Chapter Text
For the past year, the threat of Ninjago being destroyed was more real than it had ever been. The worst part was that they had no idea where Master Wu was. They had no guidance.
The ninja had been together on the Destiny’s Bounty when the Merge happened. However, Master Wu had been at the monastery, searching for solutions.
Places in Ninjago moved so that pieces of other realms could take up the space. The ninja didn't have any idea where the monastery was now. Plus, the ninja didn't have the time to look for it; they were too busy. They continuously had to split up to stop MergeQuakes around the world.
“Reach deep into your soul, find your inner power,” Zane said.
He was teaching Pixal how he used the ice element. After the Merge, she'd started freezing everything uncontrollably. It shouldn't have been possible for there to be two Masters of Ice, but the Merge had changed the planet in a lot more mysterious ways than that. She was officially a ninja now. Her Samurai X suit used up too much fuel anyway. They needed to find a reliable source of fuel before they could use it again. Plus, Zane was ecstatic that his girlfriend shared an element with him and was enjoying teaching her.
“I don’t think power’s my issue, I think it’s control,” Pixal laughed.
She blasted a MergeQuake with ice, getting rid of it by herself.
“I don’t even know why I’m here,” Lloyd said, “I should’ve gone to help the others.”
“Would you really have wanted to listen to Cole and Kai flirting with each other? Or the newlyweds?” Zane asked.
“It has been two years, they’re not newlyweds anymore,” Pixal pointed out, “They have no excuse.”
“You two aren’t much better,” Lloyd said over his shoulder. He headed back to the Bounty.
He was halfway there when he heard a scream of pain behind him. He immediately turned his head to see where the sound had come from and gasped.
Pythor was getting stabbed in his side by a mysterious figure in a hooded cape.
People of varying species were hiding in the bushes with their weapons drawn. They appeared to be just as shocked as he was.
“I was counting on your betrayal, but it’s because you don’t want him dead?” Pythor shouted, “Why don’t you want him dead!?”
The figure sprinted away. Lloyd took off after them as arrows began to whizz past him.
“Who are you? ” He asked.
“It doesn’t matter, just keep following me if you wanna live.”
The man’s voice sounded familiar, Lloyd knew this guy. They ran deeper into the forest. He glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone was following them. He didn't see anyone.
They stopped and hid in the bushes.
“How are you not out of breath!?” Lloyd panted.
“I am. But if I had to keep running, I could,” He answered, "Though, I can’t believe I still have this much stamina.”
After a minute of listening for footsteps, they both agreed they'd successfully lost them.
“Hey, um, I need to say something to you,” The man started, “Chances are, we’ll never see each other again, so... I’m–I’m sorry. For everything.”
“So, we do know each other.”
“Well, you don’t really know me, but that’s not the point. You’re probably never gonna forgive me, and that’s fine. I’m not apologizing for forgiveness, I’m just genuinely sorry. I hate when people expect you to forgive someone just because they’ve apologized to you. Or when people say to stop holding a grudge because ‘it only hurts you’ or whatever. I think that’s stupid. So, it’d be pretty hypocritical of me to try and pull that shit on you.”
“Who are you?” Lloyd asked again, “You’re gonna have to tell me eventually.”
“Actually, I think you’ll figure it out once you've thought about it.”
“Can't you just tell me?”
The guy shook his head. Lloyd glared at him.
“I’d guess Ronin because he’s painfully morally ambiguous, but you sound too young to be him. You sound nothing like Cryptor—”
“I’m telling you, you’ll figure it out.” The man stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“Away from here. I’m gonna dismantle Pythor’s little empire for you. You’ve probably got a worse villain on your hands right now, and I can handle him.”
“Actually, not right now. We’ve just been trying to stop the MergeQuakes. They’ve been getting more and more frequent.”
“That’s also definitely a priority. Focus on that.” The guy hesitated before he added, “Stay safe, Lloyd.”
Then, the man walked away with purpose in the direction they'd come from.
Stay safe, Lloyd.
Lloyd had felt the weight of those words when he'd said that. It sounded like there was so much implied with those words, but there was still a lot more that needed to be said.
Lloyd checked his surroundings to figure out where he was. They'd been running north, but the Bounty was east.
It only took ten minutes to reach it. As soon as he spotted it, his friends ran up to him.
“Lloyd!” They all shouted.
The ninja bombarded him with questions, asking what had happened and if he was okay. He explained the scenario with Pythor and the strange interaction he'd with the man that'd saved him.
“You really don’t know who saved you?” Jay asked.
“He wouldn’t tell me! And I’ve been trying to figure out who he is for half an hour now! I recognize his voice, but I don’t know where from. His voice is naturally raspy and deep enough that I could tell he was a guy, but it's not super deep? I don’t know how to explain it. He’s probably really scary when he’s angry—”
Lloyd’s heart rate spiked. His eyes became glassy with tears as a wave of panic washed over him. He started breathing faster, and he started getting nauseous. I know that voice, I know that voice, I know that voice—
“Lloyd, are you okay?” Cole asked.
“Did you just realize who it was?” Pixal asked.
Lloyd nodded and whispered, “It was Morro.”
“What!?” The other ninja shrieked.
“There’s no way it was him,” Nya said.
“You would have noticed that the person who rescued you was a ghost,” Zane added.
“He wasn’t a ghost, but it was definitely him,” Lloyd insisted.
“How is he alive!? We need to find him,” Kai said.
It made sense now why Morro hadn't revealed himself. Lloyd would never have believed he was on his side. But what made less sense was his apology, it was hard to believe Morro could feel guilty about anything.
His words echoed in Lloyd’s head. I’m not apologizing for your forgiveness, I’m just genuinely sorry.
Morro used their wind to blow Pythor’s army away from them. The way the breeze messed up their hair made them smile. The rush of power they felt when they used their wind was addicting.
They soared through the air toward Pythor’s base. They doubted they could beat him without a plan, but they could at least buy Lloyd some time to get away.
Their blade was ripped from their hand and sliced into their arm as Pythor revealed himself. They swore under their breath.
“How are you gonna call yourself an Anacondrai when you use your invisibility as a crutch? Where’s your honor!?” Morro snapped.
“You betrayed me, and you’re questioning my honor?” He snarled.
“I never claimed to have any honor, moron.”
Morro turned around and flew deep into the forest. Blood dripped down their arm.
They crouched beside a tree branch and examined the damage. Pythor hadn't hit an artery, which was lucky, but the cut was deep. The pain and the sight of blood oozing out of their arm gave them a rush of adrenaline. They hated it. They knew that rush way too well. Please don’t reopen that can of worms.
They ripped off one of the sleeves that had gotten cut by Pythor’s sword. They were wearing an extra shirt and pants, but Pythor’s sword had cut through both layers and their skin. They grumbled complaints.
They tried to wrap the cloth around their bleeding arm. It was difficult because they could only use one hand. However, they did manage to tie the fabric around it. It wasn't as tight as they would've liked, but there was nothing they could do about it.
Unless... they asked someone for help.
They despised asking for help. I have no right to ask Lloyd for help. But, I don’t wanna bleed to death, and no one else would get within striking distance of me... I don’t really have a choice, do I? Morro sighed and went in the direction Lloyd had gone in.
Morro spotted the Destiny’s Bounty and hid behind a tree. The ship was in the middle of a small clearing. The ninja were standing beside it; they didn't see Wu, though.
They heard their name being thrown around, meaning Lloyd had realized who'd rescued him. There was no way they could ask for help now. A woman made of metal tapped Zane’s shoulder and pointed in their direction. They froze. The ninja knew they were there.
Morro’s wind begged to show off its power. It could feel their anxiety, and it wanted to keep them safe from whatever danger there was. Suppressing their wind made them ache, but sending a tornado through the area wouldn't make a good impression. They stopped their element from going haywire, but the breeze still blew unnaturally around them like a makeshift shield. They took deep, deliberate breaths as the rest of the ninja turned to look at them.
They stepped into the clearing. They pulled their hood down, revealing the green streak in their hair as well as the black marks around their eyes they'd gotten from their time in the Cursed Realm. The silence made their skin crawl.
“You’re bleeding,” Zane stated.
Be nice, Morro. “Astute observation.” For fuck’s sake—
“What do you want?” Kai asked threateningly.
“Um, stitches, preferably,” They answered. Being sarcastic isn’t helping, stop it!
“You really came to ask for our help?” Nya mocked.
Morro’s blood boiled. They'd never been able to handle being made fun of that well.
“You lot are always boasting about how you’re the good guys. You save people, you help people,” They shot back, “And I didn’t come to ask for help, I came to bargain. You stop the bleeding, and I give you information. A fair trade. But, if you don’t want any, I’ll go figure something else out.”
“How are we supposed to trust anything you say?” The metal woman asked.
They groaned, “I’m part of the reason your buddy isn’t a ghost anymore. I saved Lloyd from Pythor. And on top of those two things, before the Preeminent killed me, I could’ve thrown the Realm Crystal into a portal. You never would’ve seen Lloyd again. But I didn’t do that because I finally realized what I was doing. So, would you just give me the benefit of the doubt?”
Morro made eye contact with Lloyd, they saw the glimmer of fear in his eyes. They realized they were coming off more hostile than they'd meant to. They looked down at the ground and tried to relax their muscles.
“I mean, we could at least hear him out,” Cole said, “What do we have to lose?”
Him. They glared down at the grass.
“Gee, I don’t know, our lives!? ” Jay exclaimed.
“I wanna hear him out,” Lloyd piped up.
Morro had been offering information on Pythor and maybe the Cursed Realm or Departed Realm. However, they knew that probably wasn't what Lloyd wanted. He most likely wanted explanations and closure. They owed him that, even if they'd despise every moment of it.
“I assume you did not disinfect that. We need to do that sooner rather than later,” Zane said, “Come in.”
He gestured for them to follow him into the ship’s interior. They followed him, and the ninja trailed behind them. They hated having their back to people that hated them, but they tried to act as if they didn't mind. They sat down on a chair as Zane grabbed the medical supplies.
“You can talk while he looks at your wound,” Nya said sternly.
“Yeah, yeah.” They glanced at Lloyd for a split second. “What do you wanna know?”
“Why are you not a ghost?” Cole asked.
“Um, that one’s hard to answer because I’m not good with technology,” They responded, “Especially not technology and magic combined. So, you’re gonna have to settle for the short summary.”
Morro flinched as Zane unwrapped their makeshift bandage. They tried their best to ignore the concerned expression on his face when he saw the faint scars on their arms. If he realized they were self-inflicted, he didn't comment on it.
“You are definitely going to need stitches,” He said.
“Okay? Just get the bleeding to stop,” Morro replied.
They continued, “Pythor recreated the Realm Crystal. He went to the Departed Realm and brought me back here. I don’t even remember what happened. One moment I’m resting in the Departed Realm and the next I’m here. Apparently, I was out cold for a couple days.”
The ninja looked at them like they'd just said the Overlord was a good person.
“I’m sorry, I thought you said he recreated the Realm Crystal, but that can’t be right,” Jay replied.
“The only person who should have the ability to create something as powerful as that is the First Spinjitzu Master,” The metal women added.
“I didn’t say create, I said recreate. He didn’t make a Realm Crystal out of thin air like the First Master did. It took way more effort than that. I know it did because Pythor seemed so proud of himself. Again, I don’t know enough about magic mixed with technology to know exactly how he did it. What I do know is that he’s incredibly smart and has access to all kinds of technology from many different realms.”
“That doesn’t explain how you’re alive,” Kai snapped.
“It has something to do with a spell and a machine from two different realms I forget the names of,” They responded, “And it won’t work unless the person you’re trying to bring back to life is near the machine. Otherwise, Pythor wouldn’t have gone through the hassle of making another Realm Crystal to bring me back here. If you want a detailed explanation, you’re gonna have to ask him.”
“You still have your wind, right?” Cole asked, “That’s why it was circling you?”
They nodded.
“How do you still have it? You’ve been dead for so long. I figured the wind would have gone to someone else by now,” The metal woman said.
Morro was surprised at the ninja’s lack of knowledge. But they didn't want to share the answer to that question, even though they knew it.
“I don’t know why it stayed with me. I guess it just likes me~” They partially lied.
“You’re a liar,” Nya accused.
They didn't deny it. “Honestly, I’m surprised you don't know the answer to that question. Your element stayed tied to you even after you merged with the water, and you never thought to ask why? ”
“Hey, I had to wrap my head around the fact that my powers came from a chaotic goddess that once controlled Ninjago,” She shot back.
Morro facepalmed. “I’m guessing that’s something else Wu forgot to mention? You’ve got a lot to learn. Also, is it true you killed Wojira?”
“She sure did~” Jay said dreamily.
“That’s so fucking badass,” They said with a grin, “When people say they’re gonna kill god, they usually don’t mean it, Nya.”
She raised an eyebrow at them. “You... you know our names?”
They shrunk in on themself. “What kind of question is that? Of course I do.”
Zane finished securing an actual bandage around their arm. They rolled down their sleeve.
“What are you going to do now?” The metal woman asked.
“I’m gonna kick Pythor’s ass,” They answered, “And this time, I’m gonna remember he’s a crooked ruffian who will use his invisibility to gain an advantage despite the fact that he’s got an army and I don’t.”
“What you’re gonna do now,” Lloyd piped up, “is you’re gonna have a proper conversation with me.”
Morro avoided eye contact with him. “Okay?”
“This way. I wanna talk to you alone.”
“Lloyd, you can’t be serious—” Kai exclaimed.
“Kai, I’m not a child anymore,” He said, “I don’t need protection.”
They both stared each other down intensely, silently communicating with each other. Kai eventually backed down with a huff.
Lloyd and Morro walked up the stairs to talk on the ship’s deck. The moonlight was like a spotlight shining on both of them.
“I’ve... I’ve thought a lot about your apology,” Lloyd started, “And I’m glad I get the chance to say some things to you.”
“I suppose it was kind of childish to just drop a bombshell on you and leave.”
“Were you really gonna avoid me the rest of your life?”
“Well, yeah. I didn’t think you’d want me anywhere near you, and I wasn’t sure if I could handle whatever your response would be.”
“But you’re sure now?”
“No, but I owe you closure. It's a little selfish not to give you the chance to say anything to me. I’m just...” I’m just not doing too good right now. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. Say what you need to.”
Lloyd took a deep breath. “Well, first of all, I appreciate your apology. I haven’t gotten a lot of those from people who’ve hurt me. It’s nice to know there are still some people who are capable of feeling remorse. But, I don’t know if I can forgive you. Everything you did was awful. You possessed me, you tried to kill my friends, you hurt a lot of people...”
“Yeah, I know. I don’t expect you to forgive me. I just hope you’ll believe I’ve changed.”
“Prove it.”
“Wh–what do you mean? That’s not exactly a quick and easy thing I can do.”
“You wanna defeat Pythor, right? We do too. So, how about we work together? You can stay with us.”
“God, that’s a ticking bomb just waiting to explode. I don’t think anyone would be okay with that.”
“Do you even have anywhere else to go?”
Morro scoffed, “I don’t need a home, just shelter. I can find that easily.”
“Do you wanna prove you’re better or not?”
“...Your friends wouldn’t be happy.”
“I’ll go convince them right now if you promise to stay.”
They hesitated. This was a terrible idea. They'd changed a lot, but they still struggled every now and then. On the other hand, if they declined, Lloyd would believe they were the same person who possessed him seven years ago. It surprised them to realize that they really didn't want that.
They sighed, “Fine.”