It seems like I never had company when I was alive. I lived the majority of my younger years alone in the woods— alone, at least, until I brought my son to life. But only a few years after that, I sent him off alone and without memory so he would not have to witness my dying day. Of course, it was just my luck that an evil skeleton and a cup of Yesterday's Tea would drag my life onward for another long stretch of isolation, this time locked in a tower and forced to create weapons for an evil army. True, there was a brief time after that when my son returned with his friends and rescued me, and the years that followed were the happiest years of my life. But they weren't the longest. The effects of the Yesterday's Tea only lasted so long, and most of that time had been wasted in captivity. In short, I was more than used to being alone.

So of course, after my death I never expected company. And I certainly never expected for the former boss of my skeleton captor and an angsty teenage boy to show up on my doorstep needing a place to crash for the night.

I suppose I should back up a little bit. My name is Doctor Julien, and I am 95 years old. I died when I was 90 from old age, surrounded by a group of people who deeply cared for and loved me. Not really a bad way to go. Still, I wish I had been able to spend more time with them, specifically with my son, Zane. It was him who gave me joy in my lifetime in Ninjago, and it was him who filled most of the picture frames on my walls, which I was cleaning off only recently with a duster. Not that anything in the Departed Realm really needs to be cleaned, of course, but it was a way to pass the time. I'd rather have been inventing, but there was little inspiration to invent. The dead have very few needs, and though I had received a few inquiries on whether or not I could make a device to let our spirits travel back to our home realms, I absolutely refused to tamper with the laws of death. Creating life is one thing— even animals have the knowledge on how to do so— but reversing death is another thing entirely.

Where was I again? Right— I was cleaning off the picture frames that held the fondest memories from my life, and pondering to myself whether I should try to make conversation with my neighbors later on. If I was going to be stuck here for the rest of eternity, I didn't really want to spend it all cooped up alone like I was during my lifetime.

*Ding dong!*

My first thought was: someone had rung my doorbell? Why? I could entertain the thought of visiting my neighbors, but I was anxious as to why any of them would first come to me. My second thought was: wait, I had a doorbell?

*Ding dong, ding dong!*

"Morro!" I heard a voice behind the door reprimand. Nervous but admittedly curious, I came to the door and creaked it open, peeking out to see who was so anxious to see me.

There stood, in front of me, an old man with gray hair wearing what looked to be either undergarments or a very casual outfit; and a little closer to the doorbell, a much shorter teenage boy, with jet black hair save for one streak, which was died bright green. I blinked a couple of times at the odd pair: they didn't look like they belonged together, and they certainly didn't look like they belonged here. The boy was much too young, and the older man… wait a moment, I recognized the older man!

"Garmadon?" I asked, my face crinkling into a smile. The man boasted such a powerful sense of dignity and authority, yet such an air of contentment, that I could hardly recognize him. (Besides, I hadn't gotten to spend much time with him in my waking life in the first place.)

"Doctor Julien!" he responded, his face brightening up considerably. "I'm so sorry for not recognizing you! It's been so long…"

"Ah, that's fine. I hardly recognized you, either." My face boasted a smile— until it suddenly struck me where we were. My eyes darkened.

"Where's my boy?"

"Ah, he's fine, don't you worry," he smiled. "You don't need to worry about seeing him anytime soon. All the ninja are as strong as I've ever seen them— my brother included." The boy next to him said something under his breath, earning himself a whack on the head with a rolled-up piece of paper.

"May I ask what that paper is?" I asked, although I had an idea.

"It's the address of our new residences, which we've been trying to find for hours. Do you know the directions to Sector D?"

"Yes, actually, you're in Sector D," I said, remembering getting lost myself the first time I'd tried to find my home in the Departed Realm.

"Great, we need to find houses 244 and 245," said the younger boy. His voice was much rougher than I'd expected, and I couldn't truthfully tell whether or not he was being sarcastic. The older man whacked him again with the paper.

"Manners, Morro." Then, to me— "If you would please help us find the right direction to go, that would be much appreciated."

"Oh, erm… that may be difficult. Last I heard, the residences above 200 hadn't been built yet," I said apologetically. Garmadon looked confused, but "Morro" merely wrinkled his nose.

"Seriously? They forcibly take away my house, and then when they tell me I'll get a new one, I have to wait?" He frowned, seeming a little more genuinely upset than he had before. "Homeless in one life, homeless for the rest…"

"May I ask why unfinished housing is a problem in the afterlife?" Garmadon asked, to me or the boy I could not tell.

I shrugged meekly. "It's best not to question the laws of life and death. They really don't make any sense." I paused, and then hesitantly asked— "Would you like to stay here until your houses are finished? My house isn't very big, but—"

"Would we!" cried Morro, before the older man could stop him. He brushed past me eagerly and went inside. The man shook his head and leaned against the wall, frustrated.

"I apologize for the boy," he said, "he's still learning his manners. He was only redeemed in the last few moments before his death, so…" his voice trailed off. I felt my expression soften somewhat, and I reassured him that it was all right.

"Hey, Sensei, there are pictures of your brother in here!" I heard from inside my house. I raised my eyebrows at Garmadon.

"Sensei? You'd better come in. We have a lot of catching up to do."