

The group share another tight hug. How long had it been since they were together like this?

“As are you.” Sensei Wu’s voice called.

Morro froze, his back facing the Monastery gates until he slowly turned around to see Sensei Wu holding one of the Monastery doors open, looking at Morro with a soft smile.

Something broke within Morro when he saw Sensei Wu standing at the gates. 

This should have happened over 40, maybe even 50 years ago now. This should have been Morro when he was still a child and hardly reached Sensei Wu’s torso, and where Sensei Wu had short blond hair and a clean shaven face. What made matters all the more intense was that Sensei Wu was wearing the same black robes he used to wear all the time when Morro was a kid, robes of which, according to Zane, Sensei Wu only wore on special occasions after Morro ran away.

It was ironic, when Morro was a kid he wanted nothing more than to get away from Sensei Wu, yet since the Merge Morro couldn’t stop wishing that he could reunite with Sensei Wu. And now that it was finally happening, Morro couldn’t help but feel guilty for ever taking him for granted. 

Morro stared at Sensei Wu dumbstruck for a few overly tense and silent moments. It was obvious that Sensei Wu was thinking the same thing as him, envisioning his mistake of letting Morro run away without trying to find him.

The others seemed to understand the significance of this arrangement and remained silent, giving them space.

Immense and painful regret ran through both of them, and for Morro it made the nerves on his fingertips prickle uncomfortably after the same ripples of sadness that came from his heart. 

Not known to him, Morro’s eyes began to swell with tears, slowly dripping down his cheeks. His breath was hitching. Without another thought, and guided by a longing that has lasted over so many decades and has become one of Morro’s deepest desires, he ran and hugged Sensei Wu tightly, who was welcoming him back with open arms at the gates. 

“Master Wu…” Morro whimpered softly, pressing his face on the other’s shoulder with his eyes closed as he weeped silently. His shaky smile was all that could reveal that in spite of his tears, Morro likely hadn’t felt happier. Sensei Wu evidently felt the same way and hugged Morro back tightly.

For a moment, what the Preeminent would do in the future and the fact that he didn’t have powers anymore slipped away. The apparition he had seen of Sensei Wu calling him his biggest regret shattered, feeling security in his embrace. Nothing else felt like it existed or was happening, apart from them.

In the eyes of Sensei Wu and Morro, the Monastery reverted back to its original design from when Morro was a kid, when the purple flowers of the lone tree were not flowering, and where there was no grass hugging the mountain, there were only the smooth grey rocks. It was a rather barren and truthfully unpleasant landscape, but one that nostalgia has influenced Morro enough for him to become fond of the mental image.

“Welcome home…” 

Welcome home…

The phrase bounced around in Morro’s head, unable to settle in his mind because FSM, Morro had waited over 40 years to hear this, and now that he was finally hearing it, the words were being repeated on automatic to compensate for the yearning he has had for almost his entire existence.

Morro held Sensei Wu tighter. Overwhelmed with emotion, his next words slipped out of his mouth without him realising, even after he had said them.

“I missed you dad… I missed you so much...” Morro said weakly, seemingly oblivious to the soft ‘awwwww’s that came from his friends– his family– behind him. Sensei Wu similarly remained oblivious to everyone else’s reactions, too stunned with happiness to hear Morro called him ‘dad’ in front of other people.

“I’m sorry,” Sensei Wu began. “This is long overdue… I–”

He stopped talking upon hearing Morro chuckle, Morro looked at Sensei Wu with a small smile as he wiped the tears out of his eyes. “I know, old man. I don’t need another lecture from you.” He said teasingly, but there was undeniable sincerity and kindness intertwined with his voice. Sensei Wu smiled back.

“Then I believe it’s a good time to go back inside.” He suggests and rests a hand on Morro’s shoulder. Lloyd nods in agreement, smiling like the others were. 

“We’ve set quite a few things up for the party.” Lloyd says and similarly puts a hand on Morro’s free shoulder. He gives it a reassuring squeeze. “And thankfully Cole wasn’t in charge of cooking–”

“Hey!!!” Cole whined.

“–so we can all enjoy dinner made by Arin altogether!”

Morro’s eyes were still slightly red from his previous tears as he smiled appreciatively at Lloyd. 

“I’d like that… eating together again."

Lloyd smiled softly. "As a family."

Family… Morro internally scoffed at himself for how much the word made him feel oh so so happy.

Cole stepped forward, grinning brightly. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s eat!” 

The team cheered and all walked into the dining room, and an extra chair was put out to accommodate who Morro learns to find out is Kai’s student, Wyldfyre. And what excited Morro more than it should have, is the fact that Wyldfyre could wield fire just like Kai.

This is a good sign!!! Morro told himself internally without noticing that he was smiling a little more. He put the flowers Kai and Lloyd gifted him in a vase in his bedroom and tucking his sketchbooks away before returning to the dining room and sat beside Cole and Lloyd. There is a greater abundance in elemental energy… Maybe that means I have a higher chance of getting them back? I’ll have to experiment and research some more.

Morro was about to pour himself some of the red wine that was on the table, but Zane quickly snatched the bottle off him.

“You’re still underaged, Morro. Not to mention that alcohol shouldn’t be consumed after being ejected from the hospital so soon.” He stated instinctually and exchanged Morro’s empty wine glass for a glass cup, filling it with water.

Morro sighed with a small smile. “I could be stubborn, but fighting over something as mediocre as wine against you isn't worth it. Do we have mango syrup?"

Cole laughed. “You would fight tooth and nail for your precious mango syrup though, wouldn’t you Windbag?” Cole teased as Morro feels his mouth salivate.

“I know it has an unholy amount of sugar but FSM no one is stopping me from drinking that stuff by the gallon.” Morro said quickly and dreamily, smiling goofily with his eyes closed as he rested his head on a hand. 

The Ninja did not try to suppress their amusement and laughed loudly, giggling so hard that their chairs rocked and for Nya, Kai and Jay, they were tearing up. 

“Yup, you’re still a little kid.” Lloyd teased and ruffled Morro’s long black hair. Morro playfully smacked Lloyd’s hand away with a small smirk with undertones of mocked annoyance. “Oh fuck off, I’ve existed far too long to be called a kid, I’m older than everyone here but Master Wu!”

“You were literally getting all excited from mango juice two seconds ago,” Nya pointed out through giggles whilst Jay snickered and muttered ‘boomer’ under his breath.

“And you best believe that I will continue to get excited over mango syrup even when I am as old as Sensei Wu!” Morro proclaimed with his hands on the table challengingly. “And why are you bullying me over liking mango syrup? Have you seen how Lloyd acts when he gets his hands on pillow mints, of all things???” 

Kai grinned and took a sip of his wine. “Well, maybe having weird experiences with ageing just makes you have a strange fixation to certain foods.” Kai pointed at Sensei Wu. “Like come on, we’ve seen the old man drink and enjoys tea a tad bit too much. I think there is a bit of a pattern here.” 

Morro scoffed as he stands up and opens the fridge. “You might not have a fixation on a certain food from weird ageing, but you do have a devastating hair gel addiction. That will bite you in the ass one day, you know? You'll be bald before you're 30.”

Before Kai could even reply, Morro pulled out the mango syrup carton and grinned, pouring himself some into a wine glass and sat back down with the other ninja.

“I believe this is the time for a toast.” Sensei Wu announced and stands up, holding a cup of tea up in the air. The ninja nod and turn to face Sensei Wu, grasping onto their wine glasses. 

“To the wonders and oddities of life, where every challenge is a lesson, and every triumph is a step towards growth. Tonight we celebrate miraculous recovery and our return to another, to our family, to our home. Let this be a reminder that the bonds we hold with another, no matter how far or lost we may be, will always find ourselves back with another because of them. To family.” 

They all clink their glasses together as they all cheerfully repeated the phrase ‘to family’, Morro happily did so with his glass full of mango syrup before he drank some, and Sensei Wu swore that Morro’s eyes shimmered in content. He couldn’t help but smile fondly at Morro, to nostalgically think back to the past and see Morro a kid. His kid. The kid who would laugh and giggle with overflowing joy when he and Sensei Wu would fly the same red and yellow kite in the sky and eat prawn tempura together on the Monastery roof. 

Sensei Wu sipped his tea and sighed wistfully, not from the taste and warmth the tea provided but because he could see Morro’s smile again. His mind rushed back to hearing Morro call him dad, in front of the ninja, without any hesitation. He smiled to himself. He was definitely going to remember that, and maybe tease Morro about it later if Jay or Nya don’t beat him to it.

Close to midnight and long after everyone had finished eating and explaining what they were doing the last few years, Sensei Wu walked out onto the training grounds and jumped up to the roof with two plates of prawn tempura in his hand. It made his heart melt with warmth and affection as he saw Morro sitting on the tiles and looking up at the stars in awe, like he always did when he was happy. 

“I figured you would be here.” Sensei Wu said softly and sat down comfortably beside Morro, who chuckled playfully as Sensei Wu gave him one of the plates.

“I knew you would come here too. I know you, Master. And judging by this–” Morro lifts his plate of prawn tempura a little to emphasise his point. “–you must be feeling extra sentimental today.”

Sensei Wu smiled, looking down at his own plate in his hands. “Is it so absurd to feel such?” He asked simply. Morro shook his head, still looking at Sensei Wu with a soft smile. 

“I would be offended if you weren’t.” Morro said as he takes a bite out of a prawn tempura, with such bluntness and ease that Sensei Wu couldn’t help but feel humoured. 

“I guess it’s just that… the sentimentality is all rather amplified today.”

“I understand that,” Morro decided to reply with. “It feels good to have everyone back though, doesn’t it? Even when the feeling is so strong, getting to the point where it kinda hurts... I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m… really happy that we’re all together again. I’m really happy that I get to see you again rather than needing to look at that portrait of you down on the porch. You looked really grouchy. So...”

You looked so disappointed in that painting. I couldn’t bare seeing that emotion on your face after the Golden Weapons rejected me. Morro thought sadly. It feels so dangerous seeing disappointment on people’s faces, and it hurts the most to see it on yours.

Morro is distracted and then pleased upon hearing a soft and reedy laugh come from Sensei Wu. “Maybe you should be the one to complete my self-portrait. You’re still going strong with art?”

Now it was Morro’s turn to laugh, though it was a little shy and bashful. “Yeah I am, though I haven’t done an acrylic or oil painting in ages. I’ll have to practise a bit before I do that.”

“So long as you capture my amazing beard, I don’t mind waiting.” Sensei Wu replied with a mixture of playfulness and earnestness as he stroked his beard. 

“Pffft– of course, of course.”

There was a comfortable silence as the two ate before Sensei Wu spoke again.

“Kai told me about what happened to your powers.” He said slowly and cautiously. “I just want to remind you that we’re going to figure this all out together, alright? You’re not alone in all this. We’re all going to be working hard to help you get through this and there will never be a moment where you are going to feel unsupported. I promise you that, Morro. I'm not leaving you alone. Not now, not ever again.”

Upon finishing his little encouraging speech, Sensei Wu’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of a tear gleaming from the blue moonlight as it slid down Morro’s face, which was full of shock and clear struggle with processing his emotions.  

“You think it’s cool to make me cry? FSM Wu, you’re awful…” Morro muttered as he wiped away his tears and took some deep breaths. Sensei Wu chuckled and hugged Morro once more, his cheeks hurting from how much he had been smiling.

“I love you, son.”

Sensei Wu did not miss the way Morro’s breath hitched upon hearing him call him that. After a moment to pause to process Sensei Wu’s words, Morro hugged Sensei Wu back and hid his face in the other’s shoulder.

“Yeah yeah yeah old man...” Morro huffed with a small smile, before softly murmuring an 'I love you too' of his own.

Chapter Text

A handful of mornings after returning to the Monastery later, Morro felt extremely content waking up in his own bed, still relishing in the feeling of delight from being reunited with his family. Frost clouded up the corners of his window and it was still slightly dark outside. A thin mist clung to the porch outside. He took a deep breath with his eyes closed and sighed smiling. 

“This is how good days start off.” Morro told himself quietly.

The cold outside excited him and enhanced his urge to train after being kept idle at the hospital for so long. After making his bed and getting dressed, Morro lit the tip of a joss stick and pressed it against the powdered incense inside the mouth of his bronze dragon censer. A thick white smoke slowly began to trickle from its toothy mouth and carried the gentle aroma of jasmine. 

Satisfied, Morro placed down his yoga mat in the centre of his room and stretched, followed by meditation. Or at least, Morro tried to meditate. He was struggling to clear his mind. Discovering that both Kai and Wyldfyre shared the same powers gave Morro a much needed reason to rekindle his hope that his powers would return, even though it has almost been a month since not being able to tap into them.

Soon, he managed to calm his thoughts down enough to have a solid 10 minutes of peaceful meditation. Morro packed away his yoga mat into his wardrobe and picked up his hair brush, styling his hair half-up half-down as he normally did with a long black ribbon. He opened his chest of drawers and pulled out two of his eyeliners– one the same shade as his seafoam streak of hair and uniform, and the other black. He applied the first in two short confident movements before he checked the mirror to see that they were symmetrical and sharp as he liked them. Then, the made a smaller replica of the shape with the black eyeliner.

Morro turned his face left and right as he analysed his work in the full-body length mirror and nodded at himself. Then, he opened one of his other drawers and pulled out his visual journal and flipped to the pages of the Preeminent he had drawn. It had been almost a month since it had all happened, and it remained kept to the confines of his mind. Nightmares were regrettably a part of it all too.

I should tell the others. They’re my team, my family… There is no other group of people I would rather trust. Once they’re all awake and ready for our team meeting, I’ll bring it up. Morro promised to himself and threw his journal right back into the drawer and quietly shut it.

He watered the Chrysanthemums on his bedside table and took a hopeful glance at the mannequin in the corner of his room that was wearing the uniform he had designed, before leaving his bedroom.

Whilst the others slept, Morro exercised the liberty of having the training grounds to himself and practised some of his routine moves first, before working up to his more complex ones. About a month in the hospital strictly confined to a bed with little movement surprisingly didn’t seem to affect his abilities. 

He paused, and looked around his area to see if anyone was around. No one. Morro took a shallow breath and cast out his hand and focused with his eyes closed.

The wind had been weak and still for most of the morning, but Morro hoped that he could tap into his powers to at least create a breeze. 

He tried to connect with the wind again, to try to feel its presence and intertwine it with his own to restore their link. But the wind remained unresponsive. 

“What are you doing?” 

Lloyd’s voice calling him from behind almost made Morro uncharacteristically jump out of his skin from the embarrassment of being caught. He turned around calmly to see Lloyd with Sora and Arin behind him. Riyu, like he usually was, remained close to Sora. 

“Nothing. I just finished training.” Morro replied stiffly as his body still tingled with embarrassment. “Anyways, I’m going to start making breakfast for everyone,” 

Morro walked past Lloyd to re-enter the Monastery but Lloyd pressed a hand to his shoulder to stop him. It made Morro uncomfortably vulnerable seeing that Lloyd was smiling at him sympathetically. Pitying him. The touch on his shoulder was awkwardly retracted in an awkward and staggered movement, as if Lloyd thought he was doing something wrong. Morro took note of it.

“You were trying to use your powers?” Lloyd’s voice was soft and lacked judgement. It was gentle and safe, caring and sympathetic, kind and promised to protect. However, Morro struggled to override his humiliation at the topic of the sentence with Lloyd’s tone.

I can’t believe I forgot that Lloyd trains his students at this time, if I weren’t so stupid I could have done this earlier and saved myself the embarrassment. Ugh, I wish I could at least admit that I was trying to use my powers in private… I don’t want to discuss this in front of Lloyd’s students. It feels so shameful. I don’t want them to think that I’m an amateur.

“...” Morro averted his gaze. “But of course, nothing happened. The wind isn’t… yeah.” Morro explained quietly as Arin, Sora and Riyu began stretching with some distance left between them, much to Morro’s relief.

“You can’t lose hope,” Lloyd told him softly. “We will return your powers, Morro. We just have to keep trying. I have a couple ideas, alright? Riyu here has the ability to enhance Elemental Powers. If he lends you his energy, I think you’ll be able to tap into your powers again. Should we try now?” 

Admittedly, as much as Morro wanted to enjoy having the wind return to him, he was apprehensive with Sora and Arin still in proximity.

If it doesn’t work, you’ll be embarrassing yourself in front of Lloyd’s students. They will not take you seriously without your powers. Failing will mean that you’re completely unremarkable and mundane. Generic and ordinary. You’re not special. Your pathetic ass can continue never amounting to anything.

The last sentence from his mental degrading hit a nerve that genuinely hurt and triggered his heart to ache. The ache then spurred the rest of his nerves around his body to sting painfully, most intensely at his fingertips. After a few seconds the sensation subsided, but his heart continued to weigh heavy in his chest with hopelessness. It reminded him of his time as a child under Sensei Wu’s care. He felt special, but only because he believed he was to become the Green Ninja. Similar to his case now, he had only felt special– or rather, worthy of even the most basic needs– when he commanded the wind. Saying no was not something he was allowed to do. He couldn't.

Morro looked over to Riyu who smiled cutely at him. 

“Okay..." Morro replied slowly, and turned to Lloyd. "Let's give it a go."

Riyu trilled happily as he gallops towards Morro, tail wagging from side to side. Morro crouched down to scratch under his chin.

“Hi little buddy, do you think you can lend me some of your energy?” Morro asked softly to which Riyu nodded enthusiastically. Riyu’s eyes then glow white, and from his heart flowed a cord of white energy that connected with Morro’s own heart. For a moment Morro levitated and his own eyes glowed white, but once the transfer of power was complete, the glow faded immediately. 

Unlike Sora when she and Riyu did this, Morro’s eyes and hands were no different from when they began. 

Morro looked down at his hands in a mild panic and exchanged concerned looks with Lloyd. His anxiety got worse upon feeling Sora and Arin’s eyes on him, making his stomach twist with vulnerability and shame because he knew they were giving him pitying looks.

“It’s not working.” Morro breathes quietly. 

Lloyd stayed quiet. “Give it a go.” He said after a while. Morro once again lifted his hand and tried to focus, but the wind remained absent. A sad and questioning trill came from Riyu, who titled his head in confusion.

“Hey…” Lloyd said empathetically and squeezed Morro’s shoulder gently. “It’s alright. I’m sure there are other ways to get your powers back, okay? Maybe we just need to wait a while. I know we can get your powers back. Believe in me, Morro.” 

Believe in me, Morro. The words bounced in his mind. It made him unsettled. Those were the words he was told as a child by Sensei Wu. 

‘Believe in me, Morro. You are the Green Ninja.’ Sensei Wu had said confidently, but those words did not align with his fate.

‘Believe in me, Morro. I’ll protect and take care of you.’ The Preeminent had said oh so sweetly, but she had dragged him into the ocean to die, then returned to torment him in his strange encounter in the Departed Realm. 

I’m smarter now though. Morro reassured himself. I know that Lloyd can actually be trusted. If Lloyd can’t be trusted, then no one can.

Morro gave Lloyd a short nod. “I believe in you, Lloyd.”

Lloyd didn’t say anything but instead gave Morro an appreciative smile. Morro went back inside the Monastery and went inside the kitchen. Whilst he cooked breakfast for everyone, he couldn’t help but take a glance at the alcohol cellar. His fingers shamelessly twitched at the sight of the dark bottles of wine stacked on top of the colourful bottles of spirits. 

No. You don't even like wine.  Morro told himself harshly and quickly looked away from the alcohol cellar, focusing his gaze on the stove. Pathetic, is that all it really takes for you to come crumbling down? What happened to being able to handle things, huh? Useless piece of shit. You’re meant to be proving that you’re worth keeping around to the other ninja now that you have no powers! Returning to this habit is more of a reason for them to get rid of you. 

By the time it was 10 in the morning, everyone excluding Wyldfyre and Heatwave, who were sleeping in the dragon stables, was in the training grounds taking turns at completing the training course as quickly as possible. Arin and Sora watched from the sidelines and cheered for whoever was completing the training course while simultaneously taking mental notes to increase their efficiency, speed and confidence. 

Morro, on the other hand, sat down on the balcony veranda quietly reviewing how he was going to explain what happened with the Preeminent to the ninja, since they had collectively agreed to hold their team meeting straight after their game. Perhaps planning that now wasn’t the best time to be doing such a thing when his line of thinking was being interrupted by everyone cheering and shouting enthusiastically for Kai, who was the current contestant for completing the training course as quickly as possible. 

“Bam! That’s got to be a new record!” Kai announced proudly between heavy pants. “What’s my time, Zane?” 

“You got 18.7 seconds! That defeats the record of 19.1 set by Lloyd, congratulations!” Zane replied with an impressed smile as Kai high-fives Cole.

“Oh hell yeah! Whoo-hoo!” Kai laughed proudly as the others clapped.

“Damn Kai!” Lloyd pats Kai on the back, grinning. “Good job, hard to believe that you still beat my record when you have all that hair gel weighing on you.” 

 “Pfft- shut up! Hey Morro! You haven’t had a turn yet, let’s see if you can beat my time!”

Morro scoffed with a small smirk. “Your time is childsplay.”

There was a line of 'oooo!'s' that came from everyone else. He stood up, nudging Kai out of his way with his shoulder with half-hearted smugness. Kai reciprocates Morro’s smugness and cheekily puts one hand on his hip and returns the smirk. 

“Oh yeah, Windbag? Show us what you got then.”

A chance to prove myself… At last…

“How confident are you that I won’t beat your time?” Morro taunted. “Confident enough to make a little wager with me?” 

Murmurs and sounds of interest rippled between the group. Sensei Wu remained quiet, observing the jeering exchanges between Morro and Kai with a small but noticeably amused grin. 

“Confident enough. How about this, Morro: if you don’t beat my time, then you have to do my chores for a month. And if you do beat my time, I will do your chores for a month. So, is it a deal?”

“Yes,” Morro replied. He left it there, it was a fair deal after all. Though it was tempting to abuse the fact that Kai was a horrible negotiator.

“Just promise me that you won’t hold back.”

Morro smirked softly and narrowed his eyes, his chin pointed upwards a little. “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.” He said with faux innocence and makes his way to the allocated starting line. 

“On your marks, get set…” Zane paused. “Go!” 

Morro bolted off and begun completing the training course. Everyone looked at him intensely as they followed Morro’s quick and agile movements, their faces visibly stunned with awe and excitement. Even with his long hair, Morro’s movements were so confident and swift that the blades attached to the spinning wheels did not cut any of it off. Morro made an effort to make sure that no grunts of effort were let out either.

Lloyd and Nya were cheering loudly as Cole jumped up and down excitedly, and Jay was laughing at a very dreaded looking Kai who had his hands pressing against his mouth in disbelief and his body hunched in realisation that his record did not stand a chance against Morro. Sensei Wu remained standing behind the others with his bamboo staff in hand and watched intently, feeling a sense of pride upon watching how well Morro was doing after his hospitalisation. 

Morro’s doing so well, it's incredible how he can just get back on his feet no matter what happens to him. Sensei Wu thought to himself. So resilient…

Purely to humour himself, Morro did a backflip off the last obstacle and landed in front of the group with a teasing grin.

He kept eye contact with Kai, panting ever so quietly. “Zane, what was my time?”

Zane paused for a moment to laugh softly, clearly impressed. “Your time was 11.2 seconds. That is 40.1% faster than Kai’s record.”

Morro relished in the way that Kai choked in shock with greater satisfaction than he did the ecstatic cheers of the others. 

“Ugh, you’re an asshole.” Kai whined, to which Morro and the others laugh. 

Before any banter could begin, a woman dressed in grey robes with golden outlines on the edges bursted through the Monastery gates, panting heavily as she gripped onto Lloyd’s right shoulder. 

“Lloyd, the Cloud Kingdom, it’s in danger! I need your help sealing a merge quake!” Euphrasia exclaimed hastily between exhausted breaths, and upon hearing her voice, Lloyd’s, Kai and Nya’s hearts became flushed with fear and anxiety. The three exchanged glances at another in a split second before returning their focus to Euphrasia. Lloyd nods. “We’ll help. Team, get your weapons.” 

Everyone immediately dispersed into the Monastery without question, including Sensei Wu. Lloyd grabbed onto Morro’s wrist before he could follow.

“Morro, I’m not sure you should go on this mission.” Lloyd began calmly. “You still need to recover and get used to fighting without your powers, and it’s the Cloud Kingdom of all places. I thought you hated going there?” Lloyd cautioned, to which Morro laughed. 

“Are you kidding me? This is the first mission we’re gonna do as a full team in years. I’m not missing out on this.” Morro said brightly and enthusiastically with his fist clenched by his chest, like he was swearing an oath. “Fuck it if it’s the Cloud Kingdom, and FSM Lloyd, I don’t rely on my powers that much for combat. I’ll be fine.”

Please believe that I will be fine. Please believe that I am not useless without my powers. 

“Besides, after we seal this merge quake I want to try to collect some information about what happened to my powers. I mean, what better place is there to search than the Cloud Kingdom Archives?”

Lloyd nodded stiffly, and then froze upon hearing Euphrasia speak.

“What happened to your powers?” She asked curiously and looked at Morro. 

That was it. He was done. Gone and oh so fucked. Lloyd felt like he was about to become paralysed. Everything could break away at this very second, and so so easily. He could see it right now. Euphrasia’s identity and their encounter at the Cloud Kingdom from a month ago gets revealed, Morro gets mad at Lloyd, Nya and Kai for keeping it a secret for so long, and the team becomes disconnected even though they just reunited with another. Disaster. All their progress goes out the window.

“They disappeared. Not sure why.” Morro shrugged. “But I’m going to find out why.” 

To Lloyd’s relief, their conversation ends there as Morro hastily retrieved a sword from his bedroom and joins the others a moment later.

The conversation shifted towards the attack the Cloud Kingdom was facing as the group ran towards the new gateway between the Cloud Kingdom and the Monastery.

Like the last time Lloyd, Kai and Nya visited, large floating purple tentacle creatures were floating around and attempting to destroy the Cloud Kingdom’s infrastructure by brutally slapping their tentacles against nearby towers. Monks were hastily evaluating their stations, screaming fearfully and running towards the centre of the Cloud Kingdom for safety. Morro’s eyes flickered briefly with fear before he realised that it was not the Cursed Realm attacking the Cloud Kingdom.

They look like the Preeminent, but smaller and with the wrong colours… Morro thought anxiously and instinctively looked around out of fear that the Preeminent could be here too. She’s not here, but would it be that absurd to think that the merge quakes could act as a bridge for the Preeminent to invade other realms given it was the right size? He shivered. The Realm Crystal allowed the Preeminent to travel between realms through a much smaller gateway. Every merge quake could very well be an opportunity to be confronted with the Preeminent again, an opponent that they would need to properly plan for. 

“Morro? Morro! Morro, are you listening?” Lloyd called out and draged Morro away from his anxious thoughts. He snapped his head over to Lloyd. Although his face was covered by his mask, instinct redirected his face to form a poker face.

“Sorry, I was just taking in the situation.” Morro murmured under his breath in embarrassment, though his apology was sincere. “You have my attention now, what were you saying?” 

Lloyd paused with what Morro feared was judgement. He then points to the far corner of the Cloud Kingdom that they were in. “I was saying that you and Zane are going over that way. Zane will defeat that monster and close the merge quakes, whilst you evacuate the people.”

Morro forced himself to restrain an expression of disappointment to invade his face. Even with his mask on, just the slightest inward inclination of his eyebrows could reveal his distaste, such distaste that Morro did not want Lloyd to know the existence of.

He was used to being on the frontlines, taking on the biggest challenge in the court. Lloyd always happily gave him that task. But of course, that was before he lost his powers and sustained a concussion. 

He’ll sideline me forever if I don’t prove myself to him. 

Although Lloyd generously made his concern for Morro's safety as subtle as he could, alongside pairing Zane with him so he didn’t feel excluded, it still caused panic, humiliation and hurt to manifest in Moro’s heart and make a sense of unease ripple through his body. 

Come on, dumbass. He hissed at himself. Are you really going to make this all about yourself? Are you going to cry about this when there are people in desperate need of saving? Selfish piece of shit. Get your fucking act together. 

He remained silent for a moment before he nodded once at Lloyd. 

“On it.” Morro replied neutrally, hoping that didn’t accidentally manage to make his response hostile or appear anything less than Morro’s complete trust in Lloyd. He didn’t want to offend him, nor did Morro want to return to his argumentative nature in a time this fragile.

‘You haven’t changed one bit’ He remembers the Preeminent saying. Morro clenches his teeth. I will prove myself. 

Zane and Morro used Airjitzu to hastily make their way to the far side of the Cloud Kingdom. Once out of earshot, Lloyd almost got too comfortable and let out a relieved sigh. 

It was dangerous, that much was certain. Lloyd couldn’t shake off the feeling of fear and anxiety that hung heavy on his heart. The situation was far too fragile, growing unbearably more unpredictable as time went by, and with Euphrasia now helping out in their battle, Lloyd was frantically praying to the First Spinjitzu Master that although he was effectively doomed alongside Kai and Nya, that somehow Morro wouldn’t figure out that Euphrasia was the new Master of Wind and that the trio had known a whole month prior. 

Or that if Morro did figure it all out, that he would be unbothered, perhaps even understanding of why they employed secrecy in the first place. Best case scenario, Morro would be willing, even enthusiastic, to teach Euphrasia and train her as the second known Elemental Master of Wind.

He’s grown more open minded and forgiving, however it is cruel to expect that Morro would not be affected in some way. He would interpret our secrecy as distrust and as a personal attack. The strange mix of intense heat and coolness of anxiety was tumbling unhappily in his gut. The three glanced at another knowingly. Arin and Sora would not be subject to Morro holding a grudge against for knowing about the secret, they were hardly acquainted with Morro after all.

However Lloyd, Kai and Nya knew they would not have the same privilege. 

“Come on team.” Lloyd commanded encouragingly as he unsheathed his sword. “The Cloud Kingdom needs our protection, and now that we are reunited, we are more able than ever. Nya, Cole, Jay and Kai, you guys handle that sector. Arin, Sora, Euphrasia and I will handle the centre of the Cloud Kingdom. After defeating these creatures and sending them back into the quakes, use your powers to close up the merge quakes.”

They all gave each other a nod of affirmation before splitting up.

Whilst Zane focused on sending one of the creatures back into the merge quake, Morro was occupied using Airjitzu to quickly jump between towers to help the civilians out of them and out of harm's way. Evacuating people was an easy job for Morro. He was quick, efficient, and thorough. However, he couldn’t help but let himself go into autopilot as he consulted his thoughts. The shouts of praise and gratitude from the Cloud Kingdom citizens for saving them fell on deaf ears.

Okay… so Lloyd still doesn’t trust me to fight. Maybe with time, he would grow comfortable in asking me to do so. But… there is always the possibility that he would get comfortable doing this to me, so again, proving myself and fast is pretty important. But why should I be dissatisfied with what I'm doing now? I'm helping people, and teammates are meant to share the responsibilities of missions. But it isn't like I'm mad about helping people like this. I don't like that Lloyd only sees me as capable of only doing this because I no longer have my powers. As if I even used my powers that much to begin with! 

There was a loud and deep groan from the creature that Zane sent back into the merge quake by blasting it with ice shook the floor, shortly followed by a sharp ‘shoop!’ sound from the merge quake sealing.

Oh but what if I'm wrong? When am I ever right? I could be making Lloyd the villain in my head when all he has is good intentions. But does good intentions also equate to good methods?

“Come on, let’s help the others!” Morro called out to Zane as the other nodded in agreement. Both quickly made their way to another sector of the Cloud Kingdom, marked by a towering pagoda that shone bronze in the morning sun. They joined Jay, Cole, Nya and Kai’s group who were occupied defeating three of the strange creatures, whilst Lloyd, Sora, Arin and Euphrasia were hardly visible on the other side of the Cloud Kingdom centre, similarly fighting two of the creatures.

Okay… Lloyd said to himself. Everything is going smoothly. Everything will be fine. Morro will not know who Euphrasia really is, and everything will stay the same.

Naturally, his choice to be grouped with his students and Euphrasia had purely been to manage the fragile secret that would shatter Morro if he knew.

So far, that was working. Or it was until one of the tentacle creatures landed a brutal hit on Sora’s mech mid-air. There was an ugly and loud clang that was shortly followed by the sound of alarms and the dreading sound of the mech entering a power down, not to mention the whoosh sound of the mech falling. The clouds all the way at the bottom of the Cloud Kingdom were regular clouds and could not keep her safe. 

“Sora!!!” Lloyd cried out, but before he could summon his Elemental Dragon to save her, he received a hit to his ribs in his distracted state by one of the tentacles. He winced in pain as the tentacle threw him against the stone base of one of the towers and kept him pressed there, completely immobilised and helpless. 

“I got you!” Euphrasia shouted and ran to the edge of the platform, casting out her hands and shutting her eyes as a fury of wind was conjured up under Sora, effectively lifting her mech up to safety on the concrete. 

Morro, who is on the other side of the pagoda and unable to see what was transpiring, froze. 

“The wind… She’s here.” Morro gasped in quiet disbelief as he turns around in attempts to source out where the wind came from. His few seconds of stillness and his visibly distracted state caught his team's attention after they finish sealing all the merge quakes in their area. Jay, Cole, Nya and Kai flip off the second floor of the pagoda to where he was on the ground floor, surrounded by cheering monks celebrating their victory.

“Morro, what happened?” Cole shook Morro’s shoulder to get him out of his trance. Morro blinked slowly, still dazed. "She's here." He repeated softly.

“She? Morro, who are you talking about?” 

“The wind.” Morro said without elaborating and made a dash towards the back of the pagoda– the very place Lloyd, Arin, Sora and Euphrasia were. 

Jay and Cole exchanged confused looks as they ran after Morro. Nya, on the other hand, remained in place out of shock for a few moments before following them. 

“Oh– so ‘she’ is the wind? How’d you get that?” Jay inquired between pants.

“Dunno.” Morro said distantly. “Been like that since the start.”

“Right… well– uh, how are you sure that this is your power? How can you even tell if it isn’t just the wind? I mean, I can’t tell when lightning is mine or naturally occurring, let alone a gender.”

Morro abruptly stopped, leading Cole and Jay to collide into his back with a surprised grunt. Morro turned, and although his face was covered by his mask, his expression was undoubtedly one of offence. “I’m being serious. Elemental Wind feels different from just the regular wind. She’s here, someone is–” Morro halted mid-sentence and his face fell into discomfort.

Shit. Someone. Someone else is wielding the wind… Unless… no no please, surely it’s just the Elemental Power of wind being isolated and trying to find a host. It’s been a month, but hopefully she hasn’t found another host yet… If I can absorb her, I’ll be the Master of Wind again, and then I don’t have to worry about being useless. What I'm feeling right now... it's definitely her, in her entirety. 

After a few moments of silence, Morro resumed running forward and the others followed, confused. There was a heavy metal clunk that was heard by the group just before they turned the corner to see Sora’s mech battered. Sora was helped out of the mech by Euphrasia and upon the sight, Nya rushed to the two.

“Sora! Are you alright?”

She smiled weakly. “Yup, but we need to help Lloyd!” Sora pointed to the island across them, where Lloyd is still struggling to break free of the tentacles holding him down. Euphrasia was quick to chime in.

“I’ll handle that!” She offered and begun to run in Lloyd’s direction, and Nya makes a strangled choking sound that catches Morro off guard, but more so from Euphrasia’s words.

A Cloud Monk confidently offering to defend Lloyd against that huge monster? Either she’s a fool or I’m missing something. Morro thinks suspiciously. The Cloud Monks aren’t trained to do anything but write. Even martial art teachers wouldn’t be suited for this. 

“A-actually!” Nya rushed and grabbed Euphrasia’s wrist. “Can you stay with Sora and Arin? The others and I will help Lloyd.”

Euphrasia blinked in surprise as he eyebrows furrowed in irritation. “No, we do this together. I can do this.”

Mh, argumentative and reactive. And she seemed so kind and innocent before. Morro thought to himself, regarding her last sentence skeptically. 

“Euphrasia,” Nya says stiffly through gritted teeth. “Stay here. Let the experts handle it, okay?”

Morro’s eyebrows weren’t the only one’s perked in surprise, Jay and Cole observed Nya and Euphrasia’s uncharacteristically tense exchange. Jay approached Nya and perches one hand on her shoulder, a silent plea for her to step back and calm down. 

“Guys! A little help over here?” Lloyd strained from afar, his voice pitched far higher than normal. 

Nya shot off in Lloyd’s direction, immediately followed by Morro, Cole and Jay.

“Hang in there buddy, we got you!” Cole shouted and hits his clenched fists together. Orange cracks illuminate on Cole’s arm, he grips the tentacle pressing Lloyd to a wall with a deep grunt and frees Lloyd. As Morro and Cole helped Lloyd to his feet, Nya and Jay assaulted the monster with a combined blast of water and electricity, sending the monster shrieking and stumbling backwards towards the merge quake. 

The group moved in to knock the monster into the merge quake by leaping off the walkway, but midway through their jump, another tentacle from yet another creature emerges from the merge quake and wraps one tentacle around them all, keeping them tightly bound and struggling for air. 

“Fuck!” Morro cursed, trying to get one arm free to grip the sword that was nestled on his back, but he quickly realised that even if he could, pulling out his weapon would likely hurt the others. Using their powers would result in the same. The creature responsible for their immobility came floating out of the merge quake with a low and threatening grumble, squeezing them even tighter.

There were popping noises from their joints as they got tightly pressed together alongside the sounds of some loose gears clanging together from Zane, not to mention their collective whines of pain and panic. 

“Let them GO!!!” An enraged voice shouted before the group’s hearing was temporarily stolen by a vicious gush of wind that passed them en route to the two beasts. Elemental wind. Morro’s stomach dropped as it became weighed down by fear. He tried to suppress his visible anxiousness once he started feeling paralysingly nauseous. 

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuckity fuck. Fuckkkkkk. He spun his head around both ways to find who was wielding his powers.

The gusts were strong enough to send the two tentacle creatures writhing with pain and falling backwards, the one gripping the team losing its hold and sending them all into free fall. Another gust of wind is summoned to catch them and guide them onto the pavement safely by someone Morro couldn’t quite see in the mess and haste of the events transpiring. His shock and dread made him simultaneously overly analytical and unable to focus on anything at all as he caught sight of Euphrasia wielding the wind, hovering mid air and single handedly defeating both of the floating creatures, sending them into the merge quake and sealing it. 

Morro wanted to laugh.

A cloud monk is the new Elemental Master of Wind. A cloud monk is the new Elemental Master of Wind! Morro’s internal voice was slow and menacing as he repeated it to himself a second time. His blood was rushing hot with rage and disbelief.

He glances at the others, of whom Lloyd, Nya and Kai hold the most shocked expressions. Lloyd in particular has the most dread. 

Shit, I really hope Lloyd doesn’t feel guilty. I would never forgive myself if he genuinely felt ashamed of himself for encouraging me and reassuring me that I could get my powers back whilst he did not know about Euphrasia… Morro thought alongside his thoughts of panic. Amidst thoughts of hopelessness and fear, he feels his self worth being viciously pummelled into the ground. He would now live knowing that he would never be the Master of Wind again. He had wielded the wind for the last time already and he didn’t even know it when it had happened. 

Arin, Sora and Riyu had caught up with them just as Euphrasia landed in front of Morro and the other ninja, laughing joyfully and smiling proudly. 

“Did you guys see that? That felt amazing!” Euphrasia cheered giddily, Arin and Sora being the only ones smiling and praising her as the rest of the team look at each other in shock. Morro sighed quietly in defeat– his earlier anger suddenly deflating to renew him with an oh so lovely state of helplessness. Cole was quick to comfort, placing a reassuring hand on Morro’s left shoulder. 

They will be needing her now. I can at least make this easy. 

“You did good, kid.” Morro begun, surprising his team and Lloyd especially. Morro couldn’t quite tell what was running through Lloyd’s mind at the moment, or rather, why. He was anxious and afraid– overly so. A part of him was preparing for Lloyd to faint from emotional overload. Morro refused to believe that guilt was causing Lloyd this much distress, not to mention Nya and Kai as well. Their anxiety was making Morro feel all the more skittish.

Kai laughs nervously, but it was loud and exasperated that Morro couldn’t help become suspicious. 

“Y-yeah! Thanks for saving us…” He stammered with faux confidence and patted Euphrasia on the back. 

“You’re welcome! It was so much fun fighting together again!” Euphrasia beamed and turns to Arin and Sora, before directing her thanks towards Lloyd, Kai and Nya. 

Morro blinked. Again?

“Really, thank you for pushing me to embrace my new powers! I don’t think I would be wielding the wind if it weren’t for you guys encouraging me!” 

“Hahaha I know it's great! Powers, whoo!” Kai said loudly over when Euphrasia was saying ‘if it weren’t for you guys encouraging me!’ but it didn’t escape Morro’s hearing.

Encouraging her?! If it weren't for Lloyd, Nya and Kai?!

Morro stole an angry and sharp glance at the three, who were laughing nervously and trying to get Euphrasia to stop talking even more.

Zane and Cole, who stood behind Morro, had their eyes wide with surprise and similarly faced Lloyd, Kai and Nya with a questioning look in their eyes alongside bewilderment. They mouthed ‘you knew?!’s silently from behind Morro to the trio, who looked away in shame. 

Morro felt so stupid. When Euphrasia had stormed into the Monastery, he hadn’t even thought twice about how she seemed to know Lloyd (he was famous, yes, but it was clear that it wasn’t their first encounter!), knew about the pathway between the Monastery and the Cloud Kingdom, and then knowing how to seal a merge quake– such information not having left their team. 

“This last month of really embracing being the Master of Wind has been amazing! Everyone has been praising me and congratulating me, especially after we sealed that merge quake together the last time you guys were here, and the Cloud Kingdom is even going to hold a massive conference to address the need for a new way of life and–!” Euphrasia’s words died at the tip of her tongue as a tense silence harshly interrupted her celebratory mood. She finally took notice of the situation between the team, excluding Sora and Arin, who were gritting their teeth anxiously on the side lines. “Ah– is something wrong?” She asked cautiously. 

So much jealousy was pumping through Morro at this point. Immense anger followed– immense anger towards Euphrasia for taking away what was his, for being part of the Writers of Destiny who damned him in the first place, for being applauded, for being valued beyond as a commodity, for being so loved by her people… and a small, deeply sheathed part of him despised Sensei Wu for making him feel the complete opposite in his youth. 

And Lloyd… just like Sensei Wu had, he made him believe. Lloyd made him believe that he would regain his powers, that he would become the Master of Wind again. He had filled him with so much hope that he had believed Lloyd’s words even when it was clear from Riyu’s and Morro’s exchange that it wasn’t the case. He wasn’t the Master of Wind anymore, Lloyd knew it but decided to keep on deluding him. A second betrayal played with the same cards, and once again from the people he held closest. Morro couldn’t feel more foolish.

“Not at all.” Morro replied with his usual tone of voice as he faced Euphrasia. “Now that the threat has been eliminated, we’ll be taking our leave. We have a lot to do at the Monastery.” Morro’s voice lowered at the end of his sentence as he briefly turns his head to Lloyd, Kai and Nya. Morro wouldn’t dare make a scene in the middle of the Cloud Kingdom, but that could only promise so much mercy from his anger.

“Oh, you sure?” Euphrasia queried. “Didn’t you want to go to the Cloud Kingdom Archives to figure out why your powers disappeared? I can take you there if you’d like, it’s the least I could do since you helped save my people.”

Morro crossed his arms over his chest. “No need.” He said simply. “Fighting has cleared my head, I’ve gotten all the answers I’ve needed."

“Oh that’s lovely then! Well, thanks again for helping me save the Cloud Kingdom! It’s been fun fighting together!” Euphrasia smiled at the others with her hands on her hips proudly.

“I’m already looking forward to the day we all see another again–”

Like I would look forward to the day I had to see the person who stole my powers from me.

“–but until then, I’ll see you later!”

Chapter Text

The walk back to the Monastery had given Lloyd the worst anxiety he has had in many years. 

Stopping the world from being destroyed from merge quakes felt like an easier task to handle than the inevitable ‘talk’ Morro was going to have with him later. A talk, no doubt, that was going to turn into a prickly argument. Lloyd clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly. 

Morro walked ahead of the group through the gates leading back to the Monastery, too calmly and too silently to give Lloyd anything short of the most paralysing sense of impending doom that ate at his heart and made guilt pool in his abdomen uncomfortably. Morro did not normally hide his frustrations when he had them. He was expressive and vocal, giving into the impulse of speaking his mind even when the situation wasn’t remotely appropriate. High status or public locations did not often deter Morro from giving his full, unfiltered moral judgement of someone when he felt it was called for.

The uncertainty of what would happen next was mortifying.

Jay, Cole and Zane were in the middle of the group, both physically and figuratively. Anger wasn’t an accurate enough description for their reaction, but nor was disappointment. It was something closer to confusion and apprehension. The three had urgently questioned Lloyd, Nya and Kai in shocked whispers just out of earshot of Morro, hardly able to grasp the reality of the situation and desperate for more context. 

When they enter the dragon stables, Morro paused in his steps. The others from their place a few metres away from him do the same, waiting restlessly for a reaction from him. Lloyd had long lost the feeling of his hands and feet. Morro turned to face them and spoke calmly.

“Cole, Zane and Jay, stay here please. Lloyd’s students, you too.”

Unsure, Arin and Sora looked to Lloyd for something akin to permission or some form of intervention. Lloyd gives him a slow nod and a shaky smile of reassurance. Morro hummed in silent thanks before gesturing for Lloyd, Kai and Nya to follow him up to the Monastery. The only person there would be Sensei Wu, P.I.X.A.L having gone back to the Borg Industries HQ for the week to help Borg.

Once inside the meeting room, Morro stopped walking once more. “Stay here for a moment.” He said softly before closing the slide doors and walked over to Sensei Wu’s room. Kai noticed Lloyd anxiously fidgeting with his hands and decided to put his hand on the other's shoulder, rubbing his thumb therapeutically. 

“Hey,” Kai called out, “It’s going to be okay buddy. We made the right choices, but you have to remember that they don’t always make everyone happy.” Kai reasoned calmly, but Lloyd swallowed uneasily. 

“Yeah…” Lloyd managed weakly. FSM he feels pathetic. Was this the same voice he used to inspire and empower others? Why was it sounding so feeble right now? Since when did he feel so feeble? He gulped, pressing a hand to his forehead feverishly with his eyes shut. 

"It was within Morro's best interest." Nya chimed quietly, "We couldn't have told him while he was in hospital."

Lloyd felt dizzy. His entire body was tense and trembled anxiously. His fingers and feet were numb and cold, whereas his face and gut were consumed by uncomfortable heat. Lloyd’s mind was barely able to register how much his body was sweating until Kai’s hand came off his shoulder, the cold he felt when the area came into contact with the air again startling him. 

"We should have told him soon after he came back." Lloyd murmured, "We had no reason to keep it a secret after that."

I can’t do this. He repeated to himself quickly. I can’t handle this. Nothing will be okay. I don’t want to feel this way anymore. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. Please make it all stop. Please let everything go back to the way it was. Please. Please please please please.

Lloyd wanted to cry. 

"Why didn't we?" He hiccupped and clenched his hair tightly. Kai and Nya hugged Lloyd tightly, but did not reply. 

*               *               *

Meanwhile…

“Master Wu,” Morro said cooly. The man in question was seated in the middle of his meditation room with his back facing Morro. Incense sticks of Nap Champa gently flickered orange and carried its floral and earthy fragrance in thin ribbons of smoke. Morro sighed quietly and decided that being patient was an act of generosity he couldn’t find himself willing to indulge Sensei Wu in at the moment. 

He tapped Sensei Wu on the shoulder twice and sat opposite him, calling out his name again sternly. When that fails to get more than a quiet and amused ‘one moment’ from Sensei Wu, Morro gritted his teeth and snatched the sticks of incense and dunks the burning tips into a bowl of sand that Sensei Wu kept beside him to extinguish the small flames. 

“Master Wu.”

Defeated, Sensei Wu lets out a humoured sigh. 

“Alright, you have my attention now Morro.” Sensei Wu smiled warmly, but it slumped into a troubled frown shortly after seeing Morro’s serious expression. “What’s wrong?” He asked cautiously. 

“Nothing. I just need you down in the dragon stables for a little while. The others are there too.” Morro replied calmly. Sensei Wu blinked. “The reason for that being?”

For a moment, Morro closed his eyes and groans inaudibly. “I need the Monastery for a bit. I won’t be long.” He replied cryptically. 

Sensei Wu hummed hesitantly, but didn't press. “Okay then.”

Once he was out, Morro headed back into the meeting room and startled the three with how harshly he slammed the doors.

“You knew about Euphrasia.”

“Morro, please listen to me–” Lloyd tried.

“You purposefully kept this a secret from me. Did you think I would never find out?! You knew about Euphrasia and that she was the new Master of Wind. You’ve known for weeks and yet you made the conscious decision to keep it from me!”

“Morro–”

“Lloyd."

“We didn’t want to keep this from you,” Lloyd pleaded quickly, Kai and Nya nodding alongside him. Morro frowned and raises his brow sceptically. “But we had to, don’t you see? So much was going on, your concussion, suddenly not being able to use your powers–”

Undoubtedly because that bitch used her status as a Writer of Destiny to write it so that she could steal my powers from me. Morro scowled as Lloyd continued to talk, eyebrows scrunched in displeasure. What other explanation is there? Passing my powers from death doesn’t make sense, and as if I would ever make the conscious decision to pass down my powers to anyone right now, much less to a Writer of Destiny! Ugh I can’t believe that the Cloud Kingdom keeps on fucking with me like this! Swear to the First fucking Spinjitzu Master I’m going to actually burn that place down the next time I’m there!

“–and you’ve been in such a good mood since we’ve been brought back together! I- it was for your own good!"

Morro's eye twitched. 

"I really thought that there would be more time to tell you properly. I didn’t want it to happen this way. I’m really sorry.”

Morro paused before sighing deeply.

“Lloyd, I’m fucking tired of you thinking I can not handle anything. What do you think I am? Just look at me! Look at me and tell me that I can’t handle anything!” He shouted angrily. 

This is so fucking stupid, I’ve been burnt alive, drowned to death, and died from a concussion but I’m still okay! I’ve fought all my life, I’ve handled whatever shit was thrown at me so I can handle being told someone else is the new Master of Wind! I don’t need anyone making decisions ‘for my own good’! I’m good enough! What do I need to DO just for you to understand that?! How do I prove it?! How do I prove myself to you?!

Lloyd winced. “I’m worried that you put too much weight on your shoulders. You will break down like this. You’re strong, but not invincible.”

“I’m not an idiot, I know I’m not invincible!” Morro snaps. “But FSM Lloyd, I don't say I can handle shit for the sake of it! I hate that you put aside everything I am and replace it with this feeble and pathetic fucking... idea of me that you've made up! I hate it Lloyd, I hate it! Just look at me, and see me for once!" 

Kai stepped in front of Lloyd defensively.

“Okay buddy, you’re getting a bit too agitated.” Kai interjected, all too parentally for Morro’s own sanity. “Deep breaths alright? You need to take a step back and calm down.” 

Morro’s left eye twitched again. He loathed Kai’s comment, equally as much as the rather nostalgic sight of Kai protecting Lloyd from him. 

“Fuck off! I’m not a fucking child! I don’t need you to be telling me to breathe and fucking calm down!"

"Morro!" Nya scolded. "If we want to get anywhere, you're going to have to cool down before I do it for you!" She threatened with a globe of water in her hand. "So what will it be, are you going to calm down and be reasonable about this?" 

Morro sneered cruelly, incredulously astounded by the stupidity of the situation. "Cool down? Sure, I can give you calm and reasonable! Lloyd, Kai, Nya," He begun with a fake smile and light voice drenched in sarcasm. "I humbly request that we discuss the thought process that resulted in the justification of purposefully keeping my successor a secret from me for the better part of a month. I acknowledge that you desired a controlled environment to share the news, and share the sentiment that it is a reasonable wish. However, I must point out that you have neglected to tell me in the last week where I was, as confirmed by my doctors, in good health. I now must enquire if there was a specific, preplanned date in which you three agreed upon to tell me the news." 

"I... there wasn't but... Morro..." Lloyd tried weakly, eyebrows knitted upwards guiltily. "We understand we made a mistake."

"Mh."

"But please, try see it from our perspective."

Morro blinked and flashed a smile. "Oh, the perspective that justified betraying my trust and then further deluding me by acting the part of not knowing about Euphrasia by saying, oh what was it? 'Believe in me, you're still the Master of Wind'?"

Kai and Nya's eyebrows perked up as they glanced at Lloyd.

"You could have forgone that." Morro added, returning to a frown and normal volume. There was an edge to it, but sadness had weaved its way into it too. "Did you really need to say that, just to play the part? With everything you know about me, did you really?" Morro's voice reduced to a soft whisper. "I'm tired of this Lloyd. I don't need any more lies in my life."

What followed Morro immediately regretted. 

"You're the Green Ninja, you should be better than this. You can't be making mistakes like this."

If you want to be the Green Ninja, you need to be better than this, Morro. The Green Ninja can't make mistakes. 

Lloyd's eyes widen as his mouth fell open in shock and guilt. 

"Woah woah woah!" Kai called out, furrowing his brows disapprovingly. "That's uncalled for!"

Nya nodded, clenching her fists. "Yeah! We all make mistakes, it's not fair to try put these expectations on Lloyd!"

As the three argue, Lloyd struggled to move from his spot and to speak so he could try to justify himself. His breaths were shallow and rapid, his fingertips felt frosted and his gut churns as the argument slipped from the grasp of his concentration. 

It was wrong, so so so wrong. Why did I do that? Why did I say that? I take it back. Please, please, please, please let me take it all back. 

“Morro is right.” Lloyd said suddenly. Kai and Nya make a choked sound of disbelief.

“Hey now– Lloyd–” Kai started off weakly. 

“I want to talk to Morro alone.” He declared. “Please?” Lloyd added softly.

Kai and Nya exchanged a wordless glance at each other. The four shared a tense silence for a few moments before Kai and Nya agreed to Lloyd’s request and left the meeting room, heading to the dragon stables. Lloyd sighed shakily once they leave.

“When I first found out about Euphrasia, one of the first things I was worried about was making the same mistake that Sensei Wu made. I didn’t want to handle this like he had the Prophecy with you.” Lloyd begun before pausing, and when Morro didn’t interject, he took it as an agreement to hear Lloyd out in full. “You were right about what you said earlier. I should have told you when you came back from the hospital, and I shouldn't have deluded you. It was my fault. I’m sorry.”

“...So you have said,” Morro replied bitterly, before sighing with frustration. A hand on his hip and another clawing his hair. “I’m still so fucking pissed off.”

“I… understand that.” Lloyd murmured cautiously, still maintaining a quiet voice as he fiddled with the belt of his uniform nervously. 

"Would you have kept this a secret for longer if you could?"

"..." Lloyd looked at Morro helplessly, even when his mind was screaming at him with things to say.

When Morro simply turned his gaze away, Lloyd faltered, and the two fall into another painfully awkward silence. The apology was there, plain and sincere, yet it didn’t alleviate the weight of the betrayal pressing down on Morro’s heart. What worsened Morro’s state was seeing that the weather outside was still clear and calm. 

When he had his powers and was angry, the wind had reciprocated. The trees and leaves would sway violently and rustle furiously, clouds overhead would darken and puff up, stealing away the sky and sunlight. The sight of the afternoon sun and small white clouds through the window made him feel overwhelmingly disconnected and alone. 

He hissed in a fit of sudden and intense agitation and left, shutting the slide door so harshly that it comes off its tauts and falls ungracefully into the meeting room. 

“Morro–!” Lloyd called out desperately.

“Leave me alone!” Morro yelled, not looking back as he marched down the hallway angrily. 

Lloyd stuttered, holding his hand out in Morro’s direction as if to stop him, even when he had already disappeared from his line of sight. He gripped the fabric on uniform anxiously, unable to stop the way his chest heaved in a fruitless attempt to calm down. 

I’m sorry. Lloyd thought mournfully when the words don’t come out of his mouth. Please forgive me. 

*               *               *

Meanwhile…

On his way to his bedroom, Morro passed by the kitchen and quickly unlocked the alcohol cellar to hastily take out the first spirit he sees. P.I.X.A.L was not here to tell him off, and the others didn’t check the cellar enough to make Morro believe that they would notice that a bottle was gone.

Now in the privacy of his bedroom, he set aside the bottle of what he realises was whiskey on his bedside table and slumps down on his bed, hands pressed over his eyes for a few moments before glancing over at the mannequin in the corner of his room. The uniform he had made hugged the wooden body, the golden clouds embroidered on the sleeves shone mockingly at him, as did the outlines of the sage green lapel. Morro stood and turned the mannequin around to see the 風 symbol at the back of the uniform, and a quiet, pathetic sound escaped Morro’s mouth, one that he barely caught by covering his mouth with his hand. 

He gripped the shoulder of the gi with his free hand as his head bowed down sadly, eyes sealed tightly. 

The suit he thought was his belonged to another, just like with the Green Ninja suit. He clawed the fabric of the uniform possessively.

Again… it had to happen again. Morro thought bitterly. Had the others not been in the vicinity of the Monastery, he would have gone outside with both hands flipping off the clouds whilst shouting curses at Destiny. He had enough self control to not give into that impulse, but when he caught the sight of himself in the full body mirror, the sight of the coloured streak of hair that matched the uniform, he punched the mirror and vengefully watched his reflection shatter. 

A quiet sob was torn from him as he fell to his knees, right on top of the shards. He dipped his head and pressed it against the mirror, letting tears quietly escape and fall onto the floor. 

Then came a knock and a silhouette of who he recognised was Sensei Wu standing outside his door. Morro barely suppressed a pained groan.

Ugh, the others told him what happened. I'm so dead.

Sensei Wu knocked on the wall beside the door.

“Morro? Can I come in?” He asked politely, but Morro felt something snap within him upon hearing how kind his voice was. Irritation prickled Morro’s skin at the stark contrast of Sensei Wu’s voice– and in turn attitude– towards him when he had been a kid and now. 

Why couldn't you have always been like this?!

How could that sincere and worried voice belong to the same person who had made him train until he was physically sick, kept him around only because of his potential to fulfil the prophecy, then hadn’t even gone looking for him when Morro had disappeared. 

FSM, this was somehow the same man who introduced Morro to the others as his biggest regret.

Without realising, Morro had furrowed his eyebrows angrily once more.

“Morro? Morro, are you in there?” Sensei Wu persisted when he didn’t get a response. 

“Piss off, will you?” He replied flatly. From the other side of the door, Sensei Wu blinked in surprise, mouth hanging open in shock. “Morro, don’t use such obscene language–”

“Frankly, Master Wu, I don’t give a damn.” Morro said coldly and hides the bottle of whiskey under his bed just in case the other decided to barge in. “I don’t want to see you right now.” 

“Please talk to me,” Sensei Wu pleaded quickly. “Don’t keep this to yourself. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“What’s wrong is that you aren’t letting me be alone in peace,” Morro snapped. “I would appreciate it if you left me alone."

You know, like you always did?

“...I’ll be here for you whenever you are ready to talk,” Sensei Wu replied carefully. “None of us can do this alone.” 

Hearing that same sentence he first heard when he was on the cusp of dying for a second time was enough for tears to well in Morro’s eyes. Similarly to when he had heard that sentence that first time, a few seconds after it was said Morro couldn’t see Sensei Wu anymore, whose silhouette had now disappeared. 

Morro felt alone and abandoned once more.

Expressionless but no less emotional, tears dripped down his cheeks as he stared at the door with a blank expression as the unexpected wave of intense emotion took over. Sadness and emptiness flooded his heart first, before bitter anger took over. 

“For fuck’s sake.” Morro muttered under his breath and wipes his tears before kneeling on the floor to grab the whiskey bottle from underneath before sitting on his bed. His head hurt. He was overwhelmed. His eyes stung and his throat felt stuffy. Nothing felt right and nothing felt like a better solution for stopping these intense feelings other than drinking away his sobriety so that Morro could indulge in the ease of drunkenness.

He takes the bottle and takes a hefty swing, swallowing three gulps of the whiskey before stopping. 

The familiar burning sensation of whiskey down his throat is what few would describe as a nostalgic childhood memory. A strange kind of nostalgia, sweet for its familiarity and escapism.

Morro sobbed quietly, afraid and confused as he took another sip. He coughed and spluttered amidst his crying as he tried to swallow the whiskey.

He hadn’t completely succumbed to the warm and gooey feeling from the alcohol until a few hours later in the evening. At midnight, Morro lets out a relieved sigh, pleased. When he does, his mouth tingles from the spice and smokiness of the whiskey. His tears are dry on his skin. 

He lied down on his back on his bed, completely docile in the privacy of his own bedroom and held the mostly finished whiskey bottle in his right hand. Morro blinked slowly, having completely forgotten the broken mirror shards on the floor, the uniform on the mannequin, Euphrasia, and most of all, his fight with Kai, Nya and Lloyd.

Content with his levels of drunkenness, Morro lazily tapped his free hand around his bed in search of the cap of the whiskey bottle. The room was too dark, so he kept petting the bed blindly until a soft green light illuminates his view.

He murmured cluelessly. 

“I turned on... *hic* a lamp?” He slurred quietly, humming when he finds the cap and puts it on the whiskey bottle. He set it aside, noticing that the green light illuminated whatever he faced.

“Weirdass lamp.” Morro declared, deciding to stand up to walk to nowhere in particular in his room. 

“Stop... *hic* following me." He grumbled and lazily swatted at the air in front of his face. It doesn't get rid of the light. "Stubborn little... *hic* shit."

A single glance at the broken mirror shards on the floor revealed glowing green marks around Morro’s eyes, marks that matched the ones he had when he had been a ghost. Morro blinked, before rubbing his eyes and checking again. 

The marks were still there.

A cold hand had touched his shoulder, followed by a motherly voice quietly whispering in his ear.

"It's lovely to see you again, my child,” The Preeminent smiled, now standing in her human form as a ghost behind Morro as she slid her other hand up his other shoulder. He yelped, clumsily turning around to throw a weak kick at her, completely forgetting that it would go straight through her. Morro doesn't land as elegantly as he normally would and he stumbles backwards. The Preeminent laughed sweetly with half lidded eyes, her lashes long and accompanied by glimmering silver eyeliner. 

Parts of her curly black hair were woven into thick braids that reached her knees, and were decorated with shiny silver jewellery shaped like claws. Some of her hair rested against the front of her body, draped over the simple white silk dress she wore. Her nails were long and pointy, coated with shimmering silver nail polish and traced down the top half of Morro’s arm with a gentleness that didn’t match her threatening, albeit calm, smile. 

“Cute, my child, but don’t be so loud.” She whispered softly. “What do you think the ninja will think when they see you like this?"

Morro hardly comprehends that she is insulting him.

“I hope you haven’t missed me too much since our last little… reunion. I’m still very, very upset about how that ended by the way.” She murmured with an exaggerated pout. “You were meant to stay with me, but you just had to be taken away from me again, didn’t you? Destiny is so cruel, wouldn't you say? A shame that there isn't much we can do about that at this moment..."

Morro wobbled in his attempt to escape her grip and properly fight her, but he tripped forward and fell into her hold. She cackled quietly.

“Look at you, already so eager to come back to me.” She jabbed sarcastically with a cruel smile and mockingly pets his head. “Tragic, isn’t it? That the Merge placed the me so far away from you. What is even more upsetting is that most of my children have been 'revived' just like you had... how rude, for them to remained cursed yet not take the form I grant them, to be out of my rightful grasp."

The Preeminent gently lowered Morro into his bed, shallowly running her fingers through his hair.

“But you will change this unfortunate predicament of mine, won’t you? Just like you have before…” She cooed sweetly before her voice dropped into a harsh whisper. “You were a useful asset, with your mind and powers, and I don't appreciate-" She gripped his hair cruelly and distantly, Morro worried she would pull it out, "-that you were taken away from me. Oh, and now you're being manipulated by the people you call your family!" She whined dramatically. "My poor child, I hate to see you be so deceived. You think that you're loved by these people!"

Her nails press against his scalp mildly before loosening, she rubbed the area with faux sympathy.

“But,” The Preeminent begun, returning to her usual sweet voice. “that'll change. You're very lucky I'm so dedicated to saving you."

Too groggy, too disoriented, and too dizzy, Morro blinked slowly as a blanket was draped over his body and the faint sound of metallic shards being collected and disposed lingered at the edge of Morro’s consciousness. 

A soft hand returned to his shoulder, and Morro’s vision barely registered the ever dimming green glow of the ghost in front of him. 

“Goodnight, my child.” The Preeminent said sweetly as she watched Morro finally fall asleep. She chuckled quietly. “I’ll be seeing you very soon. I promise.”

Chapter Text

“Lloyd’s been cleaning all morning.” Arin observed from his spot in the hallway, peeking into the kitchen with Sora to see Lloyd cleaning the dishes. Prior to this, the two had watched Lloyd zone out as he hastily swept, dusted, and polished the Monastery. 

Sora hummed quietly in acknowledgement.

“Definitely not normal. And it’s Wednesday, he forgot that we were meant to be doing his beloved sunrise exercises this morning.” She replied softly.

“Don’t tell me, you’re upset about missing out on that?” Arin teased with a small smile, and Sora returned it with a playful and gentle nudge. It was strained, Arin noticed.  

“We could have slept in,” Sora chimed cooly. “That would be a very welcomed change.” 

Arin laughed quietly before he hummed thoughtfully. “Ah, the sacrifices we must make to be ninja.” 

Sora smiled a little, then shrugged. “You are the one trying to become a ninja here, Arin. But I guess learning how to fight is pretty helpful… especially considering how dangerous the world has become since the Merge.” 

Arin nodded. “Not to mention that it is especially helpful being trained by Elemental Masters. I know you’re pretty much the first known Master of Technology, so it’s not exactly the most case-sensitive learning, but at least we have an insight on how you can unlock your true potential and a bunch of other cool things. An Elemental Dragon sounds pretty awesome, doesn’t it?” Arin smiled excitedly, longingly.

Sora looked down at her hands and frowned. Arin should have been an Elemental Master. He has more potential than I ever will, and he actually wants to be one… She pursed her lips together and pondered. Elemental Masters can choose their successor. Maybe I can figure out a way to give my powers to him instead, but who do I ask without sounding suspicious? 

“Back to Lloyd though…” Sora said suddenly after some time had passed. 

“Oh, right, yeah. Sorry.” Arin apologised bashfully. “I think it’s fair to say that he and Morro are not on very good terms right now. I suppose cleaning is Lloyd’s way of coping? What do you think happened yesterday, when they were in the Monastery and kept us down in the dragon stables? You reckon they had a bad argument?” 

Sora scoffed. “I think a ‘bad argument’ is a pretty under dramatic way to describe it, Arin." She replied flatly. "Lloyd, Kai and Nya are keeping what happened yesterday under wraps on purpose. I mean, look at Lloyd. It must have been horrific.”

“The ‘friendship ending’ kind of horrific, you reckon?” 

“I hope not. How do you think Morro is taking all this?”

Arin quickly checked one of the clocks hanging on the wall behind him. “It’s almost 9am, but he hasn’t seemed to have woken up yet. Or at the very least, hasn’t left his room. Strange, considering he was up and training very early yesterday. And practically every day before that...” Arin commented. “It was weird not having breakfast made by him. I’ve gotten far too used to his cooking.” He added quietly with a small frown.

“The argument probably exhausted him.” Sora said, ignoring Arin’s extra comment as the two walked away from the kitchen and headed to the living room. “Maybe he’s afraid that he would bump into Lloyd if he left his room.” 

Arin made a small noise of doubt. “I don’t think ‘Morro’ and ‘being afraid’ is something you would see in a sentence very often, unless you end it off with something like ‘is impossible’. Out of everything, you reckon that crossing paths with Lloyd after all that has happened is something that he’d be afraid of?”
“I’m open to theories."

The two heard the slide doors open and they turn around to see Cole enter, Jay alongside him.

“Hey you two, we’re having a meeting in a few minutes downstairs. Zane uncovered some pretty important information and decided that we needed a briefing ASAP.”

“Oh! A new mission then?” Arin ears perk up excitedly. “Sure thing! We’ll head down now. We take the elevator behind the TV to get there, right?”

Cole hummed in confirmation, smiling softly with his arms crossed over his chest. “Which you access by throwing three shurikens onto the dart board, yes. I’ll tell Lloyd about this meeting first and then the three of you can head down together, yeah?”

The two nod, not daring to ask about Morro or the fact that Cole and Jay didn’t seem to be going to the meeting despite it having 'pretty important information'. Or simply, they weren't going right now. They waited a few moments for Cole to retrieve Lloyd from the kitchen, Jay standing behind Sora and Arin quietly in the meanwhile. When Jay and Lloyd make eye contact, they scramble for an appropriate greeting and only manage an unsure and small nod to each other moments later.

Sora and Arin receive a timid and tired smile from Lloyd before they all go into the elevator in silence.

Lloyd's eyes suddenly widened in realisation once they reached the end of the ride.

“...it’s Wednesday. We were meant to do sunrise exercises this morning.” Lloyd breathed and facepalmed. “Sorry, I was so caught up with cleaning this morning, I completely forgot.”

Arin and Sora smiled sympathetically. 

“I’m not complaining about missing out on training.” Sora joked, and Lloyd huffed in amusement. 

“I’m sure you will like training someday. Especially sunrise exercise.” Lloyd said hopefully.

“Sounds like you speak from experience.” Sora teased, to which Lloyd chuckled wistfully.

“Yes. Yes I do, actually.”

*               *               *

Meanwhile…

Cole and Jay watched the elevator door close and the hum of the elevator going down fade out, and both exhaled deeply. The two looked at each other in their shared moment and chuckled.

“I know it’s been a while since we’ve all come back together, but I was not expecting any drama to be happening so soon.” Jay sighed, running a hand through his ginger hair with his eyes shut and eyebrows pinched together tensely. “It’s not been a fun past 24-hours, to say the least.” 

Cole’s eyes softened with sympathy and sadness as he frowned. In response, he rubbed Jay’s back comfortingly. 

“I feel that, buddy.” Cole said softly. “You and Nya… what’s been happening?”

Jay whined helplessly and his shoulders drooped. “Once it was established that Nya, Kai and Lloyd kept the news about Euphrasia away from Morro, we didn’t talk to each other until after dinner. Well, I guess it wasn’t really talking… we were arguing. We took a walk down the Monastery steps, so I’m not too sure you heard, but…” Jay sighed, clearly upset. “It was bad. We were shouting and it was really difficult to see eye to eye. You know how we are, we always have a bit of trouble when it comes to problem solving.” Jay chuckled sadly, looking down at the floor with a superficial smile. Cole did not comment because there was nothing to deem untrue. 

“I feel a lot more on edge now. I’m mad at her and I know it’s the same vice versa, but I still love her and want to be with her.” Jay added vulnerably. “She’s my yang. I don’t want us to be fighting, but I can’t exactly ignore what she’s done, you know?”

Cole nodded slowly. “I understand that. It’s a difficult position to be in, a very stressful one too. I would also like to point out that by being her ying, it doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to argue or have problems with another. It’s a matter of learning how to overcome that.”

Jay nodded weakly, not bothering to maintain his smile and he let it droop into a tired frown. “It would be a helpful skill. You wouldn’t happen to know a thing or two about how to handle arguments between couples, would you?

Cole blushed and cleared his throat, caught off guard. “W-well, I don’t think you necessarily have to approach resolving arguments differently depending on your relationship to the person…”

Jay’s eyebrows perked up in surprise at Cole’s sudden embarrassment. “Cole, is there something you’d like to tell me? Or perhaps, someone? ” He teased, and despite Cole being at the receiving end of Jay’s harassment, he was just glad to be seeing his friend smile again.

“Who’s the lucky lady?” Jay pressed with a grin, and Cole flushed even more. “What’s she like? When did you meet? Does she know about your feelings for her? Can we meet her?”

“Ahem,” Cole managed bashfully before clearing his throat. “Anyway!” 

Jay smirked at Cole proudly.

“Hehe.” He chuckled mischievously. “I am going to be your best man at your wedding, right?”

Cole sighed with a flustered smile. “Obviously. Though it might be Zane if you keep up the teasing.”

“Alright, I’ll stop. I actually do want to hear the advice you were going to give, you know.” 

“Thank you.” Cole replied with a relieved grin. “I was going to say that having a plan or some rules established would be a step in the right direction. For example, you can both be required to verbally acknowledge the fact that you’re about to have an argument. By catching onto this fact before it happens, you have more control over how you behave. Though, keep in mind that you can do this at any point, even if the argument has already begun. Once you and your partner have that mutual understanding that there is an argument, happening or in the making, you can ask them if they want to pause and cool down, or to continue, on the condition that there is no aggressive behaviour like shouting or name calling. Make it a respectful discussion, not an argument.” Cole explains calmly. 

“You could take turns speaking so that you can understand the other person. Some people like writing down their thoughts beforehand. Make sure to use a calm voice and keep an open mind. Be in a neutral space. If you realised you made a mistake or changed your mind about something, don’t be afraid to voice that. It’s better to do that and sacrifice your pride. Being stubborn doesn’t benefit you.” 

“Of course, if an argument does not defuse and ends with both parties feeling angry with another, you should have a plan on how to handle the post-argument feelings. Regardless of how you want to be treated post-argument, you should always apologise. You don’t apologise for the opinions you hold, but I think the focus should be on your behaviours instead. If you shouted during an argument, you should apologise for that and make an effort to not shout in future. If you still disagree with the other’s opinions, you could agree to disagree. It's a compromise.”

Jay chuckled softly after a moment. “That’s a good idea… a shame that Nya and I didn’t really have a plan like that before all this happened.”

Cole hummed. “It’s not all lost. Maybe some time after the mission briefing, you can talk with Nya and ask her if she would be willing to sort things out.”

“I should, huh? I might need some more time to figure out what I want to say though… I want to do this right.” Jay said with a determined face.

A warm smile blossomed on Cole’s face. “Let me know if you need any help.”

Jay chuckled. “I will. You have some good advice.” A mischievous smirk appeared on Jay’s face. “I do wonder where you got it from though.” 

Cole shook his head, concealing a grin. “Come on, motor mouth,” He said and patted Jay’s shoulder. “Go down with the others. I’m going to check up on Morro.” 

At the mention of Morro, Jay’s expression turns serious. “Make sure he’s alright.”

Cole nodded, and headed off to Morro’s room.

*               *               *

Moments Later…

Cole knocked on the wall beside Morro’s door. 

“Hey Morro, are you awake? It’s Cole.”

He doesn’t get a response, but there is the faint sound of Morro’s mattress creaking and his blanket shuffling. 

“I’m coming in.” He said before sliding the door aside just enough to enter before closing it quickly, not wanting the light from outside to intrude on the darkness of Morro’s room. The curtains were still shut and none of the lights were on.

Morro groaned a little as he vaguely registered Cole’s entry and the door sliding. He curled inward and hugged the throw cushion he had against his chest harder in time with the way his brows furrowed in frustration. 

His head throbbed from the light and little noises Cole made when going around his room, the pain of it distracting him enough to not even question what Cole was doing in the first place. 

Then the top right hand corner of Morro’s mattress sank, disrupting him enough to grumble. 

“What...”

"You okay? We're having a meeting soon."

Morro groaned and hid his face into his pillow. "Oh fuck me."

Cole smiled sympathetically, if not a bit sadly. "I know, I know." He cooed and gently stroked Morro's back. He then looked at the whiskey bottle on the bedside table and frowned. 

"You were drinking last night." Cole said, not as a question but as a definitive statement.

“Nah.” Morro murmured absent-mindedly into the pillow. 

“You reek of whiskey.” Cole reasoned softly, speaking slowly and quietly. 

“Maybe that’s just my cologne.”

“Morro, you don't own any colognes. Or perfumes for that matter." Cole pointed out and sighed softly. "Was that a fresh bottle?"

Perhaps it was because of Morro's half asleep state, but Cole received a nod of affirmation from him. Cole swallowed uneasily. The bottle was easily two thirds of the way finished. Some maths ran through Cole's head. It failed because Cole wasn't good at maths. 

"How long has it been since you stopped drinking?"

"Eh... maybe nine hours?"

He took out his phone and looked for a BAC calculator. After entering the necessary information, Cole choked when he got the result.

Estimated Blood Alcohol Content at 12am: 0.48%

Estimated Blood Alcohol Content at 9am: 0.325%

Added to that was a list of expected symptoms, including severe central nervous system depression, sudden respiratory failure, alcohol poisoning, vomiting, lower body temperature-

Cole took off his glove hastily to press his hand against Morro's forehead, much to his displeasure. He ignored Morro's confused grumbles and retracted his hand once reassured that his body was at a normal body temperature, then went back to reading.

-coma, sudden death.

Cole blinked in shock and turned his attention to Morro. "We're taking you to a hospital."

"I feel fine."

"Morro, you drunk half a litre of whiskey. You need medical attention." Cole insisted frantically and stood up, sliding his glove back in. "Come on, I'll help you there." 

"Ugh, I've drunk more before and I was still fine." Morro groaned and return to sleeping. 

Cole blinked in disbelief. "It is a miracle you are still alive. A miracle. Your liver is a miracle too!" 

He wanted to sob. 

Morro, why do you hurt yourself this way?

"Okay..." Cole said carefully. Crap, what am I meant to do?!

"I'm going to get you some water," Cole announced. 

Morro nodded lazily, eyes still closed. Cole bit the inside of his cheek nervously. "Please stay awake. I'm already leaving you alone, I don't want it to be any more risky thank it already is. We don't have any way of predicting what will happen."

Slowly, Morro sat up and leaned against his bed frame. He blinked slowly before stretching with a yawn. "I usually feel like this after a hangover, if that helps. Bit of a headache at first but I'm all fine within the hour."

Cole hummed unsurely. "And that has even been when you have drunk more than this?"

"Mhm."

Cole lets out a heavy and distressed sigh. "Okay. I'll be right back."

Morro watched Cole leave his room and as he did, he noticed his mirror was sporting only a few stubbornly clinging chunks on the frame. “Oh.” He said nonchalantly. 

Slowly, Morro began to recall the events of the previous day.

Euphrasia was the new Master of Wind, his argument with Kai, Nya and Lloyd, punching his mirror, the whiskey, then hazy memories of him lying in bed before something else happened. There was a green light somewhere along the lines, a person too. Morro struggled to remember much more than a long and flowy white dress. There was the soft voice of a woman too… so kind and sweet and so unlike anyone's voice out of the residents of the Monastery. Could it have been a dream?

But then who cleaned up the mirror shards off the floor? Morro thought questioningly. Probably Cole. Though wouldn't he have asked about it during his little checkup? Alcohol and mirror shards on the floor were not a good mix.

Morro made a noncommittal noise of acknowledgement and rubbed his eyes. 

Cole returned with a glass of water and a water bottle, of which was set on the bedside table. The glass was handed to Morro, who drank it gratefully. Though the thirst was not the worst he had ever felt, it was nice to feel the cool water refresh him.

"Thank you." Morro murmured earnestly and hopped out of bed, suddenly aware of how dirty he felt. "I'm going to shower."

Cole nodded nervously. "Okay. I know you said you feel pretty normal, but I want to be safe okay? I'll wait outside the bathroom. Call me if you feel anything out of the ordinary, yeah? And if you feel faint, make sure to lie down before you do, okay?"

Morro nodded with a teasing smile. "Okay mother hen." He said softly and went to grab a change of clothes. Cole huffed and looked away bashfully. Then Morro's eyebrows perked. 

"We're not going to be on time for the meeting."

"Don't worry, I already told him that we weren't going and to give us an update later." 

Morro hummed with a small smile. "Good call." He murmured, then his smile faded. "Cole?"

"Yes?" 

"You haven't told anyone about... the alcohol, right?"

"...No." Cole replied slowly, cautiously analysing Morro's facial features. "I just texted Zane that we were not going to be at the meeting. I was concerned with getting you water and supervising you."

"Keep it that way, please." 

Cole blinked, mouth open in shock. "That's not safe to keep the others out of the loop. I'm not a doctor, Morro. I hardly know anything about this kinda stuff. You need someone else who can help you."

Morro looked away and went to the door. "I have myself." He offered. 

"You're not going to be able to phone an ambulance if you suddenly enter a coma. Or have heart failure." Cole pointed out. "Which is a possibility with your BAC levels."

Morro blinked. "The fuck is a BAC?"

"Blood Alcohol Content. It tells you the amount of pure alcohol you have per 100ml of blood. Yours would have peaked at about 0.48. It's since dropped to 0.325%."

"That... doesn't sound like a lot. It's hardly a percent."

"It's a lot." Cole interjected immediately. "How you don't seem to be affected is beyond me." He said and followed Morro outside the room to the bathroom. "I'll wait out here. You will call for me if anything happens?"

Morro nodded, offering a small smile. "Yeah. I will."

"Can I tell Zane or P.I.X.A.L about what is happening? You're going to need someone to look out for you. I'm leaving to the Realm of Lost Things in the afternoon for a few hours to help my friends move here."

Morro winced. "You're leaving?"

Don’t leave me alone.

I’m not safe without you.

Whatever I did to disappoint you, I will fix it. Just please don’t go.

"Only for a few hours." Cole reassured with a hand on Morro's shoulder. "So you're going to need to trust someone. I'm recommending Zane and P.I.X.A.L because, well. They're smart and all. They will know what to do best out of everyone."

Morro clenched his teeth anxiously and his cheeks heated up from shame. 

But if I tell someone, they will know what I’ve done. They will be disappointed in me. They’ll realise how worthless and weak I am. What kind of person does this make me? I’ll never be able to change. Truly pathetic and humiliating.

"I'll be fine." Morro said distantly, entering and shutting the door to the bathroom before Cole can get a complaint in. 

What are the chances that I'll even enter a coma or die anyways? I've survived this before, and I'll do it again. 

When Morro entered the bathroom, he set his spare clothes aside and closed the blinds, alongside switching the lights off. Not dark enough so that Morro struggled to see his surroundings, but dark enough for Morro to be able to have his eyes open comfortably instead of needing to squint. When he passed by the mirror, he caught sight of his reflection. 

So many things were wrong.

The dyed piece of hair coloured in one that isn’t his own anymore, a uniform that no longer represented him, and a body that did not match his occupation.

On instinct, he recalled the comments made by his hospital ‘roommates’, and Morro’s expression soured.

I shouldn’t look like this. This isn’t what a ninja looks like. It’s shameful.

He took out a large spare towel from the cabinet to his right and draped it over the mirror. Mindlessly, he entered the shower and adjusted it to be pleasantly hot, and begins to clean himself. Once finished, he opted to enjoy the heat of the water for a few minutes, letting out a content sigh.

It was a short lived peace.

Morro suddenly choking down a scream of frustration and horror as self hatred suddenly struck every nerve in his body. 

What had he done?! Shouting at Lloyd, Kai and Nya, telling Sensei Wu to piss off?! What was wrong with him?! Was that the way to treat his brothers and sisters, his father figure?! 

He was meant to be a changed person! What would everyone do once they realised that Morro was a horrible person? Kick him out? Send him to Kryptarium Prison for life? Morro held his hands over his head and felt tears burning behind his eyes, feeling hysterical and anxious. 

I need to do better. I need to be better, otherwise I lose everything. Morro thought urgently and got out of the shower, but once he stood on the bath mat, he couldn’t move.

It was just like living on the streets. He had to be smart and adaptive, messing with the wrong people was not on the table, nor was making irrational decisions. There was always something that people could do to him. They always had power over him. Everyone always had power over him.

They could take away anything and everything from him. He needed control and stability, he needed to be stronger than them. This was a matter of his survival. 

I can not be making mistakes this foolish, no one will forgive me if I do something like this again. I shouldn’t have been revived, my existence in itself is far too generous for me. Why does anyone keep me around if it’s all a means to an end because I will fuck it up? Lloyd hates me and so does everyone else. They will abandon me. Nobody will ever want me. 

Memories of his time being homeless as a child played in his mind. There was always snow wherever Morro travelled. Everything was plain and lifeless, nothing could grow. Everything died. People would freeze and die overnight if they didn’t have a home. He had seen this happen first hand many, many times. 

Morro offhandedly remembered when he had missed the Blind Man’s eye. He had been uncharacteristically worried and jittery, meaning that he had been exceedingly easy to irritate that day. Soul Archer had commented on his behaviour, bravely so even though at the time, the two shared a strong respect and understanding of each other. Morro had passed it off as his frustration over possessing an ever strengthening Lloyd. No one had been with him long enough, let alone had exhibitions in the snow with him frequently enough, to make the connection that snow made him feel… 

Slowly, the edges of his vision softened. The bathroom walls began to pulse softly, distorting the perfect grid of the shiny white tiles on the floor and walls. The warmth of the water was numb on his skin and distantly, Morro wondered if he had been out of the bath so long that the water clinging onto his skin had gone cold. The bathroom was not particularly foggy with steam, but his lungs began to feel hot and dry. They felt heavy in his body, but developed a fragile quality that made Morro begin to breathe more shallowly out of fear that they would burst. His skin, wet and pressed against the cool air of the bathroom, made him shiver and feel feverish.

Then, a sense of separation from his body and mind overcame him. Morro let out a soft and hardly audible ‘ah’ of realisation upon feeling like he was observing himself from the third person.

So this feeling has returned. It had followed him since the hopeless nights he spent on the streets as a kid. Ever quiet but present, tagging behind in the shadows until full darkness and cold gave it the confidence to drag him under. 

Morro allowed it. Not that he had any control to decide, though.

He wasn’t sure what the feeling was called, or if it was normal. Then again, Morro knew there weren’t many things normal about him to begin with. The cold air and the darkness of the bathroom kept him preserved in this state, even as he started to move around to retrieve a towel to dry himself.He exited the bathroom once having changed and brushed his teeth, still experiencing… whatever this feeling was. 

Cole had greeted him and offered to help Morro blow dry his hair, which after privately acknowledging that he was feeling extremely detached from the plain of the physical world and his own thoughts or actions, Morro agreed. Surprised but delighted, Cole spent the next few minutes with Morro sitting down on his bed whilst Cole stood behind him and dried his hair. 

The noise of the hair drier and the feeling of Cole’s hands in his hair was something barely accounted for by Morro. Although in his room, which was still dark, he was starting to experience short periods of time where the room became completely unrecognisable. Morro didn’t voice his confusion to Cole and remained quiet the entire time. Morro hadn’t been able to register when the hair drier stopped, the conversation he was having with Cole when Morro did his hair half-up half-down, much less when he and Cole were suddenly in the sunlit dining room on the chairs. 

Morro blinked when he was finally able to break away from the feeling and looked down to see that Cole had plopped down chop sticks and a small bowl of rice, topped with black sesame seeds. 

“Arin made the rice last night, so you know it’s not deadly like my cooking.” Cole smiled softly. “Try a bit and see how you feel. If you feel nauseous, we can stop and try again later, okay?” 

To Morro’s shock and surprise, he felt the overpowering urge to cry at Cole’s words. 

Such soft and caring actions paired with the gentle warmth and golden light of the Sun made him feel weak.

I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve any of this, please stop it, it hurts, please stop acting like you care about me or that I’m worth anything. Stay away from me. Stop hurting me.

“Thank you…” Was all that Morro could manage. Reluctantly, he picked up his chopsticks and ate small bits of rice at a time. Morro forced himself to eat half the bowl before completely losing his appetite. Irritatingly enough, Morro had been nervous to announce to Cole that he didn’t want to eat anything more. The lingering threat of Cole being disappointed in him scared him more than what Morro cared to admit, though he knew that Cole was nothing short of understanding and caring. Why was it so hard to form rational thoughts?

By the time the two were done cleaning up, Cole’s intercom turned on.

“Cole, can you come down to the dragon stables?” Morro heard Jay’s voice say. “We’re heading off on a mission, the whole team.” 

Wordless code for ‘beware, it will be awkward’. 

Cole stole a glance at Morro before answering.

“What kind of mission are we talking about?”

“It’s not expected to be combative, but there might be some people who could cause trouble, so bring weapons. We’re going to be heading off to a place called ‘The Temple of the Dragon Cores’. Zane thinks it might hold the key in stopping the merge quakes for good. It will be a quick mission, so you can still help your friends–” 

Jay paused, and spoke his next words quietly. “And your secret girlfriend–”

Cole spluttered in shock.

“– from the Land of Lost Things move into the Monastery by noon still.” Jay resumed in his normal voice.

Cole flushed, to which Morro looked at him questioningly. 

“That’s a super valuable discovery for Ninjago. The Dragon Cores, I mean. Not your secret partner.” Morro said with a hand under his chin, so casually making the comment about Cole’s supposed love interest that Cole couldn’t help but cough awkwardly. “We shouldn’t delay. Are you feeling alright to go on a mission?” 

And will you tell me when something is wrong? Cole wordlessly communicated.

Without hesitation, Morro nodded. He was eager to go on a mission, desperate to prove himself after being caught so vulnerably by Cole that morning. “Yes, I’m sure.”

Cole nodded and turned back to reply to the intercom. “Morro and I are heading down right now.” 

Cole retrieves his scythe, whilst Morro has the Sword of Sanctuary readily resting on his back. He carried two aeroblades with him for good measure. Once the two get to the dragon stables, Lloyd and Nya are already on their dragons and are floating in the air with Arin and Sora respectively, the heavy flapping of the dragon’s wings forced enough air down on Morro and Cole that it messed their hair a bit. Morro sees Kai taking off on a red and orange dragon, and once his eyes track down to the area where the dragon had launched off, he sees Sensei Wu, standing with his staff in hand. 

Morro clenched his teeth with regret and shame and immediately looked away when Sensei Wu made eye contact with him. His mask is immediately pulled up to cover his face, and though he was facing away from Sensei Wu, he could feel his eyes on him. The eyes of everyone, really. It was the first time someone other than Cole had seen him after his outburst. 

Jay gives the two a nod of acknowledgement before he gives the reins a gentle whip to signal his dragon to fly into the sky to join the others. Once Sensei Wu climbed onto Zane’s cyan and white dragon with golden accents, they did the same and stationed themselves beside Nya’s dragon.  

Like a lost puppy, Morro followed Cole to his dragon, a bulky brown dragon Cole had lovingly named ‘Rocky Junior’. Once both securely mounted, they remained flying beside Jay, who kept a considerable gap between him and the others. 

“Zane will be leading us to the Dragon Core Temple,” Lloyd announced after some silence. Even from a distance, Morro could see how Lloyd anxiously gripped his reins.

Lloyd warily observed Morro with total disregard for stealth. As awkward as it was to go on a mission as a full team, it was necessary. If Zane’s leads were correct, the merge quakes could be stopped for good. They would need all the help they could get in order to secure the dragon cores.

Guilt overran Morro, and he glanced at the clouds beneath them. The dragons hovered way above the Monastery, and though a fall would take several minutes, it would be undoubtedly fatal. 

It would be so easy if I just… fell off… Morro thought distantly as Lloyd continued his speech. Would that fix everything up? If I was gone for good? 

Morro shook his head and swallowed thickly before he clutched onto Cole’s waist tighter. 

It’s too generous of a death. So painless and simple. I deserve far worse.

Anxiously, his thoughts circle back to the Preeminent. When he had died in hospital, he was carried down a stream in the Departed Realm. That did not happen the first two times he had died, which had been an instant teleportation to the Preeminent. Why was this? He was not sure. Perhaps it was due to the interference of the doctors, maybe there was something wrong with his curse. Regardless, given how his encounter with the Preeminent in the Departed Realm had been going, there was little reason for Morro to believe that it wouldn’t have ended in being imprisoned by her once more.

Thoughts of the mysterious green figure from last night made their way back to the forefront of Morro’s head. He vaguely recalled seeing thick dark braids and shimmers of silver jewellery gleaming menacingly. There had been a lamp that was following his vision. Had it been a lamp? Morro felt like there had been an explanation for that, now long forgotten.

“–it’s important that we are all on our guard.” Lloyd continued with a stronger voice. “Although we don’t expect this mission to include combat, the Merge has proven to have changed our world and riddled it with surprises. Ninja, let’s go.” 

With no enthusiastic ‘Ninja GOOOOOO’ cheer to start off their journey, the only sound is the heavy flaps of the dragons’ wings. The tense and awkward silence remained the same for the entire flight, excluding idle chatter between Arin and Sora and when they entered a forest made from trees as thicker and taller than the skyscrapers from Ninjago and Imperium, to which Zane had explained that they were called ‘World Trees’.

“Look!” Nya called out and pointed at a wide spherical hollow in one of the World Trees. From their spot, the red pillars were visible, indicating the presence of a temple door. “That’s it, right?”

Zane nodded in confirmation. “We’ve found the temple.”

They make haste to land inside on the soft leaf flooring of the hollow before dismounting and coming face to face with a wooden door with three levers. 

“The door looks like one big puzzle lock.” Sora chimed. “Maybe if we try–”

Kai stepped in front of Sora with a cocky smile and a hand on his hip. “Ahem, let us handle this one, trainee.” He said sarcastically. Everyone but Morro smiled, amused by Kai’s cockiness. His frown wasn’t visible with his mask still covering his face, unlike the others who had opted to take it off as soon as they had landed. 

Being at the back of the group, Morro looked over at Sensei Wu, who was stroking his beard with a pondering gaze as he analysed the strange door. Morro was all too wary of how much damage their relationship had suffered. It had a stubborn history of short lived highs and extremely long lows. There was never long-term stability, no matter how many times the two thought they had finally worked things out. It was strange how much they were insistent on fixing their relationship. Or at the very least, Morro found his willingness to restore his relationship with Sensei Wu to be strange. 

Morro was split on how to feel about Sensei Wu, the controversy manifesting when he considered how Sensei Wu had raised him. On one hand, if Morro was excelling, Sensei Wu would give him attention, smile and play games with him, and those moments made up some of Morro’s best memories. But if Morro had disappointed Sensei Wu in some way, like not making as much progress as he should have had during training, or had an outburst very normal for his age, there were long periods of times where Sensei Wu refused to communicate anything but essential information and regarded Morro distantly. 

Longer and more intense training sessions were a staple during the time that Sensei Wu behaved like the latter. The only way Morro could revert Sensei Wu back was by impressing him multiple times during training. Visits from Misako had always improved Sensei Wu’s mood, similar was true about Garmadon. Had Morro known how to write and mimic Sensei Wu’s handwriting, he would have been forging letters to Misako and Garmadon every week, begging them to visit.

Forty years later, Sensei Wu had been overpowered by regret and was determined to offer Morro a chance at redemption. Given Morro’s… affiliation and beliefs at the time, there was nothing that Morro wanted to do with him. The roles had reversed. Whereas Sensei Wu had pushed Morro away with silence, Morro did so to Sensei Wu with violent force and vocal anger. 

Look at me.

Haven’t I gotten as strong as you wanted me to?

Aren’t I the perfect pupil?

Aren’t you proud of me?

Am I good enough now, Master Wu? Say something.

Morro wondered how Sensei Wu reacted when he got word that he had died. Would he have been saddened, or disappointed that his pupil had not been strong enough to endure and discover the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master? Perhaps Sensei Wu would have gotten repulsed at himself from the regret of not having chased after him, or perhaps he had forgotten about him the moment he took in other pupils. 

Perhaps Sensei Wu would have been happy. There was so much turbulence in their relationship, so much conflict that hurt the other far too much for it to be worth the short and fleeting moments of peace and fun. It was at times like this that Morro was completely bewildered that Sensei Wu would always be willing to repair their relationship.

The combined cheer of success from Sora, Arin and Wyldfyre when the wooden gate creaks open brought Morro back into reality, and he followed the team inside. 

The door led to an impressive high rise ceiling, Morro felt like an ant in an owl’s nest. The leaves underneath everyone’s feet crunched softly as they made their way forward, towards a large stone statue of the First Spinjitzu Master. Two circular wooden doors rested at either side of the statue.

Morro scrunched his face with displeasure when he saw the shrine under the statue, the table having been flipped over and two golden flower pots carelessly cast aside, adjacent to a cracked dark grey bowl. An odd five violet flowers were scattered on the red mat beside unlit candles. 

How disrespectful. Who would leave a temple in such a state?

“No handles, no knobs, no anything! Maybe another puzzle?” Arin suggested with a perplexed voice.

“Bet I know a way to open the doors.” Wyldfyre grinned at Kai.

“We don’t agree on much, but we can on this.” Kai smirked excitedly as his and Wyldfyres hands lit up with flames and punched them towards the circular wooden doors hidden away on either side of the tree. 

“Wait–!” Lloyd called out with panic, but it was far too late. Both doors were burnt down instantly, and for a few moments, nothing but silence followed. 

Everyone had drawn out their weapons and assumed a defensive stance. Morro glances at the golden blade of the Sword of Sanctuary, which depicts nothing emerging from the two tunnels. Satisfied, he returns his sword to rest on his back and walks towards the small shrine. 

“The Sword of Sanctuary doesn’t reveal anything emerging from those holes. We’re safe.” He announced calmly but didn’t make eye contact with anybody. He wanted to contribute to the success of the mission, which meant that dealing with his tense relationships right now was not the appropriate next step. The sounds of everyone’s weapons clinking back into their sheaths echoed softly, and now relaxed, everyone moved forward to observe the messy shrine.

Being the closest to the shrine, Morro quickly sets the wooden table upright and places the bowl in the centre, the two candles and flower pots going on either side to make it symmetrical. When Morro puts the flowers in their pots, he turns to the others.

“Dead end, you reckon?” He found himself asking. 

Sensei Wu hummed pensively, stroking his beard as he walked towards the shrine. Not that Morro would admit it to anyone, much less himself, but he had almost shuffled backwards when Sensei Wu approached because of… what, fear?

Please don’t hurt me. 

Please don’t be disappointed in me. 

Please forgive me. 

Please, please, please!

“Wait a moment… Do you guys hear that?” Jay whispered as a quiet howling sound came from the two holes opened by Kai and Wyldefyre. Morro snapped his head over to them before hastily drawing out the Sword of Sanctuary. The blade displayed a few small round birds coming out. One nuzzled and tweeted at the other affectionately. 

That wasn’t what it had shown before. Morro thought and clenched his teeth.

As crazy as the world had gotten, whatever was making those increasingly louder howling noises– no, that was shrieking– was not a bird that was small and peaceful. 

“Morro, what’s the sword showing?” Cole urged as everyone else redrew their weapons. Morro gritted his teeth and resumed a fighting stance. There was something horrendously wrong.

I should have known. Morro thought bitterly and furrowed his eyebrows with irritation. The Cloud Monks can’t control Destiny anymore. I should have expected that the Sword of Sanctuary would have inevitably lost its ability to predict it.

“The Sword of Sanctuary is broken.” He announced just before two green spirits launched themselves out from the hole, knocking both Lloyd and Nya to the wall hard when they didn't dodge. Morro’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open in shock for a brief moment before he pulled out his aeroblades and lunged at the offenders.

“Ghosts? Are you kidding me?!” Morro cursed and quickly flipped over one of the spirits to avoid its attack, which Kai ended up receiving instead. It launched him towards Lloyd and both yelped painfully when they crashed against the wooden walls. 

“Not the solution we were looking for!” Lloyd groaned. 

*               *               *

Meanwhile…

The dragons outside the temple were slumbering outside, lying down against the soft cushioning that the leaves provided. Little trills and snores came occasionally from each dragon, a sure sign for Rapton that they were all surely asleep and dreaming. 

Confidently, he snuck around the dragons and hummed an exciting tune with a wide grin and without much care for being heard. He navigated around the large roots and dragons with a mix of forward rolls and rather immature and inefficient caterpillar crawls. When one of the dragons looked his way though, he was quick to conceal his presence behind a thick root that had poked up from the floor.

Once recognising that the dragon had returned to sleeping like the others, Rapton tip toes towards the door.

“I am, sneaky man, sneaky sneaky, ninja what? Hehe.” He sang quietly to himself and chuckled mischievously before pressing his ear against the door. 

The distant yowling and sounds of crashing made him frown. 

“Uh… Maybe I’ll wait out here for a bit…”

*               *               *

“What are these things?!” Sora cried out when the spirits knocked Nya and Lloyd against the walls of either side of the temple with a painful thump noise. 

“Evidently angry ghosts who have taken residence inside the temple!” Zane responded frightfully.

“But why? And why don’t they– OOFT!” Sora exclaimed as a spirit knocked her over by hitting her from behind.

Zane’s eyebrows perked in shock before they furrowed to focus in order to direct two trails of ice at one of the flying spirits. 

Morro blinked in disbelief. Had Zane forgotten what he had just said? These were ghosts. Ice would have no effect on them!

“Warning! Elemental powers have no impact on these ghosts!” Zane said with alarm in a slow and paced voice when the spirit remained unaffected by his attack. Wyldfyre rolled her eyes and groaned loudly. 

“Your powers are just weak!” She accused and pointed at him, then smirked deviously. “See the force of Wyldefyre!” 

Her right hand glowed light blue and she projected the attack on a rapidly approaching ghost, only for it to go through their body and give it a clear opening to viciously uppercut Wyldefyre’s chin and send her flying against the door.

“Everyone! Elemental powers have no impact on these ghosts!” She shouted as she rubbed her chin and winced quietly. 

Thank you for that VERY helpful information. Morro thought bitterly, the next throw of his aeroblade being extra forceful. It narrowly missed the weaving and speedy spirits. Fuck!

“We are more than just our powers, we are ninja!” Nya determinedly called out, drawing out her trident and disappeared in the swirl of her Spinjitzu. 

Morro’s expression soured at her words. We are ninja, but we are less without our powers. Also you can't just say that when you use your WATER POWERED FUCKING SPINJITZU against an enemy that can ONLY be defeated with WATER. WHICH YOU ARE THE ONLY ELEMENTAL MASTER OF. THE ONLY ONE! Morro thought, stubbornly ignoring the existence of the aeroblade weapons they had.

Despite her Spinjitzu being made of water and landing a clean hit on the spirit, they remained unaffected. Morro does a double take and rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

No fucking way. A ghost that can't be defeated with water. Or deepstone. What the fuck?!

“Whatever we are handling are not cursed spirits! Water isn’t the way to defeat them!” Morro shouted and threw both his aeroblades at both spirits, which went clean through them but they continued to angrily screech and fly around erratically. “Neither is deepstone!” 

“We need to figure out a way to defeat them!” Lloyd yelled before he jumped down from the roof with Spinjitzu, a futile attempt that led him to pass straight through the spirit and land painfully on his stomach against the ground, the leaves providing very little padding for his fall. 

Everyone continued attempting to dodge the spirits, Morro and Sensei Wu having been the only ones who have thus far managed to avoid the brutal hits. 

Does this show everyone else how good I am? That I shouldn’t be sidelined, that I’m capable? 

Lloyd quickly got on his feet again, but didn’t dodge in time to avoid being sent flying and impacting against the foot of the statue. 

“Lloyd!” Kai exclaimed, before angrily staring at the spirits. “You aren’t getting away with that one!” 

Lloyd groaned softly, his vision blurry. Then, he noticed the unfinished shrine in front of him. The flower pots and bowl had been knocked off in the fight. He thought back to how he had been tidying up the Monastery.

“Things work best when they are in their proper places!” Lloyd confidently thought aloud and quickly tidied it up, then turned to Wyldefyre and Kai.

“Wyldfyre, Kai, I need you to light these candles!” 

“On it!” The two shout out in unison before casting a trail of heat and fire, lighting up the candles instantly. Wyldefyre smiled proudly despite having burnt half her candle off. Kai gave her a tired and unimpressed look.

“We’re going to have to work on your precision skills kid…” He sighed. 

“Look, it’s working!” Lloyd pointed to the two ghosts floating over the statue with mirrored movements, stuttering in their movements before connecting together in a burst of golden light. Everyone shielded their eyes with their hands, and once the light subsided, a single cyan spirit was floating in the air calmly. 

Morro huffed in shock. 

“No fucking way…” He muttered quietly. Immediately, he thought about how he could break his own curse. Perhaps it could be achieved in a similar way! The colour change from green to cyan meant something, right?

Morro looked down at the tidied table. 

Only their normal self when the set of items is in it's proper place... What a peculiar curse.

What could have warranted it? Morro considered himself and the other ghosts he had met in the Preeminent. They were wrathful, envious, greedy and hedonistic, punished by being imprisoned away in a completely different realm for being such with a weakness to water. Alternatively, there were like Garmadon and the Anacondrai Generals, who were cursed by spells. Were those who were cursed always within the Preeminent and baring the same kind of curse? 

Morro thinks back to what the Preeminent had said the previous night, how she had lost a substantial number of her 'children'. Said 'children' were like Morro, who although weren't ghosts, were still cursed. Considering the Merge being the harbinger of randomness and confusion that it was, it is possible that others were turned into ghosts and had to deal with their own unique curse. 

“Thank you, ninja.” He said with a deep and poised tone. “I am the spirit of this temple, and I am grateful to you for rebuilding my altar…”

Arin took off his mask and fiddled with his hands. “But– uh, there were two of you.”

The spirit looked down gloomily, both of his hands held together over his chest. “My essence was held in that altar. When a quake caused it to split apart, I was also split in two.”

“Is that why you were so angry?” Sora asked softly.

“My identity was divided, and that division made me act out in uncontrollable rage…”

Morro bit the inside of his cheek and lowered his brows with frustration. He didn’t like how he related to the spirit. The mentioning of a topic as intense as identity did not improve his mood.

“In my state, I was unable to fulfil my original task, assigned to me by the First Spinjitzu Master.” The spirit continued, and Lloyd stepped forward curiously. 

“What task was that?”

“To guard the location of the three Source Dragon Cores.” The spirit revealed, leading everyone to exchange looks with another.

“Can you please reveal the location of the Dragon Cores?” Zane pleaded calmly. “It’s extremely important for us to secure them and use them to stop the merge quakes.”

The spirit hummed thoughtfully.

“I can only grant their locations to the descendants of the First Spinjitzu Master. It is very fortunate for you all, that I sense the presence of three of them in this very room.”

Lloyd, Sensei Wu, and then…

Everyone excluding Sora, Arin and Wyldefyre turned to face Morro. He tensed up immediately under their gaze and he clenched his teeth. The lack of his hood covering his face does little to make him feel any less vulnerable. He does what he can to not look Sensei Wu’s way. 

All the times they had called each other ‘father’ and ‘son’ flashed in his mind, making Morro’s face hot with embarrassment. 

His arms immediately crossed over his chest defensively and he resisted the urge to look away, instead looking at the spirit head on. 

Arin, Sora and Wyldfyre follow the gaze of everyone else to Morro. Sora spoke up before he could retort. “When were you guys going to tell us that you three are all descendants of the guy who literally created all of reality as we know it?” 

Lloyd shrugged. “Never came up.”

The spirit smiled. “It is good to see the son, grandson, and granddaughter of the First Spinjitzu Master. I admit, I didn’t know about you.” He said as he hovered towards Morro. “You look extremely different from the other descendants. In all honesty, I’m not sure whose side you come from. Perhaps you’re Garmadon’s daughter, since he has darker hair. Usually descendants of the First Spinjitzu Master have much paler skin and hair… though I suppose the gene for such can be overpowered.”

Morro’s face flushed red with embarrassment and he immediately curled his fists at his sides. “Granddaughter?!” 

Much to his shame, he can hear Jay, Arin and Sora poorly stifling their laughter. Wyldfyre was much less concerned about concealing her amusement and her laughter echoed loudly as she slapped her knee in amusement. Cole and Lloyd shoot him looks of pity, which make him feel worse. Any reactions that Sensei Wu makes is out of the view of Morro’s vision.

The spirit’s eyebrows perk in surprise upon hearing Morro’s voice before smiling apologetically. “Ah, forgive me, I meant grandson. You resemble a woman with your long hair and eyeliner. I was under the impression that such was an exclusive to women."

Morro’s nose scrunched up, still taking offence. “You should go out more instead of staying cooped up in this tree all the time then.” 

“Oh, no no,” The spirit laughed cheerily. “I have a duty to fulfil on the First Spinjitzu Masters behalf. I assume you will be asking for the locations of the Dragon Cores, yes?”

Morro face palmed and groaned quietly, quietly muttering curses under his breath. “I’m not because I’m not a descendant of the First Spinjitzu Master.”

“Oh? How strange, my master seems to deem you so.”

Morro’s face burned impossibly more, and he forced a smile. 

“His mistake.” Morro said quietly with false sweetness. Cole, recognising that Morro would likely continue to argue with the spirit without intervention, placed a grounding hand on his right shoulder. 

“We’re getting off track.” Cole reminded everyone and turned to Lloyd, nudging his head towards the spirit. Getting the hint, Lloyd makes a quiet ‘oh’ sound before clearing his throat.

“As the grandson of the First Spinjitzu Master, I humbly request that the location of the Dragon Cores are revealed to us.” He said with his best attempt at a confident and professional voice. The spirit smiled before sprawling his hands outward and to the ceiling.

Three oval shaped murals embedded into the tree with roots light up above them. Green, pink and orange landscapes were illuminated in time with the spirit’s explanations. 

“The Mother Garden, The Pinnacle of Crystals, and the Wyldeness.” He announced proudly, and the others gasped in awe. Morro on the other hand, felt twitchy and disappointed in himself.

The locations weren’t even hidden. All we had to do was look up. How did I fail to notice this?

Lloyd bowed gratefully to the spirit. “Thank you for helping us. You’ve done a great service towards the stability of this world.”

The spirit smiled once more and bowed back before turning into two small floating cyan orbs. They go to the two candles on the shrine and turn the flames a vibrant blue. 

Lloyd grinned widely and looked over at the others, hoping that his confidence didn’t visibly falter when he looked at Morro, who was still visibly red with embarrassment. Kai, Nya, Arin and Sora grinned at him and nudged him as they all walked out. Jay and Cole had small and polite smiles, not wanting to appear any less pleased with the victory despite the awkwardness. 

“Well, I say that mission goes squarely in the ‘not a disaster’ column.” Kai smirked proudly as they all walked out.

“Yeah!” Arin agreed excitedly. “All we have to do is pick up those cores, how hard can it be?”

The team board their dragons and hastily return back home, all without noticing Rapton hiding poorly behind one of the red pillars framing the temple door. He grinned slyly and entered the temple.

Immediately, Rapton notices the murals and snickered excitedly. He pulled out a flat metal hexagon camera with blue lights at its cross section and let it float into the air to take pictures. Once reviewing them, he grinned impossibly wider. Satisfied, he called up Empress Beatrix.

“So these three Dragon Cores can control the merge quakes?” She inquired with a scheming expression. Rapton chuckled. 

“That’s what the ninja say.”

“Then I’ll send my forces to beat the ninja to the cores.”

Rapton paused and cleared his throat. “You want to… stop, the merge quakes?” 

Empress Beatrix laughed hysterically. “Of course not!” She bellowed with a wide smirk.

“I want to use them as a weapon. A weapon that will wipe those elemental powered, dragon stealing ninja out of existence for good!”

*               *               *

Later…

How humiliating… Being called a descendant of the First Spinjitzu Master and being misgendered in front of everyone was not helping Morro learn to relieve his pride. Not to mention the spirit guessing that he was Garmadon’s son in front of Sensei Wu and Lloyd was particularly uncomfortable. He walked over to his room and shut the door, then fell gracelessly face first onto his bed without much care that the Sword of Sanctuary was still sheathed on his back. He grumbled in discontent into his pillow.

Destiny, you think you’re so fucking funny, don’t you? You wretched motherfucker. I can’t believe that the Sword of Sanctuary doesn’t even work anymore. What edge am I meant to provide now? Do you have to be taking away everything useful about me all at once?

Soon, the metallic footsteps of Zane gently come into hearing, shortly followed up by his silhouette at his door. There is a polite knock on the wall beside the slide doors, followed by his voice.

“Morro, would you permit me to enter?”

Morro stood back up leisurely and returned the Sword of Sanctuary on its rack.

“Yes, you can come in, Zane.” Morro replied. The paper doors slid open and Zane walked into his room, closing the doors behind him before standing next to Morro.

“Cole has explained that in his absence, I should be monitoring you for any abnormalities as a result of consuming approximately 500ml of whiskey last night."

Morro choked. "I told him not to say anything."

"If he had not said anything at all, he would be risking your safety and health." Zane pointed out.

Morro fidgeted with the black material of his gloves when he felt acutely embarrassed by Zane’s words. Although he was accustomed to Zane’s more clinical and professional way of speaking, the presence of it now was making it feel like there was way too big of a gap between them. Morro felt small and weak under Zane’s indifferent gaze, who doesn’t seem the least bit offended when Morro doesn’t respond to him, much less to offer him thanks. 

“P.I.X.A.L has arrived to help with contacting and tracking down other Elemental Masters, and I will be assisting her with that. A risk assessment is also on our agenda so that when teams are organised and dispatched, there should be no surprises on the journey. You should come down to the underground base with me so that I can supervise you effectively.”

Morro nodded, finally finding his voice. “Do you need any help with that?”

Zane smiled softly and shook his head. “No, besides, I’m aware that you are still learning how to use technology. Perhaps we get you familiar with computers on a day where the integrity of the mission is not on the line. How are you finding your phone?”

Morro looked around his room, opening a couple of drawers before finding it. He clicked on the ‘on’ button on the right side of the phone, but the screen stayed black. Ah, well at least he didn’t have to further humiliate himself by displaying his poor dexterity with his phone in front of a genius and nindroid like Zane.

“Ah. I need to charge it.” Morro echoed, then looked towards Zane. “Do I ask Jay to zap it with lightning?”

Zane’s eyes widen comically. “Morro, that isn’t safe. You charge your phone by using a cable.”

Nope, never mind, I embarrassed myself anyway.

Morro gave a non committal hum, then placed his phone back into his drawer. 

“You mentioned needing to go downstairs?” Morro asked.

Zane nodded, so Morro took a sketchbook and pencil and the two made their way to the elevator. P.I.X.A.L was already working at the centre most monitor, only stopping to swivel around on her chair to greet the two. 

Zane was greeted with a wide smile and tight hug from her (Morro concealed a fond smile when he saw such affection) and P.I.X.A.L had regarded him with a polite smile and welcome.

“How is contacting the Elemental Masters fairing?” Zane asked when he pulled out a chair and seated himself on a monitor to P.I.X.A.L’s right, smiling as he talked to her.

Morro observed the display between the couple curiously. Love came in many forms, many of which he understood and experienced. There was brotherly love, familial love and platonic love, but one of the ones he hadn’t felt like he had experienced or understood was romantic love. 

A part of him wondered, worryingly, that perhaps it was because he was simply too cold or not emotionally levelled enough to experience romantic love. Maybe he was simply incapable of it because of his past, or maybe it was a part of him that he was suppressing without even knowing. During his childhood, Sensei Wu had responded to his aversion to romance by simply laughing good heartedly, patting him on the head affectionately and stating that many other children were the same, and that it would simply pass away with age. 

His comment had frustrated him at the time. It felt like a rejection of sorts. Why were other kids who were proclaiming they had crushes not being told that it was ‘just a phase’? Why was it only for those who didn’t have crushes or an interest in romance? Why was he the one being invalidated and constantly being rejected for who he truly was?

‘Tis the bane of my existence… Morro thought without amusement.

Crushes had never been a part of his life like they were for everybody else, but Morro had always passed it off for simply being too focused on becoming the Green Ninja. But even in the last few years of his life, which had not been focused on becoming the Green Ninja, nothing had really changed that fact. 

Another part of Morro blindly believed others when they told him that he simply hadn’t found ‘the one’ yet. 

Jay had once explained to him that ‘the one’ was meant to evoke strong feelings within him, an urge to build a connection, to talk and laugh with them and spend the rest of your lives together. Morro had given him a confused tilt of his head and said: “I don’t understand. Isn’t that what friendships feel like?”

He had friendships that he was happy to be in the presence of, there was no lack of connection or trust. He could happily spend the rest of his life with them, laughing, talking and learning more about them with each passing day.

He had gone to inquire Jay if it was simply a matter of the intensity those feelings were felt, or if there was something else that was required in order to ‘level up’ from feeling friendly love to romantic love. Romantic love had always been put on a pedestal, as though it was greater or more meaningful than the other forms of love, much to Morro’s confusion. It worried him, more now than then, that it meant he was cruel and heartless.

Out of desperation, Morro asked Jay to recommend him a romantic movie. Jay had recommended his and Nya’s favourite romance film (of which Zane was banned from watching, since he always started laughing whenever the couple were shown having an emotional and teary farewell). The movie did not help him understand anything about himself, except that he found kissing and the more… mature scenes, although lacking in detail and suggestive at best, phenomenally repulsing and unappealing. 

“Considering the time that I’ve spent, it’s fairing well. Karlof and Neuro have already agreed to help, and I am now in the process of organising a means of secure and quick transport for them. I am scheduling them to arrive by tomorrow afternoon.” P.I.X.A.L replied, accompanied by the rapid clicking sounds from her keyboard as she typed.

Zane hummed, pleased. “That’s wonderful news. We will need to prepare the Monastery for overnight visitors before they arrive.”

“Has Cole already done so for the four he is bringing to the Monastery?”

“Yes, he has.” Then a small smile played on Zane’s face. “Jay speculates that one of them is Cole’s love interest.”

P.I.X.A.L stopped and smiled affectionately. “Awww… That’s very sweet to hear.” 

Zane chuckled. “I’m curious to see who it is, considering that we now know that the ‘Perfect Match’ machine is highly flawed.”

Morro heard P.I.X.A.L scoff playfully. “I admit, it was a very poor experiment… I understand now that romantic love is not so easily predicted or logical.”

Again with how to determine romantic love… how exhausting.

“At least people found it amusing, despite its inaccuracies.” Zane smiled and nodded in acknowledgement before turning to Morro. “Please take a seat and stay within my line of sight. I’m not sure how long we will be here for, but we are going to be doing our best to accomplish our task quickly.”

“Hey, I’m not too concerned about staying here with the two of you. You’re both good company.” Morro replied coolly and murmured the last part quietly. Naturally, it didn’t evade Zane and P.I.X.A.L’s hearing. The two glanced at each other and smiled happily for a brief moment, before they returned to work. 

P.I.X.A.L did not question why Morro was there when he wasn’t helping, nor why Zane needed to be supervising him. It helped, to some degree, to not be asked questions. However, it did mean Morro was left anxious that P.I.X.A.L would view him as childish or irresponsible for needing to be supervised, more so because she likely wasn’t aware of Morro’s binge drinking from the previous night. Perhaps she thought Morro had acted out during the mission.

He sighed inaudibly and stationed himself on a chair a few metres away from the two, his legs propped up to create a surface for him to draw privately. 

There was a blue morpho butterfly sticker on the front of the black sketchbook, indicating he had picked out his visual journal. He flickered through the pages until he reached a blank page, and he tapped his mechanical pencil against his chin.

There was much to recount.

*               *               *

Meanwhile…

As soon as they had returned to the Monastery and established that they had free time until P.I.X.A.L and Zane finished rounding up forces alongside a plan, Lloyd immediately returned to the kitchen. The pile of dirty cookware he had been cleaning in the morning before being sidetracked by the briefing was still piled up in the sink, wobbling dangerously from its height. It was a miracle that it had not fallen in his absence. 

Once more, Lloyd returned to scrubbing them clean. 

His heart was beating loudly in his ears at an unnaturally fast pace. Although his body didn’t make it obvious, his limbs felt stiff and difficult to move. They had been since the argument with Morro the previous night. A lack of sleep did not help relieve any of Lloyd’s anxiety and guilt. 

He was worried about his friendship with Morro. Identity wise, Lloyd knew it was a very mentally straining time for him. First losing his powers and now the Sword of Sanctuary’s clairvoyant capabilities was already hard enough to handle, so a rift in Morro’s friendships was beyond unwelcomed in his path to recovery.

Lloyd wanted to support Morro, to fix things between them and comfort him in his time of need, especially after seeing how much Morro’s pride had taken a hit back in the temple. But he didn’t. He wasn’t sure his presence would be welcomed by Morro, and the last thing either needed was another argument. 

In the dining room next door, Kai sat on the island countertop as Nya rummaged through the fridge for leftovers. She set out two portions of rice with vegetables and chicken, heating it up in the microwave before handing one portion to Kai. He hummed in appreciation and the two ate in silence. When Nya set her plate down, she spoke up.

“I’m already fed up with this.”

“What, the food?” Kai replied without looking up at her. He chewed on a piece of sweet potato leisurely. “Arin made this yesterday.”

Nya huffed in annoyance and punched his shoulder. “Not the food, Kai.”

“Ouch.” Kai said imperturbable and continued to eat unfazed. “Mom and Dad wouldn’t like seeing you hit me.”

Nya hopped off the counter and looked at him angrily. “What’s gotten into you?! Stop acting so ignorant, you’ve been like this all day!”

At last, Kai looked up at her with an unamused expression. He poked a piece of chicken with his fork and looked away arrogantly with his eyes shut. “I’m just acting like my normal self. You’re being the aggressive one here, sis.” 

Nya’s left eye twitched. “Acting like there is absolutely nothing wrong with the team right now is not any better! Can’t you just acknowledge that and stop being so brash!?”

“Hm, I don’t know, can I?”

“Kai!” 

Kai groaned and rolled his eyes. He sets his plate aside, suddenly losing his appetite. 

“Look, I just don’t think that it’s going to help me much thinking about how torn the team is right now.” He then lowered his voice, pointing to the kitchen next door. “Like, would you prefer me acting like Lloyd right now? The guy is too anxious to do anything other than clean, Nya.” 

“Then since you can do something, how about you think about how to fix the problem instead of ignoring it?” Nya whispered harshly. “This isn’t going to go away on its own. We need to do something about this, Kai.” 

The two fell into silence again, not looking at another.

“Talk to me about what’s been happening between you and Jay.” Kai asked softly and petted the spot next to him, indicating for her to sit beside him. Mirroring his sudden change in demeanour, she obliged and sat beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. Soothingly, he ran his fingers through her hair.

She sighed sluggishly and recounted her argument with Jay, how they hadn’t spoken since, and how stumped Nya was for what to do next, not only for the sake of making amends with Jay, but with Morro too. Kai sat there and listened, letting Nya lead the conversation so that she could let everything she wanted to say out. 

“It’s a difficult spot to be in.” Kai acknowledged softly, looking down at Nya with an empathetic frown. “But I’ll be with you every step of the way, you know? We will figure this out Nya. We might not have answers now, but that doesn’t mean we ever will. Besides, we’ve overcome worse, no? I think we’re going to be just fine.”

Nya smiled softly at Kai. “I hope so.”

“We will be.” Kai corrected her confidently.

“Thank you, Kai…”

Kai chuckled fondly. “Of course. What else are big brothers for?”

“Annoying the younger sibling.” Nya replied flatly.

“Ah, well, what can I say, I have many purposes.” 

Nya laughed and then sighed, feeling lighter.

“No but seriously… Thank you.”

Kai grinned. “You’re welcome.”

Chapter Text

Not even a few moments after opening his sketchbook, Morro pressed it shut. A quick glance behind him confirmed that there were security cameras, and although well over 30 meters away, perched high on the rocky walls of the cave, Morro did not know the extent of the camera quality. 

I'm not safe.

There weren’t many pages left in the book, so Morro eliminated the idea of using the back of the book for random and insignificant doodles. Instead, Morro opts for a mildly interesting part of the wall to stare at. 

Absent-mindedly, Morro began to bounce his foot. The pencil and sketchbook tapped against each other, but the soft sound it made was lost on Morro’s ears. Zane and P.I.X.A.L do not glance at him initially, but only after the sound had continued for a few minutes did they exchange glances with each other, silently questioning Morro’s zoned out state. 

I have been meaning to ask, how come you seem to be supervising Morro? P.I.X.A.L asked through their private comm link.

I can not disclose the reason, but it is something that is required considering sensitive circumstances.

I won’t pry then. P.I.X.A.L replied, offering a small nod. I know you will take good care of him.

Thank you for trusting me.
I know you won’t ever betray my trust. So thank you, for always keeping it.

Zane closed his eyes and smiled fondly, his eyebrows curved upwards helplessly. I’ll be sending you an essay properly expressing my gratitude at a later time. I feel rather stunned at the moment to fully express myself.

A soft huff came from P.I.X.A.L. Another to my beloved collection. 

I hope you don’t mind.

Hardly. I welcome it very much.

Morro does not notice the way Zane looked down at the keyboard in front of him with a flustered smile.

The next hour is occupied with investigating for traces of lost elemental masters and making phone calls to those whose information P.I.X.A.L and Zane were able to find. Success was slim, but steady. 

Euphrasia had already agreed to accompany them to retrieve the Dragon Cores, alongside Skylor, who was to owe for the success of recruiting Karloff.

By that time, Morro had a cold sweat running down his neck and sides. A red flush had crept up his neck and had presented itself as messy splotches across Morro’s cheeks. He felt hysterical, suddenly overwhelmed with an unshakable sadness. Morro’s throat was tight as he gripped his sketchbook, the back of his eyes burning with tears threatening to burst at any moment. 

The only movements Zane had allowed him to make outside of the seat were to go to the bathroom, which Zane accompanied him to each time to wait outside the bathroom door. It was a frequent occurrence with the amount of water Zane was asking him to drink, and by the seventh time, Morro had to be caught by Zane when his back suddenly cramped before he could enter the bathroom.

“My back–” Morro breathed between pants as Zane helped him position his body to be flat against the floor. 

“Cramped?” Zane asked calmly, to which he received a delayed ‘uh huh’ in reply. Once the cramp had passed, he instructed Morro to lie down on his stomach. Morro didn’t flinch when two cold hands were pressed against his lower back.

“It is likely that this cramp was caused by the alcohol you had consumed.” Zane explained quietly. “It’s more common in cases like your own, where you have had a heavy drinking binge.”

How embarrassing. Morro knitted his eyebrows together as he shut his eyes. All these positions of weakness I put myself into from my stupid decisions.

“I’m sorry.” Morro murmured weakly. 

I’m sorry that I’m inconveniencing you, that you need to take my health into your hands because I am completely incapable. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t be here. I don’t belong here. I should leave. I wish I wasn’t here so that I could stop being a burden to everyone.

His heart clenched painfully as he recalled his argument with Lloyd, Nya, and Kai, sending a brutal wave of pins-and-needle-like pain across his body. Lloyd’s helpless expression, Nya’s scolding, and Kai’s protectiveness over Lloyd. He was solely responsible for causing these.

I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t be feeling betrayed. I should have hidden my reaction because I’m always wrong. I should have just ignored my feelings instead of making it a big deal. I’m so sorry I spoke up about it. I should have kept my mouth shut. 

Zane didn’t immediately reply and continued to massage his hands on Morro’s back. 

“You have been facing a lot of emotional stress.” He began slowly, and Morro clenched his teeth as his body flushed in hot shame. He felt like a child being scolded.

Just hurt me. You don’t have to make me feel like a victim. I’m in the wrong. Hurt me and take your anger out on me so I know that everything can go back to normal.

“I understand that it can make us more susceptible to bad decisions, but Morro,” Zane lifted his hands off of Morro’s back and helped him stand. “You must ensure that you have healthy coping strategies in place so that you reduce your load. You do not want to make alcohol your go-to in times of dire stress.”

I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m so so sorry–

“I’m going to fly you to the hospital so the doctors can take care of you.”

I’m tired of looking after you. You’re too difficult and keep causing problems for me. I don’t want you here. Morro translated.

Ashamed, Morro nodded weakly, following Zane to the elevator. 

Do what you are told. You are a nuisance, first and foremost, and people are losing their patience with you. The least you can do is obey. Be out of their life so that they can finally be happy.

Once boarding Zane’s elemental dragon and flying just above the clouds, Morro cast a glance downwards.

Would it be better if I was gone? Morro swallowed uneasily before glancing at Zane. Though with his back towards Morro, he could envision the stoic expression upon Zane’s face. What was it hiding?

The disappointment of Morro’s decisions leading him to the point of vulnerability before a big mission? Most likely, Morro concluded numbingly. I’m so sorry I exist to make so many mistakes.

Subtly, Morro loosened the hold he had on Zane’s waist a little.

“Please tighten your grip.” Zane’s left hand gripped both of Morro’s to pull them around his stomach. “I do not want you to fall.” 

You do not get to die without facing the consequences of your actions.

Morro sighed shakily. “Sorry.” 

“High alcohol consumption can affect the control you have over your body. That might be what you’re experiencing now.”

Morro hesitated before humming in agreement. “Probably.”

Once they reached the hospital and Zane had explained Morro’s situation to the receptionist (all while Morro stood behind Zane like he was a helpless child, much to his embarrassment), they were told to be seated in the empty waiting area and that a doctor would see them shortly. 

The familiar faces of Doctor Alessio and Nurse Fitzgerald at the doorway was when Zane decided to stand with Morro and hug him.

“They will take good care of you. Hopefully we’ll see you soon.”

I’m just saying that. I don’t really want to see you any time soon.

“I hope so too.” Morro smiled awkwardly, unable to stop his teeth from jittering. “I’ll see you soon.”

Am I being abandoned?

“Goodbye, Morro.” Zane farewelled and left the hospital. The tips of Morro’s hands and fingers were already going cold and his entire body felt rigid. He forced himself to turn to Doctor Alessio and Nurse Fitzgerald, offering a polite nod of his head in acknowledgement.

I’m so selfish for wanting to go home.

*               *               *

Meanwhile, at the Monastery…

Lloyd looked around the Monastery frantically. Was there truly nothing else left to clean? Surely there was a shelf that needed dusting, or a room that needed vacuuming. Maybe he could deep clean the floor… could tatami floors even be deep cleaned with carpet shampoo?

He let out a shaky breath. The walls around him felt distant and the details were void from his comprehension. Helplessly, he slid down the kitchen wall and plopped down on the floor unceremoniously, staring emptily at the floor.

Why was cleaning a higher priority to him than making things right with Morro?

“We’re going to have guests... Four extra guests...” Lloyd reasoned breathlessly. “The Monastery should be clean for them. Should also be clean for the other elemental masters for when they arrive…”

Shouldn’t any emotional conflicts be cleaned out too? The mission can be compromised if the team is not purged of conflict with another. Not to mention… someone is hurt because of me.

Lloyd tightly pressed his hands together.  

Quickly discarding his apron on the floor, he stood and ran to the living room, Lloyd pulled out three shurikens and threw them at the throwing board. The TV dipped into the floor before Lloyd entered the elevator and began his descent into the underground base, but upon entering, he only finds P.I.X.A.L there.

“I thought Morro and Zane were here with you,” He said, more to himself than P.I.X.A.L.

“Zane and Morro have left.” P.I.X.A.L stated, and before Lloyd could get a word in, she continued. “I do not know where or the reason why.”

“Have you asked?”

“I was requested to refrain from prying.”

Defeated, Lloyd’s shoulders slumped. The clicks and clacks of the keyboard ceased and she walked over to him, gently putting her hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” P.I.X.A.L said softly. “I understand you’re worried and scared for Morro.”

Lloyd swallowed heavily, gripping the fabric on his uniform. 

“The feud you have been having with him could not be making this any easier.” She continued, much to Lloyd’s dismay. 

Please don’t remind me of how bad things are.

“Your relationship with him has entered a fragile state because of a breach of trust. This is not an easy situation to be in.”

Stop it. He cried, imagining the devastation on Morro’s face when he had been betrayed in the same way he had before. He envisioned the way Morro’s entire world shattered as a child who had not known what it felt like to be loved or treated like anything but a tool when he was rejected by Destiny. Images of Sensei Wu not daring to console Morro were directly followed by images of himself avoiding Morro right now played over and silenced P.I.X.A.L’s voice in his mind. He was repeating the same mistakes even with all the foresight he had to avoid it.

“I need to meditate.” Lloyd blurted out suddenly, and disappeared into the elevator. P.I.X.A.L called out for him, but it fell on deaf ears.

Shakily, Lloyd squatted down and hid his face in his thighs before he sighed deeply, more of an exhausted groan above all else. There was so much work to do. Beyond their current fight, Morro had so many underlying struggles that Lloyd wanted to guide him through, forgetting that he was Morro’s friend and not his therapist. 

“Lloyd..?” Cole echoed, an unsure and worried frown upon his face. “You okay buddy?”

Cluelessly, Lloyd looked up at Cole, who was accompanied by whom appeared to be a geckle and munce hybrid. Two children were behind them, a blue serpentine and a human with a bird beanie, peeping at Lloyd in the elevator. A skeleton in an orange vest stood beside them, looking at him with the same curious look. Lloyd’s face flushed red.

“Oh!” Lloyd stood up too quickly and cleared his throat. He hadn’t noticed he had reached the Monastery floor, nor that the doors of the elevator had been open to display him to passerbyers. “I- ah- hello, you must be Cole’s friends from the Land of Lost things!”

The purple man smiled with an eyebrow raised in amusement before he nodded his head.

“I’m Geo, it’s good to meet you, Lloyd.”

“He’s the Master of Fusion. He’s an incredible Elemental Master, and on top of all that, he’s a wonderful artist.” Cole added with a fond smile directed towards Geo, who smiled back widely as a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. 

The three behind them looked away and facepalmed. 

“All this for years and still no ring…” One of them muttered inaudibly. 

None of the adults seem to hear. 

“He’s also agreed to help with retrieving the Source Dragon Cores.”

Lloyd sighed in relief and rested a hand on Geo’s shoulder. “Thank you. We are in desperate need of allies, so your contribution is more valued than I could ever express.”

“There is no need to, I understand.” Geo smiled kindly. “And thank you for welcoming myself and the children from the Land of Lost Things into your Monastery.”

“There is no need to.” Lloyd echoed and laughed softly. “Our doors are always opened to others.” 

“I should introduce you to everyone else,” Geo began, resting his hand on the skeleton’s shoulder. “This is Bonzle, Fritz, and Spitz. They stayed with us in the Land of Lost Things.” 

“A pleasure to meet you three,” Lloyd smiled. 

After exchanging polite farewells, Lloyd retrieved a spare set of clothes from his bedroom before heading to the bathroom. A reset is what he needed so that he could get on the right course again.

He undressed and entered the shower, washing off all the sweat from cleaning that morning. Once sufficiently cleaned, he lowered the temperature of the water and bent his body forward at a 90° before shuffling back just enough for his head to be the only thing under the water flow.

Lloyd held his breath, counting to thirty. The process repeated itself for some minutes in order to stabilise the inevitable fluctuation between relaxation and anxiety, ceased once he was able to maintain a calm enough demeanour for him to focus on the next steps. Once exiting the shower and patting himself dry, he redressed and headed to the meditation room. 

But upon arriving, he finds that Sensei Wu is already there, lighting the incense sticks.

“Oh!” Lloyd echoed once more, tensing up. “Sorry, I’ll just–”

“Would you like to meditate with me?” Sensei Wu interrupted suddenly, to which Lloyd’s mouth hung open. Like a fish. Slowly, he nodded. 

“...yeah.” 

Silently, Lloyd helped Sensei Wu light the remainder of the incense sticks. Gentle ribbons of smoke carried the soothing sweet scent of sandalwood, the subtle hints of wood paired alongside the soft rays of golden sunlight that shone from the shoji screens slowly eased Lloyd into his meditation landscape. 

The beige tatami floors transformed into an expanse of vibrant grass, and the walls around him stretched to the golden sky and became flowering white trees. A stream appeared in front of him as Lloyd sat down and closed his eyes, flower petals from the trees above flowing on the surface of the water. 

My friendship with Morro is doomed. He thought, and imagined placing it on one of the petals. The petal drifted off down stream, out of view. 

I’m an awful person.

I am not good enough to be a leader.

I feel sleepy.

Morro hates me.

The stream is pretty.

I’m going to fail as a teacher again.

I need to fix things, but how?

What were those ghost-spirit things at the temple?

I’m kinda thirsty, did I drink anything today?

Why does the Sword of Sanctuary not work?

Each thought was trusted upon a petal to carry as they floated down the stream. Sometimes a thought would linger, doing circles in front of him. Lloyd did not force it away, he merely observed the thought until it followed the other petals down the stream. Soon, there were no more thoughts to place down on the petals.

Slowly, Lloyd opened his eyes and sighed deeply. There was a soothing warmth within his body, as if he had been sitting outside in the sunlight. His limbs were pleasantly heavy, and Lloyd became more conscious of the muscles there. But most importantly, his mind was empty. At peace.

Sensei Wu still meditated in front of him, shoulders more tense than usual. It seemed as though he would be spending more time meditating. Lloyd quietly stood and bowed before he left the room, all before Sensei Wu opened his eyes and stared at the incense sticks in front of him helplessly. 

Conflict between child and parent was common. Did Morro still consider him his dad? He seemed embarrassed at the Temple of the Dragon Cores to be labelled as related with Sensei Wu and his family. Should he try to resolve their conflict like a parent or as a teacher?

But what if Morro didn’t want to be treated as his son, or what if Morro became more insecure about their father-son relationship if Sensei Wu treated him as a student instead? Morro had only ever referred to Sensei Wu as his dad when they were on good terms, but it never seemed to have carried on when Morro was upset. 

How should I behave to make things right?

Unresolved conflict never went well between the two. The last time it happened, Morro had died midway through his teens and had then been the second-in-command to a realm that was set on cursing reality as they knew it. What would happen if they didn’t resolve their conflict this time?

Midway through running different scenarios in his head and considering all the mistakes he had made in the past that affected Morro, his ear piece beeped twice in his ear.

“Attention all, please report to the underground base immediately.” P.I.X.A.L said calmly. “I repeat, please report to the underground base immediately.” 

Sensei Wu furrowed his eyebrows as he extinguished the burning incense sticks before standing, joining Cole,  Geo, Lloyd, and the kids, who had been walking down the hallway, to the elevator. They speculate the reason behind P.I.X.A.L’s call between each other as they descended, but kept their worst fears unsaid because of the children. A pointless decision though, because P.I.X.A.L said it for them.

“The Source Dragon Cores have been taken by Imperium.” P.I.X.A.L announced after gathering everyone in the bunker. “But we can intercept them. They will be transferred in armoured trucks through New Ninjago City at midnight tomorrow.”

“Which gives us enough time for a new plan to be formulated.” Lloyd said as P.I.X.A.L pulled up a live map with their allies pictures on different routes. Several patches of land were blank, left with question marks. 

“Our allies have begun their trip here and will be here at dawn, latest. Neuro, Karloff and Euphrasia will arrive by the end of the day.”

“We need to start working on a plan now then.” Kai said firmly and cracked his knuckles. The others nod in agreement.

*               *               *

Later, at the Hospital…

After confusing the doctors and nurses in the hospital for nine chaotic hours (“How is he alive?!” doctors and nurses alike would cry out, confused, astonished, and grateful), Morro was given the green light to return to the Monastery. Zane had picked him up, though on a living dragon rather than his elemental one. When Morro had asked why, Zane sighed.

“There have been developments with the Source Dragon Cores that have left me rather frazzled. It would have been irresponsible for me to have gone with my elemental dragon instead.” 

“Oh…” Morro echoed cluelessly. “What happened with the Source Dragon Cores?”

“Imperium forces have acquired them. However, they are yet to be transported to Imperium. Our intel reveals that Imperium military will be transporting them through New Ninjago City tomorrow night, so the team has been creating a plan to intercept. We are hopeful, especially with the allies we have gathered.”

Morro nodded slowly, sighing. 

“Okay… Those are big developments. Who will be helping out?”

“P.I.X.A.L and I were able to recruit Karloff, Neuro, Griffin, Geo, Skylor and Euphrasia. I don’t think you know most of them, but they are all very skilled elemental masters we met during the Tournament of Elements. Euphrasia, Geo and Neuro will be at the Monastery in the next few hours.”

Morro’s face soured at the mention of Euphrasia. 

“Peachy.” He grumbled. Zane pursed his lips and pondered silently for a few moments.

The team’s success could be compromised if Morro and Euphrasia refused to work together. One (Morro) could try to outperform the other and lose sight of the mission, or unfair calls could be made and disrupt their chances of success. Zane could not comfortably believe that Morro would be able to set aside his emotions and biases to a substantial degree.

Zane kept quiet, letting the two fall into a mutual silence to privately ponder until they reached the Monastery. 

Morro took the time to freshen up and enjoy the much needed privacy of his room before the inevitable clamour of the mission began. However, amidst his self-loathing session and bitterly gazing upon the uniform he made resting prestigiously on the mannequin, furious at the thought of Euphrasia wearing it alongside the others, a soccer ball ripped through the shoji screen behind him that opened to the outdoors. Much to Morro’s shame, it struck the back of his head before he realised what was happening. 

“What the–?!” He hissed and upon turning to look behind him, two children– one human, one serpentine– were looking at the hole from their place in the training course, covering their mouth with their hands and eyes wide.  

Those were the children Cole was taking care of, Morro realised.

Morro groaned as his face flushed with embarrassment, rubbing the sides of his face with his eyes closed before standing, grabbing the ball, and opening the door outside to return the ball to the children.

“Please be careful.” Morro said calmly. He thinks he said it calmly. He definitely tried to make it sound calm. They both give him stiff nods– 

Ugh, I didn’t say it calmly.

–before the serpentine child meekly took the ball from Morro. The two then moved to the other side of the training grounds, closer to the gates and walls. Morro silently sighed once more, and ventured back inside the Monastery to where they kept repair materials so he could seal up the hole in his room.

*               *               *

Meanwhile…

It had begun with a quiet ‘can we talk?’ from Nya after the team had come up with a plan to intercept the Source Dragon Cores, followed by Jay’s timid agreement. Kai had given her a pat on the back for reassurance before the two had gone up the elevator, which brought them to now. Nya and Jay sat opposite another on the dining table awkwardly, avoiding another’s gaze. 

Nya cleared her throat and pressed her hands together on top of the wooden table. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted or kept everything a secret. It was cruel to you and Morro.”

“I…” Jay sighed deeply. “Who am I kidding, I’m sorry too, Nya. I shouldn’t have shouted at you either. We weren’t getting anywhere like that.”

“I know. Are… are you open to fixing that together?”

“Y-yes!” Jay replied all too quickly, leaning forward on the table. “I care about our relationship a lot. I care about you a lot.”

Nya smiled softly and walked over to Jay, who stood up and reciprocated her hug when she gave it. “I do too. I love you so much, Jay.” 

“I love you too…” He murmured as the two pressed their foreheads together. “FSM, I love you so much, Nya. I don’t want any more fights like that.” 

“Fights are inevitable. But we can do our best to minimise the damage they cause.”

Jay sighed heavily, pressing his head against Nya’s shoulder. “Yeah…”

For a moment, they stay in each other’s embrace. Nya’s hand rubbed Jay’s back therapeutically. 

“Are… are you planning on talking to Morro?”

Nya hummed nervously. “Yes. I have a lot to apologise for and I want to make things right with him. I’m… a bit scared though. I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to do things right.”

“You can,” Jay said seriously, standing up straight with his hands on her shoulders. “And if you don’t, you learn what you did wrong and try again. That is what will matter the most, your effort. Morro isn’t going to ignore that. And if he does, that’s his issue, not yours. You are doing the right thing by putting in the effort to make things right.”

“Thank you for the reassurance.” Nya smiled fondly at him and shut her eyes, letting herself exhale deeply. 

“You’re welcome.” Jay grinned and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead. The two fall silent once more, returning to hugging another and swaying softly from side to side. They remained this way for the better part of ten minutes before Kai cleared his throat at the door, Lloyd beside him.

“Can I have my sister back?” Kai teased, tilting his head to the side in amusement. “RGB sibling meeting.”

Nya smiled at Jay apologetically. “I’ll be back.” 

*               *               *

Later…

By the time Morro was able to repair the hole in the shoji door, he finds Lloyd, Kai, and Nya outside his room. 

“..?!” He silently stares with his jaw agape at the three when he exits, shoulders stiff and squared. A bead of sweat drops from the back of his neck, and his mind screams at him, this is the end, they are going to kick you out. 

“Hey,” Lloyd greeted softly. “Can we talk in the meeting room?”

The tips of Morro’s fingers prickled uncomfortably, the sensation mirrored in his gums as Morro found himself stunned in silence. He should have finished earlier so he could have avoided this and hid away in the training room for a few hours. Morro distantly registers the way he feels tempted to grab the Sword of Sanctuary and slash it across his shoulders.

Morro balled his fists shakily and swallowed, offering a small nod. “I… uh, sure..?”

The walk to the meeting room is silent, sans for the way Morro’s heart was pounding in his ears. Morro trailed the trio, but from behind and maintained a sizable gap between them. 

They’re going to exclude me from the mission, aren’t they? It’ll start like that. By the end of it all, they will want me out. They are trying to let me down softly. I should quit whilst I’m still ahead, their lives would be much better when they stop having to pretend that they still want me here. 

Once they were all seated and the doors to the meeting room were sealed, Morro was sure he was going to throw up. His stomach churned as his heart raced, paired alongside his burning face and frozen hands. 

“Morro,” Nya began. “We owe you an apology.”

Morro blinked, dumbfounded. 

I upset you. You’re meant to hate me. Why are you giving me an apology? 

“We shouldn’t have kept Euphrasia a secret from you,” Kai said when Morro didn’t speak. 

“And I shouldn’t have given you that false hope.” Lloyd added remorsefully, not shying away from keeping eye contact with Morro. “That was not the right thing for me to do. I shouldn’t have risked your wellbeing all to keep a lie going.”

The previous sensations across Morro’s body faded, but were promptly replaced by a lump in his throat and a painful, hot wave of shame passing through his body. 

I don’t deserve this. You are all too good to me. I don’t deserve good things, I’m not meant to have good things, stop it, stop it, stop it! 

“Morro, we’re all sorry.”

Morro swallowed down a broken, pathetic cry. “...none of you should be sorry.” He whispered weakly, looking down at the table. 

What have I done to deserve an apology? I’ve hurt you, so, so many times, and I keep hurting you. This is all it’s ever going to be. Keeping me around only ever means more pain for you. 

Kai, Lloyd, and Nya’s eyebrows perk up and the trio exchange glances between each other. Patiently, they wait for Morro to elaborate.

“No matter how much time passes… how much I think I’ve grown and improved… I still hurt the people around me. I keep making mistakes. That is how it’s always going to be. For that, no one should ever be giving me an apology. It’s not right.”

“Morro,” Lloyd interjected, standing up to sit beside him. “You have improved so much, and there is never an end to improvement. It is something everyone will do for life. Everyone deserves an apology when someone else has hurt them.”

“You wouldn’t apologise to the Overlord.”

“And I’m not. I’m apologising to you, someone who does not take sadistic pleasure in making others suffer. You have a good heart that is still learning how to navigate conflict, just like the rest of us.”

Morro sat silently, not daring to look up from the table. His fists were balled up in his lap and his spine had gone rigid. 

I am not destined for anything more than failing. When have I ever had a good thing last? I should quit while I’m still ahead. I can’t miss something I never had, and if there is nothing to miss, I won’t feel bad because there is nothing to take away.

“But I made you suffer.”

“And we made you suffer. That’s why we are apologising and promising to do better. This is an opportunity for the suffering to come closer to an end.”

Lloyd’s last sentence echoed in his mind, he regarded the promise with uncomfortable distrust. This wasn’t the first time he had been offered an escape from a bad situation. Becoming the Green Ninja would assure him a home and love, becoming the Preeminent’s second-in-command would ensure security and the understanding of his feelings, and now…

He felt guilty for feeling unsafe as nausea swarmed in his stomach. Why couldn’t he shake the feeling of fear off? Not only, but could forgiving Morro be so simple? Where were the punishments, the long periods of time where he had to fight for attention when it was withdrawn? 

This feels unfamiliar. Does this mean it’s a trap?

“How is it possible for you three to apologise to me so fast?” Morro murmured softly and swallowed uncomfortably. “It’s barely been two days. I haven’t even apologised yet. What motivated you to do this?”

“Because,” Kai said as he walked over and pressed a warm hand to Morro’s stiff shoulder. “We’re sorry for what we did. We weren’t behaving how we should have and that hurt you. We apologise because we regret that we caused you pain, and that we will do our best to never do it again. It’s cruel to delay a sincere apology because so much more damage could be done in that time, and we don’t want that.”

“We care a lot about you, Morro.” Nya added. “We don’t want you to be hurt in any way by anyone. Including us.”

“And if we do,” Lloyd chimed in, smiling softly at Morro. “It’s important that we talk about it and do our best to make amends. You will always deserve a sincere apology from those who hurt you, and you should never feel guilty for receiving one. Like Nya said, we care about you a lot. We love you, Morro. You’re family.”

Despite Morro’s desperate attempts, the floodgates burst as he covered his face with his gloved hands and sobbed quietly, sans for the occasional hiccup. Lloyd, Kai, and Nya were quick to comfort him with a warm hug, back pats, and a hand soothingly carding through Morro’s long black hair. 

He was loved, cared for, told he deserved an apology even with everything that had gone wrong. How was this real?

The thought of this slipping through his fingers was lost, replaced with overwhelming gratefulness and happiness.

“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t fair to you guys. I shouldn’t have shouted and said the things I did. Especially to you, Lloyd.” Morro choked out quietly, wiping his tears away. “Being the Green Ninja doesn’t stop you from being human, from making mistakes. It wasn’t fair for me to put the expectations that I did on you.”

“I forgive you,” Lloyd smiled gratefully. 

“So do we,” Kai and Nya said kindly, smiling as well. 

For some time, the four of them just stay in their combined embrace, enjoying the connection and warmth. It isn’t until Morro fully calmed down that he grumbled half-heartedly. 

“I need to make dinner.”

“Can we help?” Kai asked with a cheshire grin. 

Morro sighed deeply with a smile on his face. “I’d like that."