Randy woke up that morning feeling inexplicably warm.
As in, like, flushed faced, sweat pouring down your forehead, blood boiling uncomfortable warmth that usually only came with a summer heat wave. Wasn't it SUPPOSED to be the beginning of WINTER?
"UGH, someone turn OFF the HEAT, I'm BOILING!"
Randy rolled out of bed and slumped over to the thermostat, only to find the temperature at a cool 45° Fahrenheit. Randy scratched his head in confusion.
"Well, that's wonk. Must be broken." He scratched his head and shrugged.
"Whatever, I'm sure I'll feel fine after a nice, cold shower." So he walked into the bathroom, not noticing the frantic red glow of the nomicon in his backpack.
Later, at school…
Randy had decided to forgo his usual hoodie, due to the inexplicable and uncomfortable never ending heat, and was wearing shorts, sandals, and his usual T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up tightly. He was also using his homework as a paper fan and panting like a dog, his face red and his hair drooped with sweat. Beside him was Howard, wearing a blue squid sweater due to the cold of the beginning of winter. He was eyeing his best friend strangely.
"You…don't look so good."
"UGH, I'm BOILING! HOW can you be wearing a SWEATER, it's like, CRAZY HOT in here!"
"Sorry bud, that's just you."
Randy groaned and slumped against his locker.
"WHAT is WRONG with me? It's so HOT, I feel like I might throw up."
Howard rubbed his back sympathetically. Somehow, this made Randy feel a lot less queasy and a lot better. He hummed happily.
"I don't know, dude. Who knows, maybe it's some weird ninja thing." Randy gasped and grabbed Howard by the shoulders.
"HOWARD! THAT'S IT! I bet the nomicon knows ALL about this!" He pulled out the nomicon and proceed to shloomp, knocking his head against the locker and crumbling to the floor, his face blank and a pool of drool dripping from his slacked jaw. Howard sighed and leaned against the lockers, keeping a lookout while his friend was lost in the book.
"That's it, you just go ahead and do that. I'll just wait here for you until the bell rings and I have to literally drag you back to class - AGAIN."
Meanwhile, in the nomicon…
Randy fell into the book, past images of fire and intense battle, along with some neon scribbles of random words and phrases thrown in by ninjas past. Eventually, he was thrown into a small, dark room with only candles for light, creating a soft glow against the draped red fabric. In the room was a ninja scribble of a man clutching his head in agony. That was when the words of ancient wisdom began to appear, written in stylised red ink and filled with bright orange highlighter.
"The ninja who ignores an open flame is doomed to burn. Yeeeaaahhhh… not quite getting where you're going with this, nomicon, but I feel like it has something to do with this heat. So, you gonna tell me how to stop it, or…?" The entire nomicon seemed to sigh in exhaustion, but, instead of just shoving Randy out to figure it out himself like it usually did, it continued.
Randy watched in awe as the ninja scribble knocked over one of the candles, setting the fabric on fire and his clothing, before he let out a scream of agony. Randy covered his eyes with his arm. When he lowered the arm, he saw a different scene.
A field of roses, and a beautiful woman dressed in a gown of feathers. She reached out, and a ninja stepped out from behind Randy to take her hand. He saw a flash of ancient knowledge as the girl and the ninja held hands, obviously in love -
"The mask and the Tengu are forever linked" arched above the couple like a wedding canopy as the girl lifted the ninja's mask, and he transformed back into a normal man, the feathers fell off of her to reveal a silk white gown and a mass of flowing first hair. They kissed, and her hair flew upwards, firey feathers and ninja major surrounding them both, binding them -
Another change, the same girl bound to a wooden cross in a witch burning ceremony - the ninja on fire, reaching out to her, and accidentally setting the wood to flame -
"Only few are strong enough to keep the ninja close - those who are must protect as they are protected." The flames reached the girl, and she broke the ropes, drawing strength from the fire and leaping forth to grab the sobbing ninja and drag him away from the fire.
Another scene.
The same girl and ninja, hidden in an ancient alleyway, holding a scribble of the nomicon in their arms - "only the chosen may enter the book." They opened the nomicon scribble together, and fell forwards.
Eventually, they fell into the first room, and the ninja was in agony again, clutching his head - but the girl placed a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up into her face. She held the candle before him, between their hearts. The flame grew, and the ninja began to panic - but the girl took one of his hands, calming him, and moved it to hold the candle with her, and the flame grew stronger, consuming them, but not harming them, but strengthening them, and as they kissed, the fire did not burn them.
"A weak spark can start a powerful fire, but the ninja who ignores an open flame is doomed to burn."