Morro stood staring at Anirei, wondering if what he was doing would really be the right thing. He wanted to see Yin and Yang again, but he also wanted to obey his master the Preeminent. Before he could say anything more, his dragon roared in the sky above, warning him of an attack or intruder.
"What's happening now?" Morro looked away for just a moment before turning back toward Anirei, only to find that she had disappeared like smoke in the wind. He thought for a moment that maybe she was just an illusion created by his once living heart. She did look so much like Yin, but also had qualities of Yang. A perfect mix of the two who had saved his life all those years ago. Morro decided to take care of Anirei later and deal with the intruder first, planning to go back and find Anirei before she could do anymore damage to his concentration.
He followed several of his ghosts, leading him to a Ninja dressed in green and black being held by other ghosts.
"Look what we have here." Soul Archer said.
"The Green Ninja. So rude." Morro said getting closer to the Ninja, "Hasn't anyone told you it's not polite to be late to the party?"
The ghosts laughed as they led the Green Ninja outside the pawnshop, Morro waiting to finally get rid of the boy once and for all and claim what he thought he deserved. The ghost threw the Ninja to the ground, strangely enough, he didn't put up much of a fight as Morro had expected. But it didn't matter.
"Now that we've got him, what do you want us to do with him?" Soul Archer asked.
Morro ignored Soul Archer, "Surely it's not just you and Rei." He said, "I know the rest of your ninja are never far. Come out, come out, wherever you are. I have your beloved Green Ninja. You think you can come into my home and steal the crystal I rightfully earned? You think I'll just hand it to you just like the green gi was handed to you? Tell me. Tell all of us that I'm better than you, then I'll let you go and I won't harm Anirei in any way."
The ninja didn't say a single word as Morro pushed him to the ground.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Morro pulled off the green Ninja's hood, only to discover that it wasn't Lloyd behind the mask.
But it was Nya, the Ninja of the one thing they feared most. The ghosts all around her gasped in horror and shock, but Nya smirked at their shock.
"Sorry, I couldn't hear you. I'm still a little wet behind the ears." Nya said, forming a ball of water in her left hand.
"She's a water ninja." Morro gasped and took a few steps back, "She's... Protect the Realm Crystal."
The ghosts all tried to get close to Nya, but with a single touch of her water, they were gone in puffs of green smoke. Once the others were out of the way, Nya tried to do the same thing to Morro, but he used his power over the wind to stop the water mid-air making it fall to the ground before even a drop could touch him.
He hovered in the air and attacked Nya with his wind, leaving the Realm Crystal wide open and vulnerable to attack.
"Plan to get him away from the Realm Crystal worked." Kai said then looked down at Lloyd and Anirei, who had quickly hid with the Green Ninja right after she confronted Morro.
"We'll clear a path for you, then you two can do the rest."
"Let's do this." Lloyd said.
"Ready to go when you are, Lloyd." Anirei added.
The three of them climbed over the fence they were hiding behind and rushed to the pawnshop where the Realm Crystal was being kept. Kai ditched the outfit he was wearing and donned his red gi and the new headband he had gotten. As soon as they ran, however, they were ambushed by even more ghosts than before.
Just as they were about to be pushed back, the three heard a car revving behind them. They turned around to see Jay trying his new car on the boardwalk.
"Uh, Jay? A little help?" Kai asked.
"On my way." Jay replied and drove over to the ghosts cornering them, sucking all of the ghosts into the container in the back through the large vacuum.
"Thanks!" Lloyd said.
"Great job, Elder Brother!" Anirei added as she and Lloyd continued running to the pawnshop.
They stopped and hid near a table with ghosts eating as much as their stomachs could handle, when one of the ghosts turned around..
"Hey, look, a ninja." One of the ghosts said.
At first, the two thought the ghosts was talking about them, but instead, he was gesturing to Cole's vehicle, which circled around them before jumping onto the table and exstinguishing them all in one fell swoop.
"Elder Brother Cole, on the roof!" Anirei shouted.
Cole looked up and saw and archer hiding in the crook of the roof nearby. Cole pressed a button on his dashboard and fired several shots at the ghost. Anirei grabbed Lloyd by the hand and pulled him away so they could keep going. Soon, they passed the harbor where the people of Stiix, Misako and Sensei Wu were being loaded onto the steamboat to escaped.
"Keep going, you two. You're almost there." Sensei Wu encouraged them.
"Rei, you should go on the boat, too. Or help the Ninja with the other ghosts." Lloyd said as they ran, but Anirei shook her head.
"No can do, Lloyd. I want to help our brothers, but right now, my place is right here by your side. Who knows what the Realm Crystal could do. I need to be there to help restore the balance if needed."
Lloyd knew that her logic was well. If the Realm Crystal caused terrible imbalance with Ninjago, then she had to be there to help balance it back out again. But he didn't want her to get hurt, or lost.... Not again right in front of his eyes.
They were stopped short when Soul Archer came from out of nowhere and tried to shoot them, but Zane came over the rooves of the houses and froze her with his ice beams. Lloyd and Anirei continued to run as fast as they could until they finally made it to the pawnshop, where Nya was getting her butt kicked by Morro.
She flew off the roof of the shop and fell to the floor near their feet.
"Is that all? Is that all you've got?" Morro asked.
Four ghosts quickly surrounded Nya, but Lloyd lit up his powers and destroyed the ghosts.
"Hey." Lloyd shouted, jumping onto the roof and kicking back Morro.
"Stop this, Morro." Anirei said joining Lloyd on the roof, "You cannot defeat the Green Ninja."
"Oh really?" Morro asked holding up the hood to the Green gi, "The green gi belongs to be now."
Morro laughed, but Lloyd and Anirei stirred up their powers, Lloyd's hands covered in green energy while Anirei's left hand had shadows and her right hand was bursting with light.
"You think I'm gonna make this easy? Not even for Anirei will I let you guys get off so easily. Let's just see you good you two are."
Morro unsheathed his sword and jumped onto the roof to avoid Lloyd's attacks. He then used his powers to try and push the two back. Anirei stood in front of Lloyd and combined her lights and shadows to created a large silver shield that counteracted Morro's power. Lloyd, seeing his chance, threw another ball of energy at Morro, but Morro pushed it back at the two, making them both fall to the boardwalk.
"Stay strong, you two!" Nya shouted from the side.
Morro controlled the wind to make the building below shake and begin to levitate.
"I'm stronger, Lloyd. I always have been." Morro said as the building continued to levitate higher, "And I've been inside your head. I know what you're afraid of. You could never do it alone, could you? Weak. You need others, but I, I need no one."
The walls and floors of the building began to unravel forming a new shape that marked the upcoming arrival of the Preeminent. Lloyd was shocked by this, shielding both himself and Anirei from the flying wooden planks rushing through the air.
"What are you waiting for, Lloyd, and invitation? If you want the Realm Crystal, earn it."
Lloyd looked down at Anirei, the two of them thinking the same thing. They took each other's hands and began jumping to reach Morro at the top.
"I did learn a thing or two with you in my head." Lloyd said as he spun and performed Airjitzu with Anirei right by his side smiling proudly at her friend.
Anirei landed right in front of Morro while Lloyd clung to a piece of wood just below them. She glared at the ghost, silently telling him that she would show no mercy to him.
"What's this? My little sister Anirei is glaring at me with so much hate. How pathetic." Morro taunted.
"My mother and father did not help a man that threatens to destroy Ninjago as we know it." Anirei replied, "They saved a boy with a future they would have hoped would be bright. We will not allow you to bring the Preeminent into Ninjago and curse this realm."
She turned to see Lloyd landing on another floating piece of wood.
"Watch your step, Lloyd. The fall can be a doozy." Morro taunted. The blue glow from the Realm Crystal was growing brighter and brighter by the second, and Anirei could already feel her heart aching from the imbalance of the living and the dead.
Morro took a look at the sword and moved a piece of wood that Lloyd was supposed to jump onto. Lloyd screamed as he fell, but Anirei manipulated the shadows to move one of the planks to catch him.
"What's wrong, too hard for you?" Morro said. Lloyd rose through the sky with Airjitzu and made it further up to the edge of the shop's wall.
Anirei rushed forward to tackle Morro, which worked for a moment, but Morro pushed her off the edge, making her land right next to Lloyd as they hung onto the swaying door.
"This is the end of the line, Lloyd. I'll miss you, Rei."
"Better late than never." A familiar voice shouted from above.
It was Ronin flying in his chopper Rex with a big smile on his face, "I've saved up a lot for this moment."
Without hesitation, Ronin tilted Rex over and showered Morro with all the money and treasure he had saved up. The sudden rain of heavy coin and treasure made Morro lose his focus on keeping the building floating in the air, and even knocked Anirei and Lloyd into the building as it came crashing down.
The two came back to their senses and rushed to the Realm Crystal sitting on its pedestal. Lloyd grabbed it and held it tightly so that it wouldn't be sucked into the spinning black and blue vortex above their heads.
"Together, Lloyd." Anirei said, placing her hands on his.
He nodded and formed a sphere of energy around the crystal while Anirei poured her powers of light and darkness into the sphere.
"Stop!" Morro shouted from behind, the two turning to see him, "Please, don't."
"This isn't your world anymore, Morro." Lloyd said, "You had your chance."
"You have already passed, Morro. Why not go in peace to the Realm of the Departed?" Anirei said, "The Realm Crystal must be destroyed for the greater good of all the Realms."
"The First Spinjitzu Master never wanted us to have it."
"But... But if you destroy it, you destroy any chance of ever saving your father." Morro revealed.
The news was shocking to both Lloyd and Anirei, so much so that they could hardly hear Nya and Kai shouting at them from outside the building.
"Yes. Yes, I've seen him." Morro continued, "He waits for you, Lloyd.... locked up in the Cursed Realm. Destroy the Crystal and the gateway will be wiped out. You'll never get a chance to see your beloved daddy again."
Anirei growled and gripped Lloyd's hand on the Realm Crystal tightly.
"Uh... You.... You've seen him?" Lloyd stammered.
"Lloyd, Lloyd! You have to listen to me, now. This is his way of getting into your head. Your father sacrificed himself for a reason. Do not let his wishes be unheard." Anirei said and Lloyd nodded in agreement.
"Rei's right. My father would anything and everything to save Ninjago, and you would do everything to destroy it." Lloyd used his powers around the Realm Crystal, "The Realm Crystal must be destroy---"
All of a sudden, several tentacles shot out from the gateway and wrapped themselves around Lloyd and Anirei. Morro smiled and bowed.
"The gateway is complete. My master has arrived."
Anirei and Lloyd struggled their hardest to get away from the gateway, but no matter how hard they tried to break free, they were soon pulled into the Cursed Realm.