Ninjago: Where Heroes Come From

Prologue

In the beginning, there was darkness, and there was light.

Nature commanded that they fight, for such things cannot live together in harmony. Darkness and shadow must be conquered by light, or else chaos and fear will reign, and the innocent will suffer.

The darkness loved this. The darkness fought the light, forcing it down, beating it back. Humanity lived for centuries in fear, unable to truly live at all, bowing beneath the power of the darkness, of the Oni.

The Oni were demons, masters of chaos and power, who sought ruin for all but themselves. They were fought by the Dragon, beings of light and wisdom, who yearned for justice and peace. For centuries they fought, and for centuries, there was no victor. But in this time, humanity was able to thrive. Humanity got the chance to truly live, although they did not know how long they would last.

But then from the Dragon came the Firstbourne, the bringer of life, and mother of all that breathed. She created sixteen realms, a place for all life. She separated the world across these realms, keeping enemies far from each other, and she banished the Oni to a realm that was cursed, a realm that no one could ever escape from.

For this victory, however, there was a price. The Dragon would have to join the Oni in their banishment, forever apart from the life they had created and protected. They did so willingly, pulling themselves from the rest of the world, hiding in the shadows with the Oni. And the Firstbourne slept, having used all the power that she had to save the world, finally able to rest.

But the Oni were sly, and they had not allowed themselves to be conquered so easily. In the First Realm, the realm of humanity, they left behind their servant, a serpent called the Devouror, holding within in the venom that would infect their chosen, making them a weapon.

For many years, the Devouror did nothing, biding its time, waiting for the chance to strike. And when it knew who to bite, the Dragon's own plan had come into play.

They had selected many people to bear the powers they had seen and fought in their years with the Oni. Powers over the elements, powers over the mind, powers over the sea and sky and earth. Each power was gifted to someone worthy and able, and each was expected to bear children to carry on the line.

It would have doomed the world, had the two plans mingled. It would have doomed the world, had the Oni's power been gifted to the Oni's chosen.