"You don't have to keep following me around," Nya said, tying her gray hair back. "People are going to think you're a bad omen."

"I am," Morro said. "You're dying."

It was true. Morro had seen Cole, Kai, and Jay all age and die, while he remained the same age as a ghost, and now it's was Nya's turn. Years ago, when she retired from ninja work, Morro knew it was the beginning of the end. Nya knew it, too.

She sighed, staring at her wrinkled face in the mirror. "I've been alive a long time, Morro," she said. "I'm grateful for it, but all things must come to an end."

"Tell that to Lloyd," Morro muttered.

"Lloyd's journey has an end, too, even if it's not coming for a long time yet." Nya smiled. "So does Zane and Pixal's. Yours, too. You can't be a ghost in Ninjago forever."

"Watch me."

She just laughed and moved away from the mirror. "Go make yourself useful."

Morro rolled his eyes and went to the kitchen, where he put a plate of last night's leftovers in the microwave. Watching it slowly rotate, he thought about where he would go next. For the past few decades, he had lived with one of the retired ninja until their death–first Cole, then Jay, Kai, and now Nya. He couldn't stay with Zane or Pixal, not when they were the last ninja still active. They didn't have the time to watch some dead teenager.

Lloyd had gone missing when Kai died. Not that Morro wanted to be around him.

"Morro?"

He snapped out of it and realized the microwave was beeping at him. "Your breakfast's done," he called back, taking the plate out. "You need help getting over here or something?"

"Morro!"

Morro dropped the food and darted back to the bedroom.

Nya knelt on one knee, clutching her chest. Fear spiked through him, and Morro fell next to her. "You're not," he said, and couldn't finish. He tried again. "You said…"

She looked up at him with a pained smile. "We knew it was coming," she said. "Will you call Pixal and let her know?"

"I'm calling the hospital," Morro said. "You don't have to… it wasn't supposed to be now."

"I know," Nya said. "Stay with me."

Her breaths came out harsh and ragged. Morro shook his head, but he didn't leave. He had no words of comfort. There was nothing he had left unsaid. What could he possibly say in her final moments?

"I'm mad at Lloyd," Nya said between gasps. "A little."

"For not being here," Morro said quietly.

"Yes. For leaving." She closed her eyes for a moment. "It was his choice, but…"

"Do you think he'll come back?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Nya looked down at the ground, then met Morro's eyes. "Could you tell him…"

She stopped. Her eyes stared off to the right of his head. Morro caught her when she fell and lay her on her side. He counted her last breaths until they stopped.

Silence filled the room. A car honked outside on the street outside. Morro curled over himself and opened his mouth in a silent scream.

When he looked up, a man was there, closing Nya's eyes. "Thank you for staying with her," he said to Morro while he gaped at him. "I'm sorry I took so long."

"I'm supposed to tell you something," Morro said.

"I know." The man sighed and brushed his white hair out of his eyes. "You should call Pixal, when you're up to it."

"Where were you?"

Lloyd cracked a smile. "Would you believe me if I said the Cloud Kingdom?"

"No," Morro said. "That's not…"

"I needed to see the fate of Ninjago," he said, "and I wasn't happy with what I saw. I thought I could fix it by myself. I couldn't."

Morro watched Lloyd's hands shake. "So that's it?" he said. "Everything comes to an end, huh?"

Lloyd was crying, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. Morro couldn't remember how it felt to have an outlet for his grief. He looked away.

"I have a favor to ask," said Lloyd.

"No," said Morro.

"I was able to take one scroll back with me. The fate of a single person."

"You're joking."

Lloyd reached into his robe and took out a torn, crumpled, ink-stained piece of parchment. It hardly counted as a scroll. Morro knew whose it was. "Ninjago ends in tragedy," he said, "but there's something that comes after. I want you to be there for it."

"No," Morro choked out. "I don't want to see everything die. It doesn't get easier. It will never get easier."

"Morro," Lloyd said, "I know what I'm asking isn't fair to you. Ultimately, I will respect your choice, but you have to know the gravity of it. You are the only person who can do this. I can ask no one else, not even myself, to send a message through the end of everything." He sniffed and rubbed his nose. "The new realm deserves better than what we were given. Surely that means something to you."

Morro opened his mouth, then shut it. He looked at Lloyd's tear-stained face.

"Why me?" he asked.

Lloyd smiled. "You're the only person the Cloud Kingdom is afraid of."