Onyx and the Rise of the Snakes

The Prophecy

Onyx caught up with the others where they had left their dragons. They didn't notice her approach, as they were too engrossed in something that Zane had in his hands. "Can you read it?" She heard Kai ask. Onyx pushed her head between Cole and Jay to get a look. It was a scroll written in ancient Ninjargon. There was an illustration below the words of a ninja in a leaf-green suit surrounded by ninja in red, blue, white, and black. The golden weapons were floating around the ninja in green.

"That symbol means 'prophecy'" Onyx said, nodding at one of the characters. "Prophecy?" Jay asked. "It means it tells the future," Kai explained. Jay gave a nervous laugh. "Oh. Heheh. I knew that," he said awkwardly. Zane squinted at the words. "One ninja will rise above the others and become the Green Ninja, the one to defeat the Dark Lord," Zane read slowly. "Ooh, look, a picture!" Jay said, pointing to a small charcoal drawing of five ninja at the bottom. There was a red, blue, black, and white ninja surrounding a green one. Onyx frowned at it. All the others were there, so did that mean...?

"Dark Lord... you think they mean Lord Garmadon? Wait, is that us? Anyone else thinking what I am?" Kai asked, pointing at the drawing. "Like how good I'm gonna look in green?" Jay said. "Isn't it obvious I'm going to be the Green Ninja?" Kai said heatedly. Jay snorted. "No way! The color suits me!" He said. "Technically, I am the best," Zane interjected. "I'm the only one who isn't in the drawing,," Onyx said. "You're a kid! You're not going to be the Green Ninja!" Jay exclaimed. Onyx was seriously considering kicking him when Cole interrupted the argument. "Guys, stop! Remember why Sensei brought us together in the first place. We're a team. We weren't meant to see this and probably for a good reason. Come on, let's get home." He said sharply.

Onyx took a few breaths, calming herself down. The others looked ashamedly at the ground. Onyx looked down too, but to pick up the scroll, which had been dropped during the argument. She looked at the illustration again. Was she the Green Ninja? Surely she had to be; otherwise what had all of her training been for? Onyx put the scroll into Kai's saddlebag. There was no point in worrying about it at the moment. She mounted Fade and took off.

The moment the dragons were back in their pens, the others started making plans to discover who the Green Ninja was. Onyx trailed behind them as they walked back up to the monastery courtyard. Surely they couldn't just 'discover' which one of them was the Green Ninja. "Okay. The prophecy says that one of us will become the Green Ninja, and the matter won't rest until it's decided," Jay said. "May I suggest a tournament? Last ninja standing is the best," Zane proposed.

The idea was met with murmurs of agreement. "And will be declared the Green Ninja. I love it!" Kai finished. "I don't think that a tournament will decide anything. There has to be a catch. I mean, we are talking about destiny," Onyx said. She frowned slightly. Onyx had never really liked the idea of destiny. That their path was set from the moment they were born. She usually thought of it more in the way of prophecies existing as guides.

The boys looked at her. "Nah. The scroll clearly said that the best ninja would become the Green Ninja, so we're going to figure out who that is," Kai said dismissively. "It didn't say that. It just said that one ninja would rise above the others," Onyx corrected, but the boys were already choosing opponents as they pushed open the Monastery doors. She huffed and followed.

Nya was already on the training course, dodging dummies and jumping across the wooden poles. She noticed the ninja, causing her to loose focus. One of the poles sank into the ground as she landed on it and launched, throwing Nya to the ground at their feet. "H-hey, Nya. Closer to beating your brother's speed record?" Jay asked, blushing furiously. "I'm getting there. Heard what happened in town. False alarm?" Nya asked as she got to her feet.

"Yeah, but we're gonna need the space. Sorry sis," Kai said, gesturing at the training course. Cole pulled some sparring armor from the corner of the course by the door. "Okay. Two matches. Winners face each other, the armor's for our own protection," He said, pulling a set on. 'What, you're just going to leave me out? Why, because I'm just a kid?' Onyx thought bitterly. "Hey Nya, wanna stay and watch me mop the floor with them?" Kai asked. Nya laughed and shook her head. "No thanks. I'm going to visit Jamanakai Village. Knock yourselves out," she said. "Can I come? I'm not going to be in their tournament," Onyx asked her. Nya shrugged. "Yeah, sure," she said.

Onyx trotted down the monastery steps behind Nya. "Hey, do you want to take a dragon?" She asked after a minute. Nya's face lit up. "Sure!" She agreed, excitement sparking in her eyes. "Come on! Fade's in her pen," Onyx said, hurrying to the dragon enclosures, where the two climbed onto Fade. "Hold on tight; she likes to get a little daring," Onyx cautioned. Nya nodded and grabbed the edges of the saddle. Onyx flicked the reigns, and Fade shot into the sky, spinning corkscrews with no regard for her riders. After she settled down, the two girls sat in silence for a while.

Eventually Nya broke the silence. "What was that whole tournament thing about?" She asked. Onyx stared at the back of Fade's head. "Earlier the boys found a scroll. It was a prophecy that said one of us would rise above the others and become the Green Ninja. There was a picture of the boys surrounding the Green Ninja, but I wasn't in it. And if I was the Green Ninja, I would've known already, right? I don't know where I fit in," Onyx said. Then she realized she'd given Nya more of an answer than she asked for and fell silent.

"You know, back when Kai and I lived in the blacksmith shop, he did all the work, and I had nothing. I didn't fit with the farmers in the village, and I couldn't bake or weave like the other women. And then I met all of you. I'm not in that prophecy either, and I still belong here. But on the other hand, you still could be the Green Ninja. Don't give up hope yet," Nya said. Onyx processed her words for a moment before giving tiny smile. "Yeah, you're right. There's no point in worrying about it," she said.

The two landed on the outskirts of Jamanakai village. They slipped off of Fade and started walking into the village. Onyx immediately noticed the lack of farmers in the rice paddies. Everything seemed too still. There were no birds or flies. "Does it seem a little too quiet?" Onyx asked. Nya nodded. "Yeah. Be careful," she said. Screams suddenly sounded from the village. Onyx and Nya glanced at eachother, nodded, and dashed towards the sounds.

The two ran into the central square and took in the sight before them. Lloyd was waving his hands, which were full of candy. Chocolate was smeared across his mouth, and he was laughing uncontrollably. "Take the candy! Take all of it!" He shouted. Onyx growled in frustration. "What are you doing back-" what came around the corner behind the ungrateful child stopped her cold. A tall blue snake with mesmerizing red eyes slithering upright, a golden staff clenched in its... hand.

Onyx froze, realizing exactly what had happened. Nya grabbed her arm and pulled her into an alleyway. "Since when did snakes have hands?" She hissed. Onyx ran a hand through her hair. "Since Lloyd set the Serpentine free," she whispered.
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Ooh, now things get interesting!