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Chapter Text

It had been Kai’s own fault, per usual.

Sensei had told him not to bring his sword to the volcano, but like a fool he ignored him. 

He just couldn’t let his guard down even for a moment. 

The volcano rumbled like a hungry beast. Kai could feel the smoke breathing down his neck. Lloyds screams were almost drowned out by the crumbling sound of rock as the volcano ate itself alive.

Kai could see the silver fang blade slipping into the molten rock, Lloyds pleading face looked at him from across the Lava. 

Kai weighted the options in his head. His choices under pressure could be notoriously terrible, but with the heat rising up his spine, he knew what he had to do. 

He just Hated that he had to do it.

He grabbed the fang blade and ran.

——————————————

Morro knew something was wrong as soon as a small group of spirts started gathering directly below where he was floating. Ghosts tend to avoid each other unless it was the most dire of circumstances.

So only when the realm called them

The late master of wind drifted down to the fleshy floor of the realm and tried to force his way through the crowd.

Tried being the operative word

Spirts were flooding to this area like fish to the mouth of a river. Morro took a deep breath, useless as it was, and summoned his element. Trying to summon the wind was harder when the air around him was as dead as he was.

But what he lacked in the ability to feel his element, he made up for in shear frustration and an aching curiosity. A small cyclone ripped it’s way through the crowd of spirts and allowed Morro passage to the middle. As soon as they were blown away though, they tried to flood back. Morro sent them a withering glare, sending them shrinking back.

After all, no one dared to fight one of the premenints top generals unless it was in a play for his position. Morro turned his attention to the object of all of the commotion.

The realization hit him like a freight train

After all, it wasn’t everyday the cursed realm had a new arrival.

Much less a small, cowering child dressed in burnt jeans and a black hoodie with a crude rib cage drawn on it.

Chapter Text

The first thing Lloyd noticed was the heat

The volcano was boiling hot, the smog clogged his lungs, black spots appearing at the corners of his eyes. His skin was slick with sweat and it felt like his organs were getting liquified.

His mind was racing. He didn’t want to die, he wanted to talk to his dad, wanted to apologize to his uncle for releasing the serpentine, wanted to kick Pythor’s ass for betraying him. 

His eyes started to water, both from the heat and with tears. Why didn’t Kai at least try to save him and not just leave him to die?

Was he not good enough to be saved?

————————

It was cold in the cursed realm. 

It stood in stark contrast to his fiery death. All he could feel was cold as the ghoulish faces of countless spirts bore down on him.

He couldn’t even feel the wind when it came.

He looked up from his hands, curling himself into a ball. Standing over him, a tall, skinny ghost with long dark hair was shooting a deathly glare at the crowd of spirts, before facing Lloyd. His expression morphed into a look of shock and horror.

”Hey kid”. He kneeled down to eye view. Lloyd slowly started shuffling backwards. 

“Who,Who are you?” He stuttered, wrapping his arms around his legs. The ghost sat down it front of him, cautious as if approaching a scared animal. 

“My names Morro,” he replied, “what’s yours kid?”

”Lloyd”. He replied. 

“What are you doing here?” Morro asked, eyes full of sympathy. It should have annoyed Lloyd. He was the son of Lord Garamdon! He didn’t need sympathy! But something inside him broke. “It’s not everyday we get a new arrival in the cursed realm, even less a child.”

Lloyd scampered to his feet. “The Cursed realm?” He said breathlessly. Morro rose to his feet, arms out in a comforting motion “Hey kid, I’m not going to hurt you” he took a small step forward. “What happened?” 

Lloyd bit his lip and looked at the ground.  Morro seemed to understand and took a small step back. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to”. 

“no,no I’ll tell you” Lloyd replied, sinking to his feet. Morro took a couple steps forward and pulled Lloyd into an awkward half-hug. 

Lloyd took a deep breath and started with his story. 

He told Morro about how his mom left him soon after he was born, right after his father was banished, leaving him at the mercy of Darklys boarding school. How he got kicked out for being to good, and was then mocked by the ninja for his pitiful attempt at getting candy. How he released the serpentine to try and get revenge. How the Hynobrai commander fell under his control only to be overthrown by his second-in-command. How the Fangpyres discarded him like trash after learning of this change of leadership. How the last remaining Anacondrai, Pythor, betrayed him in a bide to unite the tribes and release the great devourer. How he was captured and starved and only released to try and retrieve a fang blade that wasn’t there. How he was left to die in a volcano that boiled him alive.

Throughout Lloyds story, Morro felt himself getting angrier and angrier.

——————————

“YOU LEFT MY SON?!”

Kai grasped the fang blade even tighter, his knuckles going white. “I didn’t have a choice! By the time I saw him it was already to late!”

Lord Garamdon looked like he was seconds away from throwing him off the bounty. Sensei Wu, usually the peacekeeper, looked seconds away from tears. A sorrowful mood hung over the bridge like smoke.

Kai swallowed the tears threatening to spill over. 

He hated lying to his teammates 

Chapter Text

The plan was to send the Anacondrai generals to complete the mission. The rift sent to release them from the cursed realm put a wrench in that plan.

So she sent Morro instead.

The first thing he saw after slipping through the rift was the ninja. The red one, Kai, was burning a large book. 

Morro hated him the second he saw him. This was the man who let Lloyd die. Despite this, he smirked when he saw him. Morro was gonna make him pay. 

Hair gel wouldn’t know what hit him.

———————————-

“Oh, that could be our first order, everyone be quiet” Nya reached for the ringing phone. The ninja rolled their eyes. “Steep Wisdom how may we serve you?” 

“Aren’t we gonna look kinda dorky flying up on our power dragons with these things on?” Kai asked. “You won’t be flying on anything,” Master Wu replied, “We’re selling tea, not magic. Beside, you all have been relying a little to heavily on your elemental powers lately. Real power comes from the inside.” This was met with a burst of protest by the ninja. Nya, still on the phone, rolled her eyes.

“Enough!” Master Wu said sternly. “Yes Sensei” the ninja replied begrudgingly. 

“Thank you, I’ll let him know right away.” Everyone turned to Nya, who was putting down the phone. “ Is it a big order?” Jay asked, looking at Nyas bewildered face. “It’s the police,” she replied, “they’ve asked for Kai, there’s been a break in at the museum.” 

Everyone turned to face Kai. “Why me specifically sis?” Kai asked.

”Yeah, out of everyone,Kai?” Jay replied, earning him a swift elbow to the stomach. “They didn’t say.” Nya replied, sending a withering glare at Jay, who immediately retreated to behind Cole. 

Kai turned to leave. “Go on, I’ll take your share.” Cole offered. “Oh thank god” Kai replied, practically thrusting the flyers into Cole’s hands before running off. 

Cole shook his head. “He owes me one”

————————

Kai stumbled into the room, winded from the long run. Why had the night watchman been so worried about this? 

“I was knocked out,” the man said in a low tone, snapping Kai out of his thoughts, “when I came to i saw the only thing stolen was something that wasn’t even on display. Just some worthless old armor breastplate they called the ‘Allied armor of Azure’

Kai made his way to the large plywood box the had been wrenched open, inspecting the sand that was piled up infrount of the box. “Certainly rolls off the tongue doesn’t it,” Kai chuckled to himself, “Why would a thief leave all these priceless relics, and take just that?” 

“Oh I don’t know,” the watchman replied. Kai heard something in his voice that he couldn’t quite place. Anger? Disgust? “Maybe it’s cause, when your in trouble, they say it has the power to summon allies, whether they be friends, foes, even spirits from, the cursed realm.” Kai felt, uneasy by the way he draped out that last word. “The cursed realm.” He muttered to himself. He had heard the stories, he didn’t think there was a kid in Ninjago who hadn’t. A place where people go who were so awful that an innocent soul cursed them with their dying breathe. He was so engrossed in his own thoughts, he hadn’t noticed the watchman sneaking up behind him with a hammer. 

He only noticed when said hammer nearly crashed into his skull.

He jumped out of the way. The watchman followed, swinging his hammer again, Kai ducking just in time. He rushed to his feat and raced to the other side of the room. The night watchman’s cloth fell off his shoulders and revealed the blue and dark silver breastplate hidden beneath.

”Allied Armor” he said breathlessly, dipping into a fighting stance, “you stole it” 

“So your the one Lloyd told me about.” The watchman hissed. Kai’s jaw dropped “Lloyd?”

The watchman snarled at him and swung at his head again, sending a tower of boxes toppling down onto him, Kai barley jumping out of the way. 

Kai placed his foot on the watchman’s chest, pressing down hard. “Spill it asshole. Who are you and how do you know Lloyd?” The watchman snarled at him, before his expression morphed into shock. Kai saw a dark figure move up to the portrait of master Chen just above him. 

“What’s going on?” The watchman asked, “Someone was in my head?”

Kai acted on instinct, picking up the portrait and smashing it on the foot of a sculpture of some serpentine general, only for that dark figure to glide up into the sculpture and start laughing at him. “Your powers are useless! You think you can hurt a ghost? I can posses Anything!” The tail of the sculpture unraveled with a creak, before curling around him.

The shadow emerged from the sculpture, before shooting into the pile of sand on the floor. The sand started to swirl, before forming into the shape of a tall, thin teenager with long hair. 

“When he was in my head I-“ the watchman spoke up, shaking like a leaf, “I saw his thoughts! The world, The world will be cursed!” 

Then it clicked. 

“Your a ghost from the cursed realm!” Kai exclaimed. “How did you escape?” 

“When you and your pathetic Sensei opened the rift to the cursed realm, they should have been more careful what came out.” The ghost whispered sinisterly. He lunged at Kai, causing sand to swirl around him.

“Hurry, the Armor, give it to me!” He shouted. The watchman removed the armor and threw it at him. It hurled through the air before the ghost caught it, affixing it to his chest.

Kai lunged at the ghost. “Give me the Armor!” He yelled. The ghost laughed, before tossing Kai across the room. “The armors nice, but it isn’t the only thing I want to posses.” 

“what else do you want?” Kai asked

The Ghost chuckled. 

“You!”

Chapter Text

The windmill creaked to life as the old wind blew, clouds dark on the horizon.

Though it wasn’t the only thing on it.

Kai stood there, eyes dark with shadows underneath. His usually tan skin looked sickly and pale, and there was something cold in his eyes, unbecoming to the master of flame.

Master Wu stood breathless as the ninja ran to greet their friend. “I know that wind,” he muttered fearfully.

“That’s not Kai.” He tried to state, but the ninja were already tuning him out.

“Step aside” Kai ordered. “Kai, what’s wrong with you?” Jay shouted.

“I want a word with your master” Kai replied. “Is it just me, or has his voice changed?” The lighting ninja muttered. “What’s gotten into him?” Cole asked to no one in particular.

“I sense some kind of foreign entity has taken over his body.” Zane stated, trying and failing to suffocate the fear in his voice, “so the question isn’t what, but who?”

“Whoever you are,” Cole lashed out at the intruder, “and whatever beef you have with Sensei, you have with us, so give us back our friend.”

Not-Kai cracked his neck and laughed sinisterly. “How are we supposed to fight our friend?” Cole asked.

“Let me show you!” The intruder exclaimed, running toward the ninja and sending a blast of wind their way, sweeping them all off their feet and into the floor. Not-Kai laughed again, cold and cruel and without any humor. “Well come on guys, it’s clear this guy isn’t taking any prisoners” Cole said, rising to his feet and unsheathed the Scythe of Quakes.

“No!” Zane exclaimed, blocking his friend from charging at the intruder “no matter who this person is, he is still using Kai’s body. We don’t want to accidentally kill him.”

Not-Kai laughed for a third time, making all the ninja turn to face him. “So considerate. He sure wasn’t”

Blinking away the confusion, the ninja charged. Cole went in for the attack first, earning him an uppercut to the jaw. Jays attack was meet with a roundhouse kick that sent him flying, and Zane was flung to the side almost effortlessly.

“Oh come on, you’re not even trying!” Not-Kai scoffed, “I was looking forward to this face getting roughed up a bit”.

“Oh come on, what does that even mean man?” Jay whined. Not-Kai turned to face him, almost missing the Spinjitzu attack by Cole coming from behind him. He turned to face Coles rocky tornado just in time to send him hurling into the side of the shop with a gust of wind.

Jay tried to use his Spinjitzu to no avail, landing directly on top of Cole with a thud as Zane drew out the shurikens of ice. “Hypocrite” Cole muttered.

“shurikens? Cute.” Not-Kai snarled “try this on for size!”. He gestured toward the windmill, and commanded the wind to rip it off its stand, hurling it at the ninja and sending them flying.

The blast sent Cole flying through the air, landing face first in front of the truck Wu was using to evacuate the shop.

Cole thought he was dying for a moment.

But then-

“Get up, please!”

Cole looked up to see the face of a pleading young girl, dark hair twisted into an elaborate braid. He remembered the her and her mother were the shops first customers

“Ninja never Quit!” She exclaimed. Cole slowly rose to his feet before the little girl and her mother ran into the van and drove away as fast as they could.

Not-Kai growled and sent a vortex of wind toward Zane, getting him close enough to touch before hurling him back out. A small tornado ripped through the courtyard and ripped the shop doors open, revealing a horrified Nya.

“Get out!” She screamed. “Go stock some shelves” Not-Kai replied “this isn’t your fight”.

“Oh, yeah? It became my fight when you hurt my brother!” Nya replied, banging her first on the table. Sensei Wu put a hand on her shoulder.

“No Nya.” Wu said “It’s me he wants”.

“Not you,” Not-Kai snarled “just your fathers staff”

“I see you’ve found the Allied Armor Morro,” Sensei Wu replied, staff dipped into a fighting stance, “yet you haven’t summoned your friends yet”.

“Your pathetic ‘students’ haven’t given me a reason to”. Not-Kai, Morro? replied “plus, I’m waiting for the right time to summon someone…special”

“Hey!” Jay interrupted from the courtyard, “No one calls me pathetic!”. He came charging at the door before Not-Kai slammed it in his face.

“You were never the patient type Morro,” Sensei Wu started to circle the intruder like a shark.

Not-Kai turned lazily to face him, “oh, 40 years will teach you a couple things” he replied “and what was it you always said, ‘lessons learned the hard way are still lessons learned’?”.

Sensei Wu leaped onto the table. “You want the staff? Come and get it.” Morro let out a cry of rage and pounced, leaping across the room and pinning Wu to the table, lunging with such force it broke the table in half. They stumble around the room until Not-Kai pinned him up against the wall. 

“You’ve gotten old. You used to be a great Sensei.” Not-Kai snarled. 

“With age, comes wisdom.” Wu retorted, and used his momentum to push himself off the wall, accidentally letting go of the staff. 

Not-Kai stumbled to his feet “Was it your ‘wisdom’ that forced you to let one of your students die?” He snarled. But Wu wasn’t listening. An odd pattern was rolled out on the floor in some spilled tea leaves. “A secret message engraved on the staff.” He awed. 

Not-Kai took notice, using the wind to blow the staff toward him. Wu lunged at it, and aimed a blow Not-Kai’s head, which he promptly blocked. 

“I’m sorry about what happened to you Morro” Sensei Wu said, “But your death was out of my control”. 

“Who said I was talking about myself?” He hissed in reply. Wu’s face melted into an expression of shock and sadness. Not-Kai pushed him to the ground and clasped onto the staff, so entranced he didn’t notice Nya sneaking up behind him until the shelf fell directly on his head. 

“I do more than stock shelves” She quipped, while Wu grabbed onto the staff. “Now, we leave” he pointed to the door, which he and Nya promptly ran out of. 

“To the bounty!” Nya cried. “I am not running away from Kai!” Cole replied. 

“We will not win this fight today” Wu replied as the rest of the ninja rushed toward Nya. Cole kept his fight firmly planted on the ground. 

Meanwhile, Morro was struggling under the weight of the shelf. A gust of wind erupted from the store and blew Cole off his feet. The Bounty rose up from behind the shop. 

“Is he crazy?” Jay cried from the deck of the ship. Not-Kai rushed out of the shop and pinned Cole to the ground.

“Foolish Ninja” he hissed “why would you try to take me on all by yourself?”. “Because I’m not going to run away from my teammate” he replied. “How sweet” Not-Kai snarled “You sure have no clue what he did, do you?”.

Cole leapt to his feet and pinned the Red Ninja into a headlock “I know you’re in there Kai” he begged “fight him!” “The staff is getting away” Not-Kai shrieked “Let go of me!”

“Not until you let go of Kai” Cole replied. Not-Kai snarled, but then went limp in Coles arms. “Cole,” he muttered weakly, “help me.”

“Kai?” Cole asked “Is that you?” “He knows” Kai responded, his voice growing more and more echoey “he knows what I did, before he was in my head, he know!”

“What are you talking about Kai?” Cole asked. Kai looked up at Cole and muttered a single word.

“Lloyd”

Chapter Text

The red dragon cut through the air like a knife, bony and skeletal. Morro leapt off his mount and landed on the ground, staff in hand before striding into the pub.

‘We can’t go in here! We’re underaged!’ The red ninja protested loudly. ‘Oh shut it you’ Morro thought in response. He slide the hood of his gi off his face and made his way to the bar.

“Thirsty?” The barkeep asked

“Insatiable” he responded. The barkeep smiled and slid him a drink, which he promptly downed. “It’s been awhile” he sighed, before making his way to the pool table. Using the Wind, he slide the staff across it, leaving marks in the dust, vaguely revealing a tornado, a sword thrusted into the clouds, and a skull.

“Of course!” He muttered in awe.

“You’re a bit young for a place like this, ain’t yah?” The master of wind turned to face the speaker as a small crowd clustered around him. “Not supposed to come it yah ain’t got friends, know what I mean?” A man with a gravely voice replied.

Morro smirked. “Oh, I have friends” he replied, as the Allied Armor began to glow.

—————————————

“So,” Jay leaned over Sensei Wu’s shoulder. His brow furrowed as he tried to continue sketching the symbols from memory, “how exactly are we gonna interpret these?”

“Yeah Sensei,” Zane replied, absentmindedly flicking two rocks together, trying to get a spark for a fire, “I have tried to interpret them, but they do not match any language or symbols in my database.”

“I do not know” Wu responded “these symbols are foreign to me as well”.

“Do think we could get someone at the museum to try and decipher them?” Zane asked, walking over to his Sensei. Wu’s eyes lit up.

“That is a fantastic idea Zane.” He replied. “And I think I know just the person.”

—————————————

Morro stood alone on the cliff, outlooking Stixx. The Allied armor began to glow once more, and a ghostly figure holding a bow appeared in a flash of green light. 

“You summoned me?” He said in a gravelly voice. “I need help to procure the first clue that will lead me to the tomb of the first Spinjitzu master.” Morro replied, “Ronin has the scroll of Airjiztu”.

“Ronin” the spirit growled, “he owes me a large debt”.

”But he’s on Stixx” Morro replied. “The village built on water” the spirit sighed. 

The master of wind hunched over, breathing heavily. “This armor, it weakens me.” He panted “and at the same time this hothead is trying to fight my possession”. 

“Then let my bow give you strength,” the spirit nocked an arrow “and point the way”. He fired the arrow, leaving it streaking through the air like a firey green comet. 

The spirit turned to Morro “I see you haven’t summon your little protégé yet.” He hissed. Morro sent him a withering glare. “Again, this armor comes with a cost. It was already a lot to summon you and Wrayth the this realm.”

”Then why waste the energy?” The spirit taunted. “I still have no clue why you care for that boy, nor how you convinced our master to let him on this mission.” 

“He is part Oni!” Morro snapped. “When he learns to use his powers, he will be of great value to her.”

”you mean, if he learns to use his powers” the spirit replied 

Morro didn’t reply.

Chapter Text

Being summoned was......Weird

That was the only way Lloyd could describe it.

At first you start to feel like your falling, before your vision goes blurry and you feel this weird pulling sensation in your gut, ectoplasm churning as your spirit is pulled from the cursed realm.

"Hey, Hey Lloyd? Can you hear me?"

Lloyd slowly opened his eyes, to see an unwelcome face staring down at him.

Kai

Master of Fire

M̷̘͑U̴͇̤͉̞͗̈R̴̢͇͛̑D̷̜͆̋Ě̸̳̬͓͜R̸̞̠͕̍̈̔

Lloyd lunged at the man in red, techniques drilled into his mind from years in the cursed realm flooding to the surface. Muscle memory took over, and he pinned Kai against the wall.

"Lloyd LLOYD! Calm down its me!" the red ninja shrieked in a voice not his own. Lloyd lowered his arm, holding in a sigh of relief (Was it? Or was it disappointment for not getting the vengeance he so craved?).

It was just Morro.

"Sorry" Lloyd muttered. "No its ok." Morro replied, kneeling over in pain. He buried his face in his palms. "Oh shut it you" He muttered.

"Is he fighting?" Lloyd asked. Morro nodded his head. "He really wants to talk to you." he muttered.

"Well don't let him." Lloyd snarled. The last thing he wanted to do was have a one on one chat with the man who left him to die. "Got it" Morro winched. "So....where are we?" Lloyd asked, taking in his surrounding. They appeared to be on a large cliff, overlooking a village surrounded by water. "We're next to Stixx" Morro replied, forcing himself to stand. "Soul Archer's taking care of some.....business."

”Ronin?” Lloyd asked. Morro nodded. 

“……..” 

The silence was deafening, sharp as a needle as it hung in the air. “Any reason you chose……. Him?” Lloyd muttered. His expression was unreadable. Morro knelt down and looked him dead in the eyes. 

“I wanted to make him suffer.” Morro stated. Lloyd looked shocked. “You didn’t deserve to die, and if this Asshole could have saved you, but chose not to, he deserves this.”

“It was a choice between me and all of Ninjago, and I don’t know about you, but I’d rather the great devourer to stay asleep.”

”He could have tried.” Morro depanned. Lloyd chuckled. “You have a weird way of showing love, don’t you?” Morro faked a gasp. “Me! Affection? I could never.” Lloyd giggled.

”Now cmon.” Morro rose to his feet. “We gotta make sure Soul Archer isn’t screwing up the Realm’s plan.”

——————————————-

Ronin strolled across the expanse of his shop, whistling to himself, when all of a sudden, a ghostly arrow was pointed at his neck.

”So-Soul Archer.” He stuttered, his fear boiling over as he tried to keep his expression calm. “I thought I was gonna have more time, I’m still a little short.”

”I’ll return for your debt later.” The ghostly bowsman growled “but for now, I came for something else.”

Ronin started to back away slowly. “If-if this is about our las-“

The conman jumped as a figure emerged from the shadows behind him, silent and swift as the wind. Ronin looked at the figure, relief bubbling in his gut. 

“Kai, you’re a little late, your friends were just here.” Ronin started into the face of the intruder, who made his way across the room. “Or should I call you by another name?”

”Yeah you should.” Another voice hissed. Ronin whipped around to find none other than…

a child.

A small ghostly child, dressed in a dark hoodie and cloak, covered in burn marks and whose eyes seem to change color in the light. Ronin could hear Soul Archer sigh from behind him. “The ninja.” He growled “they were already here”. 

“Good” the child said. “I’d like to meet them”. There was something off about this kid, Ronin thought. Something otherworldly. Something……..Inhuman.

“Where’s the scroll of Airjiztu.” Not-Kai growled. “The scroll of who-what-su?” Ronin replied. He cringed internally. He could talk his way out of this. “Love the armor, a little dinged up but, I’ll make you a fair offer.”

Not-Kai grabbed him by the throat and hoisted him into the air, before pinning him against the wall. Ronin started to breathe heavily. Keep it together.

”I’ll tell you what I told the ninja.” He said. “It’s not here. But I can get it for…. Five hundred?” 

It took all of Morro’s restraint to not slam him into the ground then and there. 

That and the muffled voices they heard outside. 

Voices that the Red Ninja recognized immediately. 

“Nononono” he thought. “Be. Quiet.” Morro growled at him. Ronin tried to scream, but Morro pressed his hand onto his mouth to keep him quiet. “Hide” he said, Ronins muffled screams begging to be let go. “Let them do the heavy lifting, then steal it.” 

Soul Archer and Lloyd nodded, before the four ran across the creaking floorboards.

——————————-

Zane was regretting going along with Jay’s plan. 

The Ice Ninja landed as quietly as he could, cringing as the floorboards creaked under his feet. “Great.” Cole whispered furiously “now we’re on the hook for breaking and entering.” Jay shriveled with embarrassment, before turning to look for the scroll. 

The ninja were scouring the place, exploring every nook and cranny to find that scroll. “Are you sure this Misako person can be trusted?” Jay whispered. “Wu seem to trust her.” Cole replied, “He also seems to have a thing for her, y’know?” 

“That’s gross!” Jay whispered angrily “she’s his sister in law Cole, Sensei wouldn’t do that”.

Unbeknownst to the Ninja, Soul Archer was creeping towards the pipe organ, malice gleaming in his eyes. 

Only to be stopped by Lloyd. 

“We don’t have time for this” he whispered. Lloyd sent him a withering glare. “Stick to the plan.” He growled. 

Soul Archer pulled out of his grip and started creeping toward the organ again. 

“No!” Lloyd whispered furiously. 

“I got it!” 

Jay whipped around, tearing his eyes of the towering Pipe Organ Ronin had for some reason. “You found the scroll?” He asked. “No” Cole replied, gripping his treasure tight in his hands. “But I found my dads Blade cup trophy. I’m gonna give it back to him once everything is over. He danced hard for this.”

Neither of them noticed the Pipes curling around Jay until it was too late. 

————————————

“the Organs got me!” Jay shrieked. “It-it’s possessed by a ghost!” Cole panicked. Lloyd rolled his eyes. No shit Sherlock, he thought. “I-i forgot what we were supposed to do!” 

“Water!” Jay cried. Zane ran to a nearby shelf, grabbing a flowerpot and throwing the water toward the ghost, only to find it was a fake flower. “We’re on a village built entirely over water.” Jay hissed “Please take your time!”. Finally, Cole found a jug of water and hurled it at the pipe organ, splashing the liquid everywhere and setting Jay free.

Zane muttered some kind of gibberish Lloyd couldn’t understand. “I think he said, another one of Morro’s friend.” Cole replied. 

Morro burst out of his hiding space. “And there’s more where that came from” he said, summoning a swarm of the cursed to attack the Ninja. He looked to Lloyd, and the young Oni took it as a sign to search for the scroll. The ninja were distracted, so it would be perfect. 

Lloyd frantically rushed around the shop, rummaging through the countless boxes of junk as the ninja hurled some kind of shuriken at  the ghosts to dissaperate them. He started to panic, desperately digging through box after box only to come up empty handed. 

“Come on, come on!” He said to himself. Then, he saw Ronin launch Morro into a wall, shattering the vase to reveal the scroll. The ninja made a grab for it, but Lloyd raced over there and grabbed it as fast as he could. 

“Lloyd!?” The ninja screamed. Lloyd kept his head down so he didn’t have to look at them. Morro shakily rose to his feet “Come on!” Morro gave him a quick nod and they both raced out of the shop and across the streets of Stixx, the ninja hot on their heals. 

“We can’t out run the three of them!” Lloyd exclaimed. “So we’ll take the high ground.” Morro said, using the wind to launch him and Lloyd into the sky and onto the rooftops of Stixx. Curve after sharper curve, they raced across the rooftops. Until they landed on the dock.

Only one was chasing them now, just Cole. 

Jumping from peg to peck on the unfinished dock, the three raced eachother to the very edge, Morro using his wind to skip the two ghosts to a peg farther out on the water. Lloyd curled up against the master of wind to try and stay on the pole.

Cole looked at him from across the expanse as Morro unraveled the scroll. “Lloyd,” he whispered. Lloyd couldn’t bear to look at him any longer, hugging himself tight to Morro as he went through the forms of Airjiztu and launched the two of them into the night sky.

Chapter Text

"Concentrate"

Nya focused on the water slowly dripping from the pipe as it dripped into the basin below.

"Focus on reversing the flow" Wu said. Nya blinked slowly as the water droplet fell into the stone basin and a new one slowly replaced it. "Embrace it. You can control it" Wu continued, "Become the Water Ninja"

Wu glanced at the basin. He sucked in a sharp breath when he saw the water had stopped, only to sigh when he saw Nya holding her hand up to block it.

"I'm not the Water Ninja." she sighed, a pleading tone in her voice. "I'm a Samurai. I'm scared my friends are in trouble, not to mention my brothers being possessed and I can't do jack shit to help because I'm training for an ability i might not even have".

"Language Nya". Nya whipped around, only to see Misako standing there. Nya was still getting used to having this odd woman claiming to be Lloyd's mother hanging around the tea shop.

Lloyd. Just thinking of the time they spent together sent a guilty shiver down Nya's spine.

"Anyway" Misako's voice snapped Nya out of her thoughts. "We have a visitor. He's here to talk about our.... Ghost problem."

Nya rolled her eyes and followed Wu and Misako to the gates.

Nobody noticed the small whirlpool forming at the base of the rock she sat on.

-------------------------

Morro stood next to a large fire, the staff rolled out in the dirt so he could see the symbols. "The second symbol. Can any of you decipher it?" He turned to the four ghostly figures floating across from him, "There was a reason why I brought you three out."

A female ghost with a raspy voice floated up to Morro's face "I can" she hissed, "but you'll need more than Airjitzu to get there." The Soul archer floated in graceful loops across the sky, locking eyes with the female ghost. "Are you suggesting, Bansha," He growled "that we'll need to possess a few more vessels?"

The third ghost circled the pair, laughing to himself. "Haha. Me likes!" He cackled "Me likes to take! Take now, heh!". Morro pressed his face into his palms. Lloyd shook his head, pressing closer against Morro's leg. "Settle down, Ghoultar." the Master of Wind sighed " Master would want us to be patient. I think I know where to pick up a few more...toys."

-------------------------

Ronin’s airship rose from the ground, cutting through the night sky like a hot knife through butter.  The bounty hunter himself was shoving a large sack of coins into a safe in the back. “Pretend you didn’t see that” he said to Nya as he locked the safe, “should be at the Samurai X cave shortly.”

The monitor beeped. “Make yourself comfortable” he said, reaching to adjust the controls before leaning back in his seat. 

Nya, clad in her Samurai X gear, suppressed an urge to roll her eyes. “For someone so desperate for money, you sure have a lot of it.” She said

Ronin glanced at Nya. “Let’s just say I owe someone a large debt.”

The awkward silence filled the ship as it turned a sharp corner. Nya pursed her lips. “Unless you like awkward pauses” she replied, “do tell.”

Ronin sighed and leaned forward in his chair. “I made a few bets in my life and if I don’t pay off the Soul Archer my souls going to the Cursed Realm.” He grumbled. Nya sent a sharp glare his way. “And you think cashing in on our farm will save your hide?” she replied, her voice laced with malice, “your a real gentleman”. 

“Save it sweet heart.” Ronin replied as Nya turned her back on him, crossing her arms. “Unlike you I don’t have a Ninja support system. It’s me and me alone.”

”Speaking of which,” the cautious tone in the bounty hunters voice was telling. Nya turned to face the monitor. “Who else knows about your secret cave?”

”Just my brother I guess.” She shrugged, until the implication of that hit her. “We’re going to have company aren’t we?” 

Ronin clenched his teeth. “Be ready.” 

————————————-

“Morro!” Nya whispered furiously. “He already knows Airjiztu,” she snarled “what does he want with the mechs?”

”Well the Soul Archers here to” Ronin turned to run, grabbing Nya’s arm “so now would be a good time to leave.” Nya pulled away from him and gave him a withering glare. Ronin shrunk back to behind the rock. 

“If i can’t help my friends as a Water Ninja.” She hissed, “I can help them as a Samurai!” 

“I got a bad feeling about this.” Ronin grumbled as Nya put on her helmet. She clicked a small bracelet on her wrist and the Samurai X mech stared to lift off the floor. She climbed in and unsheathed the sword she built into it.

Thats when she saw Morro wasn’t alone. 

And she recognized on of the spirits there.

———————————— 

Needless to say, Kai did not like being possessed

It was so cold, so cold it felt like icy fire seeping into his soul. Blurs of color and sound rushed past eyes no longer his, control always just out of his reach, no matter how far he stretched.

Not to mention, this particular spirit had a vendetta. Kai would never admit it, but he had no clue whether what he did that day in the volcano was right. It was a choice between Lloyd and all of ninjago, but did he really have to just run, not try at all?

Morro clearly didn't think so

So here he was, a puppet for a vengeful spirit and the very child he let die.

They were in Nya's Samurai X cave, not that it mattered. Kai was perfectly fine to just....space out. Forget he was here. Forget who he was, where he ended and Morro began.

"Sorry to crash the party, but this place looks a little dead." Kai snapped out of his spiral. "Nya?" He thought, "Nonononono you can't be here you could get hurt please leave i might hurt you!"

"Shut. Up." Morro snarled at him. "NO!" Kai shouted mentally, "YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HURT MY BABY SISTER!"

"YOU ARE SUCH A HYPOCRITE" Morro snarled at him. Kai blocked him out, reaching for control, fighting and thrashing and trying to take charge. The fight rushed by him in a blur of sounds and colors. He was reaching, so close to getting control.

BAM. An explosion knocked them to the ground, shattering the allied armor and Kai's concentration with it. He saw Nya and Ronin sprint out of the cave, Morro and his ghosts close on their tail. Kai could hear a high pitched whistle and saw as Ronin's airship came swooping down.

But it was all for nothing, the ghosts surrounded them. Kai could faintly see Nya's face, twisted in shock and horror.

But not at him.

"Lloyd" she muttered, "What happened to you?"

Kai tried to turn to look at the young spirit, but Morro kept his head stubbornly rigid. Suddenly, it started to rain. The spirits ducked under the mech for cover as Morro summoned their dragon.

"We have what we came for" he hissed, and the ghosts took to the sky.

------------------------

The ninja, were not comfortable with Misako being here, to say the least.

It wasn't that she was rude or anything, Cole thought, but why would Lloyd be abandoned at some awful boarding school when his mother was alive and well. "We have a visitor" Master Wu's voice snapped Cole out of his thoughts. "Really?" He asked, "Is it a customer?".

"No" Master Wu said abruptly. Cole shrugged it off as they walked to the door.

He soon saw why Master Wu was so uncomfortable

"Hello brother" Garamadon snarled. "I heard we had a ghost problem".

Chapter Text

"So let me get this straight" Garamadon snarled, fangs curled into a sneer, "Wu's first student, who he NEVER TOLD YOU ABOUT for some reason, along with MY SON WHO YOU IDIOTS LET DIE, is searching for our father's temple, using your friend as a puppet". Wu shuffled uncomfortably, lips pursed. Most of the ninja followed suit. "Yes" Zane responded, "But Wu neglected to mention that Misako, Lloyd's mother and your wife, I believe, is here too".

"We really need to work on your lying ability Zane" Jay whispered furiously. Zane ignored him.

"Misako" Garamdon whispered to himself, "Why is she here?" he demanded. Zane kept a stoic face. "She is helping us decipher the symbols on your father's staff" he replied.

"Speaking of which," Misako herself entered the room, "I believe we have a clue to the second symbol."

--------------------------------

Morro pressed his face into the dirt, sharp rocks and pebbles worming their way into old wounds and reopening them. He tried to force himself to stand, but his legs buckled underneath him and sent him crashing back down into the dirt. He had to keep going, He had to, He had-

"Aella!"

Morro whipped his head around to see a man standing there, taller than him, greasy black hair hanging over his shoulders. "There you are you little shit." He snarl, grabbing Morro by the shoulder and slamming him into a tree. The man's breath smelled of brandy. "You thought you could get away from me huh?" The wind whipped around him, not Morro's to command.

"I'll teach you to try and run from who you are"

--------------------------------

Morro woke with a start, breathing heavily as the cold ground of the Samurai X cave. He snarled. "Curse this body for needing sleep" He thought bitterly.

"Did the sleepyhead enjoy his nap?" Bansha hissed, batting her eyes mockingly. Morro rolled his eyes. "Shut it" he growled, pushing himself to his feet

He really hoped the Red Ninja didn't see that

"Shouldn't we be on our way to the wailing alps?" He hissed. Bansha rolled her eyes "We were, but someone didn't have the sense to exit this worthless sack of flesh. You know master would want you to-"

"The Preeminent is not here, I am. And need I remind you only a Spinjitzu Master can find the tomb? If I leave Kai's body now, the Sword would be useless. Our master sent me to find the tomb, so until she's freed, you serve me. Understand?" Bansha stumbled backward through the air gracelessly, shocked by Morro's outburst. "Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed" she muttered, floating through the air till she reached the corrupted mech. Morro rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, staring into the ground like it was responsible for his plight.

"Hey" Morro whipped around, clenching his fists tightly. Lloyd curled into himself in fear. Morro relaxed, and turned to face the young Oni

"Hey kid, whats up?" Morro asked. Lloyd fidgeted uncomfortably. "It's just..." Lloyd mumbled, "You seem, are you ok?"

Morro sighed "I'm fine Lloyd" He ruffled Lloyd hair

"It was just a stupid dream"

Chapter Text

For the first time since his death, Lloyd was glad he couldn't feel anything.

The Wailing Alps sure lived up to their name, the wind ripped through the mountain so fiercely that any living soul would be blown off the face of the earth. The perfect place for ghosts

or The Master of Wind.

Or both

The Ghosts huddled under the corrupted mech, hovering close to its face as Morro swiveled around to look down the mountain.

"So they are following us." He hissed, curling his lips back into a fanged sneer.

Bansha rolled her eyes."We're too far ahead. They'll never catch us." she replied.

"Still, why don't you make yourself useful for once" Morro snarled, "I summoned you for a reason after all"

Bansha smirked, gliding down the mountain and delivering her deathly shriek. Lloyd shuttered. He had been on the opposing end of her voice in one of their spars, and he did not envy the ninja right now.

Morro continued to march up the path as the side of the mountain crumbled over the ninja. The ghosts climbed and climbed until they reached a small cliff with a cluster of temples hanging off of it like fruit rotting on the vine.

"The hanging temple.." Morro whispered breathlessly "The summit isn't far". He waved to summon the rest of the ghosts, but Bansha was distracted staring off the side of the mountain. “Impossible,” she whispered bitterly. Morro swung the mech around only to see an unpleasant sight

“You said you got rid of them!” Morro growled, glaring at the icy mech crawling toward them like a mechanical spider. “
I wiped them off the face of the mountain!” She exclaimed, hate frothing in her voice.

“Clearly you didn’t wipe hard enough!” Morro snapped. Lloyd giggled to himself. Soul archer noticed and took the opportunity to slap Lloyd on the back of the head.

“This thing is only slowing me down.” Morro ripped himself out of the mech, scowling to himself “I’ll go the rest of the way on foot”. “But Morro, the wind-“ Soul archer groveled, only for Morro to cut him off.

“I control the wind. You four control the situation. Make sure they never make it to the top”

“You’re leaving us to babysit!?” Soul archer scowled. Morro whipped around and gave him an icy glare. “You can either deal with the ninja, or get thrown off the side of the mountain” Morro growled “I trust you will understand the better option”. He then whipped around and marched up the side of the mountain.

———————————————

The soul archer nocked his arrow, ghoultar cheering next to the scowling bowsman. Lloyd sunk into a battle stance as the archer fired his arrow at the incoming mech, only to snarl as the arrow was absorbed effortlessly into the blue ninja’s armor. “The armor really works!” He cheered. Lloyd rolled his eyes.

All of a sudden, the corrupted mech grabbed the ninja and tossed them aside, mech and all. Morro was running, panting hard as he raced toward the summit. Cole noticed and tried to lunge at him.

“Morro’s getting away!” He cried. Suddenly, Bansha was in front of the earthbond ghost, snarling like something out of a nightmare.

“And you’re not!” She hissed, before unleashing her devastating shriek, freezing the ninja in place. Lloyd saw the opportunity and pounced on the blue ninja, pinning him in place. A flurry of icicles crashed down from the hanging lanterns above, but Jay was able to overpower the young ghost, pushing him to the side and dodging the shards of ice.

“Lloyd!” He screamed “please stop! We can help you!” Lloyd snarled, before the Soul Archer pushed him out of the way. “Stay out of this kid.” He hissed, firing three more arrows at the ninja, which they dodged.

The Earth ninja smirked, before drawing a shuriken made of deepstone. “Who’s ready for some exercise?” He said, voice full of cockiness, “cause we’re about to do some exorcism!” The blue ninja laughed at his joke before drawing his own shuriken. Ghoultar came clombering toward them in the mech, arms outstretched. “Ghoultar fight!” He yelled, when the ice ninja launched his own mech at him, swinging the sword onto the mechs helm.

“The blind man’s eye!” Cole shouted, his gaze turned toward the heavens. Lloyd snapped his neck upward as well, before charging at the earth ninja.

“Someone almost got shot here! Where the archer?” The blue ninja asked, staring at the ghostly arrow at his feet. “On the rooftop!” The ice ninja replied, taking his gaze away just long enough for Ghoultar to get the upper hand, slamming the mech into the mountainside. The blue ninja launched his shuriken at the archer, which almost hit the ghostly bowsman.

Meanwhile, Lloyd was struggling against Cole, throwing punch after punch, miss after miss. “Lloyd, please come home with us.” The earth master pleaded.

“This is my home now” Lloyd snarled. “Please!” Cole exclaimed, dodging a kick from Lloyd “your mom hasn’t even seen you yet!” Lloyd freezed, hatred flowing through his veins like quicksilver, “my mother?” He whispered.

“Yes!” Cole pleaded, eyes full of hope “ she’ll happy to see you if you just come with us!” Cole went on, but Lloyd couldn’t hear him.

The Black ninja’s pleas faded into background noise as Lloyd mind was filled with rage. Why? Why had his mother left him, left him at Darkleys, left him to die, only for her to come back not for him, but for the ninja?

Something crackled in the air, violet and powerful and angry. Lloyd could feel it, tied to the very core of his being.

He lashed out at the Earth master

And the power obeyed

The air was filled with purple energy, crackling like lightning and spreading like wildfire. Cole stumbled back as the dark flames engulfed him and his teammates, who promptly retreated, rushing up the mountain. The ghosts were launched gracelessly backwards, unable to comprehend what they were seeing.

In the middle of the violet flames, Lloyd Garamdon stood, lips pulled back into a fanged smile, and eyes glowing bright red.

Chapter Text

“So that was a development” Jay muttered, breaking the collective silence. Of course he would. As the group’s resident jokester, it was his job to lighten the mood

The three ninjas trailed behind Fenwick, none taking the time to admire the beauty of the cloud kingdom, with its floating temples and boats sailing lazily across the sky. Zane was muttering to himself while Cole marched forward, teeth clenched and eyes locked dead ahead.

Jay chuckled to himself awkwardly, not even noticing the group was walking much fast than he was and almost leaving him behind. “So,” Jay asked “if you’re the writer of destiny, do you know who the green ninja is? Oh, or did you write that Lloyd had those crazy powers or that Morro would escape the cursed realm or-“

“Our scribes have had very little power over your destiny’s since Morro escaped” Fenwick cut him off abruptly, failing to hide the nervousness in his voice “Morro was never supposed to escape the cursed realm, but the children of Wojira can be so, difficult sometimes”

“What do you mean, children of Wojira?” Zane asked. Fenwick turned to face him “now, we wouldn’t want to ruin that little surprise would we?” Zane stared confused at the head scribe while Cole rolled his eyes.

“If you know what's going to happen next, then you know how important it is for us to get the Sword of Sanctuary.” He stated bluntly.

Fenwick nodded. “Yes, and I know you made a promise to save your friend Kai. Sadly, we cannot ensure promises, because we aren't allowed to choose sides.”

“Friend?” Jay snickered. “Looks like these scribes don’t know everyth-“

“You seem to be against Morro” Cole abruptly cut off the blue ninja, trying and failing to hide his reddening face “so we need to borrow the sword to find the tomb.”

“I am aware” Fenwick replied coldly. “First the master writer wants to speak with you, then you may borrow the sword”

“Thank you” Zane replied, shooting a glance at Cole, “we would appreciate it if you could show us to this master writer”

———————————————————

“so the Pipsqueak’s proven himself to be useful” Bansha sneered. Lloyd glared back at her, his hand starting to glow with his new power. Bansha backed away slightly, hateful gaze still glued on Lloyd.

“Yeah sure” The Archer snarled, “but thanks to your little light show the ninja got through the blind man’s eye-“

“And we didn’t! I’m aware!” Morro snapped “the realm will not be pleased. Every second we delay is an eternity to her”

“Fortunately, we will not have to delay any longer.” Bansha smirked. “Oh! Ghoultar curious! Ghoultar want to know!” Ghoultar drifted closer to Bansha, causing her to recoil in disgust.

“How?” Morro snapped “the blind man’s eye won’t pass over for another hour or so!”

“Let’s just say” Bansha rasped “I’m in contact with someone willing to leave the back door open”

Morro’s face twisted into a grin. “Archer” he snapped, turning to face the ghostly bowsman, still locked in deathly eye contact with Lloyd. “I think it’s time you call in that little favor you have with Ronin”

———————————————————

“So this Master Writer, he'll decide if we get the sword just by looking at us?” Cole asked. Fenwick clutched the steering of the skiff as it sailed across the clouds, making an abrupt turn toward nothing in particular. 

“It is an important decision,” Fenwick said, not quite answering Cole’s question “one that will not only decide the fate of Ninjago, but the fate of the Sixteen Realms.”

Zane raised an eyebrow, before shaking his head an asking “are you aware of what’s inside the tomb?” 

“I do” Fenwick sighed “Morro’s after the Realm Crystal, a gateway across the sixteen realms.” 

“Wow!” Jay exclaimed. “What does that mean?” Cole asked. 

“It is a bridge to greater understanding...or a gateway to ruin.” Fenwick replied “When the First Spinjitzu Master created it, he knew the power to freely cross realms could never fall into the wrong hands, which is why he buried it with him in his final resting place. A tomb protected by impossible traps that only a Master of Spinjitzu could get by with the aid of the Sword of Sanctuary.”

“But I thought Morro just wanted to be the Green Ninja. What does he want with the Crystal?” Cole asked. 

Fenwick sighed once more, his body seeming to tense in fear “his desire for the destiny of llo-of the green ninja is simply what motivates him. A lie spoon feed to him by his master, The Preeminent, to keep him under her thumb. She can be very manipulative.” 

“The realm herself, she’s in charge?” Zane asked. 

“Queen of the Cursed,” Fenwick shuddered, as if just saying her name could conjure this ancient evil from thin air “an evil so vengeful, she cannot crossover by any other magical means. But if Morro uses the Crystal to free her, after cursing Ninjago, there will be no stopping her reign until every last Realm falls under her control”

The skiff bumped into dock of a short and very unimpressive building, for cloud kingdom standard. “Ah! We're here!” Fenwick said briskly “Wasn't that a lovely ride?” The ninja stepped onto the sidewalk, turning to enter the building 

“Yeah, you paint a lovely picture.” Cole replied dryly. Zane looked over sort of confused. “Now if you just wait in here, I will be back with the Master Writer in a moment.” Jay shrugged, then entered the room, followed by Zane and Cole.

None of them noticed Fenwick lock the door behind them. 

———————————————————

The ink of Euphrasia’s scroll turned blood red. The young scribe gasped, dropping her scroll and quill to run toward the head scribe. Fenwick was staring off, seemingly talking to a group of people. She was to frazzled to care.

“Master Writer! Master Writer!” She exclaimed, clamoring for his attentions “It's the ninja! They're in terrible trouble!”. She had shaken her hair loose from her hood, dark brown curls shot with an unexplainable green streak falling in front of her face. She quickly tucked it back under her hood before Fenwick turned around and smirked at her. 

“Of course they are” Euphrasia gasped as the ghosts came into view, green mist curling out across the marble floor where they floated. 

“Do not be shy,” Fenwick said, his voice laced with sickening malice “our new guests and I have made a mutual arrangement. My destiny is secure. I am afraid the ninja's are not.” Euphrasia couldn’t tear her eyes away from the ghosts leader, Morro, the wind ninja himself. She had been playing catch up with his actions since he escaped and took the red ninja’s body. 

There was something eerily familiar about him. She just couldn’t put her finger on it “Where did you send the ninja?” she fearfully asked, tearing her eyes away from Morro.

“I locked them away with Nimbus.” Fenwick replied, his tone sickeningly nonchalant “I am sure Nimbus will love his new playthings”

“Now show me to the Sword of Sanctuary.” Morro snapped. Euphrasia’s head snapped back to stare at Morro. Then it struck her.

Even in the fire ninjas body, they had the same green streak. 

Chapter Text

“Ow! Cole your stepping on my face”

“My legs are tired, sue me!”

“You’re a Ghost!” 

Euphrasia gasped as she looked over the banister, sighing in relief as the ninja came into view, clinging onto the rocky underside of the island. 

“Your alive!” She exclaimed, trying to keep her voice as low as possible as she extended her arm to the Earth Ninja, who gladly took her offer. 

“No thanks to fenwick” the blue ninja sneered as he leaped over the banister. “Fenwick's convinced there's no way to stop the Queen of the Cursed” Euphrasia explained, the desperation thick in her voice “so he's agreed to help Morro only to help himself.” 

Her face lit up “But he doesn't know you've escaped! You have to get the Sword of Sanctuary, or else Morro will have too big of an advantage.”

Cole met the scribes eyes “then where’s the sword?” He asked. “The tallest tower” she replied “But you must hurry, they're already headed there.”

The ninja exchanged glances “Guess there's no time to take the stairs.” Cole replied, sharing a smirk with his teammates “You thinking what I'm thinking?”

“Airjitzu?” Zane and Cole said in union.

“Cyclondo?” Jay said at the same time. His teammates looked at him disappointedly. “Why isn't it catching on?” he groaned. 

“Take the back entrance” Euphrasia advised “Ghoultar and Bansha are posted near the front doors.” Zane smiled in thanks. “Stay safe” he stated. 

“You to” she replied. “Quick question though.” The blue ninja piped up “what’s with the hair streak? If you guys don’t have video games up here, I doubt fenwick would allow hair dye.”

Euphrasia gasped and pulled her hood closer to her face, tucking the aforementioned green streak behind her ear in a desperate attempt to hide it. “Jay” Cole sighed at his teammate. 

“What?” Jay replied. “It’s a valid question.” 

Cole rolled his eyes. Euphrasia looked around, gave the ninja a quick grin, and spirited away as they twirled through the forms of Airjiztu and were sent skyward

——————————————————————

Morro could hear the doors close behind him as he walked closer to the sword of sanctuary. He gasped as he saw the ninja reflected in the blade, sharply turning his head to meet his foes head on, but nothing. He chuckled to himself as he grabbed the blade, slide the hood of his gi over his face, then turned to face the ninja who had just barged through the windows. 

The white one threw a shuriken at his head, made of deepstone he had no doubt, but ducked under it, turning to block the Black ninja’s shuriken with the blade. The blue one went in for a tackle but he leaped over him, the second set of windows behind him and the blade in his hand.

“Too late” he hissed, turning to glance at the blade “I know your every move” he laughed to himself. “We’ll see about that!” The Earth ninja snapped, as the lightning ninja charged at him for another attack, which he promptly dodged. He sent a quick punch to his stomach before turning the blade to block the Earth ninjas shuriken. He blocked the incoming throw from the ice ninja and sent a gust of wind back at the earth master to keep him down before sprinting out of the open window. 

he slide across the rooftops before turning back to keep an eye on his opponents, who we’re currently dangling over the edge of the roof. A quick glance back at the sword, and Morro leaped out of the way and onto another rooftop right before the ninja landed next to him. 

“I hate that sword!” The blue one exclaimed. Morro laughed at him. “Why fight?” He hissed “I’ll win every time.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t try!” The Earth master replied. Morro froze at that.

“Ninja never quit” a motto drilled into him by Wu from day one. Of course these ninja would have that same stubbornness. He called upon the wind, sending loose shingles hurling at the ninja, distracting them enough for him to launch himself across the sky with Airjiztu. 

He landed on another rooftop, the ninja close behind him. He smirked “bye bye ninja!” He exclaimed, throwing himself off the building and landing on the skiff his team had secured. “Sing them a farewell song Bansha.” The ghost happily obliged, sending her deathly shriek shuddering across the rooftops of cloud kingdom. 

Morro turned away, his grip tight on the sword. Fsm he couldn’t wait to see this place burn

—————————————————

“The eye” Morro hissed “perfect”

Soul archer turned the skiff toward the portal, not looking back to see a second skiff, jerkily and clumsily moving across the sky before an ape-like monster with pointy ears and a cluster of lighting in its chest grabbed the skiff like a toy. “Not him again!” Jay shrieked. The beast roared

“Get him off! Morro's getting away!” Cole cried. His pleas did not fall on deaf ears however. Euphrasia gasped at the sight, knuckles white as she choked her quill. “I have to do something!” She said to herself, panic bleeding into her voice. Her eyes locked onto Fenwick, smirking at Nimbus as he grasped the edge of the skiff.

Meanwhile, Euphrasia ran to the archives, rummaging through the scrolls. “Fenwick, Fenwick, Fenwick, Fenwick. Aha!” She grabbed the head scribe’s scroll before pinning it down onto a table and started to write. “Let's change Fenwick's destiny a bit” she smirked

Outside, Fenwick’s face melted into a horrified stare as the monster turned its head from the ninja to him, releasing the skiff and chasing after him instead. The ninja took the opportunity, turning the skiff directly into the blind man’s eye, swirling down after the ghosts. Their skiffs spiraled down through the blind man’s eye, before suddenly dropping onto the wailing alps as they lost all flight capacity. 

“Why aren’t we flying anymore?!” Jay shrieked as the skiff slide down the side of the mountain at frightening speeds. They turned corner after corner until the ninjas skiff was neck and neck with the ghosts. 

“Haha!” Jay exclaimed “got you now!”

“You really think so?” Morro sneered, before commanding the wind to send his skiff further from the ninja, into a clearing and off a small cliff before they landed back onto the mountainside. The ghosts laughed as the ninja we sent flying when their skiff crashed into a tree, but Lloyd looked back to see the ninja riding on the broken wood like snowboards, and they were gaining speed fast. 

“Ninja, behind us!” The young ghost screamed, causing Morro to snap his head around and fall into a battle stand. “Haha!” The Ice ninja leaped over the top of the skiff, laughing like he was having the time of his life. “Hello!” He quipped “haven’t we met before?”

“Don’t they ever quit?” Archer snarled. Morro suppressed the urge to snarl at him, instead focusing on the earth ninja.

“Your rides kinda slow, huh?” He said, his voice snarky and sarcastic, before hurdling headfirst into a tree. Lloyd laughed while Morro turned his attention to the blue one, suppressing a smile.

“Oh why did I get the uncontrollable sled?!” He cried. His sled hit a rock, sending him flying before landing right behind the skiff. “Hold on jay!” The Earth master cried, the Ice ninja following close behind.

The Soul archer nocked and arrow, following the ninja before firing. The blue ninja ducked, causing the arrow to fly over his head. “Hah! You missed!” He jeered. “I never miss” the archer scowled, and the arrow made a heel turn back toward the lightning ninja. 

He shrieked and ducked under the returning arrow, only for it to trail behind him like a missile. The blue ninja ducked under a hollow log, and the arrow struck its side instead. He breathed a sigh of relief, and Morro turned to the Archer with an expression that both said “your gonna pay for your failure” and “you owe me 40 bucks”.

Suddenly, the Destiny’s Bounty was above them, swooping down from the sky like a great bird of prey. Morro could feel the warmth of the engine and smell the jet fuel, and Lloyd looked around uncomfortably. “Let’s see how you like these!” A girl in a maroon and cyan gi exclaimed, and fired a water balloon out of a cannon. 

Morro pulled Lloyd out of the way as the water balloon landed directly in front of the blue ninjas sled piece, causing it to veer off course.  

“Hey!” He cried “watch it!” 

“Sorry!” She replied. 

But before she could load another balloon, the archer was upon her, shooting a barrage of arrows at the young ninja. She dodged most of them, but she almost was hit before it was knocked out of the air by a deepstone shuriken, the one on the other end being none other than ronin. 

The archer scowled. The girl looked confused. “Good job ronin.” She said, “but who’s flying the ship?”

“That would be me I guess” he shrugged, and leaped back toward the steering wheel. He pulled up abruptly, causing the ship to take back to the sky. The anchor came down from the heavens, with two familiar faces hanging off it. 

“Need a lift?” Sensei wu asked, and his students climbed onto the anchor. Garmadon rolled his eyes. He appeared to be desperately looking for something. 

or someone. 

and it didn’t take a genius to figure out who.

—————————————————

When Lloyd had seen his dad in the volcano, Lloyd had been hopeful. 

This Lloyd was a lot less naive. 

If it had been anyone else on that anchor, Lloyd would have had the sense to vaporize them immediately to protect the sword. 

But it wasn’t. 

And he didn’t know what to think. 

He froze. 

“Back to the bounty you fools” he snapped “I’ll get the sword”. 

The anchor swung over the skiff and Garamdon landed on it, and Ghoultar tried to make the first move. He was immediately blasted into the back of the skiff. Morro glanced at the sword, and blocked the warlords next swing at Bansha. The archer fired a barrage of arrows, but he dodges them all. Any that came close to his skin would be caught and promptly snapped in half by the Oni’s four arms.

Half the ghosts had been launched off the skiff. The mast was broken from the fight and only Lloyd, Morro and Garmadon were still up.

Then he turned to Lloyd. 

And the world stood still. 

He tried to call on the purple energy again. 

It wouldn’t come. 

Morro launched himself back at the warlord. “Hypocrite” he snarled “You side with the assholes who left Lloyd to die!”

“How dare you.” Garmadon snarled. He tried to toss Morro aside but the Master of wind went for a sweep to his legs. It didn’t work. “I never knew what my brother saw in you” sorrow flashed across Morro’s face before he went back on the defensive, struggling against the warlords chokehold. Garamdon tossed him aside, and Lloyd could hear a sickening crunch. 

“Morro!” He shrieked. He called upon the energy again. 

This time, it obeyed. 

The skiff was leveled, pieces of wood scattered across the mountainside. Purple flames curled up his arms as Lloyd tried to pull his power back. He didn’t want to hurt his father, but the energy didn’t listen. It spread across the snowy ground like fire, curls of smoke and violet power blasting away trees and rocks. 

All Lloyd could see was purple 

purple

purple 

purple 

gold

gold? 

The power faded. Lloyd could barely see his fathers horrified face from his hazy vision. His limbs felt heavy, like someone had filled his nonexistent veins with lead. He couldn’t take it anymore. 

The last thing he saw before he passed out was his fathers hand on the sword of statuary. 

—————————————————

Morro blinked his eyes. The sharp sting of pain and the red stain across his gi told him that Garamdon had probably broken the fire ninjas arm. The forest around them was leveled, trees incinerated, purple ish smoke still rising from their wounds. 

Morro panicked. He tried to get up, but the red ninjas body collapsed back to the floor, hot waves of pain radiating throughout the body. His mind was racing. Lloyd had definitely used his powers here. There were all the remnants of Lloyd’s ability. 

But no Lloyd. 

And as he would later find out, no sword

—————————————————

Ronin gripped the steering wheel tight. “Heya, Nya right?” 

“Yeah ronin?” She asked. “We’re about a mile behind some kind of freak whirlwind, and considering we’re dealing with an angry wind elemental, that’s probably not good” 

“I’ll make sure to check on the auto correction then” she said, making her way down to the engine room. 

Even five miles away though, the bounty still lost a sail. 

Chapter Text

The bucket was perched precariously over the shop window like a middle school prank when Zane put up the sign. “Closed for renovations.” It read.

“There.” Zane said to himself “That should keep customers away”. 

“More like Fortifications” Jay replied, “if Morro and his ghouls show up looking to steal the sword of sanctuary, they don’t know what hit them”. Just then, Cole walked through the door, unaware of the water bucket that had just been disturbed from its delicate balance. It fell towards the ghost, something that for him meant certain death. 

Luckily, his ninja instincts kicked in and he was able to dodge away from the water just in time. “Careful!” He snapped “you know not all of us are immune to water”. Jay giggling nervously. 

“And I for one,” he continued, hopping across the fragile reeds bridging between the home made moats “would like to stick around long enough for Misako and Sensei to figure out the last clue!” 

“We got Cyclondo, we got the sword, now they’ve just got to figure out where the tomb is” Jay said, carefully balancing more reed bundles over the moat. 

“Let’s hope they figure it out soon” Zane stated “I don’t know how much longer we’ll be able to hold out”

—————————————————

Garmadon stood at the door’s entrance, arms crossed, not able to bring himself to look across the room at his son. The golden weapons glittered on a table just a few feet from him. He could just take them. Steal the weapons, free his son and leave to reshape Ninjago in his image, but the ghosts would still be a problem, and if anyone was going to concur his fathers realm, it would be him.

The cage was hastily crafted out both vengstone and deepstone in an attempt to cancel out his powers. Lloyd sat in the corner, a sorrow in his gut like a stone. He failed. The ninja had the sword, and were closer to finding the tomb than Morro was. 

The door creaked open, causing Lloyd’s head to snap upwards. Nya had entered the room. Garmadon growled and Nya rolled her eyes. “Easy big guy” she snarled, “I’m near to talk to Lloyd”. Garmadon turned to face her. “If you so much as lay a finger on my son I swear” 

“yes yes I know.” She cut him off. “I’m just hear to talk.” She turned away from the warlord and made her way to the back of the room. Nya sat down in front of the cage and sighed, eyes meeting Lloyd’s for a brief moment before the young ghost buried his face back into his knees.

“What do you want.” He mumbled. “..I’m sorry Lloyd” Nya replied “that day at the volcano I could help I-“

”It wasn’t your fault” Lloyd replied bluntly “I wasn’t good enough to be saved.” 

“What?” Nya exclaimed. Garmadon turned around abruptly, eyes wide with sadness. “Lloyd why would you think this was your fault? I know Kai couldn’t save you but-” 

“Couldn’t?” Lloyd chuckled to himself. “Is that what he’s been telling you?” 

“Yes? What are you” Nya stopped mid sentence “No don’t tell me” 

“Your precious brother left me there.” Lloyd snarled. “He didn’t even try”

Nya’s eyes widened. Garamdon clenched his fists. Nya took a shaky breath “I’m so sorry Lloyd”

”why are you apologizing?!” Lloyd exclaimed, standing up and grabbing the bars “It’s not going to help! An Apology won’t bring me back, or un-curse my soul or” 

He was cut off when Nya pulled him in for a hug through the bars. “I know” she said “but it’s all I can offer” Lloyd tensed, before wrapping his arms around her in return. 

Neither of them noticed the Golden Weapons crackling with green electricity in the background. 

Garmadon did though. 

—————————————————

“AAARRRGGH!” the wind raged both outside and inside Ronins shop, sending knick knacks and other meaningless objects flying across the ceiling. “Fsm Morro.” The archer sighed “we’ll get the sword back.”

”it’s not the sword he’s worried about” Bansha teased in a sing-song voice. The wind began to roar as Morro turned to glare at her. 

Then the ground beneath her caught on fire. 

She stumbled back on pure instinct, smoke curling upwards as the raging wind quickly snuffed out the flame. “What..” Morro stepped back as the wind died down. 

“How did you..” the fire ninja asked. Morro’s face shifted into a smirk. “I’m possessing a fire elemental.” He chuckled to himself. “We can use this.” 

He then turned towards the archer. “Call in the little favor you have with Ronin” He commanded “give us Lloyd and the sword and his debt is payed” 

————————————————

“Thanks for gathering on short notice.” Misako said as the ninja entered the room, followed by Wu and Garmadon. Ronin shifted uncomfortably as the group shifted to one side of the tea shop. 

“Hey, where’s Nya?” Jay asked, the blue ninja looking around for his girlfriend. “Shes with Lloyd” Garmadon said, causing Jay to jump a little “and if I wasn’t called, I’d be there too”

”well we should go get her!” Jay said “she’s the water ninja and if we’re going to find the tomb we’re going to need her streng-“

”we are not putting this meeting on hold just so you can make goo-goo eyes with your girlfriend” Cole said sharply. Jay gave him a look. “Speaking of the water ninja.” Garmadon said, causing everyone to turn toward him “something, weird happened before I was called in”

”we can talk about this later” Misako said abruptly. “Zane, if you would?” The ice ninja nodded, his falcon perched on his shoulder. The  falcons eyes lit up blue before projecting an image of a skull onto the wall of the tea shop. 

“To bring you up to date, the skull symbol refers to the tomb's entrance.” Misako said. 

“We also know our fathers resting site, where the Realm Crystal resides, is protected by three deadly tests designed to keep anyone unworthy away, and only the Sword of Sanctuary can see past its riddles.”

“Father was always a painfully cryptic man” Garmadon rolled his eyes. Misako continued “We started to wonder if the scroll and sword combined held a secret. That someone would need the scroll itself and not just Airjiztu to get there” 

“awe great, we’re gonna have to steal the scroll from Morro?” Jay whined “looks like it.” Cole replied “we’re going into the lions den, I think we might need Nya for this” 

“She’s not ready” Wu said. “She’s proven herself as Samurai X, why would the water ninja be any different?” Jay asked

”Looks like my dear brother is scared to reunite Wojira’s elements” Garmadon sneered. The ninja turned to look at him, and the confused expressions on theirs faces told the warlord all he needed to know. “Brother, you dIDN’T TELL THEM ABOUT-“

”let’s just ask her!” Wu cut him off, a sour look on Garmadon’s face. 

————————————————

“and then Jay zapped Zane! It took us a week to get him to stop tap dancing”

Lloyd laughed at Nyas story. Nya giggled back. They had been sitting like this for fsm knows how long. Lloyd probably hadn’t noticed, but Nyas back was getting sore from leaning against the bars. She had missed this, their little talks. Lloyd was like the little brother she never had. 

It was easy to forget they were on opposite sides for just a moment. 

“Oh! Can I tell you about this one time we wear sparring, and Morro had just launched a wind strike thing at Ghoultar and-“

”Nya.” 

Her head snapped towards the door where Wu and the rest of the ninja were standing. Lloyd’s excitement faded, and her curled up towards the back of the cage again. Nya stood an walked towards Wu. 

“Yes Sensei?” “We need to-“ Wu looked passed her “we probably shouldn’t talk, about this-“

Nya followed his line of vision. He wasn’t looking at Lloyd. He was looking past the young ghost

and at the golden weapons next to him, which were glowing and sparking with crackling green energy. 

————————————————

“what’s does this…” Nya exclaimed in confusion. The entire team was gathered in the room, with Misako and Garmadon standing next to Lloyd’s cage. Lloyd didn’t look back. 

“Sensei” Zane spoke up “didn’t you say that the golden weapons would have some kind of reaction to the green ninja?” 

“Well that looks like a reaction” Cole responded “Kai’s not gonna be happy, with his sister taking the title he wanted” 

“No” Garmadon responded “this was what I was trying to tell you. The weapons only reacted when the Water ninja was with….” Garmadon’s face melted into a look of horrible realization. 

“It seem as their were two sons of the First Spinjitzu Master” Wu said sorrowfully, 

“There are two halves to his prophecy”

Chapter Text

”No.” Lloyd backed up in his cage, hands pressed up against his head. He was panting heavily, inhaling and exhaling in a panic with lungs that weren’t there “no no no no no no no”. Shallow breaths fills lungs that weren’t there. In, out, in, out, in, out. The eyes of the room burned into his ectoplasm. 

“Lloyd?” Someone asked. He didn’t know who. He didn’t care. In, out, in, out. 

This title shouldn’t be his. 

It shouldn't be his

Would Morro leave him over this? 

He didn’t want to be left alone again 

In, out, in, out

Green, green, green, green, green

all he could see is green 

—————————————

The room was on fire. 

Violet flames curls up across the floor, the golden weapons knocked from their glowing perch. Lloyd was in the center, rocking back and forth, purple energy radiating from him like a beacon. The group stumbled backwards. “Lloyd!” Nya cried. He didn’t hear. Wu lead the ninja out of the room in a panic, Misako and Garmadon rushing out soon after. 

Nya stood her ground. Making her way closer to the ghost, she noticed the light faded from a blueish purple color, crackling with hate and fear, to green. 

“Lloyd please!” She cried. She tried to call any water from the dry, smoky air to put out Lloyd’s energy, but what little she could summon just curled around her finger as she tried to form it into something useful. “Go with the flow, go with the flow” she muttered to herself as if it would ground her. 

Something else sang through her veins, begging to be let free. She pushed it down, she needed the water. She tried to call on it again and again as she made her way closer to Lloyd. The foreign power begged to be free, that all she had to do was let it out. 

Nya finally caved

And the room went green. 

—————————————

“Jay you can’t go in there” Zane exclaimed, the nindroid holding back his friend as the master of lightning desperately tried to struggle against his iron grip. “Nyas still in there” he cried “she need help with ll-“

But before Jay could finish, both of the elementals were shot backwards from a blast coming from the room Jay was trying to get into. The room was flooded with green energy. Jay staggered backward, eyes wide as Nya emerged from the smoke, eye glowing a sea-glass green. The light faded from her eyes, leaving a confused and scared look on her face

”what, the fuck, just happened?”

—————————————

"Good evening." Morro said coldly as Ronin walked into the room, the sword in hand. "And good night" Ghoultar cackled. Ronin rolled his eyes as he put the sword down with little too much force for Morro's liking. Soul Archer picked it up and began to examine it. 

"Heh, I like what you've done with the place. Pretty gusty making your hideout right here in Stiix. With this much water, they'd never come looking for you here." Ronin chuckled, eyes shifting nervously. 

"I've never been afraid of anything." Morro snarled, causing Ronin to take a step back. "The sword is no fake." Soul Archer said promptly, placing the sword down, only for Morro to snatch it up so fast Soul Archer flinched a little. " Huh." He said, unrolling the scroll, revealing the map on the back "For once, the crook makes good". He searched the map for a little bit, only to then stab the sword through the scroll and into the wood. On the reflection of the sword was a stark cross right off the coast of the map, staining the map like a splatter of blood.

" Ha! The Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master." He cackled. Ronin looked around nervously. "Now what about my soul? The deal was you'd remove the curse and free me." he stammered. Soul archer growled behind him. Morro sighed and stood up tall. "You can have your soul," He snarled "but the deal has changed. I want the ninja too."

"What?!" Ronin exclaimed. Soul archer grabbed an arrow out of his quiver. The threat was clear, so Ronin tried to backtrack "Whoa, now hold on. A deal's a deal but what so you care about the ninja? I thought you said you weren't afraid of them." 

"I'm not" Morro snarled "But our Preeminent requires certain...safeguards." The ghost cackled around him as Ronins face melting into an expression of fear. "Also, this was only half of your bargain fulfilled, I remember asking you to get Lloyd back as well." 

"How was I supposed to grab the brat?" Ronin exclaimed in frustration. Morro's face went stormy. "The whole goddamn shop was in that stupid room with the weapons rambling on and on about some prophecy or whatever! I couldn't have grabbed him without getting-" 

"Hold on." Morro cut off the conman, a look of burning hatred on the face he was using "A prophecy, with golden weapons". He turned to the other ghosts "They found destiny's green ninja" The room was dead silent. "You idiots!" Morro nearly shrieked "This could spell disaster for master and our plans!" He turned to Ronin, fiery hatred in the eyes he was using.

"You are getting us the Ninja" 

Suddenly the fire wasn't just in his eyes anymore

"Whether you like it or not"