Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The scene starts with a dark field, which is slowly lighting up as the camera zooms over the long field of grass. Then, a figure comes into sight; saw from above as it runs across the field of grass, moving so fast that it is hard to keep up with its movements.

Then, the camera changes the angle, as the figure starts jumping into rocks. One after the other, the figure jumps the rocks, going faster and higher with each rock they climb, while carrying a great staff with themselves.

Then, with a mighty jump, the figure jumps the final rock and makes a moon Sault over the moon. However, instead of falling back to the ground, the figure lands on the waning moon, straightening itself as we look at the figure and we realize it is Master Shifu.

The small red panda spins the staff he carries with himself, before snapping it and making a long line come out of it. And Shifu stands in there, looking like he is fishing while standing on the moon, while the audience looks at the scene as the words DREAMWORKS move up.

Then, the whole logo moves up, as the camera now focus on the scene of a temple in a gorge. The sun rises from the horizon, casting light over the temple, as a gong can be heard in the distance.

That gong always played on the morning. This was the first gong, and it signaled the beginning of a new day on the Ku Shitang Temple.

As the day started, other, smaller gongs sounded over the temple, as a small group of animals dressed in monastery clothing made their way across the barracks of the students, making sure to sound the morning gong so everyone could hear.

After all, some of their members could be quite hard to wake up on the morning. The younger members in particular.

Everyone, form the younger to the eldest of the students of the temple got up and started to get ready for their daily routine, which included washing their faces and necks with fresh water, putting their daily clothes and having a light vegetarian meal, before all of them would go to perform all of the other duties they should.

Ku Shitang was famous for being one of the greatest kung fu temples in China, second only to the legendary Jade Palace, founded by Oogway around five centuries ago. This temple was founded nearly two hundred years later, by one of Oogway's own students, the legendary Master Binturong, famous for both his skills in kung fu and for his spirituality, which made him one of the few masters who could fully master the art of chi taught by Oogway.

And he passed this down to his own students once he founded that temple. He may be long departed, joined the rows of masters in eternal enlightenment on the Spirit Realm, but his legacy lived on that temple, with a huge statue on the center dedicated to him, built by his loyal students after his passing. Now, it was the centerpiece of the temple, where all of the students trained.

Animals of all species, most of them canines and felines of all kinds, trained in order to dominate the teachings of kung fu and to spread it far and wide through their own disciples one day. They would be the ones to keep Oogways teachings alive, for this was one of the main goals of all kung fu masters, either the acknowledged it or not: to keep the wise teachings of spiritual balance and enlightenment of the legendary turtle master alive throughout the centuries and millennia to come.

This was why all of the students of the temple always did their best, so they could uphold the mission of keeping Oogways teachings alive, as well as the mission of keeping peace and order in China by standing on the defense of all who could not defend themselves.

So, from the biggest tiger to the smallest toad, all of the students of the temple continued diligently practicing their routines, perfecting their techniques through repetition, and strengthening both their bodies and their spirits in doing so. All the while, their teacher and supervisor, Master Peafowl, oversaw the work of his devoted students, walking among them with his long tail trailing behind himself, and a smile on his beak as he saw how well all of his students were doing.

Seeing something like that was enough to put a smile on the face of most masters, as they felt the sense of satisfaction and pride for seeing their students doing so diligently and learning so well. It did felt good for any teacher to see the ones they are teaching to take in the lessons so well and learn the subject, even because it meant they were good at teaching as well. It applied to those who taught kung fu as well.

So, the students all continued their lesson, with the occasional lecture from Master Peafowl. While, on the entrance of the temple, a pair of rhinos were standing guard. They were both senior students of the temple as well, and they had been task with guard duty today.

Everyone had to do their part to keep the temple running, once they didn't had servants like the Jade Palace. The Ku Shitang Temple boasted how they taught their students to work hard and not to become arrogant or spoiled by making sure they all had what to do on the temple at all times of the day.

Some of the students cleaned and scrubbed the floors. Some were in charge of cooking, while others would clean all of the dishes later. Some of them would take trips to the nearby river to bring on clean water on a daily basis, to drink, clean and cook.

And others, like those two rhinos, were put on the duty of guarding the gates.

That was an important duty among the students of the temple. To stand guard on the entrances and react properly to anyone who came into the entrance. Students who were looking to join and learn from the local masters were to be scout inside and taken to a master, who would evaluate them and determine if they had what it took, both physically and mentally, to be noble students of the Ku Shitang Temple. Meanwhile, anyone who came this way with the intention of disturbing the peace of the temple was to be repel by the guards and not be allow inside of the temple, that was why the ones on guard duty were usually the more experienced students, the kind who could push any intruders back with ease and preserve the safety and peace of everyone inside of the temple.

Being chose to this duty was a great honor for the students. Even though it was one of the most boring jobs one could have on the temple.

I mean, we are talking about one of the most powerful temples of kung fu of the whole China. With literally hundreds of students inside, and managed by one of the greatest, most legendary masters China has ever produced. Who would be crazy enough to come to the temple with the intentions of causing trouble?

As a result, the temple enjoyed a lot of peace on its own, and the guards had a lot of free time for themselves as they stood on the guard of the main gates of the temple.

"Majong!" Said one of the rhinos, as he made a score as he laid his last stone on the board. "I won again!"

The other rhino scoffed, and he looked back at the other rhino.

"Better 26 out of 50?" He asked, and the other rhino was all about it. They both then reset the game, picking all of their stones again and getting ready to play one more, when one of the rhinos notices something in the distance.

Was that?

"Hey, check it out." He said to the other, and the other rhino looked on the way he was pointing, and soon he saw the same thing his friend did.

It was distant, but it was approaching. Not fast, but it was, with steady and calm steps, as if they didn't had any hurry to get where they needed to be. Nearly like a noble taking a stroll over the province they ruled over.

The two rhinos on red and golden vests got up, picking up their spears and standing in attention while the figure approached, allowing the two to have a better view of them as they walked indirection to the gate.

They could see that the figure was wearing long pants of dark-green coloration. He also wore a black vest, with a hood pulled over his head as he walked closer. He was a reptile, as it was clear by the reptilian muzzle that stuck from under the hood of his dark vest, the long and muscular tail covered in scales moving behind him, and by his bare feet, covered in scales and with black claws on them, as he approached the temple, one calm step at a time.

"Halt!" Said one of the rhinos when the figure was a little over twenty feet from the gate. "You have come all the way to the Ku Shitang Temple. State your name and your business here!"

The figure stopped. His long, forked tongue lapping into the air as he looked at the two. He was tasting their scent.

"I have many names." The figure said to the two of them. "None of which either of you deserve to know."

The rhinos shared a look, before looking back at the newcomer, who was, once more, speaking.

"As for my business here…" He flicked his tongue again, and smirked. "I came to claim the secret that is hidden inside of this temple."

There was a brief silence, and then one of the rhinos asked:

"You came here to study?" It was an honest question. "Like, learn about kung fu and chi and use it to better yourself and China?"

The stranger chuckled. His chuckle causing the skin of the two rhinos to crawl.

"I already did." The reptile said, "And I surpassed all of your pathetic little teachings. Now all that's left for me to do is to take the last secret hidden in tis temple. Even if it means I'll have to take it down brick by brick."

That last statement did put the two rhinos into alarm. Soon, they were both in fighting stance, with their spears pointed at the stranger.

"Okay, whoever you are." Said one of them. "I don't know what your deal is, but if you are here to cause problem, then you might as well turn around now!"

"Leave!" The other rhino said. "Or we will fight you!"

The figure looked at the two for a few moments, and then he smirked.

"Why, I was hoping you would say that..."

The students continued to train around the central statue of Master Binturong. All the while Master Peafowl walked among them, overseeing their technique and style, and correcting whenever he saw a mistake. To his pride, there were very few.

Then, a loud sound cut through the air.

Peafowl's head perked as he looked in the direction from which the sound was coming from. And the sound repeated. Again and again. Each repetition made the sound be a tad bit more desperate.

That was the sound of alarm.

Coming right from the gate.

Without stopping to think, Master Peafowl started walking in that direction. Soon, his students, also knowing this sound and what it meant, decided to follow their master. Some of them stopping only to grab a weapon from the many racks around their training area, and they all went in direction to the main gate, where they knew an intruder was.

The rhino had a panicked expression on his face as he kept hitting the bell, hoping, praying that someone would come to save him.

He was beaten and his horn had its tip chipped off. He looked back at the entrance, at the lizard standing there, holding his friend by the collar of his robes, before dropping him into the ground. The other rhino twitched and writhed on the ground, whimpers escaping his throat as he remained there, with his eyes, previously blue, changed into a deep shade of purple. Pure despair written all over his face.

The lizard paid him no mind, and just left him on the ground while he walked to the other rhino, who started hitting the gong twice as fast, in hopes this would make the reinforcement would arrive faster. However, they were not as fast as the reptile, who soon was arriving at him.

The rhino screamed at the reptile to stay back, begging him to leave him alone. However, all of that turned into unintelligible screaming when a strong purple light took all of the rhino's vision.

By the time help arrived, it was far too late.

Master Peafowl was on the lead, with all of his students coming right after him. He stopped and looked at the scene before him.

The stranger on dark clothing was holding the rhino by the face, his scaly hand glowing purple and covering the rhino's eyes, as the pachyderm twitched, a weak whimper escaping his throat.

The lizard turned his head to the bird's direction, flicking his tongue and smirking, before he let go of the rhino, who fell limp to the ground.

The rhino was whimpering, which soon turned into sobbing, as he curled into a ball, hugging his legs as tears leaked from his eyes.

Like with the other one, the lizard didn't gave him any attention, as he focused his attention on the bird, who looked intently at him as the reptile walked to him with slow steps, seemingly ignoring all of the students surrounding him with spears and poles, all of it pointed at him and ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

All of his attention was in Peafowl. And Peafowl looked back at the stranger, who was not a stranger to him.

He could feel the intruder's chi, and he recognized it. There was no way that he could mistake a chi that felt so vile.

He knew exactly who it was.

"Jiao Din." Peafowl said, speaking the name as it if was a poison he wanted to spit out of his mouth.

The mere mention of this name had an effect on all of the students who were surrounding the intruder. Murmurs arouse as they all talked to each other in whisper, and many, if not all of them, had expressions of growing fear and apprehension on their faces as they looked at the lizard.

The lizard let out a hissing chuckle.

"No one has called by that name in a long time." The lizard said, reaching for the hood over his head and pulling it back. The Komodo dragon looked like one would expect of his species, with dark-green and yellow scales over his face. The only noteworthy thing about his face were his eyes. Normally Komodo dragon's had yellow or green eyes. This one, however, had eyes of a milky white.

He was blind.

However, he was still looking right in direction to Peafowl, as if he could still see him clear as day.

"Master." The Komodo, Jiao Din, said as he put his hands in front of his body, and made a bow to the bird. "Your student has returned home."

Peafowl glared at him with a hard expression.

"You are no longer my student." Peafowl said coldly. "And this is no longer your home."

Jiao Din straightened himself, and then he said, in an indifferent way:

"I know. You made it very clear many years ago... when you took my vision."

The way he spoke the last part could give someone the impression that the Komodo was still slightly upset about that. However, he still kept his composure.

"I assume you know why I'm here, right?" The lizard asked, his muzzle still pointed on his former master's direction, as if he could still see him. Peafowl's expression became even more hostile.

"You still want to access the Tien Spring, so..." The bird asked him, "I denied you access to it decades ago. Why do you think I'll allow you access now?"

"I'm not asking for access." Jiao Din said. "I'll access the Tien Spring, either you allow it or not."

The students around all tensed, and they gripped their weapons harder as they looked at the intruder of their temple with apprehension. Peafowl could only glare at the lizard who once was like a son to him.

"Years ago, I allowed you to leave this temple with your life." The bird said to him. "I did it because, even after your betrayal, I still saw you as a beloved student. I allowed you to leave so you could find the enlightenment I could not give you. However, you have wasted this chance. You went down the path of evil, and you corrupted my teachings for your own personal gain. I no longer see you as a student, so I'll not show you any mercy this time."

Jiao chuckled, his tongue flickering into the air.

"I hoped you would not." He said, "After all, if you decided to hold back, then defeating you would not be as gratifying as I was hoping."

The tension among the students had been growing ever since they found out who their intruder was. It was only a matter of time before the growing tension would be too much for them to handle, and it would explode. It did for one of them. The horse screamed "You insolent monster!" as he rushed ahead to the Komodo, rising his staff and ready to strike the Komodo with it for having dared to threaten the great Master Peafowl.

Peafowl was about to tell his student not to do it, but it was already too late. The student failed to see the glow coming from the scaly hand of Jiao Din, as he didn't moved as the student rushed to him with the staff and then delivered a strike.

What happened next was so fast that most of the students didn't processed what happened right away.

With one fluid motion, Jiao Din rose his hand and stroke, hitting the staff with such precision and strength that it was snapped in half so cleanly it could seem it was cut with a sharp blade. With the same movement, he spread his fingers and wrapped them around the head of the student before he even had a chance to react properly.

However, once the hand, involved in swirling purple energy, firmly grasped his head, he did screamed.

He screamed loudly as he trashed, holding the wrist of the hand holding his head, as the purple energy flowed from the Komodo to him, and then, in less than twenty seconds, his limbs weakened, and then went limp.

The Komodo held him for a few more moments, before letting him go. He slumped into the ground, his eyes having turned purple as he simple stood there on his knees, looking down, his expression one of deep sadness and hopelessness.

Even when Master Peafowl called his name, he simply looked his way with the saddest expression the bird ever saw on someone's face, before closing his eyes and looking away, as if in shame.

Peafowl was in shock, but his shock soon turned into outrage as he realized just what happened.

He'd done it.

He'd actually done it.

"You..." Peafowl said, looking at Jiao Din, who still stood in there with a smile. "You... demon!"

Jiao Din didn't seemed fazed in the slightest.

"The Tien Spring." The Komodo said to him. "Take me to it, and I promise to let the rest of you go."

This caused an immediate reaction from all of the other students. As one, all of them charged to the Komodo, all of them screaming in rage and fury. Even the cries of their teacher were not enough to make them stop, as they could not even be hear above their own battle cries.

However, the Komodo was still not fazed.

As all of the students came into him, he sprung into action himself.

He could be blind, but you could assume he had eyes all around his head with the way he moved and blocked all of the blows that the students tried to deliver his way. He blocked their staffs and spears with his arms and legs, before pushing back and hitting them with his kicks and with swings of his long tail. In some occasions, he would even redirect the blows of the staffs so they would hit another student.

And, of course, there was the purple glow.

The purple glow on both of his hands as he used them to grasp the others by the head, neck or even by the chest, causing them to fall into the ground soon after, with empty expressions on their faces. Some of them shivering, writhing or even sobbing.

Some of them were even screaming as they punched the ground, seemingly in frustrated rage.

All the while, Peafowl told them to stop and retreat, as he knew what was happening, and he knew that they could not win against what this man had to offer.

However, he was not done yet.

As the students seemed to finally caught up to it and started to move back, the Komodo then got into position. He spread his legs and moved his hands in circular motions. His energy moved across his body, from his chest into his limbs, and them back into his chest, and then redirected to his hands, as he placed them together above his head.

Then, as he spread his arms to the side of his head, Peafowl knew what he was doing next. However, he didn't had the chance to warn his students, for then he brought his scaly hands together, clapping them.

A flash of purple shone, as a wave of pure chi flowed from the Komodo outwards, spreading in a ring. His purple chi flowed through each one of the warriors around him, hitting every single one of them with an energy that reached deep inside of them, and they had no way of blocking it.

Save for Peafowl.

With a movement of his wings and spreading his tail fan, he caused his own golden chi to spill forward. This golden energy gathered in front of him, forming a shield with a yin-yang emblem that blocked the incoming purple energy, keeping it from reaching into him and affecting him like it affected everyone else who was wash by it.

Which was the entire temple.

By the time the chi shield that Peafowl had erected came down, all of his students were on the ground. All of them were on varying states of sadness, anger, frustration, anguish and catatonia.

And, in the midst of it all, was Jiao Din, who calmly put his hands together before his body in a neutral position, as his face was turned in the direction of Peafowl, a smirk on his lips and his milky-white eyes seeming like they were focusing right on him.

"Did you liked my technique, master?" He asked, as he gave a few steps in direction to the bird, skillfully avoiding the students who were on his way, scattered across the ground. "I call it 'Jiao Din's Wave of Despair'. What do you think, too fancy? I used to call it Purple Wurple, but everyone who heard it could not keep a straight face. I got tired of the giggling."

If this was serious was hard to say or not. However, Peafowl knew that he was not feeling like laughing. Not when all of his students were reduce to such a state by this demon standing before him.

Yes, because he was a demon. He crossed the line in being simply a villain, and he became a demon.

There was not a single shred of the beloved student that Peafowl once knew left behind on that monster.

He was sure of that, now more than ever.

That was why he would not be holding back.

His muscles tensed under his feathers, which flared as they did. His legs spread as he put his wings to the sides of his body. His chi flowed through his body and into his wings, making their edges emit a soft golden glow as his chi firmed into them.

Meanwhile, the Komodo continued to advance in direction to the bird. He could not see him with his blind eyes, but he was still clear as day in his mind's eye.

He could clearly see the golden shape, which glowed more intensely as his chi flowed across his body, flowing through each one of his chakras and spreading through all of his form, as he got ready for combat.

The greatest amount of chi focused on his legs, on the edges of his wings, and on his tail. As Jiao Din could clearly see by how those parts of his body glowed more than the rest of his body.

"So, that's how we're doing it, huh?" The Komodo asked, smirking at the peafowl, who looked back at him with ferocity. "Fine by me. And, just to remind you, there is no need for you to use your Peafowl Flash. You already blinded me, after all."

The peacock 's answer was a loud cry that his species was known for, what the Komodo answering with a hissing roar, as he charged forward. His own chi activated, spreading through his body, as he got ready for the incoming combat.

As soon as they clashed, it became clear that neither of them would be holding back. The Peafowl moved his leg upward, with a kick so strong that it connected with the Komodo's muzzle with the force of an explosion, with the resulting shockwave being felt several feet away.

However, the Komodo was not faze by it. He reacted by bringing down both his fists into the Peafowl, who jumped back in the nick of time to avoid the blow, which was so strong it caused the ground to literally explode, causing chunks of solid rock to fly everyone.

From there, they both moved across the temple, both of them attacking each other with no mercy as they would strike with a force much greater than anyone would expect from animals their size. That was, in part, thanks to their chi. It coursed through their bodies, increasing their physical capacities beyond the limits of their mortal bodies. So, just like Peafowl's kicks could shatter one of the columns and his wings could slice clearly through solid rock with each swing, so could the punches and kicks of the Komodo shatter parts of the temple violently and his scales were so solid that they could resist the brush of Peafowl's sharpened feathers without as much as showing a single scratch.

After nearly five minutes attacking each other with no mercy or rest, they finally stopped right in the middle of the temple, right in front of Master Binturong's statue. Both of them were in fighting position.

"You have dominated your chi." Peafowl said to Jiao Din, as he panted from the intense five minutes of combat. "And it is not as tainted as it was before."

"Why, thank you." The Komodo dragon said, and then Peafowl said:

"It is even worse. I can feel how filthy it is. How it is soaked with anger and resentment, with greed and ambition and envy. It is like a bad smell that pollutes my lungs and I can even taste it in my throat."

"Seriously?" Jiao Din said to him, "I just showed that I have mastered the chi enough to match you in combat and you cannot say a single good thing? What about a 'well done' or a 'you're really good', or maybe an 'I underestimated you'? Seriously, you have no idea how much I trained on the last thirty years to reach the level I have now!"

"All training of the world makes no difference if you have no balance." Peafowl said. "No matter how powerful you have grown or how much control you acquired over your chi. If your soul and mind are unbalanced, than there is nothing to be proud of."

"Oh, here you come again!" the lizard demanded, now sounding clearly annoyed and angry. "Balance this, balance that, I'm sick and tired of hearing this pile of garbage!"

His scales stood up as he stepped in direction to Peafowl.

"I don't need your balance! I never needed it! And if you still want some proof..."

With that said, the Komodo started making strange noises, nearly as if he was choking. Peafowl looked at him with surprise, as the lizard retched and coughed.

Then, his cheeks puffed. A purple glow could be seen through the skin.

Peafowl's eyes widened as he saw that. He barely had time to jump out of the way as the Komodo opened his mouth. A torrent of purple colored chi, vile and noxious, spilled out of the Komodo's mouth. It was something between a liquid and a flame, and it spilled out with the force of a volcanic eruption.

Peafowl managed to dodge some of it. However, some of the vile chi hit his robe, immediately starting to eat through it like an acid, and prompting Peafowl to remove it as fast as possible before the purple substance reached his body.

However, the greatest brunch of the attack was on the great statue.

The vile chi ate through the rock like boiling water melting through ice. In a matter of seconds, the entire base of the statue had been destroy, and so were the legs of the statue, which soon was crumbling down as the chi destroyed the rock. The entire construction, which stood at the center of the temple for three hundred years, and survived earthquakes and attacks from armies, came down and crashed into the ground on the center of the temple. The sound of its destruction thundering into the gorge where the temple was located.

As the dust settled, Peafowl looked as the Komodo made his way out of the dust and in direction to the bird, a smirk on his lips.

"Say, how do you like my Komodo Breath?" He asked, the biggest arrogant grin anyone has ever seen on his face as he spoke to Peafowl. "If you ask me really nicely, I might consider teaching you how to do it."

Peafowl's answer was to open his beak and let out a cry. A cry laded with his chi, focused on his throat and sent forward like waves of pure sound and energy into the Komodo. Even if the waves were not powerful enough to push the Komodo back hundreds of feet back, which they were, the volume of the chi-charged sound was enough to cause eardrums to explode.

However, the Komodo was not faze by it in the slightest. In fact, he stood in there as if he was enjoying a nice breeze in a hot day.

"And, there is the Cry of Power." Komodo said, still smirking. "Peafowl, you are so predictable."

While shocked that the Komodo resisted his attack so easily, Peafowl didn't relented. He let out another cry as he jumped, his wings and tail flaring as he crossed through the air in direction to the lizard, every one of his feathers emitting a golden glow as he was ready to fight to death.

Meanwhile, the reptile focused his chi on his tail. Right on the tip.

When he felt Peafowl coming within range, he spun his body around quickly, whipping his tail in his direction.

As the very tip of his tail connected, to Peafowl, it was like being hit by a boulder several dozen times his own weight.

He was sent back flying, the wave of chi resulting making every building on the temple shake as Peafowl came crashing into the main building of the temple.

He crashed through the wooden doors, breaking them into smithereens as he skidded through the ground, before stopping right on the yin-yang emblem on the center of the room, filled with statues and banners depicting previous grandmasters of the Ku Shitang Temple. His predecessors.

Peafowl would be embarrassed of writhing in the ground in such an undignified way, was he not so busy trying to breathe and power through the pain he was feeling on the area that had been hit by Jiao Din's tail. Good thing he had powered his body with chi, otherwise the blow he received could have broken all of his bones and reduced his internal organs to mush.

The area hit was already turning a deep purple, which was visible even through the blue fathers of his bare upper body, as now all he was wearing was a pair of beige shorts after disposing of his tainted robe.

A purple that was much more intense than that of any bruise should be...

As Peafowl tried to get up, Jiao Din made his way through the destroyed doors and into the room. His mere presence there seemed to change the air, causing the light of the room to turn purple as he slowly made his way to the writhing avian.

Peafowl was not able to get up until the Komodo dragon was right above him.

Peafowl could not react fast enough to prevent the Komodo from grabbing his head with a hand involved in a purple haze.

Just like his students, he gasped and squirmed as he felt the purple energy having an effect on him.

He could feel it reaching towards him. Touching him. Invading him.

He did his best to try and resist. He did his best to try and repel it, or at least hold it back, with his own chi. However, he could not resist.

As the energy reached him, the fight left him. His body went slack, as a feeling of defeat like nothing he ever felt before took hold of his heart. Followed by a crushing feeling of helplessness and of anguish, as he felt that he failed everyone who came before him.

Just like he always feared would happen.

"How is your balance now, Grandmaster Peafowl?" Jiao Din asked him, and the bird was not able to form proper answers. All he could do was pant heavily, trying his best to prevent himself from sinking even further into his own anguish than he already had. All he could see when he opened his eyes was the color purple, and Jiao Din's smirk.

"Now, about why I came here..."

In a matter of minutes, they were standing before a great wall, which was a giant depiction of Masters Oogway and Binturong together, meditating cross-legged over a pool of water, floating above it as they meditated, and the pool beneath them had waves and swirls of water of golden and blue colors coming out of it.

Jiao Din stood before the wall, composed by hundreds of tiny mosaic-like tiles, each one of a different specific color, which together formed the great image as a whole. His blind eyes prevented him from admiring the work of art. However, he didn't had any interest in it. To be honest, even back when he could still see, he considered the thing an eyesore.

He was holding Peafowl by the head, and he now held the bird right in front of the mosaic wall, the bird's legs dangling limply beneath him, as he was hold by the head before the magnificent work of art.

"Open it." Jiao Din commanded, "Now."

Peafowl didn't wanted to. He wanted to refuse. He knew that he could not do it, for it would mean betraying his predecessor. And his predecessor's predecessor. And every single Grandmaster of the Ku Shitang Temple, all the way back to the great Master Binturong. Betraying all of their sacrifices and efforts, which had all been pass down to him once he had taken his predecessor's place after his passing.

However, he had no other option but to obey.

He had already lost, and there was not enough fight left on him to defy Jiao Din's will.

So, slowly, with the enthusiasm of a man who is standing before the gallows where he will be hanged, Peafowl rose his wing. He ran his feather/fingers over the small tiles that formed the mural, feeling each one of them under his feathery touch, before he stopped with a feather over one of them. Then, he pressed down.

Click

Like a button, the tile sank under the pressure of that feather, before Peafowl moved his feathers over the tiles again, stopping at another tile and them doing the same, pressing it like a button.

Click

Then he did it again with yet another one.

Click*Click*Click

One by one, Peafowl pressed the small buttons hidden among the tiles. Until, with a final press on a final button, which had a symbol of a white and golden yin-yang in it, a loud sound was hear.

Whirring of machine and moving of gears resounded, as the mechanism hidden within the mural came to life for the first time in over eighty years. The mural split itself in two, as the two doors slid each to one side, revealing a gateway hidden behind it, which opened to a staircase that went down.

Jiao Din flicked his forked tongue, tasting the stale air inside of the passage now open before him, as well as something else... Something that made his whole body vibrate with excitement.

It was down there.

It was definitely down there.

After so long...

With a firm grip still in Peafowl's head, Jiao Din stepped into the staircase. It was dark in there, but that was no problem for Jiao Din. His eyes hadn't worked in several years, anyway.

He walked calmly down the staircase presented before him, which went down several meters, into the darkness of the secret chamber hidden beneath the temple. A secret that only the oldest of the students of the temple were allow to know, and that only the Grandmaster of the temple could access.

This had been in there since the beginnings of the temple. No. That had been there long before the temple was even constructed.

And it remained hidden for over three hundred years, only accessible through that one opening, and only on the most dire of situations.

The staircase made a slight curve to the right, spiraling down as Jiao Din went down with his former master still on his grip, his long tail dragging across the steps covered in ancient dust and moss, caking those previously pristine feathers with decades-old grime. Peafowl was too much in a state of defeat to care at this point, his eyes closed as he was carry down.

His eyes opened when he noticed a light ahead, cutting the darkness as they got closer. He could see the light coming from the bottom of the staircase. A luminosity of bluish-golden glow coming from down there, forming a soft shade of green as they approached, and the sound of running water could be heard.

Jiao Din could not see the light. However, he also noticed what was down there. He could see it clearly on his mind's eye. He could feel it there. He could feel it practically pulsating down there like a heart.

It was calling to him.

The Komodo's steps became rushed, as he couldn't contain his excitement anymore. As soon as he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he just dropped Peafowl on the ground, and there the bird remained, completely forgotten by the Komodo as he marveled at what before him.

Sure, his blind eyes could not see the beautiful golden light that emanated from the bluish pond, with lotus flowers of all colors, from pink to pure white, bloomed on lily pads above it. He could not see the vines that sprouted from the pond, which grew all over the cave where the pond was located, sprouting with flowers of vibrant colors, each one glowing with a beautiful light of their own. Neither could he see the statue of no other than Master Binturong by the pond, sitting in it on a lotus position, as he seemed to be in deep meditation, the statue also covered on the vines that bloomed with glowing flowers.

It would be such a beautiful sight for the Komodo, if he was able to see.

However, he was still able to see all he needed.

His mind could see the glow that came from this pond as he came closer, pulsating with a golden glow as he came closer, taking in the huge amount of chi that came from that one pond. That one pond that, over a hundred years ago, saved the life of Peafowl's predecessor, Master Ibex, when he was mortally wounded and no physician on the province was able to save his life. The pond that, before that, was able to save the Emperor's son when he was afflicted by a terrible disease that was said to be incurable, saving the entire dynasty and ensuring the future of their country.

And now, it was before him.

Jiao Din was shaking with excitement as he walked to the pond, and kneeled right by it. His hands were shaking as he slowly approached them from the water, before carefully dipping them on the pond, and feeling that energy he could see right into his scales.

He was there.

After so long, he was finally there.

After so long of plotting, planning and dreaming. After all the efforts he made to acquire the skills since he failed to get it thirty years ago, he was finally there to take it. He would finally be able to... to...

Wait.

There was something wrong.

"No..." Jiao Din said, his excitement dying down as he felt the energy coming from the pond now that he had both of his scaly hands dipped into it.

No. That wasn't right.

"No..." Jiao Din said, as his face started frowning. "No. No. No..."

This pond had a lot of chi gathered in it. More than one could hope to find in any other pond out there. It had so much chi that one could even feel it in the water without any form of training.

But... that was it.

The pond was full of chi and it certainly had healing properties, being able to speed up the healing process of those who would bath in it and cleanse those who drank it of disease and poison, but that was basically about that.

It was just a pond of water full of chi.

Jiao Din was shaking again. However, this time it was of frustration. Of anger.

The Komodo screamed in rage at the edge of the pond. Then, the next sound that resounded on the cave was the sound of Jiao Din's angry steps as he walked to Peafowl, before picking him up roughly and shaking him like a ragdoll.

"You stupid feather duster!" Jiao Din hissed in anger as he shook Peafowl, before slamming him into the ground.

"This is the secret held by the sacred Ku Shitang temple!?" The reptile demanded to the bird. "A stupid pool filled with chi infused water!? This is the reason why you took away my vision!? This is the thing I spent the last thirty years desiring!? This is the secret that Oogway and Binturong found during their legendary peregrination!?"

"This..." Jiao Din said, he was panting as he held down the bird by his neck, and the bird looked back at his face, which was a mask of rage and outrage. "...is the legendary Tien Spring?"

His voice was low and hissing. It was like a veiled threat, promising violent retribution if the answer was "yes". However, there was also a note of despair on his voice, like a child who was speaking to an adult and begging, with all of their heart, for him to tell them that their innocent childhood dreams were real.

Peafowl looked at the face of his former student. Of the one who once filled him with pride, and who looked back at him with admiration and love. Now, that face with milky blind eyes only had rage and resentment.

It made the feeling Peafowl was having now even worse.

With his voice filled with defeat, Peafowl started talking.

"Three hundred years ago..." He said, "Master Oogway and his student, Master Binturong, started a peregrination. Their peregrination was a quest to learn the secrets of chi. Master Oogway already knew some of those secrets from his past experiences, but mastering the chi demands self-knowledge that one can only acquire through personal experiences and enlightenment. So, Oogway and his most skilled student at the time traveled across China, learning from each travel and each tribulation they found on the way, knowing themselves and mastering themselves and, in return, mastering their chi. Through inner peace and enlightenment, they were the first ones to learn all of the secrets of chi."

"During their travels..." Peafowl continued, ignoring the hand squeezing his neck. "They found a place. A place of life and creation. A place that mortal eyes had never seen before. They found the Tien Spring."

Jiao Din already knew the story. They found the Tien Spring and then they reached enlightenment by meditating by its waters, and then they built the Ku Shitang temple on those sacred grounds. That was the story everyone knew.

However, that was not the story that Peafowl told.

"After they meditated over the waters of the Tien Spring for three days and nights, they continued their peregrination." The bird said, in that same monotone, depressed voice. "Their travel ended two years later, when they found this pond of water on the depths of the gorge, which had a great quantity of chi, built over the course of many centuries. They rested their tired bodies on the water, and it alleviated them of their fatigue and strife. They both blessed this pond, and created a temple on the place where their quest ended, where Binturong would pass forward all of the teachings he learned about balance and inner peace. This was the origin of the Ku Shitang temple.

Jiao Din heard all of it, and he processed what he had just been told.

"This... this is not the Tien Spring?" The Komodo asked, in equal parts shocked and relieved.

"No." Peafowl said, then the Komodo tightened his grip on the bird's neck and asked, once more on an angry voice:

"So the stories of the Ku Shitang Temple being built on top of the Tien Spring were all a lie?"

Peafowl took a few moments to answer.

"A ploy." He said, "A ploy created to misdirect those who had greed and ambition on their hearts. To protect the real location of the Tien Spring and ensure that the only ones who would have access to it would be those with noble spirits and worthy hearts."

The Komodo hissed, raising the bird from the ground.

"Where..." he asked, in a slow and threatening voice "Is the real Tien Spring?"

Peafowl wanted to lie. He wanted to lie to protect the secret that had been trusted to him when he assumed as the temple's grandmaster. The secret that had been entrust to him by Master Ibex and by everyone before him.

However, his spirit was weak, and he could not deny the truth to his former student.

"I don't know." Peafowl said, honestly. "All I know are directions. Riddles and clues left behind by Master Binturong, and passed down from grandmaster to grandmaster, from mouth to ear. Only someone deserving, with those clues and directions, will be able to find the Tien Spring, and taste of the same enlightenment that Binturong and Oogway had when they rested over the sacred waters of the spring of creation..."

A low rumbling came from Jiao Din, as he approached his face of Peafowl's face, his breath warming the bird's face. For a moment, it seemed that the lizard was going to bite his head off. However, he then said:

"You..." His voice was dripping with contempt. "Will tell me each one of those directions. No. Better yet, you will be my guide. You will take me to the Tien Spring. You will take me there, and I'll finally get to taste of those waters!"

Once more, Peafowl wanted to protest, but had no heart to do so.

However, he still felt enough spirit left in him to say a warning to the blind reptile:

"The Dragon Warrior will stop you..."

"Dragon Warrior?" Jiao Din said. "Wait, I heard about him. A panda that Oogway chose, right? Lives in the Jade Palace back in the Valley of Peace?"

Yes, he indeed heard about the said panda. To this day, he could not believe that Oogway decided to make a panda a kung fu warrior.

"Rumor has it that he is as just a fat buffoon with a dumpling for a brain, just like the rest of his people." Jiao Din said, remembering the tales he heard about the panda. However, not all stories about the panda were bashing him. And Peafowl made sure to remember the Komodo of it.

"He defeated many great enemies since Oogway elected him." The bird said, "He saved China many times. Five years ago, he fulfilled Oogway's five-hundred years prophecy and defeated Kai the Collector."

"His mastery of chi greatly surpasses even mine." Peafowl said, looking at his student. "And the protection of the Tien Spring is one of his sacred duties. He will know you are after the Spring, and he will come for you. He will stop you, and he will show you no mercy."

The Komodo dragon hissed at Peafowl, and then he said:

"So the fat black and white buffoon will come after me? Well, let him come."

"Let's see if Oogway's chosen one is really all that." The Komodo said, "If he stands in my way, then I'll bring him down, like I did with many other enemies before him. And the world will see that the Dragon Warrior is no match for the Dragon of Chi."

With this said, Jiao Din was ready to leave this place, since there was nothing in there for him.

However, before leaving...

The lizard hissed and growled. Then, he spat. A glob of purple, glowing slime flew from his mouth, sailing through the air and landing right on the center of the pool.

In a few seconds, the point where the spit dropped started to bubble and churn. Purple light emanating from that single point, and spreading outwards, replacing the golden light coming from the blue pond, both of them being replace by a purple coloration that spread through the cave, casting it all in an eerie illumination.

The lotus flowers on the pond all withered and died, as the lily pads sank into the bubbling purple pond.

The vines sprouting from the pond turned black. Their flowers withering into nothing as vicious-looking spikes sprouted from them. Even from the ones around the statue.

And Jiao Din, not seeing nor caring to what was happening, simply turned his back to the pond and walked back up the stairs, dragging Peafowl along with him. The thorny vines around the statue of Master Binturong started to squeeze, causing the statue to crack under the pressure, before it eventually was broken into pieces by the vines, which them lashed around, hitting anything and everything within reach.

What once was a sacred place of healing and purification, now had been turned into a place of vileness and corruption. And the responsible didn't even cared enough to admire his handiwork, as he had much more important goals laying ahead of him.

And he would destroy anyone who dared to stand on his way.

The Spirit Realm

The vision formed on the pool changed and swirled, as the waters into the pond swirled themselves. Like fog dissipating, the images went out of focus and vanished, replaced by a golden color, which now reflected the image of the two figures looking down on the pond.

"Well, that's too bad." The first of the two figures, a turtle, said as he looked down on the pond. "That was a fine statue, my friend. I liked it better than the big one on the center of the temple."

Oogway said that, but the figure by his side didn't really cared for the statues. He was not the kind who minded statues very much. The mammal was busy looking into the pond. He looked at the figure that stared back at him, with dark-gray fur and long whiskers, wearing black and golden clothes, amber-colored eyes looking back deep into his own.

Master Binturong was in deep thought.

"The Tien Spring is in danger." Binturong said, as he stood by the side of his teacher. Oogway could only nod in agreement.

"It seems so."

"Will the Dragon Warrior be able to do it?" Binturong asked, looking deep at the pond. "Will he be able to stop Jiao Din?"

"We went through it already, didn't we?" Oogway asked his student, as he reached forward with a scaly hand, and ran one of his long nails on the waters, causing them to move again. The spiritual waters swirling and causing their images to shift into the pond, going out of focus and vanishing on the golden of that pond that they used to watch over the Mortal Realm.

Binturong had a serious expression on his face.

"He is strong." The bearcat said, "He defeated many enemies. The odds were against him, but he always reached victory. He did every time. He can do now... right?"

Oogway was silent for a few moments, and then he sighed.

"Po has grown so much since he became the Dragon Warrior." The turtle said, as the pond showed another image. This time, it showed one of the past. It was showing the moment when Po was chose as the Dragon Warrior.

"He faced many challenges. Many obstacles and tribulations." The turtle said, as the pond shifted to show Po's trajectory so far. From his hard training with Shifu to the enemies he faced. The times he nearly died and the great victories he had. "And each one of them helped him grow and become stronger. He became a warrior like no one ever saw before. He became every bit of the warrior that I had expected him to become. Every bit of the hero that he was meant to be."

The pond now showed the image of Po, among the people of the Valley of Peace, holding the staff Oogway himself gifted to him and smiling proudly at the people of the Valley of Peace.

"And yet, this will not be enough for him to face what is coming." Oogway said somberly.

"The threat that is looming over China... over all of the Mortal Realm, is far greater than any other Po ever faced before. Even Kai didn't posed as much of a threat as Jiao Din. Even Kai could not threaten Po the way Jiao Din can."

They both looked at the image, which faded, taken by a purple hue that consumed all of the light on the pond.

"Jiao Din's evil is the greatest challenge Po ever faced. And this is a threat that surpasses his own skills."

Heavy silence followed those words.

"So he has no chance of victory." Binturong said, and Oogway agreed.

"None at all..." He said, looking deep into the pond. Then he said:

"Unless he has help."

There was always a "but". That much was a rule. This time, however, the "but" was not a bad thing.

In this case, the "but" actually meant there everything was not lost.

And Binturong was glad for it. But still...

"Master." Binturong said, turning to Oogway, putting his paws before his body and bowing respectfully. "Please, allow me to go back to the Mortal Realm!"

Oogway said nothing to it, and he instead continued to look at the pool, which now showed the image of Jiao Din dragging Peafowl's limp body out of the Ki Shitang Temple. Oogway immediately knew that the peacock had already given the Komodo dragon the first clue, and that Jiao Din would use it to start his journey to the Tien Spring.

They didn't had time to lose.

"Please, let me be the one to go, Master!" Binturong insisted, as Oogway got up, the pond once more swirling. "I shall be the one to help the Dragon Warrior! I'll teach him everything that I can about how to use chi! Together we will stop Jiao Din before he can even come near the Tien Spring! Please!"

There was a silence between the two of them, before Oogway sighed.

"We also talked about this, old friend." The turtle said, turning his head to look at the mammal speaking to him. "You are not the one meant to help him. You are not the one that Po needs."

"And does he needs him!?" Binturong asked, exasperated. "Does he needs someone like him!? I'm sorry, Master, but are you sure it is wise to send him to help the Dragon Warrior?"

"He is the more indicated." Oogway said simply. "With him, Po will have the greatest chance of achieving victory. There is no other way."

"There has to be!" Binturong said, "Master, we cannot trust him to help the Dragon Warrior!"

"Is that so?" Said a third voice, which made Binturong and Oogway look back, at the figure coming at their direction, walking on the bare rock of the floating island where they were.

"Ah, there you are." Oogway said, "Took your sweet time, didn't you?"

"Had to prepare myself." The figure said, calmly walking into the direction of the pond, his form still cloaked in shadows, with only his glowing eyes visible. "After all, this will be my great return to the Mortal Realm. I gotta look my best, don't I?"

"I assume you do." Oogway said, looking at the newcomer with a smile, while Binturong looked at him with mistrust and hostility.

"Master, I beg you to reconsider." Binturong pleaded to Oogway, "Please, if not me than let's choose someone else. Maybe Thundering Rhino! Maybe his father! Maybe we could send Master Dog! They all could be of great help! Please, anyone but him!"

"Oh, Binturong..." The figure said giving one more step closer. "You're gonna hurt my feelings if you keep going like that."

Biturong looked over his shoulder.

"Why so bitter?" The third animal in there said. "Is that because Oogway was right and all of your students were bested so easily by a single guy? Well, can't say I blame you. I would be mad too if all of my heirs turned out to be such failures."

Binturong turned to him, baring his fangs as he growled at the other animal. He looked ready to charge at him, but Oogway stopped him with a hand on his arm. A single look on the eyes of his teacher and friend was enough to get Binturong to calm down. Not much, but just enough that he no longer wanted to jump at this other guy and beat him to death, what was impossible, since they all were already dead.

"The time has come." Oogway said simply, looking at the third figure, who looked back at the turtle. "The time has come. You shall now return to the Mortal Realm, and you shall help Po defeat Jiao Din. By doing so, you will reach the redemption for the actions committed during the course of your life."

The figure looked at Oogway, and scoffed.

"Redemption? Please. That talk may work with most people, but it will not be so easy with me." He said to the turtle. "You know you will need more than that to get me to help that fat idiot."

Binturong growled at the figure once more, showing clear disgust towards him. Oogway continued:

"Your past sins will be erased and forgiven. Your image, tainted by your actions in life, shall be restored, and you shall be remembered as a hero, rather than a villain. This will be the legacy you shall leave behind in the world by helping save the Tien Spring."

The figure looked at Oogway, and he had a smirk now.

"Sounds good." He said, his eyes glowing in direction to the reptile. "But, there is one more thing I think you are forgetting..."

Oogway looked at him. They both knew well what he was expecting to hear.

"By protecting the Tien Spring, the Universe saw reward you by opening a new path before you." Oogway said to the figure, who waited, still hidden in the shadows. "By helping Po, you will finally be able to get the one thing you have always wanted."

This was what the figure wanted to hear. His smirk widened.

"Now we're talking." He said, as he stepped out of the shadows. His grey fur shone under the light of the Spirit Realm, which reflected on his golden eyes.

"So, let's get going with it." Tai Lung said, looking at Oogway. "I'm dying to see that fat panda again..."

Oogway looked at him, and nodded.

"Very well." Was all he said, and he lifted his hand, a ball of golden chi forming in it. He pointed at Tai Lung, and the ball flew from his hand and hit the leopard.

It didn't caused him any damage, as it spread the golden energy around the leopard, who roared as he felt this energy flowing around and through him. A golden symbol appeared on his left pectoral, right over his heart, and it glowed in a golden light.

The feline started to dematerialize, disintegrating into blue light, which mixed with the golden one. With Oogway's gestures, the blue and golden mass rose into the air, and then it dove into the pond, which turned into a whirlpool of purple shades.

Off Tai Lung went, to the Mortal Realm.

Amidst all the purple, the blue and golden colors flowed, spinning and whirling like smoke in a hurricane, describing complex spirals and curves as they moved across all that purple.

Then, they spun around each other, until they formed a yin-yang symbol.

Then glowing, lustrous silvery letters appeared above, in and beneath the blue and yellow yin-yang.