Chapter Text
The Spectral Lands were quieter than usual.
Morro drifted through the endless gray pathways, hands folded behind his back, his robes moving softly in the cold wind that never seemed to stop blowing. Souls wandered in the distance like pale lanterns, confused and uncertain, and he guided them as he always did.
It had been a long time since he had last been among the living, long enough that he should have stopped thinking about it.
He never did.
Especially not lately. Thunderfang had shaken him.
Morro had died before, more than once. He had become strangely used to it over the years. He treated life as something as reliable as a grain of salt. But having his soul ripped away by Thunderfang - the Arc Dragon of Chaos he had found- had been different. It had hurt in a way he could not explain. Not physical pain, ghosts did not really feel that…but something deeper.
The feeling of being nothing. Of being completely erased.
And when he had finally opened his eyes back in the Spectral Lands, staring at the same endless fog and empty skies, he had known immediately what had happened. The ninja had won again, of course they had. He smiled faintly to himself. Good for them, another victory. He wondered if they ever thought about him. Probably not. He had been their enemy - one of many.
Morro lowered his head as he walked. Sometimes, he missed things he had never truly had. A life, a family, a place to belong. Sometimes he thought about that moment on Wu’s dragon, cursed souls perishing around him while Master Wu held a steady grip with his hand. He could still see it so clearly. He should have taken it. Back then, however, the guilt had been completely unbearable; He had hurt too many people, he’d become a monster. He’d toyed with essentially everything Wu stood against, what he should have stood against
He had looked at Wu, at the disappointment and pain in his eyes, and all Morro had been able to think was:
‘I don’t deserve to live.’
He stopped walking.
Wu.
Even after all this time, the thought of him hurt. His sensei. His father. Arin had told him what happened; Wu was gone, dead. Morro should have known somehow, should have felt it, at least seen him arrive at the spectral lands. Instead, he had only found out from a teenager who barely knew him. It had to be a mistake, Wu had to be alive! The grief still sat inside him like a stone despite his denial. He pressed a hand over his chest even though there was nothing there to ache.
Then suddenly, he felt it - a new soul entering the Spectral Lands. Morro straightened immediately. The air shifted, heavy, powerful. His hand moved instinctively to the hilt of his sword. The last time something this large had entered the Spectral Lands, it had been Thunderfang, and that had not gone well.
A massive shape emerged through the mist- a dragon. It was huge, ancient looking. Its scales gleamed faintly in the pale light. Morro narrowed his eyes.
"Welcome to the Spectral Lands," he said carefully, voice steady despite the tension in his shoulders. "I know this may come as a shock, but you are no longer among the living. I can guide you—"
"I know who you are, little one," the dragon interrupted.
Morro froze. ‘Little one.’ Wu used to call him that.
The dragon lowered his great head slightly. "You are Morro. Master of Wind."
Morro blinked. "...You know me?"
"I know of you," the dragon said. "I am Egalt."
Morro's eyes widened.
"Egalt?"
One of the Dragon Masters. One of the legendary dragons Wu had talked about- even Morro had heard stories.
Egalt gave a low rumbling chuckle. "I see my reputation has survived me."
Morro shook himself from his surprise. "Right. Well. I can guide you to where you need to go."
"Can you?" Egalt asked.
"...Yes?"
"Or perhaps I could stay with you awhile."
Morro frowned. "Why would you want to do that?"
Egalt looked around the empty fog and endless paths. "You seem lonely."
Morro immediately looked away. "I am fine."
"Mm." Egalt sounded unconvinced.
Morro tried several more times to convince him to move on. Egalt refused every single one. And somehow, before Morro really understood what was happening, he was no longer alone. They fell into an odd rhythm. Together, they guided lost souls through the Spectral Lands. Egalt enjoyed speaking with them, reassuring them. Morro mostly stayed quiet, observing Egalt. Wondering why he just wouldn’t leave him alone and journey to the departed realm.
But over time, he found himself talking more. Egalt told him stories about Rontu. About their younger days. About arguments and battles and flying races across the realms. Morro found himself laughing more than once, to his surprise. In return, he told Egalt about Wu, about training at the monastery, about becoming obsessed with the Green Ninja prophecy. About the bitterness that had poisoned him.
"I hated Lloyd," Morro admitted quietly one day. "Not because he did anything wrong. Just because he was everything I wanted to be."
Egalt listened patiently. "And now?"
Morro stared out into the fog. "Now I think he deserved it more than I ever did."
Egalt let out a rare smile.
Time passed strangely in the Spectral Lands, and days and years meant very little. But one day, the air split open again and another dragon appeared. Rontu. Morro stepped back automatically, watching as Egalt moved toward her. The look on his face softened in a way Morro had never seen before. They spoke quietly together - Rontu seemed confused, tired. Egalt gently told her it was not her time, and then, just as suddenly as she had appeared, she was gone again. Sent back. It sometimes happened to souls who found their way into the Spectral Lands. Fate decided it wasn’t their time yet. Morro stared after her, lost in thought.
"That was Rontu," he said unnecessarily.
Egalt nodded. "Yes."
"You looked at her like..."
Egalt smiled softly. "My first love."
Morro sat beside him in silence after that, as the fog drifted around them.
Then Egalt suddenly said, "You deserve a second chance, Morro."
Morro blinked. "This is my second chance."
"No," Egalt said gently. "I mean a real one."
Morro shook his head. "I help people here. I repay what I did."
"You have done that for a long time."
"Not long enough."
Egalt looked at him.
"You deserve to live."
Morro laughed bitterly.
"No, I do not."
"Why not?"
"Because my life hurt everyone around me. Because my wind is stronger with someone else now. Because the world moved on without me."
Egalt's eyes glowed softly. "Elemental power is never truly lost, even when it is passed down. And even if you had no power at all, there is still no reason you should not live."
Morro looked down at his palms. "I did not take Wu's hand because I had no reason to live," he whispered.
Egalt's voice was quiet. "Morro, I think you have served your time here. I think you have been forgiven."
Before Morro could answer, something changed. The air itself trembled. Energy flooded through the Spectral Lands in a massive wave. Morro gasped as green light exploded around him and the wind howled violently. His eyes burned bright green. "What—what is happening?"
Egalt stared at him. "The Green Ninja," he said softly. "He has reached his true potential."
Power surged through Morro so strongly it hurt. For the first time in centuries, he felt warm. Alive.
"How is it affecting- " Morro yelped at the power he felt suddenly coursing through him, “-me? I’m dead, Egalt. I’m dead…”
Then everything went black.
When he woke up again, the first thing he noticed was the pain. His throat was dry. His chest ached. His body felt heavy. He could feel the cold ground beneath him. He could feel the wind brushing against his skin. He could feel.
"Well hello there, little one."
Morro's eyes snapped open. Egalt sat nearby, watching him. Morro pushed himself up too quickly and immediately doubled over coughing.
He felt like absolute crap. His lungs burned, his heart pounded, his hands shook. He stared down at them. Solid, not translucent. Human. Morro recoiled in horror.
"What happened to me?"
"You are alive," Egalt said, as if it were the most simple observation.
"No." Morro shook his head frantically. "No, Lloyd's powers cannot be that strong. He cannot just bring people back from the dead. No I just - I have to be dreaming right now."
"Perhaps he cannot bring souls to life normally," Egalt said. "But an ancient ritual that was due many years ago was finally completed. The element of life has awakened fully within Lloyd for the first time. Its strength knows no bounds."
Morro stared at him in confusion. What ancient ritual? He immediately cast it to the side of his mind - he hasn’t kept up with the ninja for a long time, the last update being from Arin.
Egalt continued, "You are an elemental master. You felt that power strongly. And considering your time possessing Lloyd happened close to when he should have completed the ritual... perhaps some part of that connection remained."
"So this is…fate?"
Egalt smiled. "Perhaps. We may never know the true reason."
Morro looked away. He had never liked fate, but somehow, it kept giving him another chance. He swallowed hard. "I just... need time to adjust," he mumbled. "Then I can keep helping here. Protecting the Spectral Lands."
Egalt's expression softened. "No, little one. This is a sign that your duty here is over."
Morro stared at him. "No." He stood abruptly. "No, no, no. I can’t just leave. Who will guide the souls? Who’s going to protect this place?"
Egalt lowered his head slightly.
"I enjoyed my time here. I would not mind taking over."
Morro's breath caught. "You would?"
"Of course."
For a long time, neither of them spoke. Then Morro stepped closer. He wrapped his arms around Egalt's neck as best he could.
Egalt huffed softly.
"Thank you," Morro whispered.
"Live well, little one," Egalt said.
And with one final look back at the Spectral Lands, Morro left, his heart pounding louder than ever before.