Legacy of the Departed

Epilogue

A/N: And here we are, at my very self-indulgent epilogue. If you feel that the last chapter had a perfect ending, then I suggest you leave it there. If you want to imagine that Morro went on to become part of the team and participated in every one of their adventures thereafter, then be my guest.

Like I mentioned before, I do hope to make this a series, but the only season I plan on covering is Hands of Time (I promised myself I wasn't going to take the time to rewrite it... but my hand slipped and now I'm already on episode 8, so...) I don't know when I'll finish that, and of course I also hope to continue Dark Sides in the meantime. So if you're interested, just give me a follow and keep your eyes peeled.

Anyway, this is my universe and I get to choose the alterations. (pls just let me have this T_T) Also, we all know that the ending to DotD was confusing, so I'm not even gonna try and make sense of it. I'm just gonna make it even more confusing :P

. . .

On the Night of the Departed, the half-moon shone bright over a small isle floating just outside the limits of Ninjago City. The Temple of Airjitzu had been restored to its former glory and now stood tall and vibrant. All the rotten wood and twisted vines that used to hold it aloft had vanished. The garden was freshly pruned, and the clear water of the ponds rippled with the flicking fins of koi fish.

Off to one side, a small fire burned, illuminating the faces of everyone around it. The air rang with the sounds of their stories, their jokes, their laughter. It was a warm sight to behold on such a cold holiday night.

The voices only quieted when a dragon whisked past the isle. It didn't land, but soared to the ground below. A few moments later, a figure flew up and landed on the edge of the isle. He wore a green gi wrapped in a dark cloak. There was no visible scar on his head anymore, but his hair was still marked with green, a permanent fixture that didn't seem to grow out no matter how patiently he waited. He approached the light of the campfire and was greeted with shouts of recognition.

"Hey, Morro! Good to see ya, buddy!"

Morro nodded as he walked into the light where they could see him clearly. "Cole. Happy Day of the Departed."

"You're just in time," Cole said excitedly from where he sat between Jay and Zane. "I was about to tell everyone the story of how we saved Ninjago on this very night a few years back. Your perspective will come in handy."

Jay groaned. "Do you have to tell that story every year?"

"Do you have to complain about it every year?"

"Yes! Because you tell it every year!" The others just laughed.

"Come, sit with us." Sensei Wu patted the empty space beside him.

"Jay's parents will be here soon with crumb cake," Lloyd said excitedly.

"And my dad, with his world-famous pie!" Cole added.

But Morro remained where he was. "I won't be staying. I'm just here to pick up my lanterns."

At his word, Cole brought out two identical lanterns. "You know, my services don't come cheap," he said seriously.

Morro rolled his eyes. "What do you want, a medal for lantern-fetching?"

Jay snickered. "Master of Lanterns!"

Cole glared at him, but he couldn't do much else with his hands full.

"Are you really not staying?" Lloyd asked curiously.

"It's been a while since we last saw you," Zane agreed.

Jay scoffed. "Like that's not normal? Even when he lived in the temple, he was always scarce."