Y'all, I am so very sorry for such a long wait for this chapter. I am a musician-a pianist and composer-and we get very busy this time of year. I would have had an update for y'all early last week, but I went on vacation to Stone Mountain Park in Georgia! So, if you have stuck with this story and are reading this right now, a HUGE thank you to you!

In other news, I have not recieved everyone's favorite football team, but I suppose since I left y'all hanging for this chapter for so long, I will disclose my favorite team. I am a huge lifelong fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide, so I am becoming increasingly happy about this football season. I will actually be attending the University of Alabama in the fall of 2019 as a Music Theory and Composition Major. Roll Tide!

Again, thank you to everyone who is reading. God bless y'all.

Reformation

Chapter VI. Uniting

"My brother... he is alive?"

Sensei Wu's question broke what felt like an hour of silence. The group had finally sat down to breakfast (as promised, Kai heated up Nya's omelets) when Morro told them that Garmadon was still alive. Morro had also told them about the djinn that had helped him and his plan to get him, as well as Garmadon, out of the Cursed Realm.

"Yes, Sensei," said Lloyd. "Morro spoke to him. We can get my father out of there!"

Misako was in disbelief. "Morro, how can we be sure that we can trust this djinn?"

"Any other time I'd say we couldn't," answered Morro. "But the cages in Prison Mountain have magical bars that make it impossible for the ones behind them to tell lies. Believe me, we can trust him."

"Well, I'm as sold as sold gets! Let's go!" piped Jay.

"Slowdown motormouth," said Cole. "We can't go in there without a plan."

"I told you the plan," responded Morro, notably aggravated at Cole's previous statement. He cooled, however, and repeated the plan he had gone over while the team was still in shock over his news. "We use Sensei's Traveler's Tea to travel to the mountain, we break out Garmadon, and then we go to the djinn. We'll wish him out of the cage, and then wish all of us, including him, back to the house."

Zane voiced his approval of Morro's plan. "My friends, I love you dearly, but I must say that none of you have ever come of with any plans having more that a 37.444446 percent chance of success. Morro's plan, however, has approximately a 98.574 percent of accomplishing all of its goals. I believe we should follow Morro's strategy."

"Okay, so basically... Morro needs to make the plans from now on right?" asked Kai.

Nya answered, "Definitely," to which the group shared a brief laugh.

When breakfast was done, the group began preparing for their journey. Sensei Wu insisted the group take another pot of Traveler's Tea in case the djinn for whatever reason could not send them back to Ninjago. So Misako added another pot to Lloyd's annoying packing list.

"Mom, we're probably not even gonna be gone a whole day."

"I know, but you never know when you need extra stuff. Now, have you got everything?"

"Yes, mom. I have everything."

"Good boy. Now, your father is waiting. Bring him back to us, so we can be one complete family."

"I promise."

The mother and son hugged tightly for a few moments, never enough for Misako, but she knew he had a mission to accomplish.

"I love you, my son."

"I love you too, mom."

Morro walked into Lloyd's room as the two were separating from their hug.

"Am I interrupting?" he asked.

"No dear," answered Misako. "Morro, thank you. Thank you for coming here and telling us that my husband is alive. And thank you for going back to that dreadful place to get him and bring him back."

"Don't thank me yet. We still have to pull this off. I just pray my plan is as good as Zane thinks it is."

"Zane is like... really smart," said Lloyd. "His wisdom is beyond the rest of us, except maybe Sensei. I trust you, so I trusted your plan when you told it to us. Zane saying it has a high chance of working just gave the team the confidence they needed to go on this mission."

"After everything, you all trust me to lead you into the Cursed Realm and get you all-and Garmadon-back here safely. I really can't believe how fortunate I am to have your kindness."

"Hey, I'm not trying to start crying again so I'm just gonna say you're welcome and we need to meet the others outside."

The three laughed before Morro and Lloyd headed out of the room, through the hall, and out the front door where the others were waiting.

"Be safe, my ninja, and bring my brother back," said Wu. "And Morro, thank you."

"No Sensei. Thank you for giving me your trust."

Sensei Wu prepared the Traveler's Tea and soon had a portal opened. The elemental masters went through the portal one after the other. Morro went first, in case the portal could not transport them all, because he knew where to go and what to do. Kai was the last through, and the portal snapped shut barely a second after it consumed Kai.

Sensei stroked his beard and quietly said, "Now we wait... and once again, my calculations for the amount of tea required were nothing short of total perfection."

The old Sensei quietly chuckled at his pretended gloating and went into the house, muttering about wanting to find a way to dye his beard blue without having to bear the taste of hair dye.

Sensei's brew of Traveler's Tea truly was perfect, as everyone made it through the portal, and they arrived just inside the gate of Prison Mountain.

"Um... maybe we should have brought some weapons? Anyone else think of that?" asked Jay.

"Relax," said Morro. "It's unguarded. The cages are inescapable, so they don't waste any time or numbers to put guards in here."

"Ahhh, never mind guys!"

"But I wouldn't talk too much," Morro warned. "When the people in these cages see people or ghosts in here, they lose it. They beg for help and it drives you crazy to hear it. Talking where they can hear you makes it worse."

"I wondered when this trip would get scary and weird..."

"Jay," chastised Lloyd. "We need to focus. Everyone, just don't talk unless it's absolutely necessary. We don't wanna make these people suffer any more than they already are."

"Got it," whispered Nya."

"Okay, let's do this, said Morro. "Once we get to where Garmadon is, they can't hear or see us so we'll be good then."

After a few minutes of silent walking (and being called at by the prisoners), the group reached the cells of Clouse and Chen. Lloyd realized how close they were. He ignored the jeering of Clouse and the chattering of Chen and began to jog forward. None of his fellow ninja made an attempt to stop him or slow him down; they knew he would not stop if they did.

Lloyd accelerated into a faster run and, as he topped the hill, he saw his father, as Lloyd had left him. When he topped the hill, the two instantly made eye contact; Lloyd knew where to look for him, and his father had been waiting due to a gut feeling that he needed to watch that hill.

When Lloyd reached his father, he embraced him gently, knowing how sore his father must be from hanging there for so long.

"Lloyd, you are here again," choked out Garmadon, tears in his eyes and a knot in his throat. "Every time you show up here, I gain the strength to last here 50 more lifetimes."

"You don't have to, Father," said Lloyd, pulling away. He was also in tears. "Look."

With hope in his eyes, Garmadon looked where Lloyd was pointing at several figures topping the hill: the rest of the ninja. And one of the figures was Morro.

When they all reached Garmadon's position, Garmadon said, "So, you found them."

"I did," answered Morro. "And, I've come to finish making everything right. You may not know this, but there is a way to free you from those chains without any sorcery or anything else like that. I put you there, I have to release you. There's only one way to do that. I would've done it my last time here, but it was impossible then. I didn't know what I know now. They told me why you were evil, and I discovered that the Preeminent had lied to me. I had you locked up here because of my ignorance and her lies. But now, Garmadon, I have been enlightened. These guys-my new family-have shown me love I haven't known for a long time. They taught me that love and forgiveness go hand-in-hand. So now I can do this... Garmadon... I forgive you."

With that, Garmadon's chains snapped, and Lloyd and Morro caught him before he could hit the ground.

A/N: As a composer, I must encourage you to imagine a dramatic musical swell right here as I imagined it.

"Father, you're free!" exclaimed Lloyd, having no other words. He hugged his father, and repeated the words. "You're free."

"Yes, I'm here son."

Lloyd pulled away from his father and hugged Morro tightly. "Thank you Morro, thank you so much."

"You're welcome, but we still need to get home, and there's one more thing to do before that."

"Right, the djinn."

"What a reunion, I may cry," said Jay, seeming to actually be on the brink of tears.

"Morro," said Garmadon. "Are you planning to free the djinn who got you back to Ninjago?"

"Yes, he deserves so much better than to be here."

"I couldn't possibly agree more. And I assume your plan is to wish us all back in Ninjago?"

"Doesn't Morro make the best plans?" asked Cole.

"Indeed," said a chucking Garmadon. "Let's get on the move. I simply cannot wait to be home."

"And we can't wait to get you there," said Lloyd. "Mom is dying to see you."

"The feeling is mutual."

"Awwww, how sweet," gushed Nya.

"Guys," called Morro. "I found Lorands's cage."

"Who?" asked Kai.

"The djinn, that's his name," Morro explained.

"Oh, well let's go!" said Cole.

The group reached Lorands and he grew a smile on his face.

"Can I help you all?" he asked. Then he noticed Morro, and was surprised when he also noticed Garmadon with the group.

"You freed him... you did it, Morro!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, I did. And now I have two wishes. First, I wish you were out of that cage."

Lorands's eyes sparkled as he teleported out of the cage in a whirlwind of smoke.

"Bless you, Morro. Bless you. You knew the only way out of that cage was for someone to wish me out and you did it. Thank you Morro."

"You're welcome; it's the least I can do to thank you for helping me meet my new family."

"Morro, you have been without family for years. Now you have family and see how blessed a person is when surrounded by love."

Morro smiled back at his fellow elemental masters and said, "Indeed, I am blessed."

"Your second wish, good Morro?"

"Don't twist my wish," teased Morro.

The group shared a small laugh.

"Never," responded Lorands, with the second most genuine smile Morro had ever seen. The top spot belonged to Sensei Wu when he took Morro as his student. "If I get it wrong the first time, I'll just try again until I get it exactly as you want it. Anything for you, Morro."

"Thank you, friend. We are at last ready to be one family, united. I wish we were back in Ninjago, at our house on the outskirts of New Ninjago City."

"Done."

In the blink of an eye, the group's surroundings changed from dark and murky to bright and pleasant. They were only gone for an hour and a half, but it felt like a thousand eternities.

"Lorands, good djinn," said Garmadon. "You have now united this family."

"No, you did. Each of you. You all love each other so much, and hold each other to your own hearts. That is family. It is each of you that have become one in your love for one another. I would love to stay and witness the reunions, but I must continue on my own path."

"Lorands," said Lloyd. "You're one heck of a guy, and if you ever need anything, please stop by and let us know."

"Thank you, kind ninja. You all will always be in my thoughts. I will never forget what you did for me."

"You're gonna prove the world wrong about djinns, I know it," declared Morro.

With only a simple bow, Lorands disappeared into the gentle morning breeze.

The reunion inside the house was truly a grand one. There were hugs, tears on every face, and of course everyone's favorite sight to behold: an old married couple sharing a simple but long overdue kiss. Though Lloyd could have beared to have not seen it, he was glad he did. It was a reminder that now, after everything, everyone was home.

The family was one, and it was complete.

And judging from the number of times they thanked him, hugged him, and joyfully cried all over him (Misako even kissed him on the cheek, and she and Garmadon both called him "son"), it was probably safe to assume that Morro found his way again.

Morro was home, and he was reformed.

That night, before laying his head down in his new room, Morro bowed down on bended knee, and prayed.

"Father, my Savior, thank You for this day. Today, You gave me everything I walked away from all those years ago. Forgive me, Lord, for my transgressions, and help me to love my family with everything I do. Help me, God, to love You and serve You alongside them. Thank You for giving me the second chance I could never have hoped to deserve. Thank You, God, for Your mercy upon me, and thank You for Your unending blessings. Thank You for allowing me to do good things today; I pray that I will be deserving of my new place, Lord. I pray that You will guide me with Your mighty hand and that I will hear and listen to Your voice in every step I make. Thank You, Lord. Thank You for setting me straight... Thank You for reforming me.

"All Glory be Yours. In Jesus's Name I humbly pray. Amen."

That night, for the first time in years, Morro slept without a single worry.

Well... I think that's it folks! This is probably the end of the story. Will there be more chapters? Probably not. More stories in the future? Definitely! Please, y'all... leave me reviews. If you have a request or something, send me a PM and I'll get back to you just as soon as I can.

And that's right, forgiveness was the key to unlocking Garmadon's chains. I do hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, and I pray that y'all are not too mad with me about the long wait. Maybe this makes up for it? Leave me some reviews so I know what my readers are thinking of my writing. Your opinions really matter a lot to me!

A hint for my next story (plan): a new prophecy that will change everything the ninja thought they knew about the color Green.

I would also like to do some one-shots, but I will need story prompts, so... send PM's with some of those.

'Til next time. I love y'all! God Bless!

Roll Tide.