Fandom - Ninjago

Summary - After his death, Morro wants nothing more than to simply stop existing. But voices both inside and outside of his head tell him otherwise. Book one of the "Morro's Path" series.

Rating - T for some disturbing themes (e.g. manipulation, death) and fight scenes. No sex, no swearing.

Characters - Morro, the Preeminent, Soul Archer, Bansha, other Ghosts

PROLOGUE

AND EVERYTHING WENT STILL

The air was heavy down here and hard to breathe, and that icy cold ache in his chest wasn't going away at all. In fact, it was getting worse. The numb feeling was spreading from his chest to the rest of his limbs. But he was so close, he couldn't go back now.

The tomb had to be just ahead. Once he found the tomb, he could find something to prove it, and bring that back to the monastery… show Sensei that he was worthy to wear the green gi. If he did the impossible, maybe destiny would stop fighting against him. Morro was the true green ninja… he knew it, he had to be. He was the best of all of them. That wasn't to say there wasn't a nagging feeling of doubt deep within him, doubt that whispered "What if Sensei is right? What if destiny truly has spoken?"

Morro pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and continued into the tunnels. His footsteps echoed softly as he walked along the paths, as did scattering stones while he scrambled over rocks. He coughed slightly, reaching to run the arm that was holding the lantern. The cold feeling wasn't leaving, and he was honestly a little bit afraid now. He didn't know how long he'd been walking in the caves, but it was long enough that his feet were tiring. A dull ache had set into his soles, and another cough issued from his throat. Perhaps it would be best to sit down for a while.

His dark green gaze passed around the cavern he was currently walking in and he made his way over to some rocks, sitting down and placing the lantern beside him as he reached to tug his shoes off. It felt nice to feel the air around his toes and he wiggled them a little with a long sigh. He hadn't really rested since he'd stayed a night with Wu's brother Garmadon several days ago. Finally knowing where he could find the tomb… well, he supposed his excitement had powered him. His breath was cut off suddenly by what felt like a knife made of ice stabbing into his chest and he shut his eyes, a hand flying up to grip it. What was that? Shivers ran through his entire body. Was he getting sick?

The pain didn't go away, and Morro finally gripped the neckline of his gi and pulled it down to see his chest. What he saw there surprised him. In the center of his chest, just over where his sternum and heart were, was a green, slightly glowing gash-type mark. Carefully, he placed his thumb over it. The touch sent another stab of pain racing through his body and he couldn't help a small whimper– caused both by pain and uncertainty. That mark had definitely not been there before. What was happening to him?

And then, very suddenly, the flame in his lantern flickered and died. The cavern was plunged into total darkness save for the very slight glow coming from the mark on his chest. He gave a little gasp and quickly wrapped his arms around his chest.

He couldn't see a thing. For the first time since he'd left the monastery on this quest, he was really, truly terrified. What if he couldn't find his way back out? What if he just died down here, lonely and forgotten…

The master of wind got to his feet quickly, holding his arms out in front of him until he found the cave wall. He had to go back, find a way to light his lantern again. Then he could continue his search. When he'd found the tomb, he could go back to Sensei and ask about the strange marking on his chest. It was green, wasn't it? Maybe it meant that destiny had decided to chose him to be the green ninja after all, and the pain was just his body adjusting to the new powers he was gaining. These happy thoughts helped to dispel the still growing fear as he felt his way along the walls. It shouldn't be too hard to find his way back out… he'd followed the same tunnel the whole way, hadn't he?

He couldn't remember exactly how long he'd been in the caves. But it was a fairly long time. Now here he was, underground and alone, in the dark. Morro vowed that he'd never go into another cave like this again alone. In the pitch black he was oblivious to the scared tears that began to form on his cheeks as he tried desperately to reach the entrance, moving at a snail's pace and stumbling often, though he was completely aware of the aching pain in his chest as his heart continued to pound harder and faster by the second.

After what seemed like eons of groping around, he finally felt relief flooding over him as he saw light up ahead. The tears flowed more freely as he left the wall and ran stumbling toward it, in a mad dash to be bathed in sunlight again. His feet scuffed on the ground, and he fell twice, but at last he tumbled through the glowing passage. But once he picked himself up from the ground, he realized he'd been wrong.

The light wasn't coming from the sun, but from a pit in a large chamber beneath him. The air was even heavier in here than outside in the dark passages, and curls of smoke rose from the glowing pit. It's glow was fire red. Morro sat up on his knees and slowly got onto his feet, staring at it with wide eyes. The chamber was hot, and streaked with what looked like burn marks, the ground ashy and dusty. Morro's foot kicked up a small pile, causing him to cough once more, the sound echoing throughout the large, empty chamber along with the ominous gurgling of the pit in the middle.

He approached it slowly, and peered at it from a few feet's distance. It seemed to be a geyser of some sort… or maybe it was a small volcano. Either way, it wasn't good. All of a sudden, the reality of the entire situation hit him. He was stuck here in this chamber, too afraid to go out, and not sure he could even find his way back before dying of hunger, thirst, or exhaustion. But it was either that or this… he didn't know where in the caves he was, how far below-ground. Morro was utterly and completely alone and trapped. Fear like he'd never felt before clutched around his heart, digging its icy fingers in. But he still tried to convince himself that maybe, just maybe, the tomb was in this chamber. And even if it wasn't, maybe searching could reveal a way back to the surface.

He walked the perimeter of the chamber, his steps slow. Each one felt as though it took an hour. Each second, and his head hurt more and his vision darkened. His footsteps sounded like blasts from a cannon rattling his head. Despite the heat of the room, he still felt cold. There was no sign of an exit that he could see. He was trapped in here, alone… he couldn't call for help, couldn't escape.

Morro didn't know exactly when he'd fallen to his knees, but it was about at the point when the cold in his chest became unbearable. His breath came in short pants as he groped for a hand hold and pulled himself up against a rock. Dust was flowing into his lungs with each breath and coughing only made it worse. There was an orange glow from behind his eyelids, which felt heavy as lead. There was a massive gurgling noise, accompanied by hissing, from the middle of the room. Morro coughed again.

I could have been the green ninja, Sensei. This is your fault. You made me believe in myself. Now I'm stuck here… he had stopped feeling a while ago. His limbs had stopped responding. He couldn't move as the orange glare brightened and he finally opened his eyes just enough to see a wall of fire moving toward him. His eyes closed again.

All over Ninjago, a gust of wind blew up for a few seconds, and then it was gone. Everything went utterly still.