He stood with supreme confidence, his ample stomach protruding proudly. His bald head, a perfect sphere, was smooth like the rest of his face. Only his eyes gleamed with his knowledge of the best and the worst of humanity. Punto Finale occupied his shrine alone, a testament to his great strength. There he resided in the power of total silence.

An immortal demon named Zen Ninja gained extraordinary power through long years of spiritual cultivation but rebelled against the dominance of heaven and fell from grace to the life of an ordinary mortal. She repented, becoming a monk, and agreeing to use her abilities to protect children and young adults on their journey to independence.

In the beginning, the mystical energies of heaven and earth combined with the light of the sun and moon to impregnate a boulder in the rainy plains of Eastern India, near the dense mangrove forests of the Sundarbans. When the stone egg hatched, eroded by the elements, a girl child emerged with a rather large head and almost no hair. She awakened and crawled around, before bawling in the four cardinal directions as light burst from her eyes.

The light in her eyes was so bright that it reached heaven, alarming the tribe that surrounded the rickety old city of her origin. Most of all, the woman who had hoped for a strong boy child had to contend with caring for this demon girl. The light in her eyes soon subsided after she ate a big bowl of rice and catfish soup with sliced plantains and papayas.

The girl demon soon grew up strong and smart, gaining much adulation from the rest of the tribe in her generation. However, her jealous relatives and mean neighbors gave her no end to grief. The woman who had been responsible for caring for the demon in her infancy even tried to drown her in the bathtub. Luckily, the woman's husband begged her not to kill the demon girl. He showed her kindness and encouraged her to follow her dreams.

The demon child proved herself in a test of bravery by leaping blindly through a waterfall and discovering the land of sunshine and glory. She became known as the Zen Ninja and ruled the land near the Sourland Mountains, on the banks of the roaring Raritan River. She lived in a castle nestled behind many tall oak trees and a white picket fence. Until one day, she felt like she was suffocating and had to leave.

One of her demon advisors suggested that she meditate for long hours to uncover the secrets of eternal life. Zen Ninja set out on a crowded jet plane and explored vast open spaces and deep oceans in Northern California for over a year. Her quest took her to a cave near where the land ends. Here, the deep ocean sprays salt water high up in the sky as it hits the craggy rock faces. It is here that she discovered Punto Finale, who gave her the name "Demon Awakened to the Void."

Although it didn't happen all in a day, the demon spent long hours trudging up the bare hills that lay amidst the clouds like a giant sleeping dinosaur. She sometimes stopped to admire the wide flowers that grew in abundance on the face of the hills but never plucked them. She left the wildflowers for those who would tread the path after her, so that they too could feast their eyes on their colors. She sat for long hours near a gurgling mountain stream, letting its sound soothe her sorrows.

Grateful as she was to be surrounded by such beautiful hills and flocks of bright green, squawking parrots, she was also having to dodge the Meth Granny and the Bald Rich with stony eyes. The two filled the dungeon with fumes when all who lived in their caves were fast asleep. The fumes turned them into zombies and made them ask for more. And this is how the two made sure that those who once set foot into their dungeon could never again leave. Even though she could pulverize the two by pummeling them with her rock-hard fists, she chose to keep her heart peaceful.

When she could no longer bear to breathe the fumes, she planned her escape to the farthest edge of the land, by the deep roaring oceans. There she found a cozy hut. Punto Finale kept the hut and its game table for all to play. Even though the demon never played, she liked to watch those who did.

Punto Finale could shoot the balls of many colors with a stick into netted holes all at once and defeat the rest of his contenders in no time at all. In his endless compassion, Punto Finale showed her ways to change her shape and size, to fly with a huge leap, and to command gods and spirits with all manner of magical spells.

The Zen Ninja wore a bracelet that had belonged to her beloved aunt, who had been kind to her. She learned to sit still for hours by the ocean and practiced Ujjayi breath, which warmed her body and grounded her mind. And there in the middle of her nearly empty hut, near the open seas, the demon once again awakened to her powers.

The Zen Ninja returned home to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit and used her powers to turn into a frightful cosmic giant. She then gathered her followers and led them to the top of the mountain, which touched the highest heaven and the bottom of the lowest hell. This display of power prompted the demon Kings of the Fifty Blue States to submit to her rule and host a drunken party in her honor.

After the party, the Zen Ninja fell into a deep slumber. Two minions then dragged her soul to the underworld in chains. There she learned that, according to the Ledgers of Life and Death, it was her time to die.

This greatly enraged the Zen Ninja, for she was no longer subject to the laws of heaven, having achieved immortality. She plucked the iron sword tucked in the back of her ear, where she kept it the size of a needle, and unleashed her martial prowess. This scared the Kings of Hell so much that they all begged her to halt her immortal rage. She ordered the ledger with her story in it and crossed out her name from it and those of all her beloved followers, making them immortal as well. When she woke up, she found herself in the mortal world with her soul reinstated to her body.

Entrusted to be the sole guardian of the celestial peach grove, Zen Ninja once again proved herself with her magical and martial might, winning the title of "Guardian of the Immortal Peach Groves."

Touring the heavenly orchard, home to the magical peaches that ripen every few thousand years, Zen Ninja could not resist the sweet aroma of the fruit in her charge. She ate all but the youngest life-prolonging fruits.

Her theft was soon discovered when fairy attendants arrived to pick the choicest fruits for the long-awaited immortal peach banquet. From these fairies, Zen Ninja learned that she had not been invited due to her uncouth nature. Enraged, she plowed through security and crashed the party before the guests arrived. She ate all the celestial food and drinks and all the immortal wine, then drunkenly stumbled into the jar of immortality pills, and gobbled them up as well! Now she was even more powerful!

Zen Ninja returned home once again to await the coming storm of heavenly forces. Tired of the demon's antics, the King of the Fifty Red States and the Twenty-Six Mahajanapadas called all the heavenly generals, gods of all religions and cults, and a gazillion celestial soldiers. In response, the she-demon mobilized her own army, comprising the demon Kings of the Fifty Blue States and all animal spirits and gods.

But soon after the battle commenced, the power of the heavenly forces nearly overtook the troops led by Zen Ninja. This forced her to take on ten arms and multiply her sword to meet the onslaught. Once again, the heavenly army was no match against her strength and ingenuity. Although, she soon lost her nerve when her beloved demon children were captured in great heavenly nets.

Zen Ninja fought a fierce battle, undergoing countless animal transformations. She was finally captured and placed in a great big oven to be incinerated. Forty-nine days later, they checked the furnace, expecting to see her remains. But behold! She jumped right out, unscathed! She had found protection in the wind element, which prevented her from getting burned. The intense smoke inside the furnace had greatly irritated her eyes, forging her pupils so that they turned gold and gave her the power to see for hundreds of miles! What's more, she could now also recognize the dark auras of demons in disguise. She kicked open the oven and began to cause havoc in heaven with her iron sword.

Zen Ninja's anger could not be contained. All the powers that be, gathered and appealed to the only one who could help with his great belly and vast compassion: Punto Finale, also known as the Hedonistic Buddha for his great bald head, trapped ocean eyes, and huge appetite for love.

Punto Finale appeared before Zen Ninja and coaxed her to jump into the palm of his hand. With one tremendous leap, she sped towards the reaches of Heaven, clouds whizzing by her in a blur of colors as she zoomed across the sky. She landed before five great pillars, thinking them to be the edge of the cosmos.

When Punto Finale came to know the reason for her rage, he promised to negotiate with the gods to free her children. Then he held Zen Ninja in his arms for a long, long time before asking her to return to Earth, never to come back. She promised to keep the peace. Punto Finale then went back to the gods, showed them his empty hands, and said that the demon was gone for good. He made sure that the children of Zen Ninja were set free and happy.

The Ending was written in collaboration with Bard

Zen Ninja kept her promise to Punto Finale and returned to earth, never to set foot in heaven again. She used her immense power to protect the innocent and fight for justice. But her heart was heavy, knowing that her children were left behind the five great pillars, at the edge of the cosmos. Safe and happy as they were living their lives far away from their mother...

Zen Ninja continued to fight for justice, but her heart was no longer in it. She was consumed by grief and despair. She wandered the earth, alone and isolated.

One day, Zen Ninja came across a group of children who were being attacked by traffickers. Zen Ninja instinctively leapt into action, using her powers to defeat the traffickers.

The children were grateful to Zen Ninja for saving them. They asked her why she was so sad. Zen Ninja told them about her children, and how she was trapped on earth, unable to see them.

                                                                                                           The children listened to Zen Ninja's story with compassion. They told her that she was a hero, and that she should not give up hope. They said that her children would always be in her heart, and that she would see them again someday.

Zen Ninja's heart was lifted by the children's words. She realized that she was not alone. She had the love and support of the people she protected.