Ninjas and Demons

Chapter 1: Pandora's Box

The sounds of dripping water echoed through the narrow passageway of the dimly lit cave, the only source of light, was a lantern being held up by a white-scaled hand while the other held an odd key with a skull on the handle. He found it when he was scouring the burnt remains of the monastery that the ninja used to live in before the Bounty. Hoping to find something, anything, he could use against them, and under a charred board, he found the peculiar key.

Once he wrapped his hands around it he could hear quiet whispers as a cold sensation traveled up his arms. The whispers overlapped but he could make it out a bit. A power source, a way to achieve unlimited power to get back at the ninja and take over Ninjago! The once purple snake chuckled as he followed the instructions that were given which led to where he was currently.

After enduring many traps and nearly being buried alive, he found the end of the cave, with the entrances having been buried with dirt long ago so he had to dig it out. There was a large glowing box that glowed a light blue and was covered in chains and in the middle of the door was a skull lock with an odd-shaped hole. The snake frowned as he held up the odd key and held it to the lock. The end morphed to match the hole, and with a slight nudge he pushed it in, he could hear the mechanisms shifting inside until there was a 'click'.

Laughter erupted from the now unlocked box, the doors slamming open, and pale, almost white, blue energy shot out. The serpentine could barely scream as many shot right at him, while some breezed past him. The snake's once bright red eyes filled with the same pale blue from the box, his body going limp for a moment before his eyes opened again, glowing. A wide grin spread across his face, showing off his fangs, as the chilling voice spoke. "You shall work for the time." Followed by more laughter as the remaining energy flies by the snake and out of the cave, looking for a host.

***

On the Destiny's Bounty.

An old man with a long white beard sat in his private quarters with incense sticks lit leaving a light trail of smoke, the only source of light emitting from a candle on the table in front of him. His eyes were closed as he thought deeply about his students, and how his brother continued to try and delay destiny and attempt to take over their father's world.  

However, the candle was suddenly blown out as the window burst open and a gust of wind invaded the room. Chilling laughter rang in his ears as a cold clawed hand wracked his head, and images flashed in his vision. Three white-haired figures stood above a giant mechanical robot as thick ice spread across the world, the three combining into one.

With these flashing images he could see his students in danger. Them being encased in the ice that spread across the ground like a disease. Kai tried to burn it away, and Zane attempted to get some control over it, Nya was inside her mech suit only for the ice to take over it, making her abandon it to avoid being trapped. Cole used his powers to create higher ground for them, and Jay used lightning to try and do some damage to the upcoming threat. And there was Lloyd, not older than he is now, creating energy in his hands but just like the others, there seemed to be no effect as it was crawling up their legs, making them immobile.

His eyes snapped open as a gasp tore from his throat before the vision could get worse, the laughter still ringing. He stood and walked over to the now-opened window, looking out into the peaceful night sky. He frowned in concern.

Something was on the horizon. But what?

***

He spent hours looking through his father's scrolls that were left behind to him and that survived the fire at the Monastery. With the evil he sensed, and the visions he witnessed, he shook his head, there had to be a reason. 

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when he finally found something from one of the boxes left behind that he refused to open, but he was desperate. Inside one box held a single scroll and inside appeared to be the answer. The Demon Bone Lady.

A demon that made an attempt to take over a world many years ago, around the time when his father was alive from the looks of it. According to his father's scroll, she was not of Ninjago, but rather another world, and in order to stop her, she was split into three to reduce her power, and each part of her was locked in boxes and separated. Separated into different realms.

His father took the burden of hiding one of the boxes in hopes of not only protecting Ninjago but also the other realms. There was not much to go off of other than they were dangerous, and that there were only two ways for them to be released. If they saw the errors in their ways they could be released and allowed to live a normal life or opened by a specific key, a skeleton key that can take shape of any lock the user pleases. 

Upon reading about the key he searched the box and other boxes of his possessions in an attempt to find it but came up empty-handed. Someone had to have gotten their hands on the key and released the one that was brought here. The scroll explains how a single one could cause an unmeasurable amount of damage, but if all three were to be reunited then it would spell disaster for all. It was made worse when he read that she can use artifacts to absorb powers from others and use them for herself.

What really made his heart sink into his stomach was how there was no way to defeat her written down. There were no clues, hints, or even a weapon that was mentioned to go against them. Weapon? Wait, the mega weapon his brother created using the four elemental weapons. That could put a stop to her. Or create something to stop her since the weapon and only create and not destroy.

He set the scroll down and sighed, resting his head in his hands. His students were not ready for this level of a threat, and by the sounds of it from the scroll, much worse than what his brother could ever do. And by the visions of his students and nephew's defeat, it is easy to assume he and his brother were also dealt with. 

He looked at the door, he could hear one of his students awake and walk about in the halls. They were children. Yes, they have their elemental powers, despite how they were hindered once his brother stole their weapons, and they have fought plenty of battles, Skullkin, the serpentine, the Great Devourer, and on occasion his brother and his many schemes. But this was a whole new level. He couldn't make them fight this battle. 

He knows if he tells them then they would be adamant and even go as far as to ignore his warnings. He couldn't send them to fight this, not this time, when he saw the outcome before his eyes. They then strayed to the side and landed on his teapot. He paused in thought for a moment, they were going to hate him for this, but it was the only way to protect them.

***

Another Destiny's Bounty

A similar-looking old man to the previous one stared out into the horizon of the ocean when a look of shock and concern, he was sure that once his brother had, reluctantly, stopped his villainous ways that things would be somewhat peaceful in Ninjago city. But what he saw in the distance, beyond his brother's volcano was a cloud of pale blue, almost white smoke. It looked to be on the closest land mass across from the city. A terrifying chill dragged up his spine as memories of his father's stories flooded back.

He remembered him speaking of the signs of a demon that he accepted to keep locked up for a friend from another realm. And that she should never be released as she was one of three and if any escaped at all, just one would destroy their world. But he always assured them that she would never escape. He and his brother always brushed it off as a scary story for them to behave. However, now he can see it with his own eyes.

It was a matter of time before she arrived.

His students were not ready, they had just unlocked their powers and found some normalcy in their lives. Lloyd finally had his father in his life. He looked away from the sight. He had to protect his students. He was not going to let them in on this fight, but he hoped that he, Garmadon,  and Koko would succeed in defeating her once she revealed herself. 

But he'd have to send them away. Far away where they couldn't end up in their fight. Even if they argue they want to help, he was not going to risk their lives on what he could assume was a hopeless inevitable defeat.

***

It has begun.