Morro leapt from his dragon as it dissolved into energy particles. He landed in a crouch on the floating isle, and moments later, the Earth Ninja followed him up with Airjitzu. Above, the moon glowed with an ethereal green light as shadows crept over its surface. The Temple of Airjitzu loomed ahead, its chipped shingles sagging in a resentful hunch, watching them through cracked windows. The old building was almost as good as buried amongst barren trees and withered flowers.

Cole took a step towards the temple, then turned back to Morro.

"Let's get one thing straight: We're following my lead. I have a bone to pick with Yang, and I don't want you to get in my way. Yang is mine, got it?"

"Then why am I here?"

"For back up. Now come on, I want to get this over with as quickly as you do."

Morro trailed after him as they made their way across the lifeless yard. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? Don't you want to at least sort out a plan first? I know you've got a beef with Yang, but –"

"Look, if you want to go search for Sensei Wu by yourself, be my guest. But I'm taking down Yang tonight. Besides, you're hardly one to talk."

Begrudgingly, Morro clamped his mouth shut and decided that if the Earth Ninja wanted to handle it by himself so badly, he could just deal with his own dumb consequences, too. Morro wasn't going to stick around to see it if things got bad. Either way, it would be over soon enough.

They rushed up the stone steps and Cole threw the doors open. Morro scanned the entrance over his shoulder, but the main hall appeared to be empty. Although appearances weren't always reliable when it came to haunted temples.

"Alright, Yang, show yourself!" Cole shouted as he took slow, measured steps inside. "You hear me? Show yourself!" Brandishing the blade, his gaze flicking here and there in search of Sensei Yang. Morro followed more slowly.

The entry hall was drenched in shadows, greenish moonlight only reaching so far in from the windows and doorway. There was a variety of costly trinkets and paintings against the walls, all covered in a layer of filmy dust. Something moved to the right of the grand staircase. Morro took a defensive position.

An elderly looking ghost with a dark beard stepped out. From the way the Earth Ninja tensed, Morro guessed it was the very ghost they were looking for.

Yang's expression darkened when his eyes landed on Morro. "You received my message. And I see you brought a friend."

"I brought backup. You're not getting away this time. I'm settling the score once and for all."

"I suppose you want to get back at me for turning you into a ghost, hm?" Sensei Yang appeared unconcerned, hands clasped behind his back. "Well, I'm afraid that was more your fault than mine. You knew the risk and you chose to take it. You see, I don't have the power to turn people into ghosts. It's more 'house rules,' if you get my meaning."

The Earth Ninja took a threatening step forward. "You're the one that kept us here! You wanted me to turn into a ghost!"

"I was merely –" Yang paused, his eyes narrowing on the Yin Blade. "Is that . . . it can't be!"

"That's right," Cole said. "Your own weapon. I told you, you're not getting away tonight, Yang."

"But that's impossible, it's encased in solid clearstone. That case is impenetrable!"

Morro raised a doubtful eyebrow. Was this guy stupid? Even clearstone would be nothing to a ghost.

Something flickered over the walls on the other side of the room, and Morro's head snapped up. The front door still hung open, providing a little extra light, but Morro couldn't make anything out. He could swear that there was something else there, though, something moving in the shadows. A breath of life in an otherwise dead house.

"Not impenetrable to a ghost," Cole said, drawing ever closer to Yang. "Which thanks to you, I still am!"

Turning his attention back to Sensei Yang, Morro began to circle around so he could cut the ghost off from running. Yang had let himself be backed into a corner between the staircase and the back wall, but Morro knew he could still run. It wasn't easy pinning a ghost down.

However, Sensei Yang made no move to leave. "Please, be reasonable," he said to Cole.

"Oh, we're way past reasonable," Cole seethed. "Your days in Ninjago are over!"

"W-what are you going to do?" Yang asked.

"Cole!" Morro interrupted. "Something's off here." He didn't like how easily Yang cowered in front of the Yin Blade. Why didn't he try to run? Something Cole had said earlier came to mind, something about going too quietly.

"The only thing off tonight is his head!" Cole retorted.

Sensei Yang was backing away from the Earth Ninja. He only stopped when he ran into a large porcelain antique shoved against the wall. It rocked lightly on its perch, threatening to fall. "Please, where is your holiday spirit?" He shot a beseeching look at Morro. "It's the Day of the Departed."

Morro sensed that presence again and whipped around, expecting to see someone. There was no one there, but Morro knew they weren't alone. There was a presence, a ghostly presence . . .

"Enough Yang, it's time you faced your own fears!" Cole charged at Yang with a shout. The Yin blade came down right as Yang stepped to the side. Morro leapt forward to block him from escaping, but he didn't even try. Porcelain shattered I the place of Yang as the blade cut through the round, antique orb. Cole was undeterred and repositioned himself to swing again, but to Morro's surprise, the old sensei started laughing.

Cole and Morro looked at each other.

"What did you do?" Morro asked, certain now that it was a trap.

"Wha – I didn't do anything!" Cole glared at Sensei Yang. "What's so funny?"

Sensei Yang gestured to the shards. "This . . ." He gestured to the window pouring with moonlight. "That." He gestured to the temple around them. "All of it."

Morro took a step back as Sensei Yang moved to let the light hit the orb and Cole finally seemed to realize that he wasn't really in control.

"What's happening?" he demanded.

"My plan!" Yang answered.

Morro's jaw tightened when green mist sprouted from the broken orb and he hurriedly backed away. The mist drifted as if with purpose, weaving like snakes around their feet and toward the open door. Yang was still cackling as it poured out of the temple.

"You never should have played with dark magic, boy. This Day of the Departed will be remembered as my Night of Return!" Sensei Yang held his hand out to Cole with a twisted smile. "The Yin Blade, if you please."

The presence Morro had sensed was stronger than ever. Maybe the Earth Ninja hadn't noticed it before, but surely he could feel it now. They were drastically outnumbered.

"It's time to go," he urged.

Cole pulled the blade out of Yang's reach. "Not until I finish what I came here to do!"

Sensei Yang lowered his hand. "Very well."

Morro turned on his heel just as figures shot out of the shadows and they were surrounded by a dozen ghosts. "Curse it all!"

It was too late. They were all but trapped, outnumbered. Morro should have left when he had the chance. He knew this was a bad idea, barging in with no plan and no idea of what they were truly facing. He was an idiot for thinking the Earth Ninja had any idea of what he was doing.

Because clearly the Earth Ninja was an idiot, too. "We can take them!"

They didn't have much of a choice. Morro summoned a gust of wind and flung a few of the ghosts back. But most of them were incorporeal already and remained unaffected. Beside him, Cole tried to fight with the Yin Blade, but his attacks were too direct and the ghosts easily evaded him. Morro lifted his hand to stir the air again, but he gasped when he felt a sharp cut along his forearm – one of the ghosts had sliced him with its sword. There was no scar, no blood, but Morro had to grit his teeth against the pain that felt very, very real.

Morro only yelped in surprise when a ghost caught him around the neck and he was yanked backwards. Another one snapped something around his wrist. Morro writhed rebelliously, but there were too many ghosts and they easily overpowered him. In no time, he and Cole were bound in chains that were as much vengestone as they were deepstone.

One of the ghosts had ripped the Yin Blade out of Cole's hands and presented it to Sensei Yang the old spirit chuckled darkly.

Morro cast a lethal glare at the Earth Ninja. "Well done. You played right into his hands."