REVIEW RESPONSES

Guest - Lucky for you, the cliffhanger didn't last too long haha!

FirstFandomFangirl - Oh dear amirite? 3

thearomanticninja - Nawwww... well, maybe... I guess he's more peaceful now... but not quite more... restful. Idk.

-o-o-o-o-o-

CHAPTER SEVEN

REUNIONS

Hurtling toward the surface of the ocean, Morro barely had time to save himself by blowing himself upward. And yet he knew he could only last so long. One gust of wind after another kept him up, but the ship was too far away to reach.

Quickly, he looked down. And then he gasped. The dragon was no more, and Garmadon crashed into the ocean. Morro's eyes widened. "No!" he yelped. Not now... not after everything... and Garmadon was going to drown after all. Why had all of that been for nothing? Why did that sentiment seem to follow Morro and haunt him wherever he went? Why did he always fail at everything he did?

In that moment of faltering, the wind master failed to see the lashing tentacle until it was too late. He gave a yelp of surprise as it wrapped around his midsection, and he turned to stare down. Even in her dying throes, the Preeminent was seeking to drag him down with her! Morro spread his fingers, narrowing his eyes in concentration as he sent a continuous stream of wind down toward the ocean, desperately trying to keep himself up. No... he wasn't going to let that happen now.

There was a slight shimmering sound, and Morro looked up to see Wu, hovering just above him on a pale golden dragon. Morro grit his teeth together, cringing as he felt his foot burning yet again as it brushed the ocean's surface.

"Morro! Take my hand!" Wu cried, gliding downward and reaching out.

Morro looked down at the ocean, then up at him, and then swallowed. If he stopped blowing, he might get dragged down before he could catch Wu's hand... but if he didn't take it... there was no way he'd be able to keep this up forever. Eventually, he'd be pulled down, he'd die.

Either way, there was a chance that Morro would die. Either way, it was likely to die. But at least if he tried to take Wu's hand it wouldn't be certain. Taking a deep breath, he sent one last powerful gust and then flung both arms upward—and missed.

"Agh!" he grunted, feeling himself pulled down, and then he stopped. Wu's hand caught one wrist and held him fast. He was strong for his age—still almost just as strong as he'd been so long ago when Morro had been just a child. He was still little more than a child, despite his age.

For a few moments, Morro felt safe. Wu had him now... just like before, Destiny had decided to let Wu save him. And then, he felt another tug. The Preeminent was sinking, and dragging him with her. There was only so much Wu and his dragon could do. Morro was shaking, feeling weak and exhausted. He started to feel as though he were getting drowsy, like his very being was being sapped...

No, no, no... not this... if the Preeminent leeched his soul too much, he'd vanish and be gone.

"S-Sensei..." he stammered weakly. "I... I can't... She's..."

He was fading. He'd be pulled under, or he'd be whisked away. There was a rush of wind and Morro shut his eyes, head slipping to one side. His arm became intangible in Wu's grasp and he slipped through. But the pressure had been relieved from his midsection—had he already died? Morro really wasn't sure. He was already dead now, he didn't know what it would feel like to die yet again.

The flapping of wings caught his attention. No, this wasn't anything like death. He wouldn't hear wings... slowly, he opened his eyes. The sun was shining, reflecting off the ocean and blinding him. The sea was passing beneath him, and... he glanced up once again. Lloyd was carrying him.

In a moment, Lloyd landed on the deck of the ship. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Can you stand?"

Morro gave a hesitant nod, wincing a little when his burned feet touched the deck's planking. Nonetheless, he managed to keep his footing. Morro glanced toward Lloyd and suddenly felt a tremble rush through him, his lip wobbling a little as he realized he'd failed. He'd tried to save Lloyd's father and failed. He hadn't deserved to be saved.

"I... I'm sorry... I wanted to... I tried..." he stammered, voice cracking a little bit. At the end of all of this, Lloyd had still lost his father for good.

Lloyd frowned a bit. "It's... it's alright. You tried. That's what matters." He reached out, gently resting one hand on Morro's shoulder. "You tried to save him... you saw something you could do to make things right, and tried to do it."

Lloyd's eyes were shimmering. It was clear he was barely holding back tears, and that made Morro feel worse. It wasn't alright. It wasn't alright at all. He didn't respond, looking away, staring at the ground, barely able to keep from crying right then and there. If Lloyd could hold his tears back, then Morro could just miserably suffer in silence.

It came as a surprise when the green ninja reached forward and pulled Morro against his chest. He was tense, and the ghost knew this was unnatural for him, and yet he still did it... why? Morro's throat worked, his eyes burned, and he started to tremble.

"I forgive you, Morro," Lloyd said quietly. "If you know what you did was wrong and you tried to fix it... that's all anyone can ask."

In a few seconds, Lloyd released him, and Morro took a step back, quickly covering his face with his hands. He choked out a sob, turning away and moving to find a corner tucked away between a pair of crates. Morro sat down there, drawing his knees against his chest, desperately trying to hold back tears. It wasn't okay... it was anything but okay. He'd had one thing he wanted to do, and he'd failed.

The ship headed toward the shore, propelled by Nya's powers. Day had fully broken now. The ninja were reuniting on the deck, and Morro didn't bother joining them. Saving Garmadon had been the last chance he'd had, and he'd blown it. He'd never be able to face them again.

Before long, they reached a place on the shore, a small inlet, where Nya brought the ship up next to a large rock. Carefully, they set down the anchor and put out a ramp. The shaken villagers slowly made their way back onto solid ground. Their village had been completely destroyed by the Preeminent. They would be struggling to rebuild their lives after this.

Once the people had all left, Wu and the Ninja followed, making their way across the plank. Kai turned to Lloyd, who was looking out at the ocean, seemingly distressed.

"Lloyd? You okay?" he asked, touching his friend's shoulder.

Lloyd glanced back at him. "Yeah... I'm fine. I just... I just wasn't really ready to let him go." He paused, looking down at his feet, and took a little breath. "Would you mind if I... had a few moments by myself?"

Kai nodded. "Of course. We're all here for you, remember that." He gave his shoulder a squeeze and then went to rejoin the rest of the ninja as Lloyd moved to sit on a rock at the water's edge. He came up next to Nya. "Great job, Sis," he told her, giving her a hug. "You saved Ninjago."

Nya turned to him and smiled. "Yeah... it was really close though. We almost didn't make it. I hate to say it, but without Morro. I don't know if I would have been able to stop her in time."

Wu gave a quick glance around at his first pupil's name, a frown creasing his face and his brows furrowing just a little bit. Where was the ghost? He glanced toward the ninja. "Where is Morro?" he asked, continuing to look around. The rest of the ninja did the same, but Morro was nowhere to be seen.

"I... I don't know," Cole frowned. "He's gone..."

-o-o-o-

Lloyd pressed his hands against his face, rubbing his eyes.

There had been enough tears shed. He'd said goodbye to his father once already, he'd cried over his loss before. And yet now it felt more permanent. As much as he'd hated to admit it, he'd still held on to the hope that Garmadon could be saved. Morro's taunts in the old pawnshop had struck home... Garmadon was in the Cursed Realm, yes, but the Cursed Realm was being destroyed—without the realm, there would have been nothing binding Garmadon there.

He could have had his family back. His mother, his father, and himself. They'd had such a short time together. But Lloyd wasn't alone—he still had his brothers, and now sister. He still had his uncle. He still had his mother. Maybe it was time to truly bid his father farewell, and to accept his presence in spirit, like he'd said in the Cursed Realm.

There was a crunch of dried grasses behind him, and Lloyd tensed for a moment before feeling a gentle touch on his shoulder.

"Lloyd?"

The voice was so familiar. It sent shockwaves rushing through Lloyd's body and instantly he sat up, eyes widening and tear-stained face stretching into the broadest grin ever to appear on his face. He turned around.

"Dad!"

It was Garmadon—he still had chains around his wrists, he was soaking wet, ragged, bleeding from a few cuts on his body, and looked utterly exhausted, but it was still his father. Lloyd stood up, staring at him for a few seconds. "But... the Preeminent... your dragon... you..."

He was cut off as his father quickly pulled him into a tight hug.

"I told you I would always be with you, Lloyd," he told him, his voice gentle.

Lloyd wrapped his arms around him, the tears he had been trying to hold back now pushing through and running down his cheeks. "I can't believe you're here... I can't believe you survived... everything is going to be alright now..."

Garmadon smiled tiredly, hugging his son close. "Yes... it is," he said quietly.

"Brother?" Wu's shocked voice came as the others came upon the reunion.

Lloyd looked up, grinning. "He came back," he still barely believed it himself. They all gathered around, and Wu stepped closer.

"Brother, can you ever forgive me for the way I treated you when I found out about the letter?" he asked, and Garmadon offered a small smile, moving to hug his brother as well.

"Of course, you've already been forgiven."

-o-o-o-

On top of a hill, not too far away, a small dark shadow paused and watched this, invisible to the ninja. Morro had seen Garmadon climb onto the shore and paused in shock. He'd survived... so Morro hadn't failed. For a moment, he'd nearly moved forward and joined them.

But then, he'd seem Lloyd and Garmadon embracing. Lloyd was truly happy... and with Morro's history with him, he knew that his return might lessen that happiness. Lloyd's entire being seemed to glow, and Morro wasn't going to do anything to stop it. Lloyd deserved this after everything the boy had been through in his short life.

And then, the ninja, Wu, and Misako had returned. All nine of them stood around one another, celebrating their victory, and the return of Lloyd's father. And somehow, Morro just knew. He knew that they belonged together. And he knew that he didn't belong with them. Not with who he had become. He had too much of a debt, he'd done too much harm. He'd never be accepted, and they looked... they looked so perfect just the way that they were now.

He stayed where he was for a moment, and then as they all made to return to higher ground, Morro turned away. His eyes rested on the horizon. He'd been given another chance at life. Maybe this time, he'd be able to use it to make something better out of himself. He'd spent his past life in its entirety striving to gain a title he knew now that he'd never have. Now, he was free from the Preeminent's commands. He was free to be his own person. He was still a ghost, but at least now he could do his best to undo as much of the damage he'd done as he could.

And so, as the ninja began a new chapter of their lives, Morro began a new chapter of his own. He walked away from every trace of his past lives, and didn't look back once.