Even in the Cursed Realm, Morro kept his connection to the wind in the living world. He felt it with the trees bending in the breeze, the waves roaring in the storm, and if he cleared his mind and focused on how the air moved, he could paint a picture of what was happening in Ninjago. Not a clear one, but it was more information than the Preeminent could get otherwise. She knew that, and, miracle of miracles, she would leave him alone in his own mind and let him report to her afterwards.

And in Ninjago, there was a girl, around whom the world came into sharp clarity.

He didn't speak of her, tried not to even think of her, not when the Preeminent could reach into his mind and comb through his thoughts like searching a deck of cards. She knew of her, of course–how could she not?–but she allowed Morro to keep the fantasy of having a secret. He knew that, too. It was a delicate game, but after decades in the Cursed Realm, Morro was certain he had mastered it.

The girl noticed at once when the wind changed, rustling her hair and pulling the leaves off trees. "Hi, Windy," she said out loud.

Morro kept his face still. He couldn't allow himself the luxury of a smile, not when he had a mission to fulfill. He tried to see beyond the hill she stood on, but the wind's vision only went so far.

The girl giggled. "I kno-ow you're the-ere," she sang, spinning around in circles in the grass. "Can you stay? I'm bored."

He had no way of speaking to her. He led the wind away, and as he hoped, the girl followed it.

"Where're you going?" she said. Her surroundings came in and out of view around her; trees, a river, a creaking house. "Kai tol' me to play by myself today. He's busy."

Morro pushed the wind farther and found two people standing just outside the house, their shapes becoming clear as the girl approached them.

But she stopped. "Kai's busy," she insisted. "I'm not supposed to bother him."

She was at least close enough that Morro could hear the conversation. He rustled the girl's hair and stayed put, listening.

"I'm just saying," one of the people said, a tall man in clothes much to expensive for the outdoors. "It could be better for both of you."

"I won't do it," was the response from a gangly teenager with spiky hair. His voice was squeaky, but firm. "No one's taking her away from me."

"She wouldn't be taken away. It's not like you couldn't visit her." The man sighed. "I know it would be a big change, but you're very young, and with your parents missing, wouldn't it be better if your sister lived with someone who could take care of her?"

Morro heard the soft rumble of a machine nearby. A "car?" They hadn't existed when he was alive, but the girl had mentioned them once.

"I am taking care of her," said the teenager.

"What I'm saying is you shouldn't have to."

The teenager raised his voice. "I have to! I'm not gonna send her away to live with someone else!"

"Eventually, you might not have a choice."

"I have a choice now, don't I? Nya stays here."

A long silence passed, the teenager standing with his hands balled into fists and the man looking down at him. Finally, the man said, "Very well. I'll see you next time, Kai."

The teenager snorted. The man shook his head and left. The car drove away.

The girl moved closer. Morro used the wind to search all around the house–now recognizable as a blacksmith's forge–but there was nothing of interest, and he couldn't get inside with all the cracks stuffed to keep the draft out.

"Kai?" the girl said.

The teenager started. "Nya!" he said, spinning around to meet her. "Uh, how long were you there?"

The girl frowned. "Not that long," she said. "Um, why was he here?"

"Oh, that guy?" Kai crouched down to the girl's eye level. "Don't worry about him, alright? He's just checking up on us."

"Am I gonna leave?"

"No, no, Nya. You're staying with me, okay? You're staying here."

Her voice pitched higher. "Are you sure?"

Kai hugged her. "I'm sure," he said. "We're staying together."

Morro hummed to himself. Nya, he thought. He hadn't found the information the Preeminent wanted, but he knew the girl's name, and that she and her brother were orphans. He poked around the forge for a while longer, but there was nothing of interest, and didn't he want to give his report?

His eyes snapped open at the Preeminent's mental prodding, and the wind in Ninjago dropped. "Master!" Morro said, scrambling to his feet. "I didn't–I found nothing."

He felt her amusement all around him. He found something, didn't he? Someone of interest?

"The girl is no one, Master," Morro said. "The visions are clearer around her, so I take advantage of that. That's all."

He kept his thoughts carefully neutral as the Preeminent looked through them. The girl had a name, the girl had a brother, none of that was important. Only his master's conquest mattered. She would drag all the realms down to her level and rule over them, with Morro taking his rightful place at her side.

She was satisfied. She moved her attention elsewhere, but Morro still felt her presence, reminding him he was never alone.

By the time he emerged in Ninjago, he had forgotten who the girl was, and didn't recognize her when they met again.