Bansha's POV

     I watched the sky with a squinted gaze from a flat rooftop, my eyes scanning for any demons. Smoke always made me squint. I knew yet didn't understand why there was so much smoke in the center of the Departed City. We were about as far away from the chasm as we could get, yet the thick clouds were still blatantly clogging up the air.

     The chasm surrounded the square city on all sides. The city was a giant endless maze of the same buildings over and over. Each building was identical. Each place was filled to the brim with smoke and fear. I imagined the creator of this realm made it so mind-numbingly boring to drive the evil inhabitants crazy.

     Morro had us parked in the very center of the Departed City. In his mind, the farthest away from the chasm meant the farthest away from the demons. It was a reasonable thought, but the demons search the city daily. We were constantly moving to new spots to avoid them. Sometimes I just want to rip the demons apart with my voice, so we don't have to run like scalded dogs. However, the demons can't hear and they can't die. All that would do is get us caught. I don't want to go down to the chasm. It's the only reason I still hang out with these losers.

     I sighed, my fingers trailing the edge of my blade. What I would give to fight right now. Fighting was excitement among the boring days of waiting. It was thrilling to watch my victims squirm with fear every time they saw my face or heard me sing. Others would suffer for the mistakes of one. No number of victims would sedate my yearning for revenge. But I could not fight here. Hostile emotions only get us caught. I knew the protocol. No out of control moods, no chasm. I guess the instinct to stay away from the fiery pit of doom was the only thing that kept me bearable.

      "This is stupid!"

     I heard a crash from below. The others were currently staying the third floor, since it was the closest to the top. The crash is probably from that new girl, Harumi. I had absolutely no idea why Morro insisted on taking her in. All she did was whine and kick things. She griped at every command we gave her, and half of the time she didn't try to get along with us. I still hated the look on her face when Morro told her how we ran things. It was like she thought we were part of some sort of rebellion against the demons. Well, Harumi was stuck with us if she wanted to survive, so she better shape up eventually. When I asked why he took her in, Morro insisted that everyone needed a chance to escape the chasm. If that were true, we'd be packing around a lot more people. I winced at the thought. We once did pack around a lot more than the measly group we had now, but so many lives had been lost to the inevitable fate.

     "Do you wanna bet on what he did this time?"

     Wrayth, another ghost from the Cursed Realm, sat next to me. His gaze never faltered from the horizon.

     "Probably told her there isn't food here."

     I fondly called upon the time where Ghoultar found that out. His breakdown resembled that of a two-year-old. Wrayth snickered with me at the memory.

     I heard the roof door open and turned to see Morro climb out. He stormed over to the side where we were sitting and plopped down next to us.

     "What was it this time?"

     I tried to be sympathetic. The last thing Morro needed was spiked emotions.

     He didn't look at me. "She doesn't understand. We have to be calm here. And she's having visions. She just passed out and knocked over a chair because she said, 'People don't change. They just reveal who they truly are.'"

     Visions.

     That is where you saw what was going on in Ninjago, or the place you came from. I had them a lot before my year was up. I would always see the same face over and over, a continuous reminder of why I was here. I assumed the visions went away after the demons took you the chasm. Then again, the constant screaming from inside the chasm could be from heightened hallucinations.

     Wrayth exhaled slowly from my other side, letting calm fill him. "Girls. They're always trouble."

     I let my blade slide against the brick menacingly. "Say that again."

     "Girls are always trouble." Wrayth stared me down, his voice mocking.

      "Thank you," I laughed.

     Morro chuckled. Humor never let off emotion smoke. Good moods were not expected from those of us who died bad. Only stronger bad moods, like anger or fear, would let off emotion smoke. I wondered if the good people gave off emotion smoke, since the demons never came for them.

     We were all silent for a while. The Departed Realm was always silent, if you didn't count the screams of the tortured. The only other noise came whenever we talked together, which wasn't often. Even though the demons were deaf, Morro preferred us not to get excited lest we alert the demons to our location.

     "I think something is bothering her. Something she did during life." Morro finally said, rubbing his arms.

     Wrayth snorted. He was being obnoxious, but I understood why he did it. It was obvious Harumi was held back by something in her past. All of us were held back by the evils we committed during life. That was why we were here. That was why we were being punished. It was some sort of divine justice I didn't understand.

     "I'm serious." Morro insisted, coughing a few times in his sleeve. No matter how much you breathed the smoke in, you could never get used to it. "It doesn't matter what I try, she always holds back. If we can't talk her problems out, if we can't get rid of the stuff that's making her give off strong emotions, she'll never get fixed."

     "Fixed, Morro? Humans aren't machines." I looked at him. He was scared behind that façade he put up. We had lost too many friends for any of us to be whole inside.

     He met my eyes. "But humans can be broken."

     "Maybe she'll get better, maybe she won't," Wrayth said, clearly not feeling as much remorse towards the ghosts we had lost. "All I know is, if she gets us caught one more time, I'm kicking her over to the demons."

     "Here, here," I grumbled. I didn't like the pretentious girl whether she let off emotion smoke or not.

     "You guys are no help," Morro said, shaking his dark hair out of his eyes.

     Wrayth stood up. "I'm going on break. Lookout duty is boring."

     Morro and I watched him climb back into the building. Morro looked back down at his lap, and we lapsed into silence once more.

    "Why Harumi?" I asked. I peered into the smoky distance. No demons. Good.

    Morro sighed. "She reminds me of myself."

    "Then why do you tag along with us?"

   He nudged my shoulder, bumping skin against armor. "Because you guys are like family." Strangely enough, while the rest of us stayed ghosts when we were sent here, Morro became human again after his return to Ninjago. I guess that was his reward for not killing his old sensei, but that didn't atone for his earlier sins.

     He smiled, lighting up his dark eyes. I didn't see Morro smile often; he was often somber and too serious. It was nice to see him relax.

     "How much longer are you two going to flirt?"

    Morro and I jerked away from each other and spun around. Soul Archer's eyes were narrowed at us.

     "We weren't flirting!" Both of us said in unison, though I'm sure if my blood was still pumping my cheeks would have heated up.

     Soul Archer's face was expressionless, that was, until he looked up.

     "Oh great." He muttered angry things under his breath, reaching for his bow.

     "What's going on?" Morro asked, looking back into the sky. "Oh snap."

     I looked and saw a demon flying towards us. It was still far away, but our emotion smoke had clued it into our location.

     "I'll get the others," I said, floating towards the trapdoor.

     "The one minute I try to have fun," Soul Archer complained, readying himself for another round of running.

     "Let's get out of here." Morro said. "Bansha, you know where to meet us." 

     I nodded. "See you soon."

     "Good luck," Morro replied, using his wind powers to float into the air. He'd draw the demon's attention away from us while we scrambled to a new location. We always agreed on a building to run to if we got caught. While we were scrambling to get there, we would desperately hope that none of us would get caught by the backup patrols. I hated the cycle, but it was the only thing that would keep us safe.

     I knew well enough by now I'll need it.

>(<>)<

Harumi, if you replaced the yelling and the sneer, looked less evil. I know that now, as I watched her fiddle with a dagger in her lap. Her brows were furrowed, and her hair was still untamed, but her demeanor didn't scream, "I want to destroy everything!" She actually seemed calm.

     I knew better than to assume that. "Nice night." I said, trying to make conversation. Four hours into our lookout shift, and she hadn't said a word. It was sort of annoying. Normally, I would relish the silence. Now, I just want to talk out my remaining nerves from the demon chase earlier. I loved how Morro would usually take the shifts after a chase (he would usually talk to me) but right now he was too frazzled to be out in the open. In our desperate scramble, another warrior had been lost to us. Attila had been a noble ally, who fought alongside us ever since we had been sent here. Like so many times before, our flight from the demons had ended up with one of them capturing one of us. I still remember how Attila had looked at me before he was completely swarmed. His eyes were entirely petrified, like he wasn't sure if he would make it. I shuddered off the thought, trying to keep my emotions calm. Attila was in the chasm; there was no point in trying to save him now.

     For once, Harumi didn't glare at my attempt at conversation. I had tried to talk to the prideful girl before, only to be shut down faster than prison when they hear of an escapee.

     "Yeah," She offered, still fiddling with her knife.

     What else is there to say? Should I ask about her visions?

     I wondered for a minute. I was always pretty touchy when Morro asked about them. Telling them to someone felt like revealing a piece of my heart. I always dreamed of the strangest of things, and it made me feel uncomfortable when someone referred to them, much less ask me about the details. Harumi surprised me once again by asking, "Bansha, how did you die?"

     She still hadn't learned how to see others' past. Anyone could see how you died, they just had to know how to look. I noted her lack of manners. It was gutsy of her to ask personal questions when we barely knew each other, but maybe she thought that knife gave her an advantage. At least she was talking.

     "I thought I could sing. One day, I tried to impress someone. My voice shattered the glass that pierced my heart." My words were gruff, trying to switch the attention off of me as soon as possible. I hated talking about how I died, especially when the reason behind it felt so childish now.

     Harumi cringed beside me. I didn't think she knew about my death scream.

     "Soul Archer found me and offered me a place in the Cursed Realm instead of going to the Departed Realm. I accepted."

     She looked at me, her sharp blue eyes softening. "Do you regret it?"

     I thought about that. If I hadn't chose to go with Soul Archer, then I would have never survived more than a year here, and I certainly wouldn't have been able to have so much fun terrorizing Ninjago. "No. Not at all."

     "How did you die, Harumi?" I knew, but I asked anyway.

     She tensed, staring back at the horizon. "I didn't have faith in my father."

     "Lloyd's father," I corrected her. I don't know what was wrong with her head for her to worship Garmadon like that, but if Morro was going to try to make her bearable, then maybe I should try to help him along. And Harumi would be a lot more bearable if she didn't go on about 'her father' all the time.

     Her stare sharpened back into a glare. "Whatever."

     She was silent once more. I didn't provoke her again; her tone had suggested she'd rather stab me with her knife than say another word about Ninjago. Morro was right. She really did refuse to open up.

>(<>)<

 Floating around the city was usually prohibited. Morro always wanted us inside the building he chose, so that none of us would accidentally get caught. He insisted he could protect us. But, after the capture of Attila, I was too reckless to care. He was only one of many ghost allies we'd lost. Ever since our year was up, Morro insisted he could keep us safe. Ever since our year was up, we lost warriors bit by bit. Now, it was down to only Wrayth, Ghoultar, Soul Archer, Morro, and myself. We were the only ghosts from the Preeminent still walking in the city. Even the Preeminent herself had disappeared. It didn't how many of Morro's orders we followed, it wouldn't be long before all of us where in the chasm. Why did it matter if I wanted to stretch and get out for a little bit? My shift was over, and now Soul Archer had to deal with the bratty princess. I could try to rest, but I wanted to fly. So, I went into the city.

     I felt calm enough. Attila's capture had left me with an eerily numb feeling that I assume came to people before they knew they were going to die. I knew I was being reckless, but Morro wouldn't get too mad, or he'd sacrifice our location. If worst came to worst, I'd get caught. Then Morro would have one less ghost to protect. It was inevitable anyway. I floated down one of the many identical streets, humming to myself.

     It is amazing how big the city is, yet I have barely ever seen any chasm-destined people in it. While Morro told us that other spirits like the travel beneath the city in the sewer system, I assumed they were all hiding in their chosen buildings like scared mice. People here live in a constant state of paranoia and fear. They know what's coming and they know there is no escape. The only other time I've seen other chasm-destined souls was a few days after I arrived, and they were beating each other over who would get to hide in a certain building.

     The good souls, however, I saw them all the time. Morro liked to hide near the center of the Departed City, and that was where they all lived. The clouds-of-light-destined spirits, unlike us bad souls, clustered together and were constantly occupying the bland streets. The strangest thing of all was that they didn't seem to see everything as an identical maze of buildings. Whenever I saw them, their eyes were alight with fascination and they always smelled of food that didn't exist for us. I think they saw the Departed City differently, so they got to live a completely different experience. I assumed it was a nice one, for they didn't get dragged off by demons like we did. They just rose up into the joyful clouds above. The smoke would part and they'd be lifted into the eternal bliss beyond.

     The best part about the good souls, however, was most of them were terrified of the bad souls. When I saw a group of them wandering the same street I was on, I hissed, hoping to scare them off.

     They saw me and their faces lit up. They jogged over to me before I understood what was happening.

     "Hello," the old man said. He was wearing fine clothes and looked quite healthy. Someone might have mistaken him for royalty.

     I can't help but feel envious at the sight. This man had lived a good life. His reward was the clouds of light. People like him got food, nice clothes, and a healthy appearance none of us could ever retain. The demons didn't bother them. I swallowed my jealous pride, trying to keep my emotions calm.

     "It's so good to see someone else." The woman beside him said. She had grey hair as well. Her clothes were also incredibly fancy, as if she were the empress to the old man's emperor.

     "We—" the first man paused, looking at the woman. She nodded slightly, giving encouragement. "We heard a rumor that there was a girl here."

     I snorted so loud it echoed down the empty street. "Yeah, I'm one of them."

     The other man, who looked slightly younger than the first, cut in. He was also dressed in nice clothes, but his weren't nearly as fancy as the others'. The way he stood was respectful to the first two, almost protective. I wondered if he was their guard or something. "A girl named Harumi."

     "Our daughter," the woman said, taking the first man's arm in her own.

     Harumi has parents? Who are going to the clouds of light?

     That seemed impossible. That devil's-spawn of a girl couldn't have nice parents. It was too strange. I faintly remember these three from her memories. I had only scanned Harumi's memories through the magic of the Departed Realm; I didn't like prying into other people's lives. It was another punishment for souls here. Our pasts were laid bare before anyone who dared to look. Harumi had killed these royal figures.

     "Do you know where she is?" the other man asked.

     I nodded slightly. I was too baffled for words right now. Why would a couple of good souls go looking for the girl who killed them? What would they gain from that?

     The woman's face lit up, her lovely eyes shining. "Oh, thank goodness. We've spent so much time looking for someone to lead us to her."

     Her husband grinned at her, and I immediately turned away. I hated displays of affection. I was already regretting this decision to take them to Harumi. Morro would be furious that I led more spirits to the group. Then again, I never said yes to these benevolent fools. A nod could mean anything.

     "How do you know I'm not lying?" I threatened, fingering my scythe. It was fun to cause fear.

     The woman tilted her head in confusion, "Why wouldn't you tell the truth? There is no gain to it."

     I sniffed. "Well said." I floated back towards the building we were staying in. I could hear them rush to follow me. Smirking, I sped up. The littler time I had to spend with these good morons, the better.

>(<>)<

Morro's POV

     "Where is Harumi?" I growled at Ghoultar, trying my best not to glare daggers at Bansha. I was furious that she would bring outsiders into our space. I was furious that she would even leave our protected space in the first place. The good souls huddled together nervously, a little spooked by the sight of so many decayed ghosts.

     Ghoultar yawned, not at all affected by my tone. "Ghoultar says lookout."

     I sighed angrily, gesturing sharply to the three good people. "Follow me."

     I felt Bansha touch my arm. She had nerve to do so.

     "Calm, Morro." She whispered in her creepy voice. I tried to steady myself, pushing the anger aside with a little wind. Bansha was right. We didn't need to be chased again today. We didn't need to lose more allies.

     I took a deep breath and climbed the stairs to the rooftop. The three outsiders followed me.

     "Nice space," the older man commented. "I heard your name was Morro, correct?"

     "Yes," I replied coldly.

     "My name is Titus. I was once the Emperor of Ninjago." He said, cheerily. "My wife is Leonora and the other one is Mr. Hutchins. He was a loyal servant to our royal family for years."

     I glanced back at them, summoning the magic of the Departed Realm. It took nothing more than a thought of smoke swirling around their memories and carrying them to your head. It was incredibly easy to see someone's past, and most of the time the person had no idea you were doing it. Respect for their privacy made me keep most of the information still hidden in their heads. I only wanted to see how they died, or what they remembered of it.

     I imagined clouds of smoke bringing me bits of their last memories. Immediately, the scene rushed into my head.

     Bombs.

     Street thugs.

     Fire.

     Ninja.

     Harumi.

     Smoke.

     Explosion.

    They didn't know what had killed them, only that it was the palace collapsing on them. But, from what I'd seen from Harumi's memories, she put the bombs that killed them under the palace.

     I flinched at the sight of Harumi, alone on the rooftop. Soul Archer was floating on the other side, obviously done with her presence. She was very focused on the distance, probably lost in her own angry thoughts. She had no idea what she was about to face.

     "Harumi," I whispered.

     She turned to look at me, her cold blue stare refusing to lose its menacing touch. Even though she begrudgingly followed my orders, I could tell she held no respect for me. I was only a pawn in her game to stay alive. The thought made me indignant. She should respect me as the group's leader, especially since I was her means to staying out of the chasm.

     "You have visitors." I said simply. My care for how she might react left me as soon as she looked at me like that. I stepped aside, letting Titus, Leonora, and Hutchins walk onto the roof. Harumi's gasp was so big I was temporarily afraid she'd hyperventilate.

     "M-mom... D-dad... Hutchins?" Her mouth gaped like a fish out of water.

     "Harumi!" Leonora smiled, coming over to hug her daughter. Titus joined in on the embrace. Hutchins watched the reunion, keeping his distance like the silent guard he was.

     "Harumi, you look so thin! What have you been eating?" Leonora fussed. "and what is this on your face?"

     Harumi batted away her arms. "It's paint."

     "That's not how you put draw the princess design." The Empress' tone became sharper, like a teacher scolding her student.

     "I know mo—Leonora."

     Both parents froze at that.

    "Haurmi," Titus started gently, "you haven't been eating have you?" His semi-perfect mind was starting to piece everything together. Another benefit of dying good. Your mind was filled with infinite knowledge.

     Harumi was silent.

     Leonora's eyes filled with tears. "You're not going to the chasm, are you?"

     Harumi didn't answer them. She started to push them away, wanting to get away from this humiliating situation.

     "What happened?" The words slipped out of Leonora's mouth, as she gripped Harumi's wrist to keep her from going away.

     Oh no.

     I closed my eyes, refusing to look at the dawning horror on all three faces. There was a thick silence that followed that question. Surprisingly enough, it was broken by Harumi. I opened my eyes to see Harumi taking very shaky breaths. Her whole body was trembling with the piling guilt that had been placed over her soul.

     "Harumi." I heard Leonora start.

     "You killed us." Titus finished.

     "You were behind the attacks?" Hutchins spoke.

     Harumi was trembling so hard she looked ready to collapse. She bit her lip and nodded, trying her best to keep up the mask of indifference. But, her outside facade was shattering. Just like her inside confidence. I felt my own heart stir at the scene. I knew what Harumi was feeling.

     Shame. Nothing but pure shame.

     I had felt it too. In the last seconds of my life when Sensei Wu held out his hand. He wanted to save me. After everything I had done, he had forgiven me. With that small motion, I suddenly realized the gravity of my actions. I had seen how evil I had been and how forgiving Wu was. It didn't matter how much time had passed, or how many things had come between us. I was still his student, and he wanted to save me. I had changed within that instant and gave my sensei the Realm Crystal. I had let myself die. Now, I would pay for it.

     I opened my eyes to see Leonora reach over to pull her daughter into another embrace. The two men leaned in, giving a somewhat familial comfort to the girl who didn't deserve it.

     "I killed you." Harumi said, her voice sounding like she was in tears. Yet, when I looked at her her cold, broken eyes, I couldn't see any. "Why aren't you mad at me?"

     All three pulled back. Leonora smiled softly, shedding gentle tears. "No matter what you do, Harumi, I will always love you."

     Hutchins put a hand on Harumi's shoulder. "May I ask why you did it?"

     Harumi hung her head. "I missed my real parents. I wanted them back so bad. I hid myself away, hoping to escape the pain. I told myself the ninja were to blame, and I told myself I didn't—I didn't care for any of you. I was willing to do anything to bring back Lord Garmadon and get my revenge." She paused, swallowing. "I never realized the gravity of it until now," she said softly. She met their eyes. "I could have just run off. I could have done so many other things. But I was too angry to be reasoned with. Now, we will all pay for it."

     Titus gently cupped his daughter's cheek. "When we lose things we love, we must hold onto what we still have. We must do that, or the weight of what we lost will break us."

     "I don't want to see you broken," Hutchins confessed. "I was never as good of a guardian as I should have been. I can see how much you hurt from feeling unloved. If only I had tried better—"

     "If only all of us had tried better, maybe we could have been a better family." Leonora said. All three of the good souls nodded.

      Harumi didn't look up. "I still don't understand why you are so kind."

     Because they're good.

     The thoughts blazed through my head. I was touched at the scene but, also knew why the good spirits were acting so perfect.

     They're good. When they die, they are cleansed of every evil in them. They are nothing but flawless now. As for us who are going to the chasm, we get to retain our evil traits.

     A sharp cry broke out in the air. All of us turned to look for the sound.

     "Don't look now Morro, but there is a huge demon in the sky," Soul Archer floated over to us. My eyes widened. Not because of what he said, it was the tone in which he said it. Soul Archer sounded... afraid. Instinct took over as I saw it.

     A massive white demon who looked like all the others, but much, much bigger was rising out of the chasm. On its head gleamed a small flash of light. Its red eyes scanned the Departed City; its nose inhaled all the scents. I squared myself. "Get the others," I hissed at Soul Archer, "we need to move."

     "It won't come for us," Titus said, puzzled that we would have to run from the beast.

     "It will come for us," I gestured at myself. "I think we've been avoiding them too long. They're probably sending this beast after us to make sure we are caught."

     All three of the good people stared at me. Slowly, Harumi rose to her feet. She was still a bit shaky, but she wiped her dry eyes and met mine. "We have to go," I said. She nodded, looking back towards her adoptive parents.

     "Harumi," Leonora rose to her feet. "Remember this, it is always better to forgive."

     "Hold onto the things you love," Titus added.

     Hutchins nodded, to give his silent agreement.

     "We love you," Harumi's adopted parents said.

     Harumi stepped away from them and walked towards me, at the last second turning her head back to face her family. She blinked at them, her gaze meaning something I couldn't decipher. When Harumi focused back on me, her eyes were strangely clear of emotion, like nothing had just happened. Perhaps she was better at acting than I thought.

     "Where to next, Morro?"

     I couldn't help but grin at being addressed like that. She was finally seeing me as an authority. Something about this surprise encounter had changed her. She was coming out of her prideful shell. "Somewhere away from that." I pointed to the massive monster.

      Her expression became determined. My friends from the Cursed Realm floated up behind her, ready to go.

     "Then let's move."