Flames of the Past #2: Beginning of Chaos (Ninjago Fanfiction)

Prologue

The sun danced over the meadow, bringing the warmth of the new spring. The morning breeze ruffled the grass and led the birds across the clear blue sky.

A little girl skipped through the field, humming to herself. She enjoyed the fresh air, the feeling of freedom in the open meadow, the thrill of exploring new areas.

A rabbit hopped past her. Giggling, she darted after it. It eventually stopped in a patch of flowers and snuffled around. She smiled. Skipping over, she picked a bundle of the flowers, quietly singing to herself.

A bird chirping overheard turned her gaze to the sky. She noticed the sun was rising higher and beating on her back. I should be getting back, she thought.

She turned back the way she came, taking the flowers with her. She sniffed them as she did. She knew she shouldn't have gone out without permission, but she figured Chief knew about her habits by then. It wasn't like she would get lost. For as long as she could remember, she had lived among the fields. They were her home. She knew her way around.

Ahead of her, surrounded by thickets and small trees, was the temple. Sure enough, there was Chief, waiting patiently for her return. She hurried over to him.

"Don't you know it is time for your training?" the kind old man spoke.

The girl frowned. "Of course I do," she answered. "That's why I went into the fields."

Chief smiled. "But you must keep at your training," he said.

"I don't want to," the girl sighed, turning around to admire the meadow. "I wanna explore the rest of the world!"

Chief laid a hand on her shoulder, gesturing to the temple. "Come, my child," he murmured. "Let me tell you something."

The girl reluctantly followed him into the temple. She looked up at all the paintings on the stone wall as they walked past them. Each one held a different part of Ninjago—six different locations.

"You speak of exploring our world," the old man began, "but there is something you do not know." He stopped on the balcony at the other end of the temple, where the meadow lay outstretched before them. "Our world will one day be threatened by evil."

"Evil?" The girl gazed up at him. "What kind of evil?"

"An evil that knows no boundaries," he replied. "And it will be your job to deliver our world."

The girl's eyes rounded. "Mine?"

Chief looked down at her. "What do you think the purpose of your training was?" He took one of her flowers and stranded it into her silky dark hair. "One day, it will be your time to stand in my place as chief. In that time, the world will not be in the same peace and prosperity you know now. It will be a time of war. The peace the First Spinjitzu Master created when he came to this world will not last forever."

He turned to gaze into the hills. "When it is time, my power will pass onto you," he continued. "And then you will pass that power onto someone else."

The girl fingered her flowers. "How will I know who to choose?"

Chief glanced back at her. "You will know," he told her. Smiling, he touched a hand to her cheek. "The same way I knew in my heart that you were special."

The girl didn't reply for a few moments. She had dove into deep thought; Chief could tell by her crinkled forehead. "Chief?" she finally asked, looking up at him. "Do we win the war?"

"That's up to fate," he murmured.

Together, they walked into the temple memorial, where portraits of the past chiefs hung across the walls. Generation after generation, with empty spots for the next to come. Silently, the little girl walked past them, laying a few flowers in front of each portrait. She looked up at them before heading back over to Chief.

"There is a fire in your eyes, child," he observed. "What is it you wish to do?"

She stood tall as she lifted her face toward him. "Train," she stated. "To prepare for the future and protect our world. That is my duty."

Chief smiled his kind smile. "Then let's get started."