I know I'm a tad late for the Saturday update, but I wanted to go ahead and get this out here tonight! And, I'll be replying to reviews right after I post this! It might be hard for me to update these next few weeks, so I'll have to play it by ear with the schedule :/ But I am so close to being done with school and then I can just write all the time! :D :D :D

Special thanks to ILoveCheetos, SweetHeart114, LeUltimateNerd, Drawkill Vear, Peanut 2196, Mikittrash, RandomDragon 2.0, Crystal Cea, Star, TheYellowNinja, evelinaonline, xxXTheySayI'mEvilXxx, SerpentineKing, WindNinja333, ABCSKW123-IX, StoriesAreMagic, and MASTER OF SLEEP for reviewing!

Star: Zane is so smart XD We'll see ;D Thanks for reviewing!

TheYellowNinja: Once again, it means the world to me that my stories can help you even the tiniest bit through this hard time. I really hope you and your family are doing better, but I can't imagine how you must be feeling :( My thoughts are with you. Hopefully, Jay can fix Zane, but you never know... Thank you for your forgiveness, I really felt terrible about it. Thank you so much for your kindness!

SerpentineKing: Yep, Zane's plan was awesome XD Lydia and Gem stayed in the Lost Soul camp, but we will get back to them shortly ;D Thank you for reviewing!

MASTER OF SLEEP: You don't die when your Soul Stone gets taken. The person who owns your Soul Stone becomes your master, and you must obey their every command; thus, the Bone Keeper still exists separately from his Soul Stone, but must do whatever Cole (or whoever is holding his Soul Stone at the time) says. Zane might make a mistake... We'll see... ;D Gem, Lydia, and Corrine stayed behind in the Lost Soul camp, but we'll see them again soon! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D


"Guys, watch out!" Lloyd shouted, sitting up- then blinked in confusion when he saw he was not in the volcanic village surrounded by deceitful villagers raising frying pans over Kai's and Nya's heads but back inside the RV.

"Lloyd, you're awake!" Nya shouted, hugging him. "You've been out for so long, we were starting to get worried.

"Out for…?" Lloyd furrowed his brow, then turned to look out the window where he saw not a volcano but a snow-capped mountain, flurries of snowflakes pelting the RV's window. "Where- What-" Then he noticed the position of the sun. "Woah, woah, woah, it's morning?! As in, the next day!?"

"Chill, Lloyd," Kai said, placing his hand on the bewildered Green Ninja's shoulder. "It's okay."

"What happened?" He demanded.

Kai and Nya proceeded to relate the story of being attacked by Chen and Kozu and barely escaping by the skin of their teeth and then finding refuge in the next environment over, which happened to be the arctic tundra. Lloyd listened, horrified that he had missed so much.

"So, any lead we had on them is gone," Lloyd concluded, dropping his head in his hands. "And, we have no clue where to go next."

Kai and Nya shared a look. "Lloyd-"

They gasped upon hearing a tapping sound- then grinned upon seeing Zane's falcon outside the window. Kai opened the RV's door, and the falcon flew inside, settling on Lloyd's knee where he was still half lounging on the window seat.

They listened with rapt attention as it played the recording.

"Zane's damaged?" Kai repeated worriedly.

"Jay can fix him," Nya replied confidently.

"What the heck is the Ivory Tower?" Lloyd asked, frowning in confusion.

"Wait…," Nya said, turning back toward the breakfast nook. "Ivory Tower… Why does that sound familiar…?"

Spreading out the map Lydia had given them on the table, Nya laughed. "Right, I remember now! The Ivory Tower isn't a tower! It's a mountain!" Rushing toward the window, she pointed at the snow-capped mountain Lloyd had first noticed upon awakening. "It's that mountain!"

The Green Ninja shook his head miserably. "But, they must have recorded this message at least an hour ago, and the bad guys were already on their way then. We'll never make it in time!"

Kai suddenly grabbed him by the front of his green gi, half hauling him into a standing position. "That sounds like quitter talk. And, what do ninja never do?"

Lloyd looked back at Kai solemnly before his face split into a smile. "Ninja never quit."

"So, let's go!" Nya yelled, hopping into the driver's seat and flooring it.

Once they pulled up to the base of the mountain, Nya managed to guide the RV into a small alcove where it was at least partially hidden. They searched the interior of their vehicle thoroughly but found nothing heavier than the brown cloaks they had worn the day before. Throwing these on, they began their slow, arduous ascent.

"Hey, doesn't this remind you guys of that time we climbed the Wailing Alps?" Kai commented. He tried to keep the mood light, as they were already shivering in the arctic temperatures.

"I wasn't there," Nya replied.

"I was in front of you guys. Then I was behind you guys. I was also not in control of my body," Lloyd commented offhandedly.

Kai coughed. "Oh. Right. Man, where are the guys when you need them…?"

Being ninja, they covered ground fast but the climb was still slow going, especially with the wind tearing at their clothes and making their eyes water. They realized why Morro would have chosen this place to hole up in, considering it gave him quite the elemental advantage.

"A-Are we sure he's e-even here?" Lloyd asked as they passed the halfway mark.

Suddenly, they saw several dark objects shoot out from the peak of the mountain, plummeting toward the earth like rocks. As they came closer, the ninja were shocked to see that's basically what they were: Stone Warriors being tossed off the mountain.

"Ha, is that all you got!? I haven't even broken a sweat!"

"He's here," Kai and Nya replied in unison.

Empowered by knowing Morro was so close and in need of assistance, the ninja quickened their pace. They climbed valiantly, but their hands were already going numb, their bodies wanting to slow down and shut down even as they pushed to keep going. Morro's taunts grew farther and farther apart, and the Stone Warriors ceased to be thrown off the mountain by his wind power altogether.

By the time they reached the top, it was too late.

Poking their heads into the entrance of the cave at the peak so as to not be seen, they were horrified to see Morro, having finally been overwhelmed by the sheer number of the invincible warriors, on his knees in chains at the center of the Stone Warrior army with Chen and Kozu standing over him. Squinting, they saw it was Vengestone handcuffs around his wrists, rendering his elemental powers and ghost abilities useless.

Kai made to leap into action- but Lloyd grabbed his shoulder and shook his head, knowing they would be defeated just as Morro had if they attacked so many Stone Warriors at once. Jerking his head, the three ninja skulked further into the cave, careful not to be seen. Huddling behind some stalagmites almost directly in front of Morro, they watched the scene play out.

"Where is the Yin Blade?" Kozu demanded for what sounded like the second or third time.

Morro tapped his chin with his chained hand. "Yin Blade… Yin Blade… you know, I must have left it in my other pants."

Kozu punched him, making the three ninja start.

But Morro only laughed, rubbing his jaw. "Are you kidding? I hurt myself worse than that just for fun!"

Kozu punched him harder.

Morro laughed again, holding a thumbs up once he recovered. "Now, that's what I'm talking about!" He turned his face in the opposite direction. "C'mon, at least do the other side so it's symmetrical."

Kozu seemed ready to comply- when Chen placed a hand on his fist. "Kozy, you're letting the child bait you." To Morro, "Now, where is the Yin Blade?"

"I told you, I must have misplaced it," Morro replied, splaying his hands helplessly. "I don't have it."

"You might as well tell us now. We have plenty of other ways of making you comply." Chen placed his foot on the chain connecting Morro's wrists, slamming his foot down and making Morro lunge forward. Now that Morro was bent over, he placed the foot on the back of his head and stomped Morro's face into the ground. The three ninja winced in sympathy.

Suddenly, a Stone Warrior rushed up to Kozu, speaking in their strange language. Kozu nodded and turned to Chen, "They've searched the whole cave. It's not here."

Morro began to pick himself up off the ground, raising himself onto his palms and looking up. His eyes skimmed past the ninja-

Morro did a double take, eyes widening slightly in disbelief as he focused on the ninja mostly hidden behind the stalagmites. Nya frantically motioned at him to be quiet about their presence.

Kozu grabbed Morro's shoulder and yanked him back into the kneeling position he had been in before Chen had tried to scrape his face off. "Where is it?"

"How about I tell you in the form of a riddle?" Morro taunted. Then, raising his voice slightly, he said, "I gave it to the last person you think would trust me."

The ninja shared wide eyed looks as they realized Morro was speaking to them, giving them a clue even if he couldn't risk glancing over in their direction again lest it draw the attention of their enemies.

"I love games!" Chen exclaimed excitedly before shaking his head regretfully. "But, we don't have time for one. I guess we'll have to do this the hard way- which is my favorite way!"

Kozu suddenly brandished a Dark Dagger of their very own, and Morro's eyes widened as he realized they could simply take his Soul Stone and compel him to share the secret of the Yin Blade's location. The ninja tensed, preparing to stop that from happening-

When Chen called out, "Wait!"

Kozu paused with the Dark Dagger centimeters away from Morro's stomach, glaring at the Anacondrai fanatic. Morro sighed in relief.

"No, no, this isn't right," Chen said, grinning down at Morro. "He still has followers. I see more and more people with green streaks in their hair every day."

Morro smirked, "I didn't realize I had become such a fashion statement."

"Do this here, we make him into a martyr. Cause his 'Lost Souls' to rally," Chen continued as if Morro hadn't spoken. "But, if we do it in front of everybody, disgrace him, render him powerless, make him our slave where everybody can see, we crush their spirits."

Kozu pondered this, narrowing his eyes at Morro, before nodding curtly and putting the Dark Dagger away. He gave an order to the Stone Warriors in their native tongue, and they began filing out of the cave, climbing back down the mountain. Then, he attached a chain to Morro's Vengestone handcuffs that could function as a sort of leash and yanked the rebel ghost to his feet.

"Hey, wait, don't forget my phone!" Morro called, raising his voice again and chancing a glance at the ninja still hidden behind the stalagmites to let them know this was another message meant for them. "It has some really good stuff in it!"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Chen exclaimed, rushing over to his chair and grabbing something before rejoining Morro. "Whenever I heard how chatty you were, I had this made as a gift for you."

It looked to be some sort of small, curved grate made out of Vengestone with straps on either end. It almost looked like it could fit over-

The ninja's eyes widened when they realized what it was.

A muzzle.

Morro backed away when he arrived at the same conclusion. "Chen, if you put that on me, I swear I will make the rest of your afterlife a living-"

Whatever Morro was going to say next was cut off as Chen forced the muzzle over his face, buckling the strap in the back and silencing Morro completely.

"A perfect fit! Does Morro like his new toy?" Chen grabbed the front of the muzzle, jerking Morro's head up and down to imitate a nod. "Yes, he does!"

If looks could kill, Chen would have died a thousand excruciatingly painful deaths, but as it was, Morro could do or say nothing else.

"Enough of this foolishness!" Kozu snapped, jerking Morro forward by the chain. The ghost stumbled but caught himself before falling. "Time is of the essence!"

"Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a twist, Kozy-Kozy, I'm coming!" Chen called, hopping into his chair and guiding it out of the cave.

Now that all of the bad guys' backs were turned, Lloyd made a subtle hand motion, ready to attack them and catch them off guard. Maybe if they could capture Kozu, they could force him to call off the rest of the Stone Army-

Morro turned to look at them over his shoulder.

And shook his head. Telling them not to attack but to stay hidden.

Kai and Nya looked helplessly at Lloyd. The Green Ninja hesitated but eventually nodded at Morro. Morro offered a single nod in return before turning back to face the front, following his captors back down the mountain.

Once they were sure they were alone, Kai threw his arms into the air. "What the heck, Lloyd?! We could have saved him! Now, they're going to take his Soul Stone!"

"Morro is… not the most important thing anymore," he said, still staring at the entrance of the cave as if not quite believing it himself. "He told us to wait because he wants us to get to the Yin Blade first. That's why he gave us a clue."

"A really confusing clue," Nya added, scratching her head. "'The last person you think would trust me.' Who in the world could he be talking about?"

"I thought Morro had like a ton of enemies!" Kai complained, grabbing his hair. "How are we supposed to know who trusts him the least out of all of them?!"

"And, why would he give the Blade to someone that didn't trust him?" Lloyd asked, hand on his chin. "There must have been some other reason. Some reason he trusted them."

"Wait, maybe there's a clue on the phone!" Kai exclaimed, rushing to over to the pile of Morro's possessions that the Stone Warriors had carelessly strewn about in their search for the Yin Blade. "Remember, he said, 'Don't forget my phone. There's good stuff in it.'" He bent down, scooping something off the ground, turning the beat up, faded red cell phone he had given to Morro the last time they had been here over in his hand. "Aha! Man, I can't believe he still has this."

"Well, what does it have on there?" Lloyd asked.

Kai tried pressing the buttons, swiping his fingers along the black screen, holding down the power button… and nothing happened. "It's dead."

Lloyd groaned, throwing his hands in the air. "So, Morro leaves us a stupid riddle and a phone he couldn't be bothered to charge. That's just like him." He straightened, thinking. "Then again, this could just be a red herring too. He might be trying to keep us away from the Yin Blade as well."

"Hey, Lloyd, he did just let himself become a prisoner," Nya pointed out gently.

"Look, Nya, you think you can rig some sort of cell phone charger down in the RV?" Kai asked, mediating instead of instigating for once in his life.

Nya hummed, thinking. "Yeah, I could probably figure something out."

"See? We'll get it figured out in no time, Lloyd."

"Yeah, alright…," Lloyd grumbled, stalking toward the entrance of the cave.


Lloyd huffed in frustration for what had to be the tenth time in the past two minutes from the driver's seat.

"Lloyd, something you want to talk about?" Nya asked as she had Kai weld together two wires she had managed to salvage from the RV's glove box as she tried to create a cell phone charger out of only what they had on board.

Realizing that Morro could have left the Yin Blade anywhere, they had agreed that there was no point in staying at the Ivory Tower, so they were heading back to the Lost Soul encampment to regroup. Lloyd had also sent back Zane's falcon telling Cole and Jay to join them there as soon as their brother was repaired.

"It's just… I don't know. Something about what Morro said is bothering me," he admitted, watching their environment change from volcano (they had given the village a wide berth) and passed into the beachy sector where they had received help from Benjy, Kai's not-so-secret admirer.

"You mean, the part where his clue doesn't make any sense or the part where he gave us a dead phone?" Kai retorted, groaning as he had to weld more wires together at Nya's behest.

"No, I mean something about what he said. Specifically. I feel like we're missing something obvious…," he trailed off, sighing again. "I just can't place my finger on it." He shook his head, glancing at his siblings in the rearview mirror. "Almost done back there?"

"Yeah, almost," Nya replied.

They drove for silence for a little while- when Kai called out, "Woah, what's going on over there?"

Lloyd slowed down as he turned to see the same coastal village with Sebastian's Souvenir Shop and Benjy they had stopped in the day before- but it seemed as if every single ghost was gathered in the center of the town, all watching... something intensely.

Lloyd bit his lip, not wanting to distract Nya from her task of getting them closer to whatever Morro had on his phone- but eventually brought the RV to a halt. "I guess we should check it out."

The three ninja warily approached the crowd, remembering what happened the last time they had let themselves be surrounded. None of the ghosts spared them half a glance though, and once the ninja got closer, they saw the whole crowd around a large TV someone had set up in the middle of town so everybody could watch.

"Hey!" Kai shouted, spotting Benjy. He grasped the artist's shoulder, and Benjy's mouth immediately went slack, all but melting into a puddle at the contact. Kai quickly released him. "What's going on? What are you guys all watching?"

"You didn't hear? The scary ghosts caught Morro!" Benjy replied, nodding at the TV screen. "Hey, I thought you guys were looking for him?"

"We were. We didn't make it in time," Nya explained, trying to peer over the ghosts' heads at the TV screen. "But, what's on the TV?"

"They're about to rip out Morro's Soul Stone! Oh, look, here he comes now!"

The three ninja shoved their way to the front of the crowd, watching the screen intently. Recognizing the town square of the city where they had first entered the Departed Realm via portal, they were surprised to see a stage had been erected and a huge crowd gathered in front of it. Several of the audience members bore the green streak, proclaiming their loyalty to Morro, but both sides maintained the tense peace so they could watch Morro's fate.

Suddenly, Chen, Samukai, and General Cryptor appeared on stage, Chen waving excitedly at the crowd. The few boos were drowned out by the deafening cheers.

Kozu appeared and bodily tossed Morro into the center of the stage. The ninja and the villagers and the live audience couldn't contain their gasps as Morro slammed into the wooden floor. Morro lay still for a moment, the Vengestone handcuffs and muzzle still adorning his body, then slowly pushed himself into a kneeling position.

He blinked once, twice, gathering his bearings…

Then, waved at the camera.

The boos could have made anybody cringe, but a few audience members were raising their arms in victory.

General Cryptor unbuckled the muzzle from around his mouth. "This is your last chance, impudent boy. Will you cooperate?"

Morro grinned. "Nah."

Without warning, Kozu jerked Morro up by the front of his shirt and thrust the Dark Dagger into his stomach. A shuddering grunt of pain escaped Morro as he slumped over in Kozu's grasp. Nya gasped, clapping a hand to her mouth, and Kai had to look away from the screen. The few Lost Souls in the audience tried to surge forward in protest, but the many others on the opposing side easily kept them in place.

Lloyd grabbed his head, shaking it back and forth in despair. "It's too late. They'll have the Blade in no time. We're too late…"

Kozu yanked the Dagger out, splattering the front row with Morro's ectoplasm, and reached his fist inside to pull out Morro's Soul Stone.

They were expecting the Stone Warrior general to turn around, hold the Soul Stone up to the audience and the camera and announce victory. But, Kozu didn't move, still holding up Morro who could not support himself on his own two feet.

"What's the problem?" Samukai demanded as he and his other two accomplices advanced toward the ghost pair.

Kozu growled, raising Morro into the air with one arm and slamming him down on the stage. "He doesn't have it."

Silence.

Lloyd, Kai, and Nya looked at each other, not believing their ears.

"What do you mean he doesn't have it?!" Samukai screeched, grabbing Kozu by the shoulders.

"Unhand me," Kozu commanded, pushing the skeleton off. "His Soul Stone is not there. He cut it out of himself."

Morro propped himself up on one elbow, smiling mock-sheepishly though his eyes were nothing but arrogant. "Oops. Guess I lost that too. I'm such a scatterbrain."

By now the crowd was in a frenzy. Invigorated by Morro's narrow escape from betraying his cause, the Lost Souls were near-rioting, pushing their enemy ghosts backward. Fights were breaking out, ghosts were storming the stage, Chen, Kozu, Samukai, and Cryptor were being forced to evacuate the square, dragging a captive Morro with them-

The camera feed cut out. The screen went dark.

"Morro cut out his own Soul Stone?" Kai asked, turning to his siblings. "But-But when… where…?"

"But, the Bone Keeper… He tracks people by their Soul Stones, doesn't he? If he told the others Morro was in the Ivory Tower, his Soul Stone must have been there too." She gasped. "What if he knew he was being surrounded and he cut it out of himself before Chen and Kozu attacked? He must have hid it somewhere in that cave. We have to go back and find it before they do!"

Lloyd suddenly turned on his heel and sprinted back toward the RV. Kai and Nya called after him and gave chase. When the siblings entered the RV, they saw Lloyd with Morro's red cell phone in hand.

"That's what was bothering me!" Lloyd shouted with barely contained elation. "What did Morro say exactly? 'Don't forget my phone! It has some really good stuff in it!'" He waved the phone at them as if that explained everything. "'It has some really good stuff in it!' Not on it, in it."

He raised the cell phone high above his head-

"Lloyd!" Nya cried out before Lloyd could follow through. "If you're wrong, you run the risk of destroying any information on there about the Yin Blade."

Lloyd considered this. "I know Morro when it comes to stuff like this. This is exactly something he would do." He looked at his siblings solemnly. "Do you guys trust me?"

Kai and Nya shared a look, then nodded at their leader. "Always."

Smiling to show his appreciation, Lloyd threw the cell phone as hard as he could against the floor of the RV, where it immediately shattered into a dozen pieces.

And among the wreckage, muted green in color with black splotches marring its surface, was a small, oval stone.


Morro finally makes an appearance! ...And then gets captured :/

But, who did he give the Yin Blade to?! Future shout outs to anyone who guesses correctly ;D