It has definitely been a while. I don't know if there is anyone that still wants to read this story, and I wouldn't blame anyone for not wanting to read this anymore. There's been a lot going on with college and I didn't see writing this as a priority. But I still want to write this story because I do enjoy doing so.
I've actually had this chapter on the back burner for a while and just never did anything with it for a while. I actually wasn't very excited about writing this particular chapter because I like writing more stories with more action and feels. Once I get around to writing some later chapters, I hope I'll have more fun with them. I just hope there are still some people that still want to read this story.
Misako filled up a glass with water and handed it to Morro. Everyone had managed to move Morro to the kitchen/dining room and got him to sit down after he woke up from Cassie's spell. Morro was still shaking and covered in sweat. He had stopped hyperventilating at this point but was still breathing very heavily. Morro took a couple of sips of the water and set the cup on the table.
"So, what happened?" Wu asked. Morro looked up, seeing everyone's worried expressions. Wu sat next to Morro and rested his hand on Morro's back.
"Yeah, that shouldn't have happened after waking up from the spell. You should've woken up like how you would in the morning," Cassie said.
"Do you think something went wrong with the spell again?" Nya asked.
"No, the spell and conditions were just right. I mean, my grandma has told me about connection spells that ended in similar ways to what Morro had. But those ended early, and the enchantment marks didn't change to red. That's the telltale sign the spell has lasted the full five minutes," Cassie explained.
"I had also kept a timer to ensure everything was going accordingly. No offense to you, Cassie, but I did not entirely trust your aspect of magic," Zane said.
"No offense taken. Magic isn't easy for outsiders and non-magic users to trust and understand. Blaming pop culture, when most people think of a witch, they think about an old hag with warts, dark spells, and turning people into toads," Cassie said.
"No... everything worked fine." Morro finally spoke up.
"So you saw your parents?" Lloyd asked. Morro nodded.
"Yeah. It was the day before they died in my childhood home. I don't think I can express how happy I was to see them again. It was nice just having my mom overbearing me with kisses."
"Aww, was someone a mama's boy," Nya teased. Everyone had expected Morro to be annoyed by the teasing, but a small smile spread across his cheeks.
"Yeah, I kinda was. I probably could've stayed there much longer than I did if my dad didn't end it. Hey, Cas, how long would I have been in that dream sequence?" Morro asked.
"It's hard to say. The spell is connected to the person and what they need. And every person needs something different. Sometimes it lasts a few minutes, sometimes a few hours. It really depends on the person," Cassie explained.
"Well, it definitely felt like I was there for a few hours," Morro said.
"But what happened? It was like you woke up from a nightmare," Autumn said. Morro went silent, the horrifying images flashing in front of his eyes.
"I woke up in a panic like that because my dad forced the connection to end. There was a calendar on the wall, one of those you could tear off a page for the next day, dated December 9, 1966. My dad pulled off the page to the next day, the day they died, and it felt like the entire sequence of their murders flashed by in an instant," he said.
Everyone was chilled and horrified by Morro's descriptions, not wanting to imagine experiencing what he did. Misako's motherly instinct quickly kicked in, and she moved to sit beside Morro and comfort him.
"I'm sure they wouldn't have done that to end the connection if they knew what kind of negative impact it would have on you," she said.
"I know. My parents were always protective of me. Living in a forest, they wouldn't let me go too far from the house by myself. Learning about their anxiety with Pythor coming after us, I understand why they were so protective", Morro said.
"They seem like very loving parents," Misako said. Morro smiled and nodded.
"They are. And they just want me to be happy. But it's hard for me to be happy when I know they're in danger," Morro said. The room went silent after that.
"What do you mean they're in danger?" Autumn asked. Everyone looked worried. Morro knew he couldn't hide what his parents told him from the others.
"My parents told me that someone from Ninjago has found their way into the Departed Realm. They think it could be Pythor. They told me to stay out of it, but I'm afraid that something terrible could happen to them if I don't do anything," he explained. Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
"You want to help them, right," Garmadon said. Morro nodded. "Well then, we're not going to let anyone get hurt on our watch. We're going to help your parents, Morro." Morro smiled, got up, and hugged Gramadon.
"Thank you, " he said.
"So, what do we do?" Jay asked.
"I say we should gather up supplies. We need to be prepared if we're going to the Departed Realm. Cassie, just in case anything goes awry, I want you to stay here as a backup. We're powerful, but I've never seen magic like yours. It could be useful," Lloyd said. Cassie nodded.
"You can trust me. I'll make sure everything is okay," she said.
"Thanks," Lloyd said. He turned to the others. "Alright. Let's help Morro's family."